My trusty, goes-everywhere-with-me iPhone is in need of a new outfit! She’s currently cloaked in a plastic white case adorned with a mandala-inspired elephant. But! I’ve been on the hunt for an updated look and have now found so many lovely designs that I can’t seem to choose! Which is YOUR favorite???
Marble. // French Bulldog. // Hedgehog. // The ocean, the sea, the wave. // Florabunda. // I am very busy. // Scalloped Seas. // Self-Styled. // Vanity Fair.
With the turning of the calendar page from September to October, it’s time to bundle together the best products, places, media and everything in between from the last month. Here are 9 things I found myself loving in September…
A new addition to my skincare routine, this natural sponge contains pearl powder and is the perfect gentle exfoliator if you have sensitive skin. The sponge itself is naturally rich in vitamins and protein and the pearl powder contains amino acids which help even out and brighten skin tone. I’m obsessed with how soft my skin feels after using it! I originally received this as a gift but I will definitely repurchase. The brand carries a variety of sponges with different additions — lycopene, aloe vera, charcoal, etc — but the pearl powder is recommended for sensitive skin so that’s probably the one I would stick with.
I discussed our visit to check out the exhibits at The Frost Museum in a recent blog post. The museum is located on the campus of Florida International University and entrance is free. Exhibits change fairly frequently and the galleries are beautifully maintained and curated. If you’re in the area, I definitely recommend popping in for a few hours to have a look around! I can’t wait to go back as new art is installed!
If there’s two home decor trends I’m loving right now it’s cozy-scented candles and MARBLE EVERYTHING. Luckily, Target has a new line of candles which incorporates both! The one we purchased at the beginning of the month is about burned to the bottom. Now to figure out how to re-purpose the marble part… Any ideas???
The list of channels found in my YouTube subscriptions had gone pretty much unchanged for about a year before getting hooked on Casey Neistat this month. He’s a film-maker and entrepreneur who uploads a new vlog every single day. The content of his videos is always interesting and the cinematography/editing is super on point. Usually my YouTube tastes are a bit more girl-ish (read: beauty and style vloggers) or international (read: expat vloggers) but Casey’s channel has been wonderfully binge-worthy the past few weeks.
This movie topped the list for Netflix Nights in September. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss out another month! Fall is a great time for watching weird and creepy thrillers like this one! Directed by Roman Polanski, this psychological horror film came out in 1968. I thought the home decor, costumes, and New York street scenes were just as intriguing as the plot. I found myself wanting to own every outfit donned by Mia Farrow (even her extravagant sleepwear and robes!) but I don’t think I could pull off her Vidal Sassoon pixie cut.
On a recent trek to Coconut Grove, Chet and I stumbled upon the RADDEST bookstore. Their selection of books was masterfully curated and displayed, plus they had a wonderful selection of notebooks, pens, and other awesome stationery items. We treated ourselves to fresh lemonade and hot empanadas when we visited but they also offer a HUGE selection of coffees, smoothies, salads, wraps, and baked goods. It would be the perfect spot to head to on a Saturday morning to eat breakfast while reading a new bestseller or flipping through some magazines. I have a feeling this is going to be a very handy discovery come Christmas shopping time!
I love unique kitchen embellishments so when I spotted this Ladies Who Lunch Wine Stopper on Amazon I just had to have her. She’s so proper and charming sitting atop my bottles of wine! Wouldn’t she be the perfect addition to a Downton Abbey binge (drinking) night? Makes me think of this video! Fetch me my wine glass!!!
Adventures in the great outdoors have long been a favorite weekend activity of mine. So it’s been really awesome to explore the landscape, plants, animals, etc. in a totally new-to-me area of the world. Pinecrest Gardens is a park which, for just $5, allows me to do just that. It’s kind of like stepping inside your very own rain-forest. There are trails that take you through all sorts of native plants, bridges crossing streams filled with huge koi fish, and no shortage of friendly turtles.
Grabbing a handful of cotton candy grapes, pumpkin spice almonds, or goldfish crackers for an afternoon snack is bound to put a smile on my face. They were totally my favorite things to munch, crunch, and nibble on this month.
*heart eye emoji* I just found the Etsy shop AllieRuth which specializes in hand-lettered and illustrated stationery, mugs and bags. I’m especially loving this shopping tote…
elegantly simple Christmas cards…
and a rubber stamp with a very important message…
So stylish and graceful, don’t you think? I wish I could buy it all! Go check out the shop, if you feel so inclined. And follow Allie, the designer and owner, on Instagram.
