*Image above via Anina Hee. I love (!) the look. I believe the boots are actually Jimmy Choo’s Mavis in a kitten heel they no longer make but you can get the look for less with these fab Staud ones, currently on sale!
My Latest Snag: Striped Furlanes.
My new summer uniform shoes just arrived: striped furlanes! I love the idea of pairing these with white denim and a white top for a crisp, casual look or with a navy shirtdress for something a bit more elevated.
P.S. Note that Daphne Wilde is running a sale at the moment!
Weekend Musings: On Releasing People from Expectations.
A former colleague of mine recently sent a life update in which he shared a Shamanic blessing that had meant a lot to him over the course of the previous year:
“I release my partner from the obligation to complete me. I release my parents from the feeling they failed with me. I release my children from the need to bring me pride, so they can write their own paths to the rhythm of their hearts. I don’t lack anything. I cherish my essence, my way of expressing it, even if not everyone can understand me. I learn from all beings, all the time. I honor the divinity in you and me.”
It is a lot to absorb in a single gulp. But I have found myself returning to the notion of “release” since. How often do I enter a conversation, interaction, parenting moment with a sense of expectation? On a certain level, this is natural — even beautiful, flattering! — as I feel I learn to open up and rely on people the more they consistently show me their love, loyalty, consideration. And so having high expectations of the ones we love is in a sense a compliment, or a token of respect.
And yet.
I love the way this blessing reminds me to center myself. To release people from those unspoken obligations and expectations I certainly carry with me. To give others space to be themselves, express themselves, care for themselves. I really needed to hear this recently to maneuver through a tough moment in a relationship where I was called to quietly honor someone else’s decision and release her from my own desires and expectations for a certain set of circumstances. It took effort. But I was happy to lean on the phrase: “I release xxx from yyy” and remember to cinch in the circumference around what I can control (versus cannot).
Shopping Break.
+These popular rattan frames were restocked but are flying!
+J. Crew’s end-of-season sale is insane! For you: my favorite classic black pump on sale for like $75 (!); tissue turtlenecks for $8; a $50 utility jacket. For your little one: adorable gingham jammies for $10; an $18 cableknit heart sweater; sweet patterned leggings for $6; and this sherpa jacket for under $50. (<<I bought all of these items for mini!)
+The sale is a great time for little boy basics, too — micro owns several of these henleys and pocket tees (great for layering) and I have loved him in this sophisticated little cashmere polo sweater (only $16)!
+Has anyone tried these blemish patches?! Intrigued by reviews. I have to say that I’ve had my fair share of mask-ne (acne from mask-wearing).
+Meant to include this gorgeous skirt (70% off!) in my designer sale roundup. J’adore! Layer over a white swimsuit or pair with a white tee and go on your chic way!
+A crisp $24 striped button-down. Total essential. Love wearing tops like these (unexpected!) under overalls!
+This $80 rattan table would be so cute in a playroom / nursery / play area.
Ladies! The Citizens of Humanity Charlotte jeans we’ve been buzzing about the last few weeks are on sale for 40% off! So many of you have raved about this denim cut and specifically mentioned that they work “across generations,” in that we have readers in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s who own and love these and have impressed daughters/daughters-in-law/strangers in their teens and 20s with the cut! They are also available in a distressed white wash. Sharing these and a few other great sale finds below, all 40% off —
Some more notes/context on collage items above, plus a handful of other finds:
These Agoldes (40% off!) also get consistent high reviews and have a similar look to the Charlotte. I own Agoldes in the Pinch-Waist cut (also currently 40% off) and love them (!). They have no stretch to them, FYI. I took my true size in them and they run a bit big on me (and, obviously, super long, but I’m accustomed to having everything hemmed anyway). And I would be remiss if I did not mention that Agolde’s wildly popular Parker denim shorts are on sale for 40% off and still available in most sizes! I know the distressing/cut-off look is not for everyone but I have heard many Magpies enthusiastically endorse Agolde for denim shorts because they are cut longer.
I also like the look of this pair from Mother as well as this coated cropped pair from Frame.
While you’re there and contemplating these new basics for your wardrobe, you might also consider this ALC white tee, 40% off, this sophisticated leather tote, this Mr. Mittens sweater (people LOVE this brand), this Marni crossbody bag (!!), this Khaite-like cardigan, and these fabulous boots.
P.S. These jeans will feel so fresh with our Kule tees (bought on sale) and crisp basics.
P.P.S. Bridget has been raving about these inexpensive maternity tees and swears she wears them when not-pregnant, too. For $23/3, I’m tempted…I like the shape. But if you are expecting, this would be a must-buy for me!
Have you seen anything good lately? Mr. Magpie and I always talk about how we’re living in the golden age of television thanks to the content scramble amongst various streaming services. We’ve come a long way from the set of Central Perk. The production value on so many of these series is unbelievable — it almost feels like an embarrassment of riches! I’m thinking specifically of that Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman murder mystery miniseries on HBO, “The Undoing.” It watched like a proper Hollywood studio movie — glossy, gorgeous, with high caliber actors and incredibly written and produced plot twists. Shows like that have been coming hard and heavy for the past few years and thank God for them, as we’ve needed the distraction during the pandemic. Recently, Mr. Magpie and I watched “Sex Education,” which I want to be very careful about caveating (see next paragraph). It is a show ostensibly about the sex lives of teens in a rural part of England and yet it is really about building empathy, healthy relationships with yourself and others, and self-awareness. The writing — especially the design of the characters — is unbelievable. There were many bits that I paused and re-watched in wonder. These are the roundest characters I have ever encountered in a film or TV show. They are dynamic; they breathe; they surprise; they disappoint; they are complex and weird and human and at the end of the day they remind me that we are all striving for affection, and how tender-hearted and love-deserving that makes us. The only other texts that have left me feeling so deeply for its characters were Ann Patchett’s novels. She is a (the?) master of character study, and I still feel a pang when I think about Maeve and Danny from The Dutch House (more on that here) and Franny from Commonwealth (more on that here). “Sex Education” forges similar allegiances between the viewer and its characters — even ones we initially dislike! I still think of them and worry over them and have to remind myself that this is just a show. But what a tremendous feat, to inspire such loyalty and love in an audience. I also must note the acting is exquisite, especially Gillian Anderson (yes, Gillian Anderson!), who is a revelation in her role as a therapist and mother.
All that said, let me flag that there are many parts of the show that viewers will find explicit, challenging, and/or triggering, as it grapples — head on! — with sexual assault, abortion, mental health, LGBTQ+ struggles, infertility, fetishes, and more. There are also parts of the show that feel gratuitous and over-the-top, designed for shock value rather than substance (I think). Please proceed at your own caution!
