15 CUTE POTS + PLANTERS FOR SPRING 2019

2018 was the year of the houseplant. I got deep into the trend and I know so many of you did as well. It seemed the mass market stores weren't aware of the trend or at least couldn't keep up with demand if they were beacause the problem I continued to have throughout the year was finding cute pots and planters from regular stores. Thankfully, 2019 is starting off on a good foot in that regard because they are much easier to find now and we're only half a month into the new year. I have compiled a list of my favorite pots, planters and plant stands on the market right now. Some of these I currently own, have owned in the past (but got rid of when I moved and downsized my plant fam), have seen in-store or just know to be of good quality from my research. whod have known/b

If you're worried about drainage holes, fret not. I have a post coming next week about adding holes to ANY pot you get, even ones without any drainage to begin with. Stick around for that post before you go out to buy rocks for the bottoms of your pots :)

1. World Market Sevilla Planters (Click for black collection, white collection and grey collection, two sizes)
2. Target Project 62 Ceramic Planter with Metal Stand White/Black (three sizes)
3. Target Project 62 Stoneware Planter with Stand Orange/Gold (two sizes)
4. World Market Dark Turquoise Ceramic Planter with Wood Stand
5. Target Threshold White Planter (smaller size)
6. Target Project 62 Stoneware Floor Planter with Wood Stand White/Brown
7. CB2 Lupa Planters (two sizes)
8. Urban Outfitters Bistro 12" Rattan Planter + Stand
9. Target Project 62 Ceramic Planter with Stand White/Black (three sizes)
10. Target Project 62 Hexagon Stoneware Planter Terracotta (three sizes)
11. Urban Outfitters Parker 6" Planter + Drainage Tray Sets (also comes in 4" and 10")
12. West Elm Half Dipped Planters (two sizes)
13. Target Smith & Hawken Plant Stand Black & Wood
14. Serena and Lily Dip Dyed Stools (two sizes, three colors)
15. Target Project 62 Terrazzo Plant Table

I hope you all enjoy these decently affordable pots, planters and plant stands. I'm probably going to be buying a couple for myself soon in preparation for spring. To make shopping a bit easier, I've added most of these planters to the widget below for you:

CURRENT BEDROOM

Hi hi hiiii good day everyone!!

I'm back with ONE MORE home post before we make the big move to N.C. and this post is showcasing our bedroom! It's the darkest room in the house (strange, because there are two windows) so the photos aren't the prettiest but I tried my best to make it look good for ya.

Framed art is super high, I know. It was hung based off an old piece I had before my storage console.

First up is our bed. That beautiful headboard is from Pier 1 Imports. I've had my eye on headboards like this for a long time but getting a custom one is hella expensive and making my own seemed super tedious (because I didn't want to have to attach to or lean against my wall). I was so beyond excited when I found this one online and ON SALE! It's typically always on sale I've noticed so if you want it and it's not right now, give it a few days.

The bed is piled with a bunch of bed pillows and some throw ones. The pink one is an old design from Target and the winky face is one of Urban Outfitters' signature products. It's not the highest quality but definitely makes a statement. Under those is my duvet from West Elm. The story behind this duvet is slightly interesting-- once I finally agreed with Charlie on letting go of the one I have had in my family for YEARS and really liked-- it matched those brownish bed pillows-- I found myself shopping around and was at a total loss for what I wanted in a duvet cover aesthetically. I thought to head over to my 'Bedroom' Pinterest board and I realized that one of my favorite photos on that board starred a duvet I already had IN MY SHOPPING CART from West Elm. Suddenly everything made sense. and I bought it and I love it.

Hugging the bed are two side tables from Target. These are a steal IMO and the quality is top notch. I highly recommend if you're looking for a cute side table/night stand/accent table. The lamps are also from Target; I bought the grey lampshade on sale years ago and held onto it through numerous moves without even utilizing it on a base because I fell in love with the soft dove grey color. Unfortunately, I only had one so when the time came for both Charlie and myself to have bedside lamps, I was forced to look for another match. Better yet, I found a similar-yet-different match. Same lamp shade, same reflective gold lining, just in black. Voila! A quirky lamp combo. I threw them on matching brass lamp bases and have been happy with the combo ever since.

