*Image above via Asiyami Gold. Major weekend vibes goals.
My Latest Snag: Taper Candles.
I’ve been burning through (pun intended) so many candles this holiday season — why not? My favorite brand for taper candles is Caspari. They come in great colors (I especially love their metallics), last a long time (other brands burn so much faster), and drip less (though I have yet to come across a taper candle that is truly dripless). Most of the time, I leave out these taper candle holders (I have two sets of them) or these mercury glass ones and arrange them in the center of our dining room table (<<currently on major sale!!!) along with some greens or cut flowers. I usually use a runner beneath, though someone recently told me that “runners are so out of vogue.” Ha! Says who?! I still love a good runner! For a seasonless/everyday look, I usually use this simple quilted runner in white/ivory down the center with the candlesticks and greens on top. However, I have fallen in love with these whimsical leopard candlestick holders for more of a statement, and this modern/architectural style caught my eye, too. Not at all my usual vibe but would look amazing!
For the holidays, I did use these green candlesticks from a different brand because they were the perfect mossy green color. They burned much faster than Caspari but the color was amazing for that grandmillennial vibe we’re all after these days.
You can also find amazing vintage silver candlestick holders on Etsy — these are classic and would look so elegant with a colored taper, these have more of an old Virginia feel to them, and these look like something you inherited from a great-great aunt.
P.S. For pillar candles, I always go with inexpensive, unscented ones from Amazon and then invest in scented candles for around the house. A few of my favorite candles here.
P.P.S. This fun wick trimmer is a lovely little treat for a Saturday morning, as are these decorative match boxes — pretty enough to keep out as a part of a coffee tablescape!
You’re Sooooo Popular: The Bearaby Napper.
The most popular items on le blog this week:
+The Bearaby weighted blanket — perfect for a restful, hygge-filled New Year.
+Ultra-soft jammies. Another great treat for the new year — between these and the blanket, sounds like a lot of us are prioritizing better sleep/rest habits in 2021!
+Knit romper for a little one.
+The Luv Scrub! I’m very into mine — full review forthcoming!
+Turtleneck sweatshirts for the win.
+Absolutely gorgeous bath mat for a great price.
+Everyone’s favorite slippers.
+CHIC Reformation dress, on sale for like 70% off.
+Cutest pom hat for a little love (runs small).
+Amazing STEM magnet toys for little hands — works for children as young as 1.5 years old. My kids love these. Recently, Emory went around the apartment attempting to attach them to everything in the house, including radiators, tables, the fridge, etc. It was so fun to see her begin to figure out how magnets work through trial and error.
Weekend Musings: What Mistake Will You Never Make Again?
I have learned a lot through trial and error — big things (a lot of them in the categories of entrepreneurship and self-care) but little things, too, like the string of weeks I routinely tripped of a specific corner of our dining room carpet while wearing a specific pair of slippers and eventually split my head open. Now I know to take repeated warnings of physical peril seriously. Just move the table that you are always knocking over! Mop the floor if you keep slipping on that one slick spot! Move the garland that you keep nicking as you round the corner of the dining room! (<<These are all things I have done in the past few weeks.) Similarly, I find myself ultra-cautious when running in sludge or ice through Central Park. Just slow down! Walk this bit!
(Does this make me old?)
I have also made countless cooking missteps that I have learned over time to avoid. One of them — so obvious in retrospect — is to remind myself that I control the heat on the stove. Do you ever find yourself frantically chopping because the oil is sizzling and you don’t want it to start burning yet?! I did, for a long time — and then would overcompensate for the high heat by stirring things quickly as they scorched. Then I remembered that I controlled the heat. If I’m not ready for the pan and it’s ready for me, I turn it off. I can always reheat the pan, but I can’t always re-make a dish if I run out of ingredients.
What mistakes will you never make again?
Post-Scripts: The Alpaca Sweater.
+It’s a New Year and you deserve an easy-to-wear new sweater. This one gives me major Hygge vibes.
+I’d willingly learn to be a ski bunny if I could wear this coat.
+And speaking of Max Mara, how amazing is this shearling belt bag?!
+Love these Naghedi totes and this teddy tote from Stand for a new year look.
+A roundup of random but fun discoveries.
+Ooooo this floral, bow-shouldered bodysuit is perfection for summer.
+These plates are spectacular. This is the kind of thing you could just buy two of for a special date at home, or for serving, or for showcasing pretty cookies in a cake dome.
+Gorgeous mortar and pestle. This is the kind of thing that would make a great birthday gift for a home cook — stunning but not crazy expensive. Or, buy for yourself and keep on display on an open shelf!
+Anyone else into feathers RN?
+Such a fantastic floor mirror.
+This dress…! The detail! Ah. I can’t stop staring.
+I truly don’t know what is happening to me but I have been recently seriously drawn to platform heels. (?!) THESE! AHHH.
+Some sweet finds for little ones.
+Still totally living in turtlenecks and cardigans this winter.
One mistake I will never make again: missing a funeral.
Oh man — yes to this. On the opposite side of the emotional spectrum, I also have made a commitment to never pass up an opportunity to give a toast for someone I love when asked to do so. It is so, so difficult for me to not get emotional when speaking about the people I love but I regret not preparing a toast at my brother’s wedding years ago. I should have done it! Just say the thing, Jen! There are so few opportunities to publicly extol the people who deserve it…
xx