P.S. I’m also swooning over the custom calligraphy and illustration stamps that can be used to make DIY wedding invites! Don’t worry, this engaged lady took note of that one!
There’s a few reasons I’ve felt less than inspired by clothes the last month. 1) I’ve been working from home. 2) Florida is HOTTTT! The less clothes the better, HEY-OOO! 3) Buying a bunch of new pieces really hasn’t been in my budget. So, just for fun I decided to have a nose-around through the ol’ closet and dresser drawers and see if I could come up with a few outfits to be excited about. My goal was to put together 4 looks for ME. 4 looks that would meet my day-to-day needs, so I’ll actually wear them, and made up of 4 components, so I can get out of the shorts + top look I’ve been over-wearing as of late. I’m not saying these ensembles are on trend by any means or advocating for you to replicate them. (I realize it’s actually Fall in MOST of the U.S. and not a million degrees like these pieces would have you believe, lol.) However! I DO recommend a rifle through clothes you already own if you’re stuck in a bit of style rut. You no doubt have WAY more options than you think. And if nothing else, it’s kinda fun to play dress-up!
stripes + denim shorts + long necklace + silver slides
Just because Chet works at Florida International University doesn’t mean we can’t play there too! Universities and colleges are a great resource for finding fun (and usually affordable) experiences and activities. On a recent rainy afternoon we headed to campus to check out the Frost Art Museum. There was no entrance fee and the staff at the desk explained what exhibits were up and where they were located within the museum. We set off down the hallway and were greeted by this installation by Pawel Nowak featuring Polish passport photos.
Upstairs were the main exhibits. The rooms were gorgeously kept, with shiny wooden floors and the occasional skylight letting in peaks of natural light, and the art expertly displayed. Here’s what we saw —
Santana’s art was deeply inspired by her homeland–The Canary Islands. The rugged volcanic rock shaping the islands, the exotic plant life, and of course the ocean are all expertly depicted in her work. It’s the endlessness of the sea, she says, which captivates her imagination. Just like a wide stretch of dark ocean waters, the paintings felt bold and expansive while also fearless.
Couper’s paintings highlight the characteristics unique to the Everglades, a distinct and fragile environment located no where else in the world. He utilizes a bright palette of colors to play with the various ways the sub-tropical light changes and transforms the magnificent waters. His brushstrokes reminded me of an Impressionist painter’s, like Claude Monet. I found myself wanting to jump into the canvas and live in one of these serene waterscapes.
Luna is one of the foremost contemporary Cuban artists. He represents a generation of Cubans who embrace their heritage but also reinvent and adapt themselves to new trends and techniques. The exhibit featured a multitude of artistic media styles, including; painted canvas, mixed media work on paper, ceramics, and fine art tapestries. Luna is clearly a multi-talented artist. Working in Puebla, Mexico for 13 years after leaving Cuba, Luna now resides in Miami, and it was interesting to see the strong influences of those three places coalescing in his various pieces.
Behind the museum is a lovely little lake watched over by this guy. Oh, Florida!
We topped off our afternoon with iced coffees and a stroll through campus. The student union was buzzing with weekend activity. The space between buildings is full of great outdoor seating, including some contraptions which I feel are called gondolas but I really have no idea if they have a name. They’re essentially a picnic table…with a canopy for shade…and the whole thing swings back and forth. I. Want. One. Anywho, I can’t wait to go back to the museum as the exhibits change over the coming months! And I’m excited to discover what else FIU has to offer us. Perhaps a dance performance or a concert!?
Do you scope out activities at your local college campus? Would you? Do you have a favorite art museum? Let me know in the comments below!
Do you send hand-written notes? My mother and grandmother instilled in me from a young age the power of jotting down a few lines and sending them out in the post. They’re always so fun to receive. Such a simple glimpse into someone’s daily life but somehow so much more intimate than what we see when we scroll through Instagram or Facebook feeds. And so much more permanent! A few months ago I was looking through some old letters I received as a kid. I couldn’t believe my mom wrote me a letter from the public pool (!) while I was at sleep-away camp. Or that my grandma saved all her quarters in a jar so we could use them when we came up for the state fair. What sweet things to remember all these years later! I try my best these days to always send Thank You notes and I love mailing Christmas cards…sometimes birthday cards. But I’d like to do better with the “just because” notes. For inspiration I’ve been clicking around the stationery on Minted. Here are 6 (personalized) sets that might spark the need to put pen to paper!
They each definitely have their own little personalities, don’t you think? I love the sunny cheerfulness of Beaded Swag but there’s something so sophisticated and bold about Gilt Agate. I would feel super classy sending that out to someone, haha! Which would YOU choose?
