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Things I Bought and Loved This Month

June 29, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

I bought a lot of basics this month that have quickly become this season’s go-to pieces with the menswear shirt already earning its keep as a wardrobe workhorse. It’s been such an easy piece to throw on with cutoffs for a bike ride to the biergarten or to keep my arms shielded from the sun at the flea market. I’m sure the cost-per-wear will be down to pennies by the end of the summer. Below you’ll find a list of items I bought this month with information on each.

Wearing: Old Navy top; Old Navy pants; vintage necklace; Staud purse; Ancient Greek sandals

WARDROBE
See this year’s sartorial additions here.

  • Universal Thread long-sleeve boyfriend button-down shirt ($20) – I went up a size in this for an oversize, forgiving fit over my hips. It’s made from a linen-blend fabric that’s perfect for hot days when you want more coverage. I put it through the dryer and the arm length shrank a little bit, but it’s not noticeable if you’re rolling the sleeves anyway. It’s ultra soft after a round in the washer and dryer.
  • A New Day smocked midi dress ($30) – I’m definitely not over smocked-top dresses anytime soon. This one isn’t quite as nicely done on top as a Hill House one, so personally I wouldn’t go without a bra to offer some support and shape. It’s cute otherwise and feels well made.
  • Old Navy luxe rib-knit swing tank ($17) – I bought this top in the “sisal” hue to wear with the wide-leg pants above. It’s a surprisingly chic combination for the brand. You can see it in my snapshot above.
  • Old Navy luxe slub-knit swing tank ($17) – I can’t pass up this pretty rust color when I see it!
  • Old Navy high-waisted linen-blend wide-leg pants ($40) – For your “coastal grandma” vibes, Old Navy has linen wide-leg pants that I’m wearing above. It’s an inexpensive way to try the trend. I went with my regular size. For length referencing, I’m almost 5’7″.
  • Rothy’s sneakers ($125) – I’ll admit that I was skeptical about Rothy’s when I ordered my first pair of slip-on sneakers, but it’s safe to say I’m a fan given that this is my third pair. They’re more comfortable than Vince slip-ons and they’re easy to clean. I go up a half size so I can wear them with no-show socks. Get $20 off your first order with this link! 

HOUSEHOLD

  • Vintage Audubon book print ($12) – I’m admittedly only lukewarm on birds, but I do love a vintage Audubon print. I found this at a flea market last weekend. I’m thinking that it’ll work well with the colors in our powder room — and then I can finally take “after” photos to share with you! Search for other vintage prints here.
  • Vintage glass candle holder from Sweden ($2) – The last thing I need is another candle holder when I so rarely use candlesticks, but this smoky blue glass was too good to pass up.
  • IKEA “Vesken” cart ($15) – this cart is perfect for storing cleaning supplies in the bottom half of our bathroom’s built-in cabinets. It’s slim enough to allow room for additional storage inside the cabinet, too. It’s a great option for any narrow spot you need some extra storage. Given that it’s plastic, though, I’d use it just for hidden storage.

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Filed Under: Recent Purchases Tagged With: Bought and Loved

On the Right Foot: Pro-Choice Organizations to Support, the Best Flea Markets in the U.S., a Rare Sale at Summersalt & More!

June 27, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

Scenes from the weekend (clockwise from upper left): iced coffee from Boxed & Burlap near Lake Geneva; visited the Elkhorn flea market on Sunday and came home with a vintage Audubon book illustration and a candle holder from Sweden; an afternoon beer at the Forward Craft & Coffee which celebrated its first week open in Madison; and a rainy stroll through the botanical gardens.

Well, today is certainly heavy, isn’t it? I started working on this post Friday morning before news of the SCOTUS ruling hit and it feels like I’ve been doomscrolling ever since. I broke away from social media for the better part of the weekend to allow myself a chance to disassociate for a little while. Now that we’re back at it with another week, we need to band together and find a way to fight back. Here’s a list of abortion funds to donate to right now. Also, please read this piece that I found via Hitha on how the Equal Rights Amendment will help protect abortion rights and vote for candidates who vow to eliminate the filibuster.

This piece on the millennial vernacular of fatphobia will hit home with those who were coming of age in ’90s and ’00s.

How to survive a home renovation.

A guide to the best flea markets by state. We went to the one in Elkhorn, Wisc. over the weekend.

What’s your IKEA furniture name?

A new roundup of covetable finds.

Summersalt has a rare sitewide discount of 30% off right now! Click here and use code SALE30.

Crushing on these sweet quilt squares for your gallery wall.

How to freeze strawberries correctly.

20 U.S. road trips if you’re still looking for a summer getaway.

I just adore this pretty ruffled top.

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Thanks for visiting! As a reminder, I may earn an affiliate commission if you buy an item through my links. This is at no cost to you. I appreciate your continued support!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: On the Right Foot

The Coveted: Pieces I love, own, or would love to own!

June 24, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE

This week’s most covetable roundup is a good one! I can’t decide on a favorite piece this time around, but the ring with it’s curved palm leaves and the affordable caned pendant light are up there! (The pendant shape also comes as a floor lamp!)

