A Few of Our Favorite Things
The things we we would absolutely grab in the event of a fire & the places we got them
Listen, we understand the appeal of minimalism. In a world enamored with Marie Kondo, who among us hasn’t woken up with the overwhelming urge to purge all of our worldly possessions? Our lives are hectic, and decluttering our space feels like a step towards decluttering our heads. Even growing up, every young adult novel featured a misfit protagonist matched with a bad boy love interest whose mystery was conveyed by the fact that their bedroom had no decoration or personality at all. They were a rolling stone without a home, moving from place to place with the ability to pack up all of their belongings at a moment’s notice. We were meant to understand that this lack of stuff equaled cool. Now, older and wiser, we know that if you walk into a man’s room and there is not a single thing on the walls, your dismembered body will probably be found in trash bags behind the building a week later. This isn’t to say that a lack of belongings automatically makes you a serial killer, but if you don’t like buying things and storing them in your home, well, that’s confusing to us.
The reality is, we love our things. The things we surround ourselves with make us happy and feel like ourselves. We want to wear them, display them, talk about them. Is that because we live in a consumerist society and we face an onslaught of calls to shop on a daily basis? Probably. Is it because we know we have incredible taste and want to make sure everyone in our lives knows it too? Possible. Is it because we are bored and buying new things feels tangential to having a purpose? Alright, settle down.
Whatever the reason, we want to buy and consume and decorate. But this poses an issue, of course, environmentally and socially. Over the last year especially, we consumers have been prompted to examine our beliefs and habits. If you’re paying attention, you’re probably questioning the products you buy and the businesses you support. You want to better understand where your money is going, who it is helping, and how it is hurting. Many of us are trying to kick an Amazon habit and are seeking to buy from businesses that are smaller, local, and more ethical. While we won’t deny that we simply love buying things, we can at least say we are doing our darnedest to buy them from places we are proud to support.
So here are some of our favorite things we’ve purchased from small businesses, local makers, independent artists, or secondhand. Sorry, Ms. Kondo, but this shit brings us joy.
(How) Very Cool Stuff, According to Brigid:
My Angela Deane Ghost Wall
I discovered Angela Deane when I discovered Phoebe Bridgers’ first album, Stranger in the Alps, and an obsession with both women was born. The Stranger in the Alps cover art is a childhood photo of Phoebe that has been painted over with a ghost. I was quickly taken with the photo but little did I know, that album art was only the tip of the Angela Deane iceberg. Deane, who describes her work as nostalgic, bittersweet, and tied to memory, has created an entire world of photographs infiltrated by ghosts. Her artist statement on her ghost photographs: “Found photographs. Not necessarily lost but able to be found. A history held within a snapshot, Unknown. I put paint to paper and in doing so turn the specific into the abstract. Face becomes ghost. Person becomes vessel. And vessel is open for possession. (You may haunt these ghosts.) Through this manipulation of the material, the ghosts become us and we become the ghosts. We become the ghosts of our everyday.” Whew.
I love these photos because, to quote an earlier How Very line from Britnee, “We love everything, but especially things that are weird, whimsical, spooky, or beautiful. Bonus points if those things are all working together.” Part of me wants to live in the ghost world Deane has created, but for now I will settle for slowly papering my walls in the photographs (they are displayed in floating frames because they are ghosts do you get it).
These candleholders from Hot Haute Hot
The Strip District is one of my favorite areas in Pittsburgh, but I tend to avoid it because I hate navigating the crowds. Luckily (or consequently), the shop I love visiting most is tucked away around the corner from the main strip, meaning no fighting through throngs of people to get through the door. Going to Hot Haute Hot is worth it for the aesthetic alone (just look at their instagram page - scrolling their feed is an experience in itself), but last year I became singularly fixated on their candlestick holders. Candlesticks had always seemed to me more trouble than they were worth, but once I discovered how beautiful the vessels could be, it was all over. The candlesticks themselves have proved harder to find - where are you guys getting those spiral-y, colorful candles from? These green ones that I purchased partially burned from Goodwill are the prettiest I’ve found so far and I cannot light them because I’ve grown attached.
Brigitte Bardot & Nina Simone Portraits by Sophie Kipner
After swooning over Sophie Kipner’s abstract portraits for a couple of years, I decided to gift myself a piece last summer. I scoured the available prints in the catalogue for days and finally narrowed it down to two options: a black and white Brigitte Bardot and a blue Nina Simone. Then, I decided to gift myself two pieces last summer. The decision was too hard! I wasn’t exactly a huge Brigitte Bardot fan but this image of her was divine. Her eyes heavily lidded and vacant, with perfectly parted lips lazily holding a cigarette and cheekbones defined by a heavy smudge. Her hair done in sharp, thick strokes but dancing easily across her face in the invisible wind. I loved the sense of movement and setting captured in her figure. But the Nina - I couldn’t look away. The color was gorgeous and I delighted in the details around her edges, how her face melted into the blue and the way her hair was softly framed in a warm glow. It felt like a version of Nina frozen in time, with her stoic expression and posture, lost in her thoughts forever. So I got both and I am so glad I did. I love hanging them together in a corner because the way they reflect in each other feels like they are in conversation in a way that makes my little ex-art-history-student heart giddy. Originally, I had them hanging facing each other, so that it looked like they were sharing a cigarette in an intimate and impossible moment, but when I moved, a nail placement mistake forced me to face them away from each other instead. I don’t mind though, because now it feels like they’ve opened up their quiet, secret circle to include me.
