BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

Weekend Roundup: Chili Butter, Guide to Porto, a Cozy Sweater & More!

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Weekend Links on Bedknobs & Baubles
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Happy Saturday! We’re bracing for a snowstorm today, so we’re keeping close to home with some cleaning and organization projects before walking to a friends’ house for an evening of board games and cocktails. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I love the shape of these affordable sunglasses.

Nikki’s guide to Porto makes me want to go back! (As well as edit my photos from our May 2019 trip to Portugal.)

If you’re not already following Hitha on Instagram for her near-daily Five Smart Reads, go do that now. One article she shared yesterday is about the “Grooming Gap” and its effect on women in the workplace.

It seems that a spicy Calabrian chile butter is what my kitchen has been missing.

This oversize striped sweater looks like the perfect weekend piece.

Have you seen the brilliant billboard that was designed to promote BBC’s new series, Dracula?

Everything you need to know about storing wine at home.

How Tulum transformed into a tourism hot spot.

Everything you can do to help Australia.

Is the body positivity movement working?

Finds Under $50

  • I can’t help myself when I stop by a greenhouse and brought home a pilea peperomioides last week. I’m torn between this planter and this one.
  • This is such a great ruffled blouse! It also comes in plus sizes here.
  • How great is this skirt for a swimsuit cover-up?! I absolutely adore the vintage print. (I’d wear it with the not-under-$50 swimsuit I’m crushing on.)
  • Schoolhouse Electric is having a bedding sale! It’s a great time to snag the pillow shams I bought last year.
  • I have a set of these little bowls and I use them so often for meal prep, toppings, or for portioning out candy.

Earlier This Week

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Goals for 2020

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https://www.clotstudio.com


TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW

My perennial resolution is also my most favorite! Last year was amazing with two trips abroad, which I never would have anticipated when I was penning a similar post a year ago. That’s kind of what I love about this resolution. I have a few ideas of where I’d like to visit abroad and stateside (in no particular order: Poland, Sweden, Croatia, Austria, Quebec, somewhere in South America, Maine), but it really comes down to whatever destination we decide to research on a whim and ticket prices.

BE A BETTER STEWARD OF THE ENVIRONMENT

I love that people across the board are becoming more cognizant of their impact on the environment. I know that individually my impact won’t be as significant or meaningful than if corporations and governments fully committed to sustainability. But, I know I can do more to be more responsible and reduce the impact that I make. I want to reduce my consumption of single-use plastics this year. I already made the switch to reusable shopping bags, but I can do a better job with doing things like consistently packing my lunch into reusable containers instead of reaching for a baggie. I’m also trying to find ways to reuse plastics that groceries are packaged in. For example, yogurt containers are great for paint when I just need a little bit for touch-up work around the house. Also, I think I’m going to start composting this year. Until recently, had no idea how bad it was to send organic materials to a landfill, so I may as well make that into usable dirt for a small veggie garden in 2021.

I also want to extend this sustainability focus to purchasing items for my wardrobe. I’m so tired of fast fashion and trend-based pieces that don’t earn a spot in closets long term. It’s so wasteful. I want to make sure that everything I purchase this year is true to my style, is good quality, and is something I can see myself holding on to. It’s not to say I won’t geek out over the occasional Target dress, but I want to be sure that cheap thrill is something I actually want to own longer than a season.

PRIORITIZE MY HEALTH

I know how tragically cliche this one is, but my goodness, I gained nearly 15 pounds last year that I need to shed. Plus another 10 for good measure. I wanted to get in better shape last year and I lost focus of that goal and ate and drank my way through a couple of vacations and, well, the rest of the year. I’m now 36 years old and I’m worried that I’ll be facing health problems down the road if I don’t make significant changes to my routine now. So, Dave and I have committed to helping each other stay motivated to lose weight with calorie counting, cutting out weeknight drinks, and exercising (which will be much easier come spring). I’ve also scheduled one of my annual doctor’s appointments this month in order to start the year on a positive note. I’m actually really excited to make these changes and I’ve already lost 4.5 pounds since the holidays.

For those who may be new around here, I lost 70 pounds after college. (I know, right?!) I had gained 50 of that back over the past eight years. (That weight-creep when you’re older is real!) I want to split the difference and lose 25 and put myself at a weight that felt maintainable and where I felt balanced. I was a size four at my lowest weight — which felt insane to a girl who had always been overweight, and it was almost impossible to maintain if I ate anything more than a salad for lunch and dinner. My current goal weight was what I stuck with for the longest amount of time and I feel like it’s achievable this year. It’s still going to be hard and it’s going to be a long road ahead, but I know I need to make this change for myself.

TACKLE PROJECTS AROUND THE HOUSE

I actually put together a post outlining the tasks I have in mind for the first six months of the year. I took a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based) approach to goal-setting for this so that these items don’t sit on a wish list forever. I plan to refer to this post throughout the next six month and check back with you on my progress with plenty of home-related content. It seems to perform the best judging by the analytics, so I suspect you have an interest in it, too!

