Something Fun: Amy Sedaris' Home Tour

Hello, friend! How was your weekend? Mine whipped itself up into quite a whirlwind. As a result, I've fallen well behind on a ton of errands. (Sleep, too.) Cut to me, today, feverishly trying to make up for lost time.

In short, I lack the mental wherewithal to prepare a proper blog post. Instead, I'm going to share a fun video I recently, randomly unearthed that left me completely charmed over.

A few years ago, Amy Sedaris gave New York Magazine a tour of her quirky, super unique NYC apartment. I'm such a fan of hers -- she's so clever, bubbly, and delightfully weird. Turns out, those same qualities can also be attributed to her home! Watching this clip feels like falling into a bright, unpredictable rabbit hole (wherein you will find an *actual* rabbit).

I've now seen the video three times and, decisively, like Amy Sedaris more than ever before :)

Image credit: The Cut

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The Hunt For Cute Bedding

Back in October, I was struck with the sudden urge to refresh our apartment. (Didn't everyone get swept up in some form of Pandemic Nesting?)

Specifically, I had a nagging fixation on the smallest room in our place: Our painfully boring-looking bedroom. After seven years of living here, we were long overdue to show it some decorative love.

My first priority was finding ways to soften, brighten, and warm up the space because it gets hardly any natural light. Considering our bed dominates 90% of the floor's real estate (I swear the room is MINUSCULE), fresh and easy bedding seemed like a crucial update.

In my search, I discovered Urban Outfitters is a veritable hunting ground for lovely home decor. They basically make all your cozy boho bedroom dreams come true.

I MEAN...

 

 

 

Who knew! (Not me, apparently.)

I looove the calm atmosphere and all those mixed textures. (Corduroy! Velvet! Sherpa! Tufting!) Let's not forget the pretty color palette -- pastels, washed jewel tones, neutrals, with a sprinkling of interesting prints. Ultimately, I chose a tufted duvet set (in white) with a chunky teddy blanket. The quality is pretty damn impressive in-person. Weeks later, I'm still genuinely surprised by how much I like it all. 

Loads of customer reviews mention that the colors they saw online do not match what they received. To which I reply: It's Urban Outfitters lol of course you're not getting exactly what you saw online. Regardless, the store has a pretty lax return policy, should you be irrevocably disappointed.

My final thought? UO's prices are unbeatable if you're looking for thoughtful, current, stylish design. (Believe me -- I did hours of digital leg work.) Even if you're just shopping around for ideas, their merchandising is a treasure trove of inspiration for soft, laid back bedroom decor.

Next, I want to get my hands on these crescent moon-shaped mirrors from Coeur d'Artichaut, a series of sweet prints, and a pile of decorative throw pillows (for Reggie to inevitably claim as his own) ;)

Image credit: Residence Style

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Winter Holidays: How Soon Is Too Soon?

Obviously, the answer depends on the person, right?

For me, the sight of anything Christmas-related in October feels premature, but waiting until the eleventh hour to dig out your twinkle lights is such a missed opportunity for prolonged festiveness! November is my sweet spot to get all the holiday heavy lifting out of the way -- so that, come December, I can sink into the holiday spirit worry-free :)

Our wee tree normally goes up by mid-November. Same for stockings and novelty decor like snowflake-printed dishtowels, homemade wreaths, and a bootleg Elf On The Shelf that I got from Dollarama. Our menorah is put back on display, but the candles only emerge at Hannukah. (I'm a big fan of these cute ones from Indigo!)

  

While decking the halls, I might queue up a holiday playlist on Spotify, or stream some classics like Elf, Home Alone, or Christmas Vacation (HUGE favorites in the Sciortino family). However, once decorating is done, it's critical to pause the holiday entertainment until December, or risk getting sick of it all.

As for gifts... I start picking them out really early. Like, first week of November. And (brace yourself) I even maintain a holiday spreadsheet to keep track of whose presents are left to buy, total spending, etc. I know. I'm nuts. The thing is, Christmastime or not, I get unreasonably panicky by last-minute shopping -- ESPECIALLY in a cramped, nearly-picked-clean store. Being proactive about gifting is my coping mechanism. And I also get to shop ;)

  

This year, I'm aiming for a more relaxed attitude toward the holiday season, since the pandemic has me homebound with plenty of time to spare. That being said... I just put two tiny firs on my kitchen table, and that aforementioned spreadsheet is already getting some action. Apparently, I can't help myself lol.

What are your thoughts re: gung ho holiday preparedness?

Image credit (top): Pinterest -- sorry, I lost the link!

Image credit (trees): All ours from holidays past -- 2014 to 2019 :)

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9 Cute Cushions For A Pandemic-Induced Home Makeover

Has anyone else been bitten by the home reno bug? Lately, I find myself in a major NESTING MOOD, which I assume was spurred by the one-two punch of chilly weather and Montreal's reinstated lockdown. If the plan is to stay home -- for what I suspect will become an indeterminate time period -- then my place needs to feel COZY AF.

While hunting online for homeware, I keep getting side-tracked by fluffy chenille blankets, modern-looking table lamps, and pretty throw pillows. Smaller home accents can give any room a fresh hit of personality, and are obviously way less expensive than buying a new sofa or coffee table.

