Spring Green Houseplants

Let's face it. Spring is nowhere near the midwest and I think it's going to stay that way until June, probably. Last week we had some warmer days (48 degrees!) and sunshine... my spirits were lifted and all was right in the world. Today? Snow. Tomorrow? Snow. Fat fluffy flakes and a single-digit forecast to follow. I need some sort of boost, and I've got spring green plants on the brain.

Now that Chris and I have a house of our own, I've been wanting to incorporate some houseplants into our decor. I've honestly never been much of a indoor plant person, mostly because I'm pretty clueless on how to keep them alive. In fact, I killed a mint plant a few weeks ago. Too much water? Not enough sun? Who knows. But thanks to this list of hard-to-kill house plants plants I discovered last week, I've found a few hardy plants that just might work and have just the boost of green I need to get through these gray days.

1. A "Donkey Tail" might not sound like a pretty plant, but this succulent is the cutest thing with trailing stems that flower the summer. This plant requires a lot of light and minimal watering, so hang it from a window or on a sunny shelf and you're golden.
2, 3. Moonshine Sansiveria and Snakeskin Sansiveria seem like the best bet for our home. They are hardy plants that don't need a lot of sun or water, and I love those spikey tendrils. Plus they're excellent air purifiers, and have even been known to filter out toxins like formaldehyde.
4. I have been wanting a fiddle leaf fig for ages but didn't know what they were called until I read this post by Emily Henderson. Oh man those trees are beautiful. According to Emily, a sizable tree can cost upward of $500, but this ten inch guy is only $12.99 at IKEA. I'll take it.
5. Lest we forget the blogworld's mascot, the succulent. Ikea's assorted succulent mix are adorable, pre-potted and super affordable. At $2.50 a pop you can buy one (or more) for every room in your home.

I'd also love to own a potted citrus tree someday, but considering that I can't keep a simple garden herb alive indoors, I'm going to stick to hard-to-kill vegetation for now. You can most of the above plants online, but I bet you could find most of these plants at your local nursery, too. I've even seen the sansiveria at my grocery store. Slap any of these guys in a white ceramic pot (or perhaps copper?) and you have instant Spring -- just what I need.

A Foxy Woodland Nursery

It's taken me nearly eight months, but I've finally pulled together an inspiration board for baby girl's nursery! My nesting instinct has kicked in big time over the past two weeks and it has been kind of difficult to handle considering Chris and I are still living out of boxes. I find myself folding and refolding onesies for no apparent reason and shuffling around the house looking for things to clean. It's a pretty strange feeling.

So I've turned that energy towards scouting out items for a fox and woodland inspired nursery for our little girl. Something bright and cheerful. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Well of course I want this fox blanket from Dwell Studio! It's a bit of a splurge at $58, but I love the bright color.  2. Ferm living fox pillow. Adorbs.  3. Part of me wants to make a mobile for above baby's crib, but if we buy one, I think this sparrow mobile is a top contender.  4. This little mushroom is a nightlight... need I say more?  5. I know from my nieces that you can never have enough storage. Might as well store everything in an adorable (and massive!) fox bin from 3 sprouts.  6. There are a lot of cutesy nursery lamps on the market, but I'm leaning towards something a little more sophisticated, like this shade and base combo from Target.  7-9. Finding good crib bedding was the most annoying part of nursery shopping... case and point: the most common fox-themed bedding I found features a ridiculous amount of googly eyes. We're going to mix and match things on our own instead: gray stripes, gold dots, and pink foxes!  10. I'm going to share a separate post on nursery artwork next week because there is just so much out there, but I had to include this sweet Rifle print in today's post. The colors are perfect!  11. There are a million adorable fox toys out there, and we will probably end up owning 20 by the time baby girl turns one. This little mustard fella from Etsy shop Sleepy King has held my heart from the beginning.  12. Crib shopping was also pretty tricky. Christopher wanted something classic, I wanted something a little more modern. We finally agreed on this one from Babies R Us, and I love the clean lines and classic curves. Ooh lala. 

