Stuff We Love: My Favorite Things

Hello my friends! I hope you had a great weekend!

Are you ready for the Thanksgiving holiday week to begin? It kind of snuck up on me, but now that it is here, I am going to enjoy taking some time off near the end of the week to celebrate all that I am thankful for and just spending time with my family.

Today, Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chic is kicking off a fun “Favorite Things” set of posts were she has gathered a group of bloggers to share a few of their favorites this week. It may help you prepare your holiday gift giving list since Black Friday is this Friday!!! Yikes….it sure did sneak up on me. What is great about these posts besides being just plain fun to get an inside look at what others love and find useful, but it may give you some gift giving ideas, too.

I have a lot of favorite things and usually when they become favorites, they stay favorites. If you look at my list from last year, I still use all of these items. Most are classics and are still sold. That tells a lot about a product when it is sold for years. It works and stays in demand.

So without further adieu, here are a few of my favorite things…

1. Lotion Bar

This is my newest addition to my favorite things list. I found it when I went to Nest Fest last month.  There was a booth called SmallKeys that sold fresh smelling natural lotions, soaps and more. When I rubbed the Lavender and Rose Lotion Bar between my hands I fell in love. I bought 3. One for my purse, one for my kitchen, and the third for my night table.

Lotion bars are simply a solid lotion made with local beeswax, luxurious oils, butters & essential oils. With no water, there is no need for preservative.

To Use: Simply rub the bar into your hands to warm/melt the bar and use on dry spots. They are great for cuticles, elbows, knees, feet and dry, cracked hands.

The bars come in a few more fragrances. You can find them here on Etsy: Lotion Bars 

2. Pocket Watch Clock

You may recognize this if you have been reading my blog for a while. It is the first thing I look at when I wake up in the morning.

I love it. It is a Pocket Watch Clock from Pottery Barn. I have had mine for years.

I am a collector of white face clocks with Roman numerals. It is an alarm clock that you set the old-fashioned way, nothing digital about it. I have the mid-size Chrome one.  You can find it here: Pocket Watch Clock

3. Facial Bar

I am a skin care junkie and have tried many beauty products in my life, some great, others not so much. This bar is a winner that my twin sister introduced me to. It is called Pekee Bar and unlike any facial cleanser I have ever used, it does not dry out my skin, in fact it makes it feel wonderful.

I love it.. it is a gentle, multitasking bar that deeply cleanses, tones, and moisturizes without stripping or irritating the skin. I started using it back in February. It clarifies, balances, and moisturizes while rinsing away pore-clogging surface debris, impurities, and make-up and hard to remove sunscreen. It is fragrance-and soap-free and only formulated with skin-friendly ingredients.

I use the bar with my Foreo LUNA. I wrote about this last year. A LUNA is a cleansing and anti-aging device that deeply cleanses with up to 8,000 transdermal sonic pulsations per minute channeled through silicone touch-points. It smooths the appearance of lines and wrinkles with lower-frequency pulsations—leaving skin looking and feeling radiant, firmer, and more elastic while helping to improve absorption of your favorite skin care products.

Both are sold at Sephora:  Pekee Bar by Drunk Elephant +  Foreo LUNA 2

4. Duluth Trading Longtail T Waffle Hoodie

Most hoodies are too light, too thin and too short to do you much good when the temps dip. Unless it’s a Longtail T Waffle Hoodie.

The small waffle pattern actually traps body heat in each of its little squares, making it exceptionally warm without weighing you down. Plus, it is 2″ longer so it pairs well with leggings (my wardrobe staple). The ribbed side panels move with you as you twist, bend, and otherwise go about your day-to-day activities. I have two, one in purple and the other is off-white.

You can see all the colors it comes in over at Duluth Trading: Longtail T Wafffle Hoodie

5. Faux Fur Throw and Pillow

Back in the early fall I posted about fall throws and had you guess which one I got. I surprised some of you by buying the faux fur throw. I am sooooo glad I bought it. It is so soft and comfy to snuggle with. I love it so much I recently bought the coordinating pillow.

I have been moving it around to where ever I am sitting. In my living room, studioffice...

…and even at the dinner table especially the last few nights where the temps have dipped and there is a chill in the house.

You can find it here: Faux Fur Throw & Pillow

6. My Tea Kettle

I love this so much that I have a spare on hand just in case Revere ever stops making it, I will never be without it. I love it for a few reasons.

1. It is reminds me of the warm and cozy kitchen from my childhood home.

2. It whistles, which reminds me that I “put the kettle on” as my Irish friend, Neve would say. :-)  I have been known to forget and have burned a few non-whistling tea pots in my lifetime.

3. It is a classic and the shiny chrome looks nice always sitting out on my stove waiting to boil water to make a perfect cup of tea.

You can find it here: Revere Copper Bottom Tea Kettle

7. Chef’s Knife & Sharpener

This duo makes eating healthy a lot easier. I have tried food processor’s, mandolin’s and more…. all have ended up going to the thrift store.

I like simple and classic,  plus cleaning a knife is easy.  Cleaning a food processor is too complicated for me.

I learned how to master this knife after seeing a demo of it at Bloomingdales one day about 10 years ago. I can cut veggies and more with ease.  The key to making it work is making sure you keep it sharp. To make that easy, I use this…

sharpener.  I just run the blade through the slots after every other use and the chef’s knife cuts through carrots like they were a stick of soft butter. If you want to learn how to use a chef’s knife like a pro, check out this YouTube video.

Here are the links to the Chef’s Knife + Knife Sharpener

I use each and everyone of these items every day. My life would not be the same without them.

What are some of your favorite things?

For more gift ideas check out my:  SHOP page.

To see the gift guides I posted last year: Gift Guides