How to... Grow a Cat Plant

Welcome to today's blog on how to grow your own Cat Plant

This is a picture of the lovely Ginger Cat Plant that I have managed to grow this Spring. I don't know which was more surprised; me to find the Cat Plant growing here, or the Cat Plant upon being discovered!! I suspect it thought it was well hidden and camouflaged against the brickwork. It is certain that if it can just hide its head, its body will surely blend in!

You can see from this first picture I took (below left) as I was slowly approaching the Cat Plant, that it seemed a little annoyed at having been discovered growing here!

In the second picture (above), it is resigned to the fact that it has been discovered. And the third picture (below, it is our main picture repeated again, but smaller), the Cat Plant seems to have convinced itself that perhaps all is not lost, and it has almost certainly eluded detection after all!

Cat Plants are highly elusive you see, they prefer a sheltered spot, and preferably a warm one too. This Cat Plant has grown well next to some bricks that warm up nicely in the sunlight. Bricks are ideal as they also stay warm for a couple of hours after the sun has gone down. The planter raises the Cat Plant about a 9 inches to a foot off the ground, although it is worth noting that Cat Plants generally prefer a higher vantage point.

This planter is filled with earth and some remnants of more traditional (and might I add, fairly unsuccessful) planting. Curiously it seems to have gained a few weeds as well. The planter was left unattended for some time which allowed the Cat Plant to take up its position at pride of place in the planter. If you tend to your planter too regularly this could actually discourage a Cat Plant taking root, as they don't appreciate wet soil so much, and of course if the planter is too full, the Cat Plant will have nowhere to position itself.

Overwatering your planter can have another adverse effect as well. If the soil is too wet to grow in, Cat Plants may decide to use it for other means... and this is not such a pleasant alternative! So beware any brown nuggets discovered in your planter!! Personally I am much relieved to find an actual Cat Plant in my pots and tubs outside, rather than alternative brown nuggets!!

One advantage of a Cat Plant over a normal plant is that you do not have to buy seeds in order to grow one, all you really need is a cat and a suitable planter. And if your neighbour has a cat or two, you may only need to supply the planter, and of course vice-versa, if you have a cat, your neighbour may find they get a lovely Cat Plant from it.

Below is another fine specimen of a Cat Plant I found growing on the garden table. Again, this was a neighbour's Cat Plant that had started to grow in my planter...

This tub was going to be for the tomato plants in the foreground of the picture, but sorry tomato plants, the Cat Plant is possibly evolutionary superior and beat you to it!!

Af first we can just glimpse the Cat Plant in its fairly sheltered position amongst the young tomato plants. Growing on this table, it is fairly high off the ground, which a Cat Plant does seem to prefer. The Cat Plant is relatively small here, it is not at its full height and has not yet unfolded...

Here it has unfolded. It is also alerted to my presence. Note it is still sheltered and fairly well hidden (to the untrained eye) amongst the young tomato plants...

And finally, it has bloomed!! Cat Plants, unlike tomato plants, move quite freely and easily, a bit like tulips really; they can turn fairly quickly in almost any direction and often like to seek the sunlight!

This lovely Tortoiseshell Cat Plant has since repotted itself from this particular planter. The tomato plants never grew as quickly or as big as the Cat Plant, and I must say, the tomato plants didn't respond quite so well to a bowl of Whiskers either!

So to recap on the main points for Cat Plant success:

1) Do ensure your planter is positioned in a secluded spot, both warmth and quiet are important, a Cat Plant likes to remain undisturbed
2) A stable yet elevated position will encourage your Cat Plant to take root
3) Ensure the soil is dry
4) Cat Plants seem to prefer a fairly snug fit so make sure your planter is not too large
5) Do not over-plant with traditional plants, you need to leave room for a potential Cat Plant
6) And most importantly, DO NOT WATER!!

If you are lucky enough to grow your own Cat Plant, it will make a most enjoyable edition to any garden, and, unlike traditional plants, it has the added benefit of being furry, warm and purring.

Thank you for reading! And best of luck with your gardening endeavours.



You may also like to visit my little online boutique, Escape Arts, where you can find lovely things such as dresses, evening jackets, handbags, scarves, accessories, handmade jewellery and cute cards & gifts.

Ditching Dieting and Regaining Life!

