• things i ordered from amazon in june

    some basics and essentials i stocked up on and a few fun things i ordered this month that i wanted to share. 

    PS THESE ARE ALL MY HONEST OPINIONS AND THINGS I ORDERED WITH MY OWN MONEY:

    i bought this wine simple book for my stepdads birthday, it’s such a gorgeous book for any wine lover

    love these glass straws, they’re handsome and they make a cocktail or coffee drink feel special

    this flameless and rechargeable candle lighter is life changing for me, it uses electricity to light and now i am never filling a lighter with fluid again. 

    gid has really sensitive teeth when it comes to whitening strips, so he got this whitening kit and it hasn’t hurt him at all and has made such a big difference

    i love these ribbed biker shorts, they’re super comfy and i have been wearing them with these cozy oversized mens t-shirts that get softer every time you wash them

    got arlo this very cute smiley face bicycle bell for the bike we got him for his bday (that we haven’t given him yet), beware it’s pretty large

    also stocked up on these bath bombs, bath bombs with toys inside are not economical whatsoever, but they have gotten arlo so much more into bath time and these are the cheapest i’ve found.

  • my brothers wfh office and guest room — after

    yesterday i shared the before photos of my brothers office and guest room— and here is the after!! i wanted to keep the room simple and peaceful since he works in there all day long and their guests have to share the space, and it really does feel so much calmer in here. 

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  • my brothers wfh office and guest room — before

    i’ve been helping my brother jake and sister-in-law lauren update their third bedroom for a bit now and haven’t shared anything about it! like most people who were able to work remotely, my brother began working from home during the pandemic– and it seems like he’s not going back to the office anytime soon. Read More

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    home tour : kristine claghorns charming 1920s bungalow

    i’ve followed claggie for years now– she is cool, funny and has such effortless style. she’s also so inspiring when it comes to living sustainably. i love the charm of their la bungalow, and especially love how it feels like they decorated to enhance the charm versus compete against it.

    tell us about you and what you do! 

    I was born and raised in a small town in Indiana and made my way out to California immediately after graduating from college. I’m about to hit my ten-year anniversary, if you were wondering how old I am, haha. I’ve lived on the east side since moving here, in Silver Lake, Echo Park, and now Highland Park. 

    I’ve spent a lot of time since the craziness of last year reevaluating my career, so I’m a bit all over the place. My background is in marketing. I worked at an agency as a creative producer and then moved on to a startup that flopped. I currently do a bit of freelance content creation, sell vintage clothing, and am taking an Applied Compassion Training course through Stanford. I’m working on a capstone project titled “Compassionate Activism” to help navigate burnout, imposter syndrome, and difficult conversations with others. I’m also attempting to write a fiction novel, which has been a humbling experience thus far. 

     

    you just got engaged!! yay!
    what are you planning to do for your wedding?

    YAY! We’re extremely excited. We’re having our wedding in Fort Worth, TX where my mom moved two years ago. Our wedding venue is Weston Gardens, a family-owned four-acre garden; and we’re having Taco Heads taco truck at our reception. That’s about all we have planned so far. I’m not the best planner, but I’m trying my best to tick things off of the list without stressing too much!

    how many sq feet is your home? rent/own?

    900sq feet-ish. Rent

    what would you call your style?

    Warm and sentimental. I used to say “sentimental minimalist,” but I don’t think our current space fits that description. There’s a lot of character in the 1920s home without our stuff in it, so we tried to bring in pieces that fit. A lot of the details are vintage finds that match the warmth of the wood in our floor + built-ins. 

    whats your favorite spot in the house?

    Definitely curled up on the couch with my fiance and pets, watching movies (or, let’s be honest, Love Island thanks to you, Molly)!

    you are sooo inspiring when it comes to living sustainably, can you tell us how it affects your home design?

