Hi! My name is Amanthi and I love decorating and gardening! I started the blog in the summer of 2020 because I felt led to share my two favorite hobbies! Each space matters and serves to enhance mood and create a backdrop where life happens. After a busy day spending time at work, school, and activities our time at home anchors us as a family. I love decorating to enhance our surroundings and finding ways to take care of our family. I am on a mission to create relaxed, causal, and pretty spaces!
Home Decor
I believe in finding ways to decorate using things you already have at home. I buy new items but really try to reuse many of the items that I already own. You’ll see several of my favorite décor pieces making an appearance in my posts. I hope you’ll follow my journey and experiment with items you already own as well!
Life is busy and can be hectic for us. Between work, kids, pets, and spending time with family, each décor update must be accomplished in minutes and not hours. So I tend to focus on adding seasonal color with simple updates. See the Home Decor section of the blog!
In the Garden
Gardening has always been a passion for me and my garden is made up of both flowers and vegetables. If I am honest, it has more flowers than vegetables. My garden is pretty small and has several English roses and seasonal annuals. I prefer an English cottage garden style and have incorporated many different plants to achieve the look. When I was younger I loved to smell flowers in the garden (still do) and was stung by a bee in the eye! It didn’t stop me from continuing with my passion for gardening though!
Living in the suburbs of Phoenix Arizona, we have to contend with really hot summers. Our optimal garden season is from October to May. See the garden section of the blog for more information on growing flowers, gardening tips, plant reviews and so much more.
Flower Journal
Growing up in Sri Lanka my aunt often hosted many parties and I was able to create flower arrangements for her. I am not a florist and have not had any formal training. Flower arranging is a hobby that I enjoy and something I’ve learned by doing over the years. I only use a few flowers in my designs and tend to focus on creating arrangements that are easy to put together. Flowers give me great joy and are a central part of my decor style. It’s nice to be able to bring the outdoors in and add beauty with flowers. Follow along on the blog for easy to create arrangements.
The Inspiration Behind The Blog
I named the blog after my great-grandmother Sara and her sister, Effie. These ladies lived in a place far away and during a very different period of time. Born in the early 1900’s they lived in a small town on the exotic island of Sri Lanka. Their dedication to home and family lives beyond them and serves as an inspiration to me. Although I never met them, my mother and other family members have shared stories of their legendary hospitality. They were known for maintaining a beautiful home and more importantly creating a space where friends and family were welcome.
I have several really artistic and talented family members who are truly hospitable. Inspired by their love for beauty and creativity the blog is my creative outlet and hobby.
I hope you will join me on my journey to create a home and garden that is truly special and filled with beauty and joy.
