Weird Things I Bought

[m o l l y]

Smart shopping. I sewed for a decade before buying one, like a dope.

[yourfriendclaire]

Update: have already cut myself with the rotary cutter.

[m o l l y]

[marijke]

Eeeeep no.

I just bought a safer craft thing. Like 5 different green pens. I dunno, just wanted to write in green and started wondering which pen is best. Some people go so deep on their feelings about pens! I bought one green Le Pen yesterday, then ordered 4 more different kinds on the internet - Pentel, Pilot, etc. It was a truly impulsive moment.

I use ballpoint typically because I sign a lot of checks and then fold and crease them and would smear sigs if they were wet. I bought two refillable Parker ballpoint pens a few years ago and I've used those daily since. But I've been writing every morning and the ballpoint can drag if you're writing at length, so now I'm exploring the world of gellies.

[yourfriendclaire]

Have you fucked with a classic Muji jelly pen? They come in many colors and are my gold standard for an everyday writer—great ink flow, last forever, small nib, look nice, not crazy expensive. Maybe a little too inky for your needs? Although the ink dries quick.

[m o l l y]

Sign a lot of checks!

[marijke]

Oh man. That sounds super obnoxious when I read it written back!

I do sign checks for work, it’s construction, still pretty old school. We receive faxes still. :/

I’ve heard people rave about muji pens, gonna try those! So far I enjoy writing with the le pen in the morning.

[yourfriendclaire]

They're on sale right now!

https://www.muji.us/store/gel-ink-ballp ... ck-nosto-1

Something is up with Muji—they're closing a bunch of their US stores. It's made us paranoid and led us to stockpile certain Muji favorites, such as their jumbo cat-hair-sticky-roller.

[m o l l y]

Common, Muji. I have been patiently waiting for you to open a store in Belgium for years. I just want a minimalist modular mop/broom! Is that so much to ask!?

[yourfriendclaire]

There's no Muji store in Brussels? Honestly that surprises me!

There's definitely one in Paris—a destination for your next bike/train adventure.

[m o l l y]

Yeah I have them all starred on google maps. Paris, Cologne, Madrid, Berlin... "Oh look, we wandered by a Muji. Funny, right? Oh no, of course, it'll be real quick."

[meadows]

I got myself the xmas present of a pair of linen pajamas made to my custom measurements!!!
They are blue, super heavy weight linen, and feel honestly like a legit outfit. They are so smooth and floppy and I love them.

[meadows]

I also bought a linen duvet cover, so now our bed is fully linen. It's the best money spent on home luxury, for me. I'm freezing when I go to bed and when I wake up, but get super hot and sweaty in the night, and linen helps regulate my temp. Plus it just feels incredible.
My quarantine has been all about acquiring more linens, I guess? A shirt, 2 dresses, pjs, duvet cover.

[yourfriendclaire]

My first and likely best 2021 accomplishment was using an old linen bedsheet to teach myself basic sewing from patterns. I made myself a little tank top and pajama shorts combo (with pockets AND an elastic waist) that now constitute my go-to sleepwear. It's fun because I go to bed wearing an outfit made OUT OF bed.

[meadows]

that sounds like a perfect set for sleeping or just living!
now I covet it for summer...

[meadows]

I also bit the bullet and bought a new large hoodie. Since one can't really thrift right now I just purchased a new thing and don't regret it- huge, perfect color, soft, heavy, deep hood. I have been wearing it almost every day, along with a couple of long sleeved maxi t-shirt dresses that are kind of just long tubes with sleeves. Is it an outfit or is it pajamas, who can say?!

[yourfriendclaire]

Yes! Big hoodie is life!

I've kinda gone off an athleisure deep end now that I'm pretty regularly working out & have bought...many Girlfriend Collective leggings. They're 100% made out of post-consumer plastic waste, they come in great colors and they're not very expensive! They have a set-up deal where you get two leggings, two bras, underwear and socks for like $160. I'm a hard convert.

Another extravagant self-care purchase Jona and I did recently was drop $100 on bath salts & oils from Kneipp, a kind of old-world German hydrotherapy hippie bath salt brand:

https://www.kneipp.com/us_en/home/

AND bubble bath from Alaffia, a rad fair-trade/social enterprise company that makes excellent soaps that benefit Togolese villages:

https://www.alaffia.com

We're taking baths like 3x weekly so this struck us as a solid investment.

[m o l l y]

I know Kneipp! Kneipp is here! Here is Kneipp!

[meadows]

What are the Kniepp hits? I love to bathe.

[yourfriendclaire]

The Eucalyptus oil is WONDERFUL. It's a small bottle of very viscous deep green HEAVILY scented oil and it turns the whole bathtub green. Would be amazing for the winter sniffles if anyone still got those. I bought Jona a bottle for Christmas and we tore through it in a month. Just restocked ourselves with some fun new flavors—like juniper, red poppy and hemp, and arnica. They're having a sale!

[meadows]

anyone have a fave source/brand for a big ole zip up hoodie, plain color?

[meadows]

OH, does that eucalyptus oil stain your tub? I want it, but I'm also trying to avoid bath stuff that gunks up the tub too much!

[yourfriendclaire]

No stains!

I like the Everybody World hoodies—they're a little on the spendy side, maybe, but they're made out of recycled manufacturing waste (100% cotton, biodegradable) and they're nice and thick and cozy.

https://everybody.world/collections/sweatshirts

Not zip-ups though :/