This Week’s Good Things 11.9.20
What. A. Weekend. I am so happy. So nervous. And proud. And so relieved. Basically just feeling all the feels. I feel like I was on and off crying happy tears all weekend long. Truthfully, it was hard for me to transition from feeling anxious and nervous (it was a really hard week!) to celebration mode. I felt weird being unable to sing and dance and jump around about it… I appreciated seeing others that way but my way of celebrating was more of a deep, deep exhale. So I had a really quiet weekend. I was glued to the news. I went back and read my blog post from when Trump won, which brought back a lot of old emotions. (Also wow, that post got a lot of criticism at the time but in hindsight I was so polite!)
Right now, I am feeling so thankful. There is a lot of work to do, we need to come together and unite, but in this moment, I am proud of our country and excited to see how we move forward. As Biden said in his speech on Saturday night, it’s time to heal.
On a work note, this week is gift guide week. There will be one new gift guide every day. I am REALLY excited about these guides. I think over the years (my own included) blogger gift guides have gotten pretty homogeneous, featuring all the same stuff. And I am only doing four main guides this year (under $25, under $50, under $100, over $100/luxury) and have worked really hard to find fun cool stuff that is hopefully a little less expected. There will be items from the big box retailers but also a lot of very cool small businesses and Black-owned businesses too.
Also! A word about this coat.
I love it so much but it runs very big. It was a bit of a shacket situation. I started out with a size 38 (which is a US 6). It was way too big so I exchanged it for a 36. Still too big. The 34 is perfect. This is a long way of saying that if you want this coat, order two sizes down from your usual size! It’s still big but you want your teddy coat to be oversized!
Chrome Texas
I recently learned about Chrome (they are a cute Texas boutique so it’s random), from my best friend who is friends with their buyer (Karen Meena, who was the was the buyer for Ron Robinson Fred Segal for decades) and they have so. much. great. stuff!
We are working on a potential holiday partnership (fingers crossed) but either way, the site is packed with an overwhelmingly good assortment of cool stuff that I haven’t seen other places. A few things I am loving are this Cat Suits tee and this Champagne Problems puzzle (just be forewarned: it’s HARD!!!). Oh and this book about Girls and Their Cats.
Madewell Sale
Madewell is doing their Cyber Monday deal EARLY, for just a couple days (this ends 11/11!) Take 30% off sitewide with code EARLYBIRD. I love these Chelsea boots, I want these super soft joggers, this is one of my all time favorite blouses, I live in this cozy flannel… I could go on and on, Madewell is one of my most favorite clothing brands.
Jess Ackerman
I learned about Jess Ackerman (a Portland, OR based painter) via The Daily Good (one of my favorite daily newsletters) and love her work! Her paintings are bright and colorful and HAPPY… I love the bold, colorful botanical prints and abstract flowers in particular. She does pottery too, which is beautiful! Follow her on instagram for more.
Lovard Snake Mask Chain
Howwwww good is this gold snake mask chain? I am obsessed and just think it’s so chic. Lovard is founded by a mother daughter duo (Kate Falchi and Lee Gunn Falchi). They make beautiful bags and jewelry and I really love all of their jewelry (I have this necklace and it’s amazing) but their new satin masks (and SNAKE CHAINS) are fabulous. They also have a code; use SAFETYFIRST for 10% off.
The Undoing on HBO Max
I needed a break from the election stuff last week (I was basically glued to CNN for 3 days straight) and my aunt suggested watching The Undoing. Oh my gosh. New favorite show and just sad there aren’t more episodes to binge. It stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant who play a wealthy married couple in Manhattan. Their world begins to unravel when a mother at the school their son attends is brutally murdered (and Hugh Grant’s character is a suspect). This is the murdery thriller we all need right now to distract ourselves.
