A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Going Behind The Music

Two things we’re leaning on heavily: 1) books we can lose ourselves in 2) dresses that keep the 88-degree days as bearable as an 88-degree day can be. For the former, hit up our latest podcast episode, where we’re raving about some of our favorite novels by Black authors. Re: the latter, check out the latest installment of our monthly column for The Strategist, which is chock-full of swinginess by Black designers.

erica’s things

• Harvesting an abundance of mushrooms.

• Requesting a push alert whenever Merriam-Webster releases a new “Words We’re Watching” post. Come for Zoomer, stay for copypasta.

• Pouring some ~very drinkable~ wine (with much label appeal!) from André Hueston Mack, who was the first Black person to win the Best Young Sommeliers Competition. On my bike-adventure agenda: a trip to his ham bar for picnic supplies.

• Shipping off an old laptop to PCs for the People...which, I gotta be honest, felt like a massive decluttering victory.

• Praising Curbed for giving the widespread embrace of kiddy activities a name: The Great Regression. Related: Do I need a Skip-It for fraught girl summer 2020? (Not the first time I’ve asked this Q in recent years.)

claire’s things

• Winning the toddler sunscreen wars by brushing on a powder version that elicits giggles instead of struggles.

• Anointing my home’s drink of the summer: a canned bitters-and-soda situation that is delightful with or without booze and perfectly primed for stoop hangs. (Also: this, from their CEO.)

• Finding a lot of inspiration in music-biz documentaries lately, specifically ones on Blue Note Records (That album art! So good!) and Clive Davis.

• Conceding that there was no way I was not going to like something called Mostly Olive Salad, but it was so good and had a whole lot of heft for something that calls itself a salad.

• Scooping up a 10-free polish from Janet & Jo. that has a) perfect summer-neutral vibes and b) an exceptional name. Let the at-home manicure experiment begin.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Recalling The Crafts Of Our Youth

Shocking no one more than ourselves, we’ve found a way to get excited about making dinner—and we’re talking to the two women responsible for that miracle this week on the podcast. Another discussion topic: social-media advocacy and our evolving sentiments on that topic. If you have thoughts of your own you want to share, we want to hear them. You can always get us at 833-632-5463 or podcast@claireanderica.com. Heck, you can even just reply to this email.

erica’s things

• Deactivating my Facebook account after realizing I could download all my photos. Next exit: permanent deletion!

• Dusting off an old-favorite recipe that requires zero cooking and tastes like pure summer.

• Traveling via weirdly stunning Google Streetview photography.

• Aspiring to paint the stairs I don’t have yellow, with a door to match.

• Sending hot dogs as a gift. Chicago-style, duh.

claire’s things

• Bookmarking People of Craft and Hire Black Female Creatives, two A+ resources for finding talent in the art, design, and ad realms.

• Congratulating the humble TV stand on coming such a long way.

• Offering up some unproblematic alts for your boo-boos and scrapes.

• Revisiting papier-mâché as an art form. My grade-school projects looked nothing like this.

• Re-entering the world of retinol with a serum that’s got a gentle enough touch for a beginner like me.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Shooing Flies

As our brains have been ablaze these last few months, we’ve been reevaluating, well, most everything—including our shopping habits. For so much more on that topic, check out today’s podcast episode. Compassionate consumption—let’s go!

erica’s things

• Embracing Tribute, a video-montage alt to the celebratory, 23-person Zoom call.

• Finding a TV show that I can actually focus on right now—one that gets laughs out of me, even!—which feels like a mini miracle.

• Nominating these stunners for this period when it’s actually important to keep track of whose glass is whose.

• Getting Hello Kitty’s hottest takes.

• Slipping on the T-shirt dress I’ll be wearing for the next three months.

claire’s things

• Feeling amazed by the sheer bounty of beautiful fly swatters on the market: colorful, cork, Shaker-inspired, minimalist, Scandi-vibes—truly something for everyone.

