Collection of ‘Things’ from July 2025

IN DETAIL

 

favourite read

Crunch: Natalie Whittle

This book was truly delicious. I wanted to eat bags and bags of chips while reading it (I should have!), and it made me appreciate the humble chip a lot more. My appetite has been well and truly whetted for trying different flavours of crisps.

TOPIC obsession

@travelwithlivi convos

This TikTok account @travelwithlivi covers conversations with super rich people and how they handle their vacations. Some, I agree with (I mean, if I were filthy rich), but others, I don’t at all.. there are some pretty spoiled people out there.

FAVOURITE WATCH

The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age is one of my absolute favourite tv series to watch. It handles quite delicately, the obvious r@cism, struggles between class and social status, the rich, poor, the rich dividing themselves again between new rich and old rich… it is quite enticing, much like the Bridgerton series. They do take some liberties with the ‘reality’ they are displaying, but that is what I love.

The clothing is also stunning and kind of inspirational (I mean, with a modern twist that is…)

My surprising purchase

Acrylic pants hangers with gold clips

They look really sleek. That is it. No notes. Definitely an upgrade from the hideous black plastic ones I got for free from the stores.

A Great Tech Purchase

ExpressVPN

This ExpressVPN is the best general VPN I have tried so far (I have also tried NordVPN). It is easy to log into the VPN with a click of the button, or to change the city or country, and they even offer dedicated IP addresses now (though not in all the cities). I surf on the web behind my country’s VPN because I don’t want to be tracked.

Another thing I do is use Firefox browser and the extension Privacy Badger to stop cookies and tracking from following me from page to page. I have seen a significant cut down in ads and I feel a lot safer browsing behind a generic IP.

Can’t stop eating

..these Mariage des frères sablés

I am seriously addicted. They are perfectly crisp, buttery and with the right hint of tea. My absolute all-time favourite are the matcha sablés..

Visible mending

It can be so BEAUTIFUL!!!

I have been caught up in the bug of visible mending, from sashiko to weaving looms, to even more artistic flairs like this stunning repair on a couch that looks like a lot of beautiful flowers on the arm.

Source: Visible mending with flowers

I am so inspired. I went through all the socks and fixed ALL OF THEM. Now I want to fake mend things just to add flair, like with these beautiful crochet flowers on the couch..

What I have been wearing

Gold double-chain necklace

These necklaces are bold and beautiful. I wear them layered on top of delicate chains, and mixed with stones… it really makes a simple tee pop. They are also ridiculously light to wear.

Outfit Recreation

Carrie Bradshaw layering in Season III

There is a super light chiffon silk shirtdress that is layered under a knitted mini dress it seems. It looks beautiful and I need to dive into my wardrobe to recreate this ASAP. The mix of silk with knit, and the look of it being airy yet grounded and not too revealing… a perfect way to wear a mini dress without showing too much (I can finally rewear these items in the wardrobe).

My surprising purchase

The Sofft Bernia sAndal

I have been hunting down the old versions of this sandal, called the style “Bernia”, and their update is the “Vivi” (which has a mini wedge), and it fits true to size. It is so comfortable, you could walk hours in these sandals and not get blisters, from day one. They are the GOAT sandals, in my opinion.

Simple tech solution

The floor fans to keep bugs away

No chemicals, no smells, and it keeps the bugs away from the door and from getting inside. Just aim it at the door, and whenever you open it, they are blown back and unable to fly any farther.

Totally worth it if you don’t or cannot put mosquito nets in and/or don’t want the smell of citronella…

Want more?

Here are all the previous months’ posts…