Orchids on the cheap

The other item that is adding fresh life to my condo these days are my fresh orchids. Turns out one of the largest and most renowned orchid growers in the nation is located right here in Chicagoland! What are the odds - considering that our cloudy and drab winters are certainly not ideal for orchids. Hausermann's Orchids is located in Villa Park (just east of Lombard and west of O'hare) and their greenhouse is open to the public. Their orchids are gorgeous, well cared for, inexpensive, and of course will last a lot longer than plants you purchase at the grocery store. I bought two gorgeous flowering plants for about $15 each (and they weren't even in the sale section!)

I've heard it said the best way to care for orchids is to water them using 3 ice cubes once a week. However when I questioned the professionals at Hausermann's they said that will not allow for proper drainage. One should instead wait until the soil or moss is completely dried out, remove the plant from its pot, take it to the sink, thoroughly water, and allow it to properly drain. Repeat once the soil dries up again. Hausermann's also has a wonderful selection of pottery and planting accessories. They also offer delivery to the entire Chicagoland area as well as ship to many places in the midwest. Of course if you have a green thumb (I most certainly do not) you can continue to care for your orchid after its blooms have faded and it will rebloom. This requires lots of sunlight and minimal watering.

Following are some photos of my new orchids.

Decorations!

So I have lots of things to share today, first off though I wanted to post pictures of my recently purchased gourds! I didn't get too creative, but I'm happy with how they look in our condo!

Domino Fans Rejoice!

I just discovered a new mag that will hopefully fill the very deep void left by the cancellation of the interiors magazine Domino. It's strictly an online magazine which of course is sorta a pain for those of us who spend our days in front of a computer, however the first premiere issue is rather splendid and more than 200 pages. I found that if you adjust your zoom it is easier too peruse (to do so select zoom from your view menu and then click on zoom out. Just one zoom out should be enough). One of the editors of this mag was previously with Domino and it shows! Discover more at Lonnymag.com.

Holiday Happiness!

So we are entering into the magical holiday season and of course my favorite part is the decorating. Over the next few weeks and months I'll be posting lots of holiday decorating ideas as well as gift ideas. I always find I enjoy the holidays more if I get my shopping done early so hopefully some of my gift ideas will work for your friends and family. Also keep an eye out for the Paper Possibilities holiday card line which will be posted very soon - not to mention our personalized stationary makes a great holiday gift!

Currently Fall is upon us and I love decorating for fall and prepping for the long winter ahead. Yesterday Andrew and I headed to Chicago Firewood and purchased some oak logs for our fireplace. They also sell birch logs, which although they are more expensive look so contemporary and modern. If I had my way I would stack them all the way up to the ceiling.

Photo courtesy of West Elm

I'm also looking forward to driving out to Chalet in Wilmette and purchasing some gourds and pumpkins. They have a great collection of the most unique gourds. I'm currently obsessed with white pumpkins - they are gorgeously neutral and urban! Create stark centerpieces, or you can even paint the pumpkins for a more traditional look. Or if you are the fabulous Eddie Ross - love him btw - you'll paint your regular old orange pumpkins with white paint (to get them Martha Stewart Perfect)! Once the house is all gussied up I'll be sure to post some pics!

For additional fall decorating ideas check out Better Homes and Gardens website where they feature 16 beautiful and easy ideas.

FOR SALE

So, when ordering my console table we ran into a bit of a snafu. The first table delivered was a bit damaged - the shelf was chipped. I didn't realize this until I fully unpacked the table. The company was great and shipped out a new table right away, however much to my surprise they allowed me to keep the damaged table - apparently it's too much of a hassle to ship it back to them. So I now have a damaged table that I'm looking to sell. The shelf is unusable due to where the chipping occurred, however the table looks great without the shelf. The only noticeable difference is there are small holes where the shelf would have been installed. We paid $350 for the table, so I figure $150 is a fair price for it being damaged. If anyone is interested let me know. It's a great table and it would look beautiful in someone's home!

You can see images of the non damaged console table here.

Hills fans?

Can't say that I was an avid watcher of MTV's "The Hills", or a huge fan of Lauren Conrad. Her original designer line went bust due to the busted economy, however this is good news for those of us that couldn't afford her designer digs in the first place as L.C. has created a fashion line for Kohl's. I really love all the pieces - they are simple and the fit appears to be flattering. The line will be available in stores in November, however I suggest purchasing your pieces online at Kohls.com. Here are a few of my favs.

Only $60 for this dress. Even though I just told Andrew I didn't need a new
dress for an upcoming wedding in October maybe I do after all!

Only $30 for this shirt - I would pair it with her super cute boyfriend jeans.

Antlers and Horns - gross? or awesome?

(photo Metropolitan Home)

(photo Country Living)

So lately I've been seeing antlers and horns everywhere! Sometimes I think it can be a little much - I definitely will not be putting a antler chandelier in my house anytime soon. But I've noticed that two antlers or two small horns placed on a side table or coffee table looks bohemian and eclectic. I'm not going to pay the $200 plus that some design stores charge, so I found a website that sells authentic buffalo horns and white tailed deer antlers - its called Hide and Fur.

By purchasing my antlers here it would only cost me about $12 - and they would be authentic! Do you think they will smell? That's a major concern for me...

What do you think? Is this totally gross? Or kinda chic?