Foxes are just so dang cute, am I right! They seem to be gaining popularity lately (I even heard one blog deem them the new owl of nurseries) but we just can't resist.

I can't wait to actually have a nursery to decorate. I'll be honest, it's hard not to get bummed out about our living situation. As grateful as I am that my in-laws are letting us crash at their house, I really miss having a place of our own. We're still looking at houses on a weekly basis, but it seems like we have pretty much exhausted our current resources. My fingers are crossed in hopes that the best houses are waiting for warmer weather to hit the market. Until then, this little nursery will remain a virtual one.

Rockabye Baby

One of the nursery items that has me stumped is the rocking chair. It's on every must-have-before-baby list and, honestly, I don't quite get it. I understand that the rocking motion is soothing to baby, but wouldn't nursing your baby in a loveseat or club chair work just as well, and possibly be more comfortable? Or maybe that's the whole point of a rocking chair... to be slightly uncomfortable so you don't fall asleep while feeding your baby in the middle of the night. If that's the case I totally get it.

Christopher and I have been on the hunt for a good nursery chair, but everything we find is so blaaa. And they're expensive... as necessary as they seem to be, I can't bring myself to spend $800 on a chair that I don't love. Fortunately, after a little digging online, I was able to find several modern, affordable (ish) rockers, with clean lines. They exist! Here are my top contenders for the nursery right now:

Eames molded plastic rocker: I've wanted this rocker to grace my house for years. Look at that mid-century beauty! When I showed it to Chris, he said it looked like the most uncomfortable thing in the world. And as much as I appreciate the work of good old Charles and Ray, I don't think I can bring myself to spend $500 on a piece of molded plastic with questionable comfort. That said, Overstock.com has a pretty tempting knock-off on sale for $100...

Joya Rocker:  This rocker is at the top of my wish list for a nursery chair. Those walnut legs are fantastic and it looks deep enough to melt into, even during a 3am feeding. Bonus points for being an heirloom-worthy chair with substance that would look great anywhere in the house, not just the nursery.

Luca Glider: Honestly, I haven't found very many gliders that I like... compared to the curvy, exposed legs of rocking chairs, gliders seem so heavy and boxy. But the clean lines of the Luca Glider have me sold, and I love that you can customize the fabric and piping colors online. Charcoal and yellow would be a fun combo for any nursery, and is gender neutral enough to last a few babies.

Poang Rocking Chair: Have you ever sat in one of these things?! Super comfy. I'm honestly not a huge fan of the original Poang design, but I think the rounded feet of the rocker really compliment the overall shape of the rocking chair version. Of course, Chris and I love all things IKEA, so we would have no problem picking one up, especially with the $170 price tag. I only wish it came in a color that fit our nursery palette... maybe there's an easy way to recover the original cushion?

Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker: I think I like this one so much because it's like a smaller, cheaper version of the Joya rocker. I don't know if the shorter back would be uncomfortable for myself or Christopher since we're both pretty tall, but I bet it would be great for a shorter parent, or perhaps in a nursery where space was an issue.

Solutions Glider and Ottoman: Ah yes, the homely yet practical sister of the group. This is the only chair Chris and I have been able to try out in-store at our local Babies R Us, and it honestly looks much better in person. It's the only one we would even consider from Babies R Us, actually. The traditional, exposed glider base is a bit of an eyesore, but I guess I've seen worse. And you can't beat the price: $230 for the chair and ottoman.


Mamas out there, do you have a rocker or glider in your nursery? Is it worth the expense? Have any of you tried out one of these chairs before? I'd love to get a little feedback!

Nursery Inspiration

Lately, all my extra effort and free time have been focused on house shopping (!!!), hence my lack of blogging. Chris and I met with a loan officer last week and have been officially pre-approved for a home loan. We've looked at countless house listings online and on Friday we're going to visit a few in person. It's about time! You may remember that back in September, the rental home we had been living in for the first two years of our marriage sold, leaving us homeless. We've been staying with Chris' parents since then to save money for a house, and with our little miss on the way (due in three months, give or take a few days!) we're ready to find a home of our own.

