The April Edit
Rethinking my closet, a financial expansion workshop, digital wallpaper, and getting a tooth pulled.
The Monthly Edits are a casual curation of my consumptions from the past few weeks including: books I read, delicious eats, fun finds, and personal meanderings. Buon appetito!
This quote by William Shakespeare rings true for me and feels like the fresh spring flowers blooming outside my window. Although it’s been a mixed bag of events this month, there is an overall feeling that all is well.
I’ve been working to deepen my relationship with finances and was lucky enough to attended a great workshop put on by women I admire. I also started a long-term project to slowly replace the garments in my closet with more natural, sustainable, and lasting pieces. Then I had a wisdom tooth removed that ended up with complications leading to a gruelling recovery. Although I’m still tracking my daily salt-water rinses, the worst of my tooth pain is in the rearview mirror, allowing me to sail into May with the windows down and the feel-good tunes up.
Here’s how it all went…
I was invited to attend the Financial Expansion Workshop hosted by Rachel Saunders & Wealthkind earlier this month. Finances aren’t something I grew up talking about, or something I learned about in school (which makes no sense). It wasn’t until I got married that I had someone to openly talk about money with—and by that time I had already made lots of mistakes. The women at
encourage adding finances to your wellness practice (just like doing yoga or eating healthy) and I really connected to this holistic method. They shared ways to reframe your relationship to money and a badass spreadsheet for practical monthly tracking! A great resource if you’re looking for one.
Meals have been simple lately. This sesame-crusted salmon bowl was easy and delicious—same as this crispy fish with lemon butter spring veggies. We’ve been enjoying lots of fresh asparagus and spinach that’s been in season (even put it on our pizzas). The second half of the month was mostly smoothies, soups, and mashed potatoes for me. They say ice cream is good for tooth pain (wink, wink) so I picked up a tub from my local favourite: Parachute!
Dreaming of trading my Havaianas in for these beauties.
Darling little croissant glasses.
This gingham baseball cap.
Virtual forest bathing.
The biggest travel trends right now (via Sonya).
Hosting? Try these Negroni olives.
Gwyneth and Timothée making out sounds like a hit.
Pierce & Ward x West Elm collab looks so good.
I’m not the only one convinced I’m going bald.
This skirt as a summer uniform.
Love this chestnut leather phone pouch.
April’s Bookshelf:
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors. This one has been on my ‘tbr’ list forever and I’m glad I finally prioritized it. A brilliant debut novel about love, privilege, and an impulsive marriage that changed the lives of many. Cleo, a twenty-four-year-old British painter, meets Frank, a mid-forties man who’s achieved self-made success, and a funny and heartbreaking tale unfolds. I read some chapters physically and listened to the audiobook for others—which was lovely to hear Cleo’s accent and have a more personal connection to the characters.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I wish I could say more about this sci-fi dystopian, but I’m going to be finishing it this weekend. Klara is an Artificial Intelligence friend with outstanding observational qualities. As she waits in the store for someone to purchase her as their own, the concept of ethics and what it means to love are explored. For those interested in our relationships to AI, I would recommend!
Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett. This novella was a delicious little treat that I can’t quite pin down. Told through an un-named narrator who seems to struggle with anxiety (and likely OCD)—she takes us through moments in time as her train of thought runs wild and free. It was very peculiar and beautifully written. An honest and poetic look at life.
Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz. This collection of short stories reads as a biographical time capsule of Babitz’s life in Los Angeles during the 1960s. As a Hollywood-born party girl, she spent her days running around with the almost-famous, and to be frank, I wasn’t convinced the book was for me. However, her unique voice, dry humour, and vivid atmospheric descriptions surprised me on several occasions. This indulgent artist knows her way around a beautiful sentence—and the magical places of L.A.’s past.
A slow closet refresh.
I’ve been attempting a slow transition to more natural fabrics in my closet. Less fast fashion, polyester, and nylon. More cottons, linens, and sustainably sourced items. This isn’t something I can afford overnight, but selling items I no longer align with and sourcing new items from places like Marketplace and local consignment stores is making it doable (and fun!). I’ve also started following girls who sew on socials and I’m becoming slightly obsessed with the idea of making some of my own items (or working with a local seamstress, let’s be real). For anyone interested, I’ll be sharing more as I continue this long-term project throughout the year.
Some local influencers put on a ‘Spring Closet’ sale earlier this month so my friend and I made an afternoon date out of it. I’m new at shopping for used clothes and didn’t have high expectations (especially looking for natural fabrics)—but this experience was absolutely kismet.✨ For $80 I picked up this cotton-blend trench coat, the scalloped long sleeve from Donni that’s been on my wishlist for ages, an Away travel bag that matches my luggage, and wait for it….a pair of Rachel Comey white denim that fit me like a gosh darn glove! Say what you will, I call that manifestation.
A month of mini-series: as you might imagine, I had plenty of time for watching TV while I was off on tooth-removal leave. My favourites have been: The Perfect Couple (Netflix, great cast, murder mystery in a stunning holiday home in Nantucket), Black Doves (Netflix, secret spy agents, British), The White Lotus (HBO, season three—you know it, you love it), and Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV, burglary, drama).
The art of selecting a background image for one’s iPhone is a tricky and delicate endeavour. I like to treat my digital spaces like my physical spaces—which means hanging a piece of artwork on my iPhone’s wall that makes me feel something. Selecting a lock screen photo is simple—but finding an image that sits right behind a collection of apps is more complex. This gorgeous underwater flower image (shown below) by Johann Besse caught my eye. The soft colours, blurriness, and water ripples welcome me with spring abundance as I swipe up to unlock.
I hope you’ve had a budding April. Thank you so much for reading and as always, I would love to hear from you!
How often do you change your digital wallpaper?
Do you buy used clothing? Favourite online retailers?
Ciao ciao,
No affiliate links or sponsored content here! YGL is fully reader supported—keeping all my recommendations personal and genuine.
I loved so much in this letter! Your top photo looks like your album cover! And I am besides myself that you loved POND. It's the oddest, most delightful book and you either love it or you can't get past page 10 but there's nothing like it. She has a new book coming out in the fall titled "Big kiss, bye-bye". Isn't that perfect?!
Beautiful art! x