Hello there. What a week it has been! I saw my first Katy Perry concert, worked on a bunch of big projects and (most importantly?) broke out my yellow faux fur coat!
1. Anthropologie holiday decor is here … I have honestly been checking since, like, September. Haha! Ever since the first year Jeremy and I were dating, we always buy a few ornaments there every year. This year, these zodiac ornaments are on my list. I also really like this tassel unicorn and these tags.
2. While I’m on the topic of holiday decor (and, yes, I realize it’s still October), West Elm has some too. I’m thinking about these striped stockings. Also, how do you handle family stockings if you care too much about matching, but also don’t know how many children you’ll end up with? (Just buy 20? Haha. Stick to a color scheme? Mismatch and stop caring? Help me!) And this felt wreath is a 10/10. So pretty!
3. Did you see Kelly’s Oui Fresh sunnies costume??? I wanna cry! Little Arlo is really KILLING IT in the family costume posts, don’t you think?
4. We’ve been watching The Orville and it’s so fun. I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation as a child with my family, so I kind of love this show.
5. Trader Joe’s croissants … anyone? Anyone?
6. I’m obsessed with this lip mask. It’s so nice!
7. Jeremy and I were reminiscing about our favorite Little Golden Books. This is his and this is mine. (We just got them both for Nova, of course!) What’s yours?
8. I listened to Justina’s Out Of Line Social Media Q+A this week and I was so inspired!
9. Are we excited for Stranger Things season two? (Jeremy and I are! Nostalgia at its finest!)
Jeremy and I attended a wedding last weekend where no cell phones were allowed. It was refreshing and started a lot of conversations for us about maybe leaving our phones in another room during big moments. I recently took a day off Instagram (logged out) and it was alarming to me how many times I reached for it— even without thinking.
10. One of my favorite A Color Story packs is now available for desktop. (Photoshop or Lightroom!)
What are your thoughts on creating boundaries with devices and social media?
My first baby shower is this weekend (having one in Nashville hosted by Laura and one in Missouri hosted by Emma). I’m SO excited! Will share photos soon!
xx. Elsie
42 Comments
As for stockings, I handmade all of ours for my family. I did try to keep in mostly the same color scheme so they wouldn’t be too crazy but also incorporated something special to each kiddo and my husband and I in each one. I used scraps of their old baby blankets or buttons or ribbons off clothes they had outgrown….
They’re so cute and special to me and you can just make a new one for each kiddo that comes along. I just made sure to make each stocking the same size and shape and I love the way they look together.
I did something similar, but I knit all of ours. Originally, I used my childhood stocking that my grandmother knitted (she knit one for every person in my family, with our names knit into the top, and we’d pick through the patterns) and she made ones for my boys when they were born, and for my husband, way back when we first started dating and moved in together. Sadly, about six years ago, two boxes of my Christmas decorations were stolen, including the stockings (and all my childhood ornaments… not gonna lie, I still cry about it every year when I unpack our decorations) That same grandma taught me to knit when I was ten, so I took the original templates she had for the overall shape, and made ones with more updated color schemes and patterns. I hope they mean as much to my kids when they’re grown up as mine meant to me.
Who steals Christmas decorations!? That’s just cruel!
The Pokey Little Puppy wasmy favorite LGB, too. Every time book stores have a buy a book for charity type deal, I always pick it.
can’t wait for stranger things! and i was hoping one of the fave golden books was mine… i share jeremy’s with the poky little puppy!
Re. Christmas stockings – my mum made each of her kids a stocking as we came along, and I’m pretty sure she made her own, too. And my dad brought his childhood stocking into adulthood. I have my childhood stocking (and fill it myself!), and although kids aren’t in the cards, I would probably make one for each as they came along. Do they all “go” together? Nope. But so much of our lives are so designed – which is cool – it’s nice to have some things that are purely haphazard.
I love that you make A Colour Story packs for Lightroom AND Photoshop. So many filters you download online skip Photoshop, which is annoying, because I don’t have Lightroom!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I totally get the holiday stalking! I start making unnecessary trips to Target in August so I can get first glimpse of their Halloween section.
For the stockings, my mom made all of ours and still makes new ones in the same style when new grandkids come along. If you’re not interested in knitting or sewing, she made ours out of felt! It would also be a great beginners quilting project. You could make some really beautiful stockings using horizontal stripes of colorful fabrics. Extra points for using vintage fabric or cutting up worn clothes!