I haven't allowed myself to think too much about decorating a nursery since we don't exactly have a room to decorate just yet, but now that we're looking into houses, I've been thinking more and more about that tiny little space. I'm still not sure what we're going to end up doing (although it will probably involve a fox/woodland motif of some sort) so I've gathered up some lovey photos from blogland to fuel my inspiration.

I'm kind of super-obsessed with the Meadow Nursery collection from Dwell studio. It's the sweetest woodland-themed print in pink, light blue and navy that isn't fussy or too girly. That said, I refuse to pay more for a bedding set than for the crib it will go on, so I'll have to find baby's bedding elsewhere.

How cheery and sweet is this blue and yellow nursery designed by Kim of Senn & Sons? I love all the details, especially the yellow chandelier and Hygge & West focal wall.

I think this nursery from A Lovely Lark is one of my favorites. Those curtains provide the perfect splash of color without overpowering the entire room.

Although I think our nursery will be a little more playful, this sophisticated neutral room is lovely. Via Style at Home.

I read somewhere that a dark nursery is soothing for baby because it creates a surrounding similar to the womb. This constellation-themed room has a beautiful dark feature wall that doesn't feel too heavy, and the citron accents are wonderful.

Now that I know we're having a girl, it has been really difficult to stay away from pink things, and I don't even like pink. I do love baby Alice's sweet pink nursery, though.

I think decorating a nursery for a girl will be more of a challenge than I originally thought. My room as a little girl was over the top: frills everywhere, pink everything. I had an extensive unicorn collection and a wallpaper boarder to match (that's right. UNICORNS.) Although that isn't exactly my style now, there's a tiny piece of me that wants to go overboard on the girlyness with our little one. I think the key is to find the right combination of items that inspire creativity and can grow with her, with just a touch of girlyness. Challenge accepted.

New from West Elm

Scandinavian bird hook  |  Kitchen conversion tea towel 

Ribbon bar stools  |  Gemma Orkin blue bird pillow

West Elm has been cranking out a ton new products for summer and I'm in love with pretty much everything from their July line. If I could afford it, I think I would probably furnish most of my house in West Elm. Seriously, that store can do no wrong.

Ikea 1973

Someone please time travel with me to an IKEA store, circa 1973....

 

 

Is that the BOKSEL coffee table I see??

My grandmother had a very similar sunflower pattern in her kitchen...
and how great are those lightbulb pendant lamps?

I love it all... the early EXPEDIT-style modular shelving, the chocolate brown bedding, the model's awesome yellow plaid shirt in the second photo. This is the stuffs of dreams, friends. Mustard and orange are obvious color choices for the decade, but I had no idea kelly green was so popular in the 70s. It's also interesting to see how early IKEA designs influenced modern-day pieces like the above bed compared to the MALM bedframe and add on nightstands. Who knew?

Thank you, Sweden. Thank you. 

Images from Retro! via Scrap Hacker

Rifle Paper Co. 2012 Calendar

Right around this time every year, heaps of calendars start popping up all over online. This gorgeous 2012 Botanical Calendar from the amazing folks at Rifle Paper Co. is definitely a top contender for my wall space. The color palette and floral illustrations are wonderful.

West Elm Christmas!

Yesterday, West Elm sent out an email announcing their newest holiday decorations. Hooray! I look forward to their modern, clean-lined holiday collection every Christmas, and this year does not disappoint. Take a peek at a few of my favorites...

Snow Globes, $25 each

One of those snow globes should probably be sitting on my desk. Soon. I especially love the mercury glass and porcelain pieces (although nothing will ever beat the origami ornaments from last year's collection... I have the reindeer and the squirrel!)

Modern Santa serve ware, $10-39

Mercury Owls, $14-19

Half of the proceeds from these little guys go to St. Jude Children's Hospital

Modern Nutcrackers, $29-$69

The modern white and tarnished silver are so fresh compared to the over-saturated reds & greens of the season. And I'm so glad they brought back their Modern Nutcrackers - I loved them so much last year but didn't think to snatch one up when they went on sale.

