Caramel Apples & Orchard Groves
A day at the orchard with a fading sunset, the smell of cider in the air, and denim and flannel everywhere.
Welcome to the second edition of Feeling! Magazine’s Monday Letter! This will be a once-weekly letter made to feel like a magazine flip-through, purposefully designed to help you feel joy. I hope you love it, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. (Don’t miss the printable puzzle at the end!)
Two pieces of news for you:
Every year, I sell a color dot calendar. The 6th edition is now available for preorder! The process is very grassroots. I host preorders for a month and a half, and that is the exact amount of calendars I order from the printer, then I ship them all from my apartment! The quantity is minimal, and the timeframe to order is short because that’s all I can manage with a one-woman operation! But I would love to send you one and make you a part of the coveted Calendar Club. You can place your order here.
Perhaps the biggest risk/leap of growth I’ve ever taken for this publication, Feeling! Magazine, is happening right now! I have not made art prints for years, but I’m coming out of retirement just for Substack. Founding members of Feeling! Magazine will be inducted into the Color Club, a once-a-month art print delivery to your mailbox! My goal is to make this digital magazine become tangible. Pick up a 5x7” frame, and then every month for one year, you will receive an art print to fill it. A seasonal rhythm, I hope, sparks a year of joy. After you subscribe, you receive an automatic email requesting your address information to fill out, ensuring the print shows up in your mailbox! If you are already a paid subscriber but want to join the Color Club and start getting art prints, you can upgrade and Substack will prorate the price! The first print will go out in October! Ahhh!
Feeling of the Week: a mood board concept of a design direction for your week.
OCTOBER 6th: Rubber boots and woven baskets are tucked into the trunk. You’re heading to the apple orchard on the weekend.
There’s a chill in the air, but the sun is still shining like it doesn’t know it’s supposed to be fall. Flannel and jeans swish between rows of apple trees, while the aroma of apple cider fills the air.
Here is a playlist that will put you right in the apple orchard:
Colors of the week: Caramel Apple + Orchard Grove
How to Use these Colors:
In fashion:
A caramel apple pea coat with orchard grove mary janes
Pair a deep red ribbon in your hair with a fuzzy apple green turtle neck
In the home:
A deep red frame, with a striped cream and apple green matte around the art
Red pillow covers with a light apple green throw
A weekly dose of joyful things only:
I found an apple cider recipe I’m going to try this week! I’ve never made cider from scratch before, so please let me know if you have any tips! This is the one I’m going to try, if you want to make it too.
Found an Autumnal Jazz Playlist (with Snoopy on it) on YouTube to blast around my house this week.
The Smithsonian’s online collection of autumnal artworks is curated together here. It looks like many of them are open-source licenses, meaning you can use the art freely in your Substack posts and creative projects!
This week, I leaned into thoughts on savoring, searching for goodness, and finding it. Here’s what I found:
“I have a deeply hidden and inarticulate desire for something beyond the daily life.” — Virginia Woolf
“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?” — Oscar Wilde
“(Home is) a place we carry inside ourselves, where we welcome the unfamiliar because we know it will become the bedrock of our being.” — Verlyn Klinkenborg, The Rural Life.
“She likes to read, she reads all the time, and she prefers to be reading several things at once, she says it gives endless perspective and dimension.” — Ali Smith, Autumn
“Do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die.” — Tove Jansson, Fair Play
“If there’s any kind of magic in this world, it’s in the attempt of understanding someone.” — Before Sunrise (1995)
“I don’t want to live in a hole anymore… I’m going to do something about it.” — The Fantastic Mr. Fox.
“I want to think again of dangerous and noble things. I want to be light and frolicsome.” — Mary Oliver, When I Am Among the Trees
“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.” — C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it.” — George Eliot, Letter to Miss Lewis, 1841
Big Night’s Edible Glitter - because dinner should sparkle and shine! This is such a sweet “just-because” gift for someone who loves to host, cook, or spend time in the kitchen.
Cooling Eye Shadow Pen!? - glitter is so back. This little eye shadow pen is currently my favorite make-up to put on. It is magically sparkly with one swipe, and it always feels cold? Someone needs to explain the science to me.
Twinkle Toes - my favorite pair of sneakers because they go with absolutely everything. I’ve worn these all around the city, and they have held up quite well — the silver shine hides scuffs!
