DIY Projects, Home Improvement

Wall Texture

Wall texture is a way to give a wall a 3-D effect casing shadows with light. You can get the desired effect with painting with different tools, stick-on effects, or wallpaper (not your grandmother’s wallpaper).

Marbled wallpaper


We all know of the popcorn ceilings from the ’60s and 70’s most people hate. It is becoming in vogue to create 3-D textures on walls. One way is when you mud a wall is to take a tool for designing textures in the mud called a comb, stiff brush, or trowel. Then paint when it dries.

Texturing mud


Maybe an easier way is to take a textured wallpaper and use it. They use visual design and raised relief. Patterns come in wood, marble, or metal.

Wallpaper


The easiest way to incorporate painting techniques. Use more paint and a rough brush for a design. You can buy different paint textured roller that is plastic.

Using a textured roller


You can buy silica sand to mix in the paint. This gives the wall a rough, glistening effect.

If you like vintage textures, use Fresco, which applied gives an effect of chalk. Paint the wall then lightly go over it again with light color paint.

House pests

Christmas Cactus

There are 3 types of remarkably similar cacti called Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and Easter cactus. What separates them are the blooming times.

Thanksgiving Cactus


The Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti need around 6 weeks of short days to initiate blooming. The Easter cacti need 8 to 12 weeks of short days required for blooming.

Christmas Cactus


There is a difference in their leaves also. The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncate) have claw-shaped segments and the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) have rounded segments.
The flowers are different on the Easter cactus (Hatiora gaertneri) are larger and daisy-like.

Easter Cactus


If your plants are dropping buds, I can be due moving the plant to another location changing light conditions. The plant due best being root-bound. If the plants turn reddish, the problem is usually too much sun or lack of water (do not overwater, have good drainage).

Pruned Christmas Cactus
House Plants

Pointsettia Plant

The most popular houseplant for the bringing in of Christmas is the poinsettia plant. The plant comes from the tropics so that should tell you it needs some warmth. The most common mistake is when you buy one and transport it to the car and back in your home, it might get chilled. Then that is when all the colorful bracts (top leaves) fall off soon.

After you get it home, remove the foil around the pot so excess water drains away. Place the poinsettia in an east window or south window (careful the light is not too intense). Keep away from touching cold windows or drafts from opening outside doors. Let the top of the soil dry until watering and mist daily.

The plant should retain its color until late spring. Then I throw the plant away. If you want to be challenged, cut back the stems, and move outside in the summer to a light shady area keeping watering and fertilizing. Keep pinching new stems back preventing the poinsettia from getting too big. Bring indoors in late summer. Keep the plant in total darkness from 5 PM to 8 AM starting October 1 until the last of November.

Plants are native to Central America to southern Mexico. Joel Pionsett a French physician discovered these plants and took them back to Europe. The plant has been hybridized to the many colors you see in today’s market beyond the typical dark red.

Is the poinsettia poisonous? The milky sap makes the plant bitter, deterring pests. If you eat the leaves anyway, a dog or cat eats some leaves they will become nauseated and throw up. It is still best to keep the plant away from pets and kids. Two seasonal plants that are toxic are the amaryllis and holly berries.

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