Decorating With Plants 101

Succulent garden on the coffee table

Plants have made a huge comeback in the world of home decor, and there are plenty of good reasons why. They add soothing greenery and texture to interior spaces, they clean the air, and they're more budget-friendly than weekly trips to the florist for fresh-cut blooms. But which plants should you get? How do you care for them? And if you're a gardening newbie, how do you stop yourself from killing them? I'm still figuring out the answers to all of these questions myself, but as someone who's just jumped on the plant bandwagon recently, I'm sharing what I've learned so far after the jump!

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Home Office Decor Refresh

Every once in a while, I get the urge to embark on a home decor project that costs relatively little in time (1-2 weekends), effort (no messes or massive renovations), and money (a couple hundred bucks max). This season, the home decor project was my beauty blogging home office, where the former status quo was beginning to get on my nerves.

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The Ultimate $20 Gift Guide

Every year my budget gift guide is far and away the most popular of them all, which just goes to show a thoughtful, stylish gift doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. This year's cutoff is a bit higher to allow for some lovely finds with a slightly higher price tag. Read on for more details on the picks above and loads of other under $20 gift ideas!

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A Cozy Night In

Longtime readers of this blog know that I'm a homebody at heart, and now that I'm in my thirties those tendencies are even more pronounced. (My husband jokes I grow roots on the couch.) A choice Netflix binge (Gilmore Girls on Friday!) and a few creature comforts are all I need to settle in for a perfect evening at home, and when it comes to shopping for said creature comforts, Indigo is where it's at. Indigo holiday previews are one of my most anticipated press events of the year, and not just because they're always beautifully done and full of gift-giving inspiration—they're also full of ideas for making your home the coziest and most welcoming version of itself, just in time for the holidays. This year I spotted plenty of Canadiana-inspired, cabin-chic finds that would fit right in with our living room.

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How To Make Hydrangeas Last Forever

As soon as the too-short peony season is over, it's all about hydrangeas here at Solo Lisa headquarters. These summery blooms are so pretty and voluminous that it doesn't take more than a few snipped stems to fill a vase and make a statement. Plus, with a little TLC they can easily last ages without wilting, even in a sweltering apartment sans air conditioning. I've had the white hydrangeas above for 2+ weeks and they still look as good as they did when I brought them home from the florist, which is surreal considering a couple years ago, any hydrangeas I bought would shrivel in just a couple days. All my tips after the jump!

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Refreshing Our Living Room Decor

Most days I'm too busy, broke, and/or lazy to care that much about keeping up with home design trends, and it takes a lot for me to commit to anything decor-wise. After four years of staring at the same blue Moroccan trellis rug in our living room though, I decided it was time for a change. Replacing the rug triggered a few other tweaks that changed the look and feel of our living space.

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Our Patio Makeover

When you live in Vancouver, space comes at a premium and you learn to enjoy each square foot of your city condo to its fullest. The boy and I have done a pretty good job making the interior of our home cozy, but when it comes to our balcony we've been ambivalent at best. All that changed a couple weeks ago when I suddenly became obsessed with turning the patio into a little urban oasis. Visions of myself leisurely drinking my morning coffee, flipping through magazines, colouring, or finishing up wedding tasks outside danced in my head. But, where to start?

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Spring Decor Refresh: Q&A With Samantha Pynn About Her New Simons Home Collection

Lattice blush duvet cover set (starting at $225)

Spring: a time for fresh-cut tulips, seasonal allergies, deep cleaning—and perhaps a few design updates around the home? I couldn't help but be inspired to make a few tweaks to the condo after seeing the new Samantha Pynn for Simons home collection. Think patterns ranging from nature-inspired to geometrics, lattices, and stripes; light neutrals and pastels that will add an airy touch to a dark winter palette; and jewel-toned accents of saffron, sapphire, and magenta for fun. The best part? The Samantha Pynn for Simons collection starts as low as $5 and has something for everyone. I caught up with the Canadian design darling—whose resume boasts stints at HGTV, Chatelaine, the National Post, and CityLine on CityTV—to find out more about her inspirations, her best spring decor tips, and what DIY project she really wants to tackle this season.

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Cozy, Merry, Bright

1. Pajamas | 2. Socks | 3. Mug | 4. Candle | 5. Pillow | 6. Throw | 7. Kate Spade's All In Good Taste | 8. Garance Dore's Love x Style x Life

I don't know if it's the relentlessly dreary weather outside or the busy season getting the better of me, but these days all I want to do is cozy up in the great indoors—on my couch, specifically, surrounded by a few of my favourite creature comforts.

