Loose Ends / 5.8.26
I’ve got my Rose and Thorn from the week, as well as a tonnnnn of great Open Tabs to check out below. But first, do you mind helping me make some decisions?!
Friday Footnote
Happy Friday, friends! I've hope you’ve had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. I know Mother’s Day is hard for so many, for a multitude of reasons, so I’m sending some extra love to anyone who needs it. I see you! 🫶
I’ve got my Rose and Thorn from the week, as well as a tonnnnn of great Open Tabs below. But first, do you mind helping me make some decisions?! It would feel so good to finally cross these things off my to-do list this weekend.
Decision Paralysis
I need help picking out a living room rug, and also a new Oura ring color. Can you cast your votes below?!
I’ve mentioned this for a few weeks now, but I honestly just can’t decide no matter how long I sit with it. Our current living room rug situation is layered, the same rugs I had in my old apartment down in the Gold Coast. I got both this West Elm jute rug and this speckled gold calf hair rug back in 2015 and I swear they still looked brand new in 2022 when we moved in here. But four years later, they are in ROUGH SHAPE — Dave is a wears-shoes-in-the-house guy and, you know, our 70lb black lab. So we are absolutely due for an upgrade. I love the layered look, but out of ease for cleaning, I just want to go with one printed rug. Problem is, I can’t decide just how printed.
I’ve included some pictures of our living room below… In the summer when the trees are really filled in, this room naturally pulls lots of GREEN. It gets lots of morning light, but is very shaded in the afternoons, so I don’t really have to worry about fading. I feel like the lighter Uma ‘Stone’ rug is the safest bet, but is it too light with how much white paint we have? The Cyrus ‘Rose Gold’ rug would go great with the tones of the room, but are the squared corners of the print too boxy with our rectangular media console, rectangular coffee table, and rectangular sofa. (This drove me crazy when we moved in, but since adding the arched cabinet and curved swivel chair, it bothers me a lot less now. I wish we had the depth for a round coffee table, but it would be way too small for the space.) So that’s why I have some pause with the Persian-inspired rug. And then there’s the Scalamadre Tigre!! I’ve loved this print for as long as I can remember, and it would definitely add a lot of warmth to the room, but is it too wild??? I think I would obviously need to swap out my leopard print throw pillows, but I can repurpose them on chairs in other rooms.
Scalamadre Tigre Gold | Cyrus Rose Gold | Uma Stone
And then we have the Oura ring decision… Oy vey. I’ve had the Gold ring (older Gen3 model) for the last three years and I’m having battery issues, so they’re giving me money off the newer model.
My wedding rings are yellow gold, as is most of my jewelry. But I honestly have been gravitating towards silver tones a lot more lately when it comes to hardware (belts, bags, shoes), and I think I kind of like how it would be a mixed metal situation with my rings.
What initially gave me pause was that the Gold version is $150 more than the Silver version. For a $350 piece of technology, a $150 upcharge for the coloring seems kind of insane, doesn’t it?? When jewelry shopping, I totally get that gold is more expensive than silver, but this is not a gold ring in terms of material, it’s just the coloring. And since I’ve worn their gold ring in the older model for the last three years, I know that the gold fades, especially in spots where your grip is. And since it definitely shows scratches (pretty much immediately after wearing), I think that the silver would maybe look less ‘worn’ with the scratches.
I would need to get a new stacking ring to go with the silver Oura ring (I think a dainty stacking ring makes it look more intentional and styled, less like a honking piece of metal on your pointer finger), but I would likely opt for this one from BaubleBar for the time being. Or maybe I would wear my current gold stacking pavé ring together with the silver Oura ring?!
Highs & Lows
This Week’s Rose(s) 🌹
This week was a fun one, tbh! I had a few spring planter orders to fulfill, as well as a bunch of planter planning for the coming weeks. I got to catch up with one of my girlfriends as I was getting services at Beauty Commons earlier in the week, and then made it up to the suburbs to grab lunch with another one of my besties later in the week.
