The Benefits of House Plants

So recently I've acquired two little succulents to keep in my bedroom, which is something I had avoided doing for a while due to the fact that I tend to be forgetful and would probably neglect watering them and giving them proper care. But I've decided that it might actually be a good idea to have some new responsibility.

I've been reading up on succulents and other houseplants on the internet, and have learned that they're actually good for lot of things besides decoration!

• Easier breathing! When you breathe, your body takes in oxygen and released carbon dioxide. Plants absorb carbon dioxide, as well as toxins, and release oxygen.
• Improve health! Now, while bringing plants and flowers to someone in the hospital has become to cliche for most, some researchers say that plants can help speed up recovery of surgical patients. Plants also produce moisture in the air, which decreases your chances of getting a cold or the flu!
• Better focus! It's said that just being around plants while you're working can improve your concentration, memory, and productivity. I always find myself slacking off when I'm supposed to be drawing or working on a project, so this was great news for me!
• Reduce stress and headaches with cacti! Some electronic devices, such as computers, emit small amounts of EMF radiation, which can have some bad effects on your body. Keeping a lil' cactus buddy or two on your desk or wherever you work on the computer can help absorb these emissions to ease minor headaches and reduce electromagnetic stress. Yay!
• But one of the most important reasons, in my opinion, is that plants can make you happy. Our moods and thoughts are constantly affected by our surroundings, so having our plant friends around can help you to feel more optimistic and reduce sadness.

So there you have it! I've learned a lot from reading about house plants, and I hope this helps you learn something new as well. But the bottom line of this whole post is that plants are awesome, and are really great friends to keep around!

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Outfit: Cats & Lace

The weather today is so beautifully cloudy, so I took advantage of it by putting on my favorite cat print dress and shooting some photos in that perfect lighting. Honestly, if I could only wear peter pan collars and oxfords forever, I'd be perfectly okay with that.

Outfit details:

Dress // Modcloth

Shoes // Modcloth

Tights // Modcloth

Wallet // Modcloth

Necklace // Icing

Earrings // Artwonders

*photos by Taylor

Friday Favorites: PocketBac Sanitizers

This Friday I want to talk about something I've been really loving lately: PocketBac sanitizers from Bath & Body Works! I've raved about these a couple times before, but I just can't stress enough how amazing they are! 

I tend to be pretty passionate about keeping my hands clean and free of bacteria, and I love nice-smelling things, so you can imagine how excited I was when I got these little guys as a birthday gift! The food ones are my favorites, obviously, so I wholeheartedly recommend them!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Greenhouse Day

It's beginning to feel like spring! While spring had officially started over a month ago, it never really feels like spring until you take your yearly trip to the local plant nursery and revive your gardens with new flowers. 

I'm not one to get excited about spring and summer, but that's almost outweighed by my love of plants and green things! I've never had much of a green thumb, much less a garden of my own, but I did get a couple little succulents to keep indoors! So, uh...we'll see how that goes. Hopefully they don't die.

First Post!

Hello, everyone! So welcome to my newest project: The Cat's Knees! (it's a combination of the phrases "the bee's knees" and "the cat's pajamas". Get it? Eh, eh?)
Lately I've been finding my brain to be entirely occupied with my art and work, and after a while I start to feel artblocked and just "stuck". So this is the solution I've come up with! With this blog, I can allow myself to take a break from illustration and let my mind rest when I'm artblocked, but still exercise creativity and inspiration.
The subjects I'll be posting about will range anywhere from daily outfits to reviews to photography, so hopefully it's as inspirational to you as it is to me.
I can't wait to get started!