Happy Friday! After I tackle a few household chores and projects, we’ll be hitting the open road to drive north to visit my parents. There isn’t much on the agenda other than cocktails on the deck, board games, and exploring the shores of Lake Superior on Saturday, so it should be a relaxing way to spend a summer weekend. Have a good one!

Weekend Links:

• Remembering Aretha Franklin through her most iconic fashion moments.
• Ten design books to add to your collection.
• More chores and a lower allowance. This piece explores how the pay gap and domestic expectations have been perpetuated by generations.
• How dorm room posters defined us.
• I’m not ready to go all in with fall shopping, but I do want to order this cashmere sweater. It looks perfect for those late summer evenings when it’s a little too cool to wear a tank. I’m going with either olive or light pink.
• A ceramicist who combines the traditional with the unexpected.
• Cue Blair Waldorf, headbands are experiencing a resurgence. This luxe one in green is my favorite, and I love these.
• You should really be following Maria Svarbova on Instagram. Her photography is beautiful. You can also adorn your coffee table with her book.
• Outfit your phone and desktop with wallpaper inspired by Tory Burch’s fall collection.
• In defense of the quick fix in your space instead of waiting for perfection.
• If you love cats but hate the ugly furniture for your pet, there’s finally a company that’s creating aesthetically pleasing pieces you won’t mind having in your home.

Finds Under $50:

• This is such a pretty, ladylike dress.
• I spotted this lightweight jacket at the store. It looks really cute in olive.
• Speaking of olive, I’m into this little faux leather bag.
• I love the color combinations of these no-show socks.
• Such a great price for a wear-with-everything Elizabeth and James ring.

Earlier This Week:

• The first midi skirt I’ve liked, and it’s only $30!
• The week’s most coveted. My brother is getting married next month and is having a very low key wedding (as in it’ll be held at his house; no formalities or traditions of any sort), but I might snag that dress for the occasion.

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Photo via this post.

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I didn’t intend to only publish one post this week, but I had been feeling a bit morose and uninspired. When I get in these lulls, I’ve found that it’s best to just step away and do my own thing offline rather than force content. I can’t even pinpoint what has been bothering me, other than a general feeling of discontent. For one, I decided I hate how full my closet is with things I don’t wear anymore, so I’ve been forcing myself to wear old favorites again and pack away things that I’m lukewarm on. I’m not quite ready to sell or donate some of those unworn things, but I think I need a break from seeing all of those options that I skip over every morning to [hopefully] break any emotional ties to them.

Clothes aside, I’ve been throwing myself into house projects because I’ve been annoyed by the recent stalemate in home improvements. (It’s hard to stay in and paint when we can go for a bike ride and enjoy the weather!) I really want to do a “State of the House” post soon and show you where things are compared to when we bought the house. Don’t expect any awe-inspiring reveals, though. We don’t have the budget for that, but we are proud of how things are coming along. (We ran into our realtor at a neighborhood festival last weekend and she asked if we had installed the wallpaper I so badly wanted when we looked at houses. Unfortunately, I picked out the most expensive wallpaper to go in a place that we can’t DIY, so no, not yet. Haha.)

And in other life updates, Dave had a work trip to Washington D.C. I’m jealous that it coincided with a work event for me, otherwise I would have loved to go with him. (I’m now planning a late-fall trip to the city.) So, I was home alone for the better part of the week for the second time in as many months. I have to admit that it wasn’t quite as bad this time around. It helped that Bacon actually hung out with me instead of sitting by the front door anxiously awaiting Dave’s arrival and then getting mad at me later as if I had something to do with his disappearance. Plus, ZzzQuil. A 90-year-old house sure makes a racket when it settles.

And with that, I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I’m counting down the hours until Dave’s plane lands and we officially start date night with a fish fry. (Not familiar with Wisconsin’s most popular Friday tradition? Head here to learn more.)

