to fig leaf or not to fig leaf, that is my question

So the most resilient plant I have ever owned -- the only one to ever make it past a couple of months with me -- has finally kicked the bucket. It withstood my black thumb, but sadly not July's heatwave, leaving me in the market for a replacement.

And so the great fig debate rages once more.

via

Last year I posted about wanting one so damn bad I could taste it, but went with a much safer choice instead. I mean, these beauties are notoriously finicky, and my track record isn't exactly stellar.

via

Here's the thing - I'm going out to pick out a the replacement tomorrow, and I'm really not sure I can resist figgy's call this time. I feel a bit like I'm throwing money straight down the toilet, but are you even allowed to call yourself a design lover anymore if you haven't killed at least one? I mean, you can't right?

For your reference, said beauty would go beside my sofa, where the dearly departed once stood:

Someone talk me out of it. Or into it. I can't decide . . .

loving lately: natural wood in the kitchen

I have to admit, I am not usually a fan of wood in the kitchen. From black to white to emerald to yellow, I can get on board with just about any colour paint under the sun, but paint it shall be. So I was pretty surprised when I took a look at my recent pins and noticed a distinct trend towards the more natural side of things: prodominantly white spaces with big splashes of raw, knotty, unpretentious wood. Something about this serene combination has me questioning my anti-wood stance in a big way . . .

{ 1 // 2 - 7 }

back in the saddle and the sun

Ooooff, did that flu ever have me down for the count! I mean . . . two weeks? In the middle of the summer? I'm pretty sure that's against some kind of law of nature, and if not, it definitely should be. The sun is shining and I'm inside hacking up a lung. That just isn't right people. It's just not right.

Truth be told, my throat still feels like razorblades every time I swallow, and I'm still having coughing fits that keep me up at night, but this hiatus was getting way out of hand. Both in terms of the blog and in terms of life! So on Saturday I decided to force it, and I'm so, so glad I did. One of my nearest and dearest was in town, and we took a trip out to Montreal's botanical gardens to check out the amazing "Horticultural Mosaics" exhibit. I may have needed to rest more than usual, and been a bit worse for wear in the pics, but I was reminded that this city - and this existence - is just too beautiful this time of year to miss . . .

The richness of the colours, the incredible imagination and dedication to craft . . . if anything was going to refresh and re-inspire me, it was this! I'm so grateful to live in a place that celebrates nature, art and creativity so wholeheartedly, and I'll be damned if I waste one more minute of it trapped inside! Hear that flu? Your time is up.