I used to buy a new centerpiece every December, use it twice, and then store a bulky foam-and-faux-berry arrangement in the attic for eleven months. Two years ago I finally started making my own instead, mostly because I got tired of paying $60 for something made of the same floral foam and wire I could…
My sister-in-law hosts Christmas Eve every year, and for about five years running the bar cart was the same three things: eggnog, mulled wine, and whatever red wine was on sale. Nothing wrong with any of that, but by hour three of a family gathering, people start wanting options — something lighter, something without dairy…
I picked crochet back up two Octobers ago specifically because I wanted a tiny stuffed pumpkin for my coffee table and refused to pay $22 for one on Etsy. That one pumpkin turned into four, then a garland of mini ghosts, then — this is embarrassing — an entire basket of amigurumi I now have…
I used to treat summer manicures like a personality test — every June I’d sit in the salon chair, flip through my saved folder, and panic-order something that looked nothing like me by July. The chrome was too much. The neon French felt like a costume. Then a friend of mine, Renee, who paints nails…
I’ve been getting the same message in my DMs since Memorial Day: “I want fun summer nails, but I’m not trying to sit in a salon for two hours or spend $80 on something that chips by Wednesday.” And honestly? Same. My nail beds are short, my hands are in dishwater constantly, and I’ve wasted…
I have hosted Galentine’s Day in a 480-square-foot apartment with one closet, a coffee table that doubles as a dining table, and a neighbor who once knocked to ask if we were “having a small gathering or a small riot.” That was 2022. Since then I’ve done brunch, a craft night, a food board situation…
I have a confession: I used to be a year-round dark-red-nail person. Same shade, same short squoval shape, every three weeks, for roughly four years. It was fine. It was also boring. The thing that finally broke me out of it was a friend—let’s call her Priya—who got a lavender milk manicure before a trip…
I used to think blue nail polish was for people with better hand-writing than me. You know the type—the ones who can pull off a graphic cobalt French tip without looking like they lost a fight with a Sharpie. My first attempt at navy nails was in 2019, the night before a job interview. I…
I have a note in my phone that just says “daisy, milky, short almond” — that’s what I text my nail tech when I have no ideas. She knows what it means. My friend Priya, on the other hand, once brought in a screenshot of a 3D orchid set with pearls and chrome, and the…
The first graduation party I ever helped decorate was my cousin Dana’s, and we spent $180 on paper lanterns that a sprinkler took out before the first guest arrived. That was the year I learned that “more decorations” and “better decorations” are not the same thing — and that wind is undefeated. If you’re staring…