Ok, so this is not so much about showcasing my photography work as it is me showing off a bit of my creative side.  I love succulents and particularly love seeing them all huddled together in a wonderful receptacle of some kind.  I wanted something for my bathroom counter that isn't too high that it will block the nice view of the trees but is big and bold and a bit modern.  The hunting and gathering began.  

I found a fairly inexpensive succulent hanging basket at a local grocery store.  It had some nice big and bold plants which are tough to find at this time of year.  Then I came across a wonderful concrete bowl at my favourite local florist called Limelight in West Vancouver. http://limelightfloraldesign.com.  It wasn't cheap but it's perfect for what I wanted and it's big!  I picked up some succulent/cactus soil, drain rock and a few smaller succulents from a local nursery that actually had a pretty good selection.  http://www.mapleleafgardencentre.ca

For those of you that know me, know that I don't tackle the unknown without doing a fair bit of research on the internet, so of course I did that.  You really can find out the answer to just about anything on the web.  A good tip I got the internet, is to place lots of drain rock first, then place the plants into the bowl (still in their containers) and play around with the layout until your happy.  Good advice!  I didn't have all my plants in containers because I had to remove them (carefully) from the hanging basket, but I still played around with the layout before adding the soil.  Once your happy with the look, you fill all the spaces with soil.  I had some smooth black rocks that I sprinkled on the top in any free areas, but there weren't many.  Second helpful internet tip;  use a soft paint brush to brush off dirt that will inevitably fall into the plants.  So here it is!  Overall, I am pretty stoked with my first attempt and I think it meets my goal for big, bold and modern.  Now, the hard part is keeping it alive. 

Below is a before and after photo plus a few shots in it's new home.  Don't you love before and afters?