Over the past year, I also enjoyed the second season of “Emily in Paris,” “Only Murders in the Building,” the Stanley Tucci food show, “Lupin,” “Mare of Easttown,” “White Lotus.” (These shows are not for everyone, so you might do some recon before launching in, especially the last two listed.) On my list to check out: “Dickinson” and “Nine Perfect Strangers” (did not care for the book but still game to try the show). We watched but were less impressed by the second season of “Ted Lasso” (so sad, as Season 1 was easily the best thing I watched earlier in the pandemic; the second season seemed to become too aware of its own Ted Lasso-ness and felt mawkish) and “Succession” has more or less run its course for us. We have not yet been able to get through all of the current-season episodes of “Succession” because it also has become too self-aware (especially in Kendall’s strange and stilted corporate speak) and too repetitive of the same family dynamic. We tried to watch “Squid Games” but weren’t into it? We are the outliers there, I know. And season three of Aziz Ansari’s “Master of None” was beautifully shot and artful but lacked the warmth and levity of previous seasons and just left us feeling depleted. (The first two seasons are among my absolute favorite things I’ve ever watched on TV!)
I feel less rosy on the movie front. I think the best film I watched last year (and we watched a lot!) was “Dune,” which took me by surprise, as I’m not normally into the fantasy/sci-fi genre. We had friends decry the movie as “preamble” — “nothing happened!” — but I felt the acting, the set design, the music, the pace, the suspense, the drama were all incredible. I can’t wait for the sequel. Otherwise, once I got beyond the hair in “The Last Duel” (no, really — Landon and I kept breaking into laughter about Ben Affleck’s horrific bleached blond hair, which reminded me of 1990s Sisqo?, and Matt Damon’s strange matted mullet-mutton chops pairing), I thought that was excellent, too. The narrative design was brilliant and well-positioned within the context of recent-year gender politics and the “me too” movement. The film is set in Medieval times and traces an apparently true story in which a knight challenged a squire (and former friend) to a duel after the squire was accused of raping the knight’s wife. The interesting thing about the movie is that it presents the same story from three different perspectives: the knight, the knight’s wife, and the squire. Perhaps most telling is that there is no disagreement in these stories that the knight’s wife was, in fact, raped. But the details and the embellishments and omissions are stirring and the movie unfolds brilliantly despite the fact that we are more or less watching the same story three times in a row. Jodie Cormer (the wife) was a breath of fresh air — I could not take my eyes from her! Trigger warning about the rape scene, which was difficult to watch once but even worse three times in a row.
Finally, I had high hopes for “The Power of the Dog,” which won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and is getting a lot of Oscar buzz, but I found it disappointing and confusing. The movie is set in 1925 Montana, when two ranchers meet a widow and her son during a cattle drive. One brother marries the widow and the other develops a strange, fraught relationship with the son. (Spoiler alert — if you intend to watch, please skip the rest of this paragraph.) Most of the praise I’ve seen of this movie seems to stem from its shocking ending, where the movie transforms from a psychological drama to a suspense/thriller. We spend 7/8ths of the movie wondering about the intense, homoerotic relationship between Phil and Peter, and then the rug is pulled from beneath us and the entire dynamic (both of the film and of the relationship between Phil and Peter) changes in an instant. From a technical standpoint, I agree that this is impressive sleight of hand. I was surprised. But, like, so what?! Is the point simply to defy genre and dazzle us with a surprise ending? If so, it feels like the first 7/8ths of the movie is an elaborate mis-direct with a lot of dangling loose ends. Why, for example, did we spend time during that strange scene where Kirsten Dunst and her new husband are dancing in a wheat field? I cannot for the life of me guess at the intent of that scene within the context of the ending, and almost feel that my time and empathy were wasted in the name of a shock finale? I also feel that the “twist” relies on the leanest, most improbably thin sequence of events. It almost felt like someone had read that anthrax came from diseased meat hide and then loosely thrown together an absurd chain of events that might enable a vindictive person to use that fact as a means to murder. So many strange circumstances had to happen for that outcome to be achieved (i.e., Peter had to be interested in animal dissection and then happen to come across the dead cattle, then Kirsten Dunst had to drunkenly give away hides by a random and unannounced visit — the only of its kind in the movie –, then Cumberbatch had to have an obsession with making rope AND had to have an open wound on his hand…). Ah! It felt clumsy and deliberate, as if we could see the strenuousness of the creative arc. Finally, there was a mismatch I felt, or a misfire, on the subject of masculinity and sexual orientation in this movie. The film seemed to suggest it would interrogate the myths and problems of the cowboy figure, and yet? We are left to assume that the motivation for Phil’s murder can be found in the film’s opening lines: “For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother? If I did not save her?” It felt like something was off when asking “what kind of man would I be” and dabbling with themes of masculinity and sexual orientation and then not taking that question anywhere at all and in fact reifying the classic “man protects woman” trope. I know I’m coming down hard on this movie and perhaps it’s a testament to the film’s unusual and genre-defying twists. But I left the movie feeling like I’d been taken for a ride, and not a fun one. I’d been asked to exercise the full gamut of my emotions to empathize with the characters and look for meaning, and then felt like someone yelled: “GOTCHA!” at the end.
Anyhow, that movie elicited some strong reactions from me and I’m anxious to watch something else. What’s on your list? What are you watching?
Post-Scripts.
+Loved your responses to this post on movies I can re-watch ad-finitum.
+This dress is right up my alley for everyday wear, with a pair of furlanes — love the fit and interesting pattern.
+Right now, all I want to wear is a simple tortoise headband.
+If you are looking for an inexpensive pillow insert, I have to encourage you to check out Pillowflex. I’ve actually had occasion to buy several different brands in euro sham size pillow inserts (FYI, buy a 28 x 28 pillow for a 26 x 26 sham — always size up so you get a fuller look) because we’ve moved our queen bed from the primary bedroom to the guest room and are setting up a makeshift extra bedroom in the basement level for guests at Mr. Magpie’s 40th Birthday Dinner this weekend. Anyhow, I have been a flurry of activity trying to get things sorted and ironed so our guests will be comfortable. This brand is the best for decorative pillow inserts — much fuller and better at holding shape than other brands of similar or lesser price. I wouldn’t recommend these for sleeping pillows (for that, we have been loving these for an inexpensive option for guest bedrooms and these and these for a more expensive, better quality option for every night use.). But for the decorative euro shams?! They are perfect! They look full, dramatic, plush. Love.
+On a related note, I have some of these hemmed shams for the Euro size pillows and they look fabulous though are a bit of a bear to iron because of that hem, which ends up wrinkling/flopping over quickly anyhow. But, I wanted some extra to complete the set-ups of the guest bedrooms and noticed that they were sold out in white! In a pinch, I ordered these super inexpensive, similar-style shams — $17 for a set of 2 (!) — and they truly look the same! They are probably not as soft or high quality and may not hold up as well, but again, I use the Euro shams more to style the bed than to sleep on, so this was an inexpensive, overnight fix and I was thrilled with results.
+I have such a soft spot for white blouses like this — adore the interesting details.
+I know a lot of you loved this seagrass sorting basket — perfect for recycling paper or also organizing toys! When I saw this smaller divided basket, I thought of you, too. Good for even smaller toys/organization in a bathroom.
