I would like to try to make a bag. So far, what I am finding calls for cotton, worsted weight yarn. I really prefer acrylic yarn for so many reasons. Would acrylic yarn be to stretchy? Any thoughts much appreciated 😊

Buying these items! NYP and we can negotiate if needed
🌸 = Got it/no longer buying
Items:
baby bunny backpack
Blossoming dewdrop gown 🌸
botanist's bag
Celebration sombrero
Christmas window top hat
conscious cotton tote
Cozy Sweater Bodice
Daisy diva cap
daisy earrings
academia uniform jacket and skirt
daisy sun hat 🌸
elegant parasol
feather bowler hat
festive hair bow
floral bell earrings
lace snowflake scarf
my teddy bear
oof head
powder heart backpack
Rosey Liana purse
Rh designer purse
royal stroll in the garden skirt
runaway damsel candle
Sewer rat
silver bell fairy skirt
sparkly heart hoop earrings
Sparkly tutu
talented guitarist guitar
teacup tulip hat
trip to the market hat
cosy set
vamp tote
Wings:
Fallen love fairy wings
Floral feathers
heavenly love
love fairy
love dragon
persephone's garden
serene petals
song of the lovebird
symphony of flora
wisteria butterfly

“It's me, Brianna. Not you.”
That's what my latest boyfriend told me before walking directly into the path of a truck. There was barely anything of him, just enough to peel off of the sidewalk. I thought our relationship was going well. It's not like I'm desensitised to my boyfriend's dying (or ceasing to exist), but it's almost become the norm.
Ben was my first boyfriend in high school, and my longest relationship to date. Fluffy haired Ben with his dimpled grin and freckles. He was the type of guy who should have been popular, but chose to keep to himself.
I met him in the principal’s office. Ben was being lectured for ‘sneaking around’ and I was handing in a late assignment. All he did was wink at me, and I fell.
Hard.
We dated for two years, and I really thought he was the one. Ben told me he loved me, and every Friday he introduced me to a new restaurant. I was in love. I loved *everything about him.
On the night before our senior prom, a drunk driver t-boned my boyfriend's car, killing him instantly. After his funeral, it's like he stopped existing. His parents left town, and every time I mentioned him, my parents would slowly tilt their heads and act confused when I brought him up.
My brother was the worst for it, considering he and Ben were best friends.
But he just looked at me with this weird fucking look in his eye, like his soul had been ripped out. Eyes are the windows to the soul, apparently, and my brother's soul was MIA. “Ben?” His expression crumpled. “Wait, who?”
Alex was my emotional support, who later became someone closer.
Funny Alex.
Blonde-but-not-quite-blonde, Alex.
I met him in group therapy. My boyfriend was dead, and he had just lost his mother. We didn't label it, because he had a girlfriend, and I didn't want to move on so quickly. I think we just found comfort in each other.
Eventually, though, Alex became something I wanted to label.
His sense of humor was a breath of fresh air. I didn't go to college because of Ben’s death, settling for a mediocre barista stop in town. Alex came in every day with fresh coffee and a sugar cookie. I think I loved him. I told him that. Half asleep, I told him I wanted to try and be something more with him. Alex looked taken-aback, but happy.
We spent the night together.
The morning after, I woke to my mother screaming.
Alex was dead in the bathroom, his blood splattering, staining pristine white. According to the first responders, he died of a self inflicted head injury. The exact same thing followed. I attended his funeral, and Alex’s family disappeared.
This time, I went back to his house. But according to a neighbour, his house had been abandoned for ten years. I had eaten pancakes in his kitchen just days earlier.
I broke in to see myself, but my neighbor was right. The hallway was piled with ancient mail and threats of eviction. Alex’s room didn't exist, instead, a storage room filled with boxes.
When I got home, my family had already forgotten Alex’s existence.
The town had forgotten him, and yet his blood still stained my bathroom.
Following Alex’s death, I was terrified of getting too close to people.
But Esme made it hard.
She was my third relationship. We met at a bar. I was extremely drunk and convinced I was cursed to kill all of my romantic partners. Esme. Cute Esme. Crooked teeth and smudged lipstick and warm Esme.
Do you know that person you meet and you instantly connect with them? The person you're sure is your soulmate?
That was Esme.
I told myself I wouldn't get close to her. But I was already talking to this girl, already pouring my life out to her. Esme sat and listened, her chin resting on her fist. She was a first year creative writing student, and she had a cat called Peanut.
I didn't remember much after that. We hit it off, and next thing I know we’re curled up in the back of her car watching Buffy on her iPad. I told her about my exes, and she nodded and smiled, but I don't think she was listening.
I told her all of my exes have died, and then been erased from existence.
Esme called me cute. She wanted to base a story around the concept, sitting up and grabbing her phone.
I have this memory of the girl I fell in love with at first sight.
She's nodding along to a Smith’s song spluttering from my car radio, typing on her phone. I can hear the tapping of her nails, her lips curving into a smile. I can see the exact moment she gets inspiration, pulling her knees to her chest. She's wearing fishnet tights that are torn, and a jacket that doesn't fit her.
She is fucking beautiful, and I don't want to lose her.
Alex was beautiful.
He had pretty eyes and brown curls that I liked running my hands through. Ben was beautiful. He made my heart swim, my stomach swarm with butterflies, when I first met him. Ben was my first love.
The realization woke me up one night, three months into dating Esme.
Both of them were dead, wiped away like they never existed.
And Esme would follow.
At first, I tried to break it off with her without sounding crazy. I told her it was me not her, and I wasn't in the mindset for a relationship.
Esme understood, but her eyes didn't. I didn't want to lose her. Esme lit up every room she entered. Her obsession with thrifted clothes and badly written poems, and her irrational fear of pandas, made her someone I wanted to be with.
So, I stayed with her. I told myself Ben and Alex were just coincidences that were nothing to do with me, and I wasn't indirectly fucking killing the people I fell in love with.
I avoided the ‘L’ word for as long as I could.
It slipped out on my way to work. Esme was driving.
I just said it, and her eyes lit up. She reached out and squeezed my hand.
At work, one of my colleagues, Jasper, caught my eye. When I twisted around to ask him to grab something, I glimpsed his phone screen. It looked like Tinder, though I didn't recognise the layout. It reminded me of Twitter, in dark mode. Jasper was leaning against the counter, his thumb hovering over a photo of Esme, chewing his bottom lip.
I watched his thumb prance across the screen, before he gave up and swiped left.
Finishing up the woman's coffee, I handed it over.
“Uhh, I asked for cream.”
Ignoring her, I sidled in front of my colleague, hyper focused on whatever app he was playing around with. “What's that?”
Jasper looked up, his eyes widening, lips parting, like a fucking goldfish.
“Clearly nothing.” Jasper side-stepped me, opening the refrigerator and pulling out milk. But he already had milk. The bastard was stalling. We had zero customers waiting, so it was the two of us, and a long, dragged out pause.
Jumping up and down on the heels of his feet, he shot me his usual grin, slipping his phone in his apron.
Jasper may have been smiling, though there was something twisted in his expression.
I couldn't stop myself. “Was that a dating app?”
“Dating app?”
“Excuse me, can I get what I ordered?” The woman demanded, waving her coffee in the air. “I asked for whipped cream.”
Jasper saw that as an excuse, an escape, and nodded, fashioning a grin. He saw an opportunity, and took it. “Of course, Ma’am! I'll get that for you!” He said, with a little too much sarcasm. The boy took her coffee with a spring in his step, ducking in the refrigerator for the whipping cream. Jasper added too much whipping cream, dumping the drink on the counter with a little too much force.
It was a good thing my colleague was marginally attractive guy with cropped blonde hair, and a deadpan voice that somehow attracted the ladies.
Jasper could insult someone directly to their face, and they would just blush and get all tongue tied. I had seen it happen in real time. A girl was flirting with him, and used a bad pick-up line, which was something along the lines of, “Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?”
He laughed, and her eyes brightened. She giggled along with him, nudging her friends.
But he wasn't laughing with her. I saw the gleam in his eye.
He was laughing at her.
Still laughing, Jasper plonked her milk latte down so hard half of it spewed out.
And, with that exact same charming smile, he deadpanned, “Did it hurt when you dropped out of a drainpipe?”
Yeah, my colleague was blessed with good looks.
Otherwise, he would have been punched in the face by now.
Presently, he was being his usual asshole self. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
The woman shook her head, pulling a face.
Jasper had, essentially, ruined her drink. It was more cream than coffee.
When she left the store, I situated myself in front of him when he was counting cash. “What were you just looking at?” I nodded to the guy’s phone sticking out of his pocket. “Was it like… a dating thing you were on?”
Jasper didn't even look at me, his lip curling.
