Artificial Plants {On the Hunt}

I've got a black thumb. Not grey. Not black with a tinge of green. Truely and utterly black. And yet I really, really like the look of plants in a home. They add great texture and do a lot to brighten up a space. I mean, take a look at some of these room photos I've keep in my files:

I've tried before and know that a plant in my home is bound to meet an untimely end. It's just inevitable. So I'm trying to find fake houseplants that will give me the look I want without the maintenance. Ikea has some great small ones, but nothing with the size shown in my inspiration photos. And while I don't mind ordering some online, it's hard to really judge quality without seeing them in person.

So do you have any sources? Any hidden spots where one can found good quality, artificial houseplants at an afforable price point? Oh, did I forget to add that part? Yeah, I don't want to spend a gazillion dollars.

Dining Chairs {On the Hunt}

Our dining room chairs (well, really my sister's dining room chairs if you want to get technical) have officially bit the dust. Quite literally. Mark sat in one a few weeks ago and the legs broke right off. They weren't expensive (those Target bentwood chairs that were all the rage a few years back - bought on clearance), but I didn't expect them to break apart quite so soon. C'est la vie, I guess. So now I'm scouring stores and Craigslist to see if I can find replacements. The problem is I really don't know what I want. Shocking, I know. <---- Note the sarcasm.

I could go for something similar to those featured in the above photo, which has long been the general inspiration for the space. The problem is, no matter what the store name is, that kind of design is not within reach pricewise. Please, click the link and check out that ridiculousness. ... Now fan yourself after that shock, and let's get back to business. Amazon has knock-offs that are far better priced, but still more than I'd be willing to spend. Besides, the style just doesn't see very me. Nor very child-friendly. So, moving on...

Another option is what I always planned to get at some point - a classic Eiffel shell chair. While the ones in the photo are probably the real deal, you can find tons of fake options on ebay with wire legs like those in the inspiration image or wood legs. Given that the price on the links is for a pair, and shipping is free, these could be within the budget if I save a bit. But I'm waffling about whether or not white plastic is the direction I want to go. They just seem to take up a lot of space visually and the room is already pretty small.

The last option, and probably the cheapest, would be to find something on Craigslist and paint them. I know I definitely don't want wood-tone chairs (there's enough of that with the table and hardwood floors), and would probably just revert to white, but a color like red might be an option. I like the spindles on these, but Craigslist can be super hit or miss. That coupled with working daytime hours, and therefore missing out on a lot of the good stuff just because of timing of picking things up, means that I might be searching for a while. And I don't necessarily have a while.

Hmmm... decisions, decisions. So, what say you? Which direction should I go? One of the three above or something totally different? White or a color? Craigslist or store-bought? Heck, why don't you just pick them out for me. Just let me know what you find. ;)

Birdhouses {On the Hunt}

Have you noticed I've had a lot of these {On the Hunt} posts lately? Generally speaking, I'm pretty good at searching out whatever item I'm looking for and finding something that will fit (or at least can be tweaked to fit) my needs perfectly. But sometimes you become so tired of searching that your eyes go crossed and you just can't do it anymore. That's when these posts happen. Here's what I'm hunting for now:


Birdhouses. I love the look of all these brightly colored birdhouses and hope to install a bunch on the side of my shed. I've lamented before that my yard is overly landscaped. It's beautiful, but it's a ton of work. I think a bright array of these little houses would be a great distraction when I'm out there for hours on end weeding and pruning. Not to mention they'd be a good focal point for an otherwise sort of haphazard area of the yard.

The problem is I need a bunch of them. Probably 24 or so. And I'm cheap. Super cheap. And they can't be too small. And I'd like at least 2-3 different styles, figuring I can paint them in different ways to make them seem even more like a mish mash rather than a bought-in-one-fell-swoop sort of set. Yeah, I'm needy. I know. But I figure there's got to be some sort of wholesale birdhouse manufacturer that can help me out. Any ideas?

Accessory Storage {On the Hunt}

Charlotte's newfound love for accessories of all kinds - bows, barrettes, headbands, necklaces, rings, etc - has turned our house into quite the runway. She likes to swap out her hair and jewelry multiple times a day and parade around in each new look. Because she likes to do this in different rooms all the time, she created her own accessory storage container.


Yup, a styrofoam egg carton. While it works (although we apparently need to work on sorting skills, because this mish-mash just isn't going to cut it with me), it's certainly not durable enough to be a long-term solution. So I'm looking for something new to hold these tiny pieces (C already has another container for larger items). In particular I need to find something with sections like this egg carton has, preferably with a lid and in a material that is toddler-proof. But still cute.


The Anthro egg crate definitely fits the cute requirement, but without a lid and made of stoneware it's not in the running. Any of the million variety of embroidery floss boxes would work, but they're pretty lame looking considering this unit's home will be on the dresser in her room. This best thing I've found so far is this plastic egg crate, but I think I'd prefer something in a color. Wonder if it can be painted?! Hmmm... any other ideas for me?

Leap Year {On the Hunt}

Have you seen the movie Leap Year? It was cute enough, very predictable, but sweet nonetheless. I particularly liked the scene in the bed & breakfast when Anna and Declan prepare dinner together. Not so much because of the scene itself so much as the decor. In particular, I love the pot rack on the wall:



See it there on the left, with the yellow pots on it? I love that it's vertical and doesn't seem to take up much space. And that when loaded up with pots it has sort of a homey, vintage feel to it. I'd love to find something similar for my kitchen. I'm constantly struggling to find space for everything and having the pots up on the wall would free up one more cabinet. So I'm officially on the hunt for something similar.

Any ideas what this would be called? Other than a pot shelf. Or vertical pot storage. Or wall-mounted pot rack. Or any of the million of other searches I've tried. Cause I'm coming up with a big, fat nothing on my Etsy, Ebay and google searches.

Source: YouTube