~ Oh ... Christmas Tree ~ The Decorated House 2014

For the last few years I've wondered if I can do without the big Christmas tree. You know, maybe a small one on a table so something like that. I've watch how the Christmas tree trimming story played out with the older women in my neighborhood as their kids grew up, or even the grandkids grew up .... and maybe even some moved away. I think by the time I met them only one still had a larger, real Christmas tree that her daughter used to pull in the house on Christmas eve.  Another lady would still put a small artificial tree on a table in her front window and red bows on her outdoor lights, even though she lived alone.  I miss her, and that silly little tree and the red bows.

For this year, there is still a big tree in the living room. Right where it has been for the last 30 years. I like to think my little family would miss seeing one there, but I'll most likely rethink the whole thing once the needles start falling, or I am wrangling the lights off the tree. Sometimes I forget to just let that be a part of the fun as well. 

But I never forget to enjoy the dance of the lights in the evening when all is quiet after a long or busy day. Somehow it brings you back to a peaceful moment and makes it seem worth the work it takes to put it all together. 

I hope your Christmas Season is going well and that you are creating beauty and joy all around you. 

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ The Decorated House - Christmas 2014

It's that holly jolly time of the year again when you most likely get bitten by a bug ... the Humbug or more hopefully the Christmas Merry Bug! And yes, there seems to be some in between states of mind as well. Or you might flip from one to the other one day to the next. That's OK, just try to take a little time to breath in the beauty of the season and shake off the stress that sometimes comes with it.

Black and white at Christmas? It might seem like an odd color combo for Christmas decorating. But we have been using it for a while, and I still love it! I think it started for us several years ago when we got a Bambi, Radko ornament set with Flower and Thumper being the cutest of the lot. Flower of course is black and white/silver so that one has been displayed the most over the years. But it was the star that came later that really moved the color scheme to black and white.

 

Then a couple of years after Flower came to Christmas,  I found a pretty MacKenzie Childs star to add to the decorating mix. A few more, including one more star, came along in the next few Christmases. After a couple of tree crashes that destroyed a lot of the overpriced ornaments, I vowed not to get anymore. Out of all those glass ornaments, the stars are the only ones on the tree every year and I still love them!  The amount of lime green varies a bit year to year sometime a little more and sometimes a little less.  Still the Christmas decorating for me is white and silver with touches of black and remains my favorite combination with a touch of lime green.

Amazing to me, the presents are getting wrapped a bit early this year! Between procrastinating and trying to hide the gifts from my daughter, over the years I always seemed to be playing catch in on Christmas Eve, often everyone was in bed. This year I have a very good start on the packages which are going to be wrapped in white and silver, with black and lime green accents.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ Christmas Mantel 2014 - The Decorated House - White and Silver

How is your Christmas decoration coming along? Here is a quick peek at the mantel this year, and I'll post some more pictures when they are downloaded and ready.  I hope you are enjoying this part of Christmas ....  decorating, visiting and sharing your own.

After doing the mantel I remembered telling myself not to use fresh greens because it is such a mess to clean up afterwards. It was too late by then of course.  In this case I don't mind using the faux because I keep it and use it for many years,  and the snow capped greens on the mantel ledge are faux with some real added here and there. But around the frame, real look best right now.

I took fresh greens and wired them together to form a garland around the frame of the Madonna picture. It's such a beautiful painting isn't it? I printed it out on antique paper from the late 1800's which gives it a wonderful aged look.  Although I used the same picture last year, I changed the frame to add some aged gold to decorating this year. 

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ White Christmas Time

It was Christmas tree shopping time this weekend for us,  and this year's tree is awaiting its adornments. The next couple of days will be happily spent listening to Christmas music and deciding what do this year. My guess it will still be the same neutrals of lots of white with silver and Mercury glass with a dash of color. Time to get the boxes in and see what surprises I'll find that I completely forgot about having stored away.  Hope your week is going wonderfully, too!

If you would like to see how the finish was created on this 

vintage frame with the Madonna, click HERE.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ Christmas ~ Bless The Animals and The Ones Who Love Them

 

We were blessed a few years ago with a rescue puppy who found us right after 

Christmas as many of you know. Probably because he came to us so close to this 

beautiful holiday, it is easy to remember to help out some incredible 

dog rescue people this time of year. The work they do day in and day out is amazing.