“That's kinda rude,” he hummed, “I don't peek at your phone.”
“Esme Hope.” Was all I could hiss out. “Was she on that dating app?”
My colleague proceeded to stare at me like I'd grown a second head, before his half lidded gaze flicked behind me. Jasper’s expression brightened.
“Oh, Hanna is calling me!” He said, choking out a laugh. Hanna was not calling him. She was in the break room getting high. Jasper slowly backed away, maintaining his smile. “I'll be back in a sec, all right?” He grabbed that same carton of milk with a grin. “Don't you just love when your milk stays fresh?”
“What?”
“Fresh milk!” He grinned. “Mulberry Farm’s finest.”
Jasper was darting away before I could coerce a sentence.
After work, I texted Esme as usual. She was my ride on Fridays.
Esme didn't reply.
I texted her again, a little more panicked.
Hey, are you okay?”
When I called her, an automated voice told me she wasn't available.
Already feeling sick to my stomach, I drove to her place myself. I could see the flashing lights before anything else, blurred red and blue sending my thoughts into a whirlwind. It took me ten minutes to muster the courage to jump out of my car, and ask a pale looking deputy what was going on.
I tried to jump over the yellow tape, only to be politely pulled back.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning,” the deputy told me. “The whole family is dead.” he sighed. “Mom, Dad, and their daughter in college.” I think he was trying to be sympathetic, awkwardly patting me. But I was already on my knees, all of the breath dragged from my lungs. “Luckily, it's just like going to sleep. Monoxide is a silent killer.”
Monoxide is a silent killer.
Was that the same as, “I'm sorry. Ben was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
And, “Alex was silently suffering. He did what he thought was best.”
I didn't go to Esme’s funeral. Mom and Dad and Will had already forgotten her, just like the others. What I did do, several days later, when her name wasn't even a memory anymore– I bought flowers from the store. Roses were Esme’s favourite.
The seller was around my Mom’s age, a plump looking woman wearing a floral dress, long red hair tied into a ponytail. She was on her phone, humming to a tune on the radio.
The Smiths.
“I hope she likes them.” The woman said, wrapping the flowers in red ribbons. She had a strong southern accent that immediately annoyed me.
I took the roses, stuffing them in my bag. “What did you say?”
The seller cocked her head. “Hmm?”
“How did you know they were for my girlfriend?”
The woman sighed, placing her phone on the counter. I glanced at whatever she'd been so interested in, but the screen was faced down. “Esme came in here a lot,” Her lips broke out into a sad, sympathetic smile. I was quickly growing sick of them.
“Esme. She, uh, she told me you guys were dating,” She smiled, “Esme was always buying roses for her room. Sometimes she would stand in here for hours, and just stare at flowers. I think she found comfort in them.” The woman sighed, fixing me with what I could only describe as a pitiful pout.
Urgh.
“I hope you can find the same comfort,” she murmured. The seller handed me an extra rose, and I found myself reaching out for it, my eyes stinging. Fuck.
I hadn't cracked in at least fifteen hours, and that was a record. But now I could feel myself splintering, tears trickling down my cheeks. The Flower lady squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. If it makes you feel better, it's just like going to sleep. Monoxide is a silent killer.” Her words were familiar.
Exactly what the deputy said. Before I could speak, she dumped weed killer on the counter. “Did you know our plant killer is ten dollars ninety nine?”
Her sudden bout of energy took me off guard.
I tried to smile. “I don't want any plant killer.”
The seller nodded, handing me another rose. “Oh, of course, Darling! But it is five ninety nine! Just for today!”
Something pricked me, and I hissed out, wafting my hand.
Damn thorns. I could already see a single spot of blood.
I nodded, sucking my teeth against a cry. “Thanks. But I'll skip it this time.”
I took the roses to what used to be Esme’s grave. Now, it was an empty headstone with no name, no memories, no flowers, nothing. Just like Alex and Ben, Esme had been reduced to dirt under my feet. I stayed at her ‘grave’ for a long time, long enough for the sky to grow dark, and my thoughts darker. I tried to find a logical explanation for the sudden deaths of the people I got close to, but all I could think of was a curse.
So, I started googling curses, leaning against Esme’s headstone, my knees to my chest. Had I been cursed?
Was my family cursed?
According to Google, a cursed object connected with the curse itself.
Which could be anything. Though I didn't remember visiting any ancient ruins, or an old church. With zero answers, I headed home. I passed a guy playing The Smiths in his car. Then a group of older women wearing ripped fishnets.
Esme was following me. Just like Alex’s smell. Fresh coffee and rich chocolate.
Ben’s cologne filled my car last summer. His favourite band was playing all day on our local music station. I drove around with no destination, listening to each one on repeat, until I was losing him all over again.
The sweet aroma of flowers followed me all the way home, and I was tipsy on the smell, when I found myself face to face with a boy. Under the overexposed streetlight, this guy was almost ethereal, thick brown hair and freckles.
He reminded me of Ben. Which wasn't fair. I thought I was hallucinating him, before he came closer, bleeding from the shadow. I saw more of him, white strips of something wrapped around his head.
Wrong.
The word slammed into me when I glimpsed his clothes. Filthy. The guy was wearing a white button down, a single streak of bright red ingrained into the material. His white pants were torn, glued to his legs.
He was barefoot, the soles of his feet slapping on wet concrete.
I didn't realize he was in front of me, nose to nose, until he shoved me. Hard.
“Josie.” His voice was a whimper, despite his narrowed eyes, his lips twisted into a scowl. He was crying, and had been crying, every heaving son sputtering from his mouth. The boy shoved me again, and I staggered. His ice cold breath grazed my cheeks. “What the fuck did you do to my sister?”
“Sister?” I whispered.
Something wet landed on my cheek, suddenly.
Rain.
I wasn't expecting a downpour. The weather was forecasted to be clear.
To my surprise, the guy let out a harsh sounding laugh. The two of us were slowly getting drenched, but neither of us were making a move to get out of the rain. My hair was glued to the back of my neck, my clothes sticking to me.
But somehow, I wanted to stay in the rain. It was refreshing.
When a thought hit me, telling me to get out of the rain, it was shoved to the back of my mind. The guy spat water out of his mouth, shaking his head like a dog.
“Of course,” he muttered, “Drown me out with the rain.”
I found my voice, my gaze glued to intense red seeping through the bandage stapled to his head. He looked like he’d escaped an emergency room. “I don't know anyone called Josie,” I said, “I think you've got the wrong person.”
The guy’s eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, grabbing my shoulders, and I noticed how hollow his eyes were, empty caverns carved into his skull. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and this guy was completely soulless. “I'm only going to say this once,” he whispered, “What did you do to my sister?”
Before I could respond, the guy was being violently grabbed, and dragged back.
Figures who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
“Let me go!” He cried out, struggling. “You fucking assholes! Let me go!”
His screaming became muffling, when his cries were gagged.
“You promised!” He yelled, his cries collapsing into a sob. “You said if you took me, she wouldn't get hurt! So, where is she?” he met my gaze, his expression crumpling, something inside him coming apart, splintering by the seams. “You can't take both of us, this wasn't in the agreement!” When he was dragged further back, I noticed a car parked at the side of the road.
The boy was pulled inside. At first, he refused, before an extra pair of hands shoved him. “You fucking– mmmphmmhphmmm!”
I heard his fists slamming into the windows.
“Don't take me back there! Please! Just let Josie–” His cries once again collapsed into angry muffle screaming, and I felt my hands moving towards my pocket for my phone. This was a kidnapping, right? I was witnessing a kidnapping in broad fucking daylight.
A shadow was suddenly in front of me, and I jumped, tearing my eyes from the car. Jasper, my colleague. He was still wearing his apron, and to my confusion, was swinging a carton of whole milk.
“Sorry, Bree,” He winked, speaking in a single breath. “As you can see, our friend here had a little too much to drink.”
I nodded, craning my neck. Jasper stepped in front of me, maintaining a grin.
“Who is he?” This time, I side-stepped away from him, only for him to copy.
“Just a guy.” He said. “As you can see, he's a little…” Jasper prodded his right temple. “Let's just say he's got a few too many screws loose.” Jasper laughed, staying stock still, blocking my way.
When I made a move to counter him, he stepped in front of me, his eyes hardening. “I heard he lost his family a while ago in a…” He pretended to think. “Oh, yeah, a car crash. Maybe a gas explosion, I’m not really sure.”
I could hear the car behind him, and once again I tried to dart past him. But he was quick to block my way. He was getting closer to me, very subtly backing me in the opposite direction.
“Anyway, this guy is kiiiiind of nuts. Dude still thinks he's got a sister.”