And by the way, I apologize for currently being that girl that jumps to Christmas when leaves are still on the trees. I'm still totally loving Fall and I promise I won't trim the tree until after Thanksgiving.... but Christmas is my absolute favorite!

Garage Sale Season!

Although the official first day of summer isn't until June 21st, it's pretty much a given that once Memorial Day hits, the temperature stays above 80, you break out the sunscreen, listen to the Beach Boys' Sounds of Summer album, and according to Christopher, it's the first weekend you take the boat out on the water even if it's too cold to swim.

All this, of course, also means garage sale season.Who doesn't love cheap stuff, vintage treasures, and the occasional "whaaa.... seriously?!" items.

Last weekend's treasures and some of today's finds, including a 1950s five volume "Do It Yourself" encyclopedia set for 50 cents!

Last weekend was my first round of garage sales. I went to quite a few good ones, including a church rummage sale and an estate sale that was overpriced but amazing. You may be concerned about that hideous silver and blue Christmas wreathe and the weird fruit cheese-dome thing, but don't worry. I have DIY projects in the line up for both items.

I have a bit of a problem with garage sales, though. I tend to pick up a lot of small vintage items because I love their patterns, colors, and histories... but when I bring them home I have no place to put them. So they sit around in piles until I get around to packing them away (until I have a bigger house, of course.) My house is full of knickknacks but lacks hefty decorative items. My goal for this summer is to focus on large scale finds instead of little 5 cent ceramic owls. I have quite the list of things to buy shaping up, and I thought I'd share a few...

I've wanted something similar to these stadium seats for several years now. Perfect for an entryway.
(sorry, I can't find the source for this image, but I'm almost positive it's from an Etsy shop.)

Our bedroom gets so warm at night, so a nightstand-sized midcentury fan is at the top of my garage sale list. Bonus points if I find one this awesome shade of blue-green.

Flat files. Old library card catalogs. Postmaster storage slots. They look great and provide tons of storage. They're so hard to come by cheap, but Chris and I want one real bad.

1. I'd love to find an upright camera (hopefully in working condition) for $5-7ish. Thanks to Arissa for this new obsession of mine.  2. I'm on the lookout for an industrial chair/stool for my studio area. They're practical, look great, and you don't have to worry too much about ruining them with ink, paint or other crafty things.  3. Who doesn't love globes? I'm hoping to find a great old one with a subtle color palette like this beaut.  

 Tandem bike! I found one last summer but they were asking $200 for it. Might as well buy a new one. 

 Okay, so I know perpetual calendars aren't exactly one of the large items I said I would be searching for, but I still hope to find one. I'm so jealous of Danni's collection.

I also always look for old lace, hardcover books with gorgeous covers, wooden frames, quirky mugs, and fabric. I can obviously find most of these things on Etsy, but where's fun in that? I'd much rather search through to musty, dusty garages and spend $2 than purchase a treasure online for three times the price. Here's to a summer full of awesome garage sales. Are you searching for anything in particular?

West Elm Sale!

Well, well... look what's on clearance at West Elm for $9.97:

Seriously. I want these Log Bookends. I'm not sure I'd even use them as bookends... I bet they'd look great on their own. I would also like this, these, and one of these. 

Please and thank you. 

NYC (as sung by Regina)

I just saw this on Design*Sponge and had to repost it right away. Artist Francesca Pasini has illustrated a map of New York City using Regina Spektor lyrics that correspond with their locations. Map + Regina + typography = awesome.

I love the simple, two-color screen print with wonderful handwritten typography -- each song features a different font. I spot lyrics from a few of my personal favorites... Back of a Truck, Aching to Pupate, Dance Anthem of the 80s, and of course, Summer in the City. I'm not sure what the little island lyric is, but check out that tiny Statue of Liberty.

The print is available on Etsy for $43, and it's selling fast. In the time I started this post, there were 8 prints available. Only 3 are left and I'm sure they'll be gone by lunch!