• Keeping Keep It in the weekly podcast rotation for the super smart and funny pop culture and politics; listen if you like: Who? Weekly, Still Processing, Call Your Girlfriend, etc.

• Recommending, yes, yet another newsletter, but, holy cow, is this one good—Tech Support is what you sign up for if you wish Uncanny Valley had a sequel or six.

• Adding Goodee to my list of go-to retailers for beautiful kid things alongside old standbys Scandiborn and Smallable.

• Falling even deeper into my fascination with quilting, this time spurred on by Bisa Butler’s insanely impressive portraits. The backstory and process are worth diving into, too.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Bottling Up Our Cocktails

There’s a lot to think about and do right now. When we aren’t neck-deep in the news, the socials, the phone banks, and our elected officials’ inboxes, we’ve been thinking about doctors’ visits and start-up culture—both topics of a recent podcast ep. Speaking of that ol’ pod: We’re offering a free ad each week to a Black-owned business. If you’re interested in taking us up on this, email podcast@claireanderica.com. We’re ready to unleash our signature brand of enthusiasm.

erica’s things

• Dispatching a copy of Kimberly Drew’s activism-oriented This Is What I Know About Art to the most creative teen I know.

• Looking for somewhere to store 100 mugs.

• Revisiting the best musical guests of Sesame Street, in honor of Elmo’s new show, of course. If you wanna cry, try Lena Horne. If you wanna laugh, Dixie Chicks.

• Collecting a stash of butter wrappers in my freezer for any baking pans that need greasing.

• Sending postcards by some exceptional illustrators to my senators and representatives.

claire’s things

• Letting Samin Nosrat’s kuku recipe be my guide to dumping whatever wilting greens and herbs I have into one pan.

• Calling all my fellow natural-deodorant-in-a-jar fanatics: There’s a better way to apply it.

• Oohing and ahhing over the beauty of Straightaway bottled cocktails—come on with the minis, which feel tailor-made for socially distanced drinking.

• Discovering the intersection of snackfluencing and fitfluencing: bite-size exercise tutorials, ℅ the guy who got me across the marathon finish line.

• Hiding my un-pedicured toes behind these (in white!) for the foreseeable future...a tamer alt to the strawberry Croc trend?

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Holding Ourselves Accountable

Black Lives Matter, and until rampant racism and police brutality are addressed in meaningful, structural ways, no one in America is truly free. We stand with protestors and everyone doing the work to make this country a safer, more just place for Black people. As two white women who benefit from our race, class, and other mechanisms of white supremacy, there are plenty of ways we need to be better. Among them: being more deliberate about whose work we share, support, and put our dollars toward. To that end, we’re pledging to do at least 15% of our spending with Black-owned businesses—and we’re grateful to the Brother Vellies designer Aurora James for this call to action. Below, 11 projects, businesses, and pursuits from Black creators we’re just crazy about. (If you’re looking for more Black-owned businesses to support, a starter list.)

erica’s things

• Anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lani Haliday’s (GF!) miso chocolate-chip cookies to my door. I would be pretty open to gobbling up this whole cake too, TBH.

• Giving Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers my highest literary compliment...which is actually a question: “Who should be cast in the movie version?”

• Diving into the pottery of Roberto Lugo; lifting my chin off the table. More here—and for scale!!

• Driving my husband absolutely nuts with how much of R. Eric Thomas’s newsletter I read aloud.

• Ponying up for a forever razor from Oui the People. I’ve heard so many good things. And, I mean, chic.

claire’s things

• Getting an earful of beauty, wellness, and A+ banter from two ladies who bring to mind this meme.

• Glimpsing an idealized version of maternal healthcare in Mahmee.

• Soundtracking my too many hours spent in the kitchen to the insanely talented vocals of Vagabon.

• Fielding a steady stream of compliments on my Agnes Badoo, an investment bag that has not only survived, but also thrived over many years, through spilled drinks and even a flooded car.