When I lost patience and shoved him out of the way, the car, and the guy, was gone.
“See?” Jasper rolled his eyes. He was still holding milk from work. My head spun. It was 8pm, we were in a suburban neighbourhood, and Jasper was holding half a pint of milk. His apron was stained with coffee, and when I really looked at him, I realized he was out of breath.
He was doing a good job of hiding it, exhaling in intervals, swiping at his forehead to clear sweat. When I noticed, he pretended to run his hands through his hair. “I, uh, I feel for him! Like, I'm sorry his family died, or whatever, but attacking random girls isn't cool, y’know?”
Instead of replying, I stumbled home. It was sunny.
At 8pm.
And when I took notice, I wasn't even wet.
Esme was my last straw. I made a promise to myself to not get close to anyone. The guys and girls I met were friends, and nothing more. Weirdly enough, the only guy I was getting close to was my colleague. I don't know if it was brain damage, or I was finally losing the plot.
But Jasper’s shameless cruelty towards customers, and that quirk in his lips when he made them cry, was kind of hot.
However, he was playing hard to get.
And I mean REALLY playing.
I was in storage trying to find vegan milk, and he was suddenly a fucking expert, spewing milk facts.
When I slammed the refrigerator door shut, he was inches from my face.
In the dim light from a single spluttering bulb, his eyes reminded me of coffee grounds. I thought maybe he was going to kiss me, judging from his softening expression. I felt his hands go around my waist, and I felt myself immediately melt.
I don't know what came over me. It's like, one minute I hated him, and the next… I was suddenly hot. Really hot. And I really wanted to take my clothes off. I thought that's what he wanted to do too.
I mean, his gaze followed mine, piercing, fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. Before he leaned forward, his breath in my face.
“Did you know that Mulberry Farms is an award winning brand of milk?”
And suddenly, I was no longer hot and bothered.
“I didn't.” I said, ducking into a crouch to search the shelves. “Have you seen our vegan milk? We did have some.”
“Three time winner,” Jasper continued. When I jumped up, he stepped closer, and I felt my cheeks spark. His smile was rare. In fact, Jasper was only smiling when he was talking about milk.
“Mulberry Farms have the best pasteration. It's suitable for everything! Coffee, cereal, or maybe you just want a glass of fresh milk to yourself! Perfect for kids, too! Breakfast time is Mulberry Farms.”
“Are you having a stroke?” I whisper-shrieked.
“Nope!”
Jasper twisted around, shooting me a grin.
I left the storage, however, with butterflies in my gut.
There was no way I was falling for my asshole colleague.
Somehow, though, I was.
Just standing next to him filled me with electricity.
The way he talked down to customers, insulting me to my face… I was thoroughly, and disgustingly, in love.
I tried to stop myself.
I showered in ice cold water.
I ate (choked on) a ghost pepper.
I even asked my BROTHER for advice, who told me to go for it.
I told him Jasper had one (of several) flaws, but this particular one was off-putting.
“He’s obsessed with milk.” I told my brother.
Harry lifted a brow. “Is that a euphemism, or…”
He paused, for way longer than necessary. “So, your would-be-boyfriend has a milk fetish?”
I left his room before he could take that conversation further.
I wanted to say Jasper was the only one who acted weird.
But over the next few weeks, I noticed it in quite a few people.
I was having breakfast with Mom, and she lifted up the box.
“Choco Flakes.” She blurted, “Aren't they just the best?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, Mom. They're great.”
I prodded the box with a smile. “Only a dollar ninety nine.”
There were so many townspeople on their phones. They walked around with groceries or briefcases, their eyes glued to whatever they were swiping through.
I was serving an old woman, when I caught her phone screen.
I could have sworn there was an image of Jasper.
She swiped right, and I had a hard time looking her in the eye.
The woman was at least in her 80’s. And I'm talking, can barely walk, and needs assistance.
Was she seriously hitting up 25 year old guys?
Walking home, everyone was on their phones.
I stopped at a crossing, stabbing the red light.
It started to snow the second I stepped out onto the road, white flakes dancing in front of me. It didn't even cross my mind that it was almost June. The snow was pretty, accumulating on the ground.
“Oh shit, sorry!”
Lifting my head, a guy was standing in front of me holding an umbrella.
I knew him.
But not from whatever was trying to pollute my mind.
I knew him from a while ago. I knew him from the rain. I knew the bloody bandages wrapped around his head, and soulless, seething eyes I couldn't understand. It was the boy who was dragged away three months prior.
He looked different, his hair was shorter, his face carved into a thing of beauty.
The white strips of gauze bleeding scarlet were gone, his filthy clothes replaced with a white shirt and pants, a trench coat flung over the top. I didn't remember him being this handsome. His dark brown hair had been tamed and curled.
It was his expression that sent shivers sliding down my spine.
His too wide smile and unblinking eyes made me suddenly conscious of two bright lights on the two of us.
So bright.
Something shattered in my mind, and I was aware of a lot of things.
The snow under my feet was too soft.
I glimpsed a single streak of red seeping from his nose, his hands trembling around a takeout coffee cup.
Behind me, people were staring. I could see a group of teenage girls giggling.
“It's him,” one of them squeaked. “It's the new love interest!”
“Bree?” His grin widened, snowflakes prancing around us. His teeth gritted together. I could tell he hated every word. “Holy shit, long time no see!”
He held out his hand, and I could see visible pain contorting in his eyes.
Help me. He was screaming through a twinkling smile.
“Don't you remember me? It's… it's uh, it's Sam!” he laughed. “From eighth grade!”
The lights blinked out, and the thought crashed into my mind. Static images filling my head. I shook them away.
Oh, yeah, it was Sam.
My childhood friend.
But I didn't reply. Instead of saying, “Sam? It's been so long!” I found myself walking, stumbling over to the girls.
Who were rapidly swiping left on their phones.
“What's that?” I demanded in a sharp breath.
I grabbed for the phone, only for Sam to step in front of me. He settled me with a smile.
Behind me, one of the girls fainted.
Sam’s smile didn't waver. Though he did side-eye the girl being carried away. “Why don't I take you out for coffee?”
Apparently, coffee was the code word for hooking up.
Sam dragged me into the nearest coffee store, straight to the bathroom.
When he shoved me into a stall, I didn't know what to say.
“Take off your shoes,” he said in a hiss, and after hesitating, I did.
Sam pulled off his jacket, shook snow out of his hair, and got real close.
“Look up.” He murmured.
I did, my gaze finding the ceiling.
“To your right, a camera is very well hidden, but can be seen with the naked eye if you catch what looks like a red laser,” Sam said. “To your left, another camera, as well as a vent that is currently pumping the stalls with aphrodisiacs. And right now, we are in the red zone. Meaning, you should be conscious.”
He prodded me, and I flinched.
“Mostly conscious.”
His words went right over my head, my mind was foggy.
I couldn't think straight.
I think I asked him what he was saying, but my mouth was filled with cotton.
“Snap out of it,” he said, “Like I said, they're making you feel like this.”
He shoved me against the door, which broke me out of my trance. Slightly.
“I hate what I'm going to say right now,” Sam groaned, tipping his head back. He was sweating, I noticed. Bad. I glimpsed beads of red pooling down his neck. He noticed me staring. “I'm okay, for now. I’m faulty, so the connection is severed. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I…think.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sex.” He said, blinking rapidly. I wasn't going to comment on his slurring voice.
Sam stumbled, fresh blood dripping from his nose.
“We need to do the sex. Like…” His eyes rolled into the back of his head, but he managed to stabilise himself. “Nooooow.”
“What?!”
“Is everything okay in there?”
The voice was a woman. She knocked on the stall.
Sam’s eyes widened, coming back to life a little. “They're paranoid,” he whispered. When I could only stare at him, he pounded his fists into the door. “They think we’re fucking,” he hissed, “So, we need to make it believable.”
“They?” I mouthed.
He didn't reply, swiping at his haemorrhaging nose. “Just… move around against the door. That'll fool ‘em.”
I did, doing my best to shuffle around, slamming my back against the lock.
When the metal clanged, he shot me a look. “Sex!” He hissed, “Not murder!”
Sam jumped onto the toilet bowl. There was an open window above him.
“That's enough.” He mouthed, hoisting his way through.
He helped me through, and I expected to land on concrete.
What I did land on, however, was something… squishy.
Something wet sliding between my bare toes.
Looking closer, I recognised the beaded anklet.
Fishnet tights.
Something animalistic clawed from my throat. I was standing on Esme. Or what was left of Esme. She was just a torso and legs, the rest of her ripped away like doll pieces. I couldn't see her face. I looked for it, digging through what could only be old flesh and pieces of limbs.
I felt suffocated. I grabbed half of Ben’s face that had been ripped off, and then Alex’s tattooed arm. There was so much of them, piles and piles of the same heads, the same filthy and rotting clothes. I was screaming by the time I shuffled back on my hands and knees, trying to wipe them off of my skin.
