Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Finding Our Warm-Weather Wearables

Because summer shouldn’t be all about whites and jewel tones, we started designing the latest PC by Of a Kind collection with a pretty perfect color palette in mind: army green and pale blue. Which, you may recall, were also the hues of the two best (and summeriest) scents of Gap’s nineties-era foray into fragrances: Grass and Dream. Right on the nose, if you ask us.

erica’s things

  • Puttin’ on a lip to go see War Paint on Broadway—about the decades-long rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein (and the biz-lady B.S. they both endured).

  • Craving some sort of rich-but-summery dinner and getting exactly what I wanted from this zucchini carbonara recipe.

  • Streamlining the process of finding whether a username is available on alllllll the platforms (MySpace included) with this handy thing.

  • Re-falling in love with papercut art c/o these.

  • Talking about nothing while eating lunch at Little Pepper in College Point, Queens, aside from how unreasonably good the string beans, the cumin lamb, the mapo tofu, the scallion fried rice, the everything tastes.

claire’s things

turn it up to 11 - from erica

  • Treating my skin real nice with a cleanser that doesn’t dry it out, make it feel tight, or otherwise give it a hard time.

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Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Talking Your Ears Off

Lately on the podcast, a few things that…

erica’s things

  • Marveling at the innovation that is self-cling bubble wrap—because anything that eliminates battles with packing tape deserves our respect.

  • Craving Zapp’s Voodoo Heat chips, especially served as a cocktail snack as they do at Diamond Reef in Brooklyn.

  • Finding that the content of The Mothers is on par with the cover design (which, I should note, is v. v. v. good).

  • Envisioning floors and backsplashes covered in these tiles—or these or these! I’m falling down a rabbithole, no doubt grout about it.

  • Predicting that my consumption of this salad (and that anchovy dressing of its) will hit absurd levels—check back in with me in a month.

claire’s things

turn it up to 11 - from claire

  • Counting on my loved ones to tell me when I have overworn this thing to the point of embarrassment.

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Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides HIRING.

We’ve got one spot open on the dream team that is Of a Kind, and if we had to take a guess, the perfect candidate for it—somebody with serious marketing and project-management chops—is probably already making a weekly habit of reading this newsletter, soooo… 

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Getting as close to making my own pão de queijo as I ever will, thanks to YuBuns, which give off the unmistakable aroma of really having your life together if you pop ‘em in the oven 30 minutes before friends come by.

  • Drooling over the handmade hues of Toronto Ink Company, all derived from natural ingredients like wild grapes, bark, and bricks. DIY ‘em if you’re feeling brave.

  • Thinking of this wonderful piece on the magic of cross-generational friendship after spending the week on the road interviewing some seriously inspirational work wives, who, fingers crossed, will be continue to double-date us.

  • Speaking of being on the road for a week: This was a remarkably cathartic read. (“The flight is delayed for more than two hours, for whimsical reasons known only to the airline.”)

  • Rounding-out asparagus season with a lick-the-plate recipe that’s ready in 10 minutes flat if you skip the leek shenanigans.

turn it up to 11 - from erica

  • Dabbing this stuff on for a nineties-ish, brick-red lip that doesn’t feel too Fairuza-Balk-in-The-Craft intense.

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Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Stillllll Podcasting!

The latest from A Few Things—straight from Alex’s House to your ears:

erica’s things

  • Sending moolah via Popmoney, which transfers funds from one bank account to another by way of someone’s phone number or email address using the ol’ ACH network.

  • Cleaning a tough-to-get-at vase with just a little rice—rice!

  • Praise-handing the discovery that my SPF brand of choice, Supergoop, now has a (sweat-resistant) powder sunscreen—so easy to swipe on your face before a run or to dab on your shoulders when you’re catching more rooftop rays than planned.

  • Tuning in for this captivating, calculus-y episode of Radiolab, especially the segment on the Erdös Number Project, which is kind of like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon but for mathematicians. (And, um, add to that that there is such a thing as an Erdös-Bacon Number.)

  • Experiencing regular cravings for the spicy thai salad from by Chloe, the pretty ‘n speedy vegan joint that’s about to open in its fourth city (that happened fast!).

claire’s things

  • Already missing the eminently likable characters in No One Can Pronounce my Name, Rakesh Satyal’s funny, touching novel about Indian-Americans living in Cleveland, Ohio.

  • Crossing my fingers that this will solve what might be the hardest part of my upcoming move: ending my reliance on doormen.

  • Dog-earing the crap out of the latest issue of Cherry Bombe, which has everything from a meaty interview with Martha Stewart to words of wisdom from the CEO of Vitamix, who, as it turns out, is the fourth generation in her family to run that empire (!).

  • Scooping up this seriously stunning book of still lifes by Irving Penn. His retrospective at The Met reminded me that they’re every bit as breathtaking as his fashion photography.

  • Wanting all of my working lunches (...and breakfasts and dinners) to take place at Pondicheri in NYC. Whichever meal you choose, chickpea chocolate fudge should be your dessert.

turn it up to 11 - from claire

  • Slathering on a body lotion that doesn’t leave me sticky or greasy—who knew it was possible?!

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