+I’m in love with this little watercress water jug and the radicchio version, too. I would use them to display cut flowers/herbs in our kitchen, or style on a shelf! Beyond adorable.
+PSA for my fellow moms with traditional clothing tastes for their LOs: Lil Cactus is currently available at Zulily (a flash deal site — free to join), and they have a great, unfussy gingham romper for a little boy. Hill had these in a few colors. Only $17! I found these were great if I knew he was going to get into something messy, like eating a popsicle or crawling through dirt/sand. If they get stained, less heartache! They also have a sweet bishop-style dress on offer for little ladies for $21 — a sweet and not-too-expensive option for Easter/spring affairs! I like the bigger scale ginghams in pink and blue!
+This ticking stripe quilt would be adorable in a little boy’s room and only $30! Could also double as beach/picnic blanket! Finish with these cute rope lamps! Would be so cute if you have boys sharing a room: to twin beds with one of these lamps for each boy! Maybe use these as side tables?!
+I can’t stop thinking about this wall art. It is SO good. I am seriously contemplating it for my office. I’ve always thought I’d want one of these by Paule Marrot…both would work well together actually. Ahh!
+This Moses baby basket is spendy but a thing of art. Doubles as room decor. Gorgeous!
By: Jen Shoop
+For a long time, my impression of SuperGoop’s Glowscreen was that it was perfect for mornings I was working out — it gave me the tiniest bit of coverage and glow, but also carried SPF, which felt perfect given that I do not otherwise put on makeup before exercising, with the exception of mascara. (I literally never go anywhere without mascara.) Anyway, on non-exercise-mornings, I’d instead apply tinted moisturizer from Laura Mercier or Chantecaille (love both, with a slight preference for Chantecaille, but it is so expensive and not *that* much better than LM so I rarely buy it unless on sale). Both of those products offer more coverage and have more staying power than the SuperGoop. But when I ran out of my tube of Chantecaille, I just switched to using Glowscreen every day and instead would supplement with my beloved Westman Atelier foundation stick (which I normally reserve for big evenings out / date nights / meetings) on my t-zone and any area that was irritated or breaking out. I shared this insight before, but a makeup artist taught me that you do not need to apply foundation entirely over your face. You can just apply it where you need it and then blend really well elsewhere. (I use and swear by this Artis brush; it’s tailor-made for blending Westman Atelier in particular.) The makeup artist’s point was that if the foundation is a good quality and matches tones well, it should look just like your skin, so why would you need it everywhere? So that’s what I started doing on a daily basis and I loved the effect. It made my skin look so natural but I had coverage where I needed it. When I finally ran out of my tube of Glowscreen, I immediately reordered it, and I feel like the math kind of works out in my favor, as Glowscreen is much less expensive than Laura Mercier and Chantecaille, and you end up using very little of Westman Atelier to supplement. Anyway, just a random and windy note to consider if you, like me, don’t wear a full face of foundation every day and are playing around with the tinted products instead.
+My mom gave me a bunch of these caviar sticks recently and they really are fantastic for buildable color, and LM always does such great colors to begin with. I swear they are fool-proof. You just slick it on and smudge with a finger or brush and it looks fantastic. I have been wearing these when I do my 5 p.m. glow up just before going down to dinner hour. I haven’t worn makeup like this in a long time and it just feels fun (but not over the top) to do up the eyes. For awhile in my early 30s, I played around with bold lips but I hated the way it made me self conscious about smears or lipstick on my teeth. I’m now firmly pro-bold-eyes and would much rather do up the eyes with mascara and shadow and leave the lips natural looking. (I still absolutely love Bobbi Brown’s Extra Lip Tint in the Bare Pink color for everyday — it affords the tiniest hint of rosiness — and Chantecaille’s Lip Chic in Bourbon Rose when I need a tiny bit more color that still reads totally natural and can be applied sans mirror, a strange but urgent requirement for me as sometimes I just want to slick it on without being too fussy. I love those two products so much, I have re-ordered them both multiple times, which says a lot because, like, when was the last time you actually killed a tube of lipstick?!)
+On the drugstore beauty front: another lip color that goes on natural with a tiny bit of oomph (for me, more of an afternoon/evening lipstick for that reason) is Maybelline’s Pink Me Up 245. I can’t find it anywhere anymore except on eBay (?!) so if anyone finds a source, please let me know! Otherwise, I’m inclined to try their 244 color, a pink that looks light it might be just a shade down from my 245. For $5, worth a shot?
+If you are looking for a good drugstore foundation, check out L’Oreal’s Infallible Pro Glow. I bought this after Courtney Grow mentioned that a makeup artist had sworn by it (and she’d posted a picture wearing it and looked incredible!). Now, full disclosure, this does not hold a candle to my beloved Westman Atelier. But! When I’d used my SuperGoop down to the last squeeze and was waiting for my new tube to arrive (it got stuck in transit during the snowstorm!), I reached for the L’Oreal to see if I could blend it with moisturizer to sort of create my own “tinted moisturizer” and I was pretty pleased with the results. It does not cover/coat blemishes very well (I found it left those areas looking cakey) but it does even out clear skin beautifully without looking like you’re wearing anything. I was pretty impressed and decided to hang onto it for similar occasions in the future, which is saying a lot since I generally try to pare down my cosmetics so that I have only one or maybe two items in each product category (this is excepting, of course, things like blush and eye shadow, where you want multiple colors). Owing to space constraints, living in NYC drilled into me a “one-in, one-out” mentality I’m loathe to abandon. I truly try to use things until they are completely done and then move onto a new brand, or give it away if I decide it’s not for me. I am finding this harder to maintain with more space but I do think it’s a good rule of thumb in general. It also forces me to think critically about what I like and do not like about products, which is always edifying.
+I wrote about this a lot in my last honest beauty review installment, but I am still so loving this dpHue leave-in therapy. I go back and forth on the actual rinse — I know many of you concoct your own apple cider vinegar rinses for a fraction of the price, and I also still am not sure if I’m doing it properly. Sometimes I feel I put too much and other times too little. However, the therapy?! I am OBSESSED. I have become evangelical about it. It changes the texture of my hair. It’s an all-in-one treatment — heat/UV protectant, sealant, pH balancer, moisturizer, shine-enhancer — but it really gives me the absolute smoothest blowout. I think there are a lot of great products in this category, though. I have used in the past (and loved) DryBar’s Prep Rally, Davines All-in-1-Milk (<<cannot get over how much I love the scent of this one), and Bumble and Bumble’s Invisible Oil Primer. All three are excellent. I’d put dpHue in that category but at the very top. It’s funny how some product categories have lots of worthy contenders and others — not so much. Why is it so hard to get a good eye cream? There are so many brands but I haven’t found one I’m electric about. (Also, there is no such thing as a great dry shampoo? Right? They all make me feel dirtier?) My beauty M.O. for the last few years has been trying to find the absolute best in each category. Sometimes I end up alternating between best and close-to-best depending on price/availability/importance to my overall routine, but I still have yet to find an eye cream that sends me. I’m wondering whether that’s because we’ve invented this imaginary idol where an eye cream can actually erase wrinkles and get rid of dark undereye circles but that’s impossible. Maybe I’m expecting too much! (Release the eye cream from impossibly high expectations, Jen!) Anyway, will continue searching and reporting back.