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Home Projects for the Next 6 Months

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Mid-century Modern Living Room and Entry
This was taken in January 2019. I love looking back at how things have evolved. You can see a more recent image here with the artwork we added above the entry table.

Sometimes I get pangs of jealousy when I look at home bloggers like Chris Loves Julia who dive into their house projects and seem to make major transformations in such a small amount of time. And then I remind myself that it’s their job. For most of us, house projects have to be balanced with occupations, vacations, social schedules, and monetary commitments — all of which hinder the grandiose plans of a remodel or a fully decorated place on a short timeline.

I was completely naive to this when we closed on our house summer of 2017 and thought we’d be living in a near-complete home by now. That’s not even close to reality! It is fun to look back, however, at the progress we have made like painting the wood paneling, having this built-in installed in to divide the “open-concept” bedrooms, and finally replacing the old storm door. So, in an effort to keep things moving along, I put together a list of things I’d like to complete in the next 180 days, listed out by month. Some are easy and won’t take more than a weekend or two. Others are a bit more ambitious or pricey, but I tend to have more success when I hold myself accountable to a timeline. Here’s what’s on deck:

January

  • Finish removing paint from old door hardware.
  • Paint the door frames in the guest room.
  • Mount doors in the guest room.
  • Hire electrician for a couple of projects.
  • Choose stairwell paint color.
  • Hire painter to paint the stairwell in February/March.
  • Organize our beer collection in the basement and purchase wine racks for the corked bottles that need to stored on their sides.
  • Order materials samples for roller shades to install in the bedrooms.

February

  • Have our stairwell professionally painted. (We already got a quote for painting and plaster repair of some cracks in the space. It’s $840, which is why we’ve put it off a bit. I wanted to do wallpaper, but that’s going to be at least $1,000 in wallpaper alone and we’re not planning to live here forever. It seems like a smarter decision to paint now and allocate money to other projects before something as indulgent as wallpaper.)
  • Install door for my closet. (Our carpenter has the door now to do restoration work on it, so it’ll need to be painted before putting it up. This might be pushed back to March, depending on when he’s done with it. I told him it wasn’t a priority and can take a backseat to other projects he has.)
  • Replace the light fixture in our office.
  • Replace the light fixture in Dave’s closet.
  • Purchase and install roller shades or drapes for the bedrooms and office.
  • Address our closet organization needs. Purchase systems that will optimize the spaces, and install by the end of March.

March

  • Install closet organization systems.
  • Fill in the guest room trim with vinyl spackling to hide the nail holes and joints.
  • Paint the guest room walls and trim.
  • Replace the door handle leading to our sun room with a vintage one (or replica) that coordinates with the rest of the house’s hardware.
  • Mount exterior garage light. (We’ve had a solar-powered light to install since last year and haven’t gotten around to it yet. Oops!)

April

  • Purchase and install new light fixture in the guest room.
  • Start seriously looking for dining room storage, whether it’s a vintage sideboard, new credenza, or a even a modern ladder bookshelf.
  • Organize the basement.
  • Catch up on any projects that didn’t get done in the first three months!

May

  • Stain front porch and deck — assuming we have enough days in a row that are warm and dry enough for it. (Considering this project also includes power washing and sanding, I think it’s plenty for the month!)
  • Purchase planters and shade-tolerant plants to spruce up the front porch.

June

  • Budget bathroom refresh. (We were discussing our priorities for house renovations that we’ll need to hire someone for and I think the front of the house and sun room will win out. So, in an effort to make the bathroom cuter than it is, I’m going to make cosmetic upgrades and swap out light fixtures, paint the cabinets and walls, install new hardware, and we might try replacing the linoleum flooring with a different design/color. I’m also toying with the idea of painting the tiles or staining the grout.)

I’ll continue to work on sharing my progress with you with either project-based posts or monthly recaps!

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Weekend Roundup: A Decluttering Checklist, Dry January Inspiration, A Pretty Pendant & More!

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Weekend Links on Bedknobs & Baubles
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Happy first weekend of 2020! We don’t have much on the agenda other than putting away the Christmas decor, cleaning the house (the holidays left it in shambles!), and picking up sandwiches for lunch at a new-to-us deli that somehow flew under our radar last year. (Does anyone else get in dining-out ruts with their favorite spots? We need to make it a point this year to try new places more regularly!) I hope you have an equally restorative couple of days before the first full work week in awhile!

Declutter your home this month alongside Ashley of The Gold Hive with her handy checklist.

I had no idea that Spanx made dress pants until recently. I bought the skinny ankle-length pair. They’re comfortable and perfect for work. To avoid the legging look of the top of them, I paired them with the oversize sweater I won’t stop talking about which hits mid-hip.

I have a penchant for searching out interesting animal facts. Did you know the slow loris is both venomous and may have evolved to mimic a cobra?

Another thing to file under “weird things to learn this weekend:” How Paris’ open-air urinals changed a city — and helped dismantle the Nazi regime.

