10 Things We're Doing Besides Eating All the Heart-Shaped Candies

Hey: Happy almost-Valentine’s Day. Listen to us get real about marriage, and decide for yourself whether or not it’s worth all the trouble. (Kidding! We think it’s great. But so is being single, TBH.) —claire and erica

P.S. We’re hiring. Is it you we’re looking for?

P.P.S. That 25% off situation we told you about last week? Ends tonight.

erica’s things

• Giving a standing O to the many black fashion designers who’ve never gotten their due—including Ann Lowe, creator of, among much other awesomeness, Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress.

• Getting more protein from my pasta: Banza is where it’s at. (1 out of 1 gluten-eating husbands agree.)

• Gasping at the genius of Spacious, a network of coworking spaces that makes 9-to-5 use of restaurants that only do dinner service.

• Learning that, like Derek Zoolander, UPS trucks don’t turn left —and that that’s a good thing.

• Snuggling up to all of the stuffed animals we encounter at trade shows and feeling especially warm ‘n fuzzy about these Cate & Levi ones, made from recycled wool sweaters.

claire’s things

• Relying on some silly, mindless, and hilarious banter to balance out the news cycle and finding it in Who Weekly. (And BTW: Their iPhone sticker set is $1.99 very well-spent.)

• Telling you that these things taste way better than you’d have reason to expect from a prepackaged meal that requires three minutes of microwaving. I recommend the smokehouse brussels.

• Thinking Re.Bin is a much chicer way to manage recycling than my current solution of hanging a plastic bag from a door handle.

• Exploring the (extremely legal!) possibilities of hemp-based CBD products as stress-relievers and migraine remedies, starting with chocolates.

• Contemplating what to do with all the extra time that Overcast.fm is freeing up—it speeds up podcasts without subjecting you to the Alvin and the Chipmunks routine.
  

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• Lighting up one hot candle that, despite the brand name, smells NOTHING like a middle-school boys’ locker room.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Taking 25% off Select Pretty Stuff

From now ‘til Feb. 13, take 25% off of these goodies with the code LOVEISLOVE—because we’re guessing there are all sorts of people in your life deserving of some V-day affection, starting with yourself. 

erica’s things

• Celebrating Superb Owl Sunday.

• Keeping my eyeballs on the Bentonville Film Festival—acronym: BFF—founded by Geena Davis and focused on women and diversity.

• Dipping into some natural-dye moments: This woman is changing the way your jeans get their indigo, and this lady is helping you get in on the fun at home.

• Devouring extreme tastiness at Destroyer in Culver City two days in a row. Promise me you’ll order the rice porridge with caramelized broccoli, puffed rice, and burnt onion if you go.

• Counting on Megan Abbott to novelize the world of elite gymnastics is a totally haunting way.

claire’s things

• Cheering on Tinybop for making amazing and inclusive (and free!) classroom posters available to teachers all over the internet.

• Predicting a serious comeback of #TBT thanks to this handy photo-scanning app.

• Filling up on baked news and frosted facts over at @cookiethenews.

• Piecing together a seriously good-looking gift for tots: giant floor puzzles, featuring the work of design big shots like Alexander Girard and Charley Harper. They’re equal parts home décor and kids’ toy.

• Deeming Warren Buffett a true PE after streaming a charming and surprisingly moving doc about him.

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• Taking control of the situation when my favorite lip balm turned up sold-out everywhere else by stocking it on Of a Kind. (It's really that exceptional.)

10 Things We're Doing Besides Struggling to Send This Email This Week

erica’s things

• Handing it to Bon Appétit for owning the term “healthyish” with the launch of this shiny, pretty-good-for-you site.

• Cheering on a friend for building her own chandelier (with a little bit of help from Lindsey Adelman).

• White-knuckling it through This Is Where It Ends, Marieke Nijkamp’s powerful YA novel about the 54 minutes of a school shooting.

• Giving my coat a new lease on life with a fresh lining by Mend (more on Katie Anderson’s tailoring tips here!).

• Gasping at the discovery that the second season of Entertainment Weekly’s Binge podcast is dedicated to Friday Night Lights. Connie Britton makes an appearance on the first episode—should I be so bold as to hope for Michael B. Jordan?!

claire’s things

• Not expecting to be quite so inspired by a five-minute video where Lisa Frank appears as an animated lion discussing her career path with designer Rachel Antonoff.

