Spring
March:
Film has come back from our New York Trip. I don’t think I mentioned turning 40. While some women seem to shy away from revealing their age, I’m all about it. I’m so happy to be here, in this moment, in my life. I am so grateful for all that I have and the person I have become. The woman I’ve worked so hard to be — forgiving myself of past mistakes, being open and honest about my feelings and beliefs, and doing my best to stay present and not wish away my life.
We stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. I had the most fantastic facial at Spencer’s Spa. We visited the showrooms of Quarters (Sophie Lou Jacobsen + In Common With) and Giancarlo Valle (I met his wife, Jane), the Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery and MOMA. We walked through Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Nolita, and the Upper East Side. These little Sofft mary-janes did not hold up and I had blisters galore! One day I’ll learn to suck it up and wear sneakers. We visited Central Park and had ice cream at the Plaza (a new tradition? I did the same on my 30th). We forgot to take a lot of film photos but these are my favorites! 5 days and still didn’t see a fraction of the city! I hope it doesn’t take another 10 years to return. I did learn something though: we don’t have it so bad in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s easy to sink into malaise regarding living in the South: it’s hot and there is a lack of progressive thought. However, we have so much more space and I can walk outside our front door and directly see trees, grass, flowers, and animals sauntering by. I’m happy about that!
April:
We have torn the front of the house apart. We measured. We mocked-up. We assembled new furniture. All to realize a console we ordered was too small for the dining room. I’m a visual person and can’t always tell from a flat screen despite measuring over and over. So back to the store it goes!
We were in a hurry to have things “just so” and you can never rush decorating. We’ve been here going on three years with no major chances beyond painting, no artwork hung, nothing really, so it’s easy to get in the mindset of just buy something! Fill the space! I’ve never been good at that mode of thinking because you end up with pieces that are of no value to you. It takes me a very very long time to shop for our own space because we have to be mindful of what we bring in. We are limited by a budget. There are plenty of beautiful things in this world, I’ve got folders full!, but when you are limited you have to be patient and creative.
We will stick with the vintage credenza (I’m attached more than I thought! It was the first piece of furniture I ever bought myself a decade ago) for now which provides way more storage than this piece from West Elm we thought would work well to hold Jason’s growing record collection. I even toyed with the idea of fancy handles from Petra Hardware, a line by Monica Khemsurov of Sight Unseen. I will be so happy when the space isn’t a chaotic jumble of stuff not in its proper home and a honking piece of wood isn’t floating in the middle of the room.
We’ve taken a chance on a rug from Etsy, a maker in Jaipur, India. Direct from the source! A 10x14 we got for a song! Massive savings by choosing a flat weave. There are so many beautiful rugs out there, but hand-knotted wool comes at a cost. It’s estimated to arrive some time in May. Fingers-crossed it looks good! We chose custom colors but I have no idea if the rug maker is going to show me the dye lots.
We also painted the ceiling. I’m glad to see the pink has gone. Haven’t missed it. So hopefully a new rug and freshly painted ceiling can hold us for a while until we can do more.
What have I found inspiring lately? Hmm. As we progress into Spring, I am really feeling nostalgic for the 90s. Slinky slip dresses (can definitely recommend Fleur du Mal), chokers, flowers, and strappy heels. I recently splurged on a pair of Maryam Nassir Zadeh Olympia wedges that I have been eyeing for many months and I have to say I LOVE THEM. I found a pair on sale and snatched them up.
Me in Rachel Comey 2.MNZ wedges 3. Batsheva skirt as seen in NYC 4. Fleur du Mal slip dress 5. Simone Rocha as seen in NYC 6. Veronica Beard leather grommet skirt 7. Old Anthropologie 8. TRR 9. Lusting for these green sandals 10. TRR 11. Lisa Eldridge “Wonder Wheel” lipstick 12-13. Instagram 14. 1st Dibs
