In addition to the items below, I had ordered two items from J.Crew that were huge misses: this dress that ran small in the bodice despite the smocked back (plus, the quality did not warrant the price tag); and this blouse that was the most unflattering shape on me. Oh well, they can’t all be winners, right? Here are the items that made the cut this month:
IN THE WARDROBE
See this year’s sartorial additions here.
AROUND THE HOUSE
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Yesterday marked our unofficial kickoff to the holiday season with a Friendsgiving celebration, and it was incredible to think about what a difference a year makes. Last year, it was just Dave and me celebrating a quiet day together with more food than two people could possibly eat in a day (but a week’s worth of leftovers was appreciated!). This year, things feel closer to what they were pre-pandemic and I’m thankful for the opportunity to take part in those traditions again. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
A tulle bridesmaid dress to put you in a festive mood. I love the forgiving A-line shape!
The seven-day week orders our society, but is it the best structure for time?
An update of where things are at with our bathroom renovations. We need to get the flooring selected for the powder room soon, and I’m leaning toward the blue tile. What about you?
A gluten-free carrot cake that’ll satisfy the sweet tooth of anyone with a gluten allergy this holiday season.
A great deal on a cozy throw blanket.
Early holiday decorating could make you a happier person.
A roundup of some of the best air purifiers for pet owners.
Wear-with-anything modern hoops that are perfect for gift-giving, even if the recipient is yourself. Prefer a playful pair? Try these!
Holiday gift ideas for the gardener.
How to make your candles last longer.
The best Christmas movies of all time.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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It felt like we had all the time in the world to make product selections for our upcoming powder room and main bath renovation when we committed to a contractor in August. The work was scheduled to begin in February; there was no rush to commit to products. But now that we’re in the latter half of November, we really need to finalize product selections. It’s exciting, but it’s also a bit daunting.
To give you some background, our house has one powder room off the kitchen, a full bathroom on the second floor that serves as the main bathroom, and a full bathroom in the unfinished basement that is, well, disgusting but serviceable. We decided to start with the powder room first. This way we can shower in the basement when the main bathroom is being renovated, but use the powder room during the day. We’re making product selections for the rooms in tandem — and just placed the order for our tub that our contractor is mercifully working out a storage solution for since we don’t have the space to keep it at our house for the next several months. However, we really need to accelerate our plans for the powder room to get all of the products ordered in time.
I need to take proper “before” photos of the powder room, but here’s a quick snapshot I took to give you an idea of what it looks like currently:
Here’s an overview of what we’re doing:
My biggest consideration right now is the new flooring because I think it’ll set the tone for the room. I fell head-over-heels for the tile in the opening image. The room is just 25 square feet and with 20% overage, the tile came in at $267. It’s such a great price for stunningly beautiful tile. However, I hesitated when I saw the brand’s extremely rigid return policy and the fact that shipping would be $200. (And I totally understand. It’s a small company and tile is heavy and fragile to ship. It would be a slam dunk if money was no object, buuuut it is.) So, I wanted to take a look at other options before committing and landed on these two from Home Depot:
I ordered a sample of the one on the left to see how it compares to the one from Clé. It’s a bit more expensive per square foot for the product itself, but we’ll ultimately save money when shipping charges are taken into consideration. I don’t love the lighter edges around the sides of the tile, but we’ll see what it looks like when it gets here. I also thought I’d shift gears from a colored tile and see what marble looks like in my mockups. I’m doing a marble hexagon in the main bathroom and didn’t want the two rooms to be too matchy-matchy with the flooring materials, but this marble herringbone is beautiful. (You can see the marble hexagon tile I picked for the main bath in the opening image.)
I just started putting together a product collage to see how the pieces I’ve already selected coordinate with the flooring. I still have to pick out a toilet and hardware, but here’s where we’re at:
I do really love the playfulness of the blue flooring here. I think it’s fresh and a bit unexpected for our house without straying too far from the midcentury-meets-traditional look I love.
Here’s the other option:
Pretty, right?! So you can understand the dilemma. I love how elegant this one looks! The powder room is right off the kitchen, which is, shall we say, “underwhelming” at best? So, I almost feel like this is too pretty to be right next to the kitchen. (Whenever we tackle the kitchen, it’ll be a budget-conscious face lift and not a full renovation. I’d rather not spend that kind of money when we don’t think this is our “forever home.” That said, given the staggeringly high house prices, it’ll likely be our home for the foreseeable future while we live in Madison.)
I think I know which one I’m leaning toward, but I’d love to know your thoughts!
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