They were all over me, staining me, painting me.
Sam’s hand slick with blood gently covered my mouth.
“Stay calm, all right?” He whispered. “I would tell you everything is going to be okay, but the truth is, it's really not, there's like, a 99.9% chance you're going to… understandably freak out.”
He pulled me to my feet, letting out a heavy breath.
Blinking rapidly, I could only see… pieces.
Pieces of people.
Legs and heads and torsos all piled into one mass of gore.
“We’ve got maybe five minutes before they realize we’re not doing the devil's dance,” Sam sniffled, “Maybe ten, before my brain short circuits and I bleed out.”
I didn't know I was hyperventilating, until I couldn't fucking breathe.
Closer towards the door, and I could hear… machinery.
I couldn't stop myself. Even when I was aware I was standing in congealing blood.
Rotten bodies.
The dim light led me into what could only be described as a factory. There were three levels, and we were on the highest. Sam stepped forward, gripping the metal bar in front of us. I felt my legs buckling, a thick, pukey slime filling my mouth.
“Soo, I guess it all started when Brianna Timberman was seventeen years old, and rejected by her childhood best friend, Sam Thwaites.”
Sam’s words collapsed into a low buzzing in my ear.
All I could see was a conveyer belt, filled with… people.
Boys.
Girls.
But most noticeably, Ben’s, Alex’s, Esme’s, and Sam’s.
But they start as Ben’s, Alex's, and Esme’s.
I could see regular people, their hair stripped away.
Their skin sliced into, cruelly moulding them into the exact same four faces.
When a large looming needle plunged into the back of an Alex’s head, I couldn't not watch. I waited for the guy to wake up, but I don't even think he was alive.
He stood, unblinking, letting this thing twist and contort his face. And it was then, when I realized these things weren't even human. I could see the mechanics built under their flesh, both living tissue and metal melded together. “Brianna’s father, who is a liiiitle on the crazy side, with too much cash and not not enough logic, took his daughter’s rejection a little too personally,” Sam continued.
“So, he promised his daughter he would find her the perfect match.”
I started to speak, the words coming out before I could stop them.
“My father would never–”
“I didn't say it was your father,” Sam said. His eyes darkened. “Anyway, as I was saying, the townspeople became unhealthily obsessed with who Brianna would choose. So obsessed, in fact, that the girl’s day to day life was broadcasted across town, while her potential love interests were ranked, week after week. First, there was Ben.”
Sam’s smile thinned. “Her high school boyfriend.”
Sam shrugged. “She grew bored of him. Also, he kinda did something unforgivable.”
He continued. “Then… Alex. She liked him, but sometimes, he was a little too unserious. The guy was a clown.”
I backed away, but he was quick to grab my shoulders.
“Finally? Esme. Who she truly fell for.”
I swallowed. “Esme is–”
He cut me off. “But I didn't mention that they hurt her, did I?”
Sam leaned against the bar. Behind him, I could see a figure in white pushing a gurney with a Ben strapped to it. “Ben tried to rape her, insisting she wanted it. Alex dumped her on her birthday. Esme ended their relationship with a one word text. Goodbye.” Sam mimed an explosion. “That was the nail in the coffin.”
I caught blood sliding down his nose. “You're still bleeding.”
Sam gingerly prodded his nose.
“Urgh. Yeah, it's an effect of the severing. I've been in the red zone too long. I should probably speed this up.”
He talked faster, his voice collapsing into a mumbled slur.
“Brianna couldn't take it. Her best friend was ignoring her. Everyone she had fallen in love with hurt her. Esme wasn't returning her calls. Ben was sleeping around right in front of her, and Alex was still being a clown. Brianna’s poor parents found her hanging from her bedroom ceiling fan.”
I shook my head, my thoughts screaming.
“No–”
He held a finger up to shush me. “Let me talk. Jeez.”
Sam folded his arms. “A grieving father would do anything to avenge his dead child, buuut… Mr Timberman took ‘finding a perfect match’ and ‘the show must go on’ a little bit too literally.”
His sickly smile found me. “Which also means going stark fucking crazy. The town wanted more of Brianna, and her life, so he turned his daughter’s failed love life into a town wide TV show, sending the entire teen and young adult populace into here,” he gestured around him. “To make the perfect suitors. Who wouldn't hurt his new Brianna.”
Something ice cold crept down my spine.
He cleared his throat. “Mr Timberman grew, let's say, obsessed, with getting revenge on these specific four people. So, he started killing them–” He coughed.
“Sorry. Us. Killing us for the funny ha-ha, ‘Look at how many times I can fuck with them!’ bit. And then recycling us into someone completely different. Our names are gone. Then our personalities. Finally, our bodies ripped to pieces and sculpted into Brianna’s exes.” Sam poked me in the cheek.
“The cycle continues. They reset your ticker and the town eats it up. They can bring back Esme, Ben, and Alex whenever they want and add curveballs. Like the bad-boy colleague who becomes the fan favorite.” Sam’s lips curved. “For… some fucking reason.”
His eyes flickered open. “However, Brianna will never find a suitor because her father is a fucking sociopath. To him and the town, his dead daughter’s pathetic love life is entertainment.”
He held out his arm.
“See?”
I tried really hard not to look through the makeup.
At noticeable skin grafts.
“I was a Ben.” He said. “Then I was an Alex, and then I was an extra.” His eyes found mine, sad, suddenly. “But who I was originally is kinda gone. All I remember is a deal to protect Josie. I gave myself up so they wouldn't take her.”
“Your sister.” I said.
Sam nodded.
His earlier words hit me. He was talking like Brianna Timberman was dead.
But I was Brianna Timberman.
I was rejected by Sam, yes, but I found Ben.
As if he could read my mind, Sam shook his head.
“Look at yourself.” He said, his voice shaking.
“And I mean really look at yourself.”
Sam stepped closer.
“Because, underneath all of that make-up and the prosthetics and surgery, and fucked up memories, you're just another recycled lump of flesh.” He prodded my temple. “Who thinks she is Brianna Timberman.”
His voice was slurring again, a fresh stream of scarlet seeping down his chin.
“Don't you want to know?” His eyes rolled to pearly whites.
Before he could finish his sentence, Sam dropped to the ground.
I remember warm arms grasping hold of me.
Shadows with no faces.
They pricked me twice in the back of my neck.
A familiar voice in my ear, almost a hiss.
Jasper.
“You are the worst fucking Brianna.”
When I came to, I was standing up, somehow.
At work.
I am Brianna Timberman.
The thought floated around in my head, my memory hazy.
“Hello?!”
A man was waving his hands in front of me.
“I asked for iced coffee, lady!”
Jasper was serving another customer. “Bree, wake the fuck up.”
They were trying to make me think I was hallucinating.
Which was crazy, because my fingernails were still tinted with Sam’s blood.
The marks he'd left on my wrist when he was yanking me, were still there.
Bruised on my arm.
“Bree!” Jasper snapped. “Snap out of it and make the dude his drink.”
“Right.”
The word slipped out of my mouth.
He caught my eye, winking, and Brianna Timberman internally squeaked.
I half wondered what he was. Was he recycled, or an unwilling performer?
Throughout the day, I was fully aware my words were not mine.
Like I was on autopilot.
But not just that.
My thoughts weren't mine, either.
I spent half of my shift staring at my colleague’s biceps.
During my break, I went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.
I am Brianna Timberman.
But even when I told myself that, my eyes were too blue.
My smile was too perfect.
My teeth.
Too white.
My shaking hands prodded at my face, at someone else's face.
So many faces, so many skin grafts.
The thought was violent, sending tremors through me.
How many people was I wearing?
I started to claw at my arms and legs, my face.
How many fucking people had I been?
I grabbed a knife and tried to slice at my face.
But there was no blood.
How could there be no blood?!
When I got home, I found my family waiting for me.
Mom, Dad and Harry, all of them beaming.
“Bree!” Mom stood up, her lips stretching into a grin.
My mouth was already moving, but they were not my words.
“Mom!”
I didn't know why she was smiling so much, until I saw Sam sitting at our dining room table. His smile was too big. His over-expensive shirt and pants did not suit him, and looked fucking gross, but somehow my brain thought it was hot. The worst part is, I couldn't and still can't tell which Sam he was.
Was he the guy who told me the horrific reality of my existence?
Or was he another recycled, mindless suitor?
“This is Samuel.” Mom said, and Sam slowly stood.
He took slow steps towards me, and kissed my hand.
I saw the slightest smudge of scarlet, but his eyes were blank.
In the corner of my eye, my ‘father’s’ eyes were glittering.
“Hello, Brianna.” Sam said, and I swore Now that I was awake, the walls were wolf-whistling. Laughing.
Ooohhhhhhhhh!”
My town is a blip on the map.
We’re so small, so insignificant, not even a Google search will find us.
I keep thinking if I tear at my skin, I will find who I am underneath. But I'm so fucking scared. I don't bleed. I don't think who I was still exists under so many layers. But even if this is just a cry into the void, please help us.
I don't want to be Brianna Timberman.

