Ahhh. Finally. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I was on the longest break of the school year, yet never found time (or remembered) to write this post. Winter break is always a welcome reprieve from the repetitive days of education, but as I am writing this in January on the first day of the second semester, I am glad to be back 🙂
Now onward! Here are my December favorites, spanning fashion, food, and everything in between. A few items come from what I received for Christmas. But now that I have had time to use them and wear them, much of my Christmas list will be included in my January favorites.
Art
I’ve been collecting mini postcards and art pieces and creating a little gallery wall in my dorm and I am obsessed with it. I love having little pieces of things I like all in one place. There is also a specific style of postcards that I love that I collected on my vacation in Utah this summer.
I also got an iPad recently and I am so excited about it! I am very much looking forward to using Procreate on an iPad rather than my phone. It has been so helpful for drawing up designs for stickers, future print ideas, and a few other random things.
Some other art inspiration recently:
Fashion
I got a new backpack for Christmas and I think it might be the coolest gift I got. My old one had a hole in the drink pocket that looked atrocious. I also was tired of the pointless elastic strings on the front of a lot of backpacks and I wanted fabric, not mesh drink pockets to avoid another hole. I also had way too much room in my other one and that was not needed in an everyday situation. This new one I got, also from North Face, has no annoying elastic, fabric drink pockets, and lots of inner and hidden pockets. It is a lot smaller but still has a TON of room for what I need and I love it so much.
As a little treat to myself, I bought myself a sweatsuit from Fabletics and it has probably been my most worn item in December. Fabletics members got 80% off around Christmas and I ended up getting the whole set for about $30. It is AMAZING quality and an adorable color. The light heather gray lets me match it with almost anything and I love how I can wear the pieces together but also separately. It’s great to wear as an outfit on its own but also consists of really good basic pieces. These are some inspiration for future outfits with it.
I have been exploring textures recently and it has been fun. A good chunky sweater or patterned piece is always fun, but lately, I have been finding myself drawn towards waffle knit. I feel like this is something that always comes back around. I remember wearing waffle knit pajama sets as a kid, but now I am buying waffle knit items as staple pieces in my adult wardrobe. The two pieces I’ve bought most recently are these two knit button-ups and this knit tunic. They’re so cozy, but you can totally dress them up or down.
Sweater vests are straight out of the 70s, but society has recently experienced a resurgence of them. Men are wearing them as an elevated casual look, while women are wearing them as business casual or even as a going-out look. I thrifted a large sweater vest, originally from Zara, and I am very excited to create more outfits with it. I also thrifted my boyfriend a vest and I am a huge fan.
We’re pictured here with him in his sweater vest, but me also in my Fabletics set!
Food
This isn’t really a food item, but I love the design of soda can glasses. They’re just so sleek and cute and I recently decorated some of my own with etching paste. I have been loving using them and hope to add more to my collection.
While visiting a friend, I had a few different combinations of food that I was surprised I enjoyed. At a cafe in Chicago, my friend Josie and I shared a sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, pesto, and avocado. The bread was really amazing too and it was just so simple but so good. I also made a little ramen bowl of my creation that elevated a normal pack of chicken ramen. Make the ramen as usual, then cut up cucumber, avocado, and tomato and mixed everything in the ramen with a little bit of soy sauce. I was surprised that I enjoyed it and it made for a really yummy and easy meal. As a college student moving into an apartment within the next year, I am always on the lookout for things that will be easy to make for meals in college. Both of these meals will definitely be remembered and I hope some of you test these out for yourselves!
Media
TV/Movies
If you have not yet watched the new Knives Out film, Glass Onion, I highly recommend it. It is a creative installment in the franchise and I thought it was great. I will admit, I was a little disappointed in how simple the mystery ended up being, but I enjoyed the ride. It is a silly little film and I loved the cast.
After watching the two movies of one of the most fun movie franchises ever, I decided to watch the show. Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City makes me want to live in New York, and living in New York sounds not fun. The show gives a look into what it’s like to live in New York as a single 30 year old, and it’s super fun. I just love the nolstagia of how it’s filmed and I always find myself smiling during each episode. I also highly recommend the two movies as well.
Music
My boyfriend and I love sharing music with each other and something we compiled is something I call our “abc playlist”. We each selected a song that starts with each letter of the alphabet and compiled it into a playlist. Our music tastes overlap but also differ in some areas, so making this playlist is just a fun way to incorporate a lot of the different genres we like. When I listen to it, it feels like a queue we made to listen together in the car or something. It helps me feel closer to him when we can’t see each other. This is a really fun way to compile cool music in one place, great to do with a boyfriend, but could totally be done with a friend! I’m actually planning to make some with a few of my friends.
The thing I have listened to the most for probably the last three months has been the new Noah Kahan album. He is absolutely phenomenal and this album has consumed my Spotify. I seriously hope he is my top artist this year in my Wrapped because he totally deserves it. He writes and sings with such nostalgia and he makes my heart hurt, in a good way. I can’t even pick favorites from this album because I know all the words to every single one and love them all. If you take anything from this month’s blog, I hope it is to listen to this album.
Recommendations from the rest of the month:
This – Darius Rucker
Delicious Monster – Alan Gogoll
Love Drunk – Boys Like Girls
You Don’t Mess Around With Jim – Jim Croce
Bejeweled – Taylor Swift
Thank you guys so much for reading and thank you for all of the continued support ❤️
-a.g.l