• Introducing you to my new faves, Nikki, Mobalaji, and Jon, hosts of GQ’s exceptionally charming, 15-minutes-at-most show, The Run-Through. Your favorite Quibi could never.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Plastering A Wall With Nature

If you’re thinking about collaboration or creativity or just want some voices in your head that aren’t your own, this week’s podcast ep is here for you. We’re chatting with side-project savant John Jannuzzi about extracurricular pursuits...and also socks. Should you be in more of a barefoot mood, check out our latest column for The Strategist chock-full of outdoor gear that’s making us want sprawling backyards to socially distance in.

erica’s things

• Taking the plunge and purchasing my dream wallpaper. Now I, uh, just have to hang it. (Why do I feel like “weekend wallpapering!!!” might be the next phase of this lockdown…?)

• Adopting a signature tiki drink that doesn’t even call for blue curaçao—and is possibly even better without the simple syrup.

• Cracking up over the delightful—and legitimately catchy—nineties-country-music parodies from this new Dierks Bentley project. C’mon with this song especially.

• Getting my kicks where I can, this time from the at-home version of one of my favorite NYC salads: the shaved-fennel deliciousness from Café Altro Paradiso.

• Dipping into another aspect of Michael Jordan’s legacy: his heyday suiting.

claire’s things

• Co-opting the spiced yogurt from this (excellent!) recipe for whatever vegetables the CSA sends my way.

• Bookmarking a bed that I have no need and no budget for. But maybe you do?? Please get it in green.

• Discovering that—aaack!—Cathy lives on on Instagram, and she’s really coming through with the #quarcontent.

• Putting the pressure on Cam to get his art skills in order because I’m desperate to take advantage of this brilliant service.

• Insisting that Stanley Tucci’s latest gift to the internet has not gotten nearly the circulation it deserves. Doing my part to rectify.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Seeking Some Spice (In Food And Life)

We are sick of cooking and of Zoom. Oh, you too? Then tune in for our podcast episode feat. two things we’re not over: condiments and other, less screen-time-y ways to keep up with friends. Also! If you were hoping for an A Thing or Two Instagram account some day, today’s the day.

erica’s things

• Dubbing this “shrimp-curry bolognese” and intending that as a huge compliment.

• Staring at my apartment walls…and asking the dim nooks if they want one of these.

• Pouring my rings an it’s-five-o’clock-somewhere tipple of gin.

• Reading the words “female-founded snack box." Clicking “add to cart” immediately.

• Seizing this opportunity to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge perform live. AND WOW.

claire’s things

• Taking all the lighting help I can get for the endless stream of Zooms.

• Realizing that I’ve got a thing for Ethiopian music based on how often Mulatu Astatke (A+ working music) and Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou (A+ backstory) are soundtracking my days.

• Accepting the new reality in which I have my regular hand sanitizer and my fancy hand sanitizer...which smells so good I legitimately look forward to using it.

• Salivating over Clare Salvo’s food art—a red-lentil Lichtenstein, a Magritte you could eat, a vegan Vermeer!

• Welcoming a little help in the kitchen from delicious newbies Omsom and Ipsa—the latter of which would make an excellent gift for new parents, by the by.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Collecting Rocks

Suddenly, we are people who not only have ranked lists of our favorite mugs but also have a lot to say about ‘em—along with some thoughts on productivity and at-home manicures, of course. Tune in?! Ooh, and can we persuade you to take this speed-demon of a survey if you haven’t already? Reading your responses gives us an energy jolt more reliable than caffeine.

erica’s things

• Getting strong food-industry reporting from a nonprofit newsroom. Don’t worry: Your sourdough starter is being explored as the science experiment it is.

• Demanding maximum output from this hook, even during self-isolation times.

• Digging into the appeal of the childish linguistic tics that speak to Tom Haverford, Alexis Rose, and, uh, me.

• Riding the tie-dye wave that’s coming for everything, including the band-aids and the notebooks.

