01. PARKER HOME DESIGNS PILLOW. Oof, this corner of my studio has been giving me some trouble. The skirted Parson’s chair is very old Ballard Designs, but their current slipcovers do not fit over it! So I have a very sad looking, wrinkled chair that will just need to suffice for now. Maybe I can eventually find a larger slipcover or have one custom made or something? In the meantime, this gorgeous pillow from the Etsy shop Parker Home designs arrived and immediately gave life to the situation. The owner, Christina, has so many gorgeous options and will offer contrasting piping of your choosing. Christina generously gifted me this beautiful and single-handedly saved this little corner of my daily world. I have been debating adding a little occasional table at its side. I think that might make the space feel more cozy.
02. PINK CHICKEN SWIMSUIT. I cannot deal with this adorable swimsuit for mini. I am usually a sale hawk when it comes to swimwear — I almost always stock up when Minnow and Sunhouse run their semi-annual sales — but I might have to splurge on this sweet style.
03. My lunch on Thursday sparked serious joy, for multiple reasons. First: I was enjoying my favorite soup, Caldo Verde, which is a Portuguese kale-potato-and chorizo soup whose recipe I shared here. In my opinion, soup is the perfect lunch food. It’s light but satisfying. Second: I laid out my new spring Proper Table placemats and coasters (thank you, Dana!) on top of my Hunter Blake tablecloth and finished with my Coley Home scalloped napkins (currently on sale for 50% off — available in other colors, too). The result is the happiest confetti of pattern. My scalloped plates are old Aerin but these are really similar. Finally: I have been holding firm in my commitment to not eating lunch at my desk. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love the ritual of taking a considered pause from my writing to sit down at a proper table with a proper meal. Even when I am harried and have a million things on my mind, the lunch break is like a welcome caesura.
04. PINEAPPLE STREET BY JENNY JACKSON. Wow — I solicited fictional book recommendations from Magpies over Instagram and about half of you raved about Pineapple Street, which I’d never heard of. I immediately purchased it. I just finished Enchantment and needed something fictional after. I’ll share more thoughts on Enchantment after I’ve digested but I had the feeling, even as I was tearing through it, that it might be better read in gulps, a few weeks apart. Anyway, Jackson’s book: “A delicious new Gilded Age family drama… a guilty pleasure that also feels like a sociological text.”
05. THIERRY COLSON DRESS. I’ve only shared this gorgeous dress a trillion times and I think I am finally going to pull the trigger. It’s currently 15% off and free ship with code 15OFFER. It is SO my style and exactly the kind of thing I wear daily during the spring/summer months. I’m already dreaming of pairing with these Vibis — ahhh they do the BEST color combos. I’m generally loving hot pink right now — I’ve also been contemplating this La Ligne dress. I do not need another smocked dress but…the color! The little cap sleeves! And no one does dresses like La Ligne. I love the enormous drama of the skirt.
06. CARA CARA MARISSA JACKET. Oh my WORD. I saw this little reversible floral jacket and swooned. It is SO cute and interesting — love the ties, the pattern, the quilting, the shape! Sitting heavily in my cart.
07. VIBI VENEZIA MARY JANES. These are still my favorite everyday shoes for warm weather. They are very lightweight canvas and they offer basically no support but they are like wearing little slippers around everywhere and the patterns are so fun.
08. I won’t go into details on the bag in this pic because I’ve already talked your ear off about it, but I was so surprised by how many questions I got about the platform fisherman espadrilles and especially the yellow dress! The sandals are Tory Burch, last season, and you can still find them on sale in select colors (like here and here). SM also came out with a pair that looks VERY similar that is marked down to only $42 with code FRIEND, in case you want to dip your toe (pun intended) into the trend. On the dress front: sadly, it is by the brand Glamorous from a few seasons ago and I can’t find it anywhere, even on eBay. But yellow is such a fun and underrated color! So — in the next bullet point, I found three sweet yellow dresses worth considering for a similar look.
09. YELLOW DRESSES I LOVE: this Saylor (the ric rac!), this Kivari, and this Alemais.
10. We took our children out to lunch and my son was highly dialed in on this color-by-sticker book I surprised him with. It was perfectly calibrated to his age (3.5) and kept him busy the entire meal. He liked it so much, he went home and finished the entire book, dutifully working on mosaic after mosaic for the entire afternoon! When I shared the photo above, I received questions about his sweater — it’s Minnow. They make really cute and beautiful quality knits in different stripes and solids. I find the knits run small and short. My son is not super-tall, but it’s cropped on him and has been since I first bought it. I would size up — plus, you’re more likely to get an extra year/season out of it that way. Final note on this vignette: as you can see from his hair, I’m still…learning how to use the pomade I bought to tame his wild cowlick and crazy baby hair. I’m slowly getting the hang of it. I mist all of his hair with water using this spray bottle (could not live without — also use daily on mini!), brush it to the best of my ability into the general direction/shape I want it, and then rub a pea sized amount of pomade through the hair. I’m getting the hang of it and his hair looks so, so much better. Another Magpie mom said she finds this medium-hold gel even easier than pomade, adding that it does not leave hair “crunchy.” Worth considering if you’re also battling cowlicks on the daily.
11. L’OREAL PARIS GLOTION. I have to tell you — this illuminating primer / highlighter is really, really good. It’s about $12 and strikingly similar to Saie’s highlighters. It’s a bit runnier and has the slightest bit of tackiness on application but then just blends right in. I bought it in the “light” color. I’ve been using both under my makeup and as a little dab on the cheeks/cupid’s bow/eyebrows at the end. Very impressed! A really good “inspired by” product.
Not pictured: I am loving (!!!) Miley’s new album (ah!!! such a welcome addition to our “happy hour/getting ready for dinner/packing lunches” window between 5-6…it is fun, but not too poppy, with some surprisingly soulful ballads). On the TV front, we’ve laughed out loud at multiple episodes of the Apple TV show “Shrinking” with Harrison Ford and Jason Segel! Worth a watch.
P.S. Beauty products I can’t quit.
P.P.S. The whole sky is yours. Amen amen! It’s going to be a good week.
P.P.P.S. Let them be wrong about you.
Oooh, I have Pineapple Street on my fiction list! I am at a place where I have quite a few books queued up to read (most bought while traveling, on Independent Bookstore Day, etc.) — but the premise of this one is very intriguing! I always love a family drama.
We also loved Shrinking, despite its seemingly endless implausible elements … but all of the actors are a treat to watch, especially Jessica Williams!
xx
Yes, agree!!