Above the bed is a custom piece from RadicalSouls Collective on Etsy. It's a huge item but brings a level of whimsy to the room that I enjoy. I loved working with Danielle from RadicalSouls because she let me customize to anything my heart desired from the wooden beads on top of the tassels to choosing the right piece of driftwood to mirror the design's shape that I had envisioned. She NAILED it. Here's another photo of it from her Instagram account:

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A post shared by RadicalSoulsCollective (@radicalsoulscollective) on May 17, 2018 at 11:37am PDT

This is my side of the bed. This storage console is from Target and I utilize it as a vanity-type station. Atop it are my go-to skincare picks (I posted about them in October. Check it out!), makeup brush carousel and my Simple Human mirror. It's a hefty buy at $199 but if purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond you can apply a 20% off coupon on it. It simulates natural daylight-- which comes in handy over the winter when I'm getting home from work and it's almost dark out.

Feel free to shop this post below! I included some items that were in the photos but did not touch on in case you were curious:

CURRENT LIVING AREA

So... the news has broke.

We are MOVING!

After 25 years of life in the state of Virginia (well.. minus my first few as an infant), me and Charlie are MOVING to RALEIGH, North Carolina!!!!! We are soooooo excited for this change of pace in lifestyle and in our careers and I'm really really excited to be near my family-- including my four nieces and nephews-- again.

With that big news coming up at the end of the calendar year, I've decided I need to document my perfect "tiny cube" before we disassemble and move. Today I'm sharing with you our living room.

That Arnold poster is my fiancé's and it used to hang at the right height for our old couch but now is too high for our current couch.. oh well.

This room has been subject to many changes over the past few years including two couches, two coffee tables, two book shelves and three rugs but all at differing times. I wish I had kept my old 8x10 ivory rug by Safavieh instead of this speckled IKEA rug but ivory in a high traffic area for two years with a dog? It wasn't looking very nice.

The couch that is shown is the IKEA Karlstad with a custom cover from Comfort Works (the grey herringbone pattern). I got the couch off Craigslist for $60 and the cover was $364 which, although high, did make financial sense in the end. The couch itself is starting to break a bit and I think when we move we'll need to find another to buy on Craigslist and I honestly just can't wait for the point in our lives where we can be comfortable dropping a couple thousand on a truly HIGH quality, long-living sofa.

I bought the coffee table off of Facebook Marketplace and had my big brother pick it up on a weekday and hold it for me until the weekend. It's "solid wood" but feels kind of cheap and I feel like I got played a bit but what drew me to it were the cool legs! If all fails with the tabletop I can always buy some higher quality wood to attach those legs to. I learned while researching DIY desks that iron legs are EXPENSIVE to buy on their own! Especially unique ones like these.

That adorable mid century side table is from Target. I bought it the first time I went "adult shopping" after moving into my first place after college and getting my first full time job.

Oh, and that bench? HomeGoods. I saw it and called my mom as I ran over to it to sit on it (to claim it.. duh) and asked her "hey, do I NEED a bench? Okay but.. could I find a reason to NEED this bench?" and we both decided that yes, I did and yes, I could. I've had it since and it's the ideal piece to have near our front door as we store our common shoes underneath it and use to take our shoes on and off.

Above is my painstankingly curated bookcase. I plan to use these photos when we move to copy + paste this exact same layout on this bookcase in our next place. I spent one afternoon on Pinterest looking up how to style bookcases and "balance" them. I feel like I finally got it and now I don't think I can ever add or subtract ANYTHING on here.

I am always really proud of our little house because anytime we have a new guest, there's always some kind of positive comment about our design. I'm not great yet but I think I'm getting there :)

Shop this post below:

HOUSEPLANT SPOTLIGHT: FICUS TINEKE (VARIEGATED RUBBER PLANT)

This is the first post of a little series I am beginning on houseplants. I bought my first true houseplant last January and fell into a deep, deep obsession over the first half of 2018. I've calmed down a bit and have sold off many of the plants that I purchased. If you want to see my path of destruction (to my wallet and much more), check out my @plantlifebai account on Instagram.