+Speaking of, I have received so many DMs asking what I think of this purported (!) Dyson hair dryer dupe. I have not yet had time to fully evaluate as every single time I wash my hair, I end up using the Revlon 1-Step because it is so throughly engrained in my routine at the moment and it’s how I like to wear my hair right now, with a sort of bend at the end I can’t usually get with a dryer myself. (If you are new here — HI! — and I am a total evangelist for the Revlon 1-Step. The secret is to air dry hair until it’s almost dry, like 7/8ths of the way there, and then finish with this and you get the best, smoothest blow out!). What this says to me is that I don’t really need a new hair dryer, honestly, but I will test it thoroughly and share thoughts!
+Have I talked to you about eyelash extensions? I get them exactly once a year and for the month or so they last, I feel like the world’s most beautiful human. Ha! I’m joking, of course, but they are truly fantastic. You have to find a really reputable spot and go with the most natural option they offer but then wow, wow, wow. You barely need to put on makeup. You look awake! You look “done!” It is effortless! They are such a great boost if you need it for any reason, especially in the dead of winter, when I always feel washed out, tired, pale. I only permit myself to get them once a year because they do destroy your lashes. I once talked to the owner of a beauty salon on the subject, and we both waxed poetic about them, and then she said: “But, yes, they will destroy your eyelashes. How can they not? They are literally supporting weight they shouldn’t.” For that reason, I strategically pick a month when I want to look fabulous. Last year, I had them for my birthday month and they did not disappoint. Just mentioning here randomly because I was beginning to think about when I might indulge this year…
+If I were on a desert island and could only have three cosmetics products, they would be Armani’s mascara, Westman Atelier’s Blush Stick (which I also wear on my lips), and Cle de Peau’s concealer. Total forever hero beauty products. I keep cheating on Armani and trying other mascaras because it’s my absolute favorite beauty product category. As mentioned before, it’s a must-have product for me. I could live without any other beauty product but I must have mascara and I love trying new ones. I keep coming back to Armani, though. It is glossy, thick, dark, lengthening — I love a dramatic lash.
+If on said desert island, I could also have three skincare products, they would be Tata Harper’s cleanser, Clarins’ Double Serum, and Elta MD’s facial sunscreen. All three are strong 10s. This was harder for me to pick because I am in a committed relationship with Vitamin C, and I absolutely love Biossance’s formula. However, I think I would still put Clarins a notch above in terms of importance to my overall routine. I also struggled with the cleanser — I have been using Tata every night for years now and cannot leave it without breaking out, but in the mornings, I love this oil-based cleanser. I read somewhere you don’t need to clean your face with a scrub in the morning because it’s not like you’ve been anywhere, collecting dirt/smog/impurities while sleeping! So I use this gentle face oil cleanser and it makes me feel like I’ve been at the spa at 6:49 a.m. I know so many of you have fallen hard for it, too. It is excellent. But I still think Tata is what keeps my skin in check.
Curious to hear your hero products! Always love these responses. See if you can limit yourself to three in cosmetics category and three in skincare category!
I know Valentine’s Day can be polarizing — I’ve heard the “Hallmark holiday” accusation many times — but I love any occasion to dress up and drink champagne. Below, a few fun ideas for the holiday…
+Dondolo always has fun finds for occasions, like this dress. Last year, I bought one of their smocked tops in a blue heart print and paired with these earrings.
+I don’t know what it is about blue hearts (ha!), but this year, I am contemplating adding another Julia Amory dress to my collection in this fun D. Portahult-esque print. I love this dress so much. It is in a super-soft, almost brushed (?) cotton, skims the body, and nips in slightly around the waist. My only gripe is that the buttons at the bottom come unfastened easily while walking around. I’ve had other friends report back with the same issue!
+More hot pink finds here. So love this color ATM.
I’ve had a few inquiries about Galantine’s Day ideas. Aside from a sweet friendship note on a card like this, this, or this, a few ideas…
+Have girlfriends over for a cocktail (may I suggest this cocktail recipe or this one for the occasion? both are perfectly pink!) and throw in these fun stirrers, or these.
+More ideas (including recipes/menu ideas) on entertaining girlfriends here.
+Over the top but how insanely cool and fabulous are these oversized paper peonies?! Like do I need this as “an art installation” in my office?! SO good.
+I love the creative occasion cards at Amy Heitman if you want to send a note to a good girlfriend.
I LOVE GIVING A LITTLE COSMETIC/BEAUTY FIND — JUST ORDERED MYSELF THIS SPF LIP BALM AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN AS A GIFT FOR A GAL PAL…ALSO LOVE THIS SCRUB! WRAP UP EITHER WITH CELLO AND A BIG BOW AND A TAG THAT READS: “YOU’RE THE BALM” HAHA
A quick third post! You must be a subscriber to Kule’s emails, but you can get early access to their annual sale starting today! I have purchased many of my “Modern Long” tees (my favorite cut — it is slightly boxy and not overlong despite what the name implies; I am short, 5’0, and it hits at hip for me) via this sale, and there are still lots of great colors in many sizes. Some notes on sizing: I find this brand runs TTS and take an XS across the board. However, many of their styles are intentionally designed to fit “boxy” and I think the website does a great job of indicating the intended fit/style, so I would take a look at those pretty closely and see if you like the boxiness level. Even their “modern long” which might imply a slim, slender fit is boxy/loose in the body (though trimmer/narrower in shoulder and arm fit), though not dramatically so. Their sweatshirts, by contrast, tend to run fairly trim/slim, though I still take my true size (XS) in those and they fit great.
MOCKNECK IN STARK WHITE — GREAT LAYERING PIECE; ALMOST WANT TO WEAR THIS OVER MY FITNESS TANKS IN THE MORNING!
WELL-PRICED KNITWEAR: NAVY STRIPES OR CAMEL CASHMERE AT J. CREW PRICES!
Also please note the incredible kids’ sale section. My children have had a few of their pieces and they are so adorable and well-made. I love this rugby tee, this yellow stripe, and this sky blue stripe.
Last but not least, I’ve picked up a few items for Mr. Magpie from Kule this past year, and he has been living in both this rugby shirt (now on sale) and these fun socks!
*Image above via Vibi Venezia; loads of their furlanes are on sale at the moment here! I just snagged these striped ones to wear all summer long. Even including the $15 shipping, they are under $50!
