So for many many years I only bought Bath & Body Works candles. The 3-wick ones because nothing else was strong enough for the open design of my house. But that also meant stalking the store for their 2 for $22 sale over and over coupled with their limited fragrance selection. After receiving some candles from Catbird as gifts I started shopping around for woodsy-based candles and saw Target had gotten these large, inexpensive, soy candles in simple glass jars.

The black orchid and amber is fantastic. If you’ve ever liked those woodsy teakwood candles found at Madewell (or UO) this is 3 times in size and easily the same price or cheaper. It fills a large room with fragrance as well.

The sparkling yuzu is nice but subtle. I was surprised to see yuzu as a fragrance but it’s really more mellowed in this candle than I was hoping. Probably wouldn’t get this one again.

Also I’m not usually a fan of Yankee Candle except for the fresh cut roses. It has a really nice pure rose fragrance. No musk or added florals just roses.

Lastly I picked this one up at Anthropologie on clearance. It has a nice marine fragrance and I like the design so much I might keep it for holding tea light candles.

Time + desire to blog = new blog post

It will probably come as no surprise, but I have a week’s worth of vacation I have to take by August 31st or I lose those vacation hours completely. I just discovered this 2 days ago and there’s no reason to waste them. So I’ll be traveling to visit family in late August. This has sort of jolted my mind back to summer thoughts. I had started to drift towards autumn with all the storms passing through and cicada’s buzzing outside.

A few photos of the flowers in my garden this year. The Sunflowers have started finishing up their season while my morning glories are just now at peak bloom. It was a rough year for gardening. Loads of pests and strong rainstorms. But I’ve seen a lot of bees come through so it’s worth it.

Mint is a really easy plant to grow indoors in only water. Just a snipping of it placed in tap water will cause it to root quickly. The trick to keeping it going is finding the right amount of light. It hates direct sunlight but needs to be in a room that’s bright at least a few hours a day or the leaves will yellow. I didn’t think much of the cutting when I started it but now it’s one of my favorite indoor plants.

I didn’t realize how often I change the space around my tub until I saw these photos. I run through a lot of little changes depending on my mood. Some of you may have seen my review of this seaweed powder pack on Instagram. I hated it. Flat-out. So the next week I bought the Big Blue bath bomb from LUSH to cleanse my palette of bad seaweed products. I don’t buy the Big Blue too often because it’s messy. It leaves seaweed in the tub. But it is very nice and mixed with their Avobomb it creates a shimmery blue-green bath.

Highly recommend the Avobomb as a non-messy but shimmery and great smelling bomb. It’s one of my favorites.

Still growing my hair out. I’ve been thinking of getting it trimmed so I’d have a blunt bob but my stylist said if I want it longer it would be best to leave the bottom as-is. I don’t want long hair; I just want hair I can pull back. It’s sort of a strange desire but I just want short ponytails right now. I know that I’ll probably cut it all off again by next spring.

Also my favorite red nail polish is gone so I bought this. I’ve been wearing shimmers since May but I’m starting to get back into more opaque colors now.

It’s humid, and rainy, and there’s less traffic in the mornings with no school buses. Must be summer :)

I bought these white Birkenstocks from Madewell weeks ago, maybe even months, because…
1) They were incredibly soft and flexible
2) I no longer know what’s cool

I was going to wear them while commuting but I’ve been babying them because they’re so clean and perfect. But this week I’ve been wearing them out into the mud so they’re sufficiently broken in now.

I had gotten a bit tired of tote bags this past winter and decided I preferred the feel of a bucket bag for now. I got this one in black leather with metallic gold interior which is a perfect pair to my old standby the black and gold Julia Marco canvas tote.

I also started wearing more sheer nail colors. I went months without wearing polish due to being injured; so when I put on some old polish it looked so heavy. I couldn’t stand opaque colors now! So I started picking up more sheer shades. This one from Essie is called Nude Beach and it’s a sheer pink with a shimmer of green.