Now that I've found myself on the other end of my obsession, the plants still standing have stood the test of time and I can whole-heartedly call them my "favorites".

My first and considerably my MOST favorite plant is this guy: Ficus Tineke. This is a variegated version of a Rubber plant and thus, sometimes is called a Variegated Rubber plant. The variegation in the leaves of this plant is soooooo pretty to me-- it looks like a watercolor.

I first fell in love with Ficus Tinekes on Instagram and it took a few weeks for me to hunt down a little 4" one from my local nursery. I babied that little plant until one day when I got a call from that same nursey informing me they had 6" Tinekes with multiple stems and beautiful variegation. The issue with most Tinekes that I had come across was that the variegation was mostly dark green without much of the pretty white in the leaves that I loved. Skeptical, I went over to my nursey and COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES! So many perfect ones with the most variegation I had ever seen! I took a few and plopped them down on the ground to compare to one another and finally landed on a winner.

The plant came home with me and I repotted it into a slightly bigger nursey pot and added in the cute 4" one that I had been growing in the few months prior. I now had a massive, insanely photogenic Variegated Rubber plant.

The Ficus family is a hardy bunch-- with the exception of the well-known Ficus Lyrata-- and don't need tons of direct light. They are okay with indirect light in a South or West facing window-- possibly even East. Ficus Tineke need a bit more than your run-of-the-mill Ficus simply because they are variegated, which means they have less chlorophyll in their leaves to absorb sunlight. That being said, this plant has been in a planter behind my desk and has done just fine. Each day after work I will place it on my kitchen table next to a Western window for a handful of hours to give it some brighter sun before putting it back into its planter.

As for humidity and watering, I like to mist my Tineke every other day or as often as I remember. You can't really harm the plant with too much humidity, however, you CAN water the soil too much. I learned this the hard way when my 4" plant got fungus gnats from my overwatering even though I only watered about once every week or week and a half. Thankfully I caught the gnat problem when they were still larvae and swapped out the wet soil for new (dry) soil which suffocated those buggers. My current watering plan is once every two weeks and I will wait even longer between waterings as the weather cools down and the plant enters dormacy.

Are you guys interested in my houseplant series? Let me know below :)

I would love to know if you have any houseplant questions or requests for care tips. LMK in the comments below!

CURRENT DINING AREA

Today I'm sharing with you another small nook of my little apartment (640 sqft is no joke, my friends. We lovingly refer to it as our "tiny cube") This area serves as the dining room and the home office as my fiancé works from home 100% of the time. Keep reading to see more angles and get links to the items we have in the room.

We previously had this dining table with pine legs and it's such a solid piece of furniture. I highly highly highly recommend it for any small space! I sold the pine once I saw there was a walnut version available. Walnut over all other woods. Always.

The rug has worked out perfectly with the round table because it mirrors the same silhouette and has also helped define the dining area from the working space.

Dining chairs: Target (!!!)

Office chair: World Market

Rug: IKEA



This removable wallpaper has been featured on the blog in the past and I'm not sure how I lived so plainly in my home before it. I love it. Our desk is a different brand than the dining table but has a very similar style and the same tones and I think they go so well together. Any professional home renter who still loves home design (like me-- sigh) NEEDS removable wallpaper!

Desk: Wayfair

Mirror: Target

Plant: Ficus Elastica Tineke (Variegated Rubber Plant) post coming soon!

Pot: HomeGoods

Stand: TJ Maxx

What is your favorite part of this room? I've been curating it slowly over the past two years that we've lived in our "cube" and of course, we are planning to move soon now that I have everything perfect. That's okay, though. Home design is a fun hobby and I'm excited to perfect our next space.

Shop this post below:

CURRENT MANTLE DECOR

I la la looove my fireplace area in my apartment.

I have a bundle of firewood just waiting to be burned during the winter and all throughout the year I have holiday-focused decor flooding this slab of wood under my TV. I was so excited when I moved in because my landlord left the wall mount for a TV on the wall with all of the wiring pre-done. I never knew what minimalism I was missing out on by having my TVs sitting on console tables and past mantles!

