New Plants, Part 3 of 4

I managed to make 20 succulents stretch into four planters (Part 1 and Part 2) and here is the third one!

I had this little glass dish/jar/bowl (?) from something, maybe a flower arrangement or something? I kept it because it's hard to just throw away a nice glass thing so it's been in the back of a cabinet for a long time. Anyway, I thought it would make a cute little mini-terrarium (its about 6" tall x 5" in diameter).

Yeah, I'm aware how blurry this pic is, 

but give me a little a credit, I was still be-casted at this point.

Like, the brass planter, I went rock-finding in my backyard to aid in the drainage of this non-planter turned planter. 

Remember my little greenhouse? Well, I'm happy to report, that even though my baby greenhouse did not have a home or any occupants for a few days, it does now! Baby terrarium meet baby greenhouse.

Happy, happy plants!

A Baby Greenhouse

Okay, it's not a greenhouse for babies (although that could either be adorable or horrifying depending how you interpret the meaning) but it is a tiny greenhouse and it's freaking adorable. Let me start at the beginning. I've been obsessed with this greenhouse from IKEA since I first saw it online a while back (I gushed about it here) but I haven't been to IKEA in about two years so I was satisfied with admiring it from afar. That is until my parents made a trip to IKEA and asked me if they could pick anything up for me. A day later, this baby was in my house (and it was only $19.99!).

Of course, the hitch in the plan was that I was attempting to assemble something from IKEA with my dominant hand in a cast, but dang it if I am not obsessively determined/this thing was actually easy to assemble. 

I like that it has three settings: 

1) Propped open

 2) Open

 3) Closed

Alright you got me, I am guilty of buying something that I don't have a place for or anything to fill it with, but I kind of don't care because I like it so much.

I envision it filled with little baby plants and other little objects, but one step at a time. For now, I am just enjoying having a tiny greenhouse on my dining room table.

Online Window Shopping: IKEA Part 2

... picking right up where we left off, here are more of my current favorites at IKEA:

Aztec prints are super trendy right now and like most trends there is no use dumping money into something that will be dated in two years. IKEA versions of trends are always a good idea. Available here for $149.00.

Curtains can be so hit or miss but I like these simple blue and white curtains. They have a sort of nautical vibe. The pair is available here for $14.99.

Trays are one of those weird decorative things that you don't really need but you can always find a place for. I like them on ottomans, side tables, and nightstands. Available here for $12.99.

I've been enamored by this large zebra print for several years now. You know I love bold graphic prints and the zebra is basically the original large graphic print. Available here for $39.99.

Botanical prints are also very trendy right now. You may be lucky enough to find a vintage one but it will seriously cost you. Why not buy this affordable IKEA version? Available here for $19.99.

Benches are very useful pieces of furniture. I love them at the end of beds and in entry ways. This clean and simple white one would look attractive anywhere. Available here for $79.99.

I love bookends. They are semi-functional and can be like jewelry for books. Available here for $4.99.

I'm not usually into frilly and feminine things but these lace candle holders are really sweet. Available here for $5.99.

I love this big swoopy white bowl. It has so much potential! Available here for $29.99. 

This mini greenhouse may be the most amazing thing I've ever seen... I mean, it is a mini greenhouse! Adorable! Available here for $19.99. 

This cheery striped towel makes me smile. And since doing dishes is pretty boring a smile can really go a long way. Available here for $2.99.

This black deck chair is pretty fabulous. I think I would feel quite fancy sitting in it. Available here for $119.00.

Oooo this grey wingback is soooo pretty. Available here for $279.00.

Does all this eye candy make you want to take a trip to IKEA? It sure makes me want to!

Online Window Shopping: IKEA Part 1

As much as I love IKEA, I haven't been to an actual IKEA store in over a year. The closest one to Indianapolis is in Cincinnati which is not close by. It is definitely a day trip plus you have to have the right vehicle to be able to bring home furniture. But despite the fact that I haven't been in a while doesn't mean that I don't online window shop at IKEA all the time.

I've previously listed out all of the things in my home from IKEA (it's actually still accurate even though it was written last August), so this is a list of the things I love from IKEA that I would buy if I had more money and space (and a big enough vehicle to bring it all back from Cincinnati).

Originally this was just going to be one post but I found that I liked way too much stuff so it became a two parter!

I have a great front porch and nicely sized back yard but I have yet to invest in any patio furniture. I like this classic wicker deck chair. Perhaps four of these chairs around a brightly colored round table would look nice? Available here for $34.99 each. 

I am one of those people who go through dish towels like candy. I use a new one like every day, mostly because I do not like soggy towels. For this reason, I am always on the look out for a cool new dish towel. Available here for $2.99. 

I only have curtains in my dining room but lately I've been considering them for my entry way window and even in my living room. I'm still on the fence but these subtle grey linen ones are lovely. The pair is available here for $49.99. 

Is this rug too crazy? I kind of love how crazy it is. I also love how super Swedish it is. Available here for $49.99. 