Wow — some incredible bargains to be had on designer items I’ve mentioned many times here, including…
Expecting mamas, the sale includes some fabulous non-maternity finds that would make great everyday dresses with a bump and are slightly easier to justify because they are so heavily discounted:
P.S. I got so much enthusiastic feedback on this post on crisp basics/striped essentials! I am going to try to include more posts along these lines. Wanted to mention that I recently discovered Alice Walk carries some fantastic looking striped tees (love the silhouette — sort of narrow at shoulders/neck and a slight widening at hips), and of course my striped furlanes will fit right into this vibe as we head towards summer. Just imagine with a simple denim or white shirtdress.
P.P.P.S. Are there interests, or orientations, or tenets of life, that are non-negotiables for you in a partner?
By: Jen Shoop
During a recent cycling session, the instructor commented: “showing up for yourself enables you to show up for others,” meaning that taking the time to exercise would help me better serve the loved ones in my life. I was surprised at how much our recent conversations on downtime, self-care, and mom guilt (more here) inflected and even derailed the well-intentioned comment. It’s not that I disagreed with her, but there was something about the simplicity — the facileness? — of her suggestion that landed awkwardly. I found myself thinking, “If it were only that easy!” and shuffling through all of the conversations I’ve had with so many of you on this subject in the comments section and in real life with friends, too. It felt vaguely the way I felt when I was in graduate school, and someone not in my graduate school would make a simple and accurate comment about a book, and I would find myself nearly waterlogged by the twenty-two different ways I wanted to take the conversation. I remember specifically finding myself tongue-tied while talking about Junot Diaz with a friend. She’d found his tone off-putting, a view with which I very much empathized, but there was so much more to say about that. His books are laced through with interrogations of masculinity and performance. They are also a feat of “owned voice” cultural representation. It is a wonder to make the text sound like the spoken word — in this particular case, of a Dominican-American boy growing up in New York — while still standing on its own as a beautifully shaped piece of art. And then there is the question of the reader’s relationship to the narrator and to the text, too, and what that means about the tone and its reception, especially from the lens of cultural difference.
Anyhow, it’s interesting, the way that goes: the more we think, the more expansive and circumstantial and nuanced things can feel. I am reminded again of Voltaire: “The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.” I don’t mean that in a faux modest way. I mean, truly, that the longer we spend with something, the more we respect its intricacies and textures. (If I ever find myself feeling the opposite, I must remember to spend an afternoon wandering around subreddits on obscure topics like “the best manual coffee grinders.” There are multiverses of experts on the leanest of matters, and even they disagree one another.)
But. I do believe the instructor to be correct, and I think many of you do, too, even if the entreaty leaves us itchy in certain ways. And yet — what does it mean to “show up” for yourself? It is not always exercise, or self-advocacy in fraught relationships, or massages, or therapy, though those are, certainly, media. I have been thinking a lot on this, and specifically on the tiniest ways in which it can be done. One approach, borrowed from another blog, runs as follows:
“I made a list of all the teeny tiny things that frustrate me regularly. One of them was that my laptop charger only works if the battery pack is tilted at a 45 degree angle. And then I made a plan to fix it.”
I love this inventorying: such a small but realistic way to make tiny, material improvements in your day. I realized that I feel similar angst when I am writing at a crowded desk, and yet I have tended to sit here with a stack of notepads and planners on my left and three different liquids to drink on my right and the various accretions of living with small children: a handful of legos, a string of beads, a metal inset shading from Montessori. I hate the way it makes me feel: half-situated, distracted. And it took Allie’s prompt to make me realize I need to commit to a clearing of the decks before descending to write. Much better.
I think taking the time to accommodate these slender preferences and tamp down these minor frictions will pay off manifold. If I learned anything from claiming fifteen minutes of my day in order to create a space to buffer, download, and transition between “work Jen” and “Mom Jen,” it is that self-care and improvements to quality of life do not always need to be grandiose, expensive, time-consuming endeavors. Sometimes it’s a matter of finding a new charger, or moving the stack of notebooks to your drawer, or just zoning out at your desk for a dedicated stretch of time.
Hoping today you find a minute to jot down some daily frustrations and see what can be done about them —
+Adjacent thought: re-branding difficult times of day. It was strange to revisit this post, as we have evolved so much as a family since the writing of this post. Which, honestly, I must write about some time on a separate thread because it gave me the most profound sense of hope. I mean, it is truly all a phase. And now dinnertime is no big deal and it’s just bed time that occasionally fills me with dread, as it is mini’s preferred site of recalcitrance. More on that later, but just to say, if you are IN IT as a mom today and wondering how moms do this [whatever “this” challenging thing means for you] for years and years, just know it truly will change. The knotty parts smooth out; other knobs form. Keep going.
+On that note, if you’re “in it” as a mom in general, I’m here to sit with you. And so are a lot of other Magpie moms. You are so not alone!
+Unrelated, but I still find the feedback on this three-year-old post on not getting into my first choice school absolutely fascinating. Ditto this post on choosing English as a major.
Shopping Break.
+I should have included this in yesterday’s roundup but fabulous swim trunks for little boys in two great colors. Might buy in both! TBH sometimes in the summer I dress him in swim trunks and a polo regardless of the plans for the day since they so often get wet/play in the sprinkler/pool and these are cute enough to double as shorts.
+I need to run a retraction, or revision. I bought a Dudley Stephens fleece this past fall after seeing SO many women wear and love them. At first, I did not get the fuss. I found myself reaching for other athleisure layers instead. But suddenly, I cannot stop wearing this thing. It’s been great layered under my parka on snow days because the funnel color keeps my neck/face warm, but it’s thin enough to not be bulky underneath. I also super love it over a seamless fitness tee (<<just bought this one). It is just a perfect pairing and I can’t explain why? But I love it? Anyway, I have been getting a ton of use out of my fleece, which is in a chic sage green color. I kind of want a second? Is this how it starts?
+My MIL gave me an enormous bag full of crafts, decor, baking accessories (i.e., cupcake flags) that she’d gotten at Michael’s for up to 80% off. Many of it is from the just-ended holiday season and I just put it all on my holiday shelf for next year. I was ECSTATIC. A few great finds that are part of the promotion:
THESE HOLIDAY GIFT SACKS (SO GREAT FOR OVERSIZED/BULKY GIFTS FROM SANTA!)
OVERSIZED WOVEN BOW — MARKETED AS TREE TOPPER BUT COULD BE FOR A HUGE GIFT, GARLAND, ETC
HEART ORNAMENTS — ACTUALLY GREAT FOR VALENTINE’S DAY!
+Speaking of Michael’s and Valentine’s Day, I just loaded up my cart with some more items for my children to work with over the next few weeks. How cute are this card making kit, these die-cut stickers, this pom craft kit, and this heart craft kit? All 20% off and great for idle hands cooped up thanks to cold weather / COVID. I also got this card set for my children to use for notes — I love the “air mail” vibes.
+Recently bought some more of these inexpensive rope toy bins. Perfect for the Barbies mini just inherited from her aunts and myself — there must be 30 Barbies!
