Orchid Lice What is it? How to Eradicate It? A Free Pretty Mini Scrapbook Kit

 

If you accidentally got here looking for hair lice, no worries! I've covered that years ago as well. Click the link to get to the post and safely and naturally get rid of that darn lice.

Just look at my gorgeous baby. Allow me to introduce, Henrietta. (My grandmother's name.) I don't even know how old she is. 18 years old? She's an absolute dream. A beautiful cloud of plant heavenliness adorning my enormous picture window for well over a decade. Isn't she a jaw dropper? She blooms year round, non stop. She didn't always bloom year round, but she has been for a few years, lately.

I have no idea what I'm doing! I just love her so much. She was a gift from our neighbor and found herself right at home quickly. I was smitten! She must really feel the love I have for her. I was horrified to find this dusty looking, sticky stuff all over her, one afternoon while cleaning out the window sill. My poor baby!

She got infected by a recent plant purchase. A really, really crappy plant purchase, I might add. I often buy discounted, half dead plants because I feel sorry for them and this happens. Ugh! (Reminds me of a recent vote I made. Thought I was doing the right thing, only to find out I voted for yet another parasite.)Needless to say, those plants are gone. In my research, it says I should trash an orchid that's repeatedly infected?! As if?! There's no way in H...E...double hockey sticks I'm throwing out grandma! Banish the thought!

So, for months, I dug into treating Henrietta with a watered down dish soap spray, a toothpick and cotton swab. Can you see that little monster? Heebie jeebies!

It took some serious searching and a lot of reading to find a good article on how to combat this terrible pest. Here's a really good one and I plan on trying the alcohol, next if this is still a problem.

Just look at all of this filth! I literally worked like an hour to remove every trace that I can see. Little did I know about the roots, until just a few minutes ago. Ugh! She's already in the one of the biggest pots I own. After reading, I should take her out and clean the roots really well, put all new soil/orchid mix and a new pot. She's just huge. Like a bush! So, it will not be an easy task.

This infection was really, really bad. You have to literally, check every centimeter of your plant and by all means, get that plant out of reach of other plants. Unless, you want them to die or become infected. Sure enough this got to all of my orchids. What a load of work! Each time I treated my plant, there were less and less traces of the lice.

See that concentration under the flower? I very gently scrape with a cotton swab or toothpick and then spray the crap out of it with my soapy mix.

They just love the nodes! You'll need a toothpick to get them the heck out of there. Zap'm with a hefty squeeze of your spray.

Just look at that! Even the tiniest of crevices!

In the seems of the leaves...

If you really love your plant, don't give up! First line of action is to get it away from other plants. We got this horrid infestation from a totally different kind of plant. It was not an orchid OR perhaps we got it when I orchid sat for my mother-in-law?! Oh! I just thought of that. Either way, remove it and treat it in whatever way you choose. Purchased insecticidal soaps, the rubbing alcohol or my way which is probably the least damaging for the plant.

Here's more evidence on another orchid. I read somewhere that a struggling plant often encourages pests. So try your best to have healthy plants.

This little guy was a lot easier to treat.

This one was not infected.

I found that misting my plants on occasion helps a great deal with those scale bugs. You know, the ones that look like a solid drop of honey? Aphids as well.  I carefully scratch them off if I see them and spray a bit of the dish soap water over the plant. I've had no serious infestations since. 

Enjoy some pics of some of my other orchids.

This is just one branch from Henrietta.

Your FREE Mini Kit with Tag, Papers and Graphic Designs

I know! It's nothing like I used to design. This software problem is the issue. Also, there are like a ton of other things I'd rather be doing than designing. Like many other women out there, I change my mind like the wind. I get bored! I've dove into DIY everything from home repairs to cosmetics and it is consuming a lot of time. Maybe you read about my Scandinavian adventure? There is still so much to share. I also plan on blogging some of my experiences restoring this old, German house on a dime. I thought about calling the series, Paint, Duct Tape and Zip Ties because I'm totally fixing up this house with next to no budget or skills for that matter. Just a lot of practice and You Tube videos! Hehehe...

I hope you come back for another visit. This blog is kind of like an orchestra of all things helpful (the drums), making things pretty (the wind instruments), travel (the strings) and saving money (the conductor).

May your day be full of magic and laughter!

DIY Crazy Easy Lotion Bars from The Cherry On Top and a Free Homemade with Love Design

Welcome to The Cherry On Top, crafters.

My travel buddy from The States brought over a lotion bar for me as a gift and I fell in love hard with it. What a super way to bring lotion on a journey without it getting messy?! It was fairly small as well. So it didn't take up any space in my luggage. Another win! My feet have never been so smooth. The bar is so rich, I don't have to apply it daily and I've got some seriously dry, lizard-like skin.

