Did

Sent a box to Project Beauty Share: About every other year I go through all my beauty items/samples and donate all unused or some lightly used items to Project Beauty Share, a non-profit that passes these items on to women overcoming abuse, homelessness, addiction, and poverty. They used to be a lot more lax in what donations they accepted but have become more strict with Covid (understandably so). But still, I have a lot of samples (though I try not to add these to my cart with beauty purchases anymore), unused products, leftover unused menstrual products, and new toothbrushes from the dentist that I donate. They don’t pay for shipping, so the cost of the flat rate box ($16-ish) is also part of my donation. But it’s for a good cause and they’re taking items that otherwise would go to landfills so I feel like it’s a win-win all around. Here are the list of items that they do and do not accept.

After starting the book The Artist Way by Julia Cameron (which I didn’t finish yet), I started doing morning pages (three pages of writing about whatever comes to mind) and what the author calls artists dates (doing some kind of outting/date every week as fuel for your creative mind). My first artist date was to the gardens at my local park (I feel so lucky that such a beautiful place exists for free near me). I had a wonderful time literally smelling all the roses. I’m not sure if I feel more inspired because of these artist dates, but it’s definitely nice to take some time to enjoy things that are not part of my usual routine (but full disclosure, after that first artist date I have yet to do another).

We went cherry picking with friends for the third time, and I think three times makes a tradition no? And this was the first time Emi could help us pick them! She’s still learning on which ones are the ripe ones but she enjoyed doing it and picked quite a few! We ended up picking almost 10 pounds of cherry, but since it was only $4 a pound it was well worth the effort.

What I Read: These Precious Days by Ann Patchett, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The More of Less by Joshua Becker, Things That Matter by Joshua Becker, Stoned by Aja Raden, The Little Book of Lykke by Meik Wiking, Writers and Lovers by Lily King, The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka, and Euphoria by Lily King.

Updated these posts: My original Augustinus Bader Rich Cream post (because they changed the referral system), a very old post with my collection of Everlane reviews (updated it with 2021’s review, in prep for this year’s one review coming next month), and the Nuori skincare review (they reformulated their sunscreen),

I enjoyed this Coastal Grandma style post with a focus on BIPOC brands by Lo and this post by Kathy on her thoughts of the Repladies (women who buy fake luxury bags aka replicas).

Bought

Brightech Sky Floor lamp: I’ve been looking for a minimal floor lamp that throws a lot of light because our living room has no overhead lighting. So we’ve been getting by with lamps (both a table and floor lamp from Ikea and Target respectively). But the room was still so dim. So when I saw this minimal LED floor lamp on sale I decided to give it a try. And with free shipping, free returns, and a trial period I figured it would be relatively low risk. And I love it! It lights up the room and you can choose between three different light temperatures (though I just keep it on the brightest most times). Of course, full review to come soon.

PACT Organic Dresses for Emi and PACT boxers for the husband: I reviewed the organic cotton dresses I get for Emi in my PACT kids clothing review here. Well Emi’s just had another growth spurt, so the 4/5 year old dresses were getting a quite short on her. Now she’s wearing size 6/7 and she’s only 3 years old! And Emi’s now really into dresses with pockets and these PACT ones are perfect. Luckily I have a lot of friends with daughters so I can pass down these high quality organic cotton items. Also it turns out Emi and I aren’t the only fans of PACT in the family. My husband is now a big fan of their boxers and so I’ve been stocking up on those when they’re on sale. Thanks again to all those who use my 20% off referral link (which gives me $20 in credit) in helping me clothe my family in their favorite items!

A rose plant from Etsy: I was inspired by my walk around the rose garden at my neighborhood park to plant some roses in my garden. I just loooove the smell of a beautifully fragrant rose. I’m lucky that the former owner of my house was a great gardener and she planted two lovely rose bushes (all the flowers in the picture above are from my garden). Now I want more! And since I had some success in buying plants from Etsy in the past, I decided to try out a rose variety called Earth Angel from this Oregon nursery.

Slumberkin set for Emi: Emi’s dentist recommended giving her two loveys in an effort to get her to stop sucking her thumb, so I decided to get this set from Slumberkins. I have a couple friends whose kids love slumberkins, and my friends love them because they usually come with a book (aiding in emotional growth) and the loveys are soft and machine-washable. I found this set of 5 minis, a book, and a pillow for sale on their site and was able to get another 15% off with the code TQE15. If that doesn’t work for you I also have a referral code for $20 off your first purchase here. If you’re interested I can do a review later to see how Emi likes them.

I got this swing dress from Quince because I love Quince’s linen and this dress is right up my alley. I was able to get it with store credit thanks to everyone who purchased their first item through my Quince referral link. Thanks to you guys I’m able to do many of my Quince reviews!

P.S. As I said in the past, I’m doing a No-Buy challenge on all the months that start with “J.” January was a success, so we’ll see if I can refrain from buying anything (including home, beauty, closet, and kid stuff) for the next two months. Wish me luck on this reset/consumer detox!

What I Was Gifted

I reached out to Alohas, a shoe brand that makes their shoes on-demand (ie you have to pre-order way in advance) in order to be more sustainable than a conventional brand (by reducing overproduction waste). I ordered their chunky loafers back in October and love them so much that I reached out to them to be a part of their affiliate program (I usually do these with brands after buying the product myself so that I can be sure I love them independently of any sort of compensation). And they were nice enough to ask if I wanted something gifted (this doesn’t happen often, most brands are just happy to take the free marketing from a small blog such as this). I couldn’t resist asking for their Harper sandals (yes, I’m hopping on the dad sandal train, please don’t judge). They also have a wide selection of vegan sandals (many made of cactus leather or corn leather). Full review of this exciting brand coming soon!

And I just wanted to add, this post was compiled during the month, and I really haven’t felt like writing anything right now. It feels ridiculous to continue to talk about fashion/style and other consumer matters when our government system is so broken that we can’t protect our children from assault rifles meant for war. Ever since my friend’s murder in the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017, I’ve been an annual supporter of Every Town for Gun Safety and I always vote for candidates that support gun control (including in this year’s election—get your ballots in by June 7th in California). But TBH it doesn’t seem to be helping, and I can’t help feeling dejected. I know America will never give up their guns, but for goodness sake make them harder to get and no more assault rifles. Also I found this to be a great resource on how to do more.