BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

On the Right Foot: Ironic L.L. Bean Totes, Affordable Original Art, How to Edit Your Wardrobe & More!

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Photo via Lucija Ros

Don’t you love weekends where you’re too busy having fun to take photos? We went to the butterfly exhibit at the botanical garden, shopped at the farmers market for fresh produce for the week, indulged in pastries from a local bakery, went to a baseball game, and celebrated a friend’s birthday. Plus, I had my first session of a five-week pottery class where I successfully threw my first bowl on the potter’s wheel. It’s definitely not something I’m a natural at, but I’m eager to improve over the next month!

The history of the flavored latte.

How to repair a broken stem on your tomato plant.

Carolyn Misterek, one of my favorite artists, has opened up orders for her annual series of tiny original paintings. The paintings will arrive in time for the holidays and are matted to fit a standard 8″ x 10″ frame. I ordered the Tiny Mandarin and the Tiny Hydrangea.

The rise of the ironic L.L. Bean tote.

I’m intrigued by this approach to editing your closet.

Thinking about getting these throw pillows for our living room in the rich “organic indigo” hue.

Recapping our trip to the Chicago suburbs.

Margarita burn is a thing.

Love this sweet bedroom reveal!

What are you supposed to do with your old clothes?

Target reissued the throw blanket I bought and loved last fall.

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Weekend Getaway: Evanston, IL

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Staying at four Graduate Hotel properties last year solidified my love of the brand. Each is located in a college town and the brand does a wonderful job bringing in each city’s personality by way of thoughtful design finishes and kitschy details. In recent years, the brand has done a summer promotion to attract travelers to university towns during a typically quiet time of the year. This year was no different. For 30 hours in May, Graduate sold $30 rooms for the month of July. (Each person was limited to one booking.) We thought about going somewhere outside of the Midwest, but with a trip to Europe scheduled for this fall, we opted to stay closer to home and choose a location that we could drive to. And with that, a trip to Evanston, IL was on the books.

I didn’t know much about Evanston attractions, but I figured we’d find enough things to fill 48 hours. If not, Chicago was only a short train ride away. I’m happy to report that my low expectations were unfounded and I was won over by the city’s charming gardens, quaint neighborhoods, and access to Lake Michigan. It’s not to say that there’s a lot to do in the city. There isn’t. But it has cute pockets all over that make a stay worthwhile.

Unfortunately two of places I wanted to visit were closed for the summer in preparation for fall exhibits: the Halim Time & Glass Museum and the Block Museum of Art. The American Toby Jug Museum museum also looked entertaining enough in an Roadside America sort of way, but was closed during our visit. Knowing that, autumn might be a better time to visit. That aside, I’m a firm believer that you can fill a day or two in just about any city and we made the most of our two-night stay in Evanston. Below, you’ll find photos from the trip along with our itinerary and recommendations!

Wearing: Amazon dress | Nike sneakers | Coach bag (old; similar) | Chloe sunglasses

Our Itinerary

Thursday

We arrived in Evanston around 4:30 p.m. and immediately checked into our room at the Graduate. As you’ll see below, the room was adorably traditional. We were hungry after the drive and walked down Davis Street, one of the city’s main areas for dining and shopping, to grab an early dinner at Taco Diablo. I’ve had better tacos, but the carne asada was good. (Skip the spicy shrimp and crispy fish tacos, which are just okay.) Afterward, we walked over to the Northwestern campus to stroll through the grounds, which are beautiful with lush gardens and mature trees — one of the areas we walked through that was particularly wooded was deafening with cicadas! On campus, you’ll find the Shakespeare Garden designed by Jens J. Jensen. The meticulous space features 50 plants that are mentioned in Shakespeare’s works. For a night cap, we took the L train over a couple of stops to Sketchbook Brewing Co.

