I think those of you who argued that my images do have a recognizable style might be on to something.� I took this picture Sunday evening and thought it looked like something I would post under unstyled life. Alas, it is completely styled and therefore doesn’t qualify. Actually, it’s not really styled because I just placed the plants up there and didn’t fuss with them. The tall orchid should be on the left, I think.
This corner of our home is one where I imagined a jungle of house plants, fossils, rocks, and other natural science-y stuff our family seems to hold dear. Unfortunately, the plants hate it here. I feed them, water them, keep the curtains pulled back, and do all my other plant motherly duty but it’s all for naught. They kept wilting slowly by degrees until I cried uncle and moved them back to the sofa table. Right now I have a heart-leaf philodendron there and even it starts to pout after a while. A philodendron, the Jimmy Buffet of houseplants!
For this picture, I moved things around (Jimmy was in no shape for photographs–he’s at the spa right now) so the pink salt lamp, my new favorite thing that I wanted to show you, didn’t look so lonely. I have been wanting one for years. I first saw them five or more years ago in Lake Tahoe, an area even more prone to mysticism and woo-wah than my corner of southern California. At the time, lamps similar to the one I recently bought were around $60 because negative ion producing decor doesn’t come cheap. That’s right, many people claim that this large, extremely heavy chunk of Himalayan salt emits negative ions generated from the heat of the light bulbs placed inside and clears the neighboring environment of toxins.
Ahem.
I will not say this is hype or bunk science. I watched four episodes of The Vampire Diaries over the weekend; I’m in no position to cast stones. That said, a “balanced breathing space” is not why I have been pining for one of these lamps. I like rocks. Natural elements in the house make me happy. This natural element is a rock and pink and looks really pretty when lit. I wanted one because I just did so when I saw this 10″ lamp on sale for $14 at Marshall’s, I didn’t even hesitate to put it in my cart.
Rest assured, if all those “negative ions” make it so I can grow houseplants in my favorite corner I will gladly eat crow…and then scurry off to the nursery to buy more plants for the corner.
Hey, yah, I like rocks. :) Looks nice to me – especially the lovely plants. I wish so badly to have house plants – but alas, I have the black thumb of death. I have killed every single plant I’ve ever tried to have. Aloe, Cactus, wandering jew, cyclamen . . . you name it – I’ve killed it.
That lamp is so cool.
It never ceases to amaze me how much we are alike. Years ago chris brought home several salt lamps from a set and I love them. Both kids have them in their rooms because they have such a nice soft glow.
Laurel! I miss you SO much. I think of you every time I watch Vampire Diaries–which means I have been thinking about you most of November.
And I’m dying to know which set Chris took them from. Gossip Girls? It couldn’t have been CSI New York.
Oh I like rocks as well and that’s one pretty pink one, I would have put it in my cart too!
That is SO cute! I want one now….and if it makes your plants grow, well, maybe I could get something to grow for me too….
I too, have admired these rock-lights since the first time I saw them. I’ve never outgrown a bit of science-geek, and this lamp is part dark-crystal-set-piece part science-experiment, and all-pretty.
I always thought it would be hard to incorporate one in a home without it looking out-of-place or cheesy but you, ma’am, have achieved the task admirably! Bravo!
You know what’s weird? When I saw it, I immediately thought it might be something you would like. Must be because you have mentioned before that you are a science geek like me.
I was horrified by those lamps back when I first saw them (probably because of the hippie associations – I was smothered in hippie as a child) but they’ve slowly wormed their way into my heart. I would have picked one up too, ionizing effects or not.
Rachel–you know where I did my undergrad. I know all about swarming in hippie. Ugh.