March Favorites, Update on the Curling Shirt Issue & Adorable Spoons I’ve Ordered

Happy Weekend! I’m popping in today to share a few of my favorites from the month of March. As always, this is an eclectic mix and I hope you find these helpful.

One night recently, we had a power outage. Fortunately, it didn’t last very long but when it happened, I was so thankful for these little emergency lights that I have plugged in all throughout my home. The second the power went out, they immediately turned on lighting up all the hallways and rooms. I have one in every room, including two in my long upstairs hallway and they are amazing! You can even unplug one to use it as a flashlight if needed. Definitely one of the best things I’ve purchased for my home and has taken away the fear of having the lights go out in the middle of the night. You’ll find these lights available here: Emergency Lights.

Blackout Buddy Lights

 

Had to mention these adorable spring pillows I discovered recently. They are such a great find, durable yet very affordable. If you are looking for an inexpensive way to bring a bit of spring into your home, definitely recommend a set of these. You’ll find them in all themes, designs, and colors here: Spring-Summer Pillows.

Happy Easter Pillow on Porch Swing

 

So remember the faux tulips I used recently out on the porch? If you missed my spring porch and hutch makeover, you’ll find it here: Porch Makeover for Spring.

Spring Porch, Tulips in Bunny Vase

 

I initially saw these faux tulips in a post on Instagram and could not get over how real they looked! I love fresh flowers and do buy them from time to time, but it’s always nice to have a few faux flowers (as long as they do look real) for those times when I need a pretty centerpiece but don’t have the time to run out to the market.

Spring Tablescape, Bunnies and Butterflies

 

I loved how these looked in this previous spring table setting here: Welcome Spring!

Tulip Centerpiece for a Spring or Easter Table Setting

 

So recently I decided to buy another bouquet. They come in so many colors, it was hard to choose. I ultimately settled on this multicolor bouquet and LOVE it! They look so realistic–can’t wait to use them in a future table setting! Definitely recommend these if you would enjoy beautiful, flowers occasionally in your decor or table settings that require no watering and never die. You’ll find these available here: Multicolor Tulips.

Realistic Faux Tulips

 

I have some exciting news! The bunny vase I’ve been using and raving about all spring is now on sale! You’ll find it on sale here: Bunny Vase on Sale. Update: Looks like it’s not available online, only in some stores. Boo, hiss.

Sculptural Bunny Vase with Daffodils

 

Packing for an Overnight Trip

A couple of weekends ago, a friend invited me for an overnight stay at her beautiful lake home. This was the view from the deck of her home–so relaxing!

 

I needed to pack a few things but not a lot since it was just an overnight stay. Besides pajamas and such, I decided to wear a pair of jeans and take along one extra shirt. I’m not normally a light packer but I made myself pack light since the trip was for just one night. I wore the jeans so didn’t have to pack them. I went with my white jeans since they were easy to pair with two spring/summer tops.

I love these Talbots jeans! As I’ve mentioned before, they fit beautifully since they come in two styles: regular and curvy. My waist is a lot smaller than my hips so I always buy the curvy style and they fit perfectly–no gaps in the back. (Note: Since I’m only 5’4″, they are an inch or two longer on me than on the model, which works out just right.)

White Jeans that fit beautifully

 

You’ll find them currently on sale in the curvy-fit here: Curvy Slim Ankle White Jeans or in their curvy-fit jeggings here: Curvy Fit White Jeggings for Summer. They are available in their regular fit here: Regular Fit White Jeans and the regular fit jeggings here: Regular Fit White Jeggings. 

White Jeans for Curvy Figures

 

This was the shirt I packed for the second day at the lake house. Do you remember when I blogged about an issue I was having with the long tail of the shirt curling up in back? Thanks for all the suggestions you left on that post here: Spring Smiles, Favorite Summer Dresses & Need Sewing Advice for a Problem Shirt.

I have an update to share on the curling issue. In an attempt to fix that problem, I decided to start with the simplest, easiest suggestion that was made in the comments of that previous post. I figured if that didn’t work, I’d try some of the others. The easiest suggestion that was made was to spray the tail with spray starch. Ummm, I had never tried that before.

 

This is the starch I used. I rarely ever starch clothes when ironing. I think the only time I’ve used this starch in the past was while ironing a tablecloth. Anyway, I gave the back tail of the shirt a good, substantial spray and ironed it well before packing it into my overnight bag for the lake trip.

 

 

As mentioned, I wore this shirt on my second day at the lake house and during the drive back home later that day.

 

Here’s how the shirt looked after wearing/sitting in it all day and after driving 2 hours back home in the car. I was impressed! Though it’s not laying perfectly flat, I can totally live with this. This is what I would normally expect to see after wearing a linen shirt all day.

