Coffee Break #016: Expensive leggings, analog bedroom inspo, and 90s chicken kitchens.
Your weekly roundup of inspiration and ideas to build your dream life.
Dear Friend,
This Saturday I had one of those lovely, spontaneous days – my husband and I woke up late and decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch, which we almost never do. I had a delicious chicken salad sandwich and yes, a glass of sparkling rosé because it was like 2pm by the time we got there. Then we wandered down the main street of our old neighborhood and noticed all the changes (lots of new stores and restaurants opening, and almost all of them locally-owned! we love to see it!).
We stopped into a gorgeously curated store and I spied two beautiful hand-made ceramic mugs that I just had to have. Next we went to our old favorite record store, because we finally got a new turntable, and I scored Florence + the Machine’s newest album on vinyl.
It was just one of those days where it’s like “wow I’m in love with living and life and every single person I see on the street” even though it was cold and snowy the whole time. I love it!!! I’ll leave you with this:
Love always,
In Brief
🍔 Eating
Dunno if this counts as eating, but I got a pack of the Limoncello flavored La Croix out of curiosity, and I’m obsessed with it. It sort of tastes almost vanilla-y? It’s fascinating.
📺 Watching
Since we’re heading to Portland and Seattle next month, a rewatch of Portlandia was vital. Happy to say that a lot of it still holds up.
🎶 Listening
Harry Styles, duh.
🎨 Creativity & Curiosity
Weekly Task
Spend time in a museum, gallery, or botanical garden and notice what draws your attention.
Roundup
Filed under: things I’m not sure how to feel about. Apparently Billie Eilish is set to start in a film adaptation of The Bell Jar?
If you need a good giggle this week, Betches’ post on what the American Girl Dolls are up to today ought to do the trick.
I love love love the way Natalie Brite | DoGoodBiz breaks down how to create a “creative ecosystem” for your business and personal practice.
This is a great piece from The Good Trade about considering creative play as a wellness practice. I love this quote particularly: “Creativity doesn’t have to be productivity‑adjacent at all. It can be simple, small, alive, and deeply nourishing.”
Here are 38 ways to create more than you consume (while you’re still consuming). Because lord knows we could all use it.
🧥 Personal Style
Weekly Task
Unfollow any influencers or fashion accounts that make you feel bad about your style.
Roundup
I stopped into a super cute little store this weekend and picked up this Suede Care Kit from Blackrock. I had a little rainstorm mishap with my favorite Madewell suede bucket bag, and was hoping this would help disguise the water spots, and it did!
I love these adorable little smiley star earrings. They look so friendly!
Obsessed with this summery multi-colored striped raffia clutch. The little beads are so cute!
Bando is one of my all-time favorite brands, and they’re currently having their annual warehouse sale. I snagged this cute bookish tee for $6!!!! Plus a few other fun goodies that I’ve had my eye on.
Can someone please de-influence me from the $100 Beyond Yoga leggings? I thought for sure they couldn’t possibly be soft enough to warrant that price tag, and then I accidentally brushed against some at the pilates studio and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. I bought some dupes and they are NOT as soft. Someone please tell me they aren’t worth it. 😭
🏡 Home & Environment
Weekly Task
Add one cozy layer (throw blanket, cushions, rug) where you spend the most time.
Roundup
Bon Appetit is pleading for someone to bring back the cozy 90s chicken kitchen, and frankly I’m here for it. How much more cottagecore can you get?!
A great piece from AD about how to style an analog bedroom. We all know the analog trend has been huge this year, and I like their practical tips about creating a space that’s meant for rest and relaxation, not screen time.
Kate Spiers’ house and her dreamy pink built-in bookshelves are my all-time biggest interior inspo.
I’m so deeply in love with everything Oliver Bonas puts out and so deeply envious that it’s UK-based, meaning shipping is wildly expensive in the states. Will it stop me? No probably not. These salad servers, this patchwork pillow cover, and this checkered photo frame are at the top of my list.
I’m very here for what AD is calling the “neo deco” trend – to me it looks like a lot of jewel tones, stripes, velvet, fringe, etc. which is pretty much my exact style.
💸 Career & Business
Weekly Task
Create a brand manifesto statement to reference when making decisions. (Not sure how to do that? I’m cooking up something soon 🤫).
Roundup
I loved reading through Lia Zneimer’s treasure trove of an article about building a personal brand without burning out (and you might see some familiar notes in there, wink wink).
This piece in Harper’s Bazaar on why Gen Z is romanticizing their 9-5 jobs was really interesting. The millennial girlboss era is dead, Gen Z is officially romanticizing their slow work days. And I’m here for it!
Cassandra Jackson-Baker posted a great piece about, among other things, cubicle farms, personalizing your office space, and making a pretty email signature.
The Everygirl has officially dubbed 2026 the dawn of the “millennial career crisis” – and includes a lot of great tips about what to do if you’re feeling the urge to pivot.
Shameless self plug, but I finally re-launched my personal website this week, after agonizing over it for months. Designing anything for yourself is always so hard. I finally realized I needed to take my own advice and just get a MVP (minimum viable product) out into the world. I can iterate on it endlessly, but all I truly needed was a home page, about page, and booking page for my Office Hours consults.
💌 Connection
Weekly Task
Follow up on something someone told you last week – text them "How did that thing go?" or otherwise remind them you’re thinking of them.
Roundup
I loved all the ideas in this list of social hobbies to help you make new friends. Why is it so hard to meet new people as an adult?
One of my favorite writers (Amanda Montell, author of Cultish) wrote a piece for Oprah Daily about why you should be wary of using AI chatbots as personal therapists. I firmly believe that this is a baaaaaaad idea, based on the way these AI bots are algorithmically trained to keep you engaged, validate your every idea, and have been proven to egg on super destructive behavior.
This piece in the Atlantic is from last year, but still has a lot of great thoughts about the digital flattening of friendship and how every relationship takes place over a phone screen nowadays.
We’re planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest next month, so I finally caved and bought this cutie little half-frame 35mm film camera that Kodak put out. I’m excited to give it a try!
I really love following The Little Life of Liz on Instagram. Her slow living guides and positive posts are just so cozy and fun to read through. And hey, I just learned she’s on Substack too!
✨ Joy & Whimsy
Weekly Task
Create a "joy inventory" list – what made you smile this week? Try to jot down one or two things each day.
Roundup
I would die and/or kill for Baby Globe, Wikipedia’s new mascot for their 25th anniversary.
How cute is this upside-down teacup shaped ceiling light????
Want to spend some time pretending to be an AI chat bot? This new site lets you either ask questions or answer them as if you were a chat bot – but it’s all human. Just like the chat roulette days of yore, your mileage may vary, but I thought it was a fun little gimmick to play with for a bit.
I’ve long been obsessed with the fabled Lenox Spice Village set – I was lucky enough to find a handful of the spice jars at a vintage store a few years back. I desperately want the whole set, but I would rather find them at vintage shops than buy the version they re-released last year (I don’t know why, I’m just a pedant sometimes). However, I recently learned that Lenox has all sorts of cute extra things like teapots, tissue holders, and this adorable canister set that matches the spice village. I just love them so much. 😭
Loved this roundup of libraries that look like books. I think we need more book-shaped buildings in the world.
I love the weekly tasks! Thanks for your thoughtful posts!
I looove these round-ups! Thank you so much for including my piece! Curious to read the one about how Gen Z is romanticizing their jobs...