As we anticipated each of our three children’s first Christmas, I really enjoyed searching for thrifted/vintage sweaters to make into their stocking. They don’t match but they go together. Could be a good option during these years you are growing your family. Then down the road I totally think you could swap them out for matching stockings if you want! My mom made me and my siblings matching stockings when I was around 8, and they are really special to us.
Also, Mr. Bell’s Fixit Shop is such a great book! Now I cry when I read it to our kids. ?
In my family 4 of the 5 of us have matching stockings and one of them doesn’t match (my youngest brother) but honestly we’ve grown to not care so much. Especially now that I’m married and we are old enough to have significant others over for Christmas, matching seems less important. You could always buy extras and keep them so that eventual spouses/special guests can have one that matches the family–or maybe making them yourself and keeping the materials? What’s special about my family stockings is that each has a different image on it–but not our names–so that could be a fun option!
I am LOVING autumnal decor at the moment and have been totally kitting out my house!
http://www.petiteelliee.com
Ellie xx
For the stockings, one of my favorite memories was that my mom let me make my own stocking! I love that I can look at it each here and remember that. I think I was probably 7 or 8 when I made mine, so before that I had another cute stocking she had found. Might be fun for Nova to make hers one day! <3
x, Paige
Trader Joe’s croissants: Almond yes, chocolate yes, pumpkin not so much. Enjoy!
Earlier this year, in January, a friend and I spontaneously decided to do the Parson’s Social Media Detox. Not only was it SO creatively refreshing for me to be off social media for ten days (I loved it so much I extended it to twenty days), it was also SO refreshing to not be grabbing my phone all the time. I don’t know if I could recommend their detox enough. And the profound impact it had on my realizing how addicted to my phone I am… I’m still trying to figure out how to best do it and use social media for my photog business, but I feel a holiday detox need coming up real soon. Y’all should check it out!
Like everyone else is saying for the stockings – you make them yourself!
I love this idea too!
Trader Joe’s croissants. Yes. I keep a huge stash in my freezer. Did you know they’re from the same bakery that supplies Williams Sonoma for like 1/16 the price?
I would just like to say, on the SM thing. I quit everything over a year ago (no facebook, Instagram or Twitter) and IT IS THE BEST. My reasons were that I did not like my lack of control surrounding it (it arouses a state similar to gambling I reckon – a not quite present in the moment feeling), My children were growing older and I was all to aware of the behaviour I was displaying to them and it’s boring! I reckon the stuff we ‘share’ on SM is on such a superficial level (if you’re read Eckhart Tolle: it’s ‘form’, not ‘being’). Even when we say that we like to share our lives with our dearest, I think just because we’re not photographing or sharing everything doesn’t mean that people are still not dear to us, I feel that in many ways the people in my life are dearer to me because I’m not looking to get their interaction through SM, instead I’m looking to connect with them (on a being level – Eckhart Tolle again) when I actually see them. I’m after depth, not representations (pictures being representations of people’s actual lives).
I’d like to see a bigger and better conversation around social media. I think, just because some dude created it does that warrant millions of people using it, it’s like one fellow (or a few fellows) are dictating the terms of our engagement. To me this is not ok.
So, that’s my ethos. My experience of leaving social media behind and never ever using my phone as a camera (I pick it up about 3 – 4 times a day and the most I interact with it is to do my daily French lesson on Duolingo), is that I am more present in the daily moment (with kids this is very important to me), I am more aware of myself, my presence on this planet, myself as a spiritual being, not just a talking, eating and browsing physical form. I enjoy things that I would not make time for if I was scrolling too much (like making art sculptures in my garden out of sticks, planting things, cooking, reading books etc etc). If people can control their social media use and are happy with it more power to them, but my life is richer off the thing!!
This is an essay worth reading about it I think.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2010/11/25/generation-why/
P.S. I do love your presence on our internet, ABM. 🙂 x
Can I just say please don’t ever stop writing your piece “10 Things I Love Sunday”? I look forward to it every time it comes my way ❤️❤️❤️ An experience akin to “cuddling with my comfy blankie and sipping warm tea” kinda feeling ?
Thank you so much for saying that Cind! xx
For stockings I just bought old school kind you can decorate with names. So even if I change my tree theme I will still keep these. It bothers me matching wise but I like the thought that 20 years from now my kids will have this old worn homemade treasures.