Midland Arts & Antique Market

Is it really Wednesday already? Yesterday was so warm and sunny I spent most of my afternoon outside reading on a blanket and doing housework with the windows wide open, and most of Monday recovering from all the awesomeness (and lack of sleep) that happened this past weekend. Goodness.

I took off work on Friday to venture down to Indianapolis for a girls weekend with Rachel and Arissa, two of the most amazing girls and the best college roommates ever. The drive down was only about 3 hours (although I somehow made it home in 2.5) and it was a wonderful weekend full of avacado-artichoke pizza, cute little shops on Mass Ave, pay by-the-ounce frozen yogurt, strange performance art, cheap sushi, and some of the smoothest espresso I've ever tasted.

Midland. Note teeny-tiny Rachel in the lower right hand corner for scale purposes. This place was HUGE. 

One of the weekend's highlights, by far, was Saturday brunch followed by hours spent at Midland Arts & Antique Market. Although only 2 of their 3 factory-sized floors were open, we still had an overwhelming amount of antique and vintage goodness to look at. I doubt we even looked at it all. 

Once inside, I nearly hyperventilated from the sheer amount of stuff -- and some of the prices. We decided it was best to start at the top where their cheapest items were located, and work our way down to the more expensive stuff. Rachel ended up with a few things and Arissa bought a wonderful vintage globe, but sadly, I walked away empty handed. I was watching my budget for the weekend, and since I didn't find anything I absolutely had to have, I window shopped instead. Here are a few of my favorites...

Clockwise from left: 1. This mustard mid-century chair was in pristine condition.  2. Under a pile of stuff I spotted a fantastic 1912 framed yearbook photo... too bad it was $92.  3. I had to think twice about buying this elaborately decorated reader, but because of the sticker damage I decided against it.

1. I'm kicking myself for not buying one of these antique apothecary jars, but I couldn't tell if the labels were originals or reproductions. At only $9, though, I should've picked up the center bottle anyway.  2. A few of the booths at Midland featured original artwork. These symmetrical rabbits by local artist MaryAnne Thanh Tam Nguyen were my favorite.  3. Hello, adorable typewriter. I like your coloring a lot.

1. This was the first display I saw -- vintage marquee letters! Sadly they didn't have an R available.  2. For some reason I totally loved these vintage high school storage bins... and vintage chemistry beakers were everywhere. Trendy, trendy.  3. A stack of well-traveled and well-loved suitcases to match my shoes. 

Booth #3 was one of my favorites... they had minty green walls, wonderful handwritten signage, and of course this German chicken skeletal chart. We all know how much I love charts. 

If you're ever in the downtown Indianapolis area and have a few hours of free time, a trip to Midland is a must. Like most antique malls, it's about 50% awesome and 50% junk, but if you look hard enough (or if you're willing to pay) you could walk away with quite a bit of beautiful stuff.

Oh BHLDN...

I'm sure you've seen Anthropologie's lovely wedding line, BHLDN. Gorgeous stuff, I know, but when they introduced their collection last fall I (surprisingly) wasn't oohing and aahing over everything I saw. I guess that since I was newly married and completely burned out on wedding planning, I no longer cared that much about gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

But of course, the creative team at Anthropologie always has something else up their sleeves. They just launched BHLDN's Decor section today, giving me reason to drool yet again:

Craven's Garden Tablecloth | Stout Spigot Cruet | Knotty Pine Treat Pedestal

Birch & Spade Tealight Holders | Black Forrest Lantern | Vintage Greenery Kit 

The entire line (aside from the glittery banners and tissue paper poms) is just as suited for home decorating as it is for a wedding. Some of the items are a bit steep in my opinion... (no matter how pretty, who would honestly spend $300 on a 4 gallon drink dispenser!?) but they have a lot of affordable items, too, like these beautiful $10 handmade porcelain flowers and this shapely $8 dessert plate.

I know I'll never buy that cupcake stand... not for $150, at least. But I'll bookmark it for now. Maybe after wedding season dies down it will go on sale for about, oh, $30. Ha. A girl can dream.