The Notorious Necklace
I love this! Back in 2012, Ruth Bader Ginsberg wore Banana Republic’s statement necklace as her famous “dissent collar.” To pay homage to her legacy, BR is re-releasing the iconic re-issued collar and donating 100% of the proceeds to the International Center For Research on Women (ICRW). Available in limited quantities, the donation affirms Justice Ginsburg’s life devoted to support equality worldwide. She was a public servant and an ally whom the ICRW awarded the Champions for Change award for vision. You can channel RBG, support a great cause, and preorder the collar here.
DISCLOSURE: IF YOU BUY SOMETHING THROUGH MY LINKS, I MAY EARN AN AFFILIATE COMMISSION, AT NO COST TO YOU. I ONLY FEATURE THINGS I TRULY LOVE HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
photography by Carter Fish.
I’m so excited for gift guides!!! I feel like I can finally just exhale and enjoy lighthearted things again. Well, besides volunteering my ass off for the GA senate runoffs, lol!
YES to both of these things!!!!!!
I love that statement necklace! I don’t think I’d be able to carry it off, but wow! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
It’s so pretty!!!!
I love that teddy coat andI will have to check out that boutique. I was thrilled this weekend after a week of feeling a lot of anxiety. We have a lot of work to do but I think that Joe Biden will put the right people in place to help guide him and lead our country in the right direction. Thank you for sharing and I hope that you have a great day! XO, Caroline
Thanks Caroline – same to you!!!!!
Grace, thank you for the great posts last week to get us through I really appreciated coming to your blog for a respite. I also loved the BOP podcast this week and was so excited to hear that you love Anne of green gables too, was it the Canadian miniseries with Megan Follows as Anne Shirley? I tried the netflix Anne with and E but really didn’t like it, have you tried it? Have you read the books? Stay Warm!
Yes that was the one! Did not really care for Anne with an E!!!
Hi Grace,
Thanks for this post, in all respects! One thing I’m seeing from bloggers is that people are railing in the comments because “it’s a blog and I don’t come here for that…etc…and btw I hatefully disagree etc”. I know you know this, but as a reader I just want to acknowledge that this is YOUR platform and I do not have the right to consume your content for free and then criticize you.
<3
Thank you so much for the support, Mimi! I really appreciate it
What a weekend is right!! What an incredible time to live in New York and learn of the news not from my phone or TV, but from my neighbors cheering from their apartments. I will never forget that moment 🙂
Also a big fan of The Undoing! Can’t wait to watch the latest episode tonight.
YES, I agree so much. Will never forget those cheers!!!!
(And doing the same tonight – it’s getting me through what is shaping up to be a rather gruesome work day!!!)
Thank you, thank you Grace for your posts and the supportive community you have created. I am a newish reader and never usually comment, but I have gone back and read some of your previous posts and I agree with everything you have said about this election.
Thank you so much, Allison – appreciate the support.
Have you watched On the Rocks on Apple with Rashida Jones and Bill Murray? I think you would love it–they go to Bemelman’s Bar!
OMG No, I haven’t! Will add it to mylist, thank you!
I believe bloggers should keep their political opinions to themselves. i will voice my opinion!! Be careful what you wish for in a potential Biden presidency. You don’t have to like Trump but his achievements has positively impacted this country. Biden has moments of dementia do you want the most powerful man in the world with these issues? Kamala Harris is the most liberal woman in the Senate. If Republicans retain the Senate hopefully many liberal bills will not pass. Hopefully after recounts and lawsuits the fraud will be revealed and Trump gets a second term!!!
Laura, you are welcome to disagree with me and have your own views, but I have to be honest: I find it frankly DISGUSTING when people tell bloggers to keep their politics to themselves. You don’t get to come here – which costs you, the reader absolutely nothing – and benefit from my recommendations and the hours I spend creating content that again is FREE for you to consume, to tell me to shut up about my politics. It’s dehumanizing and gross.
For more on this I highly recommend that a) you take a peek at this post from Lisa Olivera, https://www.instagram.com/p/CHWUAOujKh6/ and also while you are doing that, that you educate yourself and look to real news outlets because even historically right leaning outlets like Fox have agreed that there’s no fraud behind this election and that this time around, the Democrats won fair and square.