• Turning leftover grains, jarred stuff, and veggie bits ‘n bobs into a toasty, crispy dinner that didn’t taste half as half-assed as it was. Please note that I took great liberties with this recipe!

claire’s things

• Applauding some really strong TV-imitating-art and TV-imitating-Dennis Rodman content.

• Improving both my posture and my FaceTime sessions—and dare I say my quality of life??—with the help of a phone stand. Want one for every room.

• Busting out the currency converter because I cannot get these planters or these jugs out of my head.

• Obsessing over the discovery that King Arthur Flour has three co-CEOs—and a seemingly excellent company culture to boot. Keep on buying that grain by the five-pound bag, folks!

• Wondering if I can rent a room inside Mary Matson’s mind. Come on with this stock, this shirt, these rocks!

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Babying Ourselves

This week’s podcast is all about the best tees and the best IGs, two bits of subject matter that are playing outsize roles in our days. Also: Can we ask you a favor that does not involve joining another Zoom? Would you take this four-and-a-half-question survey and let us know what’s working for you and what’s not about all of this #content we’re sending your way?? Consider the comment box open for biz.

erica’s things

• Praising a soap dish for both its form and its function—it most certainly makes waves.

• Lapping up writerly introspection and occasional mushiness from this newsletter and that one, too. Really finding new ways to surprise myself over here!!

• Paying tribute to my epic levels of cheese consumption.

• Seeing true ANTM potential in many of these farm animals.

• Taking this opportunity to fill two kitchen-tool voids in my life: Double spatula and spider skimmer, welcome to the quar fam.

claire’s things

• Using the same body lotion that all the fancy French babies do. They’re onto something, those enfants.

• Watching this space as packaging inevitably becomes an even bigger conversation in the months and years to come.

• Spying my favorite running shoes in extremely good new colors.

• Mulling over the various gifting scenarios this choose-your-own-date puzzle feels right for—birthdays, anniversaries, graduations?

• Finding out what all sorts of internet-famous people are up to during quarantine.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Taking In The Spring Flours

On the pod this week: We’re not even pretending to try to curb our Instagram consumption right now, so we’re diving deep into how we are thinking about The Greatest Time-Suck of Our Time (and we don’t necessarily mean that as a diss). Related: Who should we be following for mood-improving, escapist, and/or meme-y content? Feel free to reply directly to this email—your favorite distractions are our favorite distractions.

erica’s things

• Wondering if I’d be seeing even more flour in my feed (Is that even possible?) if it was all packaged as prettily as this stuff.

• Connecting with two penguins.

• Pretending to be on the Amalfi Coast poolside in Palm Springs anywhere else, really, while lounging in this.

• Taking as much satisfaction in the outcome of a recipe as in the name, a true beacon: back-pocket canned salad.

• Glimpsing into the design process behind some of the New York Times front pages for these unprecedented times.

claire’s things

• Telling my brain to turn off all the “But what if I get, like, pink eye right now?” noise since there’s a smart, affordable, and doctor's-office-free solution to exactly that type of problem.

• Stumbling upon a remarkably timely and well-done show that explores how people live in their homes.

• Vowing to stop resisting recipe hype because the fact is that I could have been reveling in the splendor of Julia Turshen’s turkey and ricotta meatballs for months now.

• Considering becoming a shoeless household, with one important exception.

• Finding journaling to be particularly productive and loving this take on it.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Putting Our Stamp On It

Introducing the shoes we’re not wearing and the meals we’re not eating on the podcast this week! Along with a revival of a classic, if-you-know-you-know segment, the Alex Update—a (belated) Easter egg for the superfans. If you have any thoughts to share on this or anything else, call us at 833-632-5463. We Slack each other the voicemails with enthusiastic emoji. It’s a whole thing.

erica’s things

• Dubbing this my weekend coffee for the foreseeable future. Sweetened condensed milk, you are so special.

• Considering Team USPS gear (for Ash the bunny too?) and admiring just a teeny-tiny fraction of the wonderful stamps the postal service has given its stamp of approval to.