Weekend Links:

• So, there’s a big sale this week that just opened to the public. 😉 I bought Chelsea-style rain boots. They’re not something I’d typically wear, but I like have an option other than tall wellies. I ordered this dress on a whim and it’s sexy AF. (Order a couple of sizes to try. My regular size was too snug in the midsection and made me feel self-conscious, so I’m waiting for the larger one to arrive.) I also placed an order last night for this dress in the striped pattern. The colors look beautiful online.
• Handbags and apparel prices are expected to rise thanks to the trade war.
• I came across Gardenuity the other day and it seems like the perfect way for wannabe-green-thumbs to get into gardening. They send everything you need to plant a one-square-foot vegetable and herb garden that’s suitable for your location and climate.
• A frozen margarita pie is the dessert your dinner party has been missing.
• My new favorite Instagram account.
• There’s a movie about Ruth Bader Ginsburg that’s coming out this December and it looks incredible. Watch the trailer here.
• Artificial intelligence is being used to combat counterfeit luxury goods.
• The lowdown on intermittent fasting.
• Pairing mint with banana is unexpected, but sounds delicious.
• If you have a young daughter, please get her this backpack for school. It’s everything I wish I had as a kid.

Finds Under $50:

• A lightweight scarf is always a great piece to have on hand for travel.
• Does anyone else remember those Tiger Pop suckers we had as kids? For whatever reason, the colorful swirls of these earrings remind me of them!
• Target does it again with a cute woven bucket bag.
• This camisole is so feminine and understated, which is exactly what makes it perfect.
• I don’t need to spend more money, but this skirt in camel is perfect for the office.

Earlier This Week:

• Just one post. I ordered the wrap dress featured in the roundup. It’s really pretty, but you’ll want to size up. The one I received didn’t fully cover my chest, even though there was more than enough fabric on the bottom. I’ve exchanged it for a larger size to see if it’ll cover everything up top!

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image from this post
(That dress ripped and I miss it!)

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s going to be an absolute scorcher here in Madison, but I can’t bring myself to complain about the heat when we have such brutal winters! We don’t have a lot going on this weekend. If you saw my Instagram story last week, you may remember that I started painting the inside of our linen closet. I’d like to finish that up and put two more coats of paint on the office door and hang it up. (It’ll be the first room door we’ve had a year! We’ve been living with an “open concept” upstairs, with exception of the bathroom.) Other than that, there’s a neighborhood festival we’d like to go to and we have plans with friends on Sunday. Have a great weekend!

Weekend Links:

• Milwaukee really is an underrated travel destination, especially for a weekend getaway.
• A beginner’s guide to retinol.
• Even though I’m lukewarm on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I did spend time looking through the selection to narrow down my favorites: a yellow coat, a tiered floral dress, a wrap blouse, earrings by one of my favorite designers, sophisticated sandals, and Chelsea-cut rain boots. I might actually order the rain boots to try. It’d be nice to have something other than tall wellies for wet days.
• Yeah, this obligatory wedding dress shot is weird.
• Wet plate photography of the past inspired a photojournalist to explore the Māori culture. (This was undoubtedly the most interesting thing I read this week.)
• Weekday meal prep is so much easier when you can cook once and reuse the leftovers in creative ways.
• Earrings that double as headphones.
• Add this easy tiki drink to your summer cocktail repertoire.
• The ways that Sex and the City nailed life in your 30s.
• Painting over generic canvas art to make your own DIY piece on a budget is brilliant.

Finds Under $50:

• A gorgeous maxi dress in the prettiest blue hue.
• Woven leather slides. (Not all of the colors are under $50, but the cognac is most expense at just $54.)
• In red, this ponte-knit sheath dress is a workday showstopper.
• A pair of wrap sandals with fabric ties in a pretty Liberty print.
• Hoop earrings with a unique front-facing shape.
• Love the look of clear vinyl bags, but don’t want to spend a fortune? Try this one.

Earlier This Week:

• How to gain early access to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale without a brand credit card.
• When building a quality wardrobe, here are the categories you should splurge on and those you can skimp on.
• I’m crushing hard on the pumps featured in this post.
• I don’t wear these sandals often because they’re terribly uncomfortable, but they’re so pretty!

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image via Unsplash

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