BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

Look for Less: Oversize Gold Ball Earrings

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I love when I find a good dupe and I’d like to do a better job of sharing those finds with you this year! I just came across these earrings that look incredibly similar to this Lele Sadoughi pair, but for $150 cheaper. They’re oversized, but still versatile thanks to the simple silhouette.

SHOP THE LOOK

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On the Right Foot: Introducing Our New Kitty, a Colorful Home Tour, Kohler is Reintroducing Vintage Hues & More!

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Recent Snapshots (clockwise starting from upper left): Meet Lily and follow her on Instagram; I bought the dress featured in this post and wore it at an event last week; Lily was fascinated by the recent snow fall; we finally bought a new bed (details soon!) and now I’m selecting a color for the accent wall.

Kohler is bringing back a couple of its vintage hues. Vote for your favorites here.

I adore this colorful home.

Goals for 2023.

You don’t need to have a birthday on the horizon to make this easy vanilla cake.

This resonates with all pet owners.

If you’re on the lookout for a show-stopping centerpiece bowl, get on the wait list for this one.

See 25 images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest, run by the Natural History Museum in London. Fair warning, some of these images are haunting.

Beach bound? Add these sculptural earrings to your suitcase.

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Goals for 2023

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We’re a couple of weeks into the new year, but it hasn’t exactly been a slow start. Last weekend, we drove to Michigan and welcomed this darling little cat to the family. I saw her Petfinder listing on New Year’s Eve and immediately sent the link to Dave, intending to submit an application the next morning. By then her listing was already removed due to too much interest and my heart just sank, but I sent an inquiry regardless and received a response within a few minutes. The agency was sifting through applications, hoping to find someone with prior Bengal experience, and it so happens that we were the perfect fit for the little lady! She’s such a sweetheart and was a champ during the six-hour drive home. It’s been so wonderful to have a cat around again, not to mention incredibly fun to discover her little quirks. (The little chirp she makes is the cutest!) Naming her was my first priority for 2023 and we chose Lily. You can follow her Instagram here. Here’s what else is on deck for the year:

TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW

It’s my perennial resolution, but it’s one that brings me so much joy! We don’t have anything booked for the year yet, but that’ll change soon. We had purchased the United Economy Plus annual subscription before our trip to Europe last year, so we need to get more use out of that investment before it expires in July. A ten-day stint abroad in June sounds pretty enticing!

PRIORITIZE TIME FOR HOBBIES

Last year, I began taking pottery lessons and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s so satisfying to take a lump of clay and transform it into something useful — even if it’s just a slightly wonky bowl. I’d like to continue taking classes and sign up for a studio membership this year when an opening comes available. I’m excited to see how my work will progress with more practice on the potter’s wheel.

Additionally, I’m growing fond of gardening. Last year, I was successful with tomatoes and habaneros. This year, I’m going to expand my little urban garden and install a raised bed. Vegetables aside, I planted a lot of perennial plants last fall and I’m eager to see what comes up in the spring. I’d like to start defining some areas of our yard with plants. I’d say “landscaping,” but I don’t want to give you the wrong impression and suggest that my skills are anything other than beginner!

SPEND LESS, SAVE MORE — AND PARE DOWN IN THE PROCESS

This is a holdover from last year, but one worth repeating. We have boxes in the basement that we haven’t opened since moving in five years ago. We desperately need to go through everything, donate what no longer suits us, and get organized. And with that, be thoughtful about what comes into the house. Not only is it a more sustainable way of living, everything needs to go somewhere and anything we purchase needs to be amazing enough to justify the space to house it. Spending less will also help me with my goal of putting 20% of my take-home pay into savings this year. (I had been saving 10% of my monthly income and I can finally bump it up now that my student loans are paid off.)

TACKLE A FEW HOME PROJECTS

As I shared here, our next project is to revamp our bedroom. It’s fine as it is, but it’s just that. Fine. I want our bedroom to be a space we look forward to spending time in; and it wouldn’t hurt if it looks like it belongs in a Schoolhouse ad. I’d like to replace the bed (we actually had it delivered this week!), repaint the accent wall, install curtains, swap out the lamps, and add more art. We’d also like to find a vintage dresser, but that’s less of a priority as it’ll be more difficult than sourcing the other items. Then, we’ll start working on the guest room. Right now, it’s painted, a new light fixture is installed, and we have a dresser. However, it’s not much of a guest room without a bed! On the first floor, I’d like to purchase a cabinet for our dining room to store our serving pieces and glassware. Preferably one with glass doors, so we can get a glimpse of what’s inside.

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Image credits: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Looking Back at 2022

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It’s hard to look back at the year with rose-colored glasses when 2022 was marked with two significant losses in our lives. My grandma passed away early in the year. She was my last remaining grandparent and while her passing wasn’t exactly a surprise, I really felt it over the holiday season. I’ve gone to her house to celebrate with extended family nearly every year for the past 39 and not having that tradition this year made it feel like something was missing. Then, in October, we said goodbye to our cat, Oliver. We adopted him from Great Lakes Bengal Rescue on February 13, 2020 — just weeks before the world shut down. Unbeknownst to us, he had FIV and his little life was going to be cut far too short. I still fight to hold back tears when I think of him and that horrible night when he essentially had a stroke that he wasn’t going to recover from. He started out as a challenging cat with anxiety issues and aggression, but we worked with him to earn his trust and give him a happy home — and judging by the hours he spent lazily sprawled out in the sunspot on the bed, he enjoyed living with us! He blossomed into such a sweetheart and I wish that we had more time with him.

Of course, there were also a lot of wonderful moments to reflect back on: I took up pottery, we renovated both bathrooms in the house, and we finally traveled internationally again. In no particular order, here are are a few snapshots of happy memories from my camera roll:

I hope your new year is filled with happy moments to cherish!

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Things I Bought & Loved This Month

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WARDROBE
See this year’s sartorial additions here.

  • J.Crew vintage slim-straight jeans – I’m at a weird in-between size right now and my go-to jeans were a bit too loose, so I bought these for the time being. Honestly, I’m tired of raw hems, but they’re good enough for now. The best part of these is that they don’t stretch out much during the day.
  • Mansur Gavriel Checker Mini Volume Clutch – eBay find – I finally got my hands on my white whale of a purse! I’ve loved this Mansur Gavriel bag since it debuted in 2018, but I didn’t want to pay full price. I deeply regretted it for the past four years. Patience — and a saved eBay search — paid off this month and I welcomed the bag into my wardrobe.
  • Cole Haan Mary Jane flats (also available here) – These are the prettiest grownup take on Mary Jane flats! The elongated, squared-off toe is flattering and sophisticated, and they look lovely with both dresses and pants. However, the back is very stiff and cut into my ankle. I’ve since purchased padded insets to offer some cushioning.
  • J.Crew crystal and pearl drop earrings – The photos online don’t do these earrings justice. In fact, I passed them up online until I saw them in store. The sparkly crystals are a fun pairing for the real freshwater pearl drop. I bought them for around $16 on sale and that felt like a steal.

HOUSEHOLD

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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!