Occupation: Investment Professional
Industry: Finance
Age: 27
Location: California
Pronouns: She/her
Assets & Debt:
Assets: $943,000 in total: $17,000 in cash checking/savings. $171,000 in a 401(K) from my prior job. $36,000 in IRAs. $680,000 in my brokerage account. $38,000 invested in my company’s funds (Valued at my cost basis. I have committed to invest up to $150,000 over the next four years). ~$1,000 between two HSA/FSAs. I am a renter so I do not have home equity.
*Debt: * ~$3,000 balance on credit cards that are paid in full each month.
Income:
Income: $225,000 salary + $100,000 bonus. I received $100K as a bonus for the last two years, so I think this year should be the same or higher in light of a promotion.
I’m also eligible for a portion of carried interest, which is our firm’s profit sharing plan. It’s highly uncertain (deferred contingent compensation that vests quarterly over 5 years) but the estimated payout is $0.5 million in total over the next five to seven years if our investments perform according to plan and I stay with the firm through the full vesting period. This amount could potentially double if our new fund launches as planned later this year. I wanted to include this to reflect my full financial picture, but it’s not money I’m counting on at this point.
Paycheck Amount: $5,884 twice a month. This is after taxes and about $25 per pay period into an FSA. My company covers my health insurance premiums in full and does not currently offer a 401K, so there are no retirement deductions netted out of this amount. The bonus is paid out once a year in December.
Income Progression: I’ve worked in the same field throughout my career. My first salary was $65,000 plus a $40,000 bonus. My income increased significantly over the first few years of my career, including several very generous bonuses at my last job (>100% of base) that have allowed me to save as much as I have.
Side Gig / Extraneous Income: None
Partner’s Income: My partner and I do not have combined finances so I did not include his financial information above. However, we do live together, share expenses, and intend to combine finances after marriage so I thought it was relevant to share his financial information. He makes about $120,000 a year in salary plus equity in his company. His net worth is similar to mine though highly concentrated in semi-liquid private stock. We generally split expenses 50/50 and trade off on a few (he covers the Wifi bill because I do more of the groceries and household spending, etc.). We take turns paying for dinner and travel but generally don’t keep track of expenses dollar for dollar.
Supplemental Questions
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in higher education and if yes, how did you pay for it?
I was a very good student growing up so there was never a question that I would go to college, from my side or my parents’ side. I got my bachelor’s degree at a public university. I had a scholarship for the first year and my parents paid for the remainder of tuition and rent which I am very grateful for. I worked during college summers and had internships during a few semesters, so I had savings to pay for groceries, gas, and entertainment.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parents educate you about finances?
Both of my parents have business backgrounds so I am lucky to have had a financial education at home. My parents taught me the importance of saving and helped me open a credit card (to use like a debit card, of course) and investment account during college.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
During high school, I had some informal jobs like babysitting and tutoring here and there. My first W-2 job was working at a restaurant the summer after high school graduation. I wanted the spending money and my parents candidly wanted me to get some life experience before leaving for college.
Did you worry about money growing up?
For the most part, no. My parents did well when I was growing up and still do today. However, my dad’s job had a few boom and bust periods. My dad was between jobs for extended periods when I was a young girl and when I was in middle school during the Great Recession and I remember asking my parents if we were going to be okay. We lived in a nice house and I was never worried about going without something important, but I got the impression that jobs can come and go and you should be prepared with as much savings as possible.
Do you worry about money now?
No, which is such a gift. I’m a natural worrier, so I try to actively appreciate the financial peace of mind that my career has afforded me. I am hoping for an eventual career change, maybe 5 to 10 years from now, into a field that is less lucrative but more personally fulfilling. I don’t worry per se, but I do plan and save in a manner that is consistent with the gravy train drying up in the medium future.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially responsible for myself at 21 when I graduated college and started my first full-time job in finance. At that point, I took over all bills except for the phone bill which my parents still graciously pay.
My savings are my primary safety net. If things were really to go south, I know my partner or family would be there for me.
Have you ever received passive or inherited income?
As mentioned, my parents paid for my college tuition and expenses. When I graduated, they paid for my car and furniture to set up my new apartment. Hard to overstate the value of their financial and emotional support, I’m really lucky.
A few years ago, my parents began giving my sibling and I checks at Christmas as an “advance on an inheritance.” I’ve received about $20,000 in total over four years. I do expect to receive some kind of inheritance eventually, but I don’t count on it and hope that’s very very far away.
Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,700 for my half of rent for a one-bedroom apartment (Pain. It’s a nice space in a new building)
Electric/WateTrash/Pest/Etc: $65 or so for my half
Wifi: $0, Partner pays
Phone: $0, Thanks Mom and Dad…
TV Streaming: $0, I am a mooch
Car and Renter’s Insurance: $156
Health Insurance: $0, Company pays
Donations: $300 ($100 to three charities each month; I usually add some ad hoc giving at year-end)
ClassPass: $119
AMC A-List: $25
Spotify: $12
WSJ: $11
Apple Storage: $3
Day 1
7:45 AM: Good morning! I’m in a nice mood today because I was able to sleep straight up to my alarm. My noise cancelling headphones won the battle against the construction outside my window today. After my usual scrolling time, I get ready for work and leave the house around 8:40 AM for what is usually a 20 minute commute. I’m in the office four times a week so I “pay the pink tax” regularly, which is what my partner calls my getting ready routine. Do people care to hear about outfits? I usually wear dressy business casual to the office. Today it’s a blue shell with a keyhole neckline from Macy’s circa 2017, black cardigan, black cropped dress pants from Ann Taylor, and black kitten heels from Vince Camuto. I think I am Ann Taylor’s most loyal customer in the under-40 category.
10:30 AM: Pretty quiet week in the office so far. I have a call to learn about a new deal with our potential co-investors. I would rank it a meh out of 10 but consider putting together an investment review page to bring to the broader team just in case. Otherwise, I complete my morning routine of drinking office coffee and playing NYT Games. Our office kitchen is well stocked with coffee and snacks, so I usually eat a yogurt or oatmeal at my desk for weekday breakfast.
12:30 PM: I reheat my meal prepped chickpea curry for lunch. It’s pretty tasty but it’s also my fourth day in a row eating it so I won’t be sad once it’s gone. I usually try to bring lunch to the office, but sometimes I run out of time to meal prep if I travel on weekends and then I resort to Sweetgreen or Whole Foods.
4:00 PM: Pretty leisurely afternoon. My colleague also thinks that this morning’s deal is a meh out of 10, so that’s on hold, and I’m waiting around for some data requests on other deals. I write up a short portfolio update on a few companies I cover to send to one of our investors. There is a close call, as a banker requests a 7:00 AM meeting for next week, but my boss blessedly pushes back and asks for a later time. Otherwise, I work on my Money Diary and start scheming weekend plans.
5:50 PM: Time to go home. Traffic is tragic, as is par for the course on Thursdays. I’ll live.