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Thanks for visiting! As a reminder, I may earn an affiliate commission if you buy an item through my links. This is at no cost to you. I appreciate your continued support!

Filed Under: Style, The Coveted Tagged With: the coveted

5 Tips for Surviving a Home Renovation

June 22, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

My favorite sneakers are $20 off with this link! You can toss them in the washing machine if they get dirty!

It has officially been five years since we closed on our house! It feels both like time has dragged on and flown by — and I think that has a lot to do with whatever stage of home improvement we’re in at the time! 2022 has been our home’s most transformative year yet with two bathroom renovations. I have a lot of emotions as a reflect back on the past five years: excitement, pride, frustration, annoyance, exasperation, appreciation … and so many more, but thankfully I’ve circled back to excitement and pride after we handed off our final check to our contractor and finally got to enjoy the end result of the projects that took so much time and money. Renovations aren’t easy and I wanted to share five tips for surviving a renovation if you have one of your own on the horizon.

PLAN CAREFULLY

I can’t overstate the importance of planning when it comes to your renovation, and it’s going to impact all aspects of the project. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Save more money than you think you’ll need, and have a plan in place if your project creeps and goes beyond what you hoped to spend. We ended up getting a HELOC to allow for cushion when our project went 100% over anticipated costs.
  • General contractors are in high demand right now. Expect to book at least six months out.
  • While you’re getting quotes from contractors, work on creating a mood board or source list for your project. (Here’s mine for the main bathroom and the one for the powder room.) You’ll want to have all of your products selected before work begins. While you’ll have some wiggle room when nailing down things like paint colors, it’s easier to have a solid direction right out of the gate.
  • Decide who is responsible for ordering products, materials, and fixtures. Is it going to be you or your contractor? For our project, I purchased the fixtures and our contractor was responsible for securing the other items. We had a shared Google spreadsheet to track my product selections, colors and finishes, who was responsible for ordering it, and where it was in the delivery process. Many products have a long lead time that you’ll need to account for. Other items, like a bathtub or vanity, are oversize and heavy. Do you have a place to store it if you order it? Can you even move it to the storage location if the shipper leaves it on a pallet outside of your home?
  • Make sure all of our items are in-hand by the time your project begins. Construction takes a long time as it is and you don’t want an unnecessary delay if something hasn’t arrived in time.
  • Consider pet or child care. Demo day is especially loud and not the best environment for sensitive ears. Can you spend the day elsewhere?
  • If your bathroom or kitchen is under construction, plan how you’re going to accommodate for those missing utilities. Do you have another bathroom you can use? Do you need a gym membership so you can shower? Do you need to find more slow cooker recipes so you can “cook” in another room?
  • Protect your home’s surfaces, especially the flooring. We had our contractor put down X-Board surface protector on each surface the team would be walking on to protect our hardwood floors and stairs. We ended up having one ding on the floor where something was dropped, but managed to avoid any additional scratches.
Minimize Construction Dust

Everyone warned me about construction dust, but I had no idea how bad it would be until we were in the midst of things — and that was even with daily vacuuming by our construction team! Talk to your contractor up front about ways to mitigate dust. They will likely be putting up a plastic barrier, but there may be other things they can do. On demo day for our main bathroom, they put a filter in our window that blew air out of the house and we turned the furnace off to avoid having too much dust circulating. Keep doors to your other rooms closed and consider getting an air purifier for your bedroom (we have this one). Despite all of that, though, you’ll have dust to clean up after your project is complete. Use that as an opportunity to do a deep “spring” clean, no matter what season it is! And, don’t forget to change your furnace filter afterward!

Communicate Clearly

The success of your project is going to rely on your ability to communicate with your contractor about expectations, design, and timelines. Choose a contractor who has a communication style that matches your own. Our contractor was around our age and would text updates and questions, and had read receipts on so I knew when my own comments had been seen. He was also respectful and receptive to my thoughts and concerns when hiccups inevitably happened. I’d also urge you to check in with your contractor whenever you have a question about the process or if something doesn’t seem like it’s going how you expected. You’re the client and you’re paying a lot of money, so you should feel good about the work that’s being done. It’s easier — and oftentimes cheaper — to correct a mistake or change course when you first notice an issue than it is to wait.

Clear communication also extends to your relationship if you’re embarking on a renovation with a partner. Renovations are inherently stressful with money concerns and routines upended — and you two might have different ideas of what’s “good enough” if you hit a snafu. Recognize that your partner may also be overwhelmed and do what you can to empathize with them rather than misdirect any reno frustrations. You’ll be a stronger team at the end of it!

Be Flexible

There will be hiccups along the way. There might be a product that’s out of stock or an item you ordered that just won’t work in your space due to what’s going on behind the walls — or, in my case, the brand of tile you picked for your walls doesn’t have a matching bullnose option and you have to figure out a new trim solution. Despite your best laid plans, something will come up that will throw you off course. Be nimble and open to your contractor’s suggestions — and be willing and able to make decisions on the fly (or at least after sleeping on it). I know you might want to replicate your inspiration board to a T, but every house is different and has different challenges to work around. The longer you wait to make a decision, the longer the timeline gets and the more expensive the project becomes.

