*This post was made possible by the generous support of Article, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Kittens are tough, guys! As you may know, we adopted two rescue kittens over the summer when we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our two older kitties. I remember thinking to myself, “Oh, kittens are going to be so much fun!” Boy, did I underestimate the work that goes into raising kittens. I haven’t had a kitten since college many, many years ago, so I guess I had forgotten how hard it is to keep them out of plants, away from breakables, and off d ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of SONGMICS, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Is the standing desk trend really worth all the attention it has gotten over the last few years? I’ve been asking myself that question for a long time now since spotting this techie type of work surface on several of my favorite blogs and on Instagram. I know standing while working is a healthier choice in the long run, but I’ve sort of avoided adding one to my own office because I never saw a standing desk that matched our home décor style. That is ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by SUNSTAR, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. We’ve made a lot of sacrifices over the years for our pets when it comes to home décor, like opting for very specific non-toxic interior plants, choosing pet-friendly rugs, and picking furniture that they won’t target with their claws. One thing I absolutely will not compromise on for their sakes, though, is odor. I never want someone to walk into our home and know that we have two cats based on smell alone. So far, that hasn’t been an issue, and we’ve even h ..read more

Have you heard of ikebana? When I first started working for artist Jake Johnson at our community pottery studio, I was completely naive to what this was, so don’t feel bad if you hadn’t heard of it, either. To my, admittedly, still-limited knowledge, ikebana is a form of Japanese flower arranging, and focuses on balance, movement, minimalism, asymmetry, and harmony with nature. It’s a beautiful art form, and I love seeing how different artisans practice this style of flower arranging. The reason I first learned about ikebana at the pottery studio is because Jake and a few of our other communi ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of SONGMICS, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Reading has always been one of my very favorite hobbies. I remember going to the library as a kid and checking out six to eight books at once, then I’d go home and read one chapter at a time of each book in sequence until I finished them all. It was and still is such an effective way for me to escape reality and go on the types of adventurers that I’m far too timid in real life to have. This little passion of mine has taken on an entirely new meanin ..read more

Even though my budget is extra tight this year thanks to a few surprise expenses from last year, I still love going secondhand shopping. I usually only come away with one or two things on any given shopping trip (if anything at all), but the main draw isn’t so much the shopping itself as it is the inspiration I get from seeing beautiful antique items grouped en masse. I also appreciate the styled displays at all of my favorite local antique stores. Sometimes just seeing a pretty mid-century pitcher arranged next to a stack of plates can inspire me to try a similar look using the retro pieces ..read more

Gosh, I just love home décor…Even all these years later (Dream Green DIY just celebrated its 13th anniversary, by the way!), there’s nothing that excites me more than a beautifully designed room. Whenever I have free time lately I find myself turning to the following activities: flipping through interior design books, watching other people’s styled home tours on TV, and/or working on any number of the current projects we have going on around our own home. Point being that home design has been a passion of mine for literally as long as I can remember, and I don’t see myself slowing down anytim ..read more

One of the most validating things I’ve experienced as a homemaker is witnessing my houseplants grow out of control. The potted plants situated  throughout our house are absolute key pieces within the décor “landscape” I’ve created (a room is never really finished until I include a plant, after all!), and whenever I see that one has grown too large for the space its in, I feel like I’ve done something right. It’s one of my favorite feelings, but it does, of course, come with some necessary homework. Take the overgrown Bird of Paradise plant in our sunroom as an example. My five-year-ol ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by Loloi, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. The journey of kitten-proofing our home continues—this time, we’re talking about our dining room. You may remember late last year when I put together what I thought was the perfect dining room design for our home. Take that tour here to see the introduction of new upholstered seating and a luxe glass table. As you can see in today’s update post, the glass table is still one of our favorite pieces of furniture in the house, and, thankfully, it holds up well to our ..read more

I just adore Easter. I think it may (selfishly) be because this holiday tends to fall a week or two before my birthday, but another huge reason is because it also unofficially marks the beginning of the spring season for me. I was surprised to see that it showed up on the calendar in March this year, though, so I decided to put together a roundup of adult Easter basket gift ideas now so that you have time to get these goodies shipped well ahead of the March 31st event. Keep scrolling for a list of 12 spring-inspired goodies that I know your grown-up pals will love if you decide to host an Eas ..read more