Here are some cushions I'm fawning over -- I love their warmth, texture, and how they lend juuust enough color to brighten up a space (without looking like a full-blown circus). Click any photo to go to its website :)

  

  

  

Apparently, I'm drawn to a soft yupster/boho vibe lol. What are you looking for when you shop home decor?

Image credit (top): Ideal Home
Image credit (products): Every photo is linked to its source

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6 Fun Summery Prints

A while ago, I started mentally mapping out a decor revamp for the bedroom. I'm super slow to pull the trigger on pricey things like furniture -- such an investment! (And that was BEFORE I lost my expendable income lol.) Instead, I'm easily drawn to smaller accents like blankets, baskets, miscellaneous pretty decor.

The project has since been put on hold, but that hasn't stopped me from occasional browsing through Society6's enormous collection of art prints. Circling back to the ones I'd bookmarked, my subconscious was clearly going for a specific *vibe*. Wanted to share some of my favorites -- so pretty and summery -- in case anyone out there has walls in need of sprucing :)

  

  

Would you ever seasonally swap out the framed art in your home? I feel like that's something a very mature, organized person would do (i.e. not me).

Image credit (top): Chatelaine

Artwork credit (top to bottom, left to right): Beach Goddess, Camouflage, No Fall, No Flight, Summer Flowers III, Love Conquers All, Shelter

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Five Easy Houseplants

I desperately want to be a Plant Person. I've only ever had the best intentions when bringing home a leafy friend. But if time (and the many shrivelled plant corpses) has revealed anything, it's that I'm actually a gifted houseplant murderer.

Personally, I blame our apartment. The space is very dry and never gets direct sunlight, so it's not the most hospitable environment for growing greenery. But there's another, bigger problem at hand... I'm terribly neglectful and hardly nurturing of my houseplants.

Shockingly, there is a small handful of plants I've managed to keep alive for the long haul (knock on wood). They have a lot of the same qualities: Very low maintenance, not much watering needed, can thrive without tons of sunshine. They're basically indestructible. They also happen to be very pretty :)

I'd like to share five houseplants that have thrived under my spotty care. If you also struggle to raise healthy plants, then you've come to the right place.

Snake Plant

This plant seems perfectly happy sitting by the TV, going weeks without fresh water. I spend more time wondering whether or not it's dead (or fake) than I do actively taking care of it. The plant always looks so strong and colorful. Mine is 6" tall and I plan to buy a 10" sister. That's how much faith I have in this plant's will to live ;)

Philodendron Cordatum

At almost ten years old, this is my oldest surviving plant! It started as cutting from a friend's much larger plant, which I kept in water for months before my mom moved it to a terracotta pot (where it still lives today). Its needs are super straight-forward -- give it tons of water, wait a couple weeks for the leaves to start sagging, then water it again. Like most of my other plants, this one only gets indirect sunlight for half the day, max, which seems to be plenty.

Zanzibar Gem (or ZZ Plant)

One of MANY Ikea plant purchases over the years, but the only one that hasn't perished. In fact, it's grown significantly bigger, and its branches are looking a little haywire. Which hardly bothers me because I'm just thrilled it's alive! I couldn't tell you how to keep it properly watered, though. My system is to forget it exists, remember eventually, then water it in a panic. Seems to do the trick lol.

Lipstick Plant

Mine comes from the flower shop on Mont Royal, just east of Parc Ave. It sits by a window and only gets indirect sunlight for half the day. I wait for the leaves to get a little droopy before watering. Plot twist: I glanced over one day and noticed she'd sprouted red flowers. (That's where the name comes from.) Since then, more blooms have popped up every once in a while. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right ;)

Bunny Ear Cactus

It has NOT been my personal experience that cacti are easy to care for. I've brought home so many, figuring if they can live in the desert, then they could handle my apartment. Incorrect. My Bunny Ear cactus is the reigning champ (meaning: sole survivor). It just hangs out in the front window, gets seldom waterings, and grows pups like crazy. I've also been pricked this plant more times than I'd care to admit, but as long as it keeps growing, all is forgiven.

*

There you have it -- my snapshot of durable, resilient houseplants. Hopefully someone out there will find it helpful!

If you also have experience with these plants, or know of other brainlessly easy ones to care for, I'd love to hear about it.

Good luck and happy gardening :)

Image credit: Hass & Co.

Image credit: Snake Plant, Philodendron, ZZ Plant, Lipstick Plant, Bunny Ear Cactus

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Home Tweaks: Do You Doodle?

Just wanted to share my extremely sophisticated trick to home decor. Ready?

Draw all over your photos.

I'm telling you... It's the best way I've found to test out new ideas before committing to a (long, exhausting, sanity-testing) trip to a furniture store.

This isn't an earth-shattering tip, I'm not winning prizes for innovation, but it's fun to do and might come in handy for other people too :)

Here's to little tricks that make your day better!

Please forgive the scribbled-out menorah and the cropped-out Joshua

Didn't think I'd be showing anyone these pics. The place (and my dignity) would have benefitted from a tidy lol.

Here are follow-up shots of the second and third pics. The doodles kind of worked, right?

Let's be real: I'm never installing a hanging planter. But the shelves turned out cute!

 

Never got around to making a gallery wall. Looking at these pictures, maybe that's not the way to go? Been considering these two floor lamps as options for the corner.

Also realized my aloe plant is looking very sad and needs resuscitation. These pics are helpful in so many ways ;)

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