I love flowers and greenery, but year after year I kill off my plants. I generally start off being super excited about them, but after a week or two the poor little things begin to be neglected.

By mid-summer my pots and planters no longer hold pretty flowers in a variety of vibrant colors. Instead they hold their scorched remains.

I’m sure that’s why I’m really attracted to succulents lately. These camel-like plants can survive in the driest of desserts. They’ve got to be hardy enough to survive my black thumb!

I really like the idea of using them as decor around the house. Not only does it add a little bit of greenery to your life, but they’re a really unique decorative touch—and you can get the look for really cheap if you’re willing to do a little work.

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4

There are lots of places on the web where you can find tutorials on making your very own terrarium. I love the DIY idea, especially since you can reuse old things that you otherwise would have gotten rid of. Design*Sponge recently featured a before and after post where someone turned a big old paneled chandelier into one (below right).

The process seems pretty simple:

1. Find a cool glass container. I love the way apothecary jars look. I’ve also seen some pretty cool light bulb versions.
2. Fill the bottom with some rocks (for drainage), a layer of horticulture charcoal (to avoid a funky stench) and a layer of potting soil. You can also use Spanish moss between the charcoal and the soil to keep the soil from sinking down into the rocks.
3. Next you need some plants in a pretty arrangement. Try to find different shades of green and plants with different shapes to create visual interest.
4. Put in a bit more potting soil in to secure the plants.
5. Water with a spray bottle when necessary.

Sounds pretty simple, no? I think even I can handle this one!

I’ve been seriously obsessing over the maxi dresses that greet you in every store you walk into these days. Relaxed and flowy, they just seem so comfortable and give off a no fuss bohemian vibe–plus they look like they’d be perfect to hide my post-baby belly bulge until I can get rid of it…

Forever21 :: Forever21

BCBGeneration :: Express

Michael Kors :: Old Navy

J Crew :: Victoria’s Secret

At first I was afraid of the length and automatically thought I’d look like I was wearing a big ol’ muumuu. But the more I think about it, the more I want to try one on.

It’s not the length that will get you (although if you’re especially petite you should get one that reaches the floor. Any higher and it will cut your leg off, making you seem shorter), it’s the shape.

As you can see from the collection above, maxi dresses come in tons of different shapes. You have to find the one that fits your body type best. If you’re curvy, don’t buy something shapeless. If you’re hiding your belly like me, avoid anything to clingy at the waist. In general, you don’t want a maxi dress that’s got too much volume because it will just make you look heavy.

These super laid back dresses have the potential to be your go-to dress all summer, since they’re perfect for just about anything you might do. Heading to a BBQ? The beach? Brunch with the girls? This dress won’t be out of place for any of those outings.

The more I think about it, the better a maxi dress sounds. I’m thinking I’m gonna try on a few of summer’s “It” dress the next chance I get. Are you with me?

Like just about everyone else, when the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve I made a promise to myself (ok, let’s be honest. I slept through the ball dropping, but I did make a resolution the next morning. That still counts, right?).

New year, clean slate. This year I decided I was going to find something positive in everything. A little glimmer of hope amidst a steaming pile of shit, if you will.

It’s now May and I haven’t been terribly successful, but I really would like to work at this. In the toughest of times, the smallest dash of hope goes a long way. And in good times, an added boost of positivity allows you to soar even higher on your endorphin rush.

With that in mind, I decided to start this blog: a celebration of all the lovely things in life.

I hope to bring you regular doses of lovely that force you to smile… or at least results in a bit of retail therapy!