Also found these soaps shaped like rock quartz at Anthropologie. I picked up a few! They smell so good but I admit I’ve yet to unwrap one and use it.

I’ve been mostly busy updating things around the house after a big IKEA trip last weekend. Today we got the new light fixture up in the bedroom. I ordered a batch of Edison bulbs to go in it. A few years ago I noticed the edison bulbs coming out but didn’t have a use for any until now. I also added two new “money trees” after enjoying the one I got for the office in March. When I was pushing it through IKEA almost every person I passed asked me where I had gotten the plant! They’re almost always sold out when I go but I went first thing in the morning this time.

I don’t usually like potted plants in the house but my other tree has done well enough that I’m willing to risk it in 2 more rooms.

Here it’s snowing with high winds and sub-zero temperatures so staying in is the better bet.

I sent and received some Valentine’s packages this year. I feel lucky to have such good friends even if they live so far off. Even if I can only see them once every couple of years it’s easy to stay in touch these days especially compared to only 6~7 years ago! I remember 1 of the main reasons I had a blackberry in ‘08 was because it was the only phone that would allow me to email Japanese phones directly. Now everything is so much easier.

Mike got me roses this year with a french mason jar. Mostly in his eyes he got me the mason jar, haha, I like it a lot though! It says “jardin” on it.

Today I also got my hair cut very short again, so here is a photo from before that when my hair is fluffier and longer! I’ll take a new one soon since the cut I got was the same from August and I really liked that style. Lately, even the extra few inches, made it too difficult to “wash ‘n go” in the mornings. It’s winter… getting out of bed is tough enough let alone spending 70% of my morning trying to get my hair to look decent.

The latest issue of Lee is really pretty. I have a subscription to this magazine and also just ordered a subscription to Mart magazine. I went without a magazine subscription for a while after I quite Sweet magazine.

I finally pulled out my Olympus Pen for the first time in 2015. I haven’t used it much lately but I missed its quality when blogging back in December.

They sell these hyacinth bulbs at supermarkets right now. They’re so easy to take care of and last longer than cut flowers. I think once they’re done I’ll use the glass vases for either new bulbs or try to get an avocado seed to sprout since they’ll survive in just water.

Below are photos of a few Christmas gifts I received. They’re things from catbird.

I realize all the free time I used to have, or better, the time I used to use for blogging has shifted dramatically this year. Usually I’d blog after work, but now that’s when I cook. Or I’d blog after dinner, but now there’s usually a hockey game on that I want to catch instead.

….
I just realized this blog is still in xmas colors! I’ll need to find time for that too :’)

So here they are in no particular order.

I made a set of mini apple and mini berry pies last week. Baking a whole pie feels like a much bigger hassle than whipping these guys. Basically within an hour I’m eating pie and ice cream. Having this one with Starbuck’s iced coffee. I was giving the brand a try. I prefer Illy’s more bitter taste for quick cold coffee.

I bought some essential oils from muji because they restocked their yuzu. Their yuzu is alright. The yuzu Anna sent me was a million times better but I can deal. Plus the other two scents I got from Muji are really great.

I learned that ivy is another plant that you can propagate and grew in just water. So I clipped a few vines from the shared fence with the neighbor and started growing some in my existing topiary jars. Now I have devil’s ivy with lavender and english ivy.

I found the “Harmony Aroma” body washes from Bathclin. These are really nice and different. The soap is creamy and creates a thick lather. The fragrances have a woodsy, herb note to them, even the rose version.

I also bought Lee magazine. It’s a casual, natural lifestyle magazine for women in their late 20’s to mid 30’s. It includes casual looks for the office, at home, out on dates, or out with young kids. I thought it might be too family oriented but it’s actually pretty balanced between family, working, single, etc. The home section is fantastic with simple aesthetics and recipes. The makeup and clothing is great too. Not too high-end but not overtly trendy and cheap.

