These photos of houseplants made of or augmented with common household goods made me laugh out loud — especially the moody, grey-background ones. I love them for their own sake, and as inspiration for a project for a rainy/snowy day..
PUTPUT is "an interdisciplinary Swiss/Danish artist duo... operating at the intersection where conceptual photography, styling, art, and design meet." They've created several fascinating photo series, but my favorites are definitely Inflorescence and Succulent. In these, cleaning brushes, shoe horns, pasta spoons, combs, and shower poufs are used to create remarkable houseplants. The results are understated and perfect.
Wouldn't this be a fun thing to do with kids (or without!) on a trapped-inside day? You could run around collecting objects that seem plant-like, then take turns inserting them into pots and/or existing plants. It would be especially fun to see how others react when they encounter the new "plants" — do they laugh, or not even notice?
(Images: PUTPUT)
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I'm gonna say it first...I can't kill these...nor can the cats eat 'em! Perfect.
I would say I love these and can't wait to get one but I get enough grief from my "real" plants loving friends for the bamboo sticks I have displayed (in lieu of something real). I keep telling them I don't have a green thumb but the griping never ends (sigh).
Nate Berkus says "living things in a home" can be some drift wood, or rocks, or fruit in a bowl (artichokes, anyone?). Anything that reminds you of nature.
@Mary E., banboo is "real" and also formerly living, so your friends are off-base on at least TWO counts! ;^) Mutter the word "Zen" at them...
Spooky, as I was thinking of trying something like this for six pots; eggbeater, turkey baster, old alarm clock (thyme) remote, to name a few, but wonder if it'd get old in 15 minutes and look stupid. Still, cheaper to scrounge the thrifts vs $ plants that may go to the 'no longer living' state before fall.
I have a couple orchids that I have kept from totally dying, but the flowers are long gone. Perhaps I need to dig through my craft crap and make a new flower spike out of copper wire and something shiny.
I never TPed a house as a teenager, but I did help stick egg-carton flowers all over a neighbor's cactus. We thought it was hilarious.