Bringing Some Green In The Home While Not Breaking The Bank

Today I thought I would show you a couple of new house plants I recently purchased from Wal Mart and some plants I have had for a while.  I like house plants and enjoy the airiness and natural feel they bring to my home but I don't like spending much money on them.  I do use some faux silk green plants but not much.  I prefer something living and growing over something silk any day.     
 
Isn't the guy up top there unusual looking?  In person, it looks like this plant is glowing fluorescent green!  No kidding!

The tag reads Golden Moss "Aurea".  I paid about $11 for it.  

I chose this plant for it's beautiful color and also because the tag says it requires little maintenance and low light. I have never grown a moss before, have you?  Any tips to give me?

The next plant was on clearance at Wal Mart, probably left over from last summer.  I paid about $10.00 for it.  I think that is a really good deal for this large plant. 

 
I don't know the name of this guy, do you?  I know that it is not an elephant's ear but it does remind me of that kind.  Here is the tag.  It simply says Philodendron Hybrids and shows a completely different picture than what I bought.

This plant may end up on the back screened porch once warm weather gets here to stay. 

  


Here are a few other plants I enjoy.

Peace Lilies are very easy to grow.  Did you know that NASA lists a Peace Lily as one of the best plants to clean the air of harmful toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide?  Me neither!

My mom gave me this next plant and it lives on our front porch.  However, all winter long I have been bringing it in and out of the house when temperatures reached below freezing. It is called an Asparagus Fern or Sprengeri.  

   

Another plant I like to grow is a Pothos.  It is also known as a clean-air plant.  I purchased this plant on clearance from my local grocery store.  I have it on this table next to our old clock that chimes.    

You don't often see plants for sale at garage sales but I found this sweet English Ivy at one and only paid .50 cents for it.

  

In the past I haven't had good success with growing ivy's.  I'm not sure why.  But this little guy is tenacious!  He has lived throughout the winter clinging to the side of this broken, plastic pot!   

After Valentine's Day many, many flowers and plants were reduced at my local grocery store.  I bought 2 bunches of mixed green clippings (at $2.50 each) that were to be used as filler for roses.  But I liked them just as they were.  So I brought them home and arranged them in a vase on our dining room table.  Two weeks later they still look fabulous! 

 
A close-up for a better look.  Can you see the eucalyptus?  It made the whole room smell so fresh and clean.  

 

I recently purchased this vase at an estate sale.  I immediately liked the creamy white color and cut-out design around the top.  Upon closer inspection I realized it had a frog attached inside the vase.  This makes it so easy to create beautiful arrangements with your flowers and clippings.  See?

As the weather warms up and the plants are no longer dormant, I will begin to fertilize them using a liquid fertilizer.  They will really come to life then and put out new growth!

Well, that's it for me today and all my green. What about you?  What kind of house plants do you have? 

Thanks for stopping by!  Libby~

I'm linking up to the following parties!

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm

Newbie Party at Debbiedoos 


Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Magazine Purge

I don't know if it is the beginnings of spring cleaning or what.  But something moved me recently to go through my magazine "collection" and discard most of what I had.  I began to pull out of magazine racks, baskets, drawers, back of closets, and wherever else I had "stored" them.  I began to  separate them on the floor. 

Some of my fav's:  "Southern Living.  Better Homes and Gardens.  Real and Simple.  Martha Stewart.  This Old House. Coastal Living.  Country Living... 

Plus catalogs from Ballard Designs.  Pottery Barn.  Talbots. Chicos......  

After I took the above picture I found more.  And more.  And some  m o r e.   

Like any girl, I love my magazines!  All those dreamy pictures, helpful articles, delicious recipes.  It is hard to part with them.  But seriously!  When did I think I was ever going to read them again?  What did the year 2004 have that 2011 doesn't?  2004 was the oldest magazine I had.  

Now in my defense, a lot of these magazines I didn't buy off the newsstand.  They were either given to me or I purchased them second hand.  But I knew I needed to bite the bullet and purge. 

