A Mixed Bag

A skincare line I love, great reads, and some things I'm shopping. Total mixed bag!

Hello, happy Friday!

Sometimes when I begin a newsletter draft, I make a list of things to tell you about. The list helps me group items into themes, or when it gets long enough, the whole thing morphs into a Souvenirs post. But sometimes, the list stays small and kinda haphazard, like it did this week. I was reviewing said list and thought to myself, What a mixed bag.

…And here we are, with the impetus for this letter! A whole mixed bag of random things I’ve had on my mind or recently been incorporating into my life. It’s What’s in My Bag: Headspace Edition.

Let’s dump out the contents, shall we?

Intrepid readers will remember that in the spring I bought a little cache pot for our growing spider plant. Well, the plant loved that pot so much, it’s grown twice its size since April. So I’ve been on the hunt for an even bigger pot which would work in the same space without me having to change any of the decor around it.

Given the size of the plant, I thought a footed planter of some type would look good. I didn’t realize (doh) this type of planter is called an “urn” (obviously imagined an urn to be something totally different). Let this be hot tip #1 for the rookie plant moms among us: want a footed planter? Try searching “urn.” Anyway, this iron one is part of Terrain’s Halloween collection, but I like the black, worn look of it for year round. Which is funny because Halloween is my least favorite holiday (shhh).

This week I learned about Same Boat, a new Substack from Alt Summit co-founder Gabrielle Blair (a.k.a. Design Mom). The newsletter is described as “an online magazine for women who work on the internet.” And more:

“It’s filled with industry news, tips and techniques for running your company, encouragement, and useful business gossip — all through the lens of women who make things happen online. We’re calling it Same Boat, because something we’ve learned over 16 years and 20 conferences, is that as women working on the internet, we’re all in the same boat. We’re figuring things out, making pivots and shifts, learning new skills, taking risks, and ultimately, inventing entire industries.”

If you’re a digital creative, former participant in blog world, or someone who’s loved and consumed content from this industry since the 2010s, check it out! It sounds like it’ll be fun. I bookmarked this lengthy interview with former blogger Natalie Lovin to read this weekend.

Speaking of former bloggers (and quitting the Internet generally), this newsletter popped up in my Inbox this week. Titled “The Magic of Blocking the Internet,” it’s all about what happened when one author completely blocked her online access. To do this, she used the app Freedom, which is what I’m really here to tell you about. As someone who also struggles with focus when an open browser window is nearby, I’ve been trying it out this week. So far, I’ve found it’s great for deep focus sessions, where I need to buckle down for 2 or more hours to get creative work done. In fact, I’m using it at this very moment as I write this sentence.

Overall, Freedom seems similar to other blocking and screen time limitation apps, though I like that it’s built for use across all your devices, not just your phone. I also like how customizable it is, with the ability to block common social media sites wholesale, add custom sites that are your personal time sucks, and scheduling blocks as you wish across phone and all your computers, such that if you switch between devices, there’s no temptation. Check it out here.

This year I’ve been getting facials seasonally at Monastery, a local spa and purveyor of absolutely incredible products.

Now listen, I’m someone who has tested a skincare product or two in her life. I’ve done 12-step routines, 2-step routines, and everything in between. Monastery’s products have surprised me with how impactful they are given the short ingredient lists—though some of those ingredients and extracts are things you don’t see a lot of places. In particular, I really like layering their Gold facial oil underneath a lightweight moisturizer (this one), and at night, massaging in the Attar balm. I didn’t think products like this would make such a big difference, but after a month of using, my skin is noticeably more even-toned and bright and honestly, just super happy as we head into fall. Several people have recently complimented me on my skin—people I see regularly. These two products have been the only thing I changed.

If you want to check it out, Monastery offers a sample pack of the entire line; I bought the Essentials Kit, which has a travel size Attar and 1oz each of Gold facial oil and Rose cleansing balm.

P.S., if you are local, do treat yourself to a facial at Monastery! The space is incredible, and the aestheticians super skilled. Then come back and tell me if you fell into a deep slumber during the treatment, like I always seem to.

What with the school year in full swing and a classroom of new families to get to know, I’ve been working all my small talk muscles. I’ll admit it: it’s one of my least favorite things. I know, I know, small talk is essential, but gah.

The other day, I read this article reframing what good small talk is (epiphany: it’s riffing!) and it helped reframe how essential small talk is for shared reality—and belonging. The co-authors write, “Riffing doesn’t require being naturally funny or witty, just being attentive and embracing spontaneity.” If you dread small talk too, it’s worth a read!

(So my mother used to say to me as a child when my room was a disaster.)

But yeah, the barn jacket is not a new trend this season, though it feels hotter and more relevant than ever. I have a black one I love and wear nearly year round (#SanFrancisco), so much so that this season I felt like adding a light brown or cream one to the mix was prudent.

This one is my favorite but, ugh, is sold out everywhere; also like this one from Patagonia, this one from Gap, and this one from Everlane. Have you uncovered a good source for barn/chore coats this year?

Also of note: I tried this green jacket on in store and it was very cute. However, it feels similar to the old school J.Crew Field jackets, which I swear are going to come back in just a few more years… (Good thing mine are all in storage!)

Major shoutout to Emerson Fry for featuring hats from The Silver Spider print shop. Between this one, this one, and (be still my heart) this one, three of the most iconic films of all time are covered, serving as a personal “can we be friends” litmus test as you move about the world.

If campy kitsch isn’t your thing, the other hat source I’ve bookmarked is Etsy. I wanted a simple corduroy hat for fall and didn’t want to pay a bagillion dollars for it. This vendor has a ton of colors all at a great price.

I bought this little timer for design/deep focus sprints at work, but it’s ended up a highly useful parenting tool. Anyone who has ever parented a child who is 5 years old or younger knows a sense of time is not exactly innate. Offering a visual of how much time we have and how much time has lapsed has done wonders for tasks where she’s gotta keep it moving (see: getting ready for school; finishing dinner so we’re not sitting at the table all night; available time to play before bed).

We call it Time Pie. It works!

It also works for adults, too. Sometimes I set the timer just to see how much I can bang out in half an hour. I like racing the pie!

Last month I got inspired to make a homemade notebook and build collages in it. Above is the cover. Violet loved what I was working on, and it’s since become an after school collaborative art project for us—a co-authored zine, really. I haven’t made anything zine-like by hand in at least two decades, and it’s been so fun to cut up catalogs and magazines and mail pieces and make with no real agenda other than having fun. When we finish our debut zine, I will post all the spreads here! Here’s a sneak peek of a couple I worked on alone (top) and with her (bottom):

That’s what’s in this mixed bag! Wishing you a great mid-September weekend ahead. 💜💜💜