Today on Weekend Meanderings what’s new at Crate & Barrel, a few changes and rearranges at Snowberry, a winter outfit idea and a few Valentine inspired gifts.
Happy Weekend Friends!
At the beginning of 2023 I made a list of home projects I intended to tackle.
Nothing major, but number of areas throughout the house feel unfinished and where I’m kind of stuck.
2023 came and went and do you know how many of those projects I checked off my list?
Zero.
That’s right, a big fat zero.
Each time I came close to a decision I start second guessing myself and nothing got done.
This year is going to be different and I’ve already made progress.
And I made a couple of big decisions to get me moving in the right direction.
More on those another day.
This article includes affiliate links; if you click on a shopping link and make a purchase I may receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Today I want to share a few tiny changes I’ve made far this month.
Starting with this website.
Make Mine A Spritzer got a little New Year’s refresh.
What do you think?
Let’s jump in …
ZHUSHING THE GREAT ROOM SHELVES
The first item on my project list is our great room shelves. When we moved into Snowberry four years ago after a down to the studs renovation (if you’d like to know more about our renovation start here) the pandemic had us locked down and so I had plenty of time to unpack boxes and get things arranged. I put what I had on the shelves and it was fine. But I’ve wanted to refine them ever since. Last week I mentioned taking advantage of Serena & Lily’s sale to buy two Beaufort Trays. They’ve been on my wish list for several years for the lower built-in shelves. I felt like they would ground each side and tie them together. Placing the order for the trays got me motivated and I did something I swore I’d never do. I turned the books in the baskets around. In my defense, these are paperbacks … not serious literature or first editions. I’m surprised by how much I like the more neutral look. Never say never.
Long story short, I absolutely love the trays. They’re longer and narrower than most rectangular trays and just as I hoped they’re a perfect fit. I pulled a footed, ceramic bowl (similar) filled with blue and white balls from my dish hutch and a terracotta pot from the garage. The terracotta pot (Bergs Scallop – medium) is too tall and I ordered this wider, squattier version from the same line at Terrain.
So that’s the current situation on the right side of the fireplace built-ins. The left side is a work in progress. And it’s part of a bigger project that deserves its own post and I’ll be sharing the process in the coming months. Stay tuned!
While the terracotta pot is too tall, and the ceramic bowl could use a skoosh more height. I ordered these 8″ cork plant coasters to elevate it … I’ll probably need to use two.
Shop the Look ~
COFFEE TABLE REFRESH
While shuffling things around the shelves I felt like my coffee table tray needed a little post-holiday refresh. It took about 5 minutes and involved taking a few things away and adding a new candle. By new I don’t mean new new, I pulled it from my candle stash (significantly reduced since my decluttering frenzy). I love this square, woven tray. It was such a great purchase last year. Kim gave me those pretty cocktail napkins. I adore them … maybe she can tell us where she found them?
Shop the Look ~
WHAT’S NEW AT CRATE & BARREL + THE TERRAIN SHOP AT ANTHROPOLOGY
All this zhushing required a little inspiration and I took a trip to downtown Walnut Creek and stopped by our new Crate & Barrel. It’s not really new, it (finally) moved into its new location across the street from its old location and kitty corner from its temporary location. Anyway, the new store is lovely!
This cute little glass cloche caught my eye, they showed it placed over a candle and I thought it could be cute for my coffee table. When I got home it just didn’t work so I tried it over my dining table candleholders … and I like it! Of course, I then needed a second cloche for the second candleholder … I ordered online and picked up in the store the next day.
Table Runner | Candleholder | Pillar Candle | Cloche
I’m like a kid in a candy store at Crate & Barrel and I had to remind myself that I’m in the midst of a decluttering process. That said, I’m eyeing this dried greenery wreath for spring and summer. And I’m wondering where I might use this rattan dome lamp. I scored a bamboo console table for our foyer on 1stdibs this week … could it work there?! Their laundered linen pillow covers had me reaching for the smelling salts. And this striped ceramic mixing bowl set is nearly impossible to resist. Look at these lemon and stripe organic cotton dish towels. Stop already … but wait, I’d be remiss not to mention their incredible section of faux stems and branches; these faux lemon stems are beautiful.