    Thank you! I started getting into sustainability about a year into living in our space. I learned that I was recycling wrong and I started asking questions that sent me down the wormhole that is climate change. I love to find pieces for our space that are vintage or secondhand. We recently put in a wall desk that was an amazing Craiglist find (and the chair came from Craigslist as well)! I also try looking into the brands I purchase from to make sure their practices are ethical and sustainable. I have pieces that I bought before I started doing my research that may not be the most sustainable, but I don’t immediately get rid of them because making use of what you have is also a sustainable choice in my eyes. I try to stick to pieces that can fit into multiple aesthetics so they can go with me from place to place. 

    what was the biggest splurge?

    Probably our Modernica Case Study Daybed or the Article dining chairs. 

    what’s something you want to change but haven’t gotten to?

    We have been looking for a rug replacement for the living room (our dog chewed a corner of the jute rug off when we got her), but we are struggling to find the perfect one! 

    what’s your best design advice?

    Go for timeless over trends! If you do feel the need to indulge in a decor trend, try to find it secondhand first. 

    what’s your favorite thing about your home?

    The character! I love the wood frames around the windows and the built-ins. We also get great natural light, so it feels bright and airy while still feeling cozy. 

    you’re gonna have to tell us about the emmy!

    Yessss! Mark won an Emmy as the editor for ReMastered: The Lion’s Share. It’s on Netflix! He’s a documentary film editor, so we watch A LOT of docs. He also edited The Keepers, Visible: Out on Television, Flint Town, and amongst some other work. 

    how much time do you spend watering all your plants?!

    Honestly, I am terrible at remembering to water the plants. It’s all Mark! He waters everything once a week and I water the cactuses once a month when I remember. I really need to work on it, haha. I promise I love our plants! 

    what are you watching/reading?

    Watching: The docuseries Couples Therapy on Showtime, Shadow & Bone on Netflix (I read all of Leigh Bardugo’s books and I love them), and we’ve been watching Love Island because it’s so fun and this past year has been nonstop stressful. 

    Reading: I just finished the book I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and absolutely loved it. I also read a lot of fantasy novels… I just started From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout after finishing Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo and A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas.

    who are your favorite follows on IG?

    @tommy__do for laughs, @besspier + @reserve_home for interior inspo, and @thedodo + @juniperfoxx for the animals.

    what are 3 things helping you get through this time the most?

    Adopting a puppy, the freedom to explore what I want to do (truly a privilege), and the support of my partner. Funny youtube videos help too. 

    sources: 

    bathroom—
    pendant light
    plant holder: Sonadora Studio
    towels: Towl Organic Bamboo Towel in Stone

    bedroom—
    light
    bedding: Coyuchi Organic Crinkled Percale Sheets in Ginger, Buffy Breeze Comforter, Matteo Vintage Linen Duvet Cover in White
    art sources: The paintings are my own and the image of the mountains is from Jordan Sullivan’s Death Valley

    dining—
    table
    chairs
    light
    desk: discontinued Ikea (SVALNÄS)
    desk chair: Vintage Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Chair
     

    kitchen—
    shelves: We got lucky and they came with the place!
    ceramics: bX Ceramics, Artisan Artifacts, many thrifted pieces, and some gifts made by friends.
    compost bin
    nightlight

    living—
    couch: Modernica Case Study Day Bed (My fiance found one on Craiglist and we bought the second one from Modernica. We reupholstered the first one to match, so it saved us some $$$)
    jute rug
    coffee table: Mark found it at the Rosebowl Flea Market in Pasadena!
    sconce
    dog bed

    follow @claggie on instagram and her blog here

  • a camp themed 1st birthday

    don’t know why i never thought to share kids birthday parties until now, BUT GET READY FOR KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTIES!!!! i’m obsessed with cute parties so i’m so excited to share them to inspire you too, starting today with my friend jaymee who threw the sweetest camp themed birthday for her daughter noa’s 1st birthday!! 

    the cutest little kids table setup!! 

    and custom everything. can you tell jaymee is a graphic designer?? lol.