Mochi Milk Perfume - I normally prefer Dedcool’s Xtra Milk scent, but I just tried Mochi Milk and it surprised me. The scent is so sweet and fluffy! I am not normally a “sweet” or vanilla fragrance lover, but somehow this is different. It is nuanced, and it floats around you. If you do look for sweeter scents, this will probably be your favorite ever. If, like me, you don’t, this is a surprisingly good balance to add to your fragrance collection.
Bath Sheets - BIG TOWEL! I knew there just to be a bath towel, but no, there are bath sheets, which feel like a big fuzzy blanket after a hot shower. I love Quiet Town’s selection of grid and striped patterns.
Custom Waffle Pouch - I got an initialed waffle pouch, and I think it’s for makeup, but I’ve used it for art supplies. It is spacious and the quality feels luxorious. I just think this could be an easy gift for all the fall birthay people on your list.
Digital Camera - I recently made a business investment in a new digital camera. I have always been a Canon girl, but was looking for something that could shoot in RAW, had a strong flash, and could still fit in my purse. The G7X it was! It’s currently quite inflated in price because there is a shortage, but I waited about a year for it to go down, and it did not! I found Walmart is one of the only remaining suppliers to have it in stock online. But ebay, Facebook Marketplace, and used camera stores may have some you can snatch before someone else does.
Here are some places and spaces I’ve explored recently that have the Feeling! stamp of approval for both design and experience:
Un Posto Italiano: Right off the Canal stop, this is a little oasis of delicious coffee and matcha. I order a plain matcha latte with oat milk.
Mellow: Found this unassuming Thai spot (my favorite food) in Park Slope and was blown away. Service and taste were top-tier. Portions were massive, and I got lunch and dinner out of the deal! I got chicken pad thai, of course, and it was everything I wanted it to be.
Harley’s: A Gowanus spot for a delicious coffee or tea. I recently got a banana matcha from them, and it opened my eyes to what creative flavors pair with matcha.
Kijitora Mini: I stumbled upon a home decor/kitchen spot in SoHo with an entire table dedicated to candles shaped like food. Say no more.
I often get asked for New York recommendations, which is such an honor! So I’ve started this little column as a place to compile places as I go, leaving notes and thoughts with them. I hope I can be helpful if you are planning a trip to the city soon! I also compiled a massive list of my favorites into a Google Map. The list is heavy on matcha, coffee, cute shops, and restaurants.
Feel free to use this if you are dreaming about a trip to New York City, or if you live here and want some color-forward suggestions. I am adding to it constantly!
I made a giant list of ideas to get you creative at home. Like “Set up a stationery station with beautiful paper, pens, stamps, and cards so you’re always ready to write a note to someone special. Set aside some time during the week to mail letters.” Or, “Rotate your artwork seasonally, just like museums do. You don’t need new pieces, just swap what you have displayed. It makes your home feel fresh and lets you rediscover pieces you love.”
I also made a list of some ideas on enhancing your dog’s days at home. The ice treats in my apartment go crazy.
Planning a birthday soon? Here is a guide for how to do it without crying.
A quick reference for colorful tableware brands to browse as you prep for any holiday hosting
In this column, you’ll find highly curated discounts gathered in one place, perfect for a little birthday gift planning or a home refresh!
*Coming soon! Inspired by American Girl’s Coconut and Licorice, a fictional tale of my own dog and cat, Genevieve & Rose, will be coming to you in small chapters every week. Follow a whimsical story of a dog and cat duo navigating New York City when no one is looking. The story will have you on the edge of your seat, and perhaps so invested in their joyful, silly world so much that you pause scrolling just to sit with them for a bit.
Can’t wait to share chapter one with you!
Feel free to save this image and print it out! It’s a perfect party trick to have at your next get-together. Puzzles and highlighters!
Moodboard Sources:
Apple Series — Yoshie Kinoshita.
Ralph Lauren magazine ad, c. 1980s.
Film still: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), dir. Wes Anderson; Fox Searchlight / Indian Paintbrush.
Photo by [Name] on Unsplash — Towels: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-two-towels-on-a-bed-N24CwPGLhUw
Photo by [Name] on Unsplash — Blue Denim: https://unsplash.com/photos/blue-denim-RDZZs9F53LE
Photo by [Name] on Unsplash — Apples: https://unsplash.com/photos/red-and-yellow-apple-fruits-C_zQuBRSHJ8
J.Crew Catalog, Sept. 2006.
Photo by Mathilde Augustadam (@mathildeaugustadam).
Thank you, Hailey Howe, for lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!
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