I confess, I am a hard core plant murderer.  Many a green thing has come under my care only to shrivel and die shortly thereafter. My alibis have been weak, my victims have been many.


But I'm turning over a new leaf lately.  I've gotten much better with plants as I've learned to pick the right ones for my style.  I forsaken big showy flowers for colorful leafy varieties that can last with a more neglectful owner like me.  And when arranged in the right way, they look just as lovely and showy without the extra effort.


So project Stoop Jungle was born.  The entryway needed some curb appeal.  The front stoop is all concrete so container gardens were the name of the game. Instead of my usual tactic of putting a few small plants near the door and letting them grow to full size just in time for the them to die when the weather turned chilly, I am trying a new tactic.  Filling the containers with beautiful plants so we can enjoy the whole season.  No need to wait until they get bigger because they are lush and lovely right now!  I also mixed and matched traditionally indoor house plants out here as well which add a lot of height and fullness. When the season is over, I can move them indoors to continue to enjoy them all year.  And much to my shock (how did I not know this?) indoor house plants are affordable despite their size so they really make the budget stretch farther.



Off I went to my go-to for all things DIY, Lowe's  - and got to loading my cart with all the prettiest plants and planters as well as dirt and fertilizer to keep those plants glowing and growing.



I'm loving these green ceramic (and frost resistant) planters which really look beautiful with any plant and come in small and large sizes. They worked beautifully with these lightweight resin planters I used for the other plants. I used Miracle-Gro Performance Organics which is specially made for container gardens and hopefully will give these plants the best start. Of course, Aggie was eager to lend a helping hand.




For color scheme I stuck with blues, reds, purples and of course greens. I got so many good plants including Lobelia, Dragon's Breath Celosia,  Elephant Ear, Sedum,  Veronica and Sanseveria.

When I got home, my front yard looked like I was about to kick off a plant sale.  But once I got to mixing and matching the plants and laying the planters on my front steps, it all came together.  A few hours of sweating in the sun and the stoop jungle was born.  Now all I have to do is water it and enjoy!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lowe's but all opinions expressed are my own.

Firepit Patio [Sponsored]

Just in time for the warm weather, I have a fun outdoor makeover post for you. I love a good firepit so I was happy to help a friend design a patio built around a DIY firepit that is perfect for entertaining with a little help from my friends at Lowe's.



The existing stone patio was the ideal spot to build upon starting with this very straightforward concrete firepit kit. Simply stack the flagstones and set the fire ring inside and you are ready for s'mores!
Material used: Ashland Firepit Kit




Next up was creating a very long and affordable outdoor table with lumber, pipe and pipe fittings.  Another simple project that can be done without the need for many special tools or skills.  It's a great fit right against the stone retaining wall and holds a ton while still not being too precious for outdoor use.
Materials used: 2x8 treated boards, pipe fittings, pipes




Next up was seating. Instead of purchasing individual chairs, we used an armless sectional and broke up the pieces rather than using them next to each other. It's a great way to get a cozy, cohesive look while still being super flexible when you are changing the layout for different events. We also created a few other seating areas at the edges of the patio to give some different conversation spots using accent chairs.
Materials used: The Allen + Roth Sea Palm 6 piece sectional we used is sold out but their Altadena collection is a very similar style.  Alternatively these Bellmare chairs or the this outdoor sectional would have also worked well separated.) Tucker Bend Conversation Chair for the extra seating.



Along with the seating we needed a few side tables that would hold drinks and plants to fill out the space.  These also make great additional seating as stools when needed.
Materials used: Allen + Roth Steel Plant Stand and Faux Cement Plant Stand



After the large items were placed we added a few accessories give some color and personality.  Three bright red lanterns to added some color to the table spread.  And finally a few colorful pillows to accent the seating.
Materials used: Allen + Roth Red Outdoor Lanterns, Watermelon Lumbar Pillows, Green Square Throw Pillows,




The last step was adding personality to bring the patio to life.  I fell in love with some cement planters (that are insanely heavy) and we reutilized some of the planters she already owned.  We went crazy in the garden center filling our cart with plants that would do well in this sunny spot.
Materials used: Concrete Planters, Angelina Sedum, Purple Calibrachoa, Fuschia Hybrida, Songbird Mix Columbine, Red Cordyline, Mandelvilla, Creeping Jenny, Colorblaze Coleus and Philodendron Selloum

Lucky for us, Lowe's had everything we needed to complete this project with a little planning, a little elbow grease and one busy installation day. I'm so pleased with the result and hope my friend and her family will get lots of happy memories in this space.


Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Lowe's but all opinions expressed are my own.  Thanks to great sponsors likes Lowe's for helping me create projects to share and inspire.


If you are inspired to give your own outdoor space a new look, this weekend is the perfect time to get started. Lowe's is running some fabulous Memorial Day sales including 30% off select outdoor furniture and grills.

Studio Apartment Makeover: Geometric Painted Wall Treatment

It will come as no surprise that I love to help friends with their decorative challenges. So when Kate asked if I wanted to help decorate her studio apartment, I jumped at the chance.  She already had a great space with gorgeous light and lots of potential. She just needed a few suggestions to get her pad as fabulous as she is!




Her apartment is an alcove studio with 440 feet of space so layout was super important. I loved the white walls but knew it needed something on the far wall to add some visual interest without taking up any precious floor space.  Since it was a rental we ruled out wallpaper or molding treatments which left us with the great equalizer: paint. After batting around several different options, Kate decided a geometric stripe felt most like what she had in mind.  

Then came color selection. There were so many ways we could have gone but in the ened we opted for Valspar's Northern Juniper (a blueish green with just a tad of grey thrown in) and Blindfold (and almost but not quite black grey).



I headed over to her apartment armed with Vaslpar Signature paint, lots of frog tape, a laser level and a bit of patience. I knew this was going to take a lot of prep.  Kate and I got to work early in the morning and we spent the entire day on this.  It's definitely a 2 person job and you will be sore when you are done but it was so worth it.




I had drawn out a rough sketch of a plan to start and then using the laser level and the frog tape, we painstakingly taped out stripe.  Carefully marking the areas we didn't wan't to paint over with more frog tape (one slip up there and we would have ruined the whole look!).  Once we were happy with the stripes, it was time to get to painting.


I knew this was going to be a lot easier if we got that tape off while the paint was still dry so we did a bit of a mad dash to get it all on there as fast as possible.  Two coats per stripe worked well for great solid coverage.  It was time for a little prayer to the paint gods before pulling off the tape and seeing the end result.





Thankfully, only a few little touch ups were required! The result was the perfect bold, mod inspired pattern we were going for.  It set the perfect backdrop for the whole apartment layout that I'll share with you in my next post.  Stay tuned.

Materials Used:
Valspar Signature Flat Interior Paint in Northern Juniper
Valspar Sigature Flat Interior Paint in Blindfold
FrogTape 1.88-in Painter's Tape
Bosch 30-ft Red Beam Self-Leveling Cross-Line Laser Chalkline Laser Level with Plumb Points


Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Lowe's but all opinions expressed are my own.