• Journaling in the simplest (and most aggressively positive) way possible: Receive a daily text or email asking what you’re grateful for, shoot back a quick response, and it’s logged for you.

• Finding a low-stakes, high-comedy, surprisingly smart sitcom to binge, starring two faves: Kristen Bell and Ted Danson.

• Stocking way up on this little-bit-savory, lotta-bit-tangy, best-dried-fruit-I’ve-ever-had.

• Calling Lauren Sherman one of the smartest fashion writers working right now, and eagerly consuming the story of how she got to be that way.
  

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• Spreading the love any way I can, with the support of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Willie Nelson.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Shining Bright Like a Diamond

Ya heard? We’re feeling real fancy these days, care of some seriously special pieces from our favorite fine jewelry designers. Go get ogling, get pinning, and get hint-dropping because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. And in case you’re curious about the costs behind these beauties, we’ve got a podcast ep with superstar Anna Sheffield that addresses exactly that.

erica’s things

• Eating my feelings at the end of a loooong week in the form of a spread of Wisconsin cheeses from Fromagination. Standouts: this world champ (that's a big deal!) and this sheep’s milk gloriousness made by two women named Anna.

• Sweating the workout motivation that is The New Jock—it’s kinda like Into the Gloss, but for fitness.

• Taking in the real-talk of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking, where interviewees opt not to answer the Q “How aaaare you?” with “fine.” (Warning: not easy-listening.)

• Growing some wintertime basil without even trying in this kind-of-insane, definitely magical contraption.

• Appreciating the punny title and so much more about Cathy O’Neil’s book Weapons of Math Destruction about the dark side of big data.
  

claire’s things

• Resurfacing a favorite feminist moment as inspiration for the weekend. Let’s all agree to never settle for pickle juice.

• Cheating on my highlighter with this balmy goodness.

• Trying to get a better understanding of how the Supreme Court operates, with the help of More Perfect.

• Having it brought to my attention that not everyone is following the New Yorker cartoons Instagram account, which is especially on-fire these days.

• Realizing something really, really important about pre-peeled avocados.

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• Declaring that not all bath mats are created equal.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Self-Caring

Right now feels like a pretty good time for self-care and escapism, yes? We’ve got some hot (and steamy, for that matter) tips for you right this way: a podcast ep containing our ruminations on relaxation along with romance novel recs from an expert. 

erica’s things

• Taking the first step toward improving my atrocious posture: a chill-but-tough class at New York Pilates. Also, these stretches look like a nice break from the sad desk slump.

• Laying off the caffeine for a bit and mixing some of this stuff with almond milk when I’m in the mood for something creamy-dreamy instead of herbal tea.

• Embracing sweater weather, with this man as my role model.

• Toasting an affianced pal’s move to buy her gown at Bridal Garden, a Manhattan boutique with some serious deals on serious dresses—the sales of which benefit education for disadvantaged kids.

• Deep-cleaning my fridge and realllly patting myself on the back about that. (I have this to thank.)
  

claire’s things

• Drowning in an embarassment of podcast riches: the Longform interview with Terry Gross and the three-parter Making Oprah. I took actual notes on these—a first for my podcast-listening career, I think.

• Keeping a packet of these wonderfully effective things in my purse to combat salt-and-sand destruction of winter boots—like Handi Wipes for your leather goods.

• Forcing Erica to listen to me read way too many sections of Eat the Document out loud. Knowingly written, just-enough suspenseful, and highly relevant to these times we’re living in.

• Praising the ladies at Negative Underwear for coming out with a good-looking, no-underwire bra that I’m pretty obsessed with. Holy comfort, Batman. And so cute, too!

• Adding my signature to what might be the most pressing petition of our time. Antsy for you to do the same.

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• Thinking of buying myself a 34th bday present. This? This? These?

10 Things We're Doing Besides Being Better Empathizers

That thing where your friend is going through one of life’s crappier moments and the only things you can think of to say seem inadequate at best and ham-fisted at worst? Emily McDowell’s got a card to solve for that—and, now, a book for it, too. She came on the podcast and taught us all about what empathy really means and how to do it better. 2017 goals, for sure.

