weekend links

Hello friends!

I trust that you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving week/weekend and you’re on your way into Christmas preparations. (That sudden transition always feels so jarring to me. You too?) We had a lot of fun feeding our Spanish friends, which is quickly becoming our Thanksgiving tradition. Since we’ve lived so far away from our families for many years we grew a New York “family” of close friends, and I think we’re starting to do the same here in Madrid. Holidays are so much more fun when they’re shared, aren’t they? (They’re also fun when you get to make and eat pie; frankly, I couldn’t care less about the turkey. I always make my Grandma’s pumpkin pie, which is a big favorite with S, too.)

Anyway, I don’t think I ever told you that we decided to leave most of our New York possessions in storage until we move to another apartment next summer, but we did manage to collect a few boxes of things we wanted in the meantime. These were mostly a few creature comforts: S’s toys, my yoga mat, the living room pillows that make the place feel more like home, the candlesticks my Grandma gave us when we got married. But I also gathered a few more essentials things like the chef’s knife,  some fabric, and two big boxes of thread. It’s so interesting to me to discover how much I’ve really been appreciating and enjoying those little things over the past few weeks. Who knew how much joy my industrial-chic stapler would bring me? Or the lemon zester? It really amuses me to think that, after two years without them, I’m so grateful to use these little items and to see them every day. I wonder what it will be like when we have all our other things again? S has five or size boxes in her room filled with her American Girl dolls and all her books. She really doesn’t have storage space for them, but I know she’s just so thrilled to have them again that I can’t bring myself to make her put them away for the time being.

Pinterest Picks

A few photos to help you get into the holiday spirit. S is so excited that we’re going to decorate the tree this weekend!

Such cute coats for kids! I wonder if we need another coat pattern for next fall?

Speaking of coats, these are both stunning and offer lots of sewing inspiration.

These are such pretty little details to add to an outfit. I love the idea of wearing a broach on a shirt sleeve, and the chevron bobby pins are really sweet.

Two photos that made me smile.

Weekend Reading

• A truly fascinating history of the little black dress. I keep thinking about this, for some reason.
• Real life locations that look like they belong in a Wes Anderson film.
• If you haven’t read A Sick Day for Amos McGee, you’re in for a real treat. This story about the author and illustrator is so sweet.
• Putting these libraries on my hope-to-see travel list. I’d happily settle in with a book, for sure!
• Lately I’ve been working on being a good listener, so this article really struck me as true and useful.
• Are you a fan of the book A Very Young Dancer? It was a favorite at our house, growing up, and S loves it just as much. Here are two little girls living the Nutcracker dream!
• I’ve linked to a few fascinating new textiles being developed, but it looks like there are many more coming!
• Speaking of which, plants as textiles? An interesting idea!

Next week I’ll have a tour of the New York fabric shopping district for you, and we’ve got lots of other fun things planned. Have a great weekend! Are you planning to sew? I’ve got a few projects I’m hoping to work on tomorrow.