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  • things i ordered from amazon in may

    a new monthly post — i thought it would be fun to share what i’m ordering every month, i’m always updating my storefront so i thought i should start sharing more of the everyday essentials and cute finds here on the blog. 

    ps these are all my honest opinions and things i ordered with my own money:

    i had to stock up on more of these brush markers i use for addressing my baby on board magnets. i love them!

    our favorite nespresso pods. we’ve tried nespresso brand and small shop brands and we like these the best.

    one step closer to arlo in his big boy bed, we turned his day bed around and added this bumper to keep him from falling. it’s a good size for his twin mattress

    figured it was a good time to get one of these touchless thermometers so we can take arlos temperature without having to put one in his ear

    got this popsicle mold to make yogurt fruit pops with arlo — it’s so so cute

    the cutest striped pajamas for arlo, he’s growing out of all his old pairs and now i only want the striped ones, they are so soft! i always size up because i’d prefer for arlo to grow into them (but they always last a few years)

    really needed some new turner spatulas and i love this two pack, these are now our all time favorites for sure.

    i preordered this childrens book by kenesha sneed (of tactile matter). it’s beautiful, but you should know it’s about loss! 

    its hard to find sunblock that is spf 50+ and doesn’t look white all over your face, really liking this

    got this heavy duty canvas tote because it has pockets and a zipper, i really like it!

    been having major cracking heels issues so ordered this natural pumice stone to try to remedy. my friend suggested it over the light grey kind i already had, and while my heels aren’t perfect all of a sudden, they are SO MUCH BETTER. it’s actually pretty crazy. 

    SHOP MY AMAZON FAVES HERE

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    fathers day gift guide 2021

    is it just me or is there is always a struggle with dad gifts? they’re always so predictable. like suprise! here is yet another wallet! BUT some men love wallets so i included one hahah. i tried to keep this gift guide all ages, but i would say it did kind of turn out kind of geared towards a cool dad. so hopefully the dad you’re shopping for is cool, or will be cool after you shop for him here!

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    home tour : brit roennigke’s sunny california casa

    so excited to share this home with you today! brit founded roen candles and they just are finishing their house they fixed up throughout the pandemic. i am obsessed with so. many. details. you will be too! 

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  • my TTC journey, so far

    i wrote about my miscarriage back in december, but since it’s been sadly a fairly long road now, i thought it would be cathartic for me and hopefully helpful for you to write about our journey of wanting a second baby. so i’ll start from the beginning. sorry it’s long winded but so is my experience.

    i was content before we starting trying

    pre-pandemic, i was actually pretty happy just the three of us. when arlo was almost 2 i wanted to try for a second, but at the time we weren’t in the right place to try yet. so i let go of that. then for a long time i debated if we wanted a second one at all. 

    arlo was sleeping so well, he was in school and i felt like i had some independence again. i was exercising and finally feeling good about my body and enjoying my free time socializing and we had a date night sitter and were going out a few times a month for dates. things were really good and i was in a really good place. 

    then the pandemic happened, and obviously our life came to a halt. it was pretty immediate that i realized how different our time at home would have been had we had another kid already. harder in so many ways, obviously, but maybe easier in a lot too. arlo would have had someone to play with, and having an only child (who had been thriving at school with friends) was rough for me. and for him.

    everyone said young kids are so adaptable, they’ll be fine, but it was freaking hard. he changed a lot over the year– we had tons of fun and made so many memories, but he became pretty socially anxious, and really forgot what it was like to be with anyone but us. 