The world is certainly a better place for them.

Please consider making a donation to one of your local dog or 

animal rescue people, or organizations this time of year. 

You can save a life!

The cute bottle brush - sisal dog came from Pottery Barn last year. Since they are 

wire and sisal, it was easy for me to curl his tail a bit like our Cody Bear's tail is. 

He also got  some dry brushing of white paint to make him a little whiter.

Our lab mix puppy grew up to keep his pretty white color and the 

white paint made this one look more like our pup. 

And he goes perfectly with the bleached bottle brush trees. 

I hope you are enjoying this wonderful holiday

season. Slow down and eat the cookies and 

kiss your loved ones!

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ How To Bleach Bottle Brush Trees for Christmas Decorating

Have you fallen in love with these wonderful little bottle brush trees? I haven't seen them in their natural state of creamy off-white in stores, although they can be ordered on-line. However for just a few cents, you can create your own because you can change them very easily. 

The first ones I saw a couple of years ago were vintage, but today you can find them new as well.

The trees on the left are how I found them. They are sold for using in those little villages people put up especially during Christmas time. Look in the area  where you can buy the miniature houses and furnishings and that's where you find those strangely colored blue green trees.

I started bleaching them a couple of years ago, and I haven't seen anyone coming up with a newer idea.  It's all the same very simple process. After they are bleached you can use any kind of dye to make them another color like pink or aqua if you wanted to. Or just leave them pretty and natural.

HOW TO: This is all you need to know! 

CONTINUE READING

~ How to Make a Pottery Barn Style Pillow with Christmas Wreath - DIY

Handcrafted Christmas Decorating Ideas:

When I first saw the Pottery Barn Pillow, I was smitten. There had been a few copycats and knock-offs but none where quite what I was looking for. Even the Pottery Barn version was the reverse of the colors of what I wanted. So of course, it's time to make your own!

Click HERE For Directions: 

How to Make a Pottery Barn Inspired Wreath Pillow

See Y'All Soon~

~ Celebrating Fall ~ Autumn - Inside Your Home

Fall is loved for its beautiful colors and it is just as wonderful to enjoy those same colors inside your home as well. You can use real and fresh leaves (as in the vase above) or dried magnolia leaves, with their rich color combination of copper and green for the perfect look and colors of Fall. If you use the preserved leaves, you can carry that element into the next season too. Almost everything in the vase is from nature - dried flowers, leaves and feathers along with only a few faux leaves here and there to fill it out. So depending on where you live, you might find everything you need for a pretty arrangement right outside your door!

Previously I have shown you the magnolia leaf candle wrapped with the leaves all facing on the copper side, and also with the with the copper alternating with green. You gather from Nature and your garden to create a simple, or even more elaborate arrangement than this one. Here I used the candle in a white concrete garden container. It was filled with a floral foam so I could easily stick the leaves, berries and picks into it. It was covered with moss so you can't see the foam. The pumpkins can be painted with either flat white paint, or chalk paint.

The candle arrangement  is on the dining table, but it can easily be moved to your coffee table when it's time to get the table ready for a dinner.

For the entry table it was simple to remove all the Halloween related elements and keep everything that felt like Fall. The antique books and rusty lock are a wonderful balance of autumn colors against the shiny silver and the white pumpkins. The pumpkins are a mixed of painted ones, mercury glass, and velvet giving you a nice range of textures to add more interest.

Click the links below to view

How to Make Candle Wrapped in Magnolia Leaves

and

The Candle with Magnolia Leaves - The Decorated House

See Y'All Soon~

~ 50 + Fabulous Fall - Autumn - ThanksGiving Decor Ideas

Fall and ThanksGiving Decorating Pins

I hope you enjoy some of the wonderful things I have pinned 

for Fall and ThanksGiving Decorating.

Click on the picture above and you will usually go to 

the source of each picture for more pictures 

and sometimes tutorials and downloads.

Happy Weekend ~ See Y'All Soon

~ Slipcovers - Lots of Ideas!

Let's explore slipcovers again. 

I've added more ideas to my pinterest slipcovers board. Hope you find something 

of interest if you are looking for some slipcover ideas. 

