January 2020 Faves
/If you’re new here, I decided last month to start something new where I blog at the end of each month about anything I’m currently obsessing over. I love reading these types of blog posts from other people and discovering new things, so I hope you get the same inspiration from these posts. Here’s what I’ve been into for the month of January:
These are on-trend, lightweight, and affordable. They would make a great gift for a girlfriend or keep all three pairs to yourself. I gave the black pair to my mom since she’s blonde. They looked so much better on her since they seemed to disappear in my brunette locks. But the champagne and white colors, I’m definitely going to rock those when we go to Portugal in February.
2. Connoisseurs Diamond Dazzle Stik Ring Cleaner
I tell all my friends about this ring cleaner. I’m currently on my 5th one, and I’ve bought two as gifts before. They last a very long time. Every time I use this to clean my ring, I’m in awe of how sparkly clean it looks afterwards. The first couple years of having my ring I cleaned it every two weeks. Now it’s more like once a month or before a trip or big event.
3. Aqua Love Notes Waterproof Notepad
I bought this waterproof notepad to put in my shower for whenever an idea popped up in my head while I was showering. I originally saw Angie Lee post about it on Instagram and thought it was brilliant. I’ve had so many times when I was showering and a cool marketing idea, creative vision, or something I wanted to remember came to me and I had no way to write it down. That was the inspiration behind this purchase. While I haven’t used this for any cool ideas yet, I have used this every single day since I bought it. Ryan and I now leave each other loves notes in the shower EVERY DAMN DAY and it’s so freakin’ cute, you guys. This was added to the list for the sole reason to tell you to buy it as a Valentine’s Day gift and start a new shower love note tradition with your partner.
4. Pixiecup
The Pixie Cup is everything I didn’t know I needed as a woman. My bffs have raved about menstrual cups for a couple years now but I didn’t really get into it until after I had Leo, for obvious reasons. I will say, it took a few months to get used to and I almost threw in the towel after the 2nd or 3rd month, but I’m so glad I persevered. I no longer buy or use tampons (HALLELUJAH), I love that it’s eco-friendly. The reason I went with Pixie Cup instead of some of the other popular brands is because for every Pixie cup purchased, one is donated to a woman in need. I love that. Ladies, this is a GAME CHANGER.
Leo had RSV the first couple weeks of January and I somehow managed to walk away unscathed. I swear this had something to do with it. Every single time Leo has previously gotten sick, so have I. The only thing that changed this time was that I was taking these elderberry gummies each day. I’m just sayin’. These are now a staple in my medicine cabinet.
6. Speedball Oblique Dip Pen + India Ink
Right before the New Year, I was commissioned for a huge project to hand-letter 200 envelopes for a wedding. I used a Speedball oblique dip pen and Speedball Black India Ink to get the job done. If you’re interested in learning calligraphy, get your hands on these two items and start practicing. Especially if you’re already into brush pen lettering, then this is definitely for you. This would also make a cool gift for the creative person in your life.
It’s winter and everything is dry AF. A couple years ago I got fed up with my hands always looking like a reptile this time of year and did a deep dive into the interwebs for a hand cream that truly worked. No more of this Bath & Body works scented lotion crap. Give me the real deal. This is the Norwegian formula. Those Norwegians know what the hell they’re talking about. It turns out, this stuff is notoriously recommended by the pros and as a bonus, it’s super affordable. This is a 4-pack so it’s perfect to keep one in each bathroom, at the office, give to your hubby, or throw in your kid’s backpack. You’ll never be mad you have an extra one of these lying around your house, I promise.
8. Humidifier
This is the one we keep in Leo’s room. It’s not too big, but bigger than those cute room diffusers. It gets the job done. We put water in it once or twice a day, depending on if we’re home or not. The humidity in our house has increased since we started running our room humidifiers 24/7. I can totally notice a difference too. I sometimes get bloody noses during the transition from fall to winter due to the dry air, but that hasn’t happened to me since we started doing this.
9. Honeybook
If you’re a small business owner and don’t have a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, I highly recommend using Honeybook for the free trial at the very least, so you can get a feel for its capabilities. HoneyBook is a cloud-based CRM solution that helps users manage business processes from inquiry through invoicing. Honeybook lets you manage projects, book clients, sign contracts online, send invoices and handle payments. The type A person in me loves this type of organization. For 50% off your first year, use my referral link.
10. DSLR Neoprene Camera Sleeve Case
When we went to Hawaii in November, I knew I wanted to take my Nikon D750, but I didn’t want to take my entire camera backpack. That thing is heavy and huge. So I decided to just take the bare minimum, one camera body with one 35mm lens attached, and one spare battery. I bought this neoprene sleeve camera case that fits my camera perfectly, even with one lens attached. It even has a tiny zipper on it that perfectly holds one spare battery. I slide it into my backpack and away we go. I’ll be taking it again to Portugal, this time with a Nikon D610 and a 35mm lens.
photo of downtown detroit, taken in january 2020. It’s available for purchase on my print shop here!