+This quilted reversible coat is so fun for spring. Throw on over a patterned dress or with jeans and a tee. Love.
+This dramatic swimsuit is on my radar for a beach trip this summer.
+Will be sharing a post full of spring/Easter dresses soon because I know I’ve been dripping them in here and there and several of you are looking for one, but wanted to mention this dress which I imagine pairing with a perfect blue cardigan like this or this at Church.
+Speaking of Easter, we have these soft-sided baskets, but I’ve always loved these with the scalloped liners. In NYC, space was a huge consideration so I needed the soft-sided ones that could lay flat for storage!
+Lacoste long sleeved polos, on sale for 30% off, in good colors like white, navy, etc! AHH! They are selling quickly. Managed to snag one navy in a size up for micro. He lives in these!
+These limited-edition cashmere sweaters and onesies for babies — swoon! I’m thinking I’ll send one of these for the next baby born in my network! Too sweet.
+Adore this rosebud knit dress. Can be layered over white leggings and beneath a white cardigan as we ease into spring.
+I am absolutely in love with Minnow’s Spring collection. My cart is full at the moment with these terry dresses, these terry shorts and polos, and this polka dot dress.
+Speaking of Minnow, this $13 suit serves up major Minnow vibes — I just bought for mini!
+This smocked chambray dress. The brand has the most thoughtful details; they specifically design clothes to stretch for more than one season. In this case, the side ties can be adjusted as child grows.
+Just a reminder that Cientas are on sale for 40% off here in fantastic colors.
+We’ve had two major snowfalls here in D.C. over the last few weeks and I am so bad — I neglected to buy snow gloves AND snow boots. I had everything else but they both outgrew their boots before the first snowfall so just had to use rainboots, which are not insulated! Anyway, eyeing these mittens (love the elastic strap around the wrist idea and great colors) or these (you know I swear by this brand for snow and rain gear, but $42 is pricey for limited-use gloves — maybe if we skied regularly, or still lived in Chicago I could justify?). For snow boots — AH. I am totally torn because I doubt we’ll get more snow this year (two large snowfalls was very unusual for the area) and so I kind of want to just make do with rainboots and invest in some proper ones next year? But why do I want these for mini?
+I am OVER THE MOON about these 7AM Enfant scooter mitts. Absolutely brilliant for my Manhattan moms who know how often their babies scoot from point A to point B. At our school in NYC, we had “scooter parking” for the children!
+I adore these striped shortalls for a little man — European styling and fit. Just perfect. Feeling weepy those days are gone for us! I’m glad I did it up while he was little. He wore a TON of the similar styles from Busy Bees; this one was my favorite. I loved it so much I bought it in multiple sizes. I’d pair with these little red Keds. Meep!
+During the colder months when he was younger, I dressed him in these La Coqueta cords and knit sets, both currently on sale! BTW – this brand runs small. I stuffed him into these Christmas overalls (also on sale — if you have a baby boy, buy now for next year!) this year in a size 3 and he barely fit. It was the last Christmas I thought I could get away with him in longalls since we toilet trained him right after the holidays, and then I feel badly if he can’t access the toilet without help undressing.
+This sailor-style drop waist dress and this smocked polka dot dress are currently in my cart for mini. Absolutely adorable.
*Image above via Toteme. ULTRA CHIC. The skirt is everything.
Q: A longline black cardigan. Budget is $100.
A: This is $5 over, but I love this Everlane one, and the pockets/shape of this one feel so modern. If it’s more of a duster situation you’re after, consider this Aqua or this soft knit. Love the idea of layering the latter over a crisp white button-down for a texture contrast. Last but not least, had to mention this J. Crew style, currently on sale for $118. Love the weight, texture, shape — sort of a coatigan situation.
Q: Spring crossbody bag.
A: Total frivolous and trend-conscious splurge: this Gucci, this Loewe, or this Lady Dior micro. Investment: Chanel double flap in caviar leather in a spring color. More reasonable but still spectacular and high-quality: this Frame, this Pam Munson, this mini jute, this DeMellier, or this Tory Burch. I have written about this a lot, but I own and adore this Marc Jacobs bag (under $400). It’s the perfect shape and size for carrying just the essentials — phone, card case, keys, sanitizer — and I love the details. It is also available in a slightly larger size in fabulous spring colors here (the green!!!). (I own it in this more fall-centric color palette.) The design reminds me of a lot of this far more expensive Marni style, but I think they’re equally chic. This matte pink Osoi also caught my eye — so unusual and architectural! For styles under $215, I am in love with this Ariel Okin x Neely and Chloe (perfect Easter bag!), this Hermes-inspired lady bag, and this wicker style (!). Not crossbodies but worth a mention: this is a clutch but had to mention here: it’s $12 and v inspired by Bottega! And this little woven bag with the pink leather handles is SO cute!
Q: February wedding (“formal” – is that black tie?) in Santa Monica.
A: I believe formal is the level below “black tie optional,” but a step above “cocktail.” I am assuming Santa Monica will be warm next month given that it’s in the 70s now? A few favorite options that feel dressy, location-relevant, CHIC, and weather-appropriate:
Q: I’m hoping you can help me find fabric. I’m looking to reupholster a set of vintage dining chairs we inherited. If I’m brave enough, we’ll wallpaper the dining room above the wainscoting in S&L’s navy grasscloth. I’m looking for a fabric to complement that wallcovering. Leaning traditional, timeless, possibly floral. Would so appreciate your input! Thanks in advance!
A: WOW! This sounds so incredibly chic. I would spend some time skimming the Instagram accounts of interior designers you admire/like and see what they’ve done. A few constant sources of inspo for me: my girlfriend Jen Hunter, Clary Bosbyshell, Amy L. Berry, Kelley Proxmire. They all do such interesting things with colors and patterns. I was surprised but I like the way these two dining rooms (1 and 2) use solid upholstery against white chairs, for example. (Would you consider painting/re-staining yours?). I would not have thought to do that but it adds so much youthfulness and airiness to the room, and might be fabulous against the navy wallpaper. I also like the vibes of this room and this room, and so maybe going with something similar — a gingham/geometric pattern is the direction I’d lean if I want a pattern. Maybe something like this, this, or this? That said, this Sister Parish design is so fabulous. It’s having a major moment right now and I can’t stop thinking about it. It might feel dated in time, though, given how on-trend/grandmillennial it feels. And so that leaves me thinking maybe a blue and white stripe is the way to go — Lee Jofa, French linen? How could you ever tire?!
I will say I’m sharing thoughts based purely on aesthetics, and if you have young children, you might consider a performance fabric. I’m sure you can find a classic, timeless blue and white stripe or solid blue in a performance fabric. (Otherwise, be sure to throw a towel down whenever your children are eating…that’s what we do in our home.).
I’ve also leaned heavily into blue patterns in my response here because I think it’s a simple way to tie into the navy grasscloth without being matchy matchy.
Q: Classic crewneck cardigans.