 

It looks so much better than this curling up thing that it was doing before and that used to happen after only a few minutes of sitting/wearing it.

 

So I don’t think I’ll need to have the shirt rehemmed since this spray starch did such a great job after a full day’s wear and a lot of sitting. Thanks so much to the lovely reader who suggested trying spray starch first. I’m hoping that ironing it with starch helped fix the issue of the hem possibly having been stretched out during the sewing process that some of you suggested might be the issue.

Anyway, just wanted to share what worked and how much I like this starch! It is serious starch, probably the strongest I’ve ever used! You’ll find Mary Ellen’s Best Press here in various sizes and scents: Mary Ellen’s Best Press.   (Scroll down past the refills at that link to find single bottles of this starch in the spray form.)

Update: I was just reading the label on the bottle more closely and apparently, this isn’t starch at all–it’s a “starch and sizing alternative.” I’ve had this bottle a long time…forgot where I bought it now. Anyway, it supposed to help stabilize fabric. The reviews say it isn’t overly stiff but it definitely stiffened up the tail of my linen shirt. The reviews also state that this doesn’t build up or flake like starch can. I never starch anything so hadn’t realized that was such a big issue.  Anyway, I think it’s a great product and it definitely fixed my shirt!

 

 

Have to mention these fun earrings I shared recently. I wore them on my lake house trip and received a nice compliment from my friend.  I loved how they looked with both of the shirts I wore on the trip. I’ve had them for several years but you can still find them available where I purchased mine here: Bon Bon Earrings.

 

I also took along this sweater that I purchased last summer. I LOVE this sweater! It’s super affordable, so much so that I bought a couple more at the end of last summer because I never want to be without it. I love a simple, white sweater to throw on over sleeveless or short-sleeve summer dresses and tops on chilly evenings. I always carry a sweater in my car because I freeze when eating out in a restaurant. This sweater is perfect for spring and summer! Fortunately, it’s still available here: White Sweater.

White Sweater for Summer

 

New Purchase–Couldn’t Wait to Share!

I don’t normally share a purchase I just made when I’m sharing my past month’s favorites, but I’m so excited about these, I can’t wait! I recently put together a mini drink center in my office since I spend so much time here, and in doing that, I brought up a few of my favorite hand-stamped spoons to keep out for when I have iced coffee.

Adorable Spoons with Hand-stamped Sayings

 

That prompted me to take a look to see if the Etsy shop I’ve bought them from in the past had started restocking them again–they had temporarily stopped. Sadly, they are still not available so I decided to see what was available in some of the other shops.

Oh my gosh! I found the cutest shop with great reviews and instantly fell in love with so many of her vintage, silverplate spoons, I went a bit crazy and bought six, I couldn’t help myself! I justified it thinking they will be really cute in a future table setting. lol

Here are some of the ones I purchased last night. Love this one because it reminds me of travel. I’m probably not going to take a trip this year since I’m saving to replace my car, but it will keep me dreaming of the day I do travel again. This one is available here: Travel Spoon.

 

This one just spoke to my heart. I LOVE all the detail this Etsy artist puts into each of her spoons! You’ll find this one here: Sweet Inspirational Spoon.

 

Another one that touched my heart–perfect for spring! It’s available here: Bloomed Spoon.

 

So—you know how this past year I added stars and a big, beautiful moon to the ceiling of my bedroom? I am still enjoying those sooo much–look forward to staring up into the night sky every night when I turn in.  (See that previous post here: Add Stars to the Ceiling of Your Bedroom, Living Room, or Theater Room for a Magical Experience.”)

 

And–you may remember that I ordered a moon/stars door for the screened porch. (I need to get both doors installed–just haven’t found a door company I trust to install them, yet.)

 

This was the first spoon I spotted when I visited this cute Etsy shop and loved it! I love the birds and the flowers. Again, so much detail! It’s available here: Moon Phases. You’ll find many more designs here: Beautiful Stamped Silverplate Spoons. I liked her stamped bookmarks, too. You can see all that she makes in the menu down the left side at that link.

 

Though it’s still a long way off to Christmas, I couldn’t pass up this adorable spoon. If you are planning ahead, this spoon, along with a pretty mug and some hot chocolate, would make a great Christmas gift for a friend, neighbor, or co-worker. I love this spoon! I can’t even imagine how long it takes her to create these beautiful spoons with this much detail! This one is available here: Home for the Holidays.

 

I can’t wait to use them in a future table setting this spring/summer! Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend. See you on Monday for Metamorphosis Monday!

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Comments

  1. Thank you so much for the link to the Etsy Store for the stamped spoons. What a great selection of spoons and other goodies. I, too, have purchased a fair number of these for gifts and was so upset this past Christmas that they were no longer available from Milk and Honey. Very happy to find another great source!

