* Chicago Botanic Garden hosted our visit to Brilliance: The Orchid Show. All images and opinions are my own. Update: The 2020 Orchid Brilliance show has been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. When Chicago Botanic Garden invited us to the preview for Brilliance: The Orchid Show, Graham and I were thrilled because we love plants. We decided to make a date night out of it. It may be cold ... Read more
How We Keep Our Plants Alive During the Winter
We may not always be successful but for the most part Graham and I are able to keep our plants alive during the winter. We've learned some tips over the years on how to make sure your outdoor plants don't die during the long, cold winter months here in the Chicago area. Bring the plants indoors. This is obvious, but they just won't survive outdoors! We move the planters inside to the place with ... Read more
Easy Yard Updates
We recently made two easy landscape updates on our home's front yard. It looked so plain before, and we knew we wanted to add some flowers to bring some life to the front of our house. We first began by adding petunias around one of the trees in our yard. It had been such an eyesore, and I think this easy addition improved our curb appeal immediately and at a low cost. These are annuals, so we ... Read more
Summer Stroll at the Chicago Botanic Garden
If you're ever going through a stressful time, a walk around the Chicago Botanic Garden might be in order. I was overwhelmed and emotional recently, and I finally asked for help. My mother-in-law drove to Chicago to spend a week with us helping in any way she could. And boy did she help. She worked on our yard. She took the girls to the park so I could get work done or ... Read more
A Summer Day at Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory
I've wanted to visit Lincoln Park Conservatory since we moved to Chicago three and a half years ago, but I didn't make it until this summer. My cousins visited for a week recently and I thought they'd enjoy Lincoln Park Zoo. The Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lincoln Park Conservatory are both free. I would suggest both to visitors and locals looking for affordable things to do in Chicago, especially ... Read more
Let’s Dabble: DIY Terrarium Class in Chicago
** I received a Dabble credit as part of the Super Dabbler ambassador program. I was a fan of Dabble before joining the program. As a self-proclaimed crazy plant lady, I find myself drawn to any Dabble.co class that involves plants. I've recently taken an air plant class with LeeLee's Gardens and loved my creation, so I wanted to try my hand at terrarium making. I selected the Black Thumb: ... Read more
Air Plant Birdhouse | Clutter Into Art
**This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog! Graham recently brought home a birdhouse that our neighbors didn't want anymore. Great, I thought, more stuff! You know how I feel about excess stuff in my home. (In case you don't: I hate it!) But last week we came up with an idea ... Read more
New Plants & Making Another Air Plant Garden
** This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission for purchases made through these links. I flew back from Phoenix on Friday night and didn't hop into my own bed until 2 a.m., but somehow I was not completely wiped on Saturday. I took my time getting settled and then Graham proposed a trip to our favorite garden shop to buy a flower pot for our second bonsai ... Read more
Yogi Surprise June Box Review
** This subscription box was sent to me for free. This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I was so excited to receive the June Yogi Surprise lifestyle box last week. Today I'm sharing the details on what was inside, as well as my thoughts on the subscription box. Yogi Surprise offers both lifestyle and jewelry ... Read more
Testing a Tutorial: Growing a Plant from an Avocado Seed
You probably have seen the countless pins on Pinterest sharing how to grow an avocado plant from a seed. The tutorials and graphics typically involve a jar and toothpicks. While I am sure that method works, the way I use differs and is much easier, in my opinion. I found it through a Google search and it's also been pinned many times, but it's not as popular, it seems. Perhaps a photo ... Read more