And, even if you’re quick to change course, accept early on that the project will cost more than the quote. Save another 50% before beginning the work to allow yourself a cushion if it comes to that. If you don’t need to spend it, you’ve just given yourself a sweet little vacation fund to celebrate!

Create Renovation-Free Zones

Create a space in your home that’s free from renovation reminders — and renovation discussions. Your life is going to be chaotic during the process, so give yourself a refuge to mentally check out and enjoy your evenings!

Please leave any additional advice in the comments!

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Filed Under: Home, Lifestyle Tagged With: home renovation

On the Right Foot: Paris Syndrome, Juneteenth Flag Explained, Earrings I’m Tempted to Pre-Order & More!

June 20, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

Scenes from the weekend (clockwise, upper left): dined at Merchant, which recently reopened after a remodel; stopped for breakfast at Lakeside St. Coffee House before setting out on a 20-mile bike ride Saturday morning; capped off the weekend with friends at Muskellounge; and a scene from our ride.

The Juneteenth flag explained.

My favorite cocktail glasses now come in a bevvy of colors! I have a pair in amber and am crushing on the set in Rivera Blue.

The personal brand is dead.

I’ve been living in this menswear-inspired shirt I bought at Target last week. It’s nearly sold out online, but it’s worth checking to see if your store carries it. Go up a size for that perfectly oversize look. (Mine shrunk a little bit in the wash, but it became the softest after a round in the dryer.)

You have to try this recipe for slow-cooker pulled pork. I didn’t have fennel seeds and it still came out wonderfully.

Have you heard of Paris Syndrome?

Ritual vs. Routine

I’m inspired by the bedroom in this home tour.

Love the texture on this woven leather pillow.

I’m tempted to pre-order these beauties.

Enjoy your week!

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This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: On the Right Foot

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Hello!


Jessica Hamm
Hello there! I'm a first-time homeowner updating a 1920s house in Madison, Wisconsin. I have a penchant for travel and a love of costume jewelry. Follow along for personal style, travel, and lifestyle content.

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A small moment of peace from the past weekend. I A small moment of peace from the past weekend.

I feel like I’ve been doomscrolling since the news broke of SCOTUS’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. My emotions run the gamut from sadness to frustration to unadulterated rage. I’m deeply disgusted by conservatives and evangelicals, but especially by liberals who supported Bernie Sanders and refused to vote for Hillary Clinton at such a crucial moment in our history. Did you know that 12% of Sanders’ primary election supporters voted for Trump in the general election? In Wisconsin alone, 51,000 of them voted for Trump — a state Trump would win by just 22,000 votes. 

Your vote matters. It matters in national elections, statewide elections, and local elections. It’s crucial that Democrats organize as strategically as conservatives did and restore reproductive rights. 

In the meantime, donate your time, talent, or treasure to help those facing an unwanted pregnancy. @thecut has a great list on their site with organizations to support in states likely to prohibit abortion. I’ve donated to @plannedparenthoodwi.
Reveal day is finally here! It’s been a long pro Reveal day is finally here! It’s been a long process that started back in April 2020 with a kitchen ceiling leak that was attributed to water leaking from our tub faucet and working its way through the floor and into the kitchen. Our bathroom was never anything to look at (before photos on the feed), but the leak really accelerated our plans for a full bathroom renovation when timelines — and budgets — allowed. It feels a bit surreal to have it done and I don’t think I’ll ever stop admiring it whenever I walk past!

#bathroomremodel #1920shouse #1920shouserenovation #bathroomdesign #bathroomrenovation #kohler #schoolhouseliving #thetileshop
This renovation sure had its moments of frustratio This renovation sure had its moments of frustration, but I’m blissfully heading toward “renovation amnesia” as @em_henderson calls it in her new book. Head to the blog today to read about two headaches that came at the tail end of our main bathroom remodel. 

#bathroomremodel #bathroomdesign #bathroom #bathroomrenovation #thisoldhouse #1920shouse #subwaytile #classicbathroom #deltafaucet
A peek into the garden kaleidoscope at @olbrichgar A peek into the garden kaleidoscope at @olbrichgardens by @rcandersonsculpture.
I am just the happiest! I keep looking at this bat I am just the happiest! I keep looking at this bathroom and thinking how lucky we are that we were able to do this! It wasn’t always easy to navigate the stressful moments, but the end result is worth it. I feel like I’m at a luxury hotel every time I shower! (And it sure beats showering with the spiders in our [basically unfinished] basement bathroom. It was like camping in our own home for the past six weeks — and I very much hate camping!)

More photos to come!

#bathroomremodel #bathroomdesign #bathroom #bathroomrenovation #thisoldhouse #1920shouse #subwaytile #showertile #marbletile #marblefloor
For as stressful as this project has been, it’s For as stressful as this project has been, it’s amazing to see it come together. (Swipe for a before!) 

The rest of the shower tile will be installed on Monday and then they’ll starting laying the floor tile. I can’t wait!

#bathroom #bathroomremodel #bathroomrenovation #thisoldhouse #1920shouse #home #oldhouselove #oldhouse #centuryhome #tile #tiling #floortile #progressphotos
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