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Greenery At Home : Some Faux, Some Real.

If theoretical knowledge is enough to flourish with nature, I would probably be a well known gardenista by now. But apparently that is just not enough. As with any other field, being good with plants too requires lots of patience, practice, intention and motivation. Proof - Me!




I love green, have always loved some form of greenery in my home. But it is a tricky and costly business for me because I am also very good at killing plants. Especially indoor plants. May be because the natural light and cross ventilation are issues with indoor plants? or is it that a bad task master blaming her tools? I don't really know because I do everything that the instructions on the plants and then some that internet suggests me to. But they thrive rarely.



To my credit I have exactly two plants that have somehow survived to see the light of this blog. It might sound great but I have had some 15 other plants which were not so lucky. The red bowl in the above picture had this succulent variety for a long time. But then it left me too. Can you spot the faux ones I replaced it with in the below picture?  The lucky bamboo is one I could keep alive, but it stays alive without much inputs from any one I guess.


Here is another one I have had for last one year. It is called Fittonia. While it hasn't grown or flourished much ( they have beautiful, green and red leaves usually - mine somehow isn't as colorful as they should be)  it has been alive. Sweet.



Well, having lots of indoor plants is also a trend that has been around for some time now. And looking at the popularity of the trend itself, it is not going to die any time soon. You can be happy, if you are good with plants, if you are not, no worries. There are pretty good artificial ones around.



I have looked around for close to real looking plants for sometime now. I have read ( if I am right, in the book Remodelista) that earthflora.com offers artificial plants, trees and anything that has to do with a garden in the most realistic form. It is pricey so not in my budget.

Some time ago when these faux ones started turning up at craft stores like Michaels, I couldn't be happier to slowly add some to my mix. While they may not be of the same quality the pricey alternatives offer, it was still worth a try. At the minimum they have been a good break from regular killings.





Faux from Ikea



That's it friends - fake or not, I love and need some greens. I guess so do you.  I know, the faux beauties are not for every one. What do you think? Do you like the fake alternatives?

Keep Smiling,
Anima


Daily Dose of Inspiration - My favorite Blogs

I love reading, but reading online - not so much, until recently. It might be surprising coming from someone who has an online journal. But it is true. I have been this, kind of old school product for such a long time that I think I have lost out on many interesting reads, which of course I am trying hard to catch up now.





It doesn't mean I didn't follow blogs or websites at all. Being crazy about design and interiors brings fair share of thirst to see what is out there. I just googled whatever subject I wanted to read about and read the first few articles that showed up in the search. Bad strategy right!  But there were some I stumbled upon accidentally, searching for something and got hooked on to. I am so happy that these accidental discoveries have grown up to be "names that matter" in this small but important niche. What is common in all of them is that, they are so real, inspiring and beautifully written.

So here you go - my favorite morning reads.

At the Corner of Happy and Harried

Anjana Dev is a fellow Indian from the same part of the world I belong to. She makes the top of the list because I love her stories the most. At the Corner of Happy and Harried is a lifestyle blog though lately the focus has been shifted to food. Be it about an awesome recipe she tried or a decorating tip that worked, her stories are worth a read. Each of her recipes are simple, easy to follow, yet sophisticated but always with a twist.

At the corner of Happy & Harried
IHeart Organizing

Jennifer Jones is a blogger extraordinaire who can turn even a trashy card board box into a chic, multi purpose decorative piece. Once you start following her happy blog, it will soon turn to be your one stop solution to organize anything. But what I love most about Jen's solutions is that, most of the times I don't need to buy anything to implement it. To top it all, it is a happy, cheerful and colorful place to be.

IHeart Organizing


House Tweaking

Dana Miller is another blogger who touched me with her write ups more than anything else.I started reading House Tweaking some time in 2012 and never stopped. In the beginning she had been transforming her new construction cookie cutter house into a charming home. Later the family with three kids down sized to a small ranch home. While I don't personally share the style or aesthetic with Dana, what I love most is that she is a damn good space planner.I admire any one who can create multi-functional spaces with so much ease and grace and Dana does just that.


House Tweaking
Emily A Clark

If you can find one blogger down-to-earth, awesomely talented and crazy good at simple pocket friendly projects, that would be Emily. A. Clark.With a family of 7, a toddler twins in the mix, Emily does it all. She has a solid back ground in design and that shows in her design decisions.

Emily.A.Clark


Assortment

Carmella Rayone blogs about her life in a small home. She shares a 665 sq.ft ( It isn't a typo- it is 665 sq.ft) home with her three boys and husband. It is a beautiful  home with all modern facilities and as organic as possible. Carmella is another story teller who will get you hooked on with small, beautiful snippets of her life. Her life tells me that, you really need only so much to live large.

Assortment

The Makerista

Gwen is a relatively new blogger. You might not believe that going by the ease and style with which she presents the content in her blog. She kind of arrived with a bang and never lost rhythm or pace. I can  identify with Gwen's style in lots of ways and I like the fact that she doesn't hesitate to go against the trends. And she can sew, un-believably good at it.

The Makerista
Once Upon A tea Time

Priya's tea time stories is another Indian blog I found late but stuck to ever since. I don't know how, but she hunts down latest talents and artistic products with Indian charm and universal acceptance. When ever I think of Indian textiles, designs, interior trends - so very hard to find in US - I pour over this one and satisfy my Indian self.

Once Upon A Tea Time

Malayali Magazine

Last but not the least - this one is not a blog but a magazine. Malayali @ malayalimag.com is a bilingual magazine both available in print and online. Malayali is closest to my heart because it is about Kerala ( the southern most state of India ), my motherland and it is created by a bunch of selfless hard workers whose only aim is to relive the story of the place they belong to, in the most beautiful way. The humble yet classy, modern yet un-pretentious life of Kerala and India is brought alive here.

Malayali

There are a lot of other amazing blogs that I found lately and still exploring. As I said, I started spending time on online reads only when I started my course and then this blog. Kind of selfish - but better late than never, Right! I have found blogs like, Bright Bazar and  Design Seeds that excites the color crazy me, The design files with its beautifully curated collection of interiors, Emily Henderson who can make even a dumpster to look like a magazine spread, etcetera etcetera that presents beautiful designs with charm and many more.

There we come to the end of this long write up. This small journal of mine is completing its first month of existence, it is only appropriate that I mention those arrived long before me to inspire and guide.



Have you found an awesome read like these lately. Do let me know. Inspiration is something that is welcomed any time, from any where.

Keep Smiling,
Anima