BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

Things I Bought and Loved in September

October 1, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

Candidly, I’m fairly impressed with how many affordable pieces I found for my wardrobe to round out the last bit of summer. I was to the point where I was wearing the same black Old Navy dress nearly every day (essentially this, but sleeveless). And, while I bought five of them last year and it wasn’t technically the same garment on repeat, I’m sure people thought I had given up on myself in Zoom meetings.

Aside from that, the month’s shining stars were on the home front with an heirloom-quality blanket and a new living room rug (even if I didn’t follow your advice).

IN THE WARDROBE
See all of this year’s sartorial additions here.

A New Day long-sleeve dress in brown – This dress is just about sold out and for good reason, it’s adorable! It’s lightweight making it perfect for this transitional weather. It runs true to size.
Birkenstock ‘Madrid’ big buckle slide in cognac (also here and here) – I bought the classic Madrid sandal in black with the black buckle at the height of Birkenstock’s resurgence a few years ago. They’re probably my most worn sandals that I always bring on each warm-weather trip and have become my go-to house shoes during COVID. This pair with the big buckle is definitely the “make it fashion” version. They’re comfortable and versatile and absolutely worth buying. I typically wear a size 7 in shoes, and go with a 37 in this. The width claims to be narrow, but it’s a standard width for most people.
Banana Republic merino wool turtleneck in rust – I love the color of this sweater, but as the online reviews point out, it’s not the pictured turtleneck. The one I received is a fine-knit wool without that thicker ribbing at the sleeves and hem. It’s also more form-fitting than I would have liked for this work-at-home environment. However, I’m keeping it because the color is too perfect for fall and it’ll layer well under sleeveless dresses if I ever decide to dress up for a Zoom meeting. I went with a medium.
Universal Thread puff-sleeve tiered babydoll dress in pink – This is essentially a muumuu and I love the dress for it. It runs stupidly large and I ended up going with an XS.
H&M cotton puff-sleeve blouse in leaf print – I read the reviews for this and opted to size down to a small. However, the blouse I received was a size medium tucked into a bag labeled “small.” It was so cheap that I didn’t want to go to the effort of returning it even though it is awfully large. So, heed the advice of reviewers and go down a size. The print is really fun!

AROUND THE HOUSE

Schoolhouse Electric cotton pinstripe blanket – I know this is such a splurge for a cotton blanket, but I’m a sucker for Schoolhouse Electric products. They’re so well made that you just know they’re destined to be heirloom pieces.
OXO Good Grips FurLifter – Oliver tends to sleep on our bed during the day, leaving cat hair all over the duvet cover. After going through entirely too many sheets of lint paper, I opted for a reusable lint brush to get it off. This one does a good job and the holder removes the hair from the brush.
Loloi II “Layla” rug (also available here) – We’ve been looking for a new living room rug for a few years now and had hoped to find a vintage one at an affordable price. We’re not exactly frequently antique stores anymore with COVID, so we went for the next best thing: an affordable vintage-inspired rug. It’s actually decent enough quality at the price. I like the whipstitch along the edge and while the design is printed rather than woven, it looks good. All in all, I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in a similar situation.
IKEA ‘Tekla’ dish towels – Head over here for all of the reasons I love these dish towels.
IKEA ‘Citronsyra’ planters – I love these vintage metal planters so much that I bought four, even if I only had plans for one. I’ll use the others next year to plant herbs.
P.F. Candle Co. spiced pumpkin candle – This is pretty much fall in a candle. It smells a bit like pumpkin pie and has a sweetness that fortunately isn’t as pronounced when it’s actually burning.

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The Best $0.79 to Spend on Your Home

September 23, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

IKEA’s Tekla dish towels are a cult favorite for their low price and durability, but what makes them even better is that they can double as cloth napkins. I don’t know if you’ve looked at the price of cloth napkins lately, but they’re surprisingly expensive for a swath of fabric that’s inevitably going to be stained with red wine. With these, however, you can afford to stock up. They’re generously sized with a charming red border that reminds me of a French bistro, and I love the idea of pairing them with a linen tablecloth for casual dinners this fall. Plus, let’s face it, Thanksgiving is likely going to be a low key affair this year, so you may as well take it a step further with a selection of brass candlesticks (preferably vintage and cleaned up with Flitz polish) for a farm-to-table-inspired look.

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On the Right Foot: Remembering RBG, Preparing for a Pandemic Winter, Soup Bowls to Buy, & More!