------------------

Although it would have been much easier to just reupholster the dining room chairs, I wondered if sometime in the future I would really want the pretty green fabric back again. Also since they were going to be white, there was a good chance there would be some spills along the way with this being a dining room. So that's why the decision was made to make slipcovers

CONTINUE READING

~ Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

from our home to yours.

See Y'all Soon ~

~ Halloween Mantel 2014 -The Decorated House - Elegant Black and White Decorating

Instead of all the spooky stuff, you can choose to enchant with a more elegant style when decorating for this fun packed holiday! It's almost Halloween time again, and that means it is a perfect time for adding some elegant black back into the decorating mix. Black and white has always been such a classic combination. I like to add Vintage Silver and Mercury glass, and Old Books ... along with a tiny bit of spookiness. The only really spooky thing is those spiders! Spiders are not one of my favorite guys outside, but

CONTINUE READING

~ Halloween Decor in Black and White - Entry Table

Halloween may be the time of joy for children, but it is also a wonderful time to bring a little different twist to your own decor. This is one of the times of year when black and white is so perfect for changing the look of your home and celebrating this fun holiday as well, although it may not be the wise choice to get your own favorite candy to give out. 

CONTINUE READING

~ Halloween Decor Elegant in Black and White - The Decorated House

As the weather cools a bit, it is the perfect time for a little Halloween Decorating.

The entry table is dressed in Black and White with Silver and

Mercury Glass. Antique Books are so pretty as they mirror the colors 

of the fall leaves just beginning to turn their Fall colors.  

Keeping things on the lighter side, you see faux Pumpkins painted 

Old White and Pure White with Chalk Paints 

and a lovely Velvet Pumpkin. 

The glittered spiders run havoc over webs and pumpkins, enjoying

the only time of year the are indeed free to roam inside. 

Welcoming all from the entry table this year is Abigail Bunny. 

You can see Abigail and other Halloween Art Prints are in the shop.

See Y'All Soon~

~ Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Pumpkins - Black & White with Silver Halloween Decorating!

Halloween Decorating at The Decorated House
Halloween 2012:
Come take a look at how I used some decorative goodies to decorate
our entry table for Halloween with elements
 that you probably already have!

CONTINUE READING

~ Velvet Pumpkins for Fall Decorating

It's beginning to feel like Fall in many parts of the country, and it sure seems to bring out

that desire to fluff the nest and make a few pretty things to decorate our homes with.
One of those absolutely lovely things is plush velvet pumpkins. Of course
 you can purchase some pretty ones if you are short on time,
but you can also make one, or a few, with some simple instructions. 

Click this link for full directions on how to make beautiful plush pumpkins

 to add to your home this year.

How to Make Plush Velvet Pumpkins 

See Y'all Soon~

 ................................................................................
Click on any of the pictures below to shop  art from The Decorated House 

~ How to Make Velvet Pumpkins Plush & Pretty - DIY - Tutorial

 How to Make Plush and Pretty Velvet Pumpkins:

CONTINUE READING

~ Magnolia Leaves & Burlap Flowers - Fall Decor ~ Natural Elements

 Magnolia Leaf Wreath 

and Burlap Ribbon Rosette w/Lace

Magnolias leaves, one of Mother Nature's best inventions are such a perfect natural element in Fall decorating with their beautiful shiny green leaves accented with rich velvet copper on the underside. This is my inspiration for Fall decor this year.  No wonder people have been decorating with them for so many years. And now it's Fall...well kind of. It's still quite warm, but you can fell the change in the gentle breeze during a morning walk. From now through the holidays the magnolias have wonderful seed pods in addition to the pretty leaves, and that makes them so perfect for decorating.

So while we were out walking the last few mornings  we also collected some natural elements to add to our home for Fall. I can remember when we were first starting out Sweet Hubby used to go out on bike rides and bring me back bags of weeds, flowers and pods to use for arrangements. This year I decided it would actually be fun to do much the same thing, and to  mix it up with a few things that I already have or a few things to buy, like this darling burlap ribbon with white dots!

This is another take on the fabric flower rosette that you all like so much.  You can find the directions of how to make it HERE. This time I used a burlap ribbon. So there is no need for you to cut fabric into strips, the ribbon is ready to go. It's the same technique, roll the middle bud, then fold the ribbon away from you and roll it around the bud, fold backwards and roll...and just keep going until it is the size you want. Add a drop of hot glue or stitch it to keep the rose in shape. 