P.S. Resolving to binge-listen more this year? Our whole A Few Things archive’s here.

erica’s things

• Giving much consideration—and, hey, some laughs!—to the spelling of the abbreviation of casual (as in “keepin’ it…”).

• Lifting an oil stain out of a silk tie with the magic of (wait for it!) cornstarch.

• Stumbling upon a DIY project that feels very appropriate after a blustery few days in NYC: ice-dyeing.

• Treating my iPhone to a new 2017 look and furthering my <3 <3 for Moglea in the process.

• Stayin’ on top of resolutions goals with the clean, no-nonsense Strides app. Here’s to getting enough sleep—we can do this.

claire’s things

• Making a lazy meal out of falafel chips dipped in Sohha’s Everything Bagel yogurt. If your grocer’s holding out on you, grab the topping, some plain yogurt, olive oil, and pine nuts, and make your own.

• Trusting this guy and this guy only with framing all of my late grandmother’s paintings.

• Double-tapping my way through Joana Avillez’s so-spot-on #goldenageofinstagram series.

• Pinching pots (or something that vaguely resembles them, anyway) at La Mano Pottery in NYC—it’s got a laid-back vibe and warm, patient teachers.

• Living for R. Eric Thomas’s hilarious, cathartic writing, especially in these trying, post-Mariah-meltdown times.

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• Feeling extra-grateful for these guys while trudging through this weekend’s snowy sidewalks.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Taking 35% off Some of the Best Things

Our 35% off limited editions bonanza is nearly over, and, frankly, it’s hard to believe this and this are still around—two winter warrior pieces if we ever saw ‘em. Go scoop up those (and so much more!) with the code EDGEOFSEVENTEEN through Wednesday, and stave off the January blues for just a little bit longer

erica’s things

• Transforming any ol’ faucet into a water fountain with the aid of this smart little thing.

• Taking in the 1) snow and 2) fireplaces at Scribner’s Catskills Lodge.

• Relying on a real handy, well-designed app to answer the Q: “But where is this movie streaming on the internet?!”

• Amping up eggs with Mama O’s Kimchi Paste. Next up: rubbing the stuff on fish filets—and maybe roasted carrots?

• Fantasizing about traversing Peru via train aboard the fancy-pants Belmond Andean Explorer. I assume Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman would be bunking in the next cabin over.

claire’s things

• Wondering if it’s not too late to awaken my inner T. Swift via one these seriously good-looking contraptions.

• Thawing out frozen fingers by the fire at Tullibee, the cozy and delicious bar/restaurant scene at Minneapolis’s latest boutique hotel, The Hewing. The fries alone are worth the trip. (More of our MPLS faves here!)

• Wanting to kick my own letter-writing habit into gear after spending some serious time on this treasure trove of ‘em. This is a great place to start.

• Finding new ways to stoke my Picasso appreciation at the LACMA’s thought-provoking exhibit that charts his work alongside fellow superstar and sometimes-rival Diego Rivera’s.

• Landing on a flick my nephews and I can all get into: Kobu and the Two Strings, a beautifully animated, funny, and magical adventure. (That said: It could have been a lot better.)

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• Saying “see ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya!” to 2016. Come on, 2017, we can do better.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Shopping Editions at 35% Off

The song we’re singing: Take 35% off editions with code EDGEOFSEVENTEEN. And then try to get that tune out of your head.

erica’s things

• Scarfing down so many (too many?) St. Louis specialties and realizing that some of ‘em could be shipped to me by Goldbely for special-occasion gorging (heyo, Ted Drewes frozen custard).

• Building up Magformers, which exist somewhere between blocks and tangrams, amuse everybody, and, thanks to their magnets, practically clean up after themselves.

• Switching out Campari for the California-made aperitivo St. George Spirits Bruto Americano, an A++ rec from A Few Things guest Megan Krigbaum. And that bottle!

• Picking up alllll kinds of intel about war by way of this fascinating book about the weird science that underpins the military-industrial complex—like finding the best fabric for combat-zone underpants.

• Planning a return visit to the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn stat—so civilized with the reserved seating and the cocktails and the ginormous bowls of parmesan-herb popcorn.

claire’s things

• Celebrating Hanukkah by frying up an addictive (and healthier) take on a latke. The sauce is key, but sub in greek yogurt for sour cream.

• Raising a very suspicious eyebrow when my husband brought this thing into our home...and then promptly becoming reliant on it. Not for nothing, it’s a stellar facilitator of at-home dance parties.

