The Notebook
Defile the first page
My husband is working on a project right now about the pitfalls of perfectionism. It’s not out yet, but I’m privy to its early stages, and one of his main points was almost painfully relatable. I’m stealing and sharing one of the main ideas here.
So, I love stationary. Notebooks in particular. I’m big into journaling, regular journaling, morning pages, commonplace booking.
But literally every time I go to start a new notebook (I probably have a dozen waiting in the wings), it takes me weeks to actually start. I’m terrified of sullying them, of ruining all that pristine potential with a mistake.
Anth’s video got me thinking: it only takes one mistake before the notebook stops feeling precious.
So what if I started every note book with … a mistake? Deliberately.
Intentionally.
What if I tear the first page. Draw a black turd on it. Wrinkle it. Smear the ink.
Once it’s no longer perfect, it’s free to be what it’s meant to be: useful. creative. mine.
I wonder if this “defile the first page” mentality could help me in other areas of my life I’ve been procrastinating on.
That list of courses I want to make? What if I just picked one, and intentionally made it as basic as I possibly can. Not only to get it done, but relieve the pressure on the others.
That book I want to read that’s just so beautiful; draw a smiley face in the margin.
The template I want to sell? Make the first graphic the ugliest I possibly can, as quickly as I can.
start shitty.
make a mess.
defile the first page.
do the thing.
My go-to Manhattan recipe
The best Manhattan recipe has bourbon and rye.
Take me out for drinks, and there’s a 90% chance I’ll order a Manhattan, up, no cherry. More often I have them at home. Most people either prefer a bourbon or a rye base; I like a split-base. The bourbon’s a little sweet, the rye not so much. Good balance.
Here is my go-to recipe.
1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. sweet vermouth
couple dashes of angostura bitters
a luxardo cherry is a classic garnish, though i skip it.
put it all into a mixing glass or a cocktail shaker. add a lot of ice. stir it, for like…a full minute. don’t shake it. If you don’t have a cocktail spoon, use a regular spoon or a butter knife. don’t overthink it.
strain it into a chilled cocktail glass.
suggestions:
I use Woodford bourbon
I use Rittenhouse rye most of the time, but I upgrade to Michter’s if I’ve gotten it as a gift
I always use Noilly Pratt sweet vermouth, but it’s hard to find. Dolin is good as well. If at all possible, try to avoid the super cheap stuff, it’s just not as good.
I use these glasses; they’re on the classy, smaller side by American “martini glass” standards, so if you have those behemoth martini glasses, you’re probably going to need to increase the amount above to fill the glass.
I don’t like cherries, but I’m told these are a vast improvement over the neon red ones you typically find in the grocery store.
why I decided to go gray 41
In my 20s, gray hair felt like something to erase—at 41, I’m done hiding it and here’s why
I discovered my first gray hair as a teenager. I plucked it.
The gray hairs continued to pop up with regularity all through college, wiry and stark against my black hair. I plucked those too.
By 23, I was covering the grays with semi-permanent color every 6-8 weeks.
By 26, I’d moved on to permanent color on the roots, every 3-4 weeks.
By 40, I was going in every 2 weeks. Yes, two. My hair grows fast, and because my roots were so white and my dye so dark I looked like a skunk after about 10 days. 🦨
And even as I laughed it off “my lot in life,” a little part of me started to wonder:
Is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my life? Is this what’s important?
Here are the 10 musings that led me to take the plunge and stop dying my hair and embrace white/gray growout at 41:
01.
Growing old is a damned privilege that many don’t get to experience. Why was I acting ashamed of aging? Why was I trying to hide that I’m so freaking lucky to have made it another day/month/year?
02.
I want to be interesting, not look young. I hope when someone leaves an encounter with me they have something to say other than, “She looks young,” or worse: “She’s had work done.”
03.
I started to ask myself when would be the right age, and realized there was no magical acceptable age when it’s all of a sudden be okay and easy to transition from black to white. What exactly was my plan to stop dying her hair? 50? 60? 70? 80? Never?
04.
Which made me realize I really don’t want to spend the next forty years to forever going every 2-3 weeks to sit in a chair for an hour+ to have chemicals glopped onto my scalp to pretend my hair is a color it hasn’t been since I was 20.
05.
A younger-than-me acquaintance got Botox, and her once-interesting face became instantly generic. It made me question if my own pursuit of appearing youthful was making me equally generic (it was).