    (and luckily once he started back in school, it only took a few weeks before he started changing back and now loves being around friends and family constantly. he went from saying he only wanted it to be the three of us to complaining why no one is coming over for dinner most nights hahah)

    so since i wasn’t out and about and i no longer had my independence or a life, i wanted a second baby now very suddenly. gid was not on board because we had no idea what the future was going to look like. remember how bleak and scary those early days were? i don’t blame him, but i spent quite a few months just trying to convince him we should try. 

    i was getting scared because arlo was getting older and older and so was i. i had waited so long that now i felt like we really had to hurry suddenly and wasn’t expecting a pandemic to happen to change my entire planned out life timeline. Read More

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    our desert backyard : 5 years later

    its been years since i’ve shared the updates we’ve made to our backyard on here and everything has grown in so much, and it feels so lush and private compared to how it began! i can’t believe how much fuller everything looks just a couple years later. you can see the original reveal here!

    apologies in advance for the photo overload, i just wanted to show everything since it’s been so long! and you can find sources for everything at the bottom of this post.

    gas fire pit

    we just recently swapped our regular fire pit for a gas one and i’m not sure why we didn’t do that years ago! i originally chose a manual fire pit because i didn’t want to spend the money on a gas one but immediately regretted it because when do we not only want to want to build an actual fire, when do we want to smell like campfire?! 

    because i didn’t do a gas fire pit back when we added the ground covering i thought it was too late, so when i realized i could just have the hose out and bury it later on– i was like oh what am i waiting for?? for us, it’s so much better to have gas. turning on a switch is much more our style than building a real fire. 

    our podocarpus hedges

    when we planted these guys (25 podocarpus plants) they were like 3 feet tall! after just a few years they grew so large, we cut them back every so often so they grow in fuller (versus leggier as my stepdad would say), and it’s worked because they are so full and make the backyard feel sooo lush. we also feed them which has definitely contributed to their growth. i highly recommend these if you’re looking for a privacy plant, they are beautiful and pretty low maintenance compared to mostly everything else in our backyard (ie they don’t drop leaves like we have everywhere most of the time)

    pampas grass

    we also planted the little pampas grass plant in the corner there, which i know is not a good idea because it’s invasive, so it’s also sprouted pretty huge. we have to trim it back and the leaves are scratchy and painful, but every year in september we get a whole bunch of new feathery plumes and it’s so pretty.

    our ground covering

    we covered the entire yard in decomposed granite. after living with it for a few years, i have mixed feelings about it! i do think it’s beautiful, but it requires a lot of upkeep to look good and i wish we had one section of grass for arlo to play on. we did consider it but i wasn’t a parent yet and i guess i just didn’t see the need, oops. the DG isn’t soft, and i don’t really walk around barefoot on it, but because we have concrete in between the DG and the doors, we don’t really track it a lot inside at least.

    new table and benches

    i’ve always wanted a table with benches because it just feels like it fits the casual vibe out here, i am loving this set! we eat dinner here almost every night and it fits my whole family. 

    our pergola

    i regret not sharing more back when we built this pergola because i get questions about it so often and now that it’s been years we sort of forget the details. but i’m going to have my stepdad help me write a post about how we built it at some point soon!! in terms of how it’s held up, it also requires maintenance. because it’s made of wood, every year it starts cracking and needs to be patched and repaired in spots. annual upkeep is not a huge deal but it’s worth telling you! we haven’t done it for a while so you’ll be able to see some imperfections in these photos probably. i do love it so much though.

    our outdoor couch

    i get asked often if our outdoor sofa is comfortable, it is– but it’s much deeper and larger than you expect. because it has individual cushions (6 of them), they do slide out of place pretty regularly, i do like the way it looks and it is comfy but i’m not sure i would buy it again. because we have an outdoor white sofa, i keep it covered in a canvas drop cloth at all times– i considered removing it for these photos but it’s much more authentic to how it looks everyday this way haha. 

    our vintage dining set

    i always dreamed of having a spun fiberglass set in our backyard and was so stoked to find this one on craigslist. i gotta say though, it’s sooo splintery if you run your fingers across it. so if anyone knows how to fix that please let me know 🙂

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