My favorite part of turning the calendar to a new year is daydreaming about the vacations we’ll take. We don’t have any travel plans on the books yet, so I’m open to all of the inspiration I can get. (I’m thinking a tropical destination; somewhere in the U.S., possibly Maine; and Europe, possibly Poland and Prague, Croatia, Stockholm, or Vienna and Budapest. That said, ticket prices generally influence where we go!)

I love the organic shape of this delicate pendant.

While I’m not doing a dry January, here’s some inspiration for those of you who are. (I’m opting to cut back significantly on alcohol, sugar, and high-fat foods overall. I’ve also decided to stop drinking alcohol during the work week unless I have standing plans with friends that are more than just a last-minute happy hour. I did this a couple of years ago and dropped 15 pounds from January through May, so that’s part of the motivation, too.)

I’m making this soup recipe tomorrow!

Finds Under $50

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My Favorite Products of 2019

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Top Nine Products of 2019

I spent the first day of the new year snuggled up on the couch, unwilling (or perhaps unable) to move after having entirely too much fun with some friends the night before. It wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to kick off day one of a new decade, but I can’t complain when it was merely the aftereffect of spending time with people I love. I thought a bit about resolutions while I was couch-bound (and will share them with you next week). One of the things I’d like to do this year is make more sustainable decisions when it comes to my lifestyle and shopping habits. One of the best things we can do is to make thoughtful purchasing decisions and buy quality products that will be used numerous times and loved with abandon. With that in mind, I thought I’d share my favorite products from 2019 with you. (You can read my 2018 list here; I’m still smitten with all of those items and use them regularly — especially the hand vacuum, which I reach for almost every day.)

Trek bicycle – I used Dave’s sister’s bike from the ’90s for nearly eight years. I hated that thing. Half of the gears didn’t work and it was heavy. I’d be struggling on each hill while Dave flew by with his nice, lightweight bicycle that weighed a fraction of mine. I know my new bike barely cost anything in the world of cycling for people who actually do this for sport, but it was a lot for me (and after adding in a few accessories, it was close to $1,000). But you know what? I don’t dread bike rides now. I think I actually *gasp* enjoy them.

Pottery Barn curtain rods & West Elm curtains – You can see some of the before photos of our dining room in this post. The three windows along the wall look toward our neighbor’s house with only a driveway to separate the two homes. We took down those dingy, stained roller shades this year and added a curtain rod and sheer curtains. I love the traditional look of the curtain rod (we went with the standard finial) and the curtains have just enough texture to make them look more expensive than they are.

The Ordinary ‘Buffet” serum – This impulse buy from Sephora quickly made its way into my nightly routine. It leaves my face ultra soft and my complexion brighter — and you can’t beat the price!

J.Crew turtleneck sweater in supersoft yarn – I now own three of this sweater (two in light grey and one in emerald). As the name suggests, it is ultra soft. The shape is just boxy enough to be comfortable, but trim enough to be flattering. Plus, it doesn’t stretch out during the day. I’m obsessed with it and will likely buy it in another color yet this winter.

Kate Spade ‘Margaux’ crossbody purse – I bought this purse before our spring trip to Portugal thinking that it would be the perfect warm-weather bag with the light color, cross-body strap, generous size, and convenient slip pocket for my phone. It was even better than expected in person when I discovered that the slightly triangular shape allowed it to rest close to my body without feeling bulky. Plus, the pebbled leather repels rain. It was my most-worn bag of 2019.

Schoolhouse ‘Blooming Field’ pillow shams – I hesitated to purchase these when they first debuted and kicked myself when they sold out. I checked the Schoolhouse site every day for two months waiting for them to be restocked. The pattern is beautiful in person. We put these on unused pillows on our bed to use for decor rather than actually sleeping on them. I know they’re just a simple pillow sham and shouldn’t be that exciting, but the craftsmanship and attention to detail in the design won me over.

Speakman ‘Anystream’ shower head – Dave purchased this shower head for us after our old one started to lose pressure and wouldn’t get better despite soaking it in vinegar to loosen hard water residue. We really should have swapped them within the first few months of living here. It made such a big difference in the water pressure and our showers have felt so much better. It almost distracts me from the nagging feeling that we should really get at a bathroom remodel or at least a budget-friendly refresh.

Schoolhouse ‘Irvine’ sconces – We technically purchased these in 2018. However, they sat untouched in a box for six months until we finally mounted them in January of last year. I could go on and on about the quality of Schoolhouse products and that’s because they’re really that good. We’ve purchased less expensive light fixtures for other places in our home, and these are just far beyond compare when it comes to quality. We paired the brass sconce with these shades.

Weber ‘Spirit II E-310’ grill – I can’t believe we didn’t get a grill until our second summer in our house! Hanging out on the deck, grilling dinner with a cocktail in hand and music playing is my absolute favorite thing about summers at our home. We bought this one from Home Depot as part of a Fourth of July sale with free next-day shipping. It took some time to put together, but it wasn’t difficult. It cooks evenly and is a breeze to use and clean.

I’d love to know your favorite products of 2019!

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