I'm not an artist but if I were I would want this rolling filing cabinet. I guess you wouldn't have to be an artist to use it but I can just imagine using it for large pencil drawings or something equally cool. Available here for $119.00. 

I actually have this lamp in the floor lamp size but I think the table lamp size is adorable. Available here for $29.99. 

Large graphic prints are definitely my thing so this bold striped throw is right up my alley. Available here for $19.99

My West Elm shower curtain is still my favorite but this simple black and white shower curtain is lovely too. Available here for $14.99. 

I am always on the lookout for a good light fixture because there are still several in my house that I would like to replace. I love the bold yet simple look of this light fixture. Available here for $69.99. 

This mod pendant is so delicious, I want to lick it. It is a massive and bold piece that would be a great statement piece in any home. Available here for $49.99.

I've been thinking about replacing the credenza in my dining room for a while now. Maybe this simple yet unique locker cabinet would be a nice upgrade? Available here for $99.00.

I'm not normally big on patterned curtains since they can look dated fast but these curtains may just be cool enough to change my mind. The pair is available here for $24.99. 

This light fixture is probably a little bold for most people but I think it is so cheery! It would look awesome in a bathroom or a closet. Available here for $14.99. 

I'll be back Thursday for Part 2!

Bookshelf Be Gone

I mentioned in my last craigslist post that I recently sold three things, I sold the red chair and glass coffee table from the living room but I've kept mum about the third thing until now... I sold the black bookcase in my bedroom!

I'm actually really sad about it because I loved that bookcase. I've said it like a hundred times but this bookcase sort of changed my life (more on my books obsession here). Now that I know the glories of having glass doors on bookshelves I can never go back (no more dusting book pages!). So why did I sell it? Well, that's a bit of a long answer. 

I'm at that point in my home decorating where things get weird. My house looks done and most people would be content to leave it where it is, but not me. I have a big vision for this house. Which means, I am now starting to replace the 'place holder' furniture. Unfortunately, that includes this black bookcase. While I loved this bookcase, it did not go well with the paint color in my bedroom (it was too dark against the blue wall) and I there wasn't another place for it my house. Plus, I have plans for a bigger and better bookcase. I've literally been talking about my dream bookcase for like nine months (here) now but selling this bookcase gets me one step closer to actually buying it. 

For a refresher, this is the bookcase I want:

via IKEA

It will go in the dining room on the big blank wall:

That big wall to the right (it's bigger than it looks, from the end of the frames to the corner of the room is about 8') is where the new bookcase will go. So the bottom line is this: I sold the black bookcase so I can use the money to help buy the bigger white bookcase for the dining room. 

But, I haven't purchased the white bookcase just yet so for the time being this is what's going on in my room. First it was a blank wall (I took the silver shelf to the basement to use for laundry and cleaning supplies):

The other side of my room was cray. I own a lot of books.

What you may not be able to see is that there are three large tubs hidden under there full of books. Yeah... I have a lot of books.

Since I haven't planned my trip to IKEA yet and I don't want to leave my books like this any longer (it was sort of suffocating in there) I came up with a temporary solution.

I'm going for a sort of 80-year-old-professor-of-English-Lit-who-has-traveled-the-world-and-been-married-seven-times vibe. Are you feeling it? Now that I think about it, said woman would probably have more Proust and less young adult fiction... ah, well. 

I started by stacking the big books first, mostly photo albums and yearbooks (why do I keep those?). 

Then I gradually added books.

Here is the view from the doorway. It feels so open in there now! I'm sort of loving it. I don't have plans for that wall yet. My goal is the get the bookcase for the dining room, move these books onto the dining room shelves, and then deal with this wall. 

I stacked these up yesterday and so far Bob hasn't bothered them. The likelihood of one of these stacks falling over is high, I mean it is just books stacked up like three feet high so yeah, not foolproof or anything, but so far so good. 

The overflow is still in the corner, but it is much cleaner now! 

I also added a little stack by my nightstand of the books I haven't read yet. 

Also, I got rid of two huge tubs of books! Yep, I'm pretty proud of that. I was super selective with what I kept. I know I'm about to buy a huge bookcase, but I have so so many books that even getting rid of two tubs means I still have all these books left over. If you are curious as to what I kept and what I got rid of here was my criteria:

1) Will I read it again? The answer was 'yes' a surprising amount of times. There are about 30-ish books that I re-read regularly, as in either once a year or bi-annually.
2) Is it pretty? A shallow question, but some books are just so pretty that I had to keep them. I have a lot of very beautiful books that I probably won't ever read again, but they are pretty enough to keep around (to use for styling).
3) Is it sentimental? A lot of my books have sentimental value. Either they were gifts from loved ones, books from my childhood, or they remind of a specific time in my life. People are sentimental about all kinds of things and I am sentimental about books.

So that is my 'in progress' update on the bookcase situation. I'll keep you posted!