• Mainlining Maria Semple’s latest book—zero surprise to anyone who read her last one.

• Reconsidering what I thought was the inevitable purge of my so-comfy but so-ratty favorite chair after ogling the impressive work of the team at Chairloom.

• Licking the rim of my cocktail clean ‘cause it was covered with this tangy delight—which is also delicious on tacos and god knows what else: fish, fruits...POPCORN?!

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• Doing a whole silver lewk ℅ this and these. (Worn with something monochrome and the air of a confident older woman, natch.)

10 Things We're Doing Besides Shipping Things for Free (and Quickly!)

Not that we're trying to reward procrastination or anything, but: free 2-day shipping on domestic orders of $150 and up, now through Wednesday. Get to it! 

erica’s things

• Falling completely in love with Natasha and Daniel falling in love in The Sun Is Also a Star.

• Getting the Mike's Hot Honey hype. Squeeze some in salad dressing! Spread it on toast! So versatile, this stuff.

• Oohing and ahhing at the work of so many badass female illustrators, all rounded-up for your viewing pleasure on Women Who Draw.

• Finding a name for that blush-y salmon color you see everywhere (you know the one—see above): millennial pink.

• Satisfying some portion of my Christmas-cookie craving with these homemade granola bars—and if some butterscotch chips made their way in there, so what?

claire’s things

• Finding something to feel heartened about in Teen Vogue’s surprising (or not, depending on who you ask) shift in tone.

• Quesadilla-ing up a storm because I can’t get enough of these almond flour tortillas that I weirdly prefer to their corn and wheat cousins.

• Wanting everyone to watch the documentary William and the Windmill—it's as much about a Malawian boy who saves his village by building a windmill (!) as it is about what happens to him when the American media discovers his story.

• Taking care of the holiday booze supply with the (very "drinkable," as they say) Alit Pinot Noir and Champagne three-packs for $100.

• Lighting up with glee at the thought of eight nights of a Menorasaurus Rex...or a Menurtle...or a Menoppopotamus.

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• Lending an ear two ears to these.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Instagramming Deals

Do you follow us on Instagram? We’re quite witty and pretty over there. Right now, we’re also taking half off a single jewelry edition daily over there. Each one only lasts 24 hours, and it all ends on Friday—so warm up your double-tapping fingers fast.

erica’s things

• SMSing my way to restaurant recommendations in those neighborhoods that I so do not know: Just tell Text Rex what you’re looking for, and voilà—you saved yourself 15 minutes of googling.

• Soaking up this shower-design trend (yes, shower-design trend).

• Vowing to read any and all of the totally gripping, kind of nutty stuff that Nell Zink puts out there: Nicotine is her latest, but I still think about Mislaid.

• Tipping my hat to Ebbets, which reproduces vintage baseball apparel, including Negro Leagues ballcaps and Japanese jerseys, with mounds of charm.

• Treating a few pals in need of self-care ‘n coziness fixes to the mushroom hot cocoa from Four Sigmatic that promises 1) to have a calming effect and 2) not to taste like mushrooms.

claire’s things

• Feeling paralyzed by the sheer number of so-easy-looking and so-up-my-alley recipes in A Modern Way To Cook. A small sampling: a creamy vegan miso tomato soup that’s ready in in 20 minutes, dried apricots sauteed in saffron and orange juice, and the least sad desk lunch one can imagine.

• Mentally furnishing my fantasy home with the simple, Midwest-made pieces from Hedge House.

• Judging a bottle by its label, and Sant Aniol blows everything else out of the water. Also important: It’s really good-tasting H2O!

• Queuing up my favorite (and way underrated) holiday movie: Nora Ephron’s Mixed Nuts. Steve Martin! Juliette Lewis! Rita Wilson! And so many more.

• Jinxing myself by bragging about this, but...steering clear of the runny noses and sore throats crowding our office by popping these guys daily.

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• Prepping for that time of year when winter coats and shoulder straps wage war with one another—and avoiding the whole mess by throwing my stuff into this ridiculously chic little number.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Taking 25% off the Coziest Things

Because you never have to stress about sizing when you’re gifting a blanket: 25% off select home-y stuff with the code NESTFEST, now until this Thursday, December 8, at 11:59pm. Click on through for the scores and the fine print! 

erica’s things

• Having the revelation that I wanted eye drops to be cooling all along.

