Good morning, friends! My son started cross country this week so it’s been a week of girl dates with my daughter while he’s been at practice. We have been hating it so much- just look at that face! I’d like to give a local shout-out to Chicory Cafe for their outdoor seating for coffee/cocoa dates, the South Bend Farmer’s Market for the most beautiful flowers, & Potawatomi Park for such an incredible playground to play on this week. We are definitely savoring this last week of summer in South Bend!
Here are 3 other things that are making me happy this week!
Cardboard Safari Love
I have been wanting a fake deer head to go in our front room and I found these incredible Cardboard Safari animals that I thought would work perfectly. We got Bucky in a large size and I thought I would hang him over our entryway table. I underestimated his size so he was moved to hang above our couch instead, but I just love seeing him when I walk in. I have lots of fun dreams of how to decorate this guy for the seasons and I love what a quirky focal point this has become in our room.
My son and I also had the best time putting this guy together and had lots of laughs assembling him which brought me a ton of joy. If you are on the hunt for a little quirkiness for your home, browse their site for some fun additions to your decor and have fun putting these together with your kiddos.
Bold Documentaries
Documentaries are a big passion of mine because it is a way that I can explore the world from the comforts of my own home. I try to indulge in one a week and to also share the love of these with my kids through our Docu-Pizza nights. I will try and do a round-up of great family-friendly ones for you soon!
This week I caught two REALLY incredible documentaries that you must watch! The first was called Finding Vivian Maier. Vivian is pictured above, and this documentary explores the life of a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photos that went unseen during her lifetime. The images are just astounding and this documentary is a series of interviews with all the people who knew Vivian and it was created by the guy who discovered her after purchasing a box of her negatives at an auction. I wish this one was on Netflix for you, but it wasn’t! I actually snagged it at our local library and I can’t tell you how fascinating it was. If you want to see really incredible street photography, you must browse her collection.
Here is the trailer for that one! It was absolutely captivating!
The other documentary that I watched is called, The True Cost. Friends, I can’t recommend this enough because it just shocked me in so many ways. There is a lot that I did not understand about the farming community, what it really means to donate our items, and the true cost of the fashion industry on our world. I can’t stop thinking about it and I really want you to watch it so we can talk about it.
Embracing the capsule wardrobe has made me think about embracing classics with longevity in my home so I think I was headed down this path already. I know that I can continue doing better about making smarter purchases though and this documentary really showcases who pays for these inexpensive impulses and what happens when we cast them off.
Seeing this also renewed my commitment to try making most of my wardrobe purchases secondhand. I’m sad to see that Twice is no longer an option (are you disappointed too?), but if you haven’t given thredUP a spin, they are offering $20 to spend on your first purchase this month to try, which is incredible. Watch that documentary and see if it doesn’t change how you feel about your clothing purchases and renew your commitment to secondhand shopping. Watch the documentary on instant on Amazon ($2.99) or it is available on Netflix this month!
KonMari Dreams
If you don’t listen to the The Lively Show, you are missing out on a wealth of information on intentional living (try out the podcast app I found last week to listen!). This episode was chock full of great information and Jess used The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to create a printable checklist you could use through your home to declutter. If you aren’t familiar with the book or methods, the one thing I really got out of it was to declutter your home not room by room, but by category. Instead of the closet, you do tops and then go through your entire house to clear out all the tops.
Of course, when I explained to my husband, I said, “Say bottoms will be the category. So I’m getting rid of all the bottoms. All the bottoms that we don’t need are going.”
Cue hysterical laughter and bottom clutching.
You have to sign up for her email list to get the printable (scroll down a bit to find it), but isn’t this just the kick in the BOTTOM you need to get started? I have big dreams of tackling this while the kids are at school!
xo
*this post may contain affiliate links- I only recommend what I love though. Check out past editions of It’s the 3 Little Things!
Now it’s your turn! What’s making you happy this week?