06.
Why was I trying to cling to what I looked like at 20, when I’m infinitely happier at 40? Why not just … look 40?
07.
When I suggested the idea of going gray to my hair dresser, she said, “I think it would really age you,” and my first thought was, “…and?” (see: above #1 and #2)
08.
Hilarie Burton sold me on it being both cool and a relief (I’m 4 months in now, and … she’s right). My friend Laura embraced her gray hair in her 30s, and she said it’s her favorite thing about herself.
09.
The men in my life aren’t playing the game. My dad and husband both started going gray in their 20s/30s and they just kept going gray. I want in on the silver fox club.
10
I realized I couldn’t remember ever consciously making the decision on whether or not to cover my gray hairs. Rationally, I know I was the one that made the first “pluck.” I was the one who called the salon for that first dye job. But when I looked myself in the mirror and asked, “Why are you dying your hair?” the only thing was auto-programed static: well, that’s just what women do.
But what if we didn’t?
why i quit canva
Canva revolutionized the creator economy by making design accessible to the masses, but the platform’s cluttered UX/UI is its own worst enemy—here’s why I’m over it after 11 years of use.
I don’t hate Canva for the the reason most people hate Canva.
I appreciate the superior capabilities of Adobe suite, but I’m not one of those professionally trained designers who thinks that Canva devalues professional designers. I think the creative world needs both: a place to quickly create a perfectly fine YouTube thumbnail, as well as trained industry experts to set industry standards.
I take no issue with the concept of “fast design,” or the increased prevalence of templates. I actually rather like the idea of design being applicable to the masses, and I love myself an aesthetic template.
It’s the Canva app itself that I can’t deal with.
It needs to be said:
Canva has an absolute garbage UX/UI.
Which is especially befuddling when you consider it’s a design app.
And you’re not going to convince me that I simply need to “get used to it.” I was an early adopter; I’ve been using Canva since it was founded in 2013. Eleven years later, it increasingly takes me longer to find what I need to create my graphic in Canva than it does to actually create it.
Good design should get out of the way, but Canva seems determined to ensure that we can’t create our own designs until we reckon with theirs. It’s bloated, busy, and chaotic. If someone asked me to design something that would keep a restless toddler preoccupied for hours with bright nonsense to click on, it would look exactly like Canva’s homepage.
I just opened the Canva website up on my laptop, and without scrolling, I counted sixty-five different things that I could click on. All above the fold. That’s more than 65 things my eyes have to process in order to find the one thing that I want.
I’d take elegantly boring fixed sidebar and familiar folder structure any day over yet another half-baked AI-powered tool or feature nobody asked for.
I’ve decided to stop settling for less than delight when it comes to the app I use, and Canva doesn’t even come close to making the cut.
What I’m Using Instead
for social media graphics on my phone
I use Unfold or Graphionica. I prefer the interface of Unfold, but since they seem to be increasingly focused on animated and video content, I find myself opening Graphionica (hate the name, love the templates) more often.
for social media graphics on my computer
Adobe Express. I confess I was determined to hate this, but it’s grown on me. The built-in templates are puzzlingly ugly, but once I created my own, I find myself using turning to this constantly.
For presentations
iA Presenter. It’s dramatically shifted what I thought a presentation was supposed to be. It was a bit of a system shock, but once they planted the seed of a presentation being about telling a story rather than visually stunning slides, I’m finding it hard to go back pointlessly fancy slide decks that look gorgeous, but say little.
Documents / Page Layouts
I just use Apple Pages. It’s free since I’m a Mac user, and forces me to focus on content and elegant simplicity. I appreciate that InDesign does much more, but I don’t need much more.
more complex stuff, mostly mockups
Pixelmator or the Adobe suite.
The difference between a blog and a digital garden
I like to think of digital gardens as individual, weird little corners of the internet. They’re raw. Random. Fiercely individual.
The best ones are easy to get lost in and a delight to be lost in.
In contrast, blogs are typically a collection of posts confined either by chronological order or niche.
You’re supposed to blog about some thing.
The digital garden is the thing itself.
Visiting a blog is like going to a grocery store; you enter because you need something.
Visiting a digital garden is like visiting, well … a garden; you enter because you want to want see the garden.
Blogs are about the site visitor; they’re meant to add value.
Digital gardens are about the site creator; they’re valuable simply because they exist.