6:45 PM: I am home and super hungry. I make instant ramen and throw in some baked tofu to bulk it up. I also make a quick cucumber salad with kimchi, soy sauce, chili crunch… and Everything But The Bagel seasoning. I know that’s not a very authentic topping but it’s delicious. I settle in to watch an episode or two of Sex and the City. I just started it and I can’t believe I’ve never watched it before. What a treat! SJP’s body is so banging. I wonder if she ate instant ramen…
7:45 PM: My partner C is home! He got back late because he went to REI for his camping trip this weekend. I ooh and ahh over his new headlamp. He puts his tent together in the kitchen to make sure he has all the pieces. Cuuuuute. And he brought me a red velvet cookie from work! All is well.
9 PM: It’s trashy TV night! I take out my coloring pencils and do a bit of coloring. I watch the first episode of the Ashley Madison documentary on Netflix. Not a lot of likeable characters there unsurprisingly. I need a palate cleanser so I turn on the Try Guys on YouTube which is ironically thematically related.
10 PM: I take a shower and get ready for bed. I write a short note in my gratitude journal and read on my Kindle before passing out. Currently reading Funny Story by Emily Henry (love all of her books) and The It Girl by Ruth Ware (jury’s still out). My first day is a no-spend day, hope that’s not too boring!
Day 1 Total: $0
Day 2
8:15 AM: I get to sleep in today because it’s work from home Friday! I had a dream I was in tumultuous situationships with John Mulaney and Matty Healy… bad taste in men gang, rise up. Anyway… I kiss C goodbye as he leaves for work and get back into bed with some water and a granola bar for my morning screen time.
9:30 AM: Time to make moves. I log into work, make the bed, and get dressed. Today I’m wearing Vuori joggers and an Aerosmith T-shirt I bought at Pacsun in high school. I go downstairs to the apartment lobby to make a latte with their fancy espresso machine. Back upstairs, I settle in with my coffee and put the new Billie Eilish album on TV.
10:30 AM: Bopping around doing emails. I got invited to a Women in Investing event next week by a local bank. They will have a suite at the soccer game! Fun! Unfortunately, it’s the same time as a double dinner date we planned next week. I text C and he’s okay if we reschedule, so I RSVP yes to the soccer game. Separately, C Venmo’s me for my half of the electric bill. I think I missed last month’s notification, sorry, so this would be two months’ worth ($62, included in monthly expenses).
11:00 AM: Our firm closed a deal last week, so as a (small) investor in the fund, I received the deal announcement and capital call today. My portion of the investment would be $6,771. I’ll write that check next week.
12:15 PM: I run out to Trader Joe’s before my afternoon call. Love that I’m in walking distance. I get popcorn, taco shells, two frozen meals, kale, asparagus, chickpea pasta, pasta sauce, artichokes, refried beans, cheese, orange peppers, watermelon, lime seltzer, and guacamole. It’s my cheapest TJ’s run in a while which probably means I’ll be back soon. $50 I get home and make lunch, a pre-made salad with cucumber and tofu added in.
2:45 PM: I had my standing weekly call with a portfolio company and then worked to refine a financial model I’ve been working on. I’m now waiting on input from others, so I have a Greek yogurt and kombucha as a snack. I am still hungry so I crush some popcorn and then do some reading to prepare for a call I’ll have mid-next week about an industry I’m not very familiar with.
4:30 PM: People have stopped replying to my messages so I’ll take the hint and sign off also. I got to the apartment gym and do a few miles on the elliptical and a strength circuit from Caroline Girvan on YouTube.
5:30 PM: After a quick shower, I make chalupas for dinner which is a perennial favorite. Tostadas (or just broken taco shells in a pinch) with refried beans and cheese baked in the oven, topped with salsa, guacamole and bell peppers. I start it up and C helps plate so I can get ready for our evening activity.
6:30 PM: We live nearby a park that does weekly community events and tonight is salsa night! They offered a thirty minute lesson and then an evening of dancing to a live salsa band! We learn a little routine during the lesson but salsa is not a natural skill of C or mine. My footwork isn’t great but I can move my hips a bit. Poor C is stiff as a board and also a perfectionist which is a tough combo for dancing. We dance for about half an hour to the band then give up and watch a while. P.S.: I wore a black floral midi dress, tall black boots, and a black suede jacket. I considered wearing my red silk skirt which is beautiful and looks like the salsa dance emoji, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t because most people were dressed pretty casually and I would have been embarrassed being the fanciest dresser and worst dancer simultaneously.
8:00 PM: We officially give up on salsa - maybe next time! C insists that we would have gotten it if we weren’t five minutes late to the lesson… sure. We go to our local brewery and each have a beer, which C buys. We play Scrabble against each other on our phones. I win but who’s counting? We go back to our apartment and I finish the Ashley Madison documentary and fall asleep on the couch. Spoiler alert: don’t waste your time.
Day 2 Total: $50
Day 3
10:00 AM: Feeling great after sleeping in! C left for his camping trip at about 8 AM and I went back to bed. I fetch another lobby latte and enjoy a slow morning in bed.
12:15 PM: I meet my good friend M out for lunch. Outfit check? I’m wearing an Abercrombie cotton button down tunic, stretchy black pants, and white sneakers. We chat and split a salad and pizza with iced tea. We split the bill, which includes an 18% service charge which states that it helps the restaurant paying living wages but also is “not a tip.” Hmm. The suggested tip at the bottom of the receipt is 10-15% so I leave 10%. Tipping culture stays confusing. $31
1:30 PM: M is joining me on a mission today. I feel like most of my jeans are outdated jeggings or too tight to wear comfortably so it’s time for a refresh. There are a bunch of vintage and thrift stores in the area so we set off. The first store was a bust. I tried on 11 pairs of jeans and there wasn’t even a maybe! I learn that I do not know my jean size and clothing brands also do not know their jean sizes because there is a laughable lack of consistency. Thankfully, my patience is rewarded at the second store. Two out of five pairs are winners. I get a pair of light wash relaxed fit Agolde jeans which are a steal at $32 and a pair of black flared jeans which fit like a glove despite (or because of?) some janky homemade tailoring in blue thread at the waistband. I’ll try to redo that at home in black thread at the very least. M also has success, buying a black denim skirt. $58
3:00 PM: In the midst of our shopping adventure, we stop at Starbucks for a lemonade and bathroom break. $6
3:30 PM: OMG. We walk by a shop with a line out the door and wonder what’s going on. Turns out it’s a pop up merch shop for Billie Eilish’s new album! I can’t help it, we go in. They’re playing her new music video projected on the walls and Billie had signed a decal on the wall for the event. The merch is sick and I buy an overpriced t-shirt. ** $54**
4:30 PM: I stop at CVS on the way home to get some household items, a Magic Eraser and some rubbing alcohol. $8
5:30 PM: Home now. I eat a yogurt and decide to enjoy the last of the daylight. I take my Kindle and a kombucha to sit by the pool for a while.
6:15 PM: It gets chilly quickly so I pack it up. I prep dinner which is the chickpea pasta, air fried asparagus, artichokes and TJ’s Rosatella sauce. The sauce is quite tasty but there was a scary moment when I couldn’t get the jar open and almost called off dinner. I turn on The Idea of You with Anne Hathaway. Is this a Harry Styles fan fic? It must be. It’s a bit corny but also hot. Would recommend.
9 PM: What now? I’m not tired at all so I go around the house doing weird chores. I unpack my clothes and clean out my pants drawer as promised. I try on the new jeans again and turns out there is a surprise waiting for me… someone cut one of those under-butt cut-outs into the Agolde jeans! As if jeans shopping isn’t hard enough! I can’t believe I didn’t see that at the store. I can only laugh. I guess I’ll try to sew it up tomorrow. Maybe white thread to make it look like ripped denim… With that, I take half an edible and call it a night.
Day 3 Total: $157
Day 4