Tips for loosing weight and sustaining weight loss

Having just watched a program on the television tonight reporting on diets and diet fads and people's struggle to loose weight, I found it very frustrating... as did the poor souls embattled with their own weight loss which often involved very bizarre and often unpleasant diets!

So here are my suggestions for weight loss. They may not apply to or even suit everyone so please apply your own judgement as to whether they are for you or not. If in any doubt see your doctor!

So here we go...

1)   No matter what weight you are starting at, or what weight you hope to get to, you must first love, appreciate and accept yourself FIRST. Do not criticise yourself. Calmly do not allow others to criticise you. There is so much more to you than what size you are, or are not. Stop thinking about weight loss and find your qualities.

2)   Being thin in itself will not make you happy. Learn how to be happy regardless of your size.

3)   If you are obsessed with dieting you probably spend a lot of your time, money & resources on this habit, and yes, it is a habit. Find something that is actually enjoyable for you to do, maybe learn a new skill, take up a new hobby. Something that you might like to learn and progress in, and put some of your time, money & resources into that INSTEAD of dieting. Feel proud of what you achieve. Feel proud of expanding your mind or skills.

4)   Eat 3 meals a day. Do not calorie count... LIFE IS TOO SHORT! Eat as sensibly as you can from all the main food groups, protein, carbohydrate, fruit/vegetables, (natural!) fats/oils. Do not overload on carbs as this can cause a sugar rush in your blood sugar followed by a blood sugar drop later on as your body over-compensates. By eating balanced meals with protein and vegetables and natural fats/oils with your carbs, this allows them to absorb more gradually.

5)   After your evening meal has settled, allow half an hour or more of sitting for it to go down and not stress your stomach, then stand up! Go for a walk if it is safe outside, do some household chores, work on something, anything other than slouch on the sofa. Your evening meal will sustain you for a couple of hours activity, so sit down later on after you have done something else.

6)   Anything that comes in a shiny wrapper should be viewed with suspicion, they are full of energy yes, but more energy than you need. They can put your blood sugars on a roller coaster surging from high to low which may encourage you to eat some more processed food and start the roller coaster off again! Nor are the ingredients particularly congenial to long term health. These foods also temporarily distort your taste buds so that natural foods taste bland... give it a few months of avoiding the shiny temptations and your taste buds will soon start to recover and you will find your meals flavoursome again.

7)   Avoid processed and pre-prepared foods as much as you possibly can. Even if your meal has fewer ingredients in it, maybe some potatoes (carbs), carrots (veg) and meat (protein) you have prepared and cooked, it is still better for you than something processed or pre-prepared. If do not yet know how to cook for yourself, maybe use the money you save from your dieting habit to go on a short cookery course. Or better still, find someone who's cooking you like and see if they can give you a few pointers. You could google which herbs and spices accompany different foods best, and experiment with using these to create flavours you will like.

8)   View breads, cakes and especially pastries with the mistrust they deserve! Factory-made cakes can have a lot of chemicals in them. Eat these in moderation and certainly not every day. A few days without any of these products will benefit you greatly. The more days you can go without them, the better.

9)   Do not drink more alcohol than you feel you need to. Alcoholic drinks can be fattening and can also cause lower blood sugar the next day which can lead you to eat too many carbs. If possible, drink very little alcohol. A bottle of wine with a meal would be better than just drinking on its own, and you might like to add a bit to your cooking.

10)   As for exercise, you may laugh, but I take a very dim view on exercise for the sake of exercise. The notion of eating more food so you can burn it all off again while achieving nothing and helping nobody is beyond me! It seems a waste of resources! Even worse should you have to pay money to do so! I strongly advocate USEFUL EXERCISE. For example, if it is safe in your neighbourhood, walking to the shops and carrying back the shopping is exercise. Cleaning your house (some people enjoy this, some don't), so if you don't mind it too much, go for it! If you've cleaned yours, why not see if anyone else would like a hand with their cleaning, being careful not to cause offence of course! Taking care of any pets you may have can add some activity, and for a good cause. If you have children, why not entertain or play with them for a bit. Or with friends' or relatives children. Odd jobs around the house or garden. Helping around the community if this appeals to you. If you like dancing why not put the radio on and dance at home. If you like the outdoors, go for a hike in the fresh air instead of to the gym. Find other pursuits you might like.