I have been trying very hard to limit my social media and phone time. I missed my daughters halloween dance because my phone wouldn’t record I got so mad and then realized I was messing with my phone and missed the whole thing with my phone and my eyes!!! It was a wake up call for sure.
My mom handmade all of our stockings. She used the same stocking pattern and color for each one, but customized what was on the stocking (I had an angel and candles, my dad’s had a snowman, someone had a toy soldier, etc). They look great all hung together but everyone has something personalized. I’m doing a similar thing for my family, too!
I love this idea! My mother-in-law does cross stitch stockings for the whole family and I love it. Mine is holding a paint palette! 🙂
Traders joes croissants ?? so good
Hey!! On friday I decided to sign out of IG for the weekend and spend more time with my boys… but i figured I would just sign in when no one was looking… so I completely deleted the app! And it was sooo refreshing… I have two accounts, personal and business, so it was really a eye opening experience to how much time i spend on there every day…. It might be a new weekend tradition… I enjoyed so many wonderful moments without any distraction! xx
I ADORE “Mr. Bell’s Fixit Shop” I never read it when I was a kid but I found a copy at a thrift store and have read it to my son for years. SO SWEET!!
It makes me SO HAPPY!
Trader Joe’s croissants should go on a list of Best Kept Secrets.
Can’t wait for Stranger Things Season Two!
I wish I lived closer to a Trader Joe’s (I live 1 hour away for a TJ)! I want to try all of the autumn collection and those croissants sound yummy!
I’m also excited for Strangers Things season 2! Can’t wait until Friday! ♥
mooeyandfriends.blogspot.com
They’re so good!!
My 3 year old’s FAVORITE Little Golden Book is Home for a Bunny. He has a rare genetic condition (Phelan-McDermid Syndrome) which has caused severe developmental delays, including being totally nonverbal, so the sparkle in his eyes and happy squeals as we read this book make it extra special.
Oh that’s a nice idea, I would need to log out for a whole day and I am sure I will still try to reach out my phone to check Instagram anyway. It’s a drug! I also really like the no-phones wedding idea. I wonder how did they manage to make everyone turn off their mobile phones, if there was a sign in the room or if it was specified in the invite. (My sister’s wedding is coming soon and I’m collecting useful ideas, hehe)!
Actually I was really interested about this too!! Did they say on the wedding invite?
They had these little lock bags to use if you brought your phone (so basically you get to keep your phone, but it’s locked). 🙂
As much as I love love love holiday decor, it is waaaay to early for it, come on 🙂
Maybe so! But I am planning a two week trip to China in December, so I have to do everything early this year! :))
If you are making things (like stockings) for Christmas, then it is definitely not too early! Two handmade, embroidered stockings to make before the holidays and I think I should have started in July!
I’ve actually been “detoxing” from Instagram ALL MONTH. I’ve been on twice, because a friend told me they had dm’d me something, but I deleted the app from my phone entirely to force myself. I too kept reaching for my phone and touching the little empty space where my Instagram icon had been. I admit – I spend a bit more time on Facebook now, but I also just generally have cut down on phone time. It’s refreshing. But I also miss Instagram – I find it such an inspiring spot some times. It’s been really good to try and detach from it a bit, just to prove to myself that I can!
ps. LOVE THE JACKET.
My grandmother has made most of our stockings – so in that regard they “match” because they were all made with love. I am working on one with her for my bf. She orders from here, https://www.herrschners.com/category/christmas-stocking-kits.do
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for putting the author’s name right below the title! THANK YOU. 😀
For the baby shower(s), think about signing up for a 529 plan or college savings plan. If you do not have enough info to open in your daughter’s name, check with your state to see if you can open one in your own name to be transferred later to her. I’m not a financial planner, but have set up such accounts for friends/family members who were then able to accept monetary gifts for their new addition to the family. While less fun than tiny shoes and barrettes, opening a college savings plan can make for a great financial start for a little one! Plus, grandparents and farflung friends and family will be able to make direct contributions (or send a check old school style…). Worried about being tacky? Let a family member or friend spread the word (“Baby X is full up on onesies but would love a book or a 529 contribution!”).
My very favorite Little Golden Book is The Monster at the End of This Book. My dad always did read it in the voice of Grover. There is no one more lovable than Grover!