• Feeling even better about these GF peanut butter cookies upon learning that Ovenly supports job training for refugees and those formerly incarcerated.

• Looking for ways to get a Hedgehouse throwbed into my life. Is this an excuse to tell the air mattress to stand down, you think?

• Cute-ing up my bfast routine with the sleek little porcelain Äggcøddler, which makes up for its name by turning out some deliciously yolky eggs that are halfway between soft-boiled and baked.

• Road-trippin’ with the family Wang: Jade Chang’s debut novel (which makes an appearance in our minimag, by the by!) does funny and heartfelt real well.

claire’s things

• Slathering on a cultish clay mask that easily lives up to the hype.

• Getting around to picking up a classic: Composing a Life, a thought-provoking-in-the-best-way look at women’s lives from Mary Catherine Bateson (daughter of Margaret Mead!) feels way more relevant than it should, 27 years later.

• Taking in a hearty dose of one my favorite types of behind-the-scenes deep-dives: the backstory of a really good magazine cover.

• Tuning-up my beloved and overused Nespresso machine ℅ a little descaling solution. Dang, did that make a difference.

• Celebrating (and double-tapping) a very important relationship: Iggy Pop and his pet cockatoo, Biggy Pop.

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• Grinning every time I catch sight of this stocking—which, with its smaller scale, is easier to stuff (in case you stupidly stress about those kinds of things like I do).

10 Things We're Doing Besides Stocking Up

Well, what do we have here? Oh, just some handmade Christmas stockings from six of our wonderfully talented designers. Good luck figuring out which family member gets which—you’re on your own there. And get this: Starting right this minute all domestic orders $75 and over ship free and come with our freaking wonderful minimag.

erica’s things

• Flying through Jacqueline Woodson’s poetic novel Another Brooklyn during one holiday-weekend plane ride.

• Cooking better quinoa. And all it took was tweaking my seeds-to-water ratio, turns out.

• Fantasizing about putting Ash the bunny in this (lidded) pet bike basket. I haven’t mentioned it to her yet, so don’t bring it up.

• Relying on Leslie Knope to help with the post-election coping. First up: rewatching this Parks and Rec ep that, with its pie theme, feels doubly approp right now.

claire’s things

• Telling you to grab tickets to The Great Comet’s Broadway debut while you still can; the NYT critic preferred it to Hamilton.

• Starting to think about year-end giving and bookmarking Defy Ventures, an org that runs MBA-style training programs for incarcerated men, women, and youth.

• Feeling grateful to Pixieset for finding its way to all of the photogs we work with—makes the hand-off of pics (especially from events) wonderfully easy.

• Plowing through cans of so-good Hubs Virginia Peanuts. The Sweet Heat variety has all the salty-sweet tang of the best bag of potato chips...and is healthier-ish, right?

our team’s things

• Managing phone calls and texts a lot more like emails—high fives to the Listen app for making that possible. (℅ Sally!)

• Aspiring to at least use good handwriting on envelopes after seeing what @lucy_mail does with the medium. (℅ Liz!)

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• Seriously considering buying a second one of these because it seems like getting dressed might be too much of a challenge if the one I own is in the hamper.

10 Things We're Doing Besides

erica’s things

• Preparing to sing along to allll of the musical stylings of this best-friend showtunes duo.

• Ordering superhero capes for a couple little girls in my life. Because now more than ever.

• Witnessing a few hyper-talented caterers work their magic in recent weeks: Poppy’s in Brooklyn and Quince in Minneapolis, you sure are stars.

• Posing a college-football quandary for the internet: Why have uniform fashions become such a thing? And does that matter, aside from selling jerseys? (Yes.)

• Hunting for a yin yoga studio near me. Ya had me at “pronounced sense of calm”...
  

claire’s things

• ...And, in this corner, looking for some laughter yoga—a real-deal thing by way of a physician in India.

• Eyeing the beautifully and meticulously handmade, last-you-a-lifetime stuffed animals from Polka Dot Club for some single-digit birthdays coming up in my crew.

• Layering D.S. & Durga’s Coriander on top of my old-steady scent because it mixes seamlessly with everything—it’s spicy but light and really special.

