1. The day of the dead cats and dogs at Trader Joe’s
The purr-fect spooky gift for your favorite cat (or dog) lady exists!
Each ceramic planter is $7.99 and includes a cute little succulent.
If you’re at a loss for a name for your new planter pet, you can always borrow the one I gave mine – Gigi, which was one of my grandma’s nicknames.
2. Pamela Anderson going makeup-free at Fashion Week
Out of all the gangsta moves one could make at a high profile fashion and beauty event, this is the most iconic of them all. Pam, I totally get it. Sometimes all I wanna do is get dressed, run a brush through my hair and be on my way.
3. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” album
Every song is fantastic — each a clear snapshot of what it feels to be 19 and on the verge of young adulthood. Listen to the entire thing all the way through at least twice, and then let me know which songs are your favorites.
Here are mine!
4. Crocheted sweaters
Especially the ones with flowers on them! I really like this one.
Quick question for my friends out there who know a thing about sewing and knitting. Is crocheting something I can learn from a book or watching YouTube tutorials? Or do I have to find a class? I would love to learn how to crochet cute flowers and plants like these ones I saw at the farmers’ market a while back.
5. That gross but satisfying feeling you get when…
…you wax your upper lip hair off and see all the stubby little hairs all up in the wax. Please tell me you do this because if you don’t, you’re missing out on one of life’s most underrated joys, LOL! So gross, yet so satisfying.
What’ve you been loving lately?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ok, so I need to make a trip to my local TJ’s to find those Day of the Dead cats and dogs.
I must be a celebrity because I go makeup free all the time. And I’m actually comfortable in it. We met friends for dinner at Sula (in Sausalito, you should try it some time) and I looked at Dear Husband and I said, I don’t want to wear makeup this evening. His reply was, “Don’t you look pretty without it”. So I slapped on a tone up sunscreen and a tinted lip balm and called it a day.
I never heard of Olivia Rodrigo before this. So thanks! Dang she’s only 20 years old.
Crocheting… I think it depends on how good the videos you watch are and how visual you are. I remember my mom showing me how to crochet when I was in grade school. It’s basically doing variations of slip knots with yarn and a hook. Once you get the stitches down, single crochet, double crochet, crochet multiples in one stitch, etc. it’s pretty easy.
Love all the crocheted sweaters and tops I’ve been seeing this fall. I’m just afraid with my gray hair and plush figure that I’d look like a dumpy old granny in one. And I’m forever trying to look sleek and sophisticated, which I am not. Lol.
Have a good week! Hope it doesn’t get too hot up your way. They’re predicting low 90s this way. Ugh. I want autumn weather!
I hope you can get a Day of the Dead cat! They are so cute. 🙂
I’ve never heard of Sula and ooh la la, it looks delicious and so fancy. Did you guys go to the spa, too? (Please say yes, so I can live vicariously through you.)
Glad you enjoyed the Olivia Rodrigo songs. Other ones I like are “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” and “All-American B*tch.”
Thank you for the input on crochet… I’m going to see if I can dig up any videos.
Stay cool!
The couple we met live in Larkspur and the wife goes to that spa quite often. She says it’s really nice. Spas aren’t my thing. Sometimes I meet just her and we sit on the veranda having afternoon refreshments with a view of The Bridge.
Oh that sounds so nice! Maybe next time you’re up here we can meet up somewhere. I’ve decided to take a purposeful “sabbatical” over the next few weeks to help recover from all the things that happened last month (September 2023 will go down as one of the hardest periods of my life). Part of my rest/reset plan is to just spend time with friends and new people! Today I made myself go to a walking group meetup with some people from my town. It was good for my soul.
BTW, when do you leave for your trip?
Crocheting is so fun, definitely easier to learn some of the hand positioning in person when you get started but I think it’s definitely possible to make-do online through YouTube. I still go there for help with tricky stitches and I’ve been at it for almost 30 years.
Once you get started and comfortable with the basics, Ravelry.com has a ton of patterns and I’m sure you’ll find something like those plants no problem!
Awesome, thanks Molly! I figure that if there were some very tricky things, I could find someone locally to help me with the positioning and whatnot. 🙂
I believe if you check, the sweater is knit, not crocheted. Knitting is done on two needles, crochet on one hook, giving it a smoother feel.
The cute flowerpots in the post are definitely crochet, though. Crochet and knitting have very different types of stitches and ways you work it, though both use yarn. I definitely think it’s possible to learn on your own if you’re willing to look for resources.
I learned to crochet when I was a kid watching my mom. However, I use YouTube videos when I forget how to do a stitch so I’m pretty sure you can learn using a video. I learned how to knit watching YouTube videos.
Yes, you can teach yourself to crochet (or knit). I did, when I was 9 years old. Doing anything fancy, though, does require very close attention to the instructions and your progress. For example, there are row counters you can attach to your knitting needles to help keep track of what you’re doing. Well-written and illustrated instructions are very important, too. I’d recommend books, not videos, to make specific projects.
Thanks CL!
I have a cool book from the library right now called “Knitting the National Parks,” which has instructions for winter hats with designs for each national park (there are 63 of them now!). I’d like to make one of these, but I don’t have the time right now. I did make some crocheted berets several years ago. That was fairly easy to do but required close attention to stitches made in order to get the shape right.
I hope you made a raspberry beret, like the Prince song. 😀
Kudos to Pam Anderson for going natural. She has wonderful freckles! It’s such a 180 of the look from which she gained popularity. I watched her documentary on Netflix and she seems really warm and genuine.
I was reading about Olivia Rodrigo in Vogue. Did you know her father’s family is from The Phillipines, Karen?
I learned to crochet by using a beginner’s book and online videos. This system worked really well for me. I also learned to knit the same way.
Hi Melody,
Do you have any books or video channels to recommend that really helped you learn? I would love to know!
Books:
– Stitch N’ Bitch Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller
– Klutz Crochet by Anne Akers Johnson (out of print but currently can be found on Poshmark and eBay). This is book/set and has good illustrations. Get it if you can.
Videos:
-TL Yarn Crafts has some good info. Here is a beginner video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzWX2dx8ufc&list=PLdITDYMmVI9s-YHaFNhx3HKtiAOmZJTVr&index=42
-random videos (when you need a specific stitch) Just see whose style works for you.
– Important Note:
US and UK use different stitch terms. The chart can be found in books and online when you get to that point. The books and video listed use US terms.
Help this is helpful and let me know how your crochet journey is going.
Crocheting seems to be all the rage these days! My nephew’s gf does it as a side hustle for craft shows and such, and she makes some adorable things (dragons, pokemon, sasquatches, etc). That might be fun for you and Connor!
I only know two Olivia R songs and like them both (Vampire and Bad Idea, Right?) so I’ll have to check out the whole album. Do we still say album? 🙂
I hope all is well with you and I’m glad you’ve got September in your rearview!
How funny re: album. I was wondering the same thing! Do people still sit through and listen to them the whole way through? Or do they just skip around to different songs? It’s so wild to me how the new generation experiences music so different now.