I treat my digital garden like a digital commonplace book. It’s place to collect and share thoughts, ideas, things I’ve created. A basic list of something I want to reference later. A recipe I like. A graphic I’ve created for no reason other than I think it’s pretty and it pleases me. A thought. An idea. A recommendation.
Mine’s a little bit of a shop, because I do what I want, but yours doesn’t have to be.
I make it public rather than keeping it all in my notes app because gardens are meant to be wandered. I hope you’ll get lost and discover something new.
A couple links about digital gardening that I like:
Cozy November emoji pairings
These look nice together, and give me late fall vibes. I like using seasonal or aesthetic emoji in my notes and such.
🍁🕯️🥖🦃
🧦🦉🍄🪵
🍂🥃🐿️📜
🏈☕️🌻👜
🦔🌰🥧🍞
🧺🪵🍁🕯️
🥃🐿️🦉🍄
🧦📜🍂🥧
🧺🌻☕️🍂
🦃🍁🧦🥖
🪵🐿️🕯️🍂
🦉🌰📜🥃
🥧🍞👜🧦
🕯️🍄🍂🌻
🦔🌻🍞🧺
🥧🦉👜🪵
🏈🌰🍂📜
☕️🍂🦔🧺
🥧🦉🍄📜
🍂👜🪵🥃
🦃🌰🍞🍁
🍄🧺🦉🕯️
🌻🍞🦔🧦
🍂☕️🥧🍄
🧺🪵🦃🦉
🥖🦔🧺📜
🪵🌻🍞🦉
🥧🍂👜🦃
☕️🍄🍞🪵
🦉🍂👜🍞
🥃🧦🦃🪵
📜🌰🦉🧺
🥧🍁🦔☕️
🏈🌻🧺🦃
🪵🥖🍄🧦
🦔🥧📜🧺
🦃🍞☕️🦉
🪵🌰🍁🥧
🍄🍂🧦🕯️
🦉📜🪵🌻
My favorite astrology apps
The best astrology apps with minimalist design.
You may have noticed from this site that I’m big into negative space, quiet typography, and neutral negative colors. I find minimalist design beautiful, I find it soothing, and I find it nearly impossible to find in the astrology world.
There seems to be some sort of common understanding that astrology aesthetic is supposed to be busy as hell. Almost all of them insist on dark colors (night sky, I get it) and even the ones that don’t lean heavily into the use of celestial graphics.
As a lover of minimalist design, typing “astrology” into the app store feels a bit like a visual assault. If you, like me, have turned to astrology of a way of quieting down in a noisy world, I’ve found a few apps that offer the respite you may be seeking:
Here are the best astrology apps with minimalist design:
Co-Star
The design of this app feels made for me. It has a ton of white space, thoughtful typography, and any graphics are black-and-white. Aesthetically it’s everything that I want, and I love the way they display your chart either as a pleasing table or a minimalist circle. My only quibble is that it’s extremely compatibility focused. As someone who’s been happily partnered for more than 20 years, and a bit of a loner, I’ve increasingly been finding the social aspect of the app an ill fit for me.
That said, if you’re into the social aspect, this is fantastic for connecting with friend or romantic partners on astrological level. I also enjoy that they let you elegantly share your chart. Here’s mine.
Chani
Design-wise, I don’t love this as much as Co-Star; it has a lot of whimsical graphics, which aren’t known to delight me. But it’s still on the minimalist side, compared to the majority of other astrology apps, and far more importantly, the actual content is unbeatable. In addition to the expected chart analysis, their transit information is personalized and wonderfully accurate, their daily/weekly predictions are robust and delightful, and they even integrate tarot and meditations in a way that feels digestible rather than overwhelming.
MoonX
As a Cancer Rising, the Moon is my chart ruler. I also have a Stellium (Moon, Mars, Mercury) in Taurus, where the Moon is exalted. So I pay extra close attention to the moon, and my favorite app for that is MoonX. It’s the best I’ve found for tracking and understanding everything lunar. If you, like me, resonate extra hard with your moon sign and are guided by the moon, this is the app for you. And I wouldn’t quite call its design minimal in the grand scheme of things, but relative to other astrology/moon apps, it’s pretty great.
In Conclusion
I currently have a paid subscription to all these apps, though I’m contemplating letting Co-Star Premium lapse. If I had to recommend spending money on only one of these, it would be Chani. I think it offers the most value.