I'm loving the copper and lime green this year. Perfect Fall colors for me. And then Halloween just around the corner. The last days of each year go so quickly don't they?!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Magnolia Leaf Candle - Fall Decorating ~ 1 Little Project at a Time

 Magnolia Leaf  and Burlap Ribbon Wrapped Fall Candle

with Flower Rosette and Rhinestone Button

Even with the temperatures are still in the 90's around here, the pull of Fall decorating is gently tugging at me. I've been playing too much of the "if only" and "as soon as I get ______ done" games ..... if only all these work projects around the house were done, then I could get out the Fall goodies and decide what to do this year. So instead of playing that silly game, it's time to just do one little project at a time. Too much work and no decorating makes some girls grumpier than than they need to be. So let's play and make something very pretty and very, very simple. 

This is very similar to the candle HERE that I made before for Christmas time. For this one, we will use the beautiful copper side of the leaves turned out. The pretty shiny green side peeks out at you as you look at the candle from different directions.

All you need to do is put a rubber band around the candle and tuck the leaves inside it spaced the way you like. Then tie a ribbon or two to cover the rubber band. Add a pretty embellishment lie the flower and you are all done!

It is that rich and beautiful copper color that is really singing my tune right now. This color is so very pretty and just speaks fluent Fall. Now to figure more ways to work it into the Fall decor.

The ribbon here is a burlap with white dots. This will be used in other pretties for Fall and/or Halloween this year. This ribbon can easily be found at the craft store.

(** Please remember burlap usually has  formaldehyde on it. So keep it out of the reach of children and pets!! I wear plastic gloves in case I go into the kitchen after making something with it.)

 

The Decorated House - Fall Decorating - Fabric Rose and Candle

The front is embellished with one of the lovely fabric flower rosettes that I posted about HERE with instructions and pictures to make your own. There are so many pretty projects that you can use these for. It is finished with a wonderful vintage rhinestone button, but you could use something new that looks old as well.

You could make a couple of these in a short time. I made some flower rosettes out of the same  white dotted burlap ribbon and they turned out really fun, so I'll be using them along with this candle. If I get just one little project done at a time, maybe I'll have some fall decorating soon!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Fall to Christmas Handmade Decorations - DIY Magnolia Leaf Candle

How to Make a Charming Magnolia Leaf Wrapped Candle:

CONTINUE READING

~ How to Print on Fabric Using an Inkjet Printer - Image Transfer - DIY - Tutorial

There are many ways to create an image transfer on fabric. This is one of my favorites!
And it has become one of my reader's favorite tutorials as well.

Forget the spay glue adhesive and freezer paper. This is much better.

It is very easy to do and requires no messy chemicals to transfer your image to fabric. 

This tutorial will show you how to use your inkjet printer at home.
(I have read that others used their laser printers for fabric,
but I have not tried it, so I cannot say how it works from my
own experience.)

** All art in this tutorial is the original, copyrighted

art of Donna, The Decorated House. **

CONTINUE READING

~ Decorating with Shells - Gifts from the Sea

Living Room Mantel 

Moss Ball in Vintage Milk Glass Urn

Starfish, Shells and Antique Blue Bottle

Living in a sub-tropical beachy location for almost my entire life means that shells bring back lots of memories.

CONTINUE READING

~ New Ottoman From An Old Wicker Trunk - Chest

Make a Pretty Ottoman Coffee Table from a (Wicker) Trunk:

CONTINUE READING

~ Bringing Summer Inside with Flowers & Seashells

You would think with the heat outside that it would be a really good time to give the inside of the house some attention. Sounds so logical doesn't it?  But the projects and repairs seem endless outside as well. For a breather from the dust, dirt and heat, I decided to just bring out some pretty shells and think peaceful thoughts of the beach ... at least for a moment or so. Shells can help you do that. Some of the shells we collected on vacation; mostly they were purchased since so many incredibly beautiful ones are found all over the world. This is the one time of the year that I really enjoy having shells on tables, on the mantels or gently piled in a dish. It helps bring the love the ocean home since the beaches become way too crowded this time of year for me.  

The hurricane glass in a vintage milk glass bowl with the seashells around it is such a simple idea and very easy to put together. A pair of them  would be pretty on a table for a coastal, beachy dinner or lunch. Bringing blooms in from your flower garden or from flowering trees is another very simple and totally free idea for spreading summer sunshine inside your home. Add a few star fish and sea shells and you can almost smell the the ocean breeze as you just take a moment to relax. 