• Finally finding the bulk-flower-delivery service I’ve been yearning for for every event I’ve ever hosted: Flowermuse, where were you during my wedding?!

• Wondering if I need to reassess my priorities given how excited I was to discover an easy-to-use and easy-to-share screen-recording tool. My bug reports ‘bout to get real fancy.
  

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• Wearing this at least once a week since it came into my life.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Pizza-Tracking

Hi, there! Claire and Erica here. We’d like to jointly present a bonus thing in this week’s installment of our newsletter. Ready? Here goes: Domino’s gluten-free pizza with banana peppers and pineapple (extra of the latter). We know! It sounds gross! Claire doesn’t even like regular Domino’s pizza (at all!) and isn’t that much of a GF person unless it’s convenient or delicious (in this case it is both). But a recent unplanned stay at the DoubleTree Hotel Newark Airport necessitated a sense of culinary adventure, and, well, we’d like to think we were rewarded for our bravery. Now we pass our good fortune on to you. Enjoy it—and don’t forget to watch the truly delightful (but maybe only kind of truthful) pizza-tracker while you wait.

P.S. Goddammit, you better get out and vote tomorrow.

erica’s things

• Rooting for the many leading ladies of Good Girls Revolt, based on the true story of the first female class-action lawsuit, by journalists at Newsweek in 1970.

• Expressing doubt that I’ll ever see a pet costume as low-effort and high-impact as this. That nineties nostalgia!

• Feeling especially lovey toward NYC after cheering on the marathoners and taking in this Diane Arbus exhibit.

• Getting a headstart on the holiday shopping by ordering a custom Ideal Bookshelf painting by the downright lovely Jane Mount for a particularly voracious reader.

• Discovering that anchovies and cabbage make about as good a pairing as Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling..

claire’s things

• Realizing my coconut rice consumption need not be limited to the days I succumb to Thai takeout—turns out it’s as easy to make as plain old white rice.

• Loving the concept of Lemonade, a simple, straightforward, and socially conscious (!) renters and homeowners insurance company. (BTW, if you rent and don’t have insurance...get on that.)

• Solving for the fact that my hair doesn’t fit comfortably in baseball caps but I’d still like a little sun protection on my runs. The answer: A visor. (Only took me eight years to get to the bottom of that one.)

• Appreciating the layers (heh) of complexity and comedy revealed in this smartly done Instagram account chronicling Hillary’s style in the context of other major celeb-fashion moments.

• Oohing and ahhing over the seriously soothing pastel interiors of the new Leman Locke hotel in London.

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• Wondering what could possibly make a cuter (or cozier) gift for a new mom than matching slippers for her and her babe?

10 Things We're Doing Besides Putting 2016 Behind Us

It’s here, it’s here! Our 2017 wall calendar is chock-full of days, weeks, months, and original prints by some of our very favorite designers. Feels like one of the few sure bets for next year, right? 

erica’s things

• ossing a couple of these face wipes in my bag to beat the cruel post-workout, forehead breakouts.

• Checking into Zero George in Charleston with a pal...and doing our best to leave the property because there are plenty of reasons not to, what with the 70-degree nights and cushy outdoor couches and all.

• Getting my TV recs from the jazzy new NYT Watching site that puts asking you what you’re in the mood for front and center. (“Strong Female Lead” earned my click, duh.)

• Sashaying over to Noglu next time I’m feeling 1) fancy and 2) in the mood for a GF treat in NYC...or Paris.

• Dedicating a good amount of brain space to The Seed Collectors, a sorta mystical, hunt-for-enlightenment, soap opera of a novel.

claire’s things

• Congratulating Brooklyn, New York, on finally getting the proper knitting shop it deserves in Woolyn.

• Reconsidering my stance as “not really a baked goods person” after devouring this downright remarkable cobbler.

• Gaining some much-needed perspective in my seemingly endless search for the perfect apartment, care of this captivating personal essay by Kim France.

• Pledging allegiance to Gloss Moderne, holy grail of hair masks, mother of soft and shiny hair. Come at me, brittle winter ends.

• Adding Still Processing to my weekly podcast rotation and feeling all-the-more in-the-know because of it.

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• Telling my husband to shut up already about how comfy American Trench’s socks are.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Podcasting

Here’s what you’ve been missing if you haven’t been keeping up with the good old p’cast:

• Our thoughts on how to really nail vacation vibes—with special tips for the workaholic in all of us.