The Harry Potter movies, ranked
I have a long standing tradition of watching the Harry Potter movies every October, usually paired with at least one boozy butter beer.
I’ve noticed that my favorites seem to fluctuate every few years; for example, I used to detest Azkaban for the its abrupt shift in tone from the first two, but now it’s among my favorites.
Here’s my ranking after the 2024 viewing, from least favorite to favorite. For the purpose of this list, I’m evaluating the movies in their own right as films, not as a reflection of how well or poorly they represent the source material. My ranking of the books is rather different.
8. Deathly Hallows, Part One
I understand why they had to split the last book into two movies, and don’t envy the filmmakers the task of trying to turn the first half into a compelling standalone film. Still, I always refer to this one as “moody teenagers camping in the woods.” Ron in particular is unbearable.
7. Order of the Phoenix
This is the only one where I actually liked the movie slightly better than the book, which I found to be a depressing slog. But the angsty, meandering plot just isn’t a favorite in either format. I will say, Imelda Staunton is exquisite as the savagely awful Umbridge.
6. Chamber of Secrets
This one’s fallen down on my list over the years. I love the tone, but it’s overlong, and I’ve never cared for Branaugh’s portrayal of Lockhart.
5. Goblet of Fire
This one’s grown on me a bit, but once again, moody Ron is tiresome. And as someone who’s never cared for sports, the double tournament energy (Quiddich World Cup and TriWizard) just doesn’t resonate with me.
4. Deathly Hallows, Part Two
I have very few bones to pick with this movie, I think it wraps the series beautifully. It’s not higher on the list only because it’s damn sad.
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
The plot of this one isn’t a favorite, but I’ve come to find it visually mesmerizing. And “it’s going to be a bumpy ride” gets a lot of love in our house.
2. Half-Blood Prince
I know this is a bit of a hot-take because it departs rather wildly from the book, but I find this movie an absolute joy to watch. It’s surprisingly and refreshingly funny, and Michael Gambon finally seems to tap into a bit of Dumbledore’s gentle essence.
1. Sorcerer’s Stone
The light-hearted first movie will forever be my favorite. Even with the poorly-aged CGI, it feels magical. No matter how many times I see it, I still share Harry’s wonder at the first sight of Hogwarts, the moving staircases, the floating pumpkins, the grand feast, the moving paintings. Often after I finish the 8th film, I’ll sneak in one more watch of this one, because it’s this cozy vision of the franchise that brings me back very year.
Villain era & shadow work journal prompts
I’m solidly in my Villain Era right now, and spending a bit of time with these questions uncovered all sorts of useful delights.
What desires have I suppressed to please others?
What parts of me do I hide out of shame?
What if I stopped apologizing for taking up space?
Where do I feel powerless? How can I reclaim it?
What boundaries do I need to set?
How have I been the "villain" in someone's story?
How do I sabotage my own success?
What does my envy reveal about my desires?
What part of my shadow am I afraid to confront?
What does "selfishness" mean to me?
When have I silenced my voice to avoid conflict?
What does my "villain era" look like?
Who do I need to release to move forward?
When have I felt most powerful and unapologetic?
How can I embrace being "too much"?
A simple list of all Taylor Swift songs
For Swifties who want a list of all her songs that you can easily copy and paste. No junky ads, extra formatting, hyperlinks, personal ratings, or other pointless crap. Just the songs.
I’ve tried to include all Vault and Bonus tracks, but this doesn’t include alternate versions/remixes. If I’ve forgotten a song and you’re upset by it, you can email me.
Taylor Swift
Tim McGraw
Picture to Burn
Teardrops on my Guitar
A Place in This World
Cold As You
The Outside
Tied Together With a Smile
Stay Beautiful
Should’ve Said No
Mary’s Song
Our Song
I’m Only Me When I’m With You
Invisible
A Perfectly Good Heart
Fearless
Fearless
Fifteen
Love Story
Hey Stephen
White Horse
You Belong With Me
Breathe (w/Colbie Caillat)
Tell Me Why
You’re Not Sorry
The Way I Loved You
Forever and Always
The Best Day
Change
Speak Now
Mine
Sparks Fly
Back to December
Speak Now
Dear John
Mean
The Story of Us
Never Grow Up
Enchanted
Better Than Revenge
Innocent
Haunted
Last Kiss
Long Live
Red
State of Grace
Red
Treacherous
I Knew You Were Trouble
All Too Well
22
I Almost Do
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Stay Stay Stay
The Last Time
Holy Ground
Sad Beautiful Tragic
The Lucky One
Everything Has Changed
Starlight
Begin Again
Nothing New
Run
The Very First Night
Forever Winter
Babe
Better Man
1989
Welcome to New York
Blank Space
Style
Out of the Woods
All You Had to Do Was Stay
Shake It Off
I Wish You Would
Bad Blood
Wildest Dreams
How You Get the Girl
This Love
I Know Places
Clean
Wonderland (Taylor’s Version)
You Are in Love (Taylor’s Version)
New Romantics (Taylor’s Version)
Slut!