Having the television up and out of the way has allowed my decor choices to shine. The photo above is my "year round" line-up. When there isn't a major holiday coming up, this is the stuff that I have hugging my media screen.

Items featured:

Cactus: old Target decor piece from Spring 2017
Starburst figurine: old Target decor piece from ~2016
Wooden star: old Target decor piece from Winter 2013/2014
Candles: Target Hearth & Hand Pillar Candle in 'Cardamom & Vetiver' (Grey) and Target Hearth & Hand Pillar Candle in 'Sugared Birch' (White)
Candleholders: World Market Natural Wood Pillar Candleholder
Vase: Target Hearth & Hand Textured Sack Vase
Greens/faux eucalyptus: IKEA SMYCKA 

I'm very, very tempted to put some faux white brick or subway tile over the slate surround on my fireplace but that's another project for another day. What do you think? Anything you'd change?

CHEAP AND RENTER FRIENDLY WALLPAPER

Hey there.

As I'm nearing my 25th birthday *gasp* I can almost physically feel myself growing and because of that, I'm spending most of my hours trying to figure out my next quarter century around the sun. This has led to me really trying to cut my spending although proving very, very difficult because I'm a definite shopaholic.. but.. I'm really trying. My makeup and skincare purchases have all but ceased as I attempt to use up everything I already own (which is a lot).

Fret not. I am incoming with posts involving products I already own and have experience with which, if you are like me, is really preferable when it comes to determining whether or not to buy a product. I can't afford to buy into the hype anymore— I need to know this will be something I will use all the way to the final drops.

Additionally, I've embraced my future homemaker status and really put all of my devoted spending dollars into my cute little apartment that I can only imagine leaving when I decide to quit the DC lifestyle completely and move far away.

Starring in this post is that cute little apartment that I mentioned.. well, a wall of it.

I recently installed some removable wallpaper as I am not yet a homeowner and plan to leave this apartment at some point (future Bailey here-- I did leave this apartment because I finally quit the DC lifestyle altogether like previously stated and my landlord liked this wallpaper so much that he asked me to keep it up! Score.) I have eyed removable wallpaper for a long time because of the obvious style it adds to a space that is probably lacking it (if you're renting) BUT man, the prices on some of this stuff is truly insane. Thankfully our BFF Target sells a very good brand, Devine Color, who has many different designs and patterns of this wallpaper. They aren't as quirky as some of the brands you'll find online but if you're looking for something simple, they should be enough.

I was torn between their white brick and their white shiplap patterns. I was fully leaning towards the white brick but my live-in boyfriend (future Bailey: now fiancé) plus both my sister and mother all preferred the shiplap. I didn't want to be trendy but since I take over the design of our place already, I figured I needed to give Charlie the option he hated less.

This brings me to Target! I purchased two roll for my 7'4"x6'7" wall and it was juuuuuuuuuuustbarely enough. I have some kind of air vent jutting out on the top of my wall and if that weren't there, my wall would be average sized and the two rolls would not have been enough. One thing I learned while researching this stuff was to make sure you buy all that you think you need and MORE at the time of original purchase so you can ensure you are purchasing the same LOT #. You can find the lot number at the bottom of the back of the packaging. This will ensure your colors are all uniform which apparently is a big deal according to the angry customers in the comments on the product pages on Target.com.

I got my wall covered in about 45 minutes. It's suggested that you purchase a squeegee to make bubble bursting quick and simple but I had issues with my squeegee shedding its rubber on the texture of the wallpaper so my personal recommendation is to get a putty tool to use instead. Target sells them in the same aisle as the wallpaper so you shouldn't have any problems finding them. I own these.

What was initially difficult was lining up the roll STRAIGHT on the wall. I determined that my walls just aren't 90-degree angles and had some gaps I fixed at the end. I pre-measured the length of my wall and cut the rolls prior to getting them up on the wall to allow more flexibility while positioning. The shiplap pattern is very simple to put up because you only have to match up the lines— however, some of the distances between the lines are not uniform. Weird. It's okay, though! You just have to cut the shiplap in the middle of the "piece of wood" and overlap a bit. The wood grain helps camouflage any signs of inconsistency in pattern.