Friday

While Dave got ready for the day, I set out in search of coffee and pastries on Davis Street and came across Newport Coffee House. The café has a sleek Scandinavian-inspired interior, great coffee, and delicious Swedish knot pastries. I bought a bag of coffee beans as a souvenir that they graciously ground for our espresso machine. Now fully caffeinated, we drove a few minutes north to see the Grosse Point Lighthouse grounds (the building was closed on Friday, unfortunately) and the Baháʼí House of Worship. The temple and its manicured grounds were stunning and I urge you to visit if you find yourself passing by on your way to Chicago.

We didn’t have anything earmarked for lunch after our cultural stops and a brief Google search led us to Bat 17, a deli-meets-sports bar. We split a pastrami that I’m still daydreaming about five days later. The pumpernickel bread that it was served on was the best I’ve had. Serving sizes are generous, but you can choose between a regular-sized sandwich or a larger version. We found that the regular was perfect for sharing.

We were planning to go into Chicago for dinner at Hopleaf, one of our favorites for Belgian beer and mussels, but it was still early and we needed something to fill the time. It was a hot day and Lake Michigan was beckoning. Beach access in Evanston is a little annoying because non-residents have to pay $10 per person per day (learn more here). Being the wild and crazy kids we are, we thought that $20 was worth it and off we went to kill some time before getting ready to head to Chicago for the remainder of the evening where we went to dinner and checked out the new Half Acre location.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, I foolishly decided to try a different location for pastries and tried the French bakery Pâtisserie Coralie. It was garbage. I got a chocolate croissant that was dry, a danish for Dave that he didn’t enjoy, and a hot ham and cheese croissant to split that was dripping in béchamel (huh?) and ice-cold in the center. The savory croissant ended up in the trash. The only thing that saved breakfast was that I still went to Newport Coffee House for iced lattes.

Before we got on the road northbound for Madison, we stopped by the nationally recognized Hewn Bakery. We picked up a loaf of bread and a couple of to-go sandwiches in the cooler to enjoy on the way home.

Our Stay

Graduate Hotel, located at 1625 Hinman Ave.

Parking: There’s a parking ramp nearby at the corner of Davis St. and Hinman Ave. for $18 per day.

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On the Right Foot: The Science of Freckles, Sommeliers Try Malört, A Simple Summer Salad & More!

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Recent snapshots (clockwise from upper left): an afternoon on the water at Dave’s parents’ lake house; a sunset boat ride around the lake; loved these cute umbrellas in Ripon, Wisc. where we went for antiquing and lunch; fell in love with this vintage sink.

A roundup of things I bought and loved last month.

The winners of the 2022 Etsy Design Awards.

Have you tried Malört? I don’t love it, but I also don’t mind it. learn what New York’s top sommeliers had to say about the spirit.

I had low expectations for the Design Time podcast by Domino magazine, but the Christian Siriano episode was fun!

The science of freckles.

I enjoyed this tour of a chic home formerly owned by the host of Blue’s Clues.

Exploring human evolution of lactose tolerance. From the article: “Data that have accumulated over the past two decades suggest that various peoples, not just in Europe, were consuming dairy thousands of years before they had evolved the ability to do so, lactase be damned.” I’m lactose intolerant, so that just sounds … horribly unpleasant.

This simple salad looks delicious.

I just bought this cute pair of cropped jeans.

We tried the Korean-style corn from the latest issue of Bon Appetit. So. Good. It’s basically a spicier version of street corn.

Have a great week!

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Things I Bought & Loved This Month (AKA The Amazon Dress that Stole My Heart)

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WARDROBE
See this year’s sartorial additions here.

