BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

  • Interiors
    • My Home: Main Bathroom
    • My Home: Powder Room
    • My Home: Living Room
    • My Home: Dining Room
    • My Home: Main Bedroom
    • My Home: Front Porch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
    • Travel Posts
    • Travel Guides
  • Style
    • Style Posts
    • Outfits
    • The Coveted
  • Collaborate
  • About

Goals for the New Year | 2025

January 3, 2025 by jessica Leave a Comment

Above: A snapshot from our trip to Lucerne, Switzerland.

Happy New Year! I recently read an essay about setting New Year’s resolutions and goals that are based on what makes you happy. The author didn’t make lofty proclamations about losing weight or ceasing unnecessary expenditures; she highlighted things that bring her joy like traveling or attending concerts, and then identified potential vacation weeks or tour dates to make those goals a reality. I like this approach because it’s so much more optimistic than self-reflecting on your perceived failures. And even if you do have goals centered on changing a habit, reframing the intention behind it can be powerful.

TRAVEL TO AT LEAST FOUR DESTINATIONS

Travel somewhere new has been my perennial resolution for as long as I can remember. We rarely book trips more than a couple of months out, letting competitive flight and hotel prices guide us, so there’s always a bit of mystery about where we’ll find ourselves vacationing in the new year. That said, we do have two domestic getaways booked already: a summer weekend in Chicago because we found relatively inexpensive hotel prices at The Robey and a longer trip to Philadelphia. Where else will we go in 2025? Who knows! I’m sure there will be an international trip and I’m hoping for a beachside escape, too.

FIND JOY IN MOVEMENT

For whatever reason, I’ve always seen exercise as a type of punishment. I’m sure there’s plenty to unpack there about my perceptions and body image, but we’re not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to focus on how good I feel after I exercise. It takes a lot of mental energy for me to get started, but I always feel proud of myself and more energized afterward. I’m going to work on reframing a workout as something that will make me happy rather than something that I have to do.

CONTINUE MAKING PROGRESS ON HOME PROJECTS

What I love most about “home” is that it’s ever-evolving. Furniture moves, walls are repainted, new decor is added, renovations are considered. It’s never really done, and I can’t really predict what we’ll end up doing this year. However, I do know that focusing on our space makes me incredibly happy. Here are a few things I’d like to take care of in the first half of 2025:

  • Purchase a bookshelf or credenza for the living room. We moved the bar cabinet to the dining room and now have an empty space in the living room that needs some sort of storage, whether open or closed.
  • Purchase a second armchair for the living room. Whenever we have guests over, I feel like we need one more comfortable chair in the room. I’d like to buy a matching leather chair to the one that’s already in the space, but the leather color is no longer available. I’m not sure if a different chair would make the room feel too chaotic and mismatched when the existing armchair already doesn’t match the couch.
  • Install a curtain rod and curtains in the guest room. The space has roller shades already, so this isn’t a privacy- or light-related priority. It’s more for aesthetics. I already bought curtains from Amazon in “Key Green” that match the wall color pretty well (Sherwin-William’s “Billiard Green”), and curtain rods are backordered until March.
  • Finish with the guest room. After curtains are hung, we really only need to hang a mirror, add artwork, and consider replacing the hand-me-down nightstand. I’d also like to find a queen-size bedspread or quilt for the space that I love, rather than using our king-size blankets and tucking under the excess. Addressing the guest room was one of my 2024 goals and I’m so glad we did it because it’s allowed my parents to stay with us when they visit.
  • Begin organizing the basement. This has been on my to-do list for years. It’s a daunting project that I never actually want to start doing. However, if we can even just start with a small section, I think it’ll give us motivation to keep going — or, at the very least, that small section will be organized! Progress, not perfection.

–
Let’s keep in touch!
Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: new year's goals, new year's resolutions

So long, 2024!

December 31, 2024 by jessica Leave a Comment

A few memorable moments from 2024.
Wishing you a wonderful New Year’s Eve as you raise a glass to your happiest memories of 2024!

–
Let’s keep in touch!
Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: new year

On the Right Foot: NYE Cocktails, Where to Travel in 2025, Silver Ballet Flats & More!

December 30, 2024 by jessica Leave a Comment

Above: A snapshot from our May 2024 trip to Barcelona. I promise that a travel guide is coming in the new year!

A few roundups for you to peruse: a list of my most recent notable purchases and my favorite products I bought in 2024.

The most beautiful places in France.

Out of the one billion packages that entered the U.S. in 2022, apparently one-third came from Shein and Temu. Let’s all resolve to spend our money more thoughtfully as we enter the new year.

18 New Year’s Eve cocktails that are worth staying awake for.

Silver ballet flats are very tempting now that they’re on sale.

How to make New Year’s resolutions that stick.

