Unique Details: Hidden Treasures That Make My Apartment Feel Like Home

I am really enjoying this blogging thing again. I used to blog a lot back in the day, but I feel as though things have changed since then. Now, it's blogging, pictures, videos, and Instagram. You get it; it's a whole process.

Instead of forcing everything, I will try and do what naturally feels right. And as I feel called to, I will make more or less.

Today, I wanted to talk about my apartment.

I work from home a few days a week, and one of the mornings last week, I loved how the light cascaded over my apartment, and it inspired me to showcase some small details people probably wouldn't notice when looking around my apartment. I think it's the small details that make a home a home.

I was never a millennial beige girl. I really hate the bland millennial aesthetic. I don't know how we, as a generation, decided that no color was the move. However, When I moved to LA, I was placed in a studio apartment, and I had to embrace the millennial beige movement because too much color in a studio would have been overwhelming. I will say that the lack of a lot of color was a great way to put my studio apartment look together without too much effort.

However, the longer I lived in the place, the more I would add little fun touches that broke up that stiffness to make it mine without it being too much.

Per an earlier post, you guys know that I have A LOT of plants. Adding plants has added a lovely vibe and ease that I adore, but hidden between the plants, I have placed some fun items that one would only see if they were paying attention. While some are obvious, some are less than obvious. So, I want to show some of those pieces today.

One of my favorite pieces is from Sugarpost. I bought my first Sugarpost part at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. I thought I had three pieces from this collection, but I can only find two for some reason. I will only showcase one of those pieces in today's blog post.

Fred Conlon's art at Sugarpost transforms recycled metal into whimsical sculptures that combine humor with thought-provoking messages. His creations range from helmet turtles inspired by WWII to gnome-removal critters and skeletons doing yoga. Each piece is custom-designed, reflecting personal stories and bringing joy through imaginative metal art guaranteed to rust.

Here, I have a small angel that hangs from my kitchen counter. Every time I look at this piece, I smile. This art inspired me to collect pieces that don't need to be stuffy and pretentious.

This juniper is resting in this Abalone shell I purchased years ago on Etsy. I love how the morning light is slowly gliding itself over the juniper.

Next is this collector's Be@rbrick, which I picked up from Neiman Marcus years ago. It's supposed to be an oil diffuser. The idea is to drop the oil on the top of the bear's head. I never did that. I imagined the oil getting everywhere and creating a mess I didn't want. I bought two. One for me to keep and one for me to sell. If you're interested in the other Be@rbrick Aroma Ornament, hit me up!

I picked this octopus up from Living Spaces. It's made of wood and painted to look like an antique brass figure. I'm unsure what attracted me to this guy, but I had to have him.

This gnome is something I picked up from Sugarpost. He's part of another piece I have from them that I may show in the future. I named this guy Greg G'no'neh (aka Greg Gnome). I used to move Greg randomly around my place, but now I like being on top of the fireplace.

I have to admit, during the pandemic, these plant vase busts became popular, and I, too, was a victim of them. I picked up this small one. I have no idea from where or when, but now I use it as a book.

Unlike my octopus, this is a REAL brass figurine. I picked up this hefty brass bee from Marshalls a few years back. I debated getting this bee, but I knew I would be thinking about it for the rest of my life if I didn't know. I am a person who is really into plants, and restoring native bee populations is very important to me and the species. While the Honey bee numbers are slowing rising, native bees still need help getting their population numbers higher.

I have decided to start collecting disco balls. I LOVE disco balls. They make great decor pieces. My goal is to own at least 16 of them, place them in a basket, and look like an art installation. I want to collect the disco balls naturally instead of forcing myself to buy 16 at a time. Currently, I have two disco ballas and one disco mushroom.

This all sits atop the limestone knot I picked up from Target. This limestone knot was part of the Studio McGhee x Target collab. I love limestone because it reminds me of growing up in Texas.

These light pink glass beads are a find from the Rose Bowl Flea. They are recycled glass found off the coast of Ghana. I don't recall the vendor, but if you ever go to the Rose Bowl flea, you can't miss them. I have these beads in light blue as well. I think it had the perfect pop of subtle color.

Book buying has nothing to do with book reading. I want to say that I bought most of these books this year, 2024. Because I'm still a millennial. I hate seeing the binding of the books because of all the different colors (it drives me WILD). To counter that issue, I have the pages face toward me so I'm not seeing too much color.

Side note, my goal for 2025 is not to buy one more book until I read all these.

Here is my only bowl full of crystals. I don't consider myself a Crystal girlie ( I did go through a phase, but that's a crazy story for another day), but here are a curated few that I have. The Onyx bowl is from Goodies. Goodies is one of my favorite home decor places that specializes in its pieces, all being $25 or less. While I can't tell you where I picked up all these crystals, I can tell you that this crystal stop in Glendale (not too far from Goodies) has a fantastic selection of rocks. However, they are more on the pricey side.

Another goodie I picked up from Goodies (you see what I did there) is pick up this marble mortar and pestle. I actually use this every day to grind and place my dog's pills into powder form so I can sprinkle them over his food. Let me tell you right now: this thing is HEAVY!

Lastly, I’m a girl that will save a good bottle so I can propagate my plants. Not that I need another plant, but what I could use is a bigger apartment to house all these plants. Believe me, when I say this is just a small sample of all the proportions that I have.

That's it for today. I hope you guys enjoyed this post.

Tell me, do you have quirky pieces that you hide throughout your home?