Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Finding That Work-Wife Balance

erica’s things

  • Roasting carrots in seven minutes flat with the help of a spiralizer and this winner of a recipe.

  • Kicking off the weekend with a 30-minute facial at Heyday...and imagining a world where this could become a semi-regular thing.

  • Counting down the days ‘til the 2017 U.S. Open (good thing I’m stellar at counting!). Think I can validate purchasing a bottle of Chambord to serve up (heh) the punny and oddly delicious signature cocktail, the Honey Deuce, in the meantime?

  • Praising whoever created this free invoice generator—because why not make that process as easy as possible.

  • Feeling so much more informed about cycles of poverty in American cities thanks to Matthew Desmond’s gripping Evicted, which follows eight families and two landlords grappling with the rental-housing realities in Milwaukee.

claire’s things

  • Drumming up serious enthusiasm for the absolute superstars of Brooklyn United marching band and danceline—and knowing that from now on any party where they don’t perform is going to be little bit of a let-down.

  • Telling Us Weekly to watch its back because The Ringer’s Jam Session podcast is coming for it. Think: If A Few Things was exclusively about celebrity gossip.

  • Conducting a trust-fall-free team retreat in a ridiculously convenient and chicly outfitted Breather space.

  • Thinking LaCroix fan art has definitely peaked with the launch of this site that lets you design your own can.

  • Discovering that jumbo paper clips make a surprisingly elegant gift wrap accessory. Use ‘em to attach greeting cards to ribbon or other surfaces—just don’t tell washi tape I told you because I don’t want it getting jealous.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Smudging this goodness on my cheeks, my lips, and any other parts of my mug that need some cheering up.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Thinking Up Witty Subject Lines

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Giving gravity—and stress—the ole heave-ho for an hour by hanging out in a pitch-dark, epsom-salt-filled float pod.

  • Banking a new party trick: Shoving my phone in people's faces to show them the money shot from this cents-less accident.

  • Passing out copies of The New Better Off to friends, and not just because I'm dying to talk about it with anyone who will listen—it's an immensely useful and comprehensive consideration of the changing standards we're all holding ourselves to.

  • Revisiting a high-school love affair...with Ally McBeal. Late nineties fashions, early Jane Krakowski, and that dancing baby—a perfectly escapist time capsule.

Other people's things (aka #my10things—submit away!):

turn it up to 11—from claire!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Taking 25% off Select Jewelry—’Til Tonight!

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Mainling all six chapters of Framed, a Serial-meets-Big Little Lies true-crime story from the LA Times.

  • Feeling that new-school-year excitement for the first time in awhile, thanks to iMentor, a crazily impressive program that hooks you up with a HS student to help them get on the road to—and through—college. (Pssst: They especially need more male mentors!)

  • Giving my wedding dress a new life as a navy garment, courtesy of the same dyeing studio responsible for all sorts of fancy (and colorful) high-fashion moments.

  • Aspiring to be more like Nancy Spector, chief curator of the Brooklyn Museum and all-around inspiration on everything from career to art to feminism to parenting.

  • Working out all sorts of knots and kinks with this golf-ball-sized thing, which I should probably just keep in my purse at all times.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Stocking up on these because I really like sending birthday cards and really don't like shopping for them.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Binge-Listening

erica’s things

  • Ruminating on Equity, an incisive, knowing Wall Street movie with three—three!—female leads (and women in the roles of director, producer, and investor, too).

  • Encountering a new wine list category, snuggled in right between white and rosé: flor, for fino sherries and other nutty, dry, 'n earthy stuff that gets its flavors from certain yeasts.

  • Giving some structure to my fall boot search. Parcel lets you round up shopping picks, set budgets, mark things as purchased—smart, smart.

  • Wiping the dry-erase marker outta my life. It's about the whiteboard crayon, kids.

claire’s things

  • Listening in on a delightfully awkward interaction between two coworkers who got into a somewhat public spat before they found themselves at the same company.

  • Feeling outdone by a doll—my style will never be as good as this.

  • Keeping my summer kicks bright and white all the way through Labor Day thanks to this magical stuff.

  • Really wishing this list had existed when we were starting Of a Kind.

Other people's things (aka #my10things—submit away!):

turn it up to 11—from claire!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Giving You 10 Bucks for Your Thoughts

erica’s things

  • Questioning my commitment to this newsletter: How have I never shouted-out Califia Farms Coconut Almondmilk Blend here? After downing about a hundred (unsweetened) bottles, I think I can say it’s been vetted.

  • Dog-earring this membership to gift to the readers in my life: Each month, very plugged-in judges serve up five book options, you pick one, and it shows up in the mail.

  • Snuggling up to Toymail, which makes it possible for kids to send voice memos using cute critters instead of a phone.