See Y'All Soon~

~ Summer Gardening and Succulents

It's been a race to get the flowers in the ground before the worst of the heat is here for the summer. Since today and tomorrow it is supposed to hit 96 to 97 degrees, I tried  to finish up with all those little pretties who convinced me to bring them home when I went to the nursery and garden center. 

Along with the flowers and annuals, I like to add some flowering succulents. The succulents lend the beauty of their green leaves, and are so little work, so they have become a staple of gardening. And the fact that you can find some that either have really pretty blooms or in the case of the lovely stonecrop, its fabulous bright green works so beautifully with the greens of coleus and sweet potato vine.

Have a wonderful weekend!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Happy Flowers & Gardening Weekend!

The heat is setting in  quickly here. Of course it usually does this time of year, but since we had a brief heat spell and then a slight cool down, the new round of heat seems a bit hotter and sooner arrived than usual. The dance of finding the right flowers in April and May was much the same again. When it is a tiny bit cooler, it is the perfect time to start planting but the flowers aren't in the nursery or big box stores yet. As soon as it hits 90*, sure enough, the plants are there and we are ready to wilt in the heat even before the plants get in the ground. None the less, it is a dance well worth working at and we just hope we get a bit better at it each year. 

The last month or so all my energy has been filling the kitchen side courtyard with flowers That often means a lot of annuals, which a swear I won't "waste" the money each year. Seasoned gardeners will always say to spend the money on perennials instead. Mostly I agree, but a pretty little lovey wearing an annual tag will reel me in every time if the color and shape is perfect for my mood that day. And so the dance will probably continue for many, many more years if I'm very lucky. 

This is a little look at what is in the raised berm in the courtyard this year. Many of the tried and true friends from past years. They sometimes have the same companions, and sometimes they get a new friend or whole group to try on the colors with. 

In the front it starts out with Lime Green Sweet Potato Vine and the Dark Purple, Blackie Sweet Potato as well. There are Fan Flowers growing between them which will show pretty purple flowers as soon as it catches up with the length of the vines.  To the right of the Blackie, is Stonecrop, and some Pink Zinnias.

Above the vines are planted  (from the left) Torenia, also called the Wishbone, Angelonia in white and lavender. The middle and back has White Pentas (the tall ones), Caladiums, and the beautiful deep purple Persian Shield, which is a tender perennial. 

Behind the caladiums and Mystic Spires Salvia. And there is a taller yellow blooming bush behind that. 

The work now is to keep it all watered and to accept that some of these annuals cannot make it through the whole summer with our extreme heat. I hope your gardening adventures are going well!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Happy Easter!

Wishing You

a Very, Happy Easter!

See Y'All Soon~

~ A Little More Easter Decorating

The weather has been so nice out it is perfect for getting some new flowers in the ground. And lots of shrubs and things need a trim. So it's been a little hard getting any decorating done with Mother Nature calling so loudly to come out and play. 

It has been fun to find the bunnies and see exactly where they would like to go for Easter this year. I'm always happy that I didn't give away all of them when  Easter and Spring arrive, and they do brighten up the holiday so nicely.

The entry table this year is host to my other favorite bunny who is charming in his cute little jacket. He's been around for a few years and it's always easy to find a spot for him. The cement garden bunny came along and is joined by a sweet bunny inside a the large covered jar.

New to the Easter party this year is Abigail Bunny holding her little friend Chicka Dee and in her basket is a delicious chocolate bunny along with some decorated eggs. (She is available in the etsy shop.) I used the gray painted eggs with lace with some spring lime green eggs, and the color combination is a new love.

The paper flower wreath is wearing a white dotted burlap bow and another little bunny nestled in the  center of it. The Easter display is finished off with a succulent  and a moss ball both in sliver cups. And a little crown just because .......

See Y'All Soon~

~ Decorating for Easter

It's time for Easter decorating this weekend, I hope! Here are a couple of pictures from a couple of years ago. One of the best things about blogging is that you can go back and see images from other years. I totally forgot about that cute garden bunny. Wonder where he is? He might hop back inside again this year.