Where to travel in 2025.

I adore the idea of decorating a Christmas tree with only icicle ornaments. (This could never be my main Christmas tree — I love multi colored lights and ornaments too much — but would be lovely on a small tabletop tree.)

A couple of my favorite Christmas gifts: a beautiful leather work tote and gorgeous wine glasses.

Such a cheerful, colorful home!

Happy New Year!

–
Let’s keep in touch!
Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

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

A Few of My Favorite Things | 2024

December 27, 2024 by jessica Leave a Comment

I feel like I say this every year, but goodness, I can’t believe we’re on the cusp of another new year and that it’s already time to share my favorite products that I bought over the past 12 months. These are the items that brought the most joy — either because I simply love using them or they made our lives easier — that I think you might enjoy, too.

Jenny Bird “Chunky Doune Hoops” – 2024 saw a resurgence of bold sculptural jewelry in sleek metals. Jenny Bird makes the most beautiful pieces and these quickly became one of my most-worn pairs this year.

Dansk “Bistro Cafe Flatware” – Prior to this year, I had been using Walmart flatware that my parents bought for my first apartment. They were fine, classic-looking enough, and serviceable, so it wasn’t high on my list of priorities to buy a new set. However, I’m so glad I saw this Dansk set earlier this year and decided we were past-due for an upgrade. These are gorgeous! They have a nice weight to them and it’s so nice to have a set of flatware I’m not embarrassed about when we host guests. I splurged on two 43-piece sets so that we have 16 of each utensil and two sets of serving pieces.

Paravel “Main Line Duffle” – I had this on my wish list of years and finally treated myself during a sale earlier this year. It’s beautiful and much lighter than my leather duffle bag. I’ve accumulated quite a Paravel collection and each item surpasses my expectations. Plus, Paravel has wonderful customer service and a commitment to sustainability that makes me feel good about supporting the brand.

OXO Good Grips 8″ x 14″ organization bin – The top shelf of our fridge was a black hole for small items and jars that were pushed toward the back. I’d forget what was there, only to unearth it when it was past its expiration date. Two of these bins solved that problem. Now I can just slide the tray forward to get what I need and keep those smaller items corralled.

Margaux “The Demi” ballet flats – I bought my first pair of Margaux’s ballet flats in 2023 and loved them so much that I added the brown and red pairs to my closet this year. The footbed is cushioned making them comfortable for all-day wear, and the adjustable cord can be cinched so your heel doesn’t slip out. I wear a pair just about every day to work.

Nearly Natural artificial ferns – I love how ferns look in a hanging basket. After two years of trying — and failing — to keep real ones alive on our porch, I threw in the towel and bought artificial ones. Worth every penny, especially because real ferns aren’t exactly cheap to begin with. These come in a set of two and I put both in a hanging basket with some floral foam to keep them from falling out. They definitely pass for the real thing, especially from the sidewalk. I’d suggest buying them before spring, though, as the price seemed to creep up as we got closer to nice weather.

Phoenix Down pillow – We slept on these when we stayed at the InterContinental in Chicago last December, and I thought they were the most comfortable pillow I’ve used in years. I peeked at the tag and bought a set shortly after. The older I get, the more committed I am to a blissful sleeping experience, which brings me to the next product…

Casper “The Dream” mattress – We purchased one of the original Casper mattresses when we first upgraded from a Queen to King bed. We had been very happy with it, but realized that ours was past its prime when we bought “The One” for the guest room and found it to be much more supportive than ours. We ultimately selected the hybrid “The Dream” mattress for ourselves. It’s softer than its all-foam counterpart, but still supportive — and I’m happy to report that the back aches we were both chalking up to old age went away once we bought a new mattress.

Undo Hairware claw clips – These are the best claw clip that I’ve tried. It doesn’t dig into the back of your scalp while you’re wearing it and it stays put all day. They’re expensive for what they are, but I’ve found it to be worth it the splurge.

SpaceAid bamboo drawer dividers – I had a flatware organizer in our large utensil drawer, but the rest of the space was a jumbled mess that would shift around each time the drawer was opened and closed, inevitably making the drawer difficult to open when things got wedged between it and the bottom of the counter. And I could never find what I needed without rifling through the drawer to see where it went. It annoyed me for years. I don’t know why it took me so long to address the problem, but I finally decided to do something about it and found this adjustable drawer divider set in January. Everything now has a home and the drawer stays tidy. Honestly, this is probably my absolute favorite item of the year thanks to all of the headaches it has saved me.

Amazon mesh beach tote – This mesh bag was all over Instagram this year and for good reason. It’s lightweight, cute, packable, and generously sized for all of your beach essentials. I bought it before we went to Barcelona thinking that it’d be easy to bring to the beach or pool with us, but it ended up being more useful than that. I used it to carry our umbrellas for the inevitable light rain shower we’d have midday and as a reusable shopping bag. It held up well after a week of heavy use, which I didn’t expect for a cheap Amazon purchase. It’s now coming with me on every warm-weather trip.

