Spring Favorites So Far…

The past 2 months have been such a blur with a lot of personal stuff going on. I thought instead of an April Favorites post I would generalize it with my spring favorites so far… I have been so busy with spring cleaning, gardening, decluttering my home, and adding in special spring touches for spring, that it feels like I have blinked my eyes and can’t believe it’s already May. I have a feeling the next few months are going to go by very fast!

My first favorite would have to go to my China. After being married for almost 4 years, I finally picked out a china pattern that I am excited to take with me throughout my life. As a belated birthday present (since I couldn’t decide on what I wanted), my husband bought me the first 6 place settings. I went with Lenox. I really like their replacement policy if you break a piece and I have a lot of pieces from them for everyday dining. Plus, I am in love with our Christmas China so it felt fitting to choose Lenox. My pattern is known as the “Federal” collection. It comes in platinum or gold. I chose Platinum for my main place settings and then opted for the Gold accent plates. I am so obsessed!! It’s the perfect mix of silver and gold, which feels very true to me as I love both. My china also looks beautiful paired with my grandmother’s china which makes me smile.

Next favorite would have to be this Marlo Thomas Teapot from William Sonoma. (I love that store!) I have taken my tea obsession up a notch over the past few months. The whole experience with tea cups, saucers, and now this tea pot really makes evening tea so much more luxurious. I finally understand the purpose of drinking tea this way. The tea cups pour the perfect serving of tea for you enjoy before it gets cold and your teapot keeps the rest of your tea warm to keep refilling with ease. It is so relaxing!

Third would have to be my Indoor Herb Garden. I have been doing loads of planting outside but I have been saying for a few years that I would like a little indoor herb garden. It has been such a fun thing to put together this spring. After selecting my herbs, I am doing Basil, Rosemary, and Thyme. I got these cute, scalloped planters from Walmart and found these glass bowls at dollar tree (believe it or not) to use as saucers. The bowls allow for easier watering for the bottom and they look so much more expensive than they are. It really elevates everything. I think it came out so cute! I love the blue and white mixed together, and it’s the perfect touch of green to add to our kitchen!

I am prepping for all the trips to the shore this summer and I can’t get over this print from Vera Bradley. It’s called “Seafood Boil” and I have purchased some of the travel pieces. I forgot how huge these duffle bags are and an added plus is they are made of cotton! They are the best for a weekend getaway. I also had to pick up the pen! I used to collect Vera Bradley pens in all of their different prints back in the day. The patterns are so cute lately I may start doing that again. I have had mine for over 10 years at this point and still use all of them to this day, they are the best pens. So elegant on my desk, great quality, and refillable so I will have them forever.

Finally, my last favorite for the month would have to be Target’s summer stoneware dish-ware collections. I picked up these shell plates with the matching serving bowl and this Lobster serving tray. It’s all just so fun for summer. These are great budget friendly pieces for your summer table scape. The price point is so good that I am not worried about using them outside. I have always been someone who gravitates towards coastal inspired home decor and lately everything has just been absolute perfection. They look so great paired with my Lenox, Kate Spade, Wickford plates! It’s a fun pop for summer.

Summer will be here before we know it. It is such a relief as this winter was colder than usual. so far I am soaking up every second of the nice weather, spending so much time outside. I hope you are enjoying your spring so far and found some inspiration in my spring favorites so far! Thanks for reading along.

-A

January Favorites

Long time, no talk! Happy New Year! Today I am going to be going through my January favorites.

I have taken this month to really pause and cozy up with a good book, or my favorite show. It has been so relaxing to just take a step back and really appreciate winter for the time of year that it is. Over 6 years ago, I came across the philosophy of hygge, which is essentially the art of enjoying life’s quieter moments. It has slowly transformed each winter since, making it my favorite time of the year. I find a lot of peace in the quiet. I also found this past month to be very long (not in a bad way, just 84 years long haha). It makes me excited to turn the page to February. I have compiled a list of things that were true favorites of mine in the month of January. Hope you enjoy.

  1. Be Ready When The Luck Happens by Ina GartenI read this book at the very beginning of the month and I thought it was a charming story. It was very inspiring, with the message to go after what it is you want in life. It’s also a story filled with love, good food, and hope. I typically enjoy memoirs. I enjoy learning about a person’s life from their own perspective. I often times listen to these books instead of read them, it gives more of a personal touch, I think. I am thinking I would like to purchase a hard copy of this book after listening to add to my bookshelf. I am also thinking of picking up a Barefoot Contessa cookbook, though I haven’t decided which one I want yet..