Say Don’t Go
Now That We Don’t Talk
Suburban Legends
Is It Over Now
Reputation
…Ready For It
End Game
I Did Something Bad
Don’t Blame Me
Delicate
Look What You Made Me Do
So It Goes
Gorgeous
Getaway Car
King of My Heart
Dancing With Our Hands Tied
Dress
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Call It What You Want
New Year’s Day
Lover
I Forgot That You Existed
Cruel Summer
Lover
The Man
The Archer
I Think He Knows
Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince
Paper Rings
Cornelia Street
Death By a Thousand Cuts
London Boy
Soon You’ll Get Better
False God
You Need to Calm Down
Afterglow
Me!
It’s Nice to Have a Friend
Daylight
Folklore
The 1
Cardigan
The Last Great American Dynasty
Exile
My Tears Ricochet
Mirrorball
Seven
August
This Is Me Trying
Illicit Affairs
Invisible String
Mad Woman
Epiphany
Betty
Peace
Hoax
Evermore
Willow
Champagne Problems
Gold Rush
‘Tis the Damn Season
Tolerate It
No Body No Crime
Happiness
Dorthea
Coney Island
Ivy
Cowboy Like Me
Long Story Short
Marjorie
Closure
Evermore
Midnights
Lavender Haze
Maroon
Anti-Hero
Snow on the Beach
You’re On Your Own, Kid
Midnight Rain
Question…?
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Karma
Sweet Nothing
Mastermind
Hits Different
The Great War
Bigger Than the Whole Sky
Paris
High Infidelity
Glitch
Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
Dear Reader
You’re Losing Me
Aesthetic Halloween emoji pairings
🎃 🕸️ 🕷️ 🖤
🦇 🎃 🖤 🧛♀️
🕯️ 🧡 🕸️ 🎃
🖤 🕷️ 🧛♂️ 🦇
👻 🕯️ 🎃 🖤
🦇 🎃 🕸️ 🧡
🎃 🔮 🦇 🖤
🕸️ 🧛♂️ 🦇 🖤
🎃 👻 🕸️ 🧡
🖤 🎃 🕷️ ☠️
🎃 👻 🕸️ 🧛♀️
🕸️ 🦇 🖤 🕷️
🎃 ☠️ 🕯️ 🧡
🧛♀️ 🎃 👻 🖤
🔮 🦇 🕸️ 🧡
🎃 🕸️ 🕷️ ☠️
🦇 ☠️ 🎃 🖤
🎃 🧛♂️ 🕸️ 🖤
🧛♀️ 🦇 🎃 🧡
🖤 🎃 ☠️ 🕯️
🎃 🦇 🕸️ 👻
🖤 🎃 🧛♀️ 🔮
Fall / Autumn bright emoji pairings
🍂 ☕ 🍄 🎃
🍁 🍎 ☕ 🍄
🎃 🍂 🍁 🍄
☕ 🍞 🎃 🍂
🍄 🍂 🍁 ☕
🎃 🍁 🍂 🍎
🍂 🍄 ☕ 🧦
🎃 🍁 🍄 ☕
🍎 ☕ 🍂 🎃
☕ 🍁 🎃 🍄
🍂 🍎 🧦 🪵
🍁 🪵 🍂 🤎
🍎 🍞 🍂 🧣
🍁 🍫 🧦 🧸
🍂 🪵 🍎 🧥
🧶 🧦 🍎 🍁
🍂 ☕ 🍞 🧡
🍎 🍁 🧥 🍄
🧦 🪵 🍂 🤎
🍂 🍁 🍎 🧡
🍂 🍁 🐿️ 🌰
☕ 🍞 🍯 🪵
🍂 🎃 🧥 🧣
🍁 🍂 🧸 🌰
🧦 ☕ 🪵 🍫
🧶 🍯 🌰 🪵
🍂 🍄 🍁 🌾
🪵 🔥 🌰 🍁
🍎 🥧 🍂 🕯️
🧣 🍂 🧥 🌰
🪵 🍫 🍂 🍯
🎃 🌰 🍂 🍄
🍂 🍁 🪵 ☕
🍞 🍂 🍯 🌾
🧣 🍫 🐿️ 🍂
📖 🍂 🧸 🕯️
🍁 🪵 🍂 🌾
🍂 🎃 🧥 🍄
🍂 🧸 🌰 🍫
🌰 🪵 ☕ 🧣
Spicy rosemary bar nuts
I don’t follow an exact recipe. Trust your instincts and preferences. They’re nice with a martini. Or a club soda and lemon in your fanciest glass.
