Life Behind The Glass

[lifebehindtheglass]

Stare into the void of one of nature's largest flowers! I cannot believe my Stapelia gigantea has actually bloomed! Luckily, the rancid fragrance of this flower is only detectable at very close range.

[lifebehindtheglass]

Tiny Pacific Chorus Frog! Amphibians are a crucial part of any ecosystem. They are known as indicator species due to their sensitivity to environmental stressors. I feel really pleased and blessed to be surrounded by so many of these little green croakers.

[lifebehindtheglass]

More progress in the greenhouse! Its so hard to find time to really dig into all the planting projects I want to get finished! I'll try to do a better job updating and highlighting what I get done in my little jungle.

[lifebehindtheglass]

Incredibly tropical-looking Rose of Sharon is so nice to see this late in the season.

[lifebehindtheglass]

Look at this fancy little Rough-skinned Newt!

[lifebehindtheglass]

So many happy pollinators today! Including the biggest bumblebee I've ever seen! Luckily there was a European honeybee feeding near her for comparison. I later went back and measured the flower head to find that she was nearly a full inch long and thicc with nectar.

[lifebehindtheglass]

I spotted this foxglove that lost its main flower stalk. The plant pushed up so many shorter stalks to compensate and I kinda wish this was their standard growth form. So beautiful!

[lifebehindtheglass]

Umm, this foxglove be taaaaaalllll

[lifebehindtheglass]

Homestead vibes much? Even my lady's laundry in the wind enhances our slice of forest paradise. In the background you can see the outside of my tropical greenhouse. I've many posts ahead about the projects and plants I have growing in there. Would you be interested in hearing more dairy-entry-style posts about setting up and maintaining a greenhouse? Or do you just wanna see the pretty greens?

[lifebehindtheglass]

Echinacea is another late starter here in the PNW. But what's not worth the wait about this US native perennial!?

[lifebehindtheglass]

Verbena bonariensis, it's always one of my last perennials to show signs of life in spring.

[lifebehindtheglass]

These gorgeous Tigridia flowers are uniquely three-lobed, inches across, and last only a day. An incredible treat for the briefest, surprise moment.

[lifebehindtheglass]

My tropical conservatory greenhouse is really coming together! Its a huge mess right now since I only just finished bricking the floor and all my mail order plants arrived sooner than expected...more photos and a comprehensive plant tour and spotlight posts to come. Lets grow grow grow!!!

[mute-herald]

Gemstone altar vibes! I’m really loving this color story and how these gemstone jewelry pieces look together. Fun Fact: That huge chunk of rose quartz was found and passed down to me from my Great Grandfather!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMakeCave

[lifebehindtheglass]

I'm loving the tropical greenhouse vibe that's happening in our tiny home bathroom! I'd like to try and add some more wall hanging plants all the way to the floor!

[lifebehindtheglass]

So I’m trying a new project to marry a couple of my passions. 

Jewelry Making x Fish Keeping

Strange combo, but hear me out. The first image series is based on the color forms and patters of the hobby classic Cardinal Tetra ( Paracheirodon axelrodi). Hopefully you can see the inspiration there, and luckily the color combination makes it fairly clear to any hobbyist....however, does this project actually have any interest within the hobby? Would you wear something like this? Would you buy it?

I’d love to continue this series, but not if I’m the only dork interested in it, and not if the source of inspiration is unclear to people that know their aquarium fish...

The last 2 images are based on wild-type Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus). I had a harder time picking out a selection of beads to work with as you can see my palette was full. I think the pattern is fairly clear, but I’d really love some feedback from all my favorite fish nerds!!

In the meantime, please check out my Etsy store for some of my other pieces and vinyl decals: https://www.etsy.com/shop/themakecave

[lifebehindtheglass]

Here is a quick peek at my current workspace! Its difficult to manage daily life and have a dedicated work space for my projects while living in an RV!! But the windows and the view are so worth it.https://etsy.me/3630qvt