Last night, Dave and I got dinner downtown before going to Theatre of the Mind. It was definitely very quirky and made you think, but as we were grabbing a drink (and second dinner 😅) at Chicago Cut after the show, we were both saying we weren’t sure which of our friends we would recommend it to. Definitely for a more artsy crowd, I’d say? It’s interesting and there’s a tiny audience participation aspect, but it was fun and something different.
This Week’s Thorn(s) 🥀
I broke a nail playing with a frisbee with Marley at the park on Monday morning and I was like GREAT, is that how this week is going to be?! But thankfully it was just a blip in an otherwise pretty great week.
Looking Ahead ✨
I am SO EXCITED for tonight!!! We’re going to see Disclosure at the Salt Shed and even though it’s going to be kinda chilly outside, I’m over the moon it’s actually happening. I didn’t have any luck getting tickets in the presale nor the regular sale, as both Friday and Saturday nights sold out immediately. When they added a third night on Sunday, I was able to snag two tickets in the presale. Mother’s Day night was definitely not ideal, but I figured we would be with Dave’s mom on both Saturday and Sunday day, so coming back to the city for a Sunday night show was doable for Disclosure. Dave then got a work trip put on his calendar, flying out on Monday morning, so I put my tickets up for sale (and obviously they sold instantly). I suggested we go on Friday, but the resale market was BANANAS. I was really bummed about it, but wasn’t wanting to spend $250/ticket. Lo and behold, Dave somehow found a guy on Craigslist selling two Friday tickets for face value. We were so nervous it was going to be a scam, but Dave was texting with the guy and felt good about it so he transferred the money. And we’ve got the tickets in hand by some strike of luck!!! It’s comforting to know there are (other) people out there who want to sell their tickets for what they paid.
I say this to my friends constantly, but if I was smarter in this space, I would find a way to break up the Ticketmaster / Live Nation / StubHub circus. It’s beyond disheartening that seeing concerts has gotten absurdly expensive if you don’t luck out in a presale. As someone who needs at least a monthly concert to feel alive, it’s a real buzzkill when it’s cost prohibitive.
But anyway, God bless Dave for finding these tickets for $260 total. Back when I was a single gal, I used to dream about having a (boyfriend) to go with to all of the concerts I wanted to go to, and somehow I found a guy who goes to more concerts than anyone I’ve ever met. Unfortunately our music tastes aren’t all that similar, but we’re both very good sports about going to each other’s shows. What’s better than live music?! There could definitely be worse hobbies.
🔖 Open Tabs
Open tabs from the week, filed here instead of my browser.
If you’re in the western suburbs this weekend, there’s an experiential OSEA Malibu event happening at Nordstrom Oakbrook. Perfect time for a little pampering!
This bubble hem jacket is so cute. The gingham lining 😍
Are you kidding me with this wavy trim beach towel?! I’m obsessed.
Sooo many good new arrivals at Zara!! Saved my favorites here.
I’ve been eyeing this deputing wand and it’s currently 25% off! 👀
I fell in love with Lorna Murray (Australian accessories designer) this week, wow!! This colorful tote is on my wish list.
I don’t know how I’ve never seen these silver number candle holders before, but it’s honestly genius. On sale, too!
I need to pick my next Vivrelle bag this weekend! I had borrowed this green Bottega for St. Patrick’s Day and kind of forgot it was in my closet for the last six weeks, haha. I just sent it back this week, so I need to decide on my next one. I have serious commitment issues when it comes to luxury bag purchases (prices have just gotten INSANE compared to 10 years ago) and we already know I’m not the best with decision making, so Vivrelle has honestly been such a fun way to test-drive bags over the last few months.
Cann gave us a discount code!! Code JRS will take 15% off for new customers and 10% off for repeat customers.
Happy Friday, friends! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. xoxo
PS: If you enjoy my Loose Ends series, would you be kind enough to tap the little heart? It’s the littlest thing that actually makes a big impact with growing and discoverability in the Substack world. Thank you in advance!! 🫶