• Praising myself—and, more appropriately, Samin Nosrat—for my successful first go at (pseudo) tahdig.

• Doing a few wee workouts (1, 2, 3!) that require only one piece of special equipment: socks, and not even your cute ones.

• Browsing the T.J. Maxx of emerging designers—which I kind of can’t believe didn’t exist before?

claire’s things

• Coveting some quarantine merch for a cause. (And encouraging you to follow the charmer behind it.)

• Contemplating all the most beautiful ways one might construct an indoor playground for a one year old: a chic slide, a minimalist rocking horse...an aesthetically pleasing ball pit?!

• Boldly bucking the banana-bread trend by making banana-quinoa muffins instead—and positing that most muffins should have quinoa in them. A textural triumph!

• Letting my mind sink into the laid-back surfer vibes of Schuyler Beecroft’s imagery for a bit.

• Crossing my fingers that the team from The Fly (and Hart’s and Cervo’s, too) continues selling their goods grocery-style once all this is over—we’ve got new Wednesday night chicken-’n-potato-salad traditions to uphold in this family.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Cheering Up Our Screens

If this week’s calendars included things beyond staring into a video-chat abyss, ours would be sprinkled with celebrations of Marisa Meltzer and her wonderfully insightful and introspective new read This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World (and Me). So let’s all gather ‘round our speakers with our most festive snack and listen to Marisa hold court on weight, wellness, women, and various other topics that don’t even start with W. Also, because we’re all about a recommendation, if you know someone who’d be into this newsletter, do us a solid and tell them about it, huh? Forward it willy-nilly, even. We love your love.

erica’s things

• Playing cocktail-hour roulette with a set of little books that are organized by booze and do a good job limiting the number of “yeah, right” ingredients.

• Looking to these illos for a fashion fix. Er, no offense, Zoom comrades.

• Rubbing this stuff on my neck and taking a big, fat inhale on afternoons when I wish I was the sort of person who could drink coffee after 1 p.m.

• Entering the soundtrack phase of my quarantine music consumption, bopping between the ones from My Best Friend’s Wedding and Sex Education...which happen to have the song “Wishin’ and Hopin’” in common.

• Throwing some polenta in the oven (and then slicing it up and pan-frying it the next day).

claire’s things

• Expanding my grocery-shipment universe to include a retailer that has an entire section dedicated to fresh tortillas. (More excellent recs here.)

• Thanking Baggu for making their outstanding prints available as digital wallpapers by making a donation to their PPE efforts.

• Scooping up some iconic dinnerware that my kid won’t break.

• Tipping my hat to the Spotify algorithm for putting Richard Swift on my radar.

• Imagining what it’d be like to inhabit (hell, visit) homes other than my own.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Getting To The Meat Of It

When the retail legend Mickey Drexler came on our pod awhile back, we talked more about SoulCycle, less about business. For part two, we did the opposite—and his perspective as someone who’s experienced a whole bunch of economic peaks and valleys (if not, you know, pandemics) is especially welcome right now. Also, a PSA: If you want to keep tabs on the recs we share in this newsletter and via said podcast, we created an Amazon Storefront and a Bookshop.org page. The latter sources our reading picks from local indie sellers—because now more than ever, huh?

erica’s things

• Turning on this timer to help me focus for a whole 25 minutes (!!!) and then to get my ass out of a chair for a few after I do.

• Giving much thought to what it’s like to be a person with a body through the lens of this spectacular book.

• Starting a cross-stitch project that promises to keep my head and my hands busy for hours on end. (Related: Come on with this and this!)

• Digging deep into the ol’ recipe archives for stuff especially well-suited to the “wait, we have to eat again?” rhythms of these weeks. Stars include this yogurt-y pasta, a cabbage salad that’s good the next day, a hearty soup (works with fake-meat sausage!), a Vietnamese (frozen) shrimp sitch, and another pasta that mostly involves draining cans.