11)   If you snack too often because you are bored, it may be that the boredom rather than the snacking needs addressing in order to ease the snacking. Take time to search for something that interests you, something to occupy your mind. If you are at work, maybe you need more responsibility, more challenges? If your mind is properly focused, you will forget about the messages your stomach is sending you for a while.

12)   You are probably capable of much more than is ever asked of you by yourself or by anyone else, so don't be afraid to try stretching yourself, add one new task or responsibility at a time and see how you go, you may find you enjoy a new challenge.

13)   Do you suffer from naturally low blood sugar, causing you to keep snacking to raise it. Is your hunger caused by excess stomach acid that needs addressing? Perhaps these are questions for your doctor or pharmacist.

14)   Is your over-eating caused by low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, unresolved issues from the past? If you suspect this is the case and can afford to use some of your would-be dieting money, consider a session with a counsellor. You could talk to your doctor first as you could be recommended for free or subsidised counselling depending on your income. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of trying to get to the root cause of what is driving you to over-eat, especially if you think you may be comfort-eating.

15)   Unless dairy disagrees with you, DO NOT substitute full fat or semi-skimmed milk for skimmed milk, unless you particularly like the taste of course. I have drank full fat and semi-skimmed milk all my life and I am NOT overweight! I also eat and cook with butter, sometimes cream and other dairy products... and I am NOT overweight. I do not believe that natural fats in moderation are bad for you, whereas the chemicals found in their substitutes certainly can be!

Certainly avoid diet foods and foods with zero or low sugar and/or fat. The chemicals that have to be used instead can be harmful, and do your body no favours. I regularly use a salad dressing I make out of cold olive oil, lemon juice (and sometimes salt). Your body won't absorb the natural unprocessed fats so easily and they contain fatty acids that are good for you brain too. You are more likely to gain body fat from the carbohydrates and refined sugars you intake, as they are always in too great a quantity and are not used by the body at the time, so it stores them quickly as fats in order to try to prevent your blood sugar rising too high. Stick to natural instead of processed fats.

Buy and use fresh fruit and vegetables, they will do for your vitamins and minerals and are much more easily absorbed and in greater quantities than tablets or additives to other foods. Vary as much as you can what fruits and vegetables you buy.

If you eat meat, buy fresh meats to cook. Vary from different types of meat and fish so you are not always eating the same type, this is better for you than say, eating red meat every day.

Try to buy more natural carbohydrates, potatoes, suedes, and some other root-type vegetables, rice. Be careful with cereals. Do not eat too many of these. And opt for oats and rye over wheat and corn as much as possible.

16)   As you start to take in less carbs and refined sugars you may produce too much insulin, making you feel crabby, grumpy, dizzy, sweaty, anxious, but don't loose heart, your body should adjust to the new quantities, give it a couple of months.

17)   Bugger your weight! Take the pressure off yourself and first look at changes to improve your quality of life, lifestyle and happiness. You may find that when you're happier you want to do more, and when you do more, the weight will start to come off. Try to loose it too quickly, make it a gradual process. Do not shock your body with dramatic weight loss, ease it gently into the idea.

18)   If, in the past, you try to motivate yourself by wanting to be a certain size for an occasion... don't! You will make drastic changes you cannot keep up, and then feel disappointed if, months after the event, you cannot fit into that garment again. Your focus will be on one event rather than being healthier for the rest of your life. Instead choose correctly-fitting garments, not too tight, not too loose, for the size you currently are. Then you will look and feel good no matter what size you happen to be.

19)   Avoid diet foods, instead opt for natural, unprocessed foods, basic foods, combine them. Certainly avoid dieting tablets, drinks etc. Avoid things like this that mess with your body.

20)   Remember, you must first accept yourself for how you are before you try to change! You are not a size, you are a person, concentrate your efforts onto fulfilling yourself as a person. Seek happiness, enjoyment, contentment, accept yourself. Even if you don't loose as much weight as you once wanted to, you can still be healthier, and eat more healthily. And be respectful of all sizes of people, be respectful of your own size. Do not judge yourself or others on size. Look for the human in everyone, including yourself!


With all these changes to think about, I hope you will soon stop thinking about dieting, and start thinking about enjoying life, enjoying food, enjoying activities, and enjoying being yourself. Learn to be forgiving of yourself, of others, learn what other interests you might have, what you can achieve. And slowly over the years build a healthier, new diet-free way of life.