Ingredients
raw, unsalted nuts, 20 ounces. I used half pecans, half cashews.
butter, 1/2 stick
fresh rosemary, minced — an overflowing handful or two.
cayenne, a tiny sprinkle to start
brown sugar, a scant teaspoon — more if you like things sweet
kosher salt, a very hefty pinch, to taste
Process
preheat oven to 350
melt the butter
add rosemary, cayenne, salt, and brown sugar to the butter
stir to combine
taste; adjust until it’s the sweet/spicy combo you like
add the nuts in a big bowl
drizzle with your buttery mixture
toss/stir to coat
line two large baking sheets with foil
dump the nuts onto the pans; they should be in a single layer
roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes
they should be a nice golden brown when you take them out
toasty, but not burnt.
taste; add a sprinkle of sea salt if needed
enjoy.
Notes
this recipe is inspired by the union square rosemary nuts. There are many variations, Mine is less sweet and more rosemary-heavy than most,
thyme is nice too; but do use fresh herbs.
i don’t have a sweet tooth, so i use just enough sugar to create a glaze. if you’re going for a candied nuts vibe, add more sugar.
if you don’t like spice, skip the cayenne. they’re still good.
if you’re vegan, oil works instead of butter. if you’re not vegan, butter taste better here.
i prefer to eat my food instead of taking pictures, so I don't have a photo. If yours are golden brown with green bits, you did it right.
A simple list of the Zodiac signs
The exact dates vary by year by a day or two depending on the year. Below for 2025.
Aries: March 20 – April 19
Taurus: April 19 – May 20
Gemini: May 20 – June 20
Cancer: June 20 – July 22
Leo: July 22 – August 22
Virgo: August 22 – September 22
Libra: September 22 – October 23
Scorpio: October 23 – November 21
Sagittarius: November 21 – December 21
Capricorn: December 21 – January 20
Aquarius: January 20 – February 18
Pisces: February 18 – March 20
Neutral and cozy fall emoji pairings
🍂 ☕ 📜 🕯️
🪵 🍪 🧸 📖
🍁 🧦 🥖 🦔
📚 🥛 🍂 🧋
🍯 🌾 🪔 🌰
🪵 🥐 🪑 🕯️
☕ 🍞 🍂 📖
🧺 🧦 🍪 🕯️
📚 🪵 🍁 🌰
🌻 🥖 🍯 🍂
🧸 🏈 🍞 📜
🪵 🪶 🍂 🌻
🍂 🐻 🧁 🧺
🌰 🍞 ☕️ 🍂
🪵 🐿️ 🍂 🧋
☕ 🍯 🧺 🌾
A simple list of all the Tarot cards
A list of the 78 tarot cards.
The one-word shorthand for their meaning are my interpretation. The cards may speak to you in a different way.
I use this deck for readings.