8:30 AM: Good morning… I dreamt about my parents divorcing and C and I splitting up. Pleasant! I eat a granola bar in bed and procrastinate getting ready for the gym until it’s really time to go.
10:30 AM: I go to F45 once or twice a week using ClassPass credits and today was another great class. I’ve gained a lot of confidence lifting weights from the trainers there. I come home, shower up, and pick up the mail and a latte from the apartment lobby. Back upstairs, I call my dad for a while to catch up.
12:00 PM: The Jeans Doctor is in the house! First order of business is to get the blue ink out of my white jeans from last weekend. The internet said that rubbing alcohol will do the trick… I’m sad because I thought it wasn’t working until I rinse out the alcohol and the ink magically washes away. No shit, thanks Good Housekeeping! I feel emboldened by my success and turn to the Agolde jeans. I patch up two little worn patches with white thread and then stitch up the under-booty cut-out in light blue. The white threads help mask my sloppy stitches. Success! I fry some eggs for lunch and finish up my jeans over Sex and the City.
3:00 PM: It’s Sporty Sunday! I walk over to our neighborhood pickleball courts and meet up with a few friends. It’s pretty busy so we volley around the tennis court for about an hour before a pickleball court opens and then we play a few games. The sun feels great! My pickleball skills are super average but it’s been a fun new hobby.
6:00 PM: Home now and so is C! Sounds like he had a great trip. He starts the laundry and I start dinner, which is chalupas round 2. Afterwards I sit on the couch and think zero thoughts for a while. We’re both pretty gassed. I cozy up in bed with a sleepy girl mocktail (tart cherry juice and seltzer) and the new season of Bridgerton.
Day 4 Total: $0
Day 5
6:45 AM: Early bird gets the worm! Couldn’t be me, but the construction workers are already getting after it. I put in my AirPods and go back to bed.
8:15 AM: Time to get ready for work in a rush, as per usual. I’m wearing a black V-neck cardigan with a black lace cami underneath, black cropped dress pants again, and white Vionic loafers. I add some turquoise drop earrings for a bit of color. Quick skincare and makeup and then I’m out the door.
9:10 AM: Now at work, I have a protein bar and coffee. I prep the agenda for our team meeting, then I’m tied up for the next few hours in Monday morning meetings.
12:30 PM: Work usually caters in lunch on Monday and today is Greek food. Beggars can’t be choosers but I’m a bit sad there are four kinds of meat but no falafel. I make a plate of rice, hummus, and salad, then hungrily go back for seconds.
4:00 PM: The afternoon has passed quickly. I finalize a financial model and send out to my deal lead, then start reviewing the materials for a new deal that came through last night. I missed my typical lunch walk, so I take 20 minutes to walk a few blocks around the office. Gosh it’s nice outside.
6:20 PM: I wrap up work, bullshit with my coworker for a bit, then it’s time to go home. Once home, I eat leftover chickpea pasta. I also “meal prep” two lunches for the office; I throw rice in the rice cooker, then once cooked, combine into Tupperware with kale and a Trader Joe’s pre-made Indian food pouch. Does that count as homemade? Once C gets home, we take a little walk together around the neighborhood and enjoy the last half hour of sun.
8:00 PM: We knock out a few chores so the house is in good shape. C cleans the kitchen and I fold laundry. I take a shower and get into PJs so I can have the most peaceful Bridgerton viewing experience. I tell C that Bridgerton has sex scenes and suddenly he’s happy to watch with me. Good night!
Day 5 Total: $0
Day 6
7:30 AM: Rise and shine… I get going a bit early this morning. I wear a tan Zara cardigan, striped Ann Taylor blouse, grey Banana Republic slacks, tan loafers, and gold jewelry. I’d like to think of my work style as classic and unobjectionable, but hopefully not PTA Mom-esque (it probably is).
8:45 AM: I get to the office and start prepping for calls. Busy day with a bunch of random meetings: reference call with a recruiter, strategy session with one of our companies, and an introductory call with a potential banking partner. I’m up to my eyeballs in meetings and little projects until about 2:30. I eat a yogurt for “breakfast” at 11:30 and my meal prepped lunch at 1:00 while I crank through work.
3:00 PM: I’ve been texting with my mom about 4th of July plans and I think we’ve locked in times. I book flights for C and I to visit my parents for a few days over the holidays, which will be great. I book the first flight out using miles and buy the return flight in cash. I don’t think I’ll Venmo request C for this one; we usually cover each other’s expenses when we ask each other to attend “our” events. $342
4:30 PM: I get an email with details for the Women in Investing soccer game event. Apparently the stadium does not allow non-clear bags of any size, including clutches. I go to Amazon and order a small clear bag that will ship in one day. $12
5:45 PM: I booked a Pilates class for 7 PM and I usually get really hangry if I don’t eat beforehand. Luckily, there are Greek food leftovers. I heat up some rice and top with hummus and salad. I prep an agenda for my call tomorrow morning, send it over to my boss, and head out around 6:30.
8:00 PM: Another good Pilates session! I wasn’t able to find street parking so I have to pay for the parking lot. $7 I’m a bit late at this point, but I want to swing by our neighborhood bar for Trivia Tuesday.
9:30 PM: Victory! Our trivia team wins by 1 point, total nail biter. I contributed to the victory by recalling that pi is an irrational number. The 1st place prize is a $100 gift card and we’re stoked. I met this crew through M and they’re all so nice. I got a lemonade which would have been $4, but it’s covered by our previous trivia winnings.
10:00 PM: Home now and time to unwind. I take a shower and then join C on the couch. I tell myself I’m going to read and then I scroll Reddit.
Day 6 Total: $361
Day 7
7:30 AM: Normal routine to get ready for work. I wear a printed flowy blouse, grey cardigan, black dress pants, and tan sandals (assorted H&M, Nordstrom Rack, and Ann Taylor, all years old). I fear it’s very much giving PTA Mom. I scurry off to the office.
8:59 AM: I arrive with one minute to spare before my first call of the day. I would have been early but my usual exit on the highway was closed, sending myself and my fellow commuters for a loop. Anyways, I sign on for my first of five back-to-back calls this morning for new deals and more recruiter interviews (one of our companies is trying to hire a new CEO).
12:45 PM: I wrap up a very successful call where the potential co-investor said our terms are ridiculously off-market, and then the fire alarm goes off. Nice! I have 15 minutes free so I reheat my chickpea pasta and eat half before my next meeting.
2:00 PM: Done with my last meeting. I eat the rest of my pasta and some Greek salad from the kitchen. Thank God for leftovers. I’m feeling pretty frazzled after a busy day. I usually only have one or two meetings per day, then the rest of my workday is quiet time for research or analysis. I take a 20 minute walk to clear my head, then it’s back to it.
6:00 PM: I successfully re-focus enough to complete my sections of the Q1 investor update letters. With that done, I log off for the day and head over to our local movie theater. C and I reserved tickets for A24’s IMAX re-release of Uncut Gems. I’ve never seen it before so I’m excited to hear what the hype is about, albeit years later.
6:30 PM: C beats me to the mall, so he orders dinner for us both. He gets a quesadilla and I have two vegan tacos.
9:30 PM: The movie was a total riot. I leave feeling grateful that my life is my life and not Adam Sandler’s character. The ticket is covered by my AMC A-List subscription, but it would have been $29 after fees otherwise (?!!). The theater validates parking for 3 hours, but we go a bit over so I pay for parking. $6 Thanks for following along with my week!
Day 7 Total: $6
Food Total: $87
Travel Total: $342
Clothing Total: $124
Other Total: $21
Total Spending: $574
Reflections:
This was a typical week at home for me. Outside of the airfare, I’d say it was pretty frugal with no pricy dinners, nail salon visits, or even gas. C and I travel once or twice a month to visit friends and family and attend lots of weddings these days, so some travel spend is normal course for us. I was a bit nervous to submit a MD, but I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading!
Note: edited for formatting :)