• Cheering on the Michael Jordan of dogs...and his 15-year-old handler.

claire’s things

• Fixing myself some froth courtesy of this cutie, who plays well with oat milk, even.

• Noting the great poster renaissance of quarantimes, heralded by the Coronavirus Tourism Board and Jamie Beck’s Isolation Creation Series.

• Caring about sports announcing for the first (and last) time ever.

• Finding a little fanciness in my skincare routine, thanks to an oil that lives up to the rave reviews that convinced me to splurge on it in the first place.

• Wondering if there’s room in your nonsense appetite for a beautifully bound book made out of Zingerman’s sliced mortadella (with inlaid fat lettering, natch).

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Looking For Light

Our inboxes could use some pepping up, and if yours could too, join us for a wild ride of a podcast ep packed with eighteen (18!) newsletter recs. Who knew we could love this many newsletters? (You did.) And if you just can’t get enough of us—or are itching to see our extremely expressive faces—we’re playing around with some IGTV ~content~ over at @clairemazur and @ericacerulo. Yes, we have a lot of pent-up energy, thanks for asking.

erica’s things

• Numbing my brain as necessary with these weirdly adorable tattoo reveals.

• Taking in these plane views...and only these plane views for the foreseeable future.

• Saying “this really is so good” at least seven times while slurping up homemade, four-ingredient GF pasta. Bonus date-night vibes if you turn on the Louis Prima.

• Aspiring to have a collection of vintage lamps all of a sudden. Turns out I have the hots for a pleated shade?

• Storing this online notary in my memory bank should it be useful during our stay-home time—or, TBQH, any ol’ time.

claire’s things

• Admitting I’d pay too much money to be able to consume the 2008 MTV single-season masterpiece The Paper right now but settling for the thrill of the trailer, which delivers quite a punch on its own.

• Proposing that dogs, too, deserve stylish quarantine comfies.

• Searching high and low to find a cute version of a category of dishware I didn’t even realize existed until recently: the snack cup. Cheerios just scored an invite to our daily distancing walks.

• Snatching up some easy-peasy cover-up for stray grays before it becomes as scarce as toilet paper.

• Fantasizing about a fort made of Olivia Wendel pillows and blankets.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Eating All Of Our Snacks

Life is weird. (And terrifying and mesmerizing and ridiculous and boring—you know.) On this week’s podcast episode, we’re celebrating the one lived by the wonderful person and artist Jason Polan, who got a lot of things about being a human so right and who would have found ways to make us smile—and probably lol—during this remarkably strange experience. We promise it’s not a sad ep (We know you can’t take that right now, and neither can we.), and it might even be just the thing you need. Below, what we’re counting on for a little structure, comfort, and maybe a good cry as the days blur together (today’s Monday, fyi).

erica’s things

• Determining that now is definitely the moment to get into romance novels, and The Idea of You truly delivers: boy bands, art gallerists, and all kinds of good L.A. references.

• Relieving at least a smidge of my jaw tension with a quartet of quick exercises.

• Painting my own nails for the first time in a long time and marveling at the outcome. Success story brought to me by this brilliant contraption.

• Investing in the low-stakes, therapeutic, very British competition show The Great Pottery Throwdown.

• Learning a little something about Wuhan...and not from the news.

claire’s things

• Thanking Netflix for making virtual viewing parties just that much easier.

• Thinking I might need this to commemorate my social-distancing diet.

• Wrapping myself up in the wise and comforting words of Courtney Martin via her much-needed-right-now newsletter.

• Conceding that there is no such thing as a good-looking baby gate (um, unless you go custom wicker?!), but this simple wooden playpen keeps ‘em contained during conference calls and is easy to adjust for both shape and size.