Major Arcana
The Fool – Beginnings
The Magician – Manifestation
The High Priestess – Intuition
The Empress – Nurturing
The Emperor – Authority
The Hierophant – Tradition
The Lovers – Union
The Chariot – Control
Strength – Courage
The Hermit – Reflection
Wheel of Fortune – Change
Justice – Balance
The Hanged Man – Surrender
Death – Transformation
Temperance – Moderation
The Devil – Temptation
The Tower – Disruption
The Star – Hope
The Moon – Illusion
The Sun – Vitality
Judgment – Awakening
The World – Completion
Wands
Ace of Wands – Inspiration
Two of Wands – Planning
Three of Wands – Expansion
Four of Wands – Celebration
Five of Wands – Conflict
Six of Wands – Victory
Seven of Wands – Perseverance
Eight of Wands – Movement
Nine of Wands – Resilience
Ten of Wands – Burden
Page of Wands – Curiosity
Knight of Wands – Passion
Queen of Wands – Confidence
King of Wands – Leadership
Swords
Ace of Swords – Clarity
Two of Swords – Stalemate
Three of Swords – Heartbreak
Four of Swords – Rest
Five of Swords – Defeat
Six of Swords – Transition
Seven of Swords – Deception
Eight of Swords – Restriction
Nine of Swords – Anxiety
Ten of Swords – Betrayal
Page of Swords – Curiosity
Knight of Swords – Action
Queen of Swords – Independence
King of Swords – Authority
Cups
Ace of Cups – Emotion
Two of Cups – Partnership
Three of Cups – Community
Four of Cups – Apathy
Five of Cups – Loss
Six of Cups – Nostalgia
Seven of Cups – Fantasy
Eight of Cups – Departure
Nine of Cups – Satisfaction
Ten of Cups – Fulfillment
Page of Cups – Imagination
Knight of Cups – Romance
Queen of Cups – Compassion
King of Cups – Control
Pentacles / Spheres / Coins
Ace of Pentacles – Possibilities
Two of Pentacles – Balance
Three of Pentacles – Collaboration
Four of Pentacles – Security
Five of Pentacles – Poverty
Six of Pentacles – Generosity
Seven of Pentacles – Patience
Eight of Pentacles – Mastery
Nine of Pentacles – Self-sufficiency
Ten of Pentacles – Legacy
Page of Pentacles – Ambition
Knight of Pentacles – Efficiency
Queen of Pentacles – Nurturing
King of Pentacles – Stability
My quick and minimalist makeup routine
Foundation: Merit Minimalist Stick, Bisque
Blending Brush: Merit, Brush No 1
Bronzer: Jones Road Bronzer, Tan
Blush & Bronzer Brush: Real Techniques, Everything Face Brush
Lip Balm/Shine: Aquaphor
Mascara: Jones Road, The Mascara
Primer: Merit Beauty, Instant Glow Serum
The above routine takes me about 3 minutes every morning. If I have a speaking or evening event, I add a bit more of the eyeliner, another swipe of mascara, and add lipstick.
My favorite creative writing apps
I’ve published 42 novels as Lauren Layne. Below are my favorite tools. I’m on the Apple ecosystem, and many of my tools are exclusive to Mac only.
Digital
Writing: Ulysses or Apple Pages
Collaborative Writing: ButterDocs
Screenwriting: Highland
Collaborative Screenwriting: Studio Arc
Outlining & Planning: Milanote
Story Bible/Notes: Bear
Analog
Fountain Pen: Montblanc Meisterstück Gold Coated (40th birthday gift)
Fineliner Pen: Tom’s Studio Lumos, Rose Gold
Purse Notebook: Sterling Ink, N2
A5 Notebook: Le Cahier by Rosie Papetrie
I have strong negative feelings about Microsoft Word. Writing should be beautiful, but Word somehow manages to diminish the beauty of the written word.
Some things I love in fall
Candle: Diptyque, Feu de Bois
Candle Alternative: Homesick, Bonfire Nights (less sophisticated than above, but more affordable)
Movie: You’ve Got Mail (September), Harry Potter (October)
TV Show: Grimm
Light Sweater: Jenni Kayne, Cruise Cocoon Crewneck
Pants: Spanx Faux Leather Leggings (recc: size up)
Apple: Honeycrisp, or I don’t bother
Decor Aesthetic: Halloween section of CB2 and Anthropologie websites
Some skincare favorites
I update this list all the time based on current favorite.
Face Cleanser: Tacha, The Rice Wash
Makeup Remover: Farmacy, Green Clean
Exfoliator: Goop Beauty, Microderm Instant Glow
Lips: Aquaphor
Moisturizer: Merit Great Skin Moisturizer
This is the first moisturizer I’ve ever truly loved.
Eye Cream: I never remember to apply it, so I quit bothering.
SPF: I don’t use it as often as I should, and haven’t found one I like.
Body Lotion: Nivea, Essentially Enriched
Body Wash: Philosophy (I rotate among the Grace scents, with Pure Grace being my go-to)