I got to have some real German food for the first time in ages as well as remind myself how potent kirschwasser is.

Lastly I’ve started yoga. Though I feel “yoga” is a loaded word full of expectations of health, juice cleanses, studio visits, and kale chips. I didn’t start that yoga lifestyle. I just started Yin Yoga for my back and legs. Yin yoga focuses on stretching the skeletal muscles. There are fewer and easier positions. And I’ve kept doing it because I’m feeling the results. My back and legs are far less tight. I was having troubles walking recently from my calf muscles being so tight even after massages and muscle relaxers.

I do the stretches about every other night usually after a hot bath or right before bed. You keep the positions longer than in traditional yoga. So even though I didn’t get into it for the “peace of mind” you are sort of forced to relax and almost meditate as you keep some positions for 3~5 minutes.

I don’t really like keeping soil indoors because pests like gnats can show up. So when I read you could grow a lot of common herbs in just water I was eager to try it with the lavender. I’ve been pleasantly surprised! Especially since I’ve stopped having flowers in the house due to the sinus surgery I had a few weeks ago. I don’t want anything interfering with the healing process and it’s best if my sinuses remain dry right now. So green plants are better decor for me at the moment. I found the dairy glass at an art supply store for $1.50.

I never ran out and bought proper vases. Most people only have the vases they’ve received with a gift bouquet. I have a few of those that I use for larger arrangements but I enjoy the look of various small collections around the house more. Simple glass jars I leave on the nightstand, in the bathroom, and on windowsills. Spaghetti sauce jars, jelly jars, honey jars can all be used for floral arrangements. Soaking the labeled jar in water overnight or using a spray such as Goof-Off for removing labels is pretty easy.

Three “vases” that were once a sauce jar, a pickle jar, and a pancake syrup jar.

Choosing flowers

Flower choice can also make a difference. Sometimes I pick my favorites like tulips and roses but they can be quite pricey. So instead I sometimes buy a small batch of those then a cheap filler flower like Baby’s Breath to fill out the arrangement more. Also some flowers last much longer than others saving both time and money. Mums, carnations, alstroemeri, and daisies can all last for two weeks and beyond if well maintained.

Opting for spray roses in place of long-stem roses is a cheap alternative that still has a big payoff.

Greenery such as ceder clippings, especially in winter, last and last while adding vibrant color. Some greenery such as philodendron leaves have been known to last for months.

General cut flowers tips

I remove all leaves that would otherwise be submerged by water. Sometimes I just remove all of them for a minimal look. I then cut the stems at an angle at least 1 inch from the bottom tip. More if I plan on using them in a small jar. I recut stems at a diagonal every 3 days when I switch out the water to make the flowers last longer. Keeping the flowers away from direct sunlight helps them last longer but I just love how they look in the windows too much to always do that.

For roses I will pluck off an exterior petal or two and then carefully spread the inner petals out when I want a fuller looking rose. The next morning the roses look almost as if they’ve bloomed bigger.

Don’t overthink it

While there are definitely good tips out there I think they can sometimes seem overwhelming and make you believe that unless you have an oversized bouquet of roses and white lilies in a crystal vase on a marble table you’re doing it “wrong.” There’s no wrong way. Buying yourself flowers is not wrong. Putting those flowers in jars or glasses instead of a glass vase is not wrong. Displaying them in small corners of a room instead of a grand centerpiece is definitely not wrong. And you don’t have to spend a fortune. The $4.99 bunches of mums or sunflowers are spray roses are perfect for this style :)

• My closet in 2012
• My closet in 2011
• My closet in 2009
• My closet in 2008

Loungewear vs. Sleepwear

I’m gonna take this moment to mention a change I made a few years ago that I’m really happy I did. In the upright IKEA storage drawers I have my lounge clothes (roomwear, etc.) in the top drawer and my bed clothes in the bottom. These used to be 1 in the same for a long time. Meaning I would wear sweats around the house and straight to bed. I started feeling really guilty about this because I felt I was always “ready for bed” when at home. But I also wanted to be comfortable when home. So I started buying separate “at home” clothes and sleepwear.

