It’s been so beautifully sunny and warm in SF recently that all my summertime fantasies have surfaced in full force, including the usually irrational urge to run around in short shorts, making up reasons to window shop through the Mission, and the constant desire to surround myself with greenery [of the nature or in-house variety]. All three were accomplished this weekend when my friend B had the genius inspiration to plant succulents [oh so trendy right now] in . . . teacups!
We started in the Mission, scouring thrift stores for the perfect planters. With my heart set on the modern farmhouse look [like the staged magazine spreads with the perfect mix of vintage kitchenware, whitewashed walls, and exposed wood rafters, that would inevitably be terribly kitschy if you tried to recreate them at home], I picked up a few white teacups and two mini steel loaf pans. We then strolled through the Duboce Triangle — scouted for chemistry beakers at The Industrialists but left empty-handed — and the Haight — eyed the taxidermy jewelry at Loved to Death — to the Inner Sunset. With a stop at Arizmendi to refuel on roma/feta/pesto pizza and a corn/cherry scone, we were finally ready to get down and dirty with succulents at Urban Bazaar!
The shop alone is nifty enough, with screen-printed pillowcases, fun stamp sets, and earrings made from painted plastic animal figurines, but their recently-unveiled Succulent Bar has become a surprise hit. In the backyard is a tiny greenhouse filled with succulents of all shapes and sizes, plus dirt, an assortment of decorative pebbles, and some generic planters. [if “succulent” is a foreign word to you, they look like this] You just pick out the succulent of your dreams, repot it in a container of your choosing, and voila — instant green thumb!
Painfully adorable, yeah?