Again, if any of this advice conflicts with that of your doctor or medical healthcare professionals, then please follow their advice. If you have any serious conditions consult with them before any changes to your diet or activity.

Some facts about me: I myself am what I would consider to be slim. I am 5'2" and weigh 8 stone. I have a fairly small bone-structure. I weighed a little less than 8 stone years and years ago when I was 17, and a little more than 8 stone when I became more inactive for a time. I have always eaten 3 meals a day. I have NEVER dieted in any way. I do not go to a gym. I walk for 30 mins every day. I walk short distances frequently throughout the day, maybe 100–200 steps every couple of hours – I believe this helps keep me active. I love to dance around at home, or out, wherever I can really, but sadly not every day. I used to eat a lot of processed and packet meals for convenience, but then I got IBS... this was certainly not convenient! I now eat them rarely and take a half-hour to an hour to create a freshly cooked meal using fresh ingredients most nights, and thankfully my IBS has relented. I believe different people have a different tolerance to processed foods, I believe I reached mine. I don't eat much wheat, it gives me indigestion. I avoid chillies (they aggravate my stomach). As I mentioned before, I have always drunk full or semi-skimmed milk and full fat butter. I rarely ate sweets when I was a kid, or now. I don't eat chocolate bars, maybe once every 6 months, I don't miss them unless I eat one. I sometimes eat crisps, a few bags a week, strangely at night! I rarely drink soft drinks, if I do it is always a small quantity. I mostly drink water, medium-strength tea or I add a teaspoon of honey (and sometimes lemon) to hot water... wait for it to cool sufficiently so as not to burn my mouth and drink that (the honey seems to calm my stomach and I found it helped a lot when I was suffering from IBS and acid reflux). If I do eat processed food or packet meals I get bothered for a few days by my IBS again. I don't drink alcohol anymore, it disagrees with my tablets that stop my excess stomach acid (a problem I suffered from for years!). I don't miss the alcohol, or the excess stomach acid! I believe people should and do come in all different shapes and sizes, and that that is a good thing. For example, I myself am quite short, but I like that. Some people are tall, that's OK too. We shouldn't try to be the same, but enjoy being ourselves. So although I have  never really lost weight, I have never really gained it either. So I hope to pass on some of my knowledge of how I have remained a fairly constant weight over the years. And more importantly, what I have slowly and gradually learned over my time about healthy eating, healthy living and most important, a healthier state of mind.

What also inspired me to write this, before I was further prompted by the tv program I mentioned at the start, was that having recently started my online jewellery-come-dress shop, it has been perplexing me that the size ranges the dresses come in are often so narrow. I am having to put up with this while I am just starting out, but I want to stock dresses all the way through from petite to plus size, and everything in between, so that more people can find something in whatever size they want without any pressure to be smaller, or bigger.

So thank you for reading. I hope that if you have ever struggled with dieting or weight loss, that you have found this encouraging and perhaps thought-provoking. You may have already started to wonder about the questionable benefits of dieting and why it does not work, or indeed, only works for a short (and miserable!) time. I would love to go into more detail on each the points I have given above, but I would probably end up writing the length of a book, so I will leave it at this for now, and perhaps follow up with another post on one aspect or another.

If you are able to, please share your thoughts, comments and any other advice, tips or insights you may have below here, or ask any questions, bearing in mind it will be a public feed. And do share this blog to friends and family if you think they would be interested to read this, whether they diet or not.

If you have got this far, thank you for reading!

Money Saving Fashion Tips for the Recession

For October's Issue of Escape Arts Blog I thought I would bring you some recession blues-busting tips for fashion. Whether you are a dedicated follower of fashion or if you like to pick out particular styles you like from recent trends, the recession can be a bit of an elephant in the room when it comes to splashing out!

However, a small change to our wardrobe can make a big impact and uplift us. Especially in the darkening winter months. Red is often a popular colour in winter, which is not surprising as it is a high-energy colour and can boost your mood. If red is not your colour, a strong blue can have a calmer uplifting effect on our moods. If you like to wear darker colours such as black, you can still have fun accenting it with a splash of a bold colour.

So, bearing this in mind, how can you still experience the buzz of a new look without breaking the bank this winter?

1 Firstly (and a dull rainy winter day might be a good opportunity to start this!), have a good old rummage through what you've already got. If you haven't been through your drawers and cupboards in a while, you might be surprised at what you find. You may come across an old favourite (which will boost your mood!) or something that has hardly been worn at all. Remember to look for anything with that splash of colour that you can add to your current outfits.