As my bar started to shrink, I began to panic. I couldn't run out of this stuff!? I hit up Pinterest to see if I could make these myself, with little work and no special appliances. To my surprise, you totally can! You don't need anything special at all. If you do any kind of cooking at home, you'll have what ya need.

Also, you only need a handful of ingredients. This is totally my kind of project. I made a bunch because that's what the recipe called for and I gave a few away as small Christmas gifts.

The only downside I found was this is a very messy process and it's not that easy to clean up because it's super greasy and then it dries. Make sure you've got a lot of hot water on hand for the cleanup.

I put some water in a pot and then my good, glass, Pyrex measuring cup in the boiling water for my bain marie. It didn't balance well and was definitely on the precarious side, but it got the job done.

- So set up your bain marie (water bath).

- Gather the ingredients and amounts of those ingredients.

- Follow the directions carefully. There is an order for when to put in things. Harder to melt items go    first and your essential oils (if you are adding them) go in after your blend has cooled a bit.

- Pour the mix in to your mold and let them cool and harden.

You'll find all kinds of recipes for lotion bars. From insect repellent, to manly versions and from greasy to not so greasy. Look for the one that suits your needs.

Also mega cool with these, when they get really small you can save the pieces and when you've got a good accumulation, melt them down and make another bar or you can just rub the piece vigorously between your palms until it's melted.

Something I learned during our heat wave, here in Europe, depending on the recipe you use, the bars can get mushy and even melt a bit. The recipe I used was fine. It stayed solid.

Someone mentioned in a recipe comment that this stuff blocks your pores? I've not had this experience. You can always try a little on a place like your feet to test? If you have oily skin, maybe don't put it on your face? My skin is very sensitive and I've had zero problems so far. Yay! If skin has anything to do with genes, thanks a lot, mom and dad. To be fair, besides dry, my skin has always  been pretty darn good.

Oh! Another thing I've discovered! As you shower, the oil can accumulate on the floor of the shower! Yikes! I can imagine it isn't ideal for the drain. I just thought I'd mention that. Rubbing with a hot wash cloth before entering the shower might help? I'll deal with the consequences. Hehehe...

It doesn't take any time at all. Under 30 minutes for sure and you don't need anything special to make them. As you can see from my photos, I used a bread pan for the rectangular shape and silicon muffin forms for the round ones. How easy is that?! Of course you can buy molds and make fancy stuffs, but whatever design you use will wear off after just a few uses.

Exciting news! Keep scrolling for the update.

I rub my bars directly over my skin and then gently message it all in or for your face you could turn and rub your bar between both hands and then rub it on your face.

I only made two batches so far. So I'm not mega experienced and I did end up buying a little device (I know!) to melt my concoction which made clean up a breeze. The small appliance can be used for a lot more crafts like candles and infused oils which is ideal because I also make my own CBD oil. I'll leave an image and link for you. It took me forever to find the right one. A huge one was not necessary.

These sized bars will last you at least a couple of weeks depending on how much you use and how often. I think they are a great deal for money and you know all of the ingredients that are in there. No chemicals whatsoever.

Let me leave you with a fun design you could use if you make these and want to give them as gifts or if you just want to put your bars in something pretty. I recycled the round tin from my friend's gift for a few of the muffin shaped bars and simply wrapped the rectangular ones in parchment paper, tied a festive and natural bow around and slid in a piece of pine. You can buy the tins online.

If you've been following for me all of these years, you'll know I've been in and out of a few digital design shops, Design Bundles being one. The latter has changed up the format of the platform. The entire site is now membership only with three choices for you to choose from. Lucky for us, my shop was accepted into the new Plus shop. Shoo! So far the earnings are meager, but I'm willing to give it a go a few months and see if I can earn a few bucks.

I'll let ya know when I get some new designs in there via newsletter and right here on the bloggo.

Check out the design I just downloaded for today's freebie. I'm thinking you can use it as a sticker or a tag for the lotion bars you are going to gift. Check out all of the coordinating designs, here and start thinking how you will use them.

Sorry about those shadows. I'm trying to learn another, darn software program. Grrr...I am so over PhotoShop Elements. Just after a few years of buying the software for a third time, it stopped working after a computer update, yet again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me three times, shame on me! I don't earn any kind of income. So it's essential that I find free software. Thank goodness, I did. I wish I could remember where I saw it and I can't believe I remembered the name. (I seem to forget just about everything, these days.) Photopea is my new home, for now. I'm a slow, self taught learner. That's a huge part of why I don't have a lot of new designs. I'm on the job! Stay tuned!

I'll have more info and hopefully a few more new items in the Kreative Design Studio at Design Bundles. Let me know what you think of this style of design. I love it, but wonder if it isn't a little too old farty?

Thanks for stopping by The Cherry.

Happy crafting!