DIY Furniture, Powder Detergent Recs, My Yearly Plum Torte: 5 Quick Things

Whew, what a big week!!! Honestly, it feels so good to have shared my baby news on Monday, and I rode that wave of joy all these past few days. I’m nearly certain little lady felt the love, too, especially on Monday because she was moving around like wild. More so than usual. I’m thinking it was her doing some FOAS dancing in there. 😉 I think next week, I’ll share a little more about some things there…we’ll see what I can cook up. But for now, here are some things that kept my mind and eyeballs busy this week:

Quick Thing #1

I know some of you follow the Style by Emily Henderson blog regularly, so you probably saw it, but I wanted to share my buddy Caitlin’s bathroom makeover from yesterday. She took a vintage, cream and coral bathroom and somehow turned it into an enviable space. I know she goes on and on about how kooky and wild it is, but honestly, I think it’s pretty great. But then again, I very much appreciate kooky and wild so… 🤷🏻‍♀️

Quick Thing #2

While I’m not a DIYer myself (though I wish I had that kind of patience and skill), I do love watching other people do it really well. Cass Makes Home is an account I love to follow for just that. She doesn’t update her blog much, but she shares a lot over on her Instagram. And when I say DIY, I mean, she’s making her own furniture and such. I watched her make this gorgeous dresser for weeks and it was so exciting following her progress. And the finished product looks like something you’d buy from an artisanal maker for like $4,000.

Quick Thing #3

A wonderful, timely reminder (because it’s always timely to feel like your life is where it needs to be).

Quick Thing #4

I’m on the hunt for a great non-toxic/natural powder laundry detergent. Liquid detergent is said to be something like 60% water, which means they have to come in big bulky plastic containers when a powder detergent is far more space-efficient. Anyway, I’m thinking of trying out Nellie’s which I’ve recently learned of, but if anyone has any brand recommendations, I’d love to hear them!

Quick Thing #5

One of my absolutely favorite dessert recipes is the plum torte from The New York Times. It’s a NYT staple (originally printed in 1983), with over 8,000 five-star reviews…and it’s not an exaggeration. I make about one plum torte a year, and plum season is quickly coming to an end so this may have to be my PTW (plum torte weekend). You could absolutely make this with any other stone fruit, but there’s something so deliciously jammy about the plums that I’ve never dared to veer off course (though peaches or apricots would be amazing, I’m sure). It’s spectacularly easy and so delicious you just keep going back for more. Note: the recipe calls for 24 plums…I find I can never squeeze in any more than 8 or 10 frankly, so not sure what dime-sized plums they’re using. If you’re locked out of the NYT website, simply Google “NYT Plum Torte Recipe” and plenty of other people have shared it on their own blogs. It’s heavenly. Enjoy!

See you Monday, FOAS!