For lounge clothes I have yoga pants and sweats. I stopped wearing pajama bottoms when it was 2:00 in the afternoon. I have over-sized super soft tees and tanks that are appropriate enough that if I needed to answer the door I wouldn’t need to rush and put something else on. This sounds stupid but it was a problem I kept running into!

On the other end I bought real sleepwear. Pajama sets & nightgowns. My favorite pajamas are Victoria’s Secret’s cotton mayfair boxer sets. They’re extremely comfortable, soft, breathable, and easy to wash. Target sells some in a similar style.

When I first did this I thought, “shit this is going to be really expensive.” But in hindsight it’s saved me money. Wearing the same clothes around the house and to bed really wore the clothing out fast. I also realized I didn’t need that many options. Being at home you stay pretty clean so only having a handful of lounge wear and sleepwear is more than enough. I have 3 pairs of lounge pants and a couple of men’s large tees I bought at Target on sale for $2.99 each. The VS Mayfair pajamas I bought on a sale as well and only recently added a 3rd set that I received for my birthday. Target has sales on their sleepwear constantly. Especially after holidays.

It snowed all day yesterday and again today. I don’t mind the snow. I prefer snow to just cold for cold’s sake. I only want it to warm up because the cold makes my botched root canal ache more. But the sun is out more and more and I feel like dressing in lighter colors more and more. I also want to pick up more of this Elderflower & Rose Lemonade. Elderflower is tastes nice. There’s an Elderflower soda from found that’s really good but since the first time I bought it’s been sold out and the other soda’s don’t taste as good.

I don’t have much to add about it.
I’ll cry if it ever breaks.
:)

Here’s an Everlane Invitation link for anyone who wants to check them out. https://www.everlane.com/n/1nu2l6

I also finally ordered one of their $15 U-neck tees. So happy I did. I got it to wear with thick sweater coats and my leather jacket and the fit is more flattering than I could have hoped for. I think for me the U-neck is more flattering than their original ryan tees even. I might order another in black eventually.

This weekend was pretty great actually. I felt really productive. Around this time of year I tend to want a change and either cut or color my hair or both. But so far I’ve been more into rearranging the furniture and home decor of my house. Just room to room. Switching out lamps or moving a piece of furniture. I hadn’t done it in so long. And the small changes make coming home from work feel less routine.

I kept starting and stopping writing a new blog post all week. Nothing in particular stopping me. I would just feel really motivated but then some little thing would bum me out and I wouldn’t feel like finishing. I think that best describes my entire October. Full of ups and downs. Little joys followed by little bummers. I’m mostly feeling bummer’fied thanks to being sick or having a constant toothache. Being in physical discomfort has its way of wearing on you emotionally of course. Hopefully by the holidays I’ll be done with the toothache aspect.

I thought I’d update with some recent photos that I’ve been posting here & there. First from today. Cold and rainy. Also some of the things I’ve been wearing lately. The pleated skirt is my favorite. It has 3 different button options so I can wear it even on bloated days.

I did a makeup swap with Anupa recently too! The brown lashes are so pretty. If it stops raining I want to wear them to Oktoberfest this weekend.

I also fished out my balls of yarn and knitting books. I’ve started a basic roll-up hate and some 100% cotton dishtowels.

Last weekend my car broke down and I couldn’t get it fixed until later so I ran my errands using the stores near my house. Usually I drive a bit further out but as a stroke of luck I found these two rose-scented fabric softeners at the other stores! One is a more intense 1-rinse only type that is basically a rose perfume for your clothes from Downy. The other is Suavitel which I usually get in Sunset Rose but this one is Festival of Flowers which is a lighter rose fragrance than the other.