Life’s little luxuries

You know those little, seemingly meaningless, items that add sparkle to a day? Something that may not cost a lot, but somehow makes the humdrum of day to day life more bearable?

For me, I’m realizing that my “little luxuries” are pretty consistent from season to season, but the aesthetic of the item may change.

A lot of my favorites came as recommendations online that I tried and loved, and while I realize what one person considers soothing or uplifting, may do the total opposite for others, I thought I’d share my list of life’s little luxuries below, in case something here resonates with you.

I absolutely love the scent and feel of this Orange Blossom Honey hand soap. I’ve never been to France, but every time I wash my hands with this, I’m pretty sure I’ve been there in a past life. I can literally see myself exploring the streets of Marseille wearing a flowy white linen dress that daintily ties at the shoulders. Is that too much? Because that is a truthful depiction of what I see when I use this soap. I’m transported to France.  Try some. I’m dying to know what vision you see when you use it, haha.

Alright, now that I’ve taken you to Marseille, it’s time to let you in on another random life luxury: decorative paper napkins.

Boring, you think?

Nope. Here’s why: There’s nothing that brings about nostalgia for me like a pattern. To get a little more insight into nostalgia I did some research and came up with this explanation of why we seem to enjoy places, people, or things that bring about nostalgia for us. Most profound to me was this quote I found by Clay Routledge, a social psychologist at North Dakota State University: “We see nostalgia as a psychological resource that people can dip into to conjure up the evidence that they need to assure themselves that they’re valued.”

I must need this assure a lot, because I do find myself quite attached to things and places that bring about nostalgia.

Alright, back to the napkins.

I love to have several patterns to choose from stowed away in a drawer. Personally, I prefer the cocktail size that I can use in the morning to rest my coffee stirring spoon on or to place a cup or glass on to absorb condensation. They’re also great to pull out and place with a cheese board or hors d’oeuvres. Voila, instant charm.

Aren’t these pretty for spring or summer?

Or how ’bout these from Mackenzie-Childs?

Pro-tip: Dollar Tree has some of the cutest cocktail napkins in their party supplies aisle.

 

What are some things that add beauty to your everyday life? Please share them with me!

 

 

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Friday Favorites ( Feb 2nd )


 

These colors! So pretty. Aldi has some of the most delicious macaroons right now on sale for less than $5 for a pack of 12. Our whole family easily ate them up in one sitting. They rival any I’ve had from a bakery, and the price is way better.

 

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In case you haven’t figured it out yet (but I’m sure you have), belts are back. I have a similar belt to the one from Nordstrom above, but I’m going to order this in the tan color eventually.

 

 

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Okay, where has this app been my whole life? The Project Life app is digital scrapbooking at it’s easiest (and cutest). The best part: you can order the actual scrapbook at the end. I use this on vacations (via my iphone) and add in the pictures with captions as I go. Scrapbooking on the go means there’s a much better chance the book will contain all of the little things I might not think of after we’re home and back to the daily grind. Being able to access it from my phone makes it convenient enough that it’ll actually get done, haha. I’ve included a couple of pages from one of my scrapbooks to give you an idea of how it works. Give it a try!

 

 

XOXO,

Erika

 

 

 

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Friday Favorites (Jan 26th)

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MIRACLE WORKER. If you have kids, or you yourself can’t seem to eat without getting food on your shirt, you need this.

I never would have known to buy this stain removing spray if it hadn’t been for a friend showing it in action on her insta-stories. She had a spaghetti-stained shirt and used this to get rid of the mess, and after watching it easily annihilate the set in tomato sauce, I had to try it.

I figured 8 dollars was worth it if I could save the countless clothes assigned to the “play clothes/ lounge around home” category (that still doesn’t get worn).

I actually saved a pretty linen kitchen towel with ravioli stains just to test this stuff out when it arrived.

The directions say to wet the item, spray it with Miss Mouth’s messy eater stain treater, and then rinse and wash. I let it sit for 15 minutes after spraying, rubbed it in, and then rinsed. The stains were completely, 100% gone! I’m not sure how I’ve lived without this!

 

 

 

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We’ve gone through so many boxes of these since cold season came around, and they are the first thing Bella asks for when she’s not feeling well.

They are purely a comfort crutch and don’t actually relieve the fever, but the gel pad is cool and comforting and helps Bella get to sleep when she’s miserably sick. Anything that helps her feel better is a winner in my book. These are certainly worth giving a try if you have a little one that’s sick. We love them. 🙂

Click here to view prior Friday Favorites posts.

 

XOXO,

Erika

 

 

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