I divided them up in bundles and tied them with string for easy hauling. I didn't count them.  I was afraid to. 

Yesterday I dropped them off at my neighborhood thrift store for them to resell.  It helps to know, at least, they aren't going in the recycle bin, lost forever!

But don't cry for me!  No sir.  Lookie, lookie what I now have!

New 2011 magazines! :-)  Out with the old, in with the new, that's what I always say.

My mom gave me a subscription to Southern Living.  I purchased a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens and Country Living off of Amazon.  Did you know they have the lowest subscription rates around? 

I have made a promise to myself to clean out my magazines every 6 months. 
Lord help me.  

It actually feels good to have just a few magazines around, so much easier to enjoy.

What about you?  How do you maintain your magazine "collection"?  When do you toss and when do you keep?  Do share!

Thanks for stopping by!  Libby~ 

Linking up to the following parties!


Wow us Wednesday with Savvy Southern Style


Anti-Procrastination Tuesday with New Nostalgia



 

 

      

A Sweet and Simple Valentine's Day

We had a sweet and simple Valentines Day celebration this year. On Friday I put some Valentines packages with handmade cards and chocolates in the mail for special loved ones.  In the hurry to get to the post office I didn't think to take any pictures. 

On Saturday evening we celebrated with our two grandchildren.  We have a 9-year old granddaughter and an almost 5 year-old grandson.  We had the pleasure of  watching them while their parents went out for a romantic dinner. I put together a little gift bin for them filled with candy, cookies, crafts, bubbles, stickers, balloons, etc.  On the front I attached some cute glittery stickers. 

I bought most everything at Michael's or the Dollar Store.  In the center of the table was a platter with a candle and heart-shaped chocolate candy, of course!   I placed several mercury votive candle holders from Target around on the table.  

It was a pretty day and we blew bubbles outside and played tic-tac-toe on the drive way.  Dinner was grilled hamburgers, broccoli and baked beans.  Then our granddaughter worked on some of the craft projects in the gift bin.  Dessert was valentine chocolate candy and cookies then we played a game called Apples to Apples.  We certainly enjoy any time that we have with them.  

 

Do you see the little tea lights?  I have to take a moment and recommend a product I just recently started using.  These are flameless LED tea lights.  I purchased these from Sam's Club at Christmas.  I didn't think I would like them as I prefer the look of a real candle so much.  But these are super nice to have and use especially around children.  This whole box only cost me $14.00.  There were 24 led lights and 24 replacement batteries!  I like the fact that I can use them all over the house and not worry about forgetting about them and a fire starting. 

I did very little in decorating for Valentines Day.  I put out some thrifting and antiquing treasures on the chest in our foyer.  A ceramic horse.  This is a recent purchase from an antique market.  My brown and white transfer-ware pitcher I bought from a consignment store.  A couple Readers Digest books.  Old wooden spools. A white pedestal bowl filled with pine cones.   

I printed this love picture with 1 Cor. 13.  It was a free printable but I can't recall where I found it.  Anyone know?

Tied a red ribbon around the old wooden spools.  

I added a vintage valentine post card I had.  I enjoy collecting these old postcards to use at different times to decorate around the house.  This one is dated 1914.  I love the verse and the Dutch children on the front!

In the living room I set out these wooden blocks that spell LOVE on the chest in front of the windows.  I bought these from a thrift store but I believe they originally came from Cracker Barrel. 

I recently acquired these 3 old clear glass insulators from an estate sale.  They are so fun!  Can you see them with the sun shining through them?

Finally, in the master bedroom I placed this sweet needlepoint pillow on our bed.   I have had it forever and don't even remember where I got it. 

And a closer picture. 

My hubby took me out Valentines evening to one of our favorite restaurants, Copelands.  And we exchanged lovey-dovey cards!  

That pretty much wraps up our simple but sweet Valentines celebration.  What about you?  Do you make a fuss over Valentine's Day?  Would love to hear your comments!  Thanks for stopping by!  Libby~

I'm linking to the following parties!

