In the mood for love.
Valentine’s Day gifts + six immaterial suggestions.
I’m trying something new—a monthly exploration of objects, aesthetics, and personal artifacts. Think of this as a curated selection of beautiful, useful, or meaningful things, as well as a chance for me to share all of the lovely things I’ve been saving. The focal point of February’s curation is Valentine’s Day, of course. Hopefully it provides some inspiration! Even if you aren’t shopping for anyone in particular, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a small luxury.
Next month’s theme will be Piscean—make sure you’re subscribed to receive. 💌 I’m making these new features free for now so you can get a feel for them, but I will send them exclusively to paid subscribers starting next month.
Life is boring, except for flowers, sunshine, your perfect legs. A glass of cold water when you are really thirsty. The way bodies fit together. Fresh and young and sweet. Coffee in the morning. These are just moments. I struggle with the in-betweens. I just want to never stop loving like there is nothing else to do, because what else is there to do? — Pablo Neruda
Conversation matchboxes. Conversation hearts are cute, but they taste like perfumed chalk (except for the white ones, which taste like peppermint and are my favorite). Consider a conversation matchbox instead?
Velvet tasseled jewelry box. This Sophie Bille-Brahe velvet jewelry box has been on my wishlist for some time. I originally fell in love with the green velvet, but the soft pink is lovely, too. It’s the perfect place to keep your treasures.
Hotel tassel key fob. I’ve never stayed at the Bowery Hotel, but I am obsessed with their tasseled room keys. The beautiful bordeaux-colored fringe and brass hardware make a lovely combination. I found this one very similar to the Bowery’s, and it’s engravable.
Tiny silver flower spoon. Unearthen creates the most otherworldly objects from precious metals. This tiny silver flower-shaped spoon may not serve any utilitarian purpose, but it’s certainly beautiful.
Paintings in Proust. Someone in the Proust Reddit thread (yes, there is a Proust Reddit thread) recommended this book as a companion while making your way through In Search of Lost Time, and now I want a copy. I’m still reading Swann’s Way and moving at a snail’s pace, and this may make me move even slower, but it would add such depth to the experience.
Carta D’Armenia incense papers. A package of burning incense papers to easily freshen up a space. Santa Maria Novella has the best branding.
Dries Van Noten refillable lipstick. Not only is it sustainable, it’s incredibly chic! I’m a sucker for a luxury lipstick. I bought a tube of Chanel Rouge Coco in Gabrielle ages ago, and it makes me feel special every time I put it on.
Rowena 3-layer pillowcase. Iko Iko consistently makes the weirdest, loveliest home goods. They also make these fantastic cord covers, which I love because cords are such an eyesore.
My dear friend Carlee has some incredible Valentine’s Day pieces in her shop right now, and she’s taking them to Pickwick tomorrow at The Row in DTLA. You can purchase tickets for Pickwick here.
Louis Sherry chocolates. Everyone loves chocolate—but even more importantly, everyone loves a chic decorative tin to repurpose for treasures. Another contender is this Lover’s Box by Loco Love available at CAP Beauty.
Lover’s eye locket. Victorian jewelry is incredible, and quite possibly my favorite. Mourning jewelry, poison rings, lover’s eye rings and necklaces. They’re so romantic and morbid.
A Notebook by Louise Carmen. I thought I was a diehard Paper Republic gal until I saw these. Had I known these existed, I might have waited and bought an LC instead. The folios are perfect, and you can get them embossed with your initials. I love my Paper Republic grand voyageur, but I often wish it had more finished edges and interior pockets.
Baume de Muses. Everyone’s favorite little monogrammed lip balms. They add a sweet personal touch to something otherwise mundane and boring. I’d be crazy not to include it here—it makes such a sweet gift.
Brass swan matchbook sleeve. A collaboration between Doên and Melissa Goad that hits below the $100 price point and would look lovely on a coffee table alongside an excellent curation of art books.
Mother of pearl compact mirror. One of the pricier items on this list, but it was too beautiful not to include. Everyone could use a compact mirror. Just as impressive is this mother-of-pearl bound book (!)
Letters from John Keats to Fanny Brawne. This is available to read for free on Google Books! I love John Keats. I watched Jane Campion’s Bright Star as a highly impressionable sixteen-year-old, and ever since then, Keats has been among my very favorite poets. I still have a visit to the Keats House on my bucket list.
Six suggestions for February:
Fall in love, obviously—with yourself, your life, your friends, your family. Romantic love is wonderful, and I’m excited to celebrate my first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife with Ed, but I think we (culturally and societally) need to knock romantic love off of its end-all-be-all pedestal. Life is about connections of all kinds! We should celebrate them all! Especially within an age of such rampant, tech-fueled isolation and disconnection.
Minor luxuries—a new lipstick, a decadent sweet, a frivolous bouquet of supermarket flowers, a massage or mani/pedi. Indulge in something beautiful and pleasurable, just because.
Make a date—with yourself. Wander a local garden or park. Go to a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, but go by yourself, and bring a book or a journal to write in. If you enjoy exercise, try exercising purely for the joy of it without a watch or tracker.
Try something new—and give yourself permission to be bad at it. Take a painting class, try a new kind of exercise, pick up an instrument. Enjoy the process of not being good at something immediately. Take all the pressure and expectations off of yourself.
Host a craft night—I did this with a few friends two nights ago. We made dinner and crafts, ate sweets, giggled, and drank wine. It was delightful.
Call your mom—this might sound weird, but hear me out. My mother was my first Valentine. She set the bar and my expectations high. I always got some sort of sweet gift from her, and this only reinforced how Valentine’s Day is about love in all its forms. So call people you love who might live far away—grandparents, relatives, and friends—and tell them you love them.
In case you missed it:
Week 06’s Annotations can be found here.
I wrote an essay on Marta Becket and her life in the desert, which I think may be my favorite piece yet.
I wrote a very personal essay last month about creativity, insecurity, self-worth, and politics, which you can read here.
If you enjoyed what you read today, consider sharing it with someone you think would also enjoy it, or give it a heart or restack. If you’d like to support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber or buying me a coffee.
My mother was my first Valentine 💘 too 🥹 Not weird at all. It’s why I love it so much. Also, my birthday is the 16th.
Exquisite taste with the links. This was such a treat.
I’ve pined over the Louis Sherry chocolate tins ever since I saw Mia Farrow use one as a jewelry box in Rosemary’s Baby.