I’m going to be very honest with you all — I shop in two extremes. I will either spend hours waiting in line at a sample sale and will then impulse-buy at least one item that I don’t touch again for months after, or I will spend days/weeks/months mulling over if something is truly worth budgeting for, sometimes for so long that by the time I do make a decision, the thing is sold out. So, as a result, I admittedly don’t buy many things, mostly a result of my indecisiveness and strictly trying to keep a budget. But my (newly engaged!) fiancé and I have finally reached our limits and are sick of the bedroom being way too bright at night, so it’s time to finally get some darker curtains. There are extremely large windows in both the bedroom and office that basically take up the entire wall (the dimensions are roughly 106 inches wide by 88 inches long), so finding curtains that both look nice and cover the entire window without going custom (not worth the investment for a rental, in my opinion) has been difficult. We currently have a version of these from Ikea. The width is still slightly too short for two panels but is longer than the other options I’ve seen online (why is it so hard to find standard panels wider than 48 inches?!).
I’ve had a tab open for these curtains from Quince for who knows how long; they’re the right length, but I think the width of each panel might be a tad short, so I’m worried light will peek in. If I decide to go for it, I would get blush for the office and either cream or flax for the bedroom.
The color is slightly boring, but I like how you can truly customize the width and length to fit your window here. However, after flipping through the dimensions of our windows, it would be about $250 a panel, which is way out of my price range since I need four.
As much as I would like to invest in something more high-end, our best bet for curtains that will fit our giant windows but won’t drain my bank account (my wedding IS coming up …) might still be from Ikea. I’m really not sold on the color options or material, so I might have to take a trip to Red Hook to see them in person. I also have these ones that both Liza Corsillo and Erin Schwartz swear by in mind for the office.
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
We currently have two overflowing Billy bookcases and have resorted to storing our ever-growing collection of books everywhere from stacks on our nightstands to, admittedly, the floor. I don’t have space for another Billy, so I think my only option is to install something on the wall above my desk in the office, above the TV in the living room, or along some vacant wall space in the bedroom. I have my eye on these — they are a seemingly good dupe for the much more expensive shelves that Taffy Brodesser-Akner talked about for Steal My Bookshelf.
And the first book I’ll be adding? The debut novel from one of my favorite writers, Kelly Link. It’s got a touch of all my favorite things: ghosts navigating the afterlife, dark academia, and magical realism. Vulture named it one of the best books of the year, too.
Wedding planning has not begun, but despite not knowing any details, I can’t stop looking at wedding dresses. I love the necklines of these Vivienne Westwood ones, but they are way out of my price range. There are similar styles from designers at Anthropologie and Lovely Bridal I also have my eye on, but it’s still hard for me to imagine paying more than $1,000 for something I will only wear once. Maybe I’ll change my mind, once I try on a few — just for fun — with my mom over Christmas? I’m really hoping there are some bridal sample sales happening over the next few months or that I can magically find a not-quite-wedding-dress dress on sale from a designer I love. If anyone has advice for planning a Brooklyn wedding on a budget (or knows of such sample sales), I’m all ears!
I ran the Chicago marathon this past fall. I’m in the midst of testing out some newer running gear and may have finally found my perfect layering secret for when the windchill is below 20 degrees: this quarter-zip from Bandit, and this supremely soft, warm-but-light merino-wool long-sleeve from Tracksmith. I have two of these base layers, which are perfect for putting under anything like the quarter-zip above or my other favorite Tracksmith shirt, the Harrier long-sleeve. And if it’s really cold, I’ll also throw a vest over everything.
I do need to figure out my hand situation, though. On a recent run, my hands were still so cold despite wearing gloves that I might finally need a replacement. I’ve had my eye on these ones from my favorite running brand, Tracksmith. Also, note to self (and other newly engaged runners): Do NOT wear your ring on a run unless you want to be humbled by how much your fingers swell while running …
I love anything with constellations, the moon, and the sun on it, so I have naturally had my eye on these pouches from Baggu for a while. I just can’t decide between the flat pouch seen here or the slightly bigger Go Pouch set.
I’m a huge theater fan who’s been living in NYC for eight years, yet my first time rushing a Broadway show was last Saturday. I saw Stereophonic early this year and loved it, so when my music-loving dad came to town, I knew he had to see it. I got to the box office at 8 a.m., and after standing for two hours in the cold, I was luckily able to snag two front-row seats. (My willingness to stand outside on line for hours on end for shows and/or sample sales should be studied …) Anyway, I’ve been listening to the soundtrack again postshow, and I now regret not buying a vinyl at the merch table, but maybe I’ll buy one here.
I’m four-foot-11, and finding jeans that perfectly fit without going to the tailor has been a struggle. I’ve been following this brand on Instagram for a while, and, after Arielle Avila gave its jeans a glowing review, I just might have to try them the next time they have a sale.
Kitty Guo’s recent guide to special museum gift-shop gifts reminded me of how long I’ve been wanting to go to Poster House. I might not be able to make a day of it until next year, but I haven’t stopped thinking about this poster of the Empire State Building across the seasons.
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