Cloud Watching & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Summer turns into fall, blue mingles with cream, and a word puzzle needs to be printed.

Welcome to the first 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!)

Feeling of the Week: a mood board concept of a design direction for your week.

SEPTEMBER 29th: It’s the feeling of summer turning into fall. It’s rainy, but not sad somehow. The blue is still in the sky, but it’s mingling with grey.

A foamy cup of tea and a nearly crossed off to-do list.

It’s nostalgia, but it’s not making you blue. It just all feels familiar.

It’s driving on the interstate, in the backseat, when the rain starts to drop on the windshield, but the radio stays on.

Here is a playlist that couples with the feeling, and came out surprisingly more angsty than intended:

P.S. That’s my husband circa early 2000s on the playlist cover. He was exclusively raised on alternative radio, as you can almost hear in the photo alone. Felt like the perfect fit for the playlist.

Colors of the week: Fading sky and pavement lines

Alternative Names:

• End of day + homemade cake

• Picnic laughter + stuffed teddy

• Seaside air + hotel linens

• Cloud watching + vanilla bean ice cream (cone)

How to Use these Colors:

In fashion:

• Pair with silver accessories

• Wear with houndstooth wool

• Wear a blue cardigan, paired with cream trousers

• Combine a cream sock with blue mary jane’s

In the home:

• Cream-painted wall with artwork in blue frames

• Cream laquer dresser (80s style) with a fading sky-blue rug

• Blue sheets with a cream duvet cover

A weekly dose of joyful things only:

• Briefly step back into time, when the internet was just the family desktop computer, and revisit some old friends. I couldn’t believe this is still archived and playable.

• Have you heard of the Gurgle Pot? I thrifted one years ago, and it does make a delicious gurgle sound when you pour water out. We recently had a family over for dinner, the first time since moving to NY that kids have occupied my apartment! I poured their water, the pot gurgled as it does, and they lit up in laughter. And then I realized maybe not everyone knows about the whimsical Gurgle Pot, and I was so thankful they reminded me to delight in it!

• Did you hear Bam-Bam was finally reunited with his owner, thanks to Chicago banding together?

• Here are 6 minutes of hopeful, joyful, human moments (my favorite is the dog stealing the microphone)

In 7th grade, my very favorite English teacher of all time pulled me aside after class. She saw my love of words, cupcake recipes, sparkles, and bows — she saw me for who I was as a 12-year-old. I was a sensitive doodler who preferred to spend all day reading and writing in her room instead of going to Math or definitely PE.

She told me that she found this new website called Pinterest, and she knew it would really inspire me. It was invite-only at that time. So if I got my mom’s permission, she would send me her one invite, so I could have an account too. I nearly ran home to get the okay!

The very first board I ever made, I titled after the book she was reading us called, “Word After Word After Word,” where I saved every quote that meant something to me.

I recently revisited that board, and as I dug through “justgirlythings” and all sorts of tumblr madness, I saw such a collection of what I was thinking and feeling through that time. It was like a time machine.

And it prompted me to want to find more quotes! I think for a while I felt like I had to come up with all my own words, but I forgot how much wise words have marked feelings and changes in seasons for me.

So I’ve committed in my creative practice to drawing quotes more frequently, to get back in touch with that girl who used to save every word that meant something to her.

Thankful for Pinterest, words, and most of all, teachers who saw us and helped light our sparks!

This week, I was thinking about summer fading to autumn and all that comes with it. Here’s what I found:

• “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

• “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” — Fred Rogers.

• “Grace means that you are in a different universe from where you had been stuck, when you had absolutely no way to get there on your own.” — Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies

• “For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” — H. W. Longfellow

• “A rainy day is like a lovely gift — you can sleep late and not feel guilty.” — Elizabeth Jane Howard

• “The rain beat softly upon the shingles… the sun was turning the glistening world into a palace of gems.” — Kate Chopin, The Storm

• “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” — Roald Dahl

• “I always think of you, and life couldn’t surprise me more.” — You’ve Got Mail

• “All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful.” — Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being

• “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.” — Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

1. Dedcool Xtra Milk Lotion - you know this is my favorite scent ever, and as fall is coming, and then winter, I’m getting my skin-saving moisturizing plans in order. Nothing smells better than this!

2. Earl grey lip balm - the most hydrating and creamy lip balm, and it seriously tastes like Earl Grey. It’s like a London Fog whenever I want one.

3. The Hetta side table - a beautiful new addition to my apartment from the freshly launched furniture brand, Hetta (sister company to Sundays Furniture). Their designs are made to look like family heirlooms. I’ve absolutely loved styling my new side table.

4. Lazy Jamie espresso cup - I love this chic little cup so much. Perfect for iced or hot drinks, because it helps maintain the temperature.

5. Japanese Sencha - I have so been enjoying this green tea that feels like a balanced summer-to-fall steep. I often add a little milk and honey for a cozy green tea latte.

6. Dona Chai - making chai lattes at home to satisfy my craving instead of going to a coffee shop every time I want chai! I think this is the best concentrate I’ve tried.

7. Printfresh pajamas - catch me INSIDE when the temperature is dropping! I am elevating my loungewear to fun patterned sets, and Printfresh has the most fun pajama collection! (I have the mermaid ones!)

Here are some places and spaces I’ve explored recently that have the Feeling! stamp of approval for both design and experience:

• Manjul: Right off the Canal stop, this is a little oasis of delicious coffee and matcha. I order a plain matcha latte with oat milk.

• Prem: 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.

• Beanmonger: 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.

• Feste: 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 dropped some very big news on Friday, be sure not to miss it!

• Recipes for pumpkin spice syrup and pumpkin cold foam, so you don’t have to only go to a coffee shop to get a seasonal drink fix

• A guide for making your dog’s life a little more whimsical, including very cheap homemade treats

• A quick reference for colorful tableware brands to browse

In this column, you’ll find highly curated discounts gathered in one place, perfect for a little birthday gift planning or a home refresh. I kept getting offers from brands to share, so I thought, “Why not make them beautiful?”

Simply click on any image to head straight to the brand’s site! Enjoy the Feeling!-exclusive discounts without even having to cut coupons out of the paper.

I really enjoy Preston Lane’s all-purpose cleaner because it smells like a hotel!!

Where to find the most colorful furniture!

I am a non-alc girl, and have really enjoyed Aplos for hosting

*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!

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Moodboard Sources:

• Flowers in the Rain, Sarajevo (1963) — Photo: Tomislav Peternek.

• Photo by Oli Scarff — via Getty Images.

• You’ve Got Mail (1998) — Film still. © Warner Bros. Pictures. Dir. Nora Ephron.

• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) — Film still. © 20th Century Fox / Indian Paintbrush. Dir. Wes Anderson.

• A pan filled with a mixture of oil and water — Photo by fr0ggy5 on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-pan-filled-with-a-mixture-of-oil-and-water-zTHHuP5CG4w Unsplash

• Candlight photo by @ ellemaywatson

• Green checkers — by Kelly Wearstler

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Thank you, Hailey Howe, for lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!

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