Isn’t this City Gardens candle collection pretty? To evoke the scent of tucked-away gardens in Rome, Paris, Kyoto, Copenhagen and Chicago.
After taking in the amazingness of the new Crate & Barrel I wandered across the street to Anthropology. The Terrain shop is always a delight and is decked out in pretty Valentine inspired gifts and decor. I’m in love with their red velvet mushrooms, they come in a set of three or this darling mushrooms in a grassy knoll situation.
Terrain always has a great selection of plants and I bought three tiny maiden hair ferns to combine together in one pot. I hoped to find the shorter terracotta pot for the great room shelf, but it wasn’t in stock so when I got home I ordered it online. At that point my hands were full so I wasn’t able to walk through the rest of the store. Next time.
Valentine Inspired Gifts & Decor at Terrain ~
FINALLY … A PROPER OFFICE CHAIR
It’s been nearly four years since the pandemic forced Jim (and the rest of the world) to work from home. And it’s coming up on four years since I started the blog and begin to spending a ridiculous number of hours in front of my laptop. At the point beginning of our home office era, we commandeered the host chairs from our dining room. Over time we had to jury rig them in ridiculous ways to support our poor backs. I used a lumbar pillow plus a regular pillow. Jim tied two outdoor cushions to the seat and back of the chair. This went way too long but for some reason we just couldn’t bring ourselves to pull the trigger on proper, ergonomic office chairs. At various times we talked about investing in the well-regarded Herman Miller Aeron chair. It’s been touted as the office chair of office chairs. But I kept getting hung up on the price while our backs continued to ache. Recently Wirecutter updated their review of the best office chairs for 2024. The Herman Miller chair is high on the list, but the Steelcase Gesture chair came out on top. It too is pricey, but several hundred dollars less than Herman Miller and for some reason this comparison made it more palatable and we decided it was way past time to make the investment. Jim ordered the chairs from Best Buy (we ordered chair in oatmeal with hardwood floor casters) and picked them up a couple of weeks later. He had to put them together, and I thought this might be a major project, but it was super simple. I have a video of the process which I’ll share. Even I could have done it.
Steelcase Gesture Chair at Best Buy | Amazon | Wayfair
I’ll spare you an image of the chairs in our office. It’s completely unsightly and on my projects list this year.
DINNER IN THE CITY
Last weekend my BFF Jane and I drove through rain, snow, sleet and hail (ok, it was only rain) to the City to meet her daughter, Tess, for dinner in the Marina followed by the I’ve Had It Podcast live show at the Palace of Fine Arts. Jane has two sets of twins. I know! Anyway, her older daughters are young professionals living their best lives in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco. Cow Hollow and neighboring Marina are two of the best neighborhoods to live in the City and I’m envious. Even though it was a rainy night, all the fabulous restaurants were jam packed with diners spilling out onto covered dining pavilions popularized during the pandemic. The 49er game was on and which made the scene extra lively. Tess made a reservation at Norcina a darling Italian restaurant on Pierce Street. The three of us shared buratta and meatball appetizers followed by the most amazing pasta main courses. For dessert we shared DIY S’mores to celebrate Jane’s birthday a little early. So fun! As we were leaving, the Chef’s dog, Frank, came over to greet us. I love that San Francisco is so dog friendly … and there were tons of dogs out enjoying meals with their humans. The Palace of Fine Arts is about a 10 minute walk and we made it into our seats just in time for the show to begin.
I dressed for warmth and comfort … jeans, sweater, boots. I’ve been wearing these wide-leg Madewell jeans everywhere lately … it’s a style I love and it suits me. They work well with tennies, loafers, and in this case combat style boots that kept my feet warm and dry. My older J.Crew cashmere turtleneck is no longer available, but this one is very similar.
I tossed on my Burberry trench and grabbed an umbrella.
Cashmere Turtleneck | Wide-Leg Denim | Combat Bootie | Trench | Tote | Earrings | Bracelet
Odds & Socks ~
While we’re on the topic of San Francisco, take tour this beautiful City renovation.
Last week I shared five things I’m loving in January, including a delicious lemon poppy seed muffin recipe. If you missed it you can catch up here. And catch my muffin making Reel here.
Current Favorites ~
And that’s what I have for you this week.
Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth …
Until next time, cheers from Snowberry!
Reader Interactions