Category Archives: plants

Master Bedroom Update.

Posted in house, master bedroom, plants by

So after I went dark in the master bedroom all the furniture that we had just didn’t work.  Fast forward a couple years and this is what the bedroom looks like now.  We got a black metal bed, Alchemy in matte black, from CB2 which blends in perfectly with the walls.  I am a huge fan of all furniture from CB2.  The black curtains (from Ikea) also blend into the wall to create one big expansive space with no boundaries.  I am really happy with the way this room turned out.  It is still one of my favorite rooms in the house.

 

I finally got around to having  a vinyl chair that Scott and Kiran trash-picked upholstered.  The fabric is a wonderful wool felt in a bright pink.

I can’t say enough good things about this HUGE Hovet mirror from Ikea.  I have been wanting to get it for a long time and I’m glad that I finally did  it.  I was worried it would be too large for the space but it fits perfectly in this spot.

Scott just installed a row of Ikea’s Pax wardrobes on the wall opposite the bed.  This was a nightmare project.  None of the floors or walls are level in this house and it took us forever to get the wardrobes level and looking good.  We ended up having to cut the baseboards because they were too high to accommodate the baseboard niche in the Pax wardrobes.  They are finally up but I’m putting off painting them the same color as the walls.  They would look amazing the same color as the walls but I really don’t have the energy to tackle it.  I’m also putting off installing lights over the closet door. I’ve ordered some rose gold looking handles for the wardrobe from Schoolhouse Electric.  Once I throw those on and paint the radiator I will be done with this room.  Perhaps some time down the road I will revisit painting the wardrobes.  I really wish Ikea would make these in black.  The brown-black color that they come in are just awful.

The windows are filled with hanging plants and succulents.  The light in this room is gorgeous and all my plants thrive in this window.

Aah this shoe shelf…I am still in love with this.  I don’t go out as much as I used to so a lot of my high heels just sit on this shelf.  At least I get to admire them and reminisce about the good old days!

I painted these lampshades in Periwinkle fabric dye.  They turned out much better than I anticipated. My next project in this room is to paint the ugly white radiator (black of course).

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It’s a Jungle Outside!

Posted in family, house, plants by

I overheard Kiran telling one of his friends at his school that we have a jungle outside our house!  Every year we sprinkle several sun flower seeds in the tiny cement-less area where we planted our tree.  Every year when the sunflowers bloom and we get visits from the most amazing array of birds I have ever seen in Philly.  There are these small birds with bright yellow feathers who come several times a day and they are so beautiful to watch.  They hop from flower to flower eating something (seeds?).  At the end of summer we pick a few flowers and remove the seeds and dry them inside.  Once they are completely dry I wrap them in paper towels and store them to be planted next summer.

Kiran and Jai outside our house

A half eaten sunflower

Our little garden patch also has a cold hardy saucer hibiscus and Rose of Shannon which faithfully bloom every year. I also planted an ornamental grass which is HUGE now.  I had no idea it would get so big. 

The hardy Saucer Hibiscus and Rose of Shannon

In the front of our house we have several potted plants.  Most of the plants stay outside year round.  I move the pot of Canna Lillies and the purple pot with “Wandering Jew” to the basement during winter.  Most of the plants are perennials and I also have some ever greens.  This is really not a very good picture because most of the plants are not in bloom.  But generally the orange rose plant (Joseph’s Coat), the hydrangeas, the butterfly bush, the red rose bush and the Canna Lillies are in bloom from Spring through late Fall. 

The Front of the House

Spring Cactus

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Spring is one of my favorite seasons mainly because it signifies the end of short dark days.  Nothing says Spring for me like the blooms on my Spring Cactus.  Every year, around the end of April, my Spring Cactus sprouts lots of red buds and then come the wild red flowers.  So beautiful. So Spring.

Spring Cactus in my “office” room

This cactus stays on the window still in my room all year round.  It is really a perfect spot because this room gets pretty cold in the winter which is necessary for the cactus to produce blooms in the Spring.  Also the window is South facing so it gets lots of direct sunlight.

Happy New Year!

Posted in house, plants by
view from the living room window

In the past I have rarely made new year’s resolutions. However, this year I have decided that I have to make some changes. Between working, renovating the house, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of our son I feel like I don’t have any time for myself! I have always liked my time alone and this year I resolve to find some time for myself.

Here is a list of my resolutions (in no particular order):
1) Take a renovation hiatus of two months and enjoy the house without thinking of the next project (this will be very hard to do).
2) read more books (I used to read a lot and now I spend all my reading time pouring over magazines, blogs, the internet etc)
3) get back to sleeping at least eight hours a day
4) watch a movie at home at least once a week
5) Save and spend less (hard to do when I am constantly dreaming up a new house project)
6) Relax
7) Call all my fabulous friends, who live really far from me, more often.

PS: I love plants and even when it is freezing cold outside, with snow on the ground I have a little bit of paradise on my window sills.

Succulents.

Posted in plants by

I am obsessed with succulents. Not only do they look amazing but they are also relatively easy to grow. I have at least fifteen succulents throughout the house. Also, they are relatively easy to propagate…you just nip a small part of the stem and plant it and you have a whole new plant!

(blogged about here)

I love this idea of planting succulents in cordial glasses. This is going to be my next project. I just happen to have some vintage cordial glasses in the basement for which I have been trying to find a use for a long time.