September 21, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

When I began seeing murmurs of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing on social media Friday evening, I frantically Googled for confirmation in disbelief, shock, and horror — and then I cried. I had never before shed tears for a public figure and I wish it was simply out of respect for and in honor of a remarkable leader. But it wasn’t just that. We all knew how pivotal her passing would be in a Trump-led America — and the collective fear of fellow Democrats was realized less than two months from the election. I channeled that anger into a donation to Amy McGrath’s campaign, the Kentuckian looking to unseat Mitch McConnell, and it looks like other leftists also donated in record amounts over the weekend. This is not the year to be apathetic. Donate if you can. Vote because your future depends on it.

Many people are dreading being cooped up inside during a pandemic winter. Here are some things you can do to prepare.

Such a cute dress to pair with sneakers this fall.

We started watching Ted Lasso last week and I adore it. It’s both funny and heartwarming.

I’ve had my eye on these soup/pasta bowls for well over a year now. I think I’m finally going to take the plunge.

How algorithms determine your mood based on what you’re writing online.

Here’s what inspired the set design for Netflix’s Ratched.

One legacy of the pandemic may be less judgement of those who opt not to have children.

This dress is great. It reminds me a bit of Ulla Johnson, it’s $30, and it runs stupidly large. It’s pretty much the best work-from-home dress you could ask for. I normally get a medium in Target dresses and I sized down to an XS in this one. If I had a larger chest, sizing down only one size probably would have been preferable.

The Coveted: September 2020

September 16, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

I don’t know what it is lately, but I have been leaning into a cozier, slightly outdoorsy vibe — and Alison’s cabin pretty much sums up how I’m feeling. I’m never going to be one for a full-on woodsy aesthetic (even if my Animal Crossing island suggests otherwise), but I’m all for a modernized take on organic materials and cool-toned hues.

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Help me choose a rug

September 9, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

Living Room Rug Options — *rugs one, two, and three*

Hey, I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! We spent Saturday in the Milwaukee area going to a county park, having an outdoor lunch at a brewery, and swinging by IKEA. The latter of which didn’t feel nearly as safe as the other activities of the day. While IKEA is usually a madhouse, it felt more claustrophobic in the midst of a pandemic — not exactly what I was hoping for during my first retail outing since March, aside from Target and the grocery store. I definitely scratched that in-store itch that day, but a couple of hours of looking at home decor inspired me to continue making upgrades around the house before winter sets in.

As far as exterior projects are concerned, I finally painted our front porch railings matte black (see the before; progress photos to come). Inside, I started looking for a new living room rug. We’ve been using this wool rug that we purchased when we lived in the apartment. It’s nice and all, but it’s too small for the space and doesn’t really work with the direction our living room is moving in. We really want a vintage rug, but affordable ones are hard to come by and we’re not exactly frequenting antique stores to find one. So, we’re going the cheap route for the time being. I’ve read good things about the Loloi II line (they’re often cheaper here with the option for in-person returns) and narrowed it down to my three favorites above and put them into a collage with some of our other living room pieces. (The coffee table is also from the apartment and I’d like to replace it with something that better fits our mid-century-meets-traditional aesthetic. Possibly this one.)

Of the three we narrowed it down to, I really love the second one. However, in the up-close view, I don’t like the tufted look for a vintage-inspired rug as much as I like the thinner woven look of the other two. So, here’s what we’re looking at:

Dave is leaning more toward this one and I think I’m in agreement. I prefer blues and greens over warm hues and the background of this one has more of those cooler tones. That said, I don’t love the center medallion, but the coffee table will be over that. My biggest hesitation here is if the geometric patterns of our throw blankets and pillows will look out of place with the rug. Clearly I’m no stranger to pattern mixing, but those just seem so dissimilar that I’m pumping the brakes a bit.

Then there’s this rug that has a lot more red than I’m necessarily on board with. However, the pattern of this one doesn’t compete with the plaids and stripes as much as the other one does. Plus, I like that the border has a lot blues in the design.

Which one do you like? We’d be opting for the 7.5′ x 9.5′ size, so it’s only around the $160-170 mark and returnable at Walmart. I could always order one and see how it looks, but I’d really rather avoid the hassle and nail it on the first try!

Sources
Credenza (by Ekais; I don’t think they’re in business anymore.)
Artwork (c/o Minted)
Striped Pillow
Plaid Pillow (similar)
Leather Chair (ours has wood legs)
Couch (amazing quality; looks new after three years)
Coffee Table
Side Table
Throw Blanket

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