  • Falling back on this no-recipe summer salad more weeks than not: Slice up some stone fruit and tomatoes, cut the kernels off a couple ears of steamed corn, toss all that in a tangy dressing, and add some cheese—feta if you’re feeling something light or burrata if you’re really going for it.

claire’s things

Other people's things (aka #my10things—submit away!):

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Adding one of these to my nightstand to catch the earrings I so often forget to take off before I fall into bed (why is that?).

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Getting Down

erica’s things

  • Flashing a glowy smile: This teeth-whitening situation is the easiest I've encountered—no strips, no lasers!—and it doesn't make your chompers sensitive, either.

  • Using the soupy weather as an excuse to spend a Sunday with some A/C and an awesome novel, The Unseen World, about virtual reality, Alzheimer's, identity, and the experience of being a teenage girl.

  • Thinking about the I-can't-believe-it's-not-gluten banana bread from Two Hands in Tribeca, oh, daily—and the espresso mascarpone that tops it, too.

  • Posing a question to the fitness gods: Why hasn't some boutique studio concept popped up around the Skip-It? In the meantime, do I buy one or just hum the jingle? (Ok, two questions, turns out.)

claire’s things

  • Cheering on the launch of Ladies Get Paid. The name says it all.

  • Plotting how to get away with planning a company retreat in the South of France—this dreamily designed, absurdly charming little spot could sleep our entire team for a dime.

  • And, in the meantime, channeling my inner Francophile with a newly developed taste for pastis, a refreshing, not-to-sweet (and anise-y!) aperitif that tastes like summer. Give Henri Bardouin a try.

  • Finding solutions to a perplexing interior-design riddle: Where does one find a good-looking shower curtain? The answers are Coyuchi and Quiet Town.

Other people's things (aka #my10things—submit away!):

  • Solving our "How can I possibly use up this much kohlrabi?!" dilemmas with The CSA Cookbook, stuffed with brillz recipes (like tomato-leaf pesto!) to make the most of everything in that weekly haul. Discovered by Jori.

turn it up to 11—from claire!

  • Dressing-up my humidity hair top-knot by slapping on these guys where I'd usually put a few bobby pins—makes it look like I tried, right?

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Playing the Pajama Game

erica’s things

claire’s things

Other people's things (aka #my10things—submit away!):

  • Dreaming of vacation vibes near our home shores with A-Team Paddleboarding, which offers group lessons in the Rockaways, 45 minutes from NYC. Discovered by @mathildepanaget.

  • Getting our eight glasses a day in the most adorable way: The Plant Nanny app tracks your water consumption with the help of some dang cute potted avatars. Discovered by our own @tinybloom!

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Awaiting the day when Claire and I both show up to the office wearing this.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Gitting ‘Er Done

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Getting to know Susan Kare, the woman who designed some majorly recognizable computer icons, including the Mac system failure bomb and your favorite pre-Facebook timesuck: Windows Solitaire (now available as a real card deck!).

  • Delighting in an everyday water pitcher (carafe, if you’re fancy) more than I ever thought possible. The ergonomics! The aesthetics! The size! All perfect.

  • Feeling like a real dummy that I haven’t been destemming kale this game-changing way the whole time—did everyone know about this but me?

  • Daydreaming about the fish tacos at Fatty Daddy, a total hole-in-the-wall on Smith Street in Brooklyn, NY.

Other people's things:

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Secreting this—I’ve been dreaming of the comeback of the anklet since 2012, you should know.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Making Wedding Registries Great Again

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Dropping everything when The Genius Layer newsletter hits my inbox. Leah Finnegan nails it every time. Someone give that woman a talk show.

  • Perfecting the art of power napping with the Pzizz app. If you're like me, turn the voice function off and just let the soundtrack do the trick.

  • Falling down a rabbit hole on For New York—a local's guide to indie businesses that's making me really want to get out and rediscover the city I've lived in for 10 years.

  • Calling all pencil-obsessed people: There's a home for you on the internet.

Other people's things:

turn it up to 11—from claire!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Going Beyond

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • IDing the anchors of the the perfect pantry pasta: These noodles give fresh ones a very serious run for their money, and these canned tomatoes are A+ and DOP-certified.

  • Spending 24 hours in Cincinnati—plenty of time to be totally surprised and impressed by how much cool stuff has popped up there recently, which, it turns out, was no accident.

  • Living for Mondays now that I've discovered Spencer Pratt's (aka @prattspencer) amazing, bizarre Snapchat reviews of Us Weekly. Thank me later.

  • Cutting down on caffeine crashes by replacing my second cup of coffee with Runa, which still gives me a legit jolt, just in a somewhat smoother and longer-lasting fashion.

