Lily’s Favorite Things: October 2020

A huge motivating factor for me to start a blog was to simply have a platform to discuss and share the things in life that make me happiest; not only to add joy to my life on a regular basis but hopefully spread some of this happiness and joy into your life. So in my best attempt to pretend I’m Oprah for a second, I give you the first edition of “Lily’s Favorite Things.”

YOU get a car, and YOU get a car, and EVERYONE gets a car!!!

1. Brooklinen Linen Duvet Cover
   You may not know this about me, but I spent my first years in college studying textile design. This gave me a huge appreciation for textiles and fibers of all kinds, especially when it comes to bedding. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I long for the kind of bedroom you see in movies that is pristinely clean with the most perfectly inviting bed setup…enter: the linen duvet cover. Jonathan and I attempted to sleep with linen sheets but found they were too warm for us. I still ached for the linen look so we exchanged our sheets for the linen duvet cover by Brooklinen and are absolutely in love! It feels luxurious while still giving off that perfectly imperfect vibe.

2. Counter Culture Single Origin Coffee Subscription
   I’m not afraid to admit that I am a bit of a coffee snob, but this is something I love and truly believe every other coffee lover would appreciate just as much as I do. Counter Culture Coffee is a coffee roaster based in Durham, NC and they produce damn fine coffee. Counter Culture offers multiple subscriptions that renew automatically based on the timeframe you set upon purchase. The coffee is fresh and delivered straight to your door. I have the single-origin subscription in which they deliver different varieties of coffee beans from all over the world. My subscription arrives every two weeks and includes two 12-oz bags of whole coffee beans. It’s practically like Christmas every time I see a new box that has been delivered. 

3. Monstera Deliciosa
   I live in an old apartment building with huge windows and tons of natural light. Fortunately (and unfortunately) this perpetuates my love for plants. Disclaimer: I am not a plant expert, nor do I claim to be; I just really love plants. I have many plants that I love but a few years ago, I tracked down a Monstera (swiss cheese plant) and it has thrived ever since. I joke that that plant will force us to move out of the apartment because it is taking over our living room. It is insane but I love it.

4. Ikea 3-Tiered Rolling Cart
   Ikea – Need I say more? Jonathan and I purchased the burnt orange version of this cart as a temporary solution for an entry table adjacent to our front door to hold keys, drinks, and whatever else you may feel the need to drop whenever you enter the door. I love this solution and don’t feel the need to seek another option because I love it so much. We purchased a second one of these carts to hold extra towels and other various items in our bathroom. I have seen some clever uses for this cart and love the versatility of this item especially for living in an apartment or smaller space. 

5. 22 oz. Hydroflask Tumbler
   I purchased one of these tumblers for several reasons. I had been in search of a water bottle/tumbler/cup that would insulate hot and cold drinks and has a lid option that includes a straw. I have this weird thing where I seem to drink more if I have the option to drink through a straw. Everyone raves about Yeti products, but I just didn’t really feel like shelling out that much money for a cup. I eventually chose this Hydroflask because of the level of insulation and the straw lid. It is a simple detail, but this lid connects to the straw in a way that seals the cup almost completely. Unless you turn this tumbler almost completely upside-down, there won’t be any leaking. I have been very pleased with this purchase and use it daily by taking it to work or taking it with me just about any time I leave the apartment. 

6. National Portrait Gallery
   In an effort to deviate from product-related items on this list, I wanted to include this recent obsession. Jonathan and I visited Washington D.C. with his family and we made a trip to the National Portrait Gallery with the intent of seeing the newly added Obama portraits. I was awe-stricken. The portraits were incredible, but I was shocked by the amount of art within the Gallery outside of the presidential portraits. We recently revisited the museum to spend more time viewing the rest of the Gallery. They house an incredible collection of work and I feel it is truly a hidden gem of Washington D.C. 

7. Artifact Uprising
   As with most things in my life, I stumbled upon Artifact Uprising on Instagram. I began following the photo printing company on social media and was drawn to their style and quality of products. I love taking photos and find something so satisfying about having a physical copy of photographs to display at home or to share with friends and family. My family took a trip to Europe in the fall of 2017 and I knew that I would want to catalog the trip in some way. I decided that this was the perfect time to curate and design a book of photos to have forever. I created a lay-flat photo book with Artifact Uprising and I could not be more pleased with the outcome. Their services can be quite expensive but they run promotions frequently that make their prices more reasonable but the quality of the outcome is worth every penny in my opinion. 

8. Baggu
   I only feel it is appropriate to end this post with a long-lasting, true love of mine…bags. I began purchasing a few reusable bags here and there in an effort to eliminate the consumption of plastic shopping bags of any kind. Now I have an embarrassing amount of reusable bags and don’t see the growth of this collection slowing down any time soon. I was drawn to Baggu by the simplicity of the product design and the whimsy of the print design. I purchased several of these bags made of heavy-duty ripstop nylon that can hold up to 50 pounds and found myself using them so frequently. The bag folds up into a small pouch and is so convenient to keep in your bag for any and every occasion.