    • I know, I missed those, too. I loved so many things I saw in this Etsy shop I discovered. I would love to try some of her other items. The silver-plate bookmarks look wonderful!

  2. Thanks for sharing the source for the stamped spoons. I have been meaning to buy some for quite a while, and you have made it easy. Have a wonderful weekend, Susan!

  3. Gayle Kesinger says

    I bought the Easter pillow covers. I gave two to my best friend and kept two for my living room. Really good quality! Also, the bunny vase not available in the Dallas area and not available for shipping. Thanks for the info about Etsy and the spoons. Also, I am definitely going to order the emergency lights after being without power the week of Valentine’s Day.

    • Awww, that was so nice to share! I hope they bring the bunny vase back next year. I was once told by a sale associate in WS that sometimes they will try an item one year to see how it does and if it does well, they will bring it back. I love these little lights. When I lost power for a couple of days a few months back, they lasted/stayed on over 24 hours, if I’m remembering correctly. I was shocked how long they lasted. I probably should have gone around and turned them all off to conserve them in case the power didn’t come back on for a few days but I had plenty of lanterns I could turn on so guess that’s why I didn’t think about it.

  4. So glad the starch worked out on your curling shirt – I don’t use it very often either, but it’s so good to have around when you need it. Going to try this brand next. Your recommendations are always spot on!

    Great spring styles too! Thanks!

    • Thanks, Barbara! Can’t believe how well something as simple as starch worked to stop the curling. I never think to use starch when ironing. I may start spraying a little starch on all my linen tops while ironing them since it def seems to help with wrinkling.

  5. Love all your recommendations, Susan. In fact, I just ordered a white sweater! Thanks for all the ideas!

    • Hope you love it, Rosie! It feels so nice and weighty–have really enjoy the ones I have and have worn them a good bit. Happy spring!

  6. Brenda S Lawrence says

    Oh these spoons are so cute Susan! I especially love the first and last ones. But they are all so fabulous. So fun to serve with a drink. I love them! Glad the starch worked out for your shirt, such a simple and easy fix. What a view you had on your overnight trip! I bet it felt good to get away even if for just a night. Hugs, Brenda

    • Thanks, Brenda! I was so shocked that the starch worked so well. It was so nice to visit–I haven’t been to that lake since I was around 8 years old. That was a long, long time ago. lol

  7. I noticed for the tulips, most of the one star comments complained about the smell. Did you notice any odor?

    • I noticed a smell as I opened the package that they were sealed in, but once I got them out and displayed, I haven’t noticed any smell at all.

    • I just went downstairs to smell them and here’s what I noticed. When I walk into my kitchen/breakfast room, I do not smell them at all. If I lean down and stick my face right into them, then I do smell something– probably whatever they are made from, but I literally have to stick my nose an inch from them to smell anything. I’m normally pretty sensitive to smells but once I got them open out of their sealed package, I haven’t noticed anything until I just now stuck my face right up to them. The white tulips I’ve had for a couple of years have no smell at all when I put my face to them, so maybe it goes away entirely after a while. Again, never noticed it except for when I very first took them out of the package they were sealed up in. The good thing is, they can be returned anytime within 30 days so that should give plenty of time to decide if they have a smell that would be annoying. I love them and will probably buy more in the future. They are just so pretty! Hope this helps.

  8. Franki Parde says

    Earrings ordered: check franki

  9. Susan, the stamped spoons are so lovely! You picked some really nice ones from this ETSY shop.

    I absolutely LOVE Etsy as a place to shop. I have bought so many wonderful things from the stores there: Alice in Wonderland Talking Flowers, a really COOL American bison statue (since hubby and I went to Yellowstone twice in 2020), all kinds of nice wood slices for placemats & tablescaping, high quality tablecloths and table runners, LUXURIOUS faux fur throws, vintage watch faces for my floating tea cups, and various Alice in Wonderland party decorations. :0) Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

  10. Glad you found help for your blouse…and yes to Talbots curvy jeans. Same issue here – just bought a pair in very pale pink. LOL…I am only 5 feet tall so the regular cropped pants fit me as ankle length and I don’t have to hem them at all! Thanks for the link to the spoons…going to have get some as they are beyond cute. Have a great week 🙂

  11. Cyndi Raines says

    Oh Susan, what a perfect get-away with a special friend and how awesome is her view. And of course the blue hour made it even more magical ! Glad you had a nice day away! Anytime I am near water makes me so happy, I guess that come from living in the Great Lakes state, hehe. Those spoons are really cute and speak to my heart too, especially the travel and the moon ones. I have waited too long to order the emergency lights, boohoo. They say not available at this time, but I’ll keep checking back. As always, thank you for such awesome suggestions, you make it easy for us ! Lol

  12. Cyndi Raines says

    P.s. So glad your shirt is fixed with this non starch product.

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