Other people's things:

turn it up to 11—from erica!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Grieving

erica’s things

claire’s things

Other people's things:

  • Banishing beach-hair knots in the shower with the J&D Duet Wet Brush—a cult fave that we keep hearing about all over the place. Discovered by @kaitlyn.1031.

  • Getting the flight outta dodge, like, now: The genius new app GTFO lists the best round-trip deals leaving from your city in the next 24 hours. Discovered by our own @sallytherose.

turn it up to 11—from claire!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Taking 30% off Editions

erica’s things

  • Coming late to Mary McCarthy’s The Group, a 50-year-old novel about a posse of besties from Vassar class of ‘33 and their post-college days in NYC that’s so a precursor to Sex and the City and Girls.

  • Tossing some gluten-free pizzas on the grill: This dough is where it’s at (and, if you ask me, pineapples and pepperoncini make great, if controversial, toppings).

  • Finding some unlikely elegance in New York’s litter-strewn everything. Behold, the Periodic Table of NYC Trash.

  • Remembering all the words to a song of the summer of 1996...that has very much earned a revival two decades (!!!) later, courtesy of Betty Who.

  • Shoving some watermelon in a blender, straining it into a juice, mixing it with tequila and lime, and calling it a cocktail.

claire’s things

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Slipping one of these into my carry-on as a hostess gift...and treating myself to nice-smelling luggage as an added bonus.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Climbing Aboard the RSS Of a Kind

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Reaching for my earbuds whenever Of a Kind designer and music junkie Kaelen Haworth publishes a new Spotify playlist. Her summer mix is my current go-to.

  • Cruisin’ for a cavity ℅ of Sweet Saba’s seriously delightful (and beautiful!) works of art.

  • Leveling-up my mom’s knitting hobby with custom labels for the top-notch sweaters she churns out.

  • Ticking-off a bucket-list item with a meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and walking away with some (uh, less expensive) news you can use: That savory yogurt of theirs that I’m always giving side-eye at fancy groceries is actually delicious. The squash flavor makes an A+ afternoon snack.

Other people's things:

  • Rejoicing for fellow introverts everywhere upon discovering Silent Book Club—it's BYOB (bring your own book), there are zero points for class participation, and you NEVER have to host. Discovered by @kristinapp.

  • Wishing FarmRaiser existed when we were kids—the genius service connects students with farmers so they can fundraise by selling carrots instead of candy bars. Pretty fresh, huh? Discovered by @ligisini.

turn it up to 11—from claire!

  • Feeling relieved that I can finally answer “Of a Kind” to the myriad people who ask me where I got this stunner that’s always on my shoulder.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Having and Holding

erica’s things

claire’s things

Other people's things:

  • Finding a silver lining in all this election craziness, in the form of the brilliant BallotReady—which provides "just the facts, ma'am" info on where every candidate on your local ballot stands. Discovered by @maggiestohler.

  • Taking baby-gift crib notes (ha) from The NightLight—and suggesting all our expecting-mom friends bookmark it, stat. Discovered by @notjaneclaire.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Asking For Your Things

erica’s things

  • R&Ring in Northern Italy: If you’re into quiet pools and citrus trees and pesto binges, I highly recommend taking your tush to Prati Palai on Lake Garda and/or Villa Rosmarino in Camogli.

  • Rooting for Racquet Magazine, which promises to very coffee-table worthy, right next to those issues of Cherry Bombe and The Gentlewoman. Ace idea.

  • Switching my cocktail allegiances from a classic negroni to the negroni sbagliato, where prosecco stands in for gin and lightens things up a whole heck of a lot.

  • Forgetting to send a bday card before leaving USPS territory and calling on Postable to take care of that like a hero.

  • Anxiously awaiting corn season—and, until then, feasting my eyeballs on this crazy-stunning glass gem variety.

claire’s things

turn it up to 11—from claire!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Carding All Dads

erica’s things

  • Prepping for vacation by setting up If This, Then That hacks—like one to text me when I get messages from certain email addresses so that I keep my nose outta my inbox .

  • Crowning this pea pesto with pasta my what’s-in-the-freezer, steamy-kitchen dinner king.

  • Learning a lot about the history of dating from the book Labor of Love. Such as: Didya know that in 1965 T.G.I. Friday’s was the first ever straight singles bar, modeled after the gay bars in NYC’s West Village?

  • Feeling both pride and shame for having purchased these somehow-fancy shipping labels. They really do make living that boxes-in, boxes-out ecomm lyfe so much easier.

  • Drinking up the goofy and bright blog Wine. All the Time, the only thing that’s ever made me want to read vino reviews.

claire’s things

  • Vowing (for real this time) to never be without an emergency stash of my migraine pills because the seriously brilliant, stupidly simple Capsule Pharmacy has taken away every last excuse I had left.

