Greens from Austin

Happy Thursday, friends! It's almost time for the weekend. Today we got some ice and snow, and the temperature outside is the kind of cold that sinks down into your bones. But the sun is shining, and there is something beautiful about the dry, crisp snap of the air.
We had a lazy, long weekend in Austin. I spent a lot of it in my pajamas, and we got a laugh out of trying to find sushi restaurants in town that wouldn't be offended if we walked in wearing yoga pants. I will post a few pictures from our trip over the next couple weeks, for now I want to show you a few little greens that I brought home from our trip.

It stays a lot warmer there year round than it does in Oklahoma, and every time we visit I ooh and ahh over the palms, tropical flowers, succulents, and desert plants that thrive there all year long. The last day we were there, Monica had already gone to work and Michael was sleeping in. So I got up early, stopped for some tea, and explored a local nursery in town.
Last Spring my Mom shared with me that it has been her dream for awhile to have a greenhouse, and set up a booth at our local Farmer's Market every year. Since then, my mind has been going wild with any plans I can come up with to make this come true.
Of course I have to be a part of this, since the smell of soil and watching a plant grow and thrive courses through my veins with a huge passion. Michael and I for years have joked about our plant business, and long ago picked a name based off of our last name for our imaginary greenhouse business. For now, I am going to play my hand at growing some small herbs, succulents, and perhaps some variations of potted flowers and plants. Over the last few days I've combined what I brought home from Austin with what I had around the house, and I've been watching every sunny corner, window, and table top in our home become transformed into the life and excitement that comes with the first few days of Spring.



I found a couple different types of Aloe, and these curious little things called Stone Plants. They don't grow any taller, but just spread and look like stones filling a pot. They feel like a fungus, and I thought for sure they were some type of mushroom until I looked into them more.





A few months ago I was staring at the side of my hideous refrigerator and wishing that it could be hidden. So I schemed a crazy idea to hang a curtain rod and drape off the entire kitchen area. I received some sideways looks until I actually put it together. And I must admit that I was right...like I usually am when it comes to debates between my husband and I over decorating the house :) This drape was a bit of a struggle to bring home, Michael didn't not approve of the tie-top, especially since he had to stand on the ladder and tie every single one by hand. If you're interested, you can find it at Pottery Barn.
I will make more of a conscience effort to mention where I got these things, since I get so many questions. The green block print drapes in our dining room are from Urban Outfitters, I received quite a few inquiries about them over the last couple weeks. I stalked them for months, trying to think of anywhere to hang them. When they discontinued them, I thought it wasn't meant to be, until they brought them back in stock a few months ago.



This is my little succulent farm. A few are old friends, my oldest ones in the bunch I had in our tiny little apartment when we first got married 4 years ago. And there are some new little babies growing, hopefully ready to be potted and re-homed this Spring.
So far Olive has been stalking it, but she seems mostly uninterested. She loves to eat anything and everything I bring in the house, but succulents don't seem to interest her taste buds much at all.

One of my favorite stores is West Elm.
Their style is much more modern and simplistic than the way we decorate our home, but I love all their natural elements, linens, textures, and inspiration from the ocean. I was more than excited to find one within walking distance of Monica's place, and we spent some time there browsing around. I came home with this interesting hanging vase:



and an air plant. They're supposedly low maintenance, but still need to be watered twice a week. I actually do not consider that low maintenance at all. For now it is nameless and hanging in our dining room from the chandelier, but it's new home will be in my kitchen window, where it can get some bright, indirect light throughout the day. By the way, it's also high maintenance about the light it needs to receive. One more strike against the promise of it being low maintenance.

While we were there I also picked up a new duvet cover for our bedroom.



We've had a white duvet for a few years and I was ready for a change with some new patterns in the room. I am a huge fan of block print anything, and the ethnic flare that it gives textiles. Normally I can never find anything to match our room, since I like to keep the colors in there neutral. But this pattern is just a simple light and dark.


One of my absolute favorite textile designers is Catherine from Rikshaw Designs.



I found her work a couple years ago and find her so incredibly inspirational. Her work is absolutely beautiful, and gives you that bright, happy, feel-good feeling. I was so excited to find her blog a few weeks ago and finally put a voice behind her gorgeous prints. Textiles are a huge passion of mine and I get wildy excited over placemats, sheets, fabric, curtains, and anything pretty. I worked in a fabric store for 3 years when I was younger, and it seemed that every day I would come home with a cutting of something new and exciting.

And finally, Tuesday we had another ultrasound and found out that I am actually 30 weeks pregnant, instead of 29. That means one less week of being pregnant, one less week to get prepared, and an earlier due date. My new due date is April Fool's Day, and according to my Grandma, looking into the new moon that night will assure that I go into labor. So we will see. Our little bird weighs right about 3 pounds, and has the squishiest cheeks I have ever seen.



Have a wonderful night, friends.