North Ave Candles: Book-inspired scents
Sometimes when I am feeling especially low, I try to cure myself by ordering a bunch of candles online and nothing hits the spot quite like the North Ave Candles book-based scents for literature lovers. Not only is it fun to see the different ways the creators have paired scents with stories, but they also all smell so. good. I am burning the Basil, Mint + Sage one, inspired by “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” (a great read), as I write and it is soothing me to my core. Sometimes, I even make an accompanying playlist, if the vibes are right. Again, I can occasionally get too precious about burning them because I don’t want to use them up too fast, but between the Nostalgia Series and the Banned Books Collection, there are more than enough beautiful, bookish scents to sustain me for a long while. Bonus: the company is woman-owned + operated with an eco-friendly focus. We love to see it.
(How) Very Cool Stuff, According to Britnee:
These everyday summer sandals from zou xou
I was on the hunt for a versatile summer sandal that I could wear everywhere and that would last me more than one season. I had a habit of buying just-okay sandals from Target that would break after a few months of (regular) wear, so this time I was willing to spend a little more money than I normally would. As I get older and have the finances to make more ethical choices as a consumer (because let’s be honest, it is REALLY hard to shop ethically when you’re broke), quality is becoming more important to me. That goes for the product itself, but also for the way the product is made. Enter zou xou, a footwear company founded by a woman of color that prides itself on respecting the craft of shoe-making, the artisans who make them, and the environment. All the shoes are handmade in Buenos Aires with sustainable materials. According to the website: “Our shoes are made slowly, thoughtfully & carefully using the highest quality materials available. We don’t overproduce & we don’t do disposable. We produce our shoes in intelligent quantities and adjust to meet demand. Smaller batches mean more attention to quality and less waste.” Not to mention, every single pair is sooooo cute.
The shoes took about a month to get to me after I ordered them, which I expected. The wait was absolutely worth it, as the sandals are everything I wanted them to be: versatile, durable, and so comfortable. The first time I wore them I even had two huge blisters on my feet from another pair of shoes, but they didn’t hurt me at all. Truly, I am so happy with my purchase that it is taking all of my restraint not to order this pair of shoes from zou xou, too.
My favorite night cream from Youth to the People
As a rule, I am not the type of person who swears by specific beauty or makeup products. There is one notable exception to this rule, however. The Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask from Youth to the People is the king of moisturizers, the holy grail of night creams. I put it on every night before bed, and I sleep peacefully knowing what I’m wearing is vegan, cruelty-free, made in the USA, and comes from a company dedicated to sustainability and social justice. When I wake up in the morning my skin looks smoother, plumper, and healthier. The forehead wrinkles I acquire after a long day of concentrating on my computer screen are practically erased, and I feel like I am glowing. I will never stop using it. I will die using it. If I die in my sleep, I will die with it, and my cold, dead skin will still look and smell flawless.
My “B” pinkie ring from Grace Personalized
Carrie Bradshaw has her “Carrie” necklace. Rob from High Fidelity has her “Rob” necklace. I wanted my own “Britnee” necklace, but for some reason, I never got around to buying one. Then one day I stumbled across these initial chain rings on Etsy from Grace Personalized. The rings were handmade, high quality, and lo and behold, the shop was having a sale! I bought one immediately, without much thought, in my size. When the ring arrived, it was too small for my ring finger, but not my pinkie finger. Therefore, this B pinkie ring is my thing now.
Unfortunately, this particular ring seems to be out of stock, but there are lots of other great minimalist options on the website that are customizable and not too pricey. Unless you want a pinkie ring, too, I’d suggest sizing up. (though I actually like the pinkie look? It makes me feel distinct and a little quirky, like I am a YA heroine)
Artwork by Polly Cook
I love Polly Cook’s distinct, angular style and her vivid colors. I found out about her work from my boyfriend’s mom, who has several pieces hanging around her house. I couldn’t not inquire further when I saw them. Polly’s work is striking in a way I want all the art on my walls and in my life to be—something you can’t size up right away, something that forces you to stop and look carefully. Plus, her paintings are one-of-a-kind. The blatant romanticism of her work is something I don’t see very often in modern art—I’m not sure why, maybe because people are afraid if they paint about love, their work will be perceived as simple or cliche, (as if anything about love is really simple or cliche!). Polly herself has joked about the fact that she never "grew out of” painting about love. But tell me, is there anything more mature or badass than doing whatever the fuck you want, regardless of how it will be perceived by other people? I don’t think so.
Where are you shopping these days? What are your favorite small or secondhand businesses? Let us know in the comments.