A Tale Of Ten Planters

I did a brief decor roundup and reconfiguration over the weekend, which is only slightly more exciting than reorganizing and consolidating the pantry, something I also did but am not documenting formally. We’ve been actively keeping our (my) “unnecessary decor stuff” to a minimum after having sold and donated a lot of it a few years ago post-move. A more minimalist lifestyle has been suiting us well, especially while there’s a toddler in the house who picks up and relocates every last thing within reach–the less for her to pick up, the better. These days, I’m a pro at talking myself out of buying most things I see and like in stores, unless, apparently, it’s that super clearance-priced container of any kind, in which case I want it for no explicable reason, and buy it because there’s usually no one to stop me. Who knew? Am I a collector? And why all the Anthro – I mean, I love them all but gimme some new sources please?

1. Bun-bun, Anthropologie: The quirky home accessories hit a good nerve. This one, I remember as I rationalized my spend, could work anywhere in the house easily, from a small shelf accessory, to my daughter’s bedroom side table. He will not be going away after Easter.

2+3. This tapered duo from Target happens to be a good scale for some of our indoor plants, as the lip is a 6″ diameter, the same as some of my store-bought planters. The tall one is also great for long stem flowers.

4. We’re collecting sand from all of the beaches we’ve walked, using these little test tubes that we bought (25 for 50-cents at a garage sale) as the permanent display solution. I picked up a standard test tube rack on Amazon not long ago, which is basically a container for my containers–bonus points for me–and found that they’re more expensive than you’d think, but they sure do come in some pretty colors. Our first tube is black sand from last year’s trip to the Azores, and we’re probably not going to get any cooler than that when it comes to ocean-raged rock.

5. Reminiscent of beach glass, Pete gave me this vase for my birthday last year. Anthropologie, because when I suggest “just get me anything from Anthropolgie,” he doesn’t mess around. Perfect for long stem flowers, and very pretty by its lonesome.

6+7. Two more from Anthro for good measure. I’m not sure why these handmade ceramics only cost a total of $6, but they are some of my favorites. They’re not vases in the technical sense, since they’re riddled with holes and woven with reed, but they’re really pretty and the natural aesthetic is one I like. The bigger of the two is currently holding a few rocks (basalt and pumice from the Azores), and hanging out with Cubebot, the wooden robot who finds himself in various positions around our home (great Christmas gift from my Dad). The second container of the duo is smaller but looks similar; it’s currently holding a strand of battery-powered LED lights on an end table, providing a holiday-like glow while we watch TV at night.

8. This is one I actually received as a bridesmaid gift about 7 years ago, but it’s cool (and sentimental) and damned if it doesn’t look great in our current home; it gets way more use here than in my old place.

9+10. You might be familiar with vintage head planters or creepy baby dolls turned into planters or those white ones from Oh Joy! that you probably see on Pinterest. Julia thought these were hilarious, and at $2.50/each at JoAnn’s end-of-season clear out, I figured we’d all enjoy them, so home they came and we filled them with moss and then I watered the hair promptly before deciding to photograph it, so it looks pretty deflated and not poofy (it takes about 2 days to perk back up post-water; there was no waiting).

Container obsessed too? Still looking for some great ones for outdoor planters this spring.