Succulent Party Favors

This week I hosted a brunch for a group of ladies. I wanted to make it really special because these are the ladies who lead the womens' ministry at our church. (Sidenote: If you live in Hays County, you are cordially invited to join us at PINK which meets Friday mornings from 9:15-11:30 for 10 weeks beginning September 7th. Sign up HERE)

For the past couple of years I have been fascinated by succulents and have been patiently waiting for an opportunity to do something creative with them. This brunch was the perfect occasion. I took my time and watched for a good deal on purchasing the plants. (If you are an exceptional planner you could groom your own clippings for this project instead of purchasing, but I'm not that great of a planner) I found a six pack of varied succulents at HEB for only $7.98 . They were tiny but that was exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately I cannot find them at HEB anymore but they are available at local garden stores as well.

I already had a bag of Miracle Grow Cactus/Succulent Potting Soil in our barn so that made the project even easier. Then, I just needed to find containers for the plants. I found this four pack of short wide mouthed mason jars at Target for only $4.99. I knew I truly found a good deal when I ran across the exact same four pack at Hobby Lobby for $14.99. Target for the win this time!

It was pretty effortless assembling the plants. I ended up using a tablespoon to fill the jars with the soil because the openings around the plant and roots were really small. Then the KEY FACTOR was NOT to overwater the plants. Succulents really only need to be watered once a week at the very most. So I filled the jars ¾ full of water and encouraged the ladies to only water them once a week once they got them home.

Now to set the table! I have used this tree branch in so many different ways over the past year. This time I laid it over a burlap table runner layered over a white one. (TIP-- I always try to use what I already have. The white runner is actually the underside of a patterned runner that I would have otherwise given away because it's too busy for my taste). I used faux succulents to adorn the branch. I was able to just set them in crooks of the branches but you could always use flower wire to secure them as needed.

I used mason jars instead of goblets and mismatched antique chairs, galvanized chargers and simple white plates.

I wanted to have place markers for the ladies so I tore pages from an old hymnal and wrote each name at the bottom. After setting a plant on the top of each page, my table was complete!