+TWO DIY HOLIDAY PROJECTS: I’m making this orange “tree” (very Little Women winter coded) and these charming mod podge ornaments! I feel like my kids will have a blast working on the latter, and we can hang them on their little play tree we keep up in the attic, or attach to gifts as a gift topper. I got this pack of clear ornaments and this gorgeous ribbon set for this project! What other holiday crafts and projects do you have on your radar this month? P.S. I have been updating my “holiday” shelf in ShopMy if you’re shopping! Image above via.
+CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK IN THE 80S: Found this carousel of images of New York in the 80s fun to look at. An under-the-radar holiday movie that hearkens to this vibe (though set in the early 90s): “All I Want for Christmas” starring a young Ethan Embry and Thora Birch with a special Lauren Bacall role. This is high in my Christmas viewing rotation!
+SPREZZATURA: I learned this new Italian term this week, meaning “making something look effortless.” It was first used by Baldassare Castiglione in relation to men’s style/fashion/manners in The Book of the Courtier (1528), who glossed it as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal design and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without thought.” I feel like this underpins a lot of the “wrong shoe” theory and the general art of contrasts in dressing — something masculine with something feminine, something thrown around the shoulders, etc. But when I first came across the phrase, it mainly made me think of a lyric from a song from the Trolls Band Together soundtrack, which my son listens to on repeat ad infinitum: “you gotta work hard to make it look easy.” Indeed. Anytime someone makes success look easy, they’ve been at it for awhile. Any overnight success is ten years in the making! If you only knew all the failed first attempts, scotch tape, and “let’s throw that out and start again” that went into the mix…!
+WUTHERING HEIGHTS AND SEA NY: They’ve released the full trailer for the new Wuthering Heights movie — friends, I’m completely sucked in. I have my review of the book going live on Monday and can’t wait to hear your thoughts, especially if you are re-reading as an adult having not visited with it since your teenager years (like I am). Anyway, as I was compiling that post, it occurred to me that SEA’s recent collections have a Wuthering Heights core to it with the collars and hoods and dark vampiness and drama! Do you follow SEA? I love the historical inspiration they fold into their feed, like this, this, and this. The brand has such a distinctive point of view but somehow the pieces are totally wearable when styled with contemporary pieces. Take for example this blazer I can’t stop thinking about. The lace detail at top is scapular-like in the most interesting way — but the shape and especially the pairing with jeans are so contemporary.
+EYEING + BUYING:
+Have heard from my friends with older daughters that skincare/beauty is a great gift for teens, and two great picks: this Rhode glazed skincare set (I’d want this — the glazing milk is amazing! I use it as the last layer between skincare and makeup) and this Erly “Tackle the Day” set. Isn’t the packaging fabulous? Their minis would be good stocking stuffers for a teen – – especially this foaming cleanser.
+For my ski bunnies: St. Bernard carries a great curation of ski brands but recently launched their own house line, Berno, with loads of chic pieces in high-end styles that are less expensive than their splurgey counterparts. I picked up a pair of their “Picabo” ski pants, but they have loads of great buys, including base layers in fun prints (I like the stars — reminiscent of Perfect Moment; speaking of, I love the print on this base layer) and coordinating accessories.
+More winter weather goodness: these H&M boots nail the Inuikii vibe! Meanwhile, loving this cableknit vest and these knit gloves.
+Think I’m going to pull the trigger on this Doen dress for the holiday season ahead this weekend! While we’re talking holiday, two great bangs for your buck: these studded mules and this under-$100 satin clutch.
ERLY SKINCARE BUNDLE // BERNO KNIT HAT // VARLEY VEST // H&M BOOTS //SEA BLAZER // DL1961 JEANS // DOLCE VITA MULES // TUCKERNUCK CLUTCH // DORSEY EARRINGS (RESTOCKED FOR PREORDER) // DOEN DRESS // SEA MITTENS
+$12 HOLIDAY JAMMIES: Mentioned this week, but these adorable holiday jammies are on sale for under $12 with free ship! I got a pair for each of my kids and intended to sock away until our first ski weekend but let them have it early yesterday! I am just feeling the holiday!
+BESTSELLERS: This gorgeous rug, which gives me fabulous Ralph Lauren vibes. (Did you also see their holiday runners?! This one is so charming.)
01. AZTEC PRINT RUG // 02. THE SWEATPANT JEANS! (JEN15 FOR 15% OFF; FULL REVIEW HERE) // 03. MY PLAID VARLEY PUFFER // 04. SK-II ANTI-AGING ELIXIR // 05. MY BELOVED BUFFING BAR IN LIMITED EDITION D.S & DURGA SCENT // 06. HOLIDAY RIBBON // 07. CUSTOM INITIAL TOTE (25% OFF!) // 08. SHERPA FLEECE // 09. SOLID VARLEY PUFFER // 10. VUORI LEGGINGS
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Jen, I love all this – sprezzatura is the BEST concept and word! And you and the Magpies have inspired me to re-read WH as it’s been since high school for me – I need an adult opinion .
Oh yay!! On both fronts!
Thanks for chiming in today 🙂
xx
I love a low lift holiday craft!!! My in laws agreed to dramatically scale down gifts to one each this year (from a dozen-plus) and since there’s 9 of us with the kids, that frees up a lot of time. We’ve agreed to make ornaments and paper snowflakes and play charades and cards in the time.
I’m planning a DIY mound of oranges in my silver champagne bucket, we will stud them with cloves and I might use bay leaves to accent, or clusters of nuts and star anise. The 13 desserts of Provence are big here, so a display of fruit and nuts at the core really appeals. My door garland is going to be faux pomegranates (some cracked) and tiny real pears that I’ll wire in. The florist puts it up for us so all I have to do is decorate.
You know I love mod podge. I spent yesterday delicately mod podging my daughter’s wall poster back together, and it looks good! I make shadow boxes to decorate the top of their wardrobe, and it’s got stuff of mine and their dad’s that we aren’t comfortable with them playing with. My old dollhouse food (Fisher price has said not to let kids have stuff pre-2008), my husband’s javelin medals, and the kids have recently requested a power rangers scene. I have a vision of a red shadow box with Dresden trims mounted in as Christmas decor! PS did you see the John Derian Christmas stuff at Target? Unbelievable.
My kids usually use Caspari napkins to mod podge, which sounds right up your alley! The Christmas ones are so fun. I’m usually cutting cardboard shapes from cereal boxes to make wreathes or stars. We also save a big drawer of scrap paper that includes favorite catalogs (the Fragonard ones are lovely) and book jackets and bits of wrapping, T made a wreath for my SIL last year with motifs from a book she always reads him and she cried.
I saw a video over at House & Garden this morning that said they embraced « shabby-genteel » and I think that’s exactly my style. All the frames on our shelf are either silver or pasteboard ones that I’ve mod podged, no middle ground!
Oo I love all of this. The rec for using Caspari napkins is 10/10. Will be copying! “Shabby genteel” sounds so chic..!
xx
Excited to hear your thoughts on WH too! I’m nearly finished but to be honest, I had lost patience with the lot of them by the halfway point. Overall I feel my initial dismissal of it at age 16 was justified! But I’m eager to join the discussion…
I so completely feel this – I think it’s because it’s like an anti-bildungsroman. No one develops?! History repeats itself? There is so little character development, and no redemption? It runs against the grain in interesting ways.
More to come —