• Feeling pretty dang moved by these graduates.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Puzzling Over So Much Stuff

Ahhhhh, gang! What a world. What a time to be releasing podcast episodes that were recorded weeks before this new reality descended upon us. That said: We hope the stuff we’re putting out right now (and always) serves as a bit of a bright spot and a healthy distraction. (And, hey, feel free to reply to this email and let us know what other distractions we might be able to provide.) This week’s guest is very much up to the challenge: Nikki Ogunnaike is GQ’s newly minted deputy fashion editor (<< fancy title), and she’s a go-to source of motivation and positivity on everything from career to fashion to exercise. (We’re all exercising for the sake of our mental health these days, right??)

erica’s things

• Telling sporks to move over: It’s all about plowls for my current comfort-food needs.

• Resisting the pull of design-y puzzles until the moment I caught sight of this Alex Prager one.

• Reconnecting with the (much less anxious) nineties teen within who kind of wants everything from the Esprit collab with my one-time mall source for Roxy gear.

• Setting aside four half-finished books to dive into this, which is sort of a mature, noir Harriet the Spy...but also something uniquely its own. Utterly absorbing, which is the best compliment I can give to any entertainment right now.

• Feeling some shame around endorsing any poo-related product, but this turns-out-it’s-useful gag housewarming gift is serving my household well during these close-quarters times.

claire’s things

• Making double batches of this extremely pantry-friendly enchilada sauce—but still managing to devour it all in one sitting.

• Letting @kidsbookrecs program storytime with their A+ picks. (P.S. Also on Instagram for the little ones right now: Oliver Jeffers and Mac Barnett are doing live daily readings of their books, and Wendy Macnaughton is doing daily drawing lessons. Bless these people.)

• Eating up all of the excellent consumer-centric writing and reporting Amanda Mull is doing over at The Atlantic, from explaining the mysterious persistence of the Restoration Hardware catalog to debunking the myth of free shipping to reporting on how Coronavirus panic is impacting those in customer-service roles.

• Filling my sleepless hours with good reads, thanks to the life-changing magic of a book lamp. This one is excellent.

• Describing my food tastes as “the kind of stuff they serve at Atoboy.” (A very good time to buy a gift certificate from them! Give yourself a nice meal to look forward to.)

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Getting Crafty

Welcome to an escape from the newscycle!! If you’re looking for more of a distraction than the links below offer, go ahead and give our latest podcast episode a listen. We talk about books, Jessica Simpson, and Marmite—and two of those things at the same time, even. And if that’s not enough, might we direct you to the first installment of our shiny new monthly column for The Strategist? 

erica’s things

• Wanting my bodega to have a stack of these as backup in our (very aspirational) post-plastic-bag era.

• Counting on these baked goods to get me in the mood for spring—but, like, spring when it’s supposed to come, which was not February.

• Following this very thorough curtain-hanging guide to a T and achieving an ideal I previously didn’t know existed: the kiss (or, for those who don’t need romance from their drapery pursuits, when the fabric just skims the floor).

• Opting out of corporate internet with a non-profit, community-driven alt.

• Stretching my toes with the help of these. A way more satisfying experience than it oughta be!

claire’s things

• Making many a meal out of Seedible smeared on an apple—like if tahini and peanut butter had a beautiful baby.

• Delighting in the discovery that photographer Noah Kalina has packaged up his unique brand of humor, talent, and dead-on observations in newsletter form.

• Feeling relieved to have finished the outstanding Such a Fun Age because I was staying up way too late reading it.

• Swiping on a very easy and not-at-all intimidating red lip, no pencil or overly careful application required.

• Wanting to scoop up every single one of these craft kits, but especially the terracotta coasters and tiles situation. Let’s hear it for hobbies!

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Rooting For Tumblers

Whether you are trying to quit shopping altogether or want the rundown of all the latest ‘n greatest stuff on the market, we have the podcast episode for you. Also, should you feel compelled, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We read the good ones aloud to each other because we’re like that. 

erica’s things

• Walking into Studs and feeling ten years younger.

• Hearing the greatest compliment three-ingredient cookies could hope for: “They look like they could be in a magazine.” (And, hey, they taste great, too.)

