A handful of things that have delighted me the past few weeks —
01. Vietri tree mug. I’d been eyeing this for several seasons but it felt like a ridiculous splurge — I treated myself and I can’t tell you the joy it brings me?! The cardinal motif! The charming hand painting! The uneven shape! The generous size! Every single morning, I look forward to enjoying my winter coffee out of this.
02. Fellow Precision Coffee Maker. While we’re talking coffee — I cannot/will not stop singing the praises of this machine. It yields pourover coffee with the ease of a drip machine. Highly configurable if you have a coffee snob spouse — you can change the length of extraction, adapt for level of roast you like, etc, etc. — but I find it particularly charming in it ease of use (it will tell you exactly how many beans to put in, to the gram, for the exact amount of coffee you want). This is a product designer’s dream. Every detail from the sounds it makes to the prompts it offers you on its tiny screen to its perfect minimalist design. A 10/10.
03. Cyklar Naked Neroli body cream. OMG. I know a lot of you love this product, too. The quality and scent are insane for the price. Feels and smells like the most luxurious $200 body product but costs $29. I tore through my first tube (actually CRAVE putting it on right out of the shower) and just restocked. I wish I’d taken advantage of their BFCM sale, but $29 for luxe body care isn’t bad.
04. The concept of gentle start Mondays. This has revolutionized the flow of my week. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to Mondays now, and feel better-footed heading into the week. In lieu of the slight dread I used to carry about rushing into the week / feeling like I need to “catch up” or launch myself headlong into logistics, I purposefully conceptualize Monday as a “gentle start” and more or less block off the first few hours of the day as reset / self-care time. I read by the fire, I do my full workout and then take an everything shower, I apply a mask while I enjoy my coffee, I take care of admin. I don’t even think about tackling anything “substantial” until the afternoon. I realize I have a uniquely flexible work situation but have heard from other working women that there are small ways they achieve something similar — they deliberately work from home that day so they can take care of laundry, etc; they conceptualize the day as “bare minimum Mondays” and only take on essential items; they block out their calendars to avoid meetings; etc. Related: I realized this week that I also look forward to Mondays because of all my clothes are clean (I do laundry every Sunday) — which means my favorite pointelle tee, my favorite underwear, my favorite socks, my favorite exercise leggings are all folded neatly in my drawers, waiting to hug me. (It is a kind of love, isn’t it?!)
05. Kate McLeod Breathe shower pebbles. I’m still congested from last week’s cold, and the way I look forward to using these single-serve “pebbles” that dissolve into a body oil…! Feels like a deep exhale. It’s exactly the nostalgic eucalyptus / slightly medicinal scent you want to clear your sinuses but it delivers this gorgeous hydration. I love love the way they kind of fizz against the skin while dissolving. A new medicine cabinet staple.
06. Uniqlo compact puffer vest. My new favorite thing to layer over any knit and beneath any coat — adds this invisible layer of warmth with zero bulk. I’ve turned so many friends onto this Scandi-girl cold weather fashion trick!
07. My electric heating pad. I call her Heidi and she’s a part of my daily care team now. I absolutely LOVE to sit with her in my lap while writing in my studio. As someone who is perpetually freezing…! I can’t believe the amount of happiness this $23 purchase has brought me.
08. Similarly, these rechargeable hand warmers! My sister gave me a pair and I’m in love with them. I keep in my purse and use even when just walking out of the car for a few minutes!
09. Negative waffle bralette. For max hygge. So comfortable! Layers of cotton against skin…!
10. Acwell pH balancing licorice toner. One of my girlfriends turned me onto this — she has an impressive skincare routine (she calls it “skin flooding” a la BeautyTok) and I now use this as the first step in my skincare process, too. A gentle toner that really balances the skin before I apply my serums and moisturizers.
11. Ruggable Sarrah rug. I was a little skeptical about this brand at first if I’m honest since they market themselves as machine-washable but I’m completely blown away by the quality (soft/plush) and elegance of the design! We have this in our primary bedroom in the hazel color. Will be perfect with our new bed, which I got in the fog color.
12. I also switched up the lighting in our bedroom. I started by swapping out the lamps that had been on our bedroom dresser — they were blue/white chinoiserie and didn’t really vibe with the direction I was headed for our bedroom. We use a lot of color throughout our main living spaces (blues, greens!), but I am aiming for a neutral, plush, soft, elegant hotel room feeling focusing on grays, taupes, creams, and lots of texture! I found these for $180 (look a lot like more expensive styles from S&L, etc) — they have a fabulous slightly oversized footprint that brought to mind Nancy Meyers. I also added this textured floor lamp to the far corner of the room for a reading nook that’s in development! She is SO gorgeous. Just another way to add a sense of warmth / texture / softness to the room. She’ll be sitting right next to this boucle swivel chair, scheduled to arrive on Monday. The last piece (for now) will be finding an occasional table to pair with it for my coffee/book/etc. I am 99% sure I’m going with this but haven’t yet pulled the trigger.
13. Still obsessing over my Dyson hair dryer! The crown jewel of my Cyber Week shopping. She is so powerful but does not overheat scalp; I can’t believe how much time she saves me. I’m so glad I splurged on her. She’s still $150 off — the deal I got during Cyber Week! This, paired with my new glassy-smooth hair spray = really great at-home blow-outs.
