Team AFF Finds | 001
You know how you sit at your desk at work and ask your co-workers, hey... have you seen that girl on insta, or that new book, or did you hear that quote? We're constantly asking this and showing each other what we run across every week. Rather than letting them go to waste after we've shared and chatted about them, we wanted to pool our favorites and share them with you guys. From books that we're reading to products that we're using, read all about what we're each obsessed with this month while also meeting our team here that makes up AFF!
Did anyone panic a little when they realized how quickly February was flying by compared to January? I sure did. I felt like it might as well have been November. Sometimes that's what it takes to get your shit together though, right? One of my biggest goals with that said, was trying to be more productive. I can easily fall back into old comfortable routines, so I made an effort to get out of them.
This article (No. 1) is a good way to clean up your act at work... even though it's already March. It's perfect because each day there are bite-sized ways you can make your work environment better. And we might as well since we spend most of day's here right?
I LOVED this article as well (No. 2) on how NOT to start your emails. I'd say 75% of the emails I get start like this, and 100% of the time I delete them if they do. If you don't subscribe to Inc.'s emails, do yourself a favor and get on that list. It's consistently one newsletter I actually read everyday. It has helpful and inspiring information for business owners that I put into practice.
I read this quote (No. 3) in the current book I'm reading, You Are a Badass at Making Money. It made me really think about how you feel when you do something nice for someone (GREAT most of the time right?)... so why don't I do that more? It's literally changed the way I make decisions. And I can honestly say that I've felt better about myself now that I've stopped to think about how something I do or say will effect the other person.
@rodarte (No. 4) is my new favorite on instagram. The colors, the florals, just everything is so over the top and perfect.
Guess what used to be my least favorite color, I absolutely hated it... purple. Guess what is my new favorite (next to dusty pink of course)? Purple (No. 5). But like, dusty lilac purple;)
I heard about this book (No. 6) on a podcast. It basically tells you how to break down your money, save it, understand it, and make more of it. I can't wait to fully understand this and really get my finances in order this year.
And last but not least, we tried the crab pasta on Valentines Day from this book (No. 7) and I ate it for like 4 days straight. It was so good but so simple. I think we are going to make it for a shoot soon, but it the mean time, check it out and try it!
February has been all about me trying to find a work/school/life balance. So, my friend showed me a texting service called, ‘Shine,’ (No. 1) that I’ve become a little obsessed with. Shine sends you a daily text message that includes motivational quotes, positive affirmations, and little “pick me ups.” I’ve set it up to text me at 9:00 every morning (right before I head into work/school), to help me set an intention for the day.
I recently purchased the Apple HomePod (No. 6) and I use it for EVERYTHING. Not only does it have amazing sound quality as a speaker, but Siri is built into it, making it super helpful when I need to know my schedule for the upcoming week, the weather, the closest sushi restaurant to me, etc… ;)
I was gifted a Koto Candle (No. 3) recently, now I’m hooked. The ‘Lempi’ scent is super relaxing and not overbearing.
I just finished binge-watching Netflix’s new reboot series, Queer Eye (No. 5). I never watched the original series, so I wasn’t sure if I could get into or not. But, the “Fab Five” are SO inspiring and touch on topics from personal style to cooking to home decor…I finished the series in like a day.
I wanted to do something fun and new to my hair (I will never make the last-minute-bangs-decision again) and, while shopping at target, I found Kristin Ess’ new ‘Rose Gold Temporary Tint’ (No. 2). It's a spray-in temporary suuuuper light pink color that only lasts for a few days. Its perfect for someone like me who can’t commit to a crazy color for longer than a week!
My two-year wedding anniversary with my husband is coming up at the end of the month, so I’ve decided to surprise him (shhhh!) with a weekend getaway to Palm Springs, where we got married. I was SO excited to see that my favorite hotel group, Kimpton, has opened their first Palm Springs location, The Rowan (No. 4). Its filled with modern desert vibes, has some pretty awesome mountain views, AND you can take your pets there at no extra charge! I can already taste the poolside jalapeño margarita…
Speaking of getting married…I still don’t have a wedding album. I just feel like its so hard to actually sit down to plan and layout all your favorite images. I finally got around to it and thankfully found Artifact Uprising (No. 7), who specialize in framed prints, albums, and more. Their wedding lay-flat albums are absolutely stunning and are super easy to layout thanks to their user-friendly templates. I just ordered mine and will finally have that beautiful coffee table wedding album I've always dreamed of!
Photo credits: Wedding Album, iPhone/Table
After having just tied the knot before Christmas and making it through the holiday season straight into my birthday month, my husband and I have been ordering pizza. A lot. Like the delivery people know our dog, a lot. So, this month we set out to get on top of meal planning and organizing what recipes work and which ones don't. So, I found this cute notebook (No. 7) in a local boutique that was perfect to get us organized each week. You just fill in your meal plan, write the ingredients you need to buy, and the best part is that the grocery list is perforated so you can take it with you!
Up next was organizing what recipes we actually liked and leave it to Kate Spade to have this blank recipe book (No. 6) to fill up. Bam. I wouldn't say we've mastered it yet, but these two items have helped us get our shit together. Like I mentioned to start, we've been planning a wedding for the past year and a half so I was really excited to get back to the basics of things I love.
On instagram, I've been following and loving Mabel the Bully (No. 1). She's just the cutest and with her mom being a photographer, it's a winning duo.
I also recently discovered Curtis Wiklund's Instagram (No. 4). Check it out if you're a sap like me.
As an avid list maker, I love to find new notebooks and this Denik notebook (No. 5) was an extra good find this month. Denik features artists on their notebook covers and supports them with each purchase in addition to building schools with their profits, win-win!
I always have to feed my sweet tooth so I'm excited to try this Vegan Rose Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream (No. 2) - say that 5 times fast - from Wallflower Kitchen.
Thankfully Rhye provided the perfect soundtrack to cook to, work to, drive to, etc. His new album, "Blood," (No. 3) has a driving beat and is also super easy to listen to.