• Spending a truly embarrassing amount of time hunting down bathroom accessories. I have this toilet-paper holder and this bath mat to show for my dedication.

• Devouring my first non-binary coming-out story and romance ℅ I Wish You All the Best.

• Dabbing this potion on my face most nights. It’s like a clean version of P50, and it’s gentle enough that I can use it that frequently without enraging my skin.

claire’s things

• Lusting after the perfect porcelain inlay pieces by Knotwork LA. These sweet little tumblers!

• Marveling at the enduring cultural relevance of 1996’s Space Jam, which inspired a full-on gallery show in 2015 and now, in 2020, is sparking discussion about pro-union labor rights. (And, of course, we’ll all be buying tickets to the LeBron James sequel in 2021.)

• Readying my credit card for when CBD tampons come to America.

• Feeling very fondly toward my new seltzer maker that is handsome enough to display on our bar cart and not make me resent all the space it’s taking up.

• Offering up a condensed shopping itinerary for anyone headed to Mexico City: Onora, Ikal, Lago, Studio MA, and Ven a Mi were all full of the most beautiful whozits and whatzits.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Ogling Moldy Lemons

This week on the pod, we talk to *the* Kim France—she of Sassy, Lucky, Girls of a Certain Age, and, now, one of our new favorite podcasts about life as a woman over 40. AND! And. We share a meditation exercise that we’re both carrying on about, which: We know, we know. In a far less annoying move, we put all of our advertiser coupon codes in one place for convenience’s sake. Thanks for supporting the brands that support us!  

erica’s things

• Taking weird pleasure in rotten fruit.

• Becoming a natural-deodorant serial monogamist. I’m currently in a committed relationship with this guy, a real charmer with his genius packaging and fragrance-free option.

• Leaning hard on tatsoi to get me through the arugula shortage. It’s spinach-y but less so, if that makes sense?

• Appreciating a fabric scrap put to excellent use. See: these scrunchies, these napkins, these Nikes.

• Consuming Midnight Chicken more like an essay collection than a cookbook—and wondering if there’s a non-pretentious way to incorporate the Britishism faff into my vocabulary.

claire’s things

• Finding a way around my disdain for sliming moisturizer all over my body.

• Adopting a new go-to comfort food that’s only slightly more work than a box of mac ‘n cheese.

• Delighting in the luxury of having a printer at home for the first time in years—a tiny-but-mighty one that tucks away quite neatly.

• Marveling at the simple brilliance of a website that tells you the best way to glue one thing to another thing.

• Bathing in nostalgia via @adarchives. Remember Kookaï?

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Eating Philafel

This week on the ol’ podcast, we’re discussing the highs and lows of French omelets, the highs and highs of tall socks, and the (many) organization products we enthusiastically endorse. This week in this newsletter, we’re sharing our latest finds...and encouraging you to forward them to a friend if you feel so inclined. Don’t you know a few people who could use a good distraction?

erica’s things

• Side-eyeing all the dogs wearing better knitwear than me. C’MON with this and this.

• Feeling more strongly about a kitchen scale than I thought possible. It’s cute, it’s compact, and it’s as useful for weighing (alt) flour as it is that package you keep meaning to ship.

• Falling hard ‘n fast for Flamingo Bob.

• Humbly requesting that more things be printed newspaper-style.

• Leveling-up my collection of acetate earrings with the dynamite ones from Aprés Ski.

claire’s things

• Donating, because all expecting parents—and black ones especially—deserve doulas.

• Applauding Goldie for making a strong case that Philly oughta be known as much for its falafel (and tehina milkshakes) as its cheesesteak.

• Stunning myself by stanning Tory Sport. Ruffled track pants! Tie-dye running tees! Something called “performance satin!”

• Clicking faster than I’ve ever clicked in my life on a playlist titled “Nancy Meyers’ Kitchen.” Duh.

• Nearly tearing up every time I watch my son’s utterly awed reaction to this light (which was apparently in the Oscars swag bag, making him an early adopter?!).