Friday Finds: No. 165

Chicago fashion and lifestyle blogger Bows & Sequins wearing pink sunglasses, a pink fur pom pom hat with a J.Crew cocoon coat with a blush pink clutch.

Happy Friday! I’m floored that this is the last Friday in February… This month has flown by! Granted, I guess that’s to be expected when you’ve had some travel plans. We were in Santa Barbara for the first week of the month, and then went up to Milwaukee for a little getaway last weekend. We also saw Les Miserables last week! I’d never seen it, which was a travesty in Dave’s theatre-loving family, so he got us tickets for the day after Valentine’s Day. It was VERY, very good! Highly recommend checking it out while it’s in town.

What’s on the docket this weekend, friends? We’re trying a new spot for dinner tonight, and then seeing some friends for dinner tomorrow night up in Evanston. Other than that, hoping to have a productive weekend getting ahead on some work!

Hope you have a great one!

xx jess

PS: If you’re in Chicago, don’t forget about the mayoral election on Tuesday! Make a plan to get out and vote.

What I Read & Listened to This Week

I’m going to make Lauren’s Baked Banana Protein Oatmeal this weekend! Went to the store and got the ingredients last night. Looks so delish.

Two more food videos for you… Whipped Brie a la Thomas Keller & the viral Pickle Cheese Roll-Up

An interesting read about Amazon buying One Medical

What I Shopped & Browsed This Week

I hope you like SHOES, because I feel like that’s the main thing that I was ogling over this week!

Feeling majorly left out that I don’t have a pair of New Balances yet. The 327’s are *the* style to get, the 237’s are probably next, but there are so many cute pairs! I also love the 574’s a lot. The popular colors are kind of hard to find in stock in your size so if you see a pair you like, I’d snatch them up before they sell out!

If you’ve got a warm weather vacay coming up or are getting a head start on your spring wardrobe, these embroidered slides could not be cuter!

This woven flat is going to be my shoe of the summer, mark my words! (PS: Use my code JSTURDY20 for 20% off!)

And these will be my other pair of go-to’s! Can’t get over the ruffle detail. (Sadly no discount code for these.)

You know I *love* a lace-up flat sandal… For me, nothing is more comfortable or stays in place better! I can walk for miles and miles in my other Marc Fisher lace-up sandals. Which is probably why I could use a new pair! (3 or 4 summer of constant wear will do that!) So happy they brought this style back… They haven’t for the last few years! (Again, JSTURDY20 for 20% off!)

On the platform front, how freaking cute are these?!?! I love!!

These raffia ballet flats couldn’t be more darling! I also love this denim crochet pair.

Okay, moving on from shoes… The award for the cutest matching short suit set goes to… This Blazer + These Shorts

I’ve got belts on the brain… I desperately need a few new ones!! (The only black belt I have is my Gucci one with the two big Gs and understated is definitely more on trend these days…)

How GORGEOUS are these butterfly stud earrings?! 🦋 In love. (Also comes in a pendant necklace!)

I am *obsessed* with this black straw bag. It will be my daily summer bag if it’s still in stock then! (Sounds kind of silly, but when a portion of my job is sharing my outfits, I try to buy things that I know will be in stock! Nothing is more frustrating for you guys wanting to buy something that’s not available.)

I have a leopard calf hair clutch by this same designer and I’ve been wearing it for almost a decade! I just saw she has this new woven metallic version (with both gold and silver mixed in!) and, if you’re in the martket, I think it’s one of those extremely versatile staple pieces you’ll have for years to come.

Lots of fun, vintage-inspired sweatshirts… Buy a size up (or two!) for a roomier fit.

On the home front, I’ve been wanting to get a bolster pillow for our guest bedroom… Finally found a bunch I liked on Arhaus! Eventually, I want to redo our living room couch pillows and incorporate some color (i.e. green) or different textures, but that’s not a need at the moment. Plenty to cross off our decorating list before we get to that! (Like this giant cabinet!)

How beautiful are these leather storage baskets?!

Away’s new Aura Collection is what sunrise and sunset dreams are made of! 😍🌈

I recently told this story on Instagram, but I was helping a friend do some bedding shopping at Parachute a few weeks ago and was shocked by how soft this robe was. Was I in the market for a new robe? Not really, so I walked out of the store and ended up turning around to come back in to buy it. I don’t know what it is, but it just feels so luxurious. When I shared it on Instagram, it happened to be out of stock in almost every size and color. BUT I just saw that it was re-stocked!!

I had pre-ordered this book by one of my favorite therapists to follow on Instagram and it finally arrived this week! Excited to dig in. The Origins of You

Vineyard Vines new arrivals are SO cute!!

This leopard skirt looks just like the one I wore every other day in 2019! Sadly that one didn’t fit anymore so I gave it to a girlfriend. Might need to pick this one up!

What We Cooked This Week

On Monday, Dave whipped up a bucatini pasta (very similar to bucatini all’amatriciana) with ingredients we had on hand. (So delish!) We went out for Mexican with our neighbors on Tuesday night, but cooked at home on Wednesday and Thursday night. On Wednesday, we made a healthier chicken parm from The Defined Dish. I’m not sure if that’s the exact recipe or not, as we were using the one in this cookbook. It was the second time we’ve made it and it does not disapoint!! And then on Thursday, we tried a new recipe from the same cookbook: Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala. Another winner that will be added to our rotation… Perfect for a blustery cold day.

As a side note, I got Dave this cookbook for Christmas to try to incorporate some more HEALTHY weeknight dinners into our rotation, and I’m *very* pleasantly surprised how much he’s enjoyed the meals. He’s quite the critic when it comes to food and usually turns his nose at ‘healthy swaps!’ After cooking a number of meals from it over the last two months, we both give it two thumbs up. 👍🏼👍🏼

Other Things of Note

I completely overhauled my Amazon Shop this week! It should be *SO* much easier to find what you’re looking for or find the right list for shopping inspo. I’m always adding to and updating lists!

If you enjoy reading my blog or following me on social media, I would be forever grateful if you would fill out a short testimonial. Lots more details in that blog post, but it should only take ~2 minutes to fill out!

Interested in getting my weekly Rose & Thorn email? 🌹 Sign up for my newsletter! It goes out on Fridays and has a more personal note with my highs and lows of the week, as well as what I’m looking forward to.

Photo Originally Posted: Pink Pom-Pom

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