14. Masa chips — have you tried these?!?! The best tortilla chip I’ve ever had. Yes, they are spendy, but — !! Landon and I can’t stop talking about them. They have a great true corn flavor, the perfect crunch and thickness to support salsas/gaucs, and come in a few different varieties. Honestly I’d never met a blue corn chip I liked (they always taste kind of dry?) but these are SO good. I ordered a pack of 12 and have been giving as hostess gifts, too. Would make a really nice stocking stuffer for adults!
15. Alpyn barrier cream — obsessed. My winter skin drinks this up. I slather on heavily before bed and will also apply in morning if I feel like I need some extra hydration.
16. Peloton strength training — I’m on week two of a four week program and absolutely love the way it’s structured. I feel so much stronger already (!) They really do a great job with the design, gradually adding weight and reps while shortening rests between sets. You can feel yourself change, even a week and a half in! The one I’m doing is only 20 minutes 3x a week, so I’ll do a 30-min spin and then stack this on after, which feels doable. Anything longer would loom like a true slog, but somehow, by the time I’ve gotten through the warm-up, I’m only 15 minutes away from being done and then they really keep you busy.
17. Having a puzzle out at all times! My son loves working on them and they give me a strong sense of family intactness.
18. Mentioned a ton already but this holiday Chappywrap designed by my friend Inslee!
What’s on your love list this season?
P.S. How do you reset for the week?
P.P.S. Our favorite childhood meals.
P.P.P.S. The happy corners in our lives.
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Hooray for boucle! My kids have a boucle play couch as their reading corner, and a section of it keeps finding its way into my husband’s office for me to curl up and chat with him after the kids are in bed.
I’ve discovered it’s absurdly easy to make honey nougat? It’s a local specialty, but as my gluten free diet gets more and more strict I’ve been making a lot of things myself. One egg white, a little honey and sugar, and nuts to mix in. Easier than any of my Christmas cookies and twice as impressive.
VERY impressive. Just the word is daunting — lol.
xx
Obsessed with Cyklar Naked Neroli! The scent to me is reminiscent of spring break in my twenties. Sun soaked days on the boardwalk and nights in a seaside hotel room with girlfriends, music blasting, and everyone fighting for mirror space as we got dolled up for a night on the town. The air was filled with that pretty, sexy, beachy fragrance that floated between sunscreen, salty skin, and pure youthful joy! Ahhh!
UGH it’s so deliciously scented! It smells to me like the way cashmere should smell — soft, warm!
xx
It’s been an unexpectedly joyful holiday season so far! As for items that spark joy, I bought myself the festive plaid Chappy wrap and have since taken advantage of their sale to buy them as gifts. Every morning since we put up our tree, I’ve been snuggling under that blanket while drinking coffee and reading. I’ve also put together an absurdly long Christmas playlist (9hours!) which never gets old..
Ahhh this is my favorite morning vignette, too — Chappywrap, book, fire, coffee! It is so comforting.
A 9 hour playlist! Brilliant! Is it holiday music?
xx
It is! I found French, Swedish, Norwegian and German Christmas songs to weave throughout which makes it a bit unexpected (in a fun way).
Oh I love this! Swedish! So cool!
I was actually underwhelmed by masa chips. I had high hopes based on their minimal, clean ingredients so I bit the pricey bullet and tried them. They just seemed bland to me. But I am ruined for all other chips by fiesta grande. Soooo good. We’ve converted several friends and family members, haha. https://www.fiestagrandefoods.com/find-a-store
I’m struggling to spark joy this month with both kids sick and my car in and out of the shop for v expensive repairs for the last week and a half (seriously I have taken it in three separate times). So thankful that my parents live down the street and are generous with loaning out their cars and ferrying me back and forth to the mechanic! But I did make delicious cranberry orange scones on Sunday which have been a nice treat.
OK, I need to try the Fiesta chips. I was so blown away by the Masa ones, I’m intrigued to hear something could be better!!! Maybe my benchmark chip isn’t as good as yours — we don’t have a ton of great options close by!
I’m so sorry about the car repairs. Just hearing that sent an unpleasant chill down my spine, sort of like hearing about people being stuck in an airport with flights canceled. YUCK. So much empathy for that unpleasantness; hard to find a silver lining there. But you are — ! In recognizing the gift of your parents’ proximity and willingness to help. Hoping that resolves itself soon, friend!!!
xx
I see a head-to-head chip tasting in your Christmas break future! May the best chip win 🙂
Hehe!!
Similarly, my mom gave me a Nutcracker mug from Anthropologie and I am filled with absolute delight when I use it every morning: https://www.anthropologie.com/anthrohome/shop/hybrid/new-york-city-ballet-stoneware-mug
This Sezane beanie in the perfect blush lends a nice pop of color to my giant puffy coat: https://www.sezane.com/us-en/product/paul-beanie/blush
We recently upgraded to a down duvet and I looooove crawling under it every night.
And I’m leaning into reading classics. Tender is the Night, Wuthering Heights, Sense and Sensibility!
The mug thing! So charming – what is it?! It really puts some razz-ma-tazz in my morning, and it’s the smallest thing.
LOVE your beanie! The texture contrast with a puffer is so good!
Down duvets and the classics — just the best! Thanks for sharing!
xx