  • Amazon The Drop tiered midi dress – This was my only Prime Day purchase and, boy, is it a good one! I had very low hopes for this dress since fast fashion isn’t exactly what I want to support, but I kept getting sucked in with all of the glowing reviews. I’m so glad I went for it! It’s a little snug across the bust, so I wouldn’t suggest going down a size. In fact, you might want to consider a size up. (I can’t imagine going up a size would make the dress that much more flowy where it’ll drown you.) The fabric is substantial and while it arrived wrinkled, it steamed right out. It does get wrinkled as you’re sitting, but it’s not too noticeable in the black. The straps are adjustable with buttons at the back and, yes, there are pockets.
  • Amazon swimsuit coverup (not pictured) – This caftan has been getting some love on blogs recently and so I thought I’d try the one-size-fits-most coverup. Is it the best quality item? Of course not. Is it super cute with a forgiving shape to drape over your swimsuit? Yep! It also folds up incredibly small so it’ll be easy to pack on a vacation and barely wrinkles. As for sizing, I’m currently in a 10 or 12 depending on the brand (medium on top; large on bottom). I think this caftan could go to a size 14, but probably not much larger than that.
  • Paravel small cabana tote – You know I’m sucker for Paravel’s items. They’re beautiful, well made, and sustainable. I use the large cabana tote quite a bit in the summer for daytrips, car travels, or picnics, but it’s too large when I don’t have much to bring with during the day. Enter the small version. It’s still spacious for all of my daytime essentials, my camera, and whatever else I collect on my adventure, but it’s a lot more manageable. I’ll do a post next month comparing the two sizes.
  • Nike ‘Daybreak’ sneaker in black – If you’re in need of a comfortable sneaker, look no further than Nike’s Daybreak option. This is now my third pair of them and I’m still smitten with the vintage-inspired look. They fit true to size.
  • Birkenstock plastic ‘Arizona’ sandals – We have a mulberry tree in our backyard that’s so messy. I finally caved and bought a pair of plastic Birks so I have a shoe that’s easy to wash off after stepping on dropped berries. I’ll have a full review of these coming up next month!
  • Anthropologie ‘Robin’ tiered mini dress – This is such a pretty dress that’s feminine without being saccharine. It has a nice drape that doesn’t overwhelm your figure, and the lowered hem in the back is a nice touch for those with a larger booty so the dress doesn’t get too short back there! I had actually ordered the green version in a medium first and loved how it fit, but I was curious to see the larger version since the medium was juuust right in the bust and I wondered if I’d prefer more space. I ordered it again in large along with the pink one in large. The large green one was way too big and the large pink one was way too small. Clearly there are some sizing inconsistencies with this. If you can find the right fit, though, it’s worth it.
  • Ugg slide slippers – These are my lone purchase from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I bought them to replace a pair of slippers from J.Crew that had seen better days. I went with my regular size 7 and they fit perfectly, but you could likely go up a half size if needed and they’d still fit well.

HOUSEHOLD

  • Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence – My coworker lent me this book after we were sharing notes on baking with tomatoes and I ordered it after one flip through. There are so many recipes in here for the novice baker as well as those with more experience. I haven’t made anything from the book yet, but I’m eager to dive in. (There’s even a Reddit community for those who love the book.)
  • Microplane zest grater – I was tired of bringing out the larger grater when I need to zest a lime or lemon.
  • The Cocktail Bible (not pictured) – I picked up this cute cocktail book at an independent store over the weekend. It’s full of every classic cocktail you’ll ever make and the jacket is has a leather-like look and feel. It’s pretty enough to keep out on the bar.

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On the Right Foot: A Charming Cottage Tour, My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Purchase, How to Get Your Sheets Whiter & More!

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Recent snapshots (clockwise from upper left): the dwarf hydrangea I planted this year is doing well; putting farmer’s market tomatoes to good use in a galette; added Paravel’s small Cabana tote to my collection; and my view from Madison’s Concerts on the Square.

I was #influenced by a coworker and purchased this baking cookbook. I’m excited to work my way through it.

Try this tactic to get your sheets white again.

Loving the work of photographer Jacques Brun.

Step inside a charming cottage.

Hotel refrigerators are unlikely to keep your leftovers and medications out of the danger zone.

Exploring Disney’s World War II propaganda.

How Victoria’s Secret missed the mark on inclusivity.

I bought a pair of slippers at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale to replace an old pair from J.Crew. Did you buy anything?

A small change to the U.S. quarter is part of a larger logo trend.

Have a great week!

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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!