• An absurdly fun conversation with Tayari Jones, the author of #ReadingThings selection Silver Sparrow, who lays down the law when it comes to our fantasy casting of her novel.

• Lotsa pasta ideas and beauty tips from Shailene Woodley’s go-to MUA.

• Us gushing to author Courtney Martin about the life-changing magic of her book The New Better Off.

• A confab on curly hair, straight hair, and what will unseat dry shampoo as the top product you’d never heard of until one day you owned six versions of it—all direct from Chris Lospalutto, who cuts Claire’s hair.

erica’s things

• Piling on the moisturizer. Ingredient I’m hoping will be my flakey, fall-skin savior: hyaluronic acid (which comes in the form of a serum, like this one).

• Praying that Minnesota-made Prohibition Kombucha gets New York distribution real soon—it isn’t sweet and comes in flavors like The Sicilian, with rosemary, lemon, and orange blossom.

• Relating a little too much to this article about aggressively scheduling plans.

• Hoping that anyone who puts on events on the reg is aware of Splash—sure, it has good, easy-to-execute design templates, but it’s the RSVP management and messaging stuffs FTW for me.

• Finding a way to combine potato chips and kale for dinner.

claire’s things

• Ushering in pumpkin season with a pepita dip/dressing that single-handedly validates the cost of owning a food processor.

• Keeping a set of five pounders by the couch because my Vanderpump Rules habit is hard to justify as anything other than background noise for some lazy bicep curls. (Also coming in handy for the **Advanced** 7 Minute Workout!)

• Applauding BĒT for doing its part to give vodka a better rep. It’s made from sugar beets (of all things!), and the gorgeous bottle is gift-worthy all on its own.

• Adding a colorful print from Stephanie Specht’s Totem Faces series to my collection. It manages to look good next to anything.

• Reaching for the earbuds anytime a new video from Liz Plank pops up in my feed—Nasty Woman Perfume and Sexist Olympics should be all the convincing you need to do the same. Psyched to hear she’s got a much-deserved TV project in the works.

turn it up to 11 - from claire

• Deciding it might be time to replace my grimy grocery list whiteboard with something considerably more pleasing to the eye.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Professionally Enthusing

erica’s things

• Tearing through Commonwealth. This book, everybody—and if you don’t already sweat Ann Patchett hard, clearly you’ve never heard an interview with her.

• Jazzing up some tuna salad. Miso and scallions FTW!

• Trying on so many jeans and landing on a (high-rise crop!) pair by Re/Done that comes with free repairs for life, turns out.

• Thinking it might be time to revisit Barcelona, where I studied-abroad a dozen years ago, because how cute is this hotel Casa Bonay?! Less cheap cava and bread-and-Nutella dinners this stay, though.

• YAS-ing that New York mag’s The Strategist section now has an online home. The posts on cult condiments and Japanese nail clippers both have my heart racing.

claire’s things

• Surprising myself by getting way into HBO’s Westworld. Never been much for sci-fi, yet here I am, devouring any and all bananas theories about it.

• Anticipating some leaf-peeping in my future after poking around Red Cottage’s impressive array of design-y and daydream-y Upstate New York rentals.

• Rejecting the tyranny of ugly contact lens cases littering my bathroom counter with this little guy.

• Finding a use for the bottom-shelf vodka gathering dust in the cabinet: DIY fabric refresher.

• Spending an entire afternoon eating, drinking, browsing books, and playing games at the charming and picturesque Montague Bookmill in Western Massachusetts.

turn it up to 11—from erica!

• Transferring my lifelong affection for charm bracelets to charm rings.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Sockin' It to Ya

erica’s things

• Planning out my awards season movie-going: 20th Century Women, The Edge of Seventeen, and Loving are all at the tippy-top of my to-see list.

• Tossing a spaghetti squash in the oven whole. Did everyone already know to do this? ‘Cause it sure makes things easier.

• Drifting off to a little island near Sicily with the help of The House at the Edge of the Night—it’s one of those novels best described as “transporting.”

• Oohing at this almost-cork-like furniture made from recycled newspaper. And here I was, commending myself for using old installments of Thursday Styles to line a bunny’s litterbox.