Once I got my wall covered (for the most part), I used the little bits I had left to piece over any gaps. Again, the wood graining helps hide any spots that you do this on. I pieced over a LOT of gaps and you absolutely cannot tell and the wallpaper has not bubbled or peeled off on those pieces at all. Just be sure you are doing this project over a glossy or satin paint as the wallpaper will not stick on matte finished and you will risk ruining your paint job if you attempt to do so anyway!

I made this to act as a visual of what kind of "piecing" you may have to do with this wallpaper. This doesn't represent the exact gaps I filled (I had a looottttt more than this) but just know that it won't be perfect from the get-go.. you'll have to do some extra work at the end to really perfect the application!

If you're looking to buy this wallpaper or if you already have and have questions, please feel free to leave a comment below! I'll try to help you as much as I can :) As for longevity, I have had this up for just under a year and there have not been any issues. No bubbling, no peeling-- and I had a semi-shiny paint finish!

Feel free to shop this post below:

HOME DESIGN INSPO

Maybe it's because I'm getting to the point in my life where I will be owning a home soon (or at least living in one on my own) or maybe it's just because I'm getting older in general but I am obsessed with all things home now. I just took a break from writing this post to enter HGTV's contest for their HGTV Dream Home and the only time I ever watch TV nowadays is when I'm watching Love It or List It or Property Brothers (or Fixer Upper.. let's be real). I never thought I would have the interest that my mom has for decorating and making a house a home but now I cannot wait to get out of school simply so that I can do so.

Because of this recent love affair, I'm plucking some of my favorite inspiration pictures from my Pinterest boards to share with all of you today! My Pinterest is that of a thirty year old right now. You need to go look at it. My 'home' boards are split by room. It's bad. Alright enough talking about nothing and more talking about my dream home!! Let the pictures begin!

     

Exterior: I love bungalows and I'm partial to the craftsman style (minus any tapered columns) and I think that kind of home begs for a grand, welcoming porch area decked out for the time of year you're in.

     

Living Room: light grey on the walls across the entire home with a feature fireplace (that arch and herringbone back is my absolute favorite) with both warm and cool neutrals everywhere within it.

     

Kitchen: Simple and still grey. Some sort of marbled or light quartz countertop with grey glass subway tile backsplash, silver fixtures and shaker cabinets. Counter decorations and the food you cook can supply all of the needed excitement and color into this otherwise-bland kitchen. That's why light grey has been my favorite color for the last eight or so years— it sets anything it's with up for success with it's ability to pair with everything!

     

Bedroom: I want the bedroom to have more depth with deeper tones in the furniture and decor. Makes it more cozy and is a pleasing contrast from the rest of the home. The richness will invite sleep so easily each night!

     

     

Bathrooms: I still need to figure out exactly what I would like in a bathroom— particularly a master bath. I'm not sure my vision is completely cohesive just yet but I've definitely come a long way. There are a lot of different bathroom trends that I love but have had to narrow down. I think a marble subway tile is something that all bathrooms in the home could share and that shower floor tiling.. whatever it is.. is BEAUTIFUL. It may clash but I will need to find a way to work it into the shower floor. If it means nothing else can have a fancy finish then so be it. I LOVE that floor!! Porcelain wood tiles in a herringbone pattern or more marble tiles because I desperately want herringbone incorporated into the home but I'm not sure if either will be too busy. Maybe just normally laid porcelain wood tiles. The bathrooms are a work in progress.

While we're at it… let me throw in some of favorite Instagram liked photos for inspiration as well. Too many home photos can't hurt a person ;)

     

I love a great statement door. Also, the decorations on that bungalow are truly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. That's one of my favorite photos on Instagram. Soooo cute.

 

Great wallpaper in a half bath and ARCHES. I loooooveee archways in homes.

I've got a good amount of time before I will have a home to call mine but let me assure you when that day comes, I will be READY. I cannot wait to move onto this next chapter in my life. I would love your feedback on this post! Leave me a comment down below and I'll be sure to respond to ya.