I’ve been sharing my favorites for several years. Find them here: 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023

–
Let’s keep in touch!
Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

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: best of, favorite things

Notable Purchases, Vol. 7

December 20, 2024 by jessica Leave a Comment

LINKS

  • Boden ‘Emilia’ cardigan in red – This is one of Boden’s new arrivals and I purchased it as soon as it was available. It arrived earlier this week — just in time to wear it for the holidays. (Plus, the University of Wisconsin’s colors are cardinal and white, so it’s basically workwear.) I went a size up so that I could wear it buttoned up without a layer underneath without worrying about any gaps at the placket.
  • Margaux “The Demi” in red – I already have these ballet flats in two colors and have been really happy with how comfortable they are and how well they wear. They’re a splurge, but they’re my go-to work shoe.
  • Undo Hairware No. 2 Claw Clip (red and brown) – I bought a couple of these back in July and use them frequently enough that I figured I’d get use out two more colors in rotation. They’re such nice quality.
  • Lands’ End oxford stripe sheets (navy) – I was sick last month and coughing a lot at night. I didn’t want to keep Dave up, so I slept in the guest room. The guest bed had a set of Ralph Lauren cotton sheets I bought on sale over a decade ago when we had a queen bed. I had planned to use them on our bed at the time, but we upgraded to a king before I ever had the chance. After one night’s sleep on the queen bed, I hated how stiff and scratchy the sheets were and immediately placed an order for these oxford sheets that we also have on our bed. They get softer with each wear.
  • All Modern artificial juniper wreath – This wreath has such a nice mix of different faux foliage that gives it a nice texture and doesn’t look as cheap as some artificial wreaths do.
  • Sezane ‘Lauren’ jumper (navy) – This is yet another item that I have in another color and loved enough to buy another. I bought it in grey back in October and wear it all the time. The sweater has a nice heft to it where it feels like it’s high quality, and it doesn’t pill very much. (As with all sweaters, it will pill, but it’s easy to fix with a sweater comb.)
  • West Elm offset stripe pillow (camel/red) – I thought this was such a nice way to add some holiday cheer to our living room without being a full-on holiday throw pillow.
  • J.Crew rhinestone earrings (crystal) – J.Crew always nails it with their rhinestone holiday earrings. These are incredibly sparkly and lightweight. Plus, the crystal version is only $9.50 right now!
  • Quail Ceramics owl salt and pepper shakers – I realize these are so ridiculous, but I couldn’t help myself. They’re quirky and charming! I’m tucking them away to use at a future Thanksgiving table setting.

Find previous “Notable Purchases” here and click here to see what I’ve added to my wardrobe this year.

—
Let’s keep in touch!
Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest / Bloglovin’

Filed Under: Recent Purchases Tagged With: Bought and Loved, Notable Purchases

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 429
  • Next Page »

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.

Keep In Touch

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

Latest Home Finds

Visit Me on Instagram!

Stripes, windowpane, floral, and a single polka do Stripes, windowpane, floral, and a single polka dot of bright blue to punctuate our guest room bedding. 

#guestroom #bedding #schoolhouseliving #schoolhouse #landsend #homedesign
I’m challenging myself to get through a backlog I’m challenging myself to get through a backlog of travel photos before we book our next trip. First up, photos of the gothic York Minster. I’m not religious in the slightest but I can’t resist stunning architecture and the opportunity to climb hundreds of cathedral stairs for a city view. This one only had a single rest stop about halfway up the flight of 275 steps for a closeup view of the flying buttresses — and a waiver you had to sign before your ascent to promise you’re healthy enough to make it.
Can you hear meow? 😸 Lily is putting the phone Can you hear meow? 😸 Lily is putting the phone nook to good use.
Christmassy mornings. Christmassy mornings.
Thanksgiving Bake: Flourless Chocolate Wave Cake f Thanksgiving Bake: Flourless Chocolate Wave Cake from Dessert Person by @csaffitz

#dessertperson #thanksgiving #eastfork #eastforkdoesmydishes #eastforkpottery #dansk #food52 #dessert
Visiting York earlier this month put us in the Hal Visiting York earlier this month put us in the Halloween spirit. While it claims to be the most haunted place in Europe and is dubbed the city of a thousand ghosts, we only encountered the wire-mesh sculptures of Ghosts in the Gardens (@the_york_bid) and the family of souvenir ghosts I brought home from @yorkghostmerchants. 

#ghostsinthegardens #york #hauntedyork #yorkmuseumgardens #yorkghostmerchants
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 · Jennifer on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in