2 You could consider buying "preloved" second-hand clothes from your local charity shop, or from ebay. On ebay, second-hand clothes can be bought for an absolute fraction of the price and if you enjoy bargain-hunting and aren't fazed by the risk of buying second-hand clothes you cannot see, and that may not come with a returns policy, this could be for you!

3 Arrange to have a clothes swapping day with friends! Each sort out what you are happy to part with in exchange for something different, and bring it along. Add some drinks and refreshments and you can all look through and make exchanges with one-another. Make sure you all realise it will be a permanent exchange of the clothes, and only make a swap if both parties are happy. Make sure to keep it civil and good-natured, if this could cause any fallings-out or squabbling amongst you, it may be best avoided!

Designer Appliques available at Escape Arts

4 If you are handy with a needle and thread or a sewing machine, you may have thought of customising or embellishing some of your existing clothes, adding some sequins or studs here or there, resizing, reshaping, adding a coloured panel. You could always start with something you're not too worried about if it goes wrong, and then as your skill progresses, move on to other items. There are plenty of tutorials online too, so if you have the time, and like to be crafty, this could be a fun way for you to update and embellish your wardrobe for winter. Here at Escape Arts we have some gorgeous designer appliques to glam up high heeled shoes. They work by affixing to the soles of your high heeled shoes. You simply need to ensure the soles of your shoes are clean, cut the appliques to size, peel and stick on, they are waterproof and reusable.

Party Dress available at Escape Arts

5 If all this is a bit more hands on than you were looking for and for you nothing beats the feel of brand new and shiny for the ultimate pick me up, then bear in mind there a lot of good quality clothes being produced these days in popular and fashionable styles, with good materials and good cuts, but without the big brand prices! Supermarkets put a lot of effort into their designs these days, and you can always carefully remove the label if you wanted. Clothes needn't cost the earth, we stock a selection of great party dresses at Escape Arts for between £35 to £40 which also includes free p&p, and choosing a stretchy material helps to ensure a better fit when buying online. You may prefer to seek out an independent fashion designer online, who is perhaps new and just starting up, you can find some amazing and innovative styles, and for less than an established brand – great if you want to find something more unique and fancy becoming a possible trail-blazer!

So if you really feel you would like to treat yourself to something new, set yourself a budget you are certain you can afford, and then go wild within that budget!

I hope you have enjoyed this read and found some useful tips and advice. Do comment below if you would like to share any of your own money-saving fashion tips and of course forward and please share this to friends and family who may like to read it.

You may also like to check out our short video of winter fashion solutions for a bit of online window-shopping fun!

Web solutions: If you are a small retail business and would like a short video created from you product images such as this, please contact me to discuss your requirements.

Escape Arts September Blog

Welcome to the Escape Arts September Blog!

I run a little online ladies fashion boutique, so I thought I would share a few ideas with you aimed at helping you ease your summer wardrobe into autumn, so you don't have to pack away your summer favourites just yet...!

September can be a mixed bag of weather; it can often be a warm and sunny extension of summer, it can also herald the start of that lovely crisp autumn air... or it can mean downpours and showers! This can be a confusing time for your choosing what to wear. You may feel sad to pack away your summer clothes already, but the good news is that you may not have to—by simply layering up your summer favourites you could enjoy wearing them for longer!


Here are a few suggestions you could try:

• Pair a summer dress or top with a pretty scarf and a light jacket, blazer or bouclé.
• Instead of wearing open shoes with your jeans, shorts or dresses, you could swap to ankle boots or even knee high boots on chillier days.
• On warm but damp days, you could wear your lighter summer clothes to keep cool, but pack a small umbrella in your handbag in case of sudden downpours.

By layering you will be preparing for warmer or cooler weather; and you can still get a few more weeks' wear out of your summer wardrobe; and if it turns out to be a warm sunny day, you can always take off some of your layered pieces.

Below are a few of the colourful fashion scarves that are currently in stock at Escape Arts that will keep you warmer on these changeable days of late summer and early autumn and add some colour to any grey day. You can view more scarves and different colour options on our Fabulous Fashions page.




Many thanks for reading! What are your personal fashion tips on how to get the most out of and extend the wear of your summer favourites? Do comment below.