A: I “answered” this last week by completing ignoring the question and actually sharing pullovers. Ha! Sorry about that! I was in la la land. I don’t know why J. Crew has retired its timeless Jackie style — I own tons of these in different colors and they are perfect, tailored, fitted. You can find a tiny run of them here. J. Crew Factory has a similar style though I do find the quality of their Factory pieces hit or miss. And there is limited inventory in a similar style at Boden in a great warm white color here. Zara = has some simple, unfussy ones in pretty colors out, too. And if it’s cableknit you’re after, I’m drooling over these ones (on sale!) from N. Peal. A few other “classic with a twist” options I love:
Q: Table linens! I need to build up my collection, and am looking for reasonably-priced basics, though I never mind a suggestion for a fun, pretty purchase as well.
A: I love this and could stand to do the same! My top recs for versatile, timeless table linens are this scalloped Matouk (would pick a color that compliments your dining room or that you simply love…personally I’m afraid of white tablecloths so would go with one of the colors!), a timeless linen, probably in the flax color, and a simple runner in a color you like (this one I have in white because it’s less likely to be stained by food and it just looks fresh and lovely; i love that it’s quilted because it makes the table feel more “done” for some reason, maybe because of the texture contrast? and never needs to be ironed!). For everyday dining, I love placemats like these, these or these. Again, the texture is interesting and they don’t need to be ironed as intensively as, say, linen or cotton. They hold their shape better, too. I think a woven rattan placemat like this or this would be lovely for the same reasons (not a pain to iron/launder). I also have a set of cork-backed placemats that I love because they are wipe-clean!
For napkins, I love these (the white would go with absolutely EVERYTHING), these (just ordered in the magenta/pink but the neutral colors would stand you well for everyday), these, these, and this green set. Such a funny thing — I have a set of plain sage green cotton dinner napkins that have seen the heaviest use of ANY of my napkins. They just go with so much as a contrasting color, are pastel without being too frou-frou/feminine, etc. They can also work across seasons I find. One other note on napkins: you can often find GREAT deals on clearance at Pottery Barn on these. Currently love these and these.
As for more fun/punchy/statement pieces, I’m currently in the market myself for some of those scalloped linen placemats from Mrs. Alice, La Gallina Matta (I bought my mom a set of these!) or The Avenue. So many chic options! And a few other table linens with more distinctive patterns to consider:
JUST BOUGHT THIS PINK MRS. ALICE — THE MOST FUN HOT PINK AND CAN GO WITH SO MANY COLORS…GREEN, PALE PINK, WHITE, TAUPE, RED — FOR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS
Q: Art for my son’s nursery that will work as the room changes. Not too cutesy.
A: I love the pieces by Leslee Mitchell. Something like this would be so fun! We had a reproduction of an Andy Warhol printed on canvas in our son’s room. He has some fun pieces (these cars? this cow?) that read whimsical but sophisticated, especially when mixed in with artwork in other styles/media. (Side note: I have a thing for Andy Warhol’s portrait of Carolina Herrera and sometimes stalk reproductions on eBay. I think it would be so fabulous framed or printed on a stretched canvas in my office with other feminine artwork.) Also love the idea of a set of vintage animal sketches like these framed across a wall.
Q: Good source for wedding inspo? Any posts on your wedding?
A: Congratulations! Unlike Bride and Over the Moon are the only bridal accounts I follow! I was married nearly twelve years ago but I find them SO inspiring and sophisticated, so that should be an indication of how strongly I feel about the aesthetics! I don’t have much on my own wedding, sadly, but I do have a bridal section here with fun finds for brides-to-be.
Q: Men’s leather wallet.
A: Paul Stuart makes lovely, timeless men’s products. I’ve purchased Mr. Magpie several pairs of shoes and belts from there. They have this straight-forward, elegant wallet on offer. Todd Snyder has some lovely pieces from London-based brand Ettinger worth a look. Smythson makes beautiful leather goods, too, and some are on sale. Last but not least, I have gifted Mr. Magpie two Ralph Lauren bifolds in our time as a couple!
Q: Rehearsal dinner dress in August.
A: Congratulations! I have loved this Zimmermann for the last few seasons — it’s just so elegant and chic and easy. This Carolina Herrera has a sweet vintage quality to it that I love; this Sachin and Babi is romantic; this Staud is darling and fresh; this Shoshanna feels formal but fun at the same time; this feather-trim style feels on trend and festive; this Markarian is spectacular; this mini says “I’M HERE TO CELEBRATE!”
Q: New bath towels.
A: My favorites are Matouk’s Cairo and Auberge — I own multiple sets of each. I also have some Weezie, which offer the greatest monogram options. I do find the latter are soft but snag easily, just FYI!
Q: Dress for me for my newborn photos and my almost three year old girl. Baby two is also a girl!
A: Congratulations! I would treat myself to this Thierry Colson or this one, or one of Julia Amory’s shirtdresses — all boast loose fits in fabulous prints with a nice amount of coverage. If those are too busy for your taste, consider a simple and elegant Daphne Wilde dress. For your little one, you can’t go wrong with a petal collar Proper Peony or smocked Luli and Me. Pukatuka also has some darling pieces in pinks and blues. I have also had fabulous luck with Sal E Pimenta over the past few years — they do the sweetest pieces with unusual, slightly whimiscal details, like this sailor-inspired beauty. Cecil and Lou nails the look for less with precious pieces like this and this. Proper Peony, Luli, and Sal e Pimenta all run small but Cecil and Lou runs generously.
Q: Fall black tie wedding, coast of Maine.
A: Love that you’re planning ahead. I’m the same way. I would wear this, this, or this with a little copped jacket like this, this, or this over my shoulders (it will certainly be cold!). This navy number or this black velvet are also striking!
Q: 84th birthday gift for my mom.
A: Happy birthday to her! Wow! How about one of these gorgeous Heidi Carey robes, some beautiful table linens, a beautiful frame with a special photo of the two of you (or the entire fam!), an Alice Walk cashmere wrap, or an Artifact Uprising photo book. I’m thinking of doing the latter for my mom/mother-in-law one of these years. I know they would treasure it! If she prays, my mom loved this rosary bracelet as a recent gift. If she is still fairly active (plays golf / likes to go for walks), I love the idea of buying her some new fitness gear from Tory Burch, whose styles are so age-versatile.
Q: Practical anniversary gift for our son and daughter-in-law with two small children.
A: Great quality (but not too pricey) towels or sheets in go-with-everything white. I only got my second set of sheets for my bed a few years ago and it finally made me feel like an adult not to have to leave the bed stripped every time I’d launder the sheets. But second, or third, sets of sheets are just not something you want to spend money on when you have so many demands! Alternately, a piece of furniture! It takes a lifetime to acquire a full set. My mother bought us dining chairs awhile ago (we consulted with one another on style) and WOW. To have a huge part of my dining room outfitted was beyond generous!
Q: Valentine’s cards for adults.