• Putting a lot of thought into what to make first from Molly Yeh’s dynamite cookbook—will it be the quinoa carbonara, the cauliflower shawarma tacos, or the black sesame milk, do ya think?

claire’s things

• Reigniting my creative spark via the excellent Pattern Studio workbook. It’s like a more advanced take on the concept of adult coloring books.

• Finding a new use for nutritional yeast besides dumping it on popcorn, thanks to the dressing in this easy-peasy shaved cauliflower salad.

• Consuming my breakfast in half the time. How did it take me this long to realize smoothie straws are a (really, really useful) thing?

• Challenging you to find a more hip and attractive movie theatre than NYC’s Metrograph, which also boasts an enticing restaurant, a tiny bookstore, and a killer refreshments counter.

• Replacing some of my mason jars with a much sleeker option that’s also blessedly simpler to open and close.

turn it up to 11—from claire!

• Getting me a wallet that can do both: make my Metrocard easily accessible and hang on to loose change.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Looking Good on Paper

erica’s things

• Presenting a birthday ice cream cake from Ample Hills that earned about the best review fathomable: “Even better than Dairy Queen.”

• Poring over Grace Bonney’s epically motivating book In the Company of Women while sipping my morning coffee. Claire and I are the least impressive people featured in it—that’s a promise.

• Questioning how an Instagram called @dailyriggins doesn’t have tens of millions of followers.

• Tearing up at the office reading the end of this. There was something in my eye?

• Eating all of the Honeycrisp apples. At dinnertime, even, with some lime and walnuts and cheddar!

claire’s things

• Falling down a rabbit hole of Gordon Von Steiner’s fashion videos after discovering his work in the deeply satisfying Freedom 90’ x Vogue.

• Feeling very pleased to know there’ll soon be a non-boring, healthy alternative to seltzer-‘n-bitters for the nights when I don’t feel like boozing.

• LOLing my way through all 30 minutes of the premiere of Insecure. It’s exactly the type of bite-size, smart, hilarious, and cathartic show I crave a hit of once a week.

• Finding all sorts of new and delicious ways to consume this stuff (besides by the spoonful)—smeared on toast, stirred in coffee and tea, spread on roasted vegetables, etc. Tips for DIYing your own jar of it here!

• Saying “heyyyyy” to Oh, Hello on Broadway, a mildly offensive, extremely funny love letter to a certain breed of Upper West Side New Yorker (...some of whom I suspect are related to me).

turn it up to 11—from erica!

• Storing away this extremely helpful guide to writing condolence cards...and being grateful to have these to help things along.

10 Things We're Doing Besides #ReadingThings

erica’s things

• Following some good advice and watching BoJack Horseman. Maybe this’ll be the thing that hooks me on the cartoons-for-grown-ups genre?

• Biting into my first—and definitely not my last—tapioca crepe at OCA in NYC’s Nolita. I vote for the #4 with grilled pineapple (!!!) and feta.

• Committing to this Patagonia sports bra for low/medium-impact fitnessing—it’s sleek but also, importantly, substantial.

• Eating way more than my fair share of this microwave Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn, a friend’s contribution to a snacky dinner gossipfest.

claire’s things

• Having a "we live in the future" moment re: the discovery of sunglasses for the colorblind. Even if you don’t need them yourself, the videos of people using them for the first time are pretty dang heartwarming.

• Eating an entire meal’s worth of fresh, gooey raisin-walnut bread from Metropolitan Bakery in Philly. The perfectly crunchy crust and spots of burnt, caramelized raisins are almost worth the price of an Amtrak ticket.

• Smearing manuka honey on my nose and tap-tap-tapping away at it for an all-natural version of a blackhead-reducing Bioré strip—a tip I picked up from Rachel Winard, the skincare genius behind the deodorant we can barely keep in stock.

• Going halfsies—or even one-fifthsies—with lots of ease and little awkwardness thanks to Splitwise, which does all the math and nagging for you.

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

• Setting aside a Sunday afternoon to binge the Emmy-nominated Her Story, a show about trans women's dating lives written, acted, and directed by trans women. Discovered by @nadarine.

• Having a close shave—and that's a good thing—with this super classy, super affordable razor. Discovered by Erica's uncle Orest!

turn it up to 11—from claire!

• Interrogating our production and marketing assistant Sally about her amazing pants, only to find they’re made by our pals at Loup, who whipped them up for us in a rich shade of navy.