Newbie Linkie Party at Debbiedoos  

 Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Metamorphis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch

Southern Living Idea House, Part Four

This is a continuation in a series about my visit to the 2010 Southern Living Idea House in Senoia, GA.  There was so much to be seen and appreciated in this 4-floor town home, I simply had to break it down into parts.  To see Part 1 go here, to see Part 2 go here, to see Part 3, which was the Christmas decorations, go here. 

This post will be devoted to the main floor and main living areas.  The first thing I noticed was the lovely blue and cream wallcovering that greets you in the entrance and stairway.  Resource guide states that it is Thibaut, Residence Damask, Slate Blue.  This same pattern was used in the window treatments in the living and dining rooms.  Throughout the home very pleasing shades of blues and greens were used against a neutral background with a focus on natural elements.  

Another view in a stairway with a gallery of bird prints 

It is exciting that wall paper is making such a strong comeback.  However, I am not ready to commit to this much wallpaper.  I have too many recent memories of peeling wallpaper off the walls to paint!  What about you?  Ready to wallpaper an entire room again? 

The living and dining rooms

via southernliving.com

Console table with a statue of horses, I believe from Ballard Designs.  Horses were seen quite often throughout the home in statues and art work. The majority of the furniture in the living and dining room is Ethan Allen.

via southernliving.com

Local artwork was seen throughout the home

I have chairs just like these, I may need to copy how these are slip covered! Looks simple enough, right?  If it is good enough for Southern Living, it is good enough for me.  :-)

Chandelier in the dining room

via southernliving.com

This chandelier was custom made.  Resource guide states,"custom light fixtures by Eloise Pickard at Sandy Springs Galleries fill the main level.  With extensive knowledge of period lighting, Eloise assembles new fixtures from antique parts." 

More from Sandy Springs Galleries in the entryway

Moving into the kitchen

You see here that designer, Jamie McPherson chose to place a farm table on one side of the island instead of creating a bar with stools.  What do you think about this idea?

Don't you love the horse?  To me the most interesting aspect of the kitchen is that it is from IKEA!  Very affordable yet stylish.

Resource guide states that these are, "french shopkeeper shelves from Wisteria.  They add stylish storage to both sides of the reclaimed pine pocket doors leading from the kitchen to the dining room."

 

The treasures on these shelves are examples of all the old and vintage items used throughout this home.  How that does my vintage-loving heart good!

Into the keeping room

via southernliving.com

Resource guide states, "...an intimate sitting room with a flat-screen television hidden behind a Larson-Juhl & Artaissance custom framed piece.  The piece of art is cleverly cut to fold back when the television is on."    

Close-up of bench in the sitting room

This bench is a little different with the back and arms covered in fabric and the seat in leather.
 
Next, the scullery, yes I did say scullery!

Website states, "Adjacent to the kitchen, a pantry houses the refrigerator and handles much of the work and mess of food prep."  There are pocket doors separating the two rooms.

While the area was nicely decorated and a unique idea, my friends and I didn't like the use of space as it related to the kitchen.  The refrigerator is a far cry from the oven and sink.  Just our opinions, however.

via southernliving.com

Finally, the main floor powder room.  Transom windows are used throughout this home.  Oh, how I love thee!  Would you be mine?

And the vanity cabinet

Next week will be the final part in this series, the lower level.  This is a fun, family area that is packed full of great decorating ideas and unique furnishings.  

So, tell me, what is you fave in this post?  What part of the main living areas do you like the most? 

FINALLY, help!  Can anyone tell me how to solve the spacing issues I have between my photos when it looks fine before I preview it?   

Thanks for stopping by!  Do come again.  Libby~ 

Unless otherwise stated, all photos are mine.  I used a few from the Southern Living website because the place had filled up with people and it was hard to get decent photos. 

You can find more photos and a complete listing of resources at 2010 Georgia Idea House.