As the GGE gals would say, go off Grace! I’m here for this and want to thank you for keeping me informed, sane and entertained during this election. No easy feat during a pandemic with a recession, and genuinely the most stressful 8+ months any of us have had in our lifetimes. We deserve to celebrate this week and then get to work.
Hahahahaah love this so much and also love you for quoting GGE. Thank you for the encouragement, I really appreciate it.
Adding my support for Grace here (and I never leave blog comments!). This is *her* lifestyle blog. Her beliefs, passions, opinions, etc are part of that lifestyle! There are so many other corners of the internet if you’re not finding what you’re looking for here. This is her platform to use how she sees fit, and to use to express herself as she sees fit.
We should also steer clear of assessing the mental capacity of other people, especially having never met them, and not holding psychiatric PhDs. Having a stutter is not a mental deficiency or indicator of one, and if someone’s doctor says they are fit, that’s none of our business question the result, or further stigmatize mental health for people who do suffer from various difficulties.
YES, This!!!!!
Wait wait wait, you don’t want Grace to share her political views yet you start going off on your political views on HER site?! Also, did I miss the memo that blogs can’t discuss politics? Nope, I didn’t because she CAN discuss politics if that’s her choice. This is Grace’s space and she can talk about whatever the hell she wants to talk about – and I sure hope she continues!!
thank you 🙂
First time commenting here (been reading for a couple of years, though, and always enjoy/appreciate your content) simply to applaud your response, Grace. YES.
Thank you!!!!
Yes, GRACE! Laura, Biden has a stutter, not dementia. My god.
AMEN.
Honestly curious Laura to which achievements and positive impacts by Trump are you referring? Under Trump my taxes have increased, my communities are divided, my 401k and stocks have plummeted, I can’t travel to countries like I used to, and I can’t even see family because of his response to the pandemic. These are personal impacts I have experienced, and I haven’t even had as tough as a year as others. Which impacts have affected you positively?
YES.
I wish there was a way to “up vote” this!
haha, me too!
Breanne,
If your 401k plummeted and has not returned to what it was in early March 2020, get yourself a new financial advisor or pick up a book about investing. Your bad investment choices is a reflection of you, not Trump.
First, I like how you didn’t answer my question. Second, I said during Trump administration. A simple glance at market performance from Obama vs. Trump would show you that a financial advisor is not the issue. But thank you for your response to prove the level of privilege that you’re coming from!
First, your question was directed at Laura, not me. Second, if you want to go back further into the Obama administration then yes, historically you should still be outperforming the market overall. Keyword: overall. If you made rash decisions this year to liquidate or lighten up on your 401k portfolio then the performance is on you. Rookie mistake.
Spare me the privilege bullshit as you’re crying about your 401k returns.
THANK YOU. ALL of this!
I’m confused, Laura. Why is ok for you to tell Grace she cannot give her political views on her own blog, yet you can give your views — on her blog?
How about thanking Grace for all the time and effort she puts into HER blog to give us interesting content, thoughtful recommendations and her opinions on important topics.
Again, her blog, her right.
And, I am not even going to counter your misinformed, misguided and baseless views as this is not the place. Just keep following that heard like the sheep you present yourself as.
thank you <3
I know this is somewhat besides the point, but Kamala Harris is FAR from the most liberal senator. In fact, many Democrats don’t think she’s liberal enough. Do you honestly believe she’s more liberal than Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders?? Or is that just a Trump talking point that you’re mindlessly regurgitating?
Grace, thanks for your all work. I’m so proud to follow so many active and engaged influencers who believe in a better America.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/13/is-kamala-harris-really-most-liberal-senator-trump-claims/
EXACTLY. I didn’t have the energy to dive into this but thank you. How could someone ever even say that Harris is more liberal than Bernie or EW!!!?!?!