2. Amazon Silk Scarf- I have been wearing this 100% mulberry silk scarf I purchased on Amazon non-stop. There are so many different color patterns to choose from. It’s so easy to throw on over a sweater to make an outfit more interesting. I know I will continue to have fun with it when the weather starts to warm. An Hermes Scarf in size 90 is something that has always been on my wishlist. With the amount that I wear this one from Amazon, I’m thinking it may be a good investment piece for to add to my wardrobe. I have my eye on this one.

3. Kindle Paperwhite- my month has really been filled with books, more than normal. I think that has partly to do with the snowy weather, though I am not complaining. I’m someone who loves to listen to a good book but this month I have been reading them too. My kindle set-up changes reading books entirely. I have a stand, remote etc. What a game changer it has been for reading before bed.

4. Quince Cashmere Pants- Cashmere everything really, LOL; but these pants especially. They have been a lifesaver. They keep me so warm. These give you a more elevated lounge look so it’s easy to feel more put together while you are at home. They can transition nicely if you need to pop out and run some errands as well. I have taken the last few years to invest in building up the amount of cashmere my husband and I have added to our closets. We really do live in it, along with wools, in the colder months. I highly recommend if you are looking for a lounge pant that’s soft, cozy, and warm to get through the rest of winter.

5. Outlander- This is such a good TV show!!! I can’t believe I haven’t watched it until now. I won’t give anything away but it’s a crazy, beautiful storyline. It’s unique, though hard to watch at times. To say I am OBSESSED is an understatement. I will 100% be reading the books. (I think I may have accidentally fallen in love with Jamie LOL sorry, Nick!)

6. The Wedding People by Alison Espach- This was our bookclub book for the month of January and I read it in 2 days. I would’ve finished it sooner had I not had to eat/sleep/live my life. The story grabbed me from page one. Not many books have done that in recent months so I am glad that January has given me some great stories to get lost in.

7. My Pottery Barn Heirloom Rope Salad Plates- If you know me, you know I have a passion for home-wares. I have been curating a plate set in white since last year. I decided that instead of buying a whole set to match that I would create my own. In doing so, my dinner, salad size, and dessert plates are all different but together they make the perfect little vignette of white dinnerware. These salad plates are my favorite of the bunch. They are so easy for everyday use. I love the shape and pattern. They also come in a dinner size. I have these Kate Spade Wickford dinner plates that compliment everything so well, but I am tempted to add these too…believe me…

8. LL Bean Boat & Tote- How cute are these totes? I am not the type to follow the ironic sayings boat and tote trend that’s going around on TikTok but I do love these bags. I have them in all different sizes. I thought embroidering the tote with something meaningful to mean was the way to go for this green one. I love how the “aa.style” came out. My husband has now officially cut me off. He says we have enough. We also got one for our dog, Lucy. We found we needed something over the summer to pack up her essentials when we are on the go. This will be perfect for the beach! How cute!

9. Cowboy Hat- We had a Boot Barn open up near us sometime towards the end of last year. I had never heard of boot barn before and every single time we drove by, I told my husband I wanted to go in. Finally one night we did! I had so much fun trying on all the cowboy boots and hats. We both decided that we want to pick up a pair of boots once we have done more research. They have clothes, everything need to achieve a western vibe. While trying on hats, I had to leave with this black one. It’s too good!

10. Le Creuset Thyme- I ordered this bakeware set back in October from Crate & Barrel and it finally arrived in mid-January. They even lost my package for a week after it finally shipped LOL. (I really thought I was never going to get this package after so long but it all worked out.) I asked for this smaller dutch oven in the same color for Christmas, from my father-in-law. It was backordered in December and finally arrived this month as well. I LOVE this color-way of Le Creuset. Thyme goes so perfectly with the pieces we already have from the brand. Our curation of Le Creuset has become a beautiful mix of blues hues, creams, & now Thyme. All with gold knobs. It feels unique, timeless, and beautiful.

I had a peaceful start to 2025. January was truly a month to reset and enjoy the little things. I hope you enjoyed my January favorites for this month and found some inspiration along the way. Thanks for reading!

-A