The Plant That Lived

Despite varied attempts at being a gardenista, I have come to terms with my black thumb. Herbs die within the week; I even killed my succulents (how does that even happen?!). I go through the vicious cycle: buy the pretty, verdant greenery (it makes a house a home! Case and point illustrated below), marvel at their beauty and lushness on my window sill, under-water or over-water, watch in horror as they perish, vow that "that was the last time!"... and then, a few months later, go through it again. Vicious, like I said. 

That is, until I found The Indestructible Plant.

This little mama lives in my bathroom and I bring her out to bathe in natural light once a month or so. She needs hardly any water and... wait for it... she's living! Thriving, in fact, because, ladies and gents, THIS is a new, baby green shoot!

I picked her up a few months ago at Lowes after asking the kind man working there to point me in the direction of a plant that couldn't be killed (I'm totally jinxing this as I write it). She's called a ZZ plant (Gardenista talks about them here) and, $7.98 later, she was mine.

The pot (too big, I know, but she'll grow into it) I picked up at last year's Design on a Dime; her plastic pot has holes in the bottom so the water can drain without a worry. Shower curtain is old as the hills, from TJ Maxx, and the soap dispensers are Muji (my faves--streamlining!). 

There's something just so wonderful about having something green and alive in an apartment. Here are some of my favorite images where greenery reigns: 

Plants, plants everywhere (via Indulgy and pinned here):

This is an old favorite from domino (pinned here), with just a couple shoots cut in a vase, but what a statement!

Greenery on the mirror ledge? Yes please! (via Airows and pinned here)

This outdoor shower via The Jungalow (pinned here)... dreamy, steamy, marvelous. 

What a lovely little smattering! I'm also digging the shower's wall tile and black showerhead big time. (via Her New Tribe and pinned here)

Remember this post? Still love it (via One Kings Lane and pinned here)

Check out what this greenery does to an otherwise black-and-white kitchen (via Decoholic and pinned here):

Sooo pretty (via domino, pinned here):

ADORE (via Vogue Australia and pinned here):

I could go on, but I must go back to admiring my own little green goddess...

Do you have greenery in your own space? Tricks for keeping green things green? Share in the comments below!

DIY I'd Like to Try: Pressed Leaves

Sarah Jessica Parker's home in Bridgehampton (as seen in Elle Decor here and pinned here) is as fabulous as one might expect. And would you believe those white tables are Ikea Lack side tables lacquered in white?! Start believing. I'm especially loving the pressed leaves on the walls:

A great DIY opportunity! I know I can be a little Martha Stewart-esque with my DIYs ("It's so simple, really..."), but this one really is so simple. There are tons of options for configuring the leaves, like this great image from Domino (pinned here):

Aren't they gorgeous? If they're pressed between the pages of heavy books (with wax paper to protect the pages!), the color will be mostly preserved and they can then be arranged in gorgeous patterns, like this image from Interiors Addict (pinned here):

The leaves could be framed in glass-on-glass (as shown above) or with a background--I love crisp white or kraft paper and a black or wood frame. Or skip the frame altogether, like in this photo from Country Living (pinned here):

The options are endless! And it's a quick and thrifty DIY to fill up the walls. Win-win :)

Have you tried this DIY? Send it over or let me know in the comments below!