 Pots with planted seeds sitting on my windowsill facing southwest. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Over the years, I have looked forward to planting seeds indoors. I love watching the fragile green seedlings push their way up through the moist soil and begin to sprout. We live in a rental home, so digging up the yard is not an option and limits my ability to grow vegetables and herbs. We have a small raised garden for growing mint, sage, and chives, and there are also usually a few containers on the back patio where herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, and chamomile grow over the spring and summer. So this year, I wanted to plant more herbs in containers, with the idea that they can be placed outdoors on the patio or indoors on a windowsill, keeping my houseplants company.
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 Upclose view of faux orchids. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. It's springtime! Time to make another faux floral design for my front door wreath. Every season, I re-use a pre-made wreath base, which serves as a template for whatever seasonal floral design I want. I couldn’t tell you where I got this old wreath from—I’ve had it so long now! The twisted vines conveniently allow me to insert stems into gaps between the entangled branches. Most of the time, the stems stay in place, but occasionally, floral wire is needed for extra stability. (Because I change out florals for this wreath, I never use glue.)  Wrap with green pepper, onion, tomato, chicken, and shredded cheese. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. I’ve decided March will be the month I start thinking about a healthier me. Part of that equation means planning healthy meals that will help lower my cholesterol and help me lose weight. I remembered I used to make a lot of chicken with roasted veg. There are so many variations of this recipe that work well. You could add potatoes, carrots, broccoli, or any vegetable you prefer.  Easter Bunny and pastel eggs in my spring vignette. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. This spring season, I decided to take a different approach to decorating the two spaces in my dining room, where I generally create vignettes. I stripped everything decorative out of the room so I could start with a blank slate and a clear mind. I wanted my dining room decor to reflect my tastes and personality. I placed every item slowly and thoughtfully. As an artist and designer, I love intricate details, but I also like things minimal and streamlined. The two sides of my brain sometimes conflict! But this time, the compromise was sheer perfection! The balance is perfect and illustrates my style while showcasing things that are important to me. So, I thought I’d share my process and a few tips I learned along the way…
 My spring Fairy Cottage and indoor garden with whitefaux florals and fairy lights. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. I’m officially obsessed with handcrafted fairy houses and indoor fairy gardens! They are now staples for my seasonal decor! I take advantage of every opportunity to switch out the miniature decor and faux florals to reflect the seasons and—sometimes—holidays. So far, I have two styles, but I have a few ideas for some new designs (finally), which I plan to work on in the next month or so, so stay tuned!
 My new pothos plant recently misted. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. A couple of months ago, I bought this gorgeous little pothos plant from my local home and garden store that had too little soil in too small a pot. So I knew the poor thing would need to be repotted sooner rather than later. Now that the warmer weather has arrived, it’s time to give this struggling plant baby a better plot of earth.  Salmon chowder cooking in a pot. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. I’ve wanted to make seafood chowder for a while now. I was planning on making clam chowder, but I came across this recipe for salmon chowder and thought I’d try it. This ended up being an easy meal, and the ingredients weren’t too expensive either, which is a major plus these days with the high cost of food. As usual, I roughly doubled the ingredients because I had to feed a family of five. This time around was a bit of an experiment, and—though this turned out delicious—I’m going to admit up front that I needed maybe one or two more cans of salmon to get the full flavor. So here goes… |
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