A few weeks ago, I was asked if I’d like to review The Plant Recipe Book, by Baylor Chapman. As you guys know, I’ve been wanting to get some more plants for my house--and learn how to actually take care of them--so the timing couldn’t have been better! And the book is beeeaautiful. Maybe some of you have read (or own) The Flower Recipe Book. Well, this book is similar, except it’s with living plant arrangements instead of cut flowers. With the weather starting to really feel like spring, I think we’re all itching to get a little more green in our homes (I know I am), so I love that this book gives me some help in that department. I’m really inspired now to get my butt down to our local nursery, Home Depot, or even the grocery store and pick out some new plants to fill my house with.

The book has 100 “recipes” for beautiful arrangements, ranging from very simple ones to more complex ones that involve several types of plants. I love that she talks in the beginning about using unconventional vessels to house your plants, instead of being constrained to typical planters. Like for air plants--why not use a wooden frame? Glass terrariums, baskets, and even logs also serve as lovely containers for plant arrangements. Just be sure to pick the right vessel for the type of plant--for instance, plants that like dry conditions will do well in a wide-mouthed, low bowl whereas plants that prefer humidity will thrive under a glass jar.

There are also a few pages at the beginning of the book with tips, techniques, and general planting principles. I was really happy to see this section--I need all the help I can get! A few tips I picked up: massage the roots before you replant, to give them space to grow. When you replant, the soil should hit where the stem ends and meets the roots. Roots don’t like to be in the air and stems don’t like to be under the soil. Prepping the container is also really important--make sure you’ve waterproofed any container you use (which could be as simple as using aluminum foil to line the bottom).

As you can see, the photos in this book are really beautiful. And the book has about 400 color photos! Perfect for me, because I’m a visual person. If a recipe book has beautiful photos, I’m a lot more likely to attempt a recipe. If it’s just a bunch of words, forget it. It could be the best recipe in the world and I’d flip right past it. In this book, each plant “recipe” starts with a glamour shot, then gets into the nitty-gritty of how to recreate the look yourself--from the type of pot to choose, to the amount of soil, to care instructions. If the arrangement involves multiple plants, the next page lays out each of the “ingredients” on a white background with labels, so you can quickly learn what you need and what it looks like.

Of course, I noticed the pages with air plants in particular. I loved the idea of putting one in a hedgehog measuring cup from Anthropologie. Now I wish I’d bought a set of those measuring cups before they ran out!

This is pretty much all the plants I have in my house right now…obviously, I’m going to need a few more!

Also, if you like that new print in our entryway, you can get it from this lovely Etsy shop. It says, “If you want to be happy, be.” (a quote from Leo Tolstoy).

I hope you enjoyed this book review! I totally recommend getting a copy of The Plant Recipe Book--maybe as a Mother’s Day gift? It’s available as of today on Amazon.

As I promised last week, today I’m sharing some photos of my new home office! Or should I say “office.” As you can tell, it’s essentially just a desk and a chair on one side of my dining room. But with some new pretty office accessories from See Jane Work, it’s starting to come together! The pink stapler, tape dispenser, jadeite cup, white pencils, and notepads below are all from them. And today, you guys will also get the chance to win some new office supplies! Scroll down to see what the prizes are, and to enter the giveaway.

See Jane Work has a line with Office Depot, which is where a lot of these supplies came from. Check it out here!

I also absolutely adore this little desktop bunny I got from them--it’s ears are scissors!

Today, See Jane Work has generously offered to give one of you some similar items to the ones I received:

White Tape Dispenser / Black Dot Flip Top Notebook / Blue Bow Clips / White Stapler / Blue Journal / Black Pens

Enter using the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to See Jane Work for partnering with me on this post.

I just came across Hannah Blackmore through my post on home office inspiration--two of the offices I picked out were shot by her! I absolutely love all of the interiors she’s photographed and I had a feeling you would too, so I asked Hannah if I could share a few more photos from her portfolio. Luckily for us, she said yes! 

Hannah lives in Sydney and specializes in interiors, lifestyle, and wedding photography. She’s also the Art Director of Australian Women’s Weekly, where she designs cookbooks, dreams up covers, and commissions photography and styling.

A lot of the photos in her portfolio were shot for Australian based Adore Home, an online magazine that is absolutely gorgeous. You can read the latest issue for free here!

I especially loved this colorful studio, belonging to Rachel Castle. Her line of bedding is soooo fun and adorable. I want it all!

The photo above is from Hannah’s own home! It was also featured in Adore Magazine.

Hannah’s work is gorgeous, isn’t it? Which of these spaces is your favorite?

All photos by Hannah Blackmore Photography.

Happy first day of April! Over the weekend, I took a few photos of our bedroom to share with you. It’s sloooowly but surely coming along. The newest addition is a pair of awesome emerald colored lamps from Lamps Plus, which I love!! I think they make such a difference in the room (see what it looked like before here). If you can’t afford to totally remodel your whole bedroom, or if you’re working on it in stages like we are, try giving it a little refresh with some new lamps and fresh flowers. Just a little update can make it feel new again--and ready for spring!

I’m obsessed with the gemstone shape of these lamps. They come in a bunch of different colors too. I considered the pink lamps, but I thought emerald would pair better with our bedding--and it's a little more husband-friendly. Ben already tolerates a lot of pink in the house!

I’m also obsessed with these ranunculus on my nightstand. They make me happy every time I see them!

That herringbone frame is from Target, and the bud vase is from Goodwill. As for the books on my nightstand, I totally recommend them all. I’m trying to finish Divergent soon, so we can go see the movie! See more of the books I’ve been reading lately here.

Our nightstands were also thrift store finds. We painted them white and added the glass knobs a couple years ago. The gold alarm clock is from a flea market in San Diego. And our duvet cover is from Crane & Canopy.

We still have a lot of things to get before the bedroom will feel complete, but with the new lamps I’m feeling a whole lot better about it! What room are you in the middle of working on? And what books are on your nightstand?

Thanks to Lamps Plus for partnering with me on this post! They have a HUGE selection of fabulous lighting and more.