-------------------------

The bunnies are running wild in the house this year. Even this little old garden bunny is inside. I think he has been somewhere on the porch for couple of years, although he was an outside bunny once upon a time. He is sitting beside a reindeer moss ball in a slightly tarnished bowl. Together they are perched atop a beautiful antique Italian vellum book from 3 Fine Grains.

Thanks for the nice comments on the last post, but I deleted the whole thing due to an overactive spamming party over the weekend. Thank goodness blogger has that spam filter now. I've included the same picture below that was in that post. An open shelf cupboard with drawers in the kitchen. It won't be there forever since open shelves are too much work to keep clean for me.

This coming week I'll add a few more pictures of Easter decorating around the house.
Thank you for stopping by!

Have a Great Weekend 
See Y'All Soon~

~ Milk Glass & Succulents and a Little Green for Spring

The Spring Equinox! It always brings out that longing for the green of Spring and Summer. The heat will be here soon enough, so I'm not trying to rush Summer. It does however make me want to bring more green inside for a little while.

Milk glass is one of those old fashioned goodies that I wish I had seen the beauty of years ago.  But in the past, there was so much of it at the thrift shops, it made it seem just to grandma-like for my taste. Whatever pieces I used to have were long ago given to the Goodwill. In the last few years however I have picked up some here and there if it had really nice lines. Today, you can think of so many ways to incorporate this simple and beautiful white glass into your style even if you haven't quite embraced the grandma style. The lines of the ruffled pieces are so beautiful.

I'm still experimenting with succulents inside the house. They are so extremely easy to grow outdoors, but are a bit more difficult to grow indoors. The ones on the chest right by the window are doing very well. This one  is sitting on the coffee table further away from direct window light. So we will see how it does with less light that the other plants get. For many years I always had house plants, and just got away from tending them because there was plenty of work to keeping the ones outside alive and well.  Now it's one of those things that I miss having so I'm looking for some easy to keep green lovelies this year. 

Also some green pillows are on the sofa at the moment. What is easier that changing out pillows with the seasons! Since pillow covers are so inexpensive and easy to make, just this simple change can keep your interiors looking fresh to you. 

Again after ignoring milk glass for a while, I fell in love these ruffled bowls. Instead of too old fashioned, they actually look quite modern to me.  They remind me of some of today's lovely blown glass art pieces.

I'll let you know how all these succulents do inside. They may need a bit more attention than I seem to give indoor plants. I also brought in some bromeliads from the gardens, after washing them very well, which are doing fabulous. They are air plants after all, so other than giving them too much attention, they should be very easy to keep inside.  So far all I did to them is stick them in a container, pretty them up with a bit of moss, and remember to water  the little "cup" in the center before it gets dry. Now anyone can do that!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Decorating with Succulents & Silver and How To Create a Succulent Dish Garden

It's a great time of the year to bring in a little touch of the garden. After the extreme winter

so many have seen this year, wouldn't a little touch of living green add some warmth?!

You can grow succulents in any number of containers, and silver is a

really pretty choice. Complemented with white, the silver

adds a bit of reflective light and show offs the rich green.

Sitting on a dark gray-brown honed marble top,  

the  simple Mercury glass candle holders are the perfect 

vessel for some small succulents. 

You could use vintage silver pieces as well. Just be aware that

moss, dirt and plants actually touching the silver can damage it.

Old silver pieces used to be so inexpensive and easy to find 

at Goodwill and thrift stores, but the  prices have certainly changed

since blogs have come along. Some days you can

still get lucky and find a few silver pieces at a decent price.

Succulents thrive where other plants would simply 

give up and turn brown. Put them near a sunny window, let them 

have some breathing room, and do not over water them! 

I planted them exactly the same as I showed in a previous post.

 You can click on the picture below or click 

HERE :: How To Create a Succulent Dish Garden. 

for the full instructions.  

The only difference for these was that I lined the containers with some plastic

wrap, then insert the succulents which I had planted in small peat pots. 

The plastic goes around the outside of the  peat pots, so when you water,

it will keep the moisture away from the silver.

Even if you can't keep the plants alive and well for years, you should be able

 to enjoy them for a few months. Or just before they begin to look a bit on the worn out side, 

 take them outside and bring in some of  new succulents that have been outside instead.

 Rotating the plants will help keep them all healthier.

See Y'All Soon~