Happy August! I keep seeing this meme everywhere, and it feels very accurate.
Things have been busy around our house lately. This weekend alone, we’re packing for our trip to Cartagena, baking a cake for Michael’s sister’s birthday, tackling sewing and household projects, and trying to consolidate some of our office and kitchenware (all in addition to the normal errands and weekend chores). Plus I am a bit behind on posts for the next week or two, and I hope to send my next newsletter out before the end of the weekend. I’ll be sharing some of our biggest travel regrets, including a horrible Airbnb experience, so sign-up on the right sidebar if you haven’t already!
Mostly, I’m trying to just keep my chin up and stay focused on the task at hand rather than letting things overwhelm me. Indulging in an occasional distracting web surfing helps! Here are some things that caught my eye this week:
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Travel
Lee’s method for traveling with linen is really intriguing…
Away just released their Carry On Bags with a leather pocket (pocket versions were previously available only in the Bigger Carry On size). I still think they should have placed the pocket on the back side of the suitcase to keep your quick-access items closer to your person, but that’s just me. But as always, you can take $20 off your first bag with our referral link!
What to bring back from Marrakech (I would like a pair of slides, please!).
Previously… Two years ago I shared my method for packing my liquids bag in the summer (things have changed slightly; it’s probably time for an update!) and last year I shared about our weekend away in Jacksonville, where Michael surfed and I mostly fell off my board and ended up with a lot of water in my nose.
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Life & Home
Karin shares a sweet post including ten things she’s learned from ten years of marriage.
A great day for pee-quality (I’m so sorry I couldn’t help myself).
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Food
The most frustrating ice cream cone.
This ratatouille recipe looks beautiful and delicious.
Is the chip bag half-full or half-empty??
Why every restaurant playlist sounds the same.
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Style
| clockwise, from top-left || Cross Sandals | Grey Slide Sandals* | Toe Ring Sandals* | Strappy Sandals |
Even though I’ve purchased shoes from makers who sell on Etsy like Sevilla Smith and Rilee Shoes, I’ve never really looked through the site to see what else is there. There are a surprising number of drool-worthy, can’t-be-found-anywhere-else options!
An in-depth look at the Saitex factory, where several of the most popular sustainable denim makers manufacture their jeans.
Thinx recently released a few new additions to their line of sustainable period panties. They’re not cheap, but I’m considering adding another pair or two to my drawer, perhaps the organic cotton ones.
Things I bought this week
| Top Row || Cotton Twill Short, Everlane | Waterproof Mascara, L'Oreal | Linen Muscle Tank, Everlane | Sport Detergent, The Laundress | | Bottom Row || Silk Dress, Grana (sign up for 10% off your first order) | The Everywhere Bag, Away (sign up for $20 off) | The Air Cami, Everlane | Heeled Sandal, M. Gemi* |
I’m starting to wonder if I should just share the things I choose to keep rather than the transactions I’ve completed during the past week… If you look back at my posts from the month, it looks like I’ve added hundreds of dollars of clothing to my wardrobe, but the reality is I’ve just kept a handful of things. Perhaps I’ll shift to that in the future. As for this week’s purchases, they were mostly planned or were made because of available store credit. A previous return to Everlane freed up credit in my account, so I decided to try a few warm-weather styles I haven’t tried before. This Grana dress I’ve been eyeing popped up on Poshmark at a reasonable price and I haggled a little before purchasing. I’m pretty confident I can recoup all of my money if it doesn’t work out. We really like products from The Laundress and are always combatting stinky athletic wear, so I figured I would give their Sport Detergent a shot. In preparation for beach time next weekend, I grabbed a waterproof mascara. I usually pick one up each summer, but hadn’t yet this year. M. Gemi put their Heeled Sandal* on sale (it’s still on sale as of now, but I don’t think it will be for long), and magically the discount combined with a promo code they emailed recently. I was torn between the black and the gorgeous Luggage color, but ultimately black won out. Lastly, Away restocked The Everywhere Bag in black leather, and it’s been on my list to review for you for months – whenever a purchase is made through my referral link I receive credit from Away, and I like to put that credit toward items to review for the blog (or toward a giveaway – I have a big one planned if I ever cross the 10k threshold on Instagram!).
One thing I haven’t purchased in a long time is perfume. I purchased the bottle at the top of the page years ago, and it is still going strong (you can see a photo of how full it was last year here), even if it doesn’t quite smell the same as when I first purchased it. I likely won’t purchase a large bottle of fragrance again, knowing that I won’t use it all before it turns. That kind of negates any bulk savings…
*the original item is no longer available and a similar one is linked
Do you prefer to shop in bulk and store items away, or do you purchase things as you need?
