Snow Day

It's cold here today. Bitter cold. The kind of cold that you never warm up from and lingers with you all day. That bone-chilling cold everyone talks about. I'm not happy about it. On top of that, we have about a foot of snow, the first significant snowfall of winter. It felt like the perfect time to take a "snow day" and sit around at home working on small projects and curling up with a good book.

Speaking of good books (and a few other things), to make the time spent indoors more enjoyable, I've come up with a pretty great list of things I think you'll all love. Take a look:

First things first, if you're going to curl up on the sofa and spend the day inside - you need a good blanket! I found this one the other day when I was spotting things to fit a luxe lodge feel and I fell in love with the beautiful texture and colors that they offered. I ordered two in blue, which are supposed to arrive tomorrow. 

Next, you're gonna need something to drink out of - cause let's be real, if you've got time to curl up with a book, you've gotta make it count! Tyler bought be Schott Zwiesel wine glasses for Christmas and I am hooked! You will be too! 

If coffee is more your thing, take a look at these beautiful glass double wall insulated mugs. I know we all have a random coffee cup we find to be our favorite, and typically it is VERY random right? Not a match to go with it anywhere in the house. But if you're looking for beautiful, practical, and reasonably priced options for your book club or your very own private curl up and read a book day, these should do the trick!

You can't go wrong with a beautiful scented candle to help lift the mood inside on a dreary and frigid day outside, right? These are my two favorites. Even as I type this I have my Circle E Candle burning! For those of you who wonder what it smells like, I wish they had smell-a-blog, because I wouldn't have to struggle for the words to tell you. I will try. It's sweet, not fake sweet, not manufactured. It smells sweet like vine ripened berries or fruit would smell if you paired it with vanilla and cream. It smells like desert, an exotic sort of desert you can't really say you've ever had, but you almost always think you know just by scent alone. It's fresh, not perfumed. It doesn't overtake your sense of smell, it's not exhausting. It simply tickles at your nose this fresh and sweet prancing of delicate and a little bit exotic aroma. 

Alright - so down to the books! There are a lot of them because I have all sorts of favorite kinds of books, and I couldn't pick one. 

First up: 

I read Big Little Lies twice. Not kidding! I had read the book once before the HBO series dropped, and was so impressed with how the show followed the book, I went back and read the book again. If you have a thing for crime drama and multiple story lines all twisted and twined into one big and fantastic story, you won't be disappointed. 

Little Fires Everywhere was the book I took with me to Peru. I read it on the way home, and literally didn't put it down. It follows multiple stories and then sort of beautifully staples them together with some sadness that doesn't seem manufactured. It's real, true, life. Not everything always ends with a "happily, ever, after." 

Becoming is one I'm currently reading, and I'm quite enjoying it. Michelle Obama is a fascinating and intelligent woman with a lot to say. I expected the book to be all about her time at the White House and about her life as First Lady. But it's so much more than that, even just 53 pages in. Definitely recommending this one - particularly to the working moms in the room. 

My true love (Design Books): 

I have lots of favorites, so this is hard. I had to be honest, and tell you the four that I've got piled on the coffee table (and one on the sofa and one on the floor) right now!

Beautiful - Mark D. Sikes: Definitely inspiring, and because nearly all of the houses photographed are in California, they really make you quite happy on cold, snow capped days like today!

A Place to Call Home - Gil Schafer : I'm reading this one now after finding Gil Schafer's work mesmerizing after researching him for a post. I bought the book to take a deeper look into some of his published (and unpublished) projects. It's nothing short of mesmerizing, and I totally recommend it!

Interiors - Mary McDonald: I'm working on my bedroom (sort of) right now, and I needed inspiration from the QUEEN OF BEDROOMS! If you're looking for a beautiful book that will (IMHO) never be dated, get Mary's book. So much inspiration, so many ideas, so much beauty. Every page a masterpiece, seriously!

One Man's Folly - Furlow Gatewood: I pulled this one down because again, I was looking for inspiration. If you love layered rooms and antiques, this book, it will be your Shangri La.

Finally, and this is important, any snow day spent at home with beautiful and inspirational (or just plain enjoyable) books, wine, coffee, comfy cozy beautifully textured blankets, and fragrant candles isn't complete without these:

Cashmere socks. Life's little luxury, am I right? Not expensive at all via the link above. I have multiple pairs (not these) and some alpaca ones I bought when I was traveling. Nothing like having cozy warm toes wrapped up in the epitome of softness! 

Enjoy your snow day (even if it's not snowing).