In the world of Save. Spend. Splurge.: Lemon loaf, dream home and beautiful faces
1. LEMONY
I love.. love.. LOVE lemon loaf cakes, and finding this recipe made me squee because it sounds delicious. When they note that it tastes better than the Starbucks version, I side-eyed that comment because anything you make at home with real butter and not cheap oil, would taste better than store-bought… but I digress.
2. STEAMY
I have had this steamer / iron that is handheld for a few months now, and so far I really like it. It no longer spits water out at me like my old one – the water spitting used to leave water marks on my shirts – and this one no longer does that (MAJOR BONUS).
I also like that I can use it as an iron if need be in a pinch (like for traveling), and the steam is pretty darn strong.
The only two downsides are that (1) it is heavy to hold for extended periods of time as all the weight is in the head, and (2) I find that the iron is not as good as a “real” iron, but that’s what you get in a small, portable, travel steamer/iron.
3. SHEIN SH*T
Honestly, I am .. speechless we are still frequenting places like Shein. It is THE WORST retailer on the planet and they’re making the biggest profits because of our own stupidity, and our own consumerist greed; this whole drive to have new disposable outfits every minute and then tossing it like it disappears into some magical void. THERE IS NO MAGICAL VOID.
So this article talking about how we should basically take their license away to do business, is spot on. Throwaway fast fashion should NOT BE A THING. We should normalize secondhand shopping even more, and if we don’t buy secondhand, we should buy consciously.
Along the same lines, I am also really tired of how slow the progress is that these corporations are making on being more eco-conscious. All this greenwashing is getting to me. If they want to do something for themselves, it’s done overnight. When it’s for the planet or for the good of society, it takes eons and we do not have eons. Not even 5 years. We have barely any time left to fix this.
4. TROPICAL VIBES
I never thought I’d say this, but these earrings are acrylic, and they’re fabulous. It’s fun, lightweight, and would add a pop of colour to any neutral outfit for only $14.
5. DREAM HOME
A friend sent me these videos from CBC Gem, on a series from the UK called GRAND DESIGN (it is going into season 16 now).. Free to watch, just sign up for a CBC Gem account.
This episode called Healthy Home has been my favourite so far.
“In the first ‘healthy’ home project ever seen on Grand Designs, gallery owner Elinor and fitness entrepreneur Born Barikor set themselves the near impossible task of creating Britain’s first hypoallergenic house. Driven by the need to alleviate their two young sons’ life-threatening allergies, their new part-submerged, shed-inspired home will be built with low toxin materials and use cutting edge filtration systems to clean the air they breathe.”
What they did in this home, made me sit up and take notice – to look for low-VOC (Volatile compounds), low toxin products, paints, and so on to put in a home.
The end result is also just simply stunning.
I love that sunken in garden just off the basement with the tiered garden and stairs coming up to the “main level”. The front looks so simple and unassuming (literally like a shed) but then as you move to the back here, wow, the whole space opens up.
You can read more about the design here.
6. ESCONCED
Honestly, this plug-in sconce for $70 looks SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE than it really is. I am amazed. The brushed metal, vintage bulb.. it looks great. I’d love this for a little reading nook or bedside tables.
7. BEAUTY
Is beauty really just a question of having a perfectly symmetrical face? I don’t think so, but every time Little Bun uses a filter, I do a double-take at how awful he looks with the filter. They change his face shape to make him more symmetrical, and it completely removes all of his cute, unique face features, which I find beautiful. I wonder if it’s the same for everything. Not everyone looks “beautiful” by following a formula, sometimes a too-big mouth can be beautiful, or an off center nose…
8. LEAFY
Banana leaf or water hyacinth baskets always add a nice warm, comfortable touch to a room. These banana leaf ones looks sturdy and would be perfect for kid’s toys, and other items you need to corral while looking cute.
June
I’ve never heard of Shein. Is it marketed by other names?