A: If you’re thinking of sending a bunch out to friends, I like the simple design of these and these! Such a fun idea!
By: Jen Shoop
Mr. Magpie gave me this baking cookbook for Christmas and I have found myself clipping back in to the art of baking. I find the recipes fun, extraordinarily well-written, and thoroughly researched. I have learned so much already. I recently shared some fantastic kitchen gear we love and swear by, but wanted to run a post more oriented towards us bakers (and I know there are many who read this blog). Below, items I absolutely love for baking.
BRAVETART COOKBOOK — As mentioned above, I am obsessed with this cookbook. Everything I’ve made of hers has turned out perfectly. She does a fantastic job of explaining the science/technique without being too esoteric or irritating. She has a knack for explaining how ingredients should look/feel in easy-to-interpret language, i.e., the softness of butter, the degree to which whites should be whipped, etc. I find her recipes ultra-reliable. I have amassed quite a library of baking books, but the only other voice I trust implicitly is Martha Stewart, and even then, I find variation between versions of her books/recipes. Stella Parks is even more reliable IMO. Sorry Martha!
KITCHENAID MIXING BOWLS — The best because they are lightweight (and therefore easy to wield when combining ingredients) but sturdy enough that they can withstand a hand mixer/heavy whisk. The spout also facilitates pouring, and the sizes are perfection for nearly any baking need. Also store neatly in a cupboard.
NIELSEN MASSEY VANILLA — The biggest leap in the quality of my baked goods? High-caliber ingredients. I think Nielsen Massey’s vanilla is the absolute best. Mr. Magpie sent me an article last year asserting that actually McCormick’s vanilla is the best according to super-tasters and various other criteria I can’t now remember. For awhile, I switched back to the grocery store variety. Much cheaper and easier to come by. But I simply disagree. I think NM’s vanilla is much richer and more round in flavor than any other variety I’ve tried.
KERRYGOLD BUTTER — Similar to note above, I only bake with Kerrygold or Plugra unsalted butter at this point. You can *really* taste the quality of butter in baking because so many of the recipes are butter-forward/butter-intensive, especially in cookies! Trust me, this is worth the expense.
KITCHENAID HAND MIXER — I have a full-sized stand mixer, too, and could not live without it but I love this little guy so much. Frankly, if I can get away with using the hand mixer instead of Big Sis, I will. This is so lightweight and easy to use and you have the added advantage of being able to “get under” things in a way you can’t with a stand mixer. I’m thinking specifically of egg whites and whipping cream — so much easier to get them thoroughly mixed and aerated when you can control the angle of the beaters with your hand.
VOLLRATH BAKING SHEETS — Heavy duty, do not warp, conduct heat well. La creme de la creme.
COOKIE SCOOP — I went for years without owning one of these, and have no clue why. They yield much more regular results (duh) than eye-balling/rolling by hand and make the process much cleaner and simpler. I like that you can get different sizes, too, depending on what type of cookie you’re scooping.
BATTER BOWL — This is not the exact brand I own, but a batter bowl is essential to baking! I use this shape more regularly than any other in my arsenal because the handle makes for easy pouring, even when I’m not making a cake batter. I simply like it for ease of pouring items together. However, it is ideal for cake batter!
BAKING AND COOLING GRID — For most of my life, I used a cooling rack without the grid (just vertical lines straight across) and those always left an imprint on the underside of the cookie / sometimes the cookies would break across the gaps. This grid solves that problem and enables cookies to cool evenly without losing their shape. These are also oven-safe in the event you have a purpose for that. I think Mr. Magpie has even used these for dry-brining meats.
8″ WHISK — We have tons of whisks but this small one is my favorite. It’s much easier to wield and control than the others we have. I trust there are reasons to have differently lengthed whisks but I have tiny hands and I find this far easier to manipulate than any other I’ve ever tried.
FAT DADDIO CAKE TINS — Mr. Magpie discovered these on some random corner of the Internet/Reddit and they truly are excellent. They come in tons of depths, shapes, etc, and they bake very evenly. I think it has something to do with the type and thickness of metal — it conducts heat more evenly.
KITCHEN SCALE — I actually own the OXO brand but I would advocate for this one because it is well-reviewed (Wirecutter’s top pick), half the price, and I love that it’s entirely coated in a wipeable material, which would be incredibly handy.
Not seen above but must mention: WS’s goldtouch loaf pans and cupcake tins. They are heavy-duty and nonstick. So easy to get a banana bread out of these bad boys!
P.S. Some favorite baking recipes (more here). These are billed by season but many of them work year-round! (Sugar cookies?!)
There is a heart-wrenching, gorgeous song by Brittany Howard called “Short and Sweet” that we listened to, loud — just the way Mr. Magpie likes it — one night last week after the children were asleep. The lyrics are somber. They confront unrequited love, self-harm, unhealthy relationships. But there is an exquisite line in it that captures perfectly the way we open ourselves up to the people we love:
“There’s always a light over my head for you.”
The image is perfect: a lone face in the window, waiting for headlights to turn up the drive. A dark, vacant city street suffused with the soft incandescence of a solitary bulb in the window of a ninth floor apartment.
Howard’s song thrums with the agony of waiting for someone who may never arrive: “Time will always try to kill me,” she sings.
But there is a less torturous scenario that sprang to mind the minute I heard the lyric: siblinghood. My relationships with my siblings feel elastic in the sense that we could go from a disagreement to laughing so hard we are crying in the blink of an eye. I need no preamble to feel comfortable sending an out-of-the-blue text about anything at all, be it airing a grievance or sharing a hilarious meme. I can go two months without talking to my brother and then we speak on the phone and it is as though no time has passed at all, without any of the sheepish gravel-kicking that tends to accompany lapsed friendships. My sister can be furious with me but woe betide the person who criticizes me in her presence. There is a core there that cannot be moved, a light that will never turn off. I will always have my sister’s knit brow (“she said what to you?!”) and the crook of her arm to take while teetering in heels and the firm squeeze of her hand in the pew at Church. We may shift into times where we see one another less, or talk more infrequently, but the light stays on.
Thank God for siblings, and for all loved ones (friends! aunts! cousins!) who keep the light on for us.
+I have heard such good things about this carseat/stroller fabric stain removal kit and it is currently on sale.
+Speaking of stain removal, have I already talked your ear off about this tiny fabric brush?! I use this with a little bit of dish soap and apply directly to a stain and it gets EVERYTHING OUT. Has even worked on chocolate and wine!
+Those heart earrings reminded me that Nicola Bathie just launched some fun statement rings!
+This remains my favorite everyday moisturizer. Feels great going on — lightweight, blends in easily. Just an elegant, effective product.
+Scalloped Liberty print top — reminds me of Horror Vacui and currently on major sale.
+Beginning to think about mini’s fifth birthday in early March. I am torn between a few different themes. She’s obsessed with Alice and Wonderland at the moment, and that could be a fun theme? But then she’s a longtime lover of superheroes, and look at this adorable invitation!