  • Finally understanding the whole YouTube personality thing—the hilarious and charming Evelyn from the Internets cracked it open for me. Start with this gem of a Beyoncé tribute.

  • Picking up the pieces of my blown mind after discovering Hands On Everyday, which appears to meet me exactly where I’m at with my graphic-design needs.

  • Declaring this seriously inspirational Instagram account the final push I needed to get with the program and start watching Murder She Wrote.

  • Getting impatient for the Olympics because I can only watch this Simone Biles video on repeat so many times before I’m going to need some fresh material.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Squeezing in an emergency pedicure: I went about 10 days without this polish on ma toes, and it felt way too long.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Truly, Madly, Deeply Discounting

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Working my way through the extensive Design Matters archives and getting to spend some quality earbud time with a few of my favorite illustrators as a result—Lisa Congdon, Maira Kalman, and Alison Bechdel among them.

  • Resolving to spray more and sun less now that there’s a Sugared and Bronzed nearby.

  • Feeling like a real dummy for not realizing sooner that everyone’s favorite French onion dip is the perfect candidate for a Greek yogurt-as-sour cream substitute.

  • Finding the perfect midday snack—and tons of tempting takeaways, from condiments to candles—at Miscelanea, a tiny little jewelbox Mexican grocery and cafe in NYC’s East Village.

  • Surprising nobody by falling for the latest gimmicky workout routine, Orangetheory—perfect for anyone who loves a side of data with their calisthenics. If that’s not your bag, try this: It’s a boot camp that doesn’t make you want to throw up or pass out.

turn it up to 11—from claire!

  • Sizing up this guy as a truly ideal travel companion for my upcoming summer tourist-ing plans.

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Refreshing our Routines

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Dealing with the stink downside of my sockless running habit by spritzing this powerful stuff liberally.

  • Taking away one important piece of intel from NYC Design Week: Fake flowers are back, and they’re actually cute now.

  • Feeling like I had no choice but to squander a Saturday night (and a handful of brain cells, no doubt) consuming Vanderpump Rules after both The New York Times and The New Yorker published endorsements of it. The show exemplifies my new favorite (and surprisingly useful) term: “sexy high school.”

  • ….And attempting to balance that binge by watching the truly wonderful—and considerably more high-brow—Nora Ephron documentary.

  • Drooling over all of the gorgeously minimal pieces that emerged from Shaker Design Project’s “Furnishing Utopia” workshop. Gimme those baskets.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Struggling to believe we still have any of these around. Maybe I need to ask my plants to write personal testimonials (ideally incorporating phrases like “favorite watering hole” and “best buds”)?

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Sending You to Nashville

erica’s things

claire’s things

  • Having serious indecision problems when it comes to planning my next vacation, but trying to narrow down my options via the Hitlist app.

  • Admiring my husband’s new frames, courtesy of the eyewear geniuses at Gogosha in L.A. They’ve got a stellar selection from independent designers and an insanely efficient system for helping to determine your perfect pair.

  • Trying out a whole slew of running shoes over the past year and landing back at these super-light and super-tight ones.

  • Making bedtime reading out of each of the chapters in designer Michael Beirut’s How to… book. The one on the 2000 election is a real winner.

  • Thanking the Amazon.com gods: My favorite Japanese popocorn is finally, FINALLY accessible stateside. If you only ever take one piece of snack-related advice from me, let it be this one.

turn it up to 11—from claire!

Read More
Catherine Krenzer Catherine Krenzer

10 Things We're Doing Besides Hiatus-ing

erica’s things

  • Getting outta bed with no snoozing (!!!) due to the very annoying and very effective Kiwake app.

  • Experiencing history with a nice UX: Histography.io makes events chronicled on Wikipedia all navigable and pretty.

  • Raging about capital punishment and our oh-so-flawed criminal justice system while reading Bryan Stevenson’s *important* Just Mercy.

  • Doing so much—too much?—internet research: What to buy? What travel to plan?

  • Snacking on lupini beans. The pitch: They’re kind of like Italian edamame.

claire’s things

  • Learning to shuck my own shells at Little Creek Oyster Farm & Market on the North Fork of Long Island.

  • Keeping with tradition—specifically the anniversary one that dictates cotton for year two of marriage—by getting my guy a gift certificate for a custom-fitted shirt from the tailoring-obsessed experts at Kamakura.

  • Learning, via a thoughtful essay from Grace Bonney, that my all-white-everything interior-design tendencies are bathed in controversy. Who knew?!

  • Rethinking my judgy stance on store-bought bloody mary mix thanks to some guy named Curt.

  • Loving this fashion-nerd deep-dive into the big-picture thinking and tiny, granular details that go into the creation of a Met Gala look.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

  • Accumulating a stash of this wrapping paper—it’s so happy-making and, since it comes in newsprint-style sheets, easy to store.

Read More