Bite-sized boxwoods

Aside from a couple mums and a few mini pumpkins, fall decor sort of escaped me this year. 

I think I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to summer quite yet.

But I'm not letting the same happen with the holiday season! 

I love love love boxwood and recently got around to hanging this set of mini boxwood wreaths (that I purchased from Decor Steals but can be found available here).

I used them last year (you can see how in this post) but I'm trying them out in other places this year.

Amazon

I did a little DIY to the largest by adding some blue ribbon and this "Merry & Bright" sign that I picked up from Michael's. 

Here it is hanging on the outside of Charlie's nursery door:

The medium sized boxwood is on our kitchen built-ins tied to the front of this garage sale find wire basket:

The black and white ribbon, purchased from this Etsy shop, is leftover from last year.

As for the smallest of the wreaths, I have it by our kitchen sink underneath the soap dispenser because...why not?

More seasonal decorating to be shared soon.

Stay tuned!

- Caitlin

Guess where I found this fiddle leaf fig?

Back in September, I shared how I was giving the fiddle leaf fig tree another try.

We originally had one in our bedroom but for various reasons, it didn't make it more than a couple months.

I'm happy to report though that our living room fiddle leaf fig tree is still doing well!

So much so, that I gained some confidence to get a smaller version for our dining room:

You might be surprised where I picked this one up (for less than $20).

On a whim, I searched for it on Home Depot's website, which I had done in the past but it was always out of stock.

However, it's available now and was delivered much sooner than the projected delivery date.

I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about getting a plant (especially one so sensitive as the fiddle leaf fig) delivered in the mail. But, the reviews were really good and I was willing to chance the small cost.

And it was a chance worth taking because it arrived safely and looking very healthy!

I'm definitely no expert on plants or keeping them alive but our fiddle leaf fig tree in the living room has been happy with us so I plan on just following the same regimen with this one: water once a week on the same day using the same amount of water. I use a coffee carafe full of water for the tree, so for this smaller plant, I'm using about half of that. I'm also making sure that the plant isn't sitting in any water to avoid root rot. 

I love how it adds some life to this corner of our dining room and hope it stays happy and healthy.

Fingers crossed.

Thanks for checking in!

- Caitlin

Cozy in Connecticut

This time of year, especially here in Connecticut, is all about getting cozy.

Temperatures have dropped, leaves (oh my god...soooo many leaves) have fallen, and before we know it, there will be snow on the ground.

So when GlobeIn, a San Francisco based company that delivers themed collections of artisan-made products from around the world, offered to send me their cozy box, I was excited!

It recently arrived, filled with a scarf from Thailand, cocoa powder from Ghana, a hand-painted mug from Tunisia, and a handwoven box from Oaxaca. The box also came with interesting stories about the artisans and farmers that produce them:

I knew just the spot for the handwoven box.

I've put it outside in our guest house and filled it with fire starters and kindling for our guests to use in the fireplace:

The scarf is now a staple in my wardrobe to help complete my outfits and keep me warm.

You can never go wrong with basic black:

And some hot chocolate made from the cocoa powder from Ghana is now my nightly dessert.

Don't mind if I do!

And while I love using the Tunisian mug for hot chocolate, I'm going to use it as a holder for our colored pencils in the office. 

If you're interested in trying out GlobeIn's cozy box or one of their other boxes (there are lots to choose from-- laundry, kitchen, picnic, etc.), use coupon code PICKETFENCE to receive 25% off your first month's box with a purchase of 3 and 6 month subscriptions!

Also, if you subscribe for a 6 month subscription, GlobeIn is now allowing you to choose your first box that will be shipped right away. After that, your subscription will ship will continue on a regular schedule. 

Stay cozy!

- Caitlin

Lamps from Lowe's

Wow, it's been difficult to get a post together lately!

An 18 month nap regression and some rainy weather (resulting in bad lighting for photos) has slowed me down. That and being now 36 weeks pregnant with number 2. 

But the clouds have parted, our boy seems to be snoozing again (fingers crossed), and I've seemed to have caught a burst of energy that's allowed me to finally snap a few photos of a change in our master bedroom that might seem small to you but I'm loving. 

Sometimes it's the tiniest change that brings you the biggest satisfaction though, right?

Anyway, I really liked the lamps we had on our nightstands.

They're from Home Goods and are just cool and different:

However, these kinds of shades cast light downwards and do not illuminate an entire room that well at night. So, it felt very cavernous in our normally light and airy bedroom during the evening hours.

Since we don't have recessed lighting in here (had that priced out and ehhh...that project can wait), I decided a less expensive solution would be to try out some new lamps.

So during a recent trip to Lowe's for something unrelated, I walked by their lighting department and was immediately drawn to these Allen + Roth lamp bases. I scooped up a pair for just $29 each and using lampshades I already had at home, I switched out the silver lamps for these new ones (please ignore the black ugly wire, I plan on painting it white):

I like how substantial they are although I might need to get some smaller accessories for the nightstand now.

I also like how the lamp base picks up the color in the basket, the floors, and the armoire in the bedroom.

And of course, the whole reason for the lamp change, I like how these brightly illuminate our room at night. Goodbye cave.

Also, the silver lamps haven't gone to waste.
They've found a new home in our office.

Have a great weekend!

- Caitlin

The playroom: finding THE fabric

So over the summer, I peppered you with posts about putting together our playroom (it was so much fun)!

And then it all came to a screeching halt.

There are loads of reasons why but the main reason is that I've been slow and indecisive on picking a fabric to have cushions made for the built-in bench, which is basically the last thing that needs to be done in here.

Originally I thought I'd do a plain white canvas fabric and ordered a few swatches.

Then I thought about it. 

White. In a playroom. 

With dirty hands, play dough, boogers, etc.

Have I lost my mind?

In my defense, I thought that at least with white, I could just remove the covers and bleach them to get them clean. But the more time we played out there, the more I began to realize that I'll probably end up having to wash these covers weekly daily.

And let's face it. I do enough laundry in a week, I don't need to add to it.

So, I've reconsidered my fabric choice and have gone in the complete opposite direction:

Fabric.com

This is why I'm liking this fabric:

1. It's cheap at $11 a yard (I need to buy 8 yards).

2. The color and pattern go with the look of the room and will also disguise dirt/stains/smudges/boogers/what have you.

3. It's washable for really bad accidents.

4. It's a medium weight and described as being suitable for upholstery.

Once the sample arrives, I'll be able to confirm it's a good choice and finally have these cushions made!

- Caitlin