Plant Blog

Posted on

What Is Plant Therapy?

Upward view of majestic redwoods of the Bay Area

We all need it. It’s in that moment you realize the appreciation you have for the natural world. It’s walks in the park, hiking trails, camping, smelling flowers…

If you have taken care of plants (whether it’s yours or a friends while they’re on vacation) you find yourself watching that set of motionless leaves. You, quiet and contemplative. In that moment you are not thinking about yourself or your problems. You’re thinking about this living organism, wishing for its longevity.

I’m not perfect, I’ve killed plants. It took me awhile to understand what they need and how to look for clues to their necessities to thrive. But with each lesson learned increased my appreciation and desire to grow more. This pandemic has increased time at home. Many people look to plants and nature as a means to distract us from the stress and pressures of life. Plants are literally giving us life, oxygen! Their survival is essential to our survival. The more people conscious of the delicate balance for humans, flora and fauna, the longer we’ll all survive. Save the plants!

In my effort to spread awareness and conservation of plants I’ve handmade items that bring attention to their beauty and grace. I hope in the coming posts you find things that help aide in your plant therapy. And maybe you have a special someone that could use some plant therapy too.

Looking up at the mighty redwoods at Muir Woods, Northern California.
Aww….. Don’t you feel better already?

In every walk with nature one receives far more then he seeks.

-John Muir
Posted on

Pruning For Plant Therapy

Magnolia tree in bloom.

Tree pruning for the first time can be a completly daunting task! Just remember that most cuts you make to a tree will not kill it. With that fact out of the way take a deep breath and try to feel what kind of cuts the tree wants…

Start with cutting branches that are

  • Dead
  • Diseased
  • Dying
  • Damaged
  • Deformed
  • Crossing Over

If you stick with that you’ll already be making major improvements for the tree. Don’t panic, enjoy the challenge.

Posted on

Queen Bee Coffee Mugs

Coffee mug with Sweet Thieves SF logo

Life getting you down? Yeah it’s running me over too. It helps to have a reminder that we ARE the masters of our domain. You are queen bee. Just like Beyonce.

We have limited edition Queen Bee mugs. What’s great is that the inside is black, so no unsightly coffee stains and camouflaging the liquid contents. What’s in there? Coffee? Tea? Red wine? Who knows!! I won’t tell.

Drinking out of my Queen Bee coffee mug on a sunny morning.
First side with you, the queen bee.
Showing our logo on the back side of the Queen Bee coffee mug.
Second side with our Sweet Thieves Beekeeping logo.
Posted on

Beeswax Candles

First year beekeeper with rooftop honey bees

One of a kind gifts from the amazing honeybee!

Once you light your first wick of a natural beeswax candle, you don’t go back. First of all the smell, these candles are not artificially scented, it is the smell of nature! Whether the candle is lit or not, the wax emits a very very subtle sweet aroma.

Honeybees produce wax from their body glands. They collect plant resigns and honey to produce beeswax. Bees use their wax to carefully construct beautiful hexagonal forms as a means to store honey, nectar, pollen, and to raise their young. After some time the wax has maximized its use to the bees and gets removed by the beekeeper. It goes through many processes of cleaning and filtration and is rendered into a solid form for its next use. Just like pure honey has different colors from one season to the next, wax also comes in varying shades of yellow to brown. This wax has many amazing uses in household products, cosmetics, woodworking, metal smithing, artists material and so much more.

Because I’m a beekeeper who holds honeybees and beeswax in high honor, quantity of product is limited season to season. I use my candles only for special occasions.

  • Handmade beeswax candle
    Beeswax pillar candle
  • Set of 4 beeswax tea lights
    Handmade beeswax tea lights set of 4
  • One pound of natural beeswax
    Pound of beeswax
Close up of honeycomb showing capped honey and uncapped nectar.
A closeup photo of honeycomb: the top half is little beeswax cubbyholes filled with honey and have been sealed with a wax cap for longterm storage, the bottom half is beeswax cubbyholes filled with nectar that is slowly drying before getting a wax cap. Nature’s “lace doily”
Posted on

Handmade Plant Lover Stationery With Origami Envelopes & Sealing Bee Stickers

Photo mount card with envelope and sealing sticker

Using recycled paper and card stock.

Choose your favorite style!

Stationery spread out

5″x7″ Greeting Cards designed with hand drawn flowers in 3 different styles. Printed on high quality white card stock. Included with a collection of bright green and bright yellow origami folded envelopes and honeybee sealing stickers. Set of 12.

Flower stationery, origami envelopes and honeybee stickers

3.5″x5″ Thank You Cards designed with hand drawn flowers in 3 different styles. Printed on high quality brown card stock. Included with white linen-textured origami folded envelopes and honeybee sealing stickers. Set of 12.

Photo mount card with envelope and sealing sticker

5″x7″ Photo Mount Cards printed on white card stock with photos printed on high quality matte finish photo paper. Included with white origami folded envelopes and honeybee sealing stickers. Sold in 3 different collections: Garden Reverie Collection, set of 4. Coastal Dreaming Collection, set of 5. And Seen From A Bug Collection, set of 10.

  • Card stock and envelopes are made with acid-free medium and heavy weight recycled paper.
  • Envelopes are hand folded origami style, no glue used. Use provided bee stickers to seal envelopes.
  • We use re-purposed materials for our packaging.
  • Supplies are sourced from small and local businesses.
  • Each item is lovingly handcrafted.
  • These products are recyclable and/or compostable.
  • Every purchase helps advocate for our pollinators and our beautiful planet.
Example of card sets packaging
Set of cards come simply wrapped in repurposed paper with bee sealing stickers and envelopes included
Here is an easy video to help if your origami envelope has unfolded.