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West Elm x Kate Spade Saturday

Duvet cover and shams

Ever since I heard that Kate Spade Saturday was doing a collaboration with West Elm, I've been counting the days until it'd be available. One's a label known for its cheerful, casual aesthetic, while the other is one of my favourite homeware purveyors. Talk about a match made in heaven! The collection features plenty of graphic black and white pieces, vibrant abstract hues, and a real sense of whimsy and fun inspired by the ease and spontaneity of weekend living.

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Papyrus Gift Guide (Plus Giveaway!)

Just off the busy intersection of Robson Burrard, the newly opened Papyrus store (765 Burrard St.) in downtown Vancouver is a veritable treasure trove of paper goods and neat gift ideas. I was invited to check out the store last Monday and do a little shopping myself and curate a gift guide. Well, you can imagine how with this stationery geek, "a little shopping" turned into 2 hours of serious browsing and indecision.

Aside from the stylish social stationery and paper goods for which Papyrus is rightly renowned, they also carry an extensive array of Crane & Co. cards, Kate Spade office supplies, and the best collection of ban.do merchandise I've ever seen in Vancouver. Add to that home decor, bath and body products, candles, jewelry, photo frames, books, products for kids and babies..and well, it was pretty hard to narrow it down to what you see here. Details (plus a giveaway) after the jump!

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One Of A Kind Giveaway

Tree House blanket by Jenna Rose. Check out her other textile goods on OOAK.

When One Of A Kind asked me to contribute to their blog and curate a holiday gift guide, my mind instantly jumped to all the cozy things that make a house truly feel like a home during the winter months. The Toronto-based craft-fair-turned-online-shop offers nationwide shipping and an eclectic selection of unique wares from Canadian artisans. Just think: hand-screened linens, handcrafted beeswax candles, Canadiana throw pillows, and adorable ceramics are a click away from brightening up your home or making someone on your Christmas shopping list very happy. And to sweeten the deal, OOAK is offering one lucky Solo Lisa reader a $50 GC to spend online.

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Back to School for Grown-ups

Shopping for school supplies was always one of my favourite parts of September, and although my tastes are more Kate Spade than Kaboodles these days, not much has changed, I'd say: pretty stationery and workspace objets still set my heart racing. Here are my picks for making your work/study life lovelier, happier, and—dare I say it—more productive.

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Chapters Indigo Holiday 2014 Preview

Right before the Chapters Indigo holiday preview at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia Tuesday evening, I tweeted, ".@chaptersindigo #indigofaves holiday preview should be subtitled 'Please take all my money from now 'til Dec.' Seriously excited for today." It was a joke—well, sort of. Since Chapters Indigo has reinvented itself as a go-to destination for gifts, decor, stationery, and everything in between, I've spent many a dollar at their Robson location. Rifle Paper Co. iPhone cases? Yup. Kate Spade stationery? On it. Voluspa? Call me #candlehoarder.

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4 Alternative Uses for Your Bookcases Thanks to BitLit.com

Photo sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Most bibliophiles can sympathize: At some point, your avid reader status translates into overloaded bookshelves sagging under the weight of brick-like tomes and paperbacks. They take up space. They're heavy to move from apartment to apartment. And in Vancouver—where condos and townhomes are increasingly small—they literally occupy valuable real estate. That's why I was intrigued and excited to learn of local start-up bitlit.com.

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Simple Sangria with Big House Wine

Yikes, being a blogger can come with its own set of #firstworldproblems. Case in point: Big House Wines kindly sent me a 3 L case of their Cardinal Zin zinfandel ($36.99 at BC Liquor stores) to try out in March, and I'm only posting about it now. (Cue the guilt trip.) But writing about boxed wine during barbecue season seems pretty apropos, no? Especially one with such a patio-party-friendly, serve-it-yourself form factor. The box holds 3 L—the equivalent of 4 bottles—which is plenty to keep guests happy throughout the night.

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Weekending

Last weekend was, quite simply, one of the best I've had in a long time. The boy and I went down to Coupeville to check out the Penn Cove Mussel Festival, aka an excuse to hang out in Coupeville, WA, and soak up the quaint small town atmosphere while gorging on the tenderest, sweetest mussels imaginable.

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Bar Cart on a Budget

One of my favourite projects this past winter was setting up our bar cart. We've been enjoying it ever since, whether it's a chicken wing and G&T night while watching Netflix, or having friends over for impromptu Moscow mules.

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My Favourite January Sale Picks

January can be a no man's land when it comes to shopping. Most of us are burnt out from holiday excesses, watching our budgets, or scouring slim pickings. I fall in the latter category: After the flu left me house-bound for a week and a half, I was finally able to shop—only to find there wasn't much worth buying. But, a couple weeks have passed and more markdowns have hit my favourite sites' sale sections, which means there are definitely gems to be found.

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Merry Christmas!

Source

Wishing you and your loved ones a season filled with warmth, love, and good food and cheer. Thanks for your generosity and support this past year, gorgeous readers!

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