October Favorites 🫘

It’s still open-window season, the birds are singing, and our cat is perched on the sill.

I’m putting together details for a little neighborhood housewarming party this month, and I’m feeling inspired now that my little studio space is now ready [See: The Studio is Open Again 🫘] .

Even though it’s still a little warm out, I’ve been inspired by the changing season. Leaves are shifting to an orange hue, we’re getting more rainy days, there’s a hint of fall. Here’s what’s been inspiring me lately:

✹ Lullatone Radio

This band, Lullatone, makes really calm, piano-based music that sort of makes me feel like I’m in a Ghibli movie. I usually put on a radio playlist based on their music, and it feels like the perfect soundtrack to the beginning of fall. Think: cozy drinks, curling up with a good book, listening to the rain through an open window, and romanticizing the work day to these tunes.

✹ Trinket Shelves

I am nothing without my trinkets! And I love having little tiny things around the house to play with scale & design & most importantly, delight. I always think it’s so charming to have a tiny piece of decor next to your big decor! I used most of my fun ones around the house, and had a bunch of trinkets leftover from childhood & travels, so I put them into a trinket case, but I’m on the hunt for more.

✹ Spices

Been adding a little cinnamon, cardamom, and pumpkin spice to all my foods. Coffee, toast, whipped cream, baked goods, sliced apples, bananas, anywhere I can find the chance.

✹ Hypoallergenic Embroidery Needles

Apparently the most common type of needle is nickel-coated, which can lead to a nickel allergy fast! I recently switched to hypo-allergenic needles for all my hand embroidery. Highly recommend!

✹ Papel Picado

I recently picked up a Mexican papercutting book that was written by a folk paper art enthusiast in the 90s. It’s the refresher I was looking for with the upcoming holidays. I’m working on some designs for fall & christmas.

Update: I made a Papel Picado Inspired Crewneck 🌼 !

✹ Crafting Together

This past weekend I went to a local community Craft & Brunch day with some friends. It was so freakin cute. 10/10. It’s always so refreshing to be in a space where everyone is full of inspiration, wonder, excitement, and talent. People were working on so many different kinds of projects, and it was palpable creativity all in a room. [See: Trying Linocut at the Arts Fest 🫘]

✹ Street Parking Solutions

We live in a part of the city that’s street parking only. And when you’re in a rush to get out the door, remembering where you parked can add an extra few minutes of unwanted wandering around the block when you’ve completely forgotten. So I’m making a cutie little magnetic parking map to help us remember where we parked our cars. DIY coming soon!

✹ Cutwork Lace

I’m teaching myself Richelieu, a type of cutwork lace. I’ll write about it more in a studio notes post. Back in my July Favorites 🫘, I wrote that I wasn’t planning to get into actual lacemaking. But here we are!

Whenever I want to learn a new technique I usually watch a video series, buy a kit, or take a class to try to get the technique down before going rogue and making my own designs. Currently pouring over a booklet teaching me how to make a butterfly lace piece.

Follow along: Cutwork Lace Adventure Part 1: Learning Richelieu Embroidery 🌱