Laura, were any of the statements or opinions you wrote your own? They sound like Trumpland sound bytes that you have picked up and regurgitated. It’s never been a secret what Grace’s political views are so not sure why you are picking today of all days to leave this comment. If the content is not for you, leave. You don’t need to make an announcement or be a jerk about it. Just click on.
I don’t think Laura wrote her own “thoughts” or did her own “research.” I’m a food blogger, and have been speaking out on my email list, saying such controversial things as “wear a mask” “save a life” “I feel hopeful now.” In response, I have gotten some of the angriest emails I’ve ever received in 11+ years of blogging. Maybe not from this Laura, but from many others. And believe me when I tell you that food bloggers seem to inspire the angriest readers, but these stood out.
Laura, this is like going into someone else’s house and telling them not to express their own opinion in their own space. This is GRACE’s space – you’ve chosen to voluntarily enter it so you don’t get to have an opinion on what she does or does not post. Your rhetoric is dangerous and uninformed.
Laura, no one asked you to plaster you political views on Grace’s blog. Your ‘beliefs’ about the president-elect sound like direct lines from the bottom feeders of the GOP. It is sad to see that you evidently believe this misinformation.
omg the Madewell sale, bye bye my money.
SAAAMMME!!!
I’m so proud of both you and Carly for opening up discussions and defending your political stance on your blogs. I can’t put into words how much it means to me as a reader, but I will give back to y’all as much as I can for doing so (shopping links, liking sponsored posts, anything else we can do to help).
xo
Thank you so much Ellie, I really appreciate it!
THANK YOU for being so honest about this week and your views. It’s refreshing and it’s human.
Thank you!!!
Grace,
I read everyday and listen to the podcast weekly. Finding your blog has been such a bright spot in this dark year. Thank you for giving me something to look forward to everyday!
That makes me so happy to hear. I really try to balance lightness while also acknowledging everything going on in the world. Appreciate this comment so much!!!!
Just want you to know that I, for one, appreciate you speaking up about politics and about the issues that are important to you. I’m actually more likely to unfollow people who act like nothing is happening in the world except makeup and skincare and fashion. And even if I didn’t agree with you, it would absolutely be your right to post whatever you believe on your blog and your social media. I have a choice whether to keep following or not, but that is all. You keep being who you are and most of us will continue to appreciate that about you!
Agreed! Please don’t act like shit is normal. I acknowledge that it can’t be 100% political and content creators need to make a living, but don’t sell me stuff and act like the world is great.
Thank you so much, Jen! Much appreciated.
Chiming in to echo the other sentiments of appreciation for your speaking up, Grace! I think some of these commenters would love to shut everyone up who disagrees with them because they’re just like their freshly-fired wannabe dictator and want to cancel anyone who thinks differently. Girl, bye.
Love your content as always! And thanks for being a light during this time.
Thank you!!!
THANK YOU for being a blogger who is not tone deaf! I love your opinions, they are real, they are honest, they are you. Keep them coming. XO
Thank you!!!! Appreciate it so much.
Love the teddy coat and my bank account took a hit from the Madewell sale
hahahaha same same, got so many great basics!
Grace, I support you 100%. I started following you around the time you were only buying from size-inclusive retailers and have been just consistently impressed with your standards and ethics. I love seeing your complete and vocal intolerance for hate, exclusion, and disrespect. You’re so right that it’s disgusting and I’m not saying this from a high and mighty place. I myself have provided unsolicited feedback on the web (not angry, hateful, or political; but unsolicited nonetheless) and have learned the error of my ways. I’m sorry you’re getting these reactions from people who don’t believe in the free will they preach.
Thank you so much, Cara!
I am a long time reader and NEVER comment on blogs, but I felt compelled to say that I follow you because it feels like checking in with a friend and friends talk about their opinions and politics as well as great moisturizers and cute sweaters. Please keep sharing the full spectrum. By being your internet friend, I have learned a lot more than recs on moisturizers and sweaters.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
Hi Grace, I work at Planned Parenthood and I want to echo those below in saying THANK YOU for using your platform and influence to talk about politics and current events. I like to support like-minded individuals whose content I enjoy. Looking forward to your gift guides – they are some of the best!