Now this is rather a niche item. But LORD if you know an avid cyclist with a penchant for the grapey-grape, you could certainly win a LOT of brownie points if you gifted them this bike accessory. Etsy seller oopsmark hand makes these bicycle wine racks with olive oil treated, vegetable tanned leather and antique brass fasteners. Wouldn’t it be fun to strap in your favorite bottle of Pinot and ride off into the sunset towards a dinner party?
P.S. My love lies a little more strongly with the hand-crafted yoga mat strap. Dinner parties be damned! I’ve got sun’s to salute and crow poses to conquer!
Speaking of upcycling projects… One cool DIY idea that has always interested me is turning pallets into furniture. Have you seen one of these spectacular transformations? When I worked at Good Foods, I would pass HUGE stacks of pallets and wonder what sort of pieces they could become if they found their way into the right hands. There are some incredibly creative tutorials out there if this sort of thing strikes your fancy!
Here are 7 cool photos of a few finished products…
(From Fox Hollow Cottage)
(From Curb to Refurb)
(From We Lived Happily Ever After)
(From Pink When)
(From Beyond the Picket Fence)
(From The Merry Thought)
(From Little House of Four)
What do you think? Have you ever made pallet furniture? Could you envision one of these pieces in your home?
(Photo at top by Joy Ever After)
The folks at WeWork, a co-working company that builds communities to empower people to do what they love, inspired me to share my current workspace and what I love about it. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect! This past weekend, after a morning trip to Ikea and a good few hours of flat-pack furniture assembly, I got to work setting up my NEW home workspace! I thought I’d give you guys a peek at the finished product. I’m already SO in love with it! I can’t wait to spend my days creating and writing at this gorgeous command center. I knew I wanted a color palette of white, gold, and Tiffany box blue so the Micke desk was a perfect fit for that aesthetic. Add to that my custom desktop computer, a few gold trinkets, and some stationery from the Target dollar spot and – wam BAM – the perfect little corner for productivity. Shall I show you around?
My monitor was painted white to match this mounting arm, a feature which allows me to position based on my viewing needs. And since my work-space is in our bedroom, those needs CAN include watching Netflix in bed.
I’ve picked up quite a few desk accessories from Target over the past few months, including; post-it notes, page flags, bulletin/chalk board, and owl pushpins. All super affordable. I believe everyone should have a few desk trinkets to personalize their space. The stone was a gift from a co-worker. It says “Trust” and is the perfect size and shape for rolling around in your hand when you’re having a good think. The dino skeleton was a present years ago from my friend, Katie. And the gold wheel was thrifted. I’m sure it used to belong on a contraption that spun around but I just liked the way it looked and it functions quite nicely as a coaster. The bird mouse was a must-have as soon as I saw it.
Chet built me my very own computer, including painting it to my aforementioned color scheme, and presented it to me for Christmas last year. I’d say not many people are lucky enough to have a computer cute enough to proudly display on top of their desk LET ALONE such a tech savvy individual as their BETROTHED!
A big selling point for me for this particular desk were the 2 large drawers that run the whole length. They’re the perfect place to stow my notebooks, stationery, cords, current reading materials, folders, and adult coloring book(!).
Thanks so much to WeWork for encouraging me to share this post. I always find other people’s creative spaces quite inspiring so it’s fun to have an excuse to show off my own!
If you’re a freelancer (like me), run a small business or startup, or work remotely, and you’re interested in joining a coworking community, do check out WeWork. They have lovely office spaces located all across the world and offer tons of benefits.
Details – Desk/Ikea, Office chair/Ikea, Bulletin board/Target, Owl pushpins/Target, Mouse/Amazon, Wedding notebook/Moleskine, Purple polka dot notebook/Moleskine, Grey notebook/Baron Fig, Kindle case/Amazon, Blah blah blah folder/Target, Secret Garden coloring book/Morris Book Shop.
P.S. Check out Chet’s home office setup, too!
Though I’m not skilled with a contour brush at ALL, let alone simple bits of makeup like say, a tube of lipstick, I DO appreciate the artistic hand it takes to get some of the more complicated looks. I also find YouTube tutorials weirdly calming and fascinating to watch. Kandee Johnson, who has a popular channel (with over 2 million subscribers) dedicated to utilizing her face as a canvas, is a true artist when it comes to this odd genre. Let’s check out some of my favorite looks…
P.S. Another YouTube video genre, if you feel like falling down the rabbit hole.
Finding delight. 