Thank you so much.
I have been inspired by your outspokenness and pushes to volunteer. This is the year I really felt like I needed to take ACTION to elect Biden through various volunteerism efforts and I felt like I was in it with you when you posted and shared. It is a great day today, knowing we are looking forward to an age of normalacy.
I felt the same way. Thank you!
The silence from most bloggers has been deafening. Getting ready to do some unfollowing. I love your blog because of the variety you offer but also appreciate that you never hid your support because you thought you’d lose followers/dollars.
Thank you – it’s been hard watching my follower count plummet but at the end of the day I had to stick up for what I believe in.
As a Trump supporter and a long time reader of this blog, I support you vocalizing your political opinions. It’s your space and you have the right to post what you want.
Thank you, Lauren. I appreciate that.
Thank you for being vocal about your support of Biden Harris! So incredibly important. I teach middle school and to see the change in how some of my students acted with Trump as their example over the past four years was sad and maddening. I am thrilled that going forward they will have Biden as an example of kindness and Harris to show them that women are strong and can do anything!
YES – hoping they will lead by example!
Loving this post, you summed up some similar emotions in the first paragraph! And loving the oversized coat
https://natashantone.com/
Thanks Natasha 🙂
I just want to thank you for being so genuine in your beliefs about everything you do. It’s not just because I agree with you politically but because I know you really think about how you want to convey your beliefs to your followers. You are authentic, kind and smart. I am sure it is very difficult to have people be so critical of you but as you say, they can easily unfollow. Some bloggers have said that they “do fashion and not politics” so they did not comment, but it felt to me like the elephant in the room. If I follow someone, after a while I want to know more about them and that includes what they believe in. This wasn’t a normal election. This was about human decency. Thank you for always showing us who you are as a human being. It only makes me want to follow you more. xo
Thank you so much Judy. To be honest I don’t even like talking about politics, but felt that it was necessary – the stakes were just too high!!!!!
If you go back to all the negative and hateful things you’ve said about me and your take away was you were too polite I am saddened. I’ve followed you and tolerated your belittling of me time and time again but Like a brave battered women I have finally found my courage to tell people who battered my ideas, my thoughts and are disgusted my my very existence to oh so politely f off
With all due respect, the things I have said were about Trump and not you. I’m sorry that you interpreted it as such. Have a nice day!
Just to provide a counternarrative to the “unfollowed, stay out of politics” line…I made the personal choice to unfollow influencers who failed to speak up this election cycle. It was just too important. THANK YOU for using your platform to share your opinions.
Thank you so much for your support, truly appreciate it so much!
I did the same. How can you not speak up during such an important election? Grace, I’m sorry you lost followers for speaking up but other bloggers lost followers for not speaking up if that helps in any way. I’m so, so proud of you for not letting the fear of losing followers stop you from vocalizing your support for Biden and I’m even more impressed with how you respond to negative commenters. It can’t be easy to always take the high road and be polite when commenters say mean things but you do it time and time again.
Thank you so much for the words of encouragement!!!!
The thing that concerns about the RBG necklace is that Gap the company has been working with contractors who use Uyghur forced labor camps in China (the region is known for their cotton) to produce products for all of their brands. I’m not sure RBG would want anything promoted in association with her name that is made with the labor of people held captive in labor camps.
Rebecca from everydayparisian pointed me in your direction for the teddy coat. I ordered one but found so much good content on your blog, too!
Thank you!
Oh that’s so nice! Thank you for coming by!!
I’ll just be here browsing the Chrome website all night! *add to bag*
Everything they carry is SO GOOD!
Can I just have Nicole Kidman’s hair? That’s what I want for Christmas. LOL
Oh my gosh SERIOUSLY!!!!!!