I’ve tried them all attempting to get my baby to sleep. Sometimes you just gotta find what works for your kid, but here’s my review incase it’s helpful to those in the market!

• Halo 100% cotton 1.5 Tog 3 way swaddle sack newborn: Loved. The adjustable wings were easy to put on and off as well as adjusting the tightness with baby’s growth. The legs can hang out froggy too. Fabric was so cozy too.
  
• The Ollie swaddle: absolutely HATED. First of all it’s expensive. Second it’s kinda hard to get lined up just right on babies neck and so they can break out, even a newborn. And third and most importantly the three massive pieces of Velcro are LOUD when you undo them, now imagine doing it in the middle of the night for a diaper change and it’s right by baby’s ear.
  
• Zipadee Zip swaddle transition: Didn’t love actually kinda hated. People swore by it so maybe it’s just my baby but the covered hand thing really bothered her as well as was a distraction. She just sat in her crib and played with the points til she woke up. The fabric isn’t that soft either.
  
• Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit cotton: FREAKING LOVED. It was worth the hype. Got my baby out of her swaddle and sleeping safely on her back in her crib. Of course be mindful of the temperature and discontinue use when they call roll IN the suit. My girl can roll in tummy time so she tries to roll in the crib if she’s in a sack, so the suit helps with making her disinterested in rolling. Also the material is very soft.
  
• Baby Merlin’s Magic Dream Sack cotton: Didn’t love. It’s the same material but not the same puffiness as the suit. It was just like every other basic sleep sack. I wouldn’t buy it in hindsight. Underwhelming.
  
• Woolino Merino Wool and cotton sleep sack: I love it! The fabric has a tiny bit of weight to it (not weighted) but it feels substantial enough that I imagine it’s cozier than a thin one. I love that it keeps baby warm or cool depending on the weather which eases my temperature dressing concerns. I also like that you can use it up to like 18 months or more and 4 season wear leaves you with a ton of opportunities to use it. Worth the money in my opinion. Although it’s a little long so for a younger baby it’s a bit hard to roll around in it.
  
• Pehr sleep bag cotton muslin k 1.7 TOG: Love it so much. My rule of thumb is if it feels like a cosy blanket I want to sleep then it’s gonna be good. She slept an hour in this sleep sack for the first time we used it. It’s just so airy and light but has a little cushion to feel like you have a snuggly blanket on. This is the new go-to.
  
• Halo Sleepsack ideal temp 1.0 TOG: I like it. It’s got no bells and whistles but does everything I need. I use it frequently.
  
• Halo Sleepsack cotton muslin 0.5 TOG: I like it. Again it’s nothing super special but absolutely what you’re need, I use this one a lot too if it’s a warm day.
  

Any other good ones yall recommend?

Thank you to the lovely u/sugarmagandjohn for this incredibly thoughtful gift <3
Written cards: 11
Blank cards: 14
This is loooooong overdue, as I got this package the 12th of January (which is good timing, as I'd been gone for Christmas) - anyhow... life threw a couple of curveballs my way, and I simply haven't had the time to properly sit down and write this. However; it's here now!! It only took me 4 months :,D heres an overview: https://imgur.com/a/xtnU5Yd
Now, the contents of the box was a bit jostled, so some of the stick-it notes were misplaced, and I found some loose ribbons and such - I will try my best to illustrated how beautiful this all was, so let's start :)
The mail arrived in a big brown box, which has gorgeously illustrated houses in white, with blue accents, and a bunch of intricate details on the houses themselves! It is also surrounded by snow, which fits the Christmas-y theme that will become apparent soon~
The address was written on a memo-note page, with illustrations at the bottom of Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt and Woodstock making snowmen! This too is covered in snowflakes~
The very first thing I saw, when I opened the box, happened to be an origami heart haha ~ it is yellow, with illustrated Christmas elements; such as a Christmas tree, ginger cookies, candy canes and santa on the front, you wrote "Merry Christmas JJ", along with hearts :D
The second thing I noticed, is that everything was covered in green silk paper, with illustrated peppermints (those white and red ones, that kinda swirl) on it - once I pulled that back, it revealed a row of fairy lights, shaped like stars, with a note on the switch! The note is shaped like a ribbon, but with a red Christmas star (flower) being the central piece, followed by a beige and green + gold striped swallow-tailed ribbon tails. You used a green pen to write the note, which asked me to turn on the lights before opening further. It reminded me of Christmas mornings, when all the lights are off, except for the string lights around the Christmas tree - truly magical :,D
And the fairy lights were bright!! It resides on my shelf right now: https://imgur.com/a/YLZGebG
And this is what the package + interior looked like: https://imgur.com/a/hB2IaPn
One of the things I didn't mention about the box, is that you wrote "warm wishes" on it, with a green pen - but you wrote it in norwegian! Which is super cute, but warm wishes is not a saying in Norway haha, so it is just directly translated (but seeing how influential English is to the Norwegian language, I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a saying here too :) )
One of the things I fished out was a fishing pole! The ones for cats :) it looks like this: https://imgur.com/a/MKsjU3N
And I gave it to my sister, since she's the one that has Leo, and I was cat-sitting back in February, and this is the aftermath: https://imgur.com/wjR3cAv
He really loved it haha - I tried playing a bit with him, but he was being lazy just then. However, fishing poles with feathers is his FAVOURITE toy, so that was a perfect choice :D thank you!!
Since I dont really know where to start, I'll begin with the cards~
Heres the written cards: https://imgur.com/a/4r3z8TH
As for the written cards, a few of them are placed in other places, so one of the letters I mention later in this post (i didn't write this in chronological order, I usually never do haha), but let's start with a really interesting card: it's wooden!
The wooden card was placed inside a Christmas bag with red handles and illustrated with christmas candies~ the card itself has a hole in the top corner, which has a string of hemp rope attached through it so it can be hung up! It has "Santa express" printed into it, and has a red wooden 3D stamp frame, where you drew a green pine tree in the middle :) along the outer edge, you drew a red and green striped pattern, which mimics the red and blue striped pattern used for mail! And you wrote a really sweet message on it with a blue pen <3 thank you love!!
The majority of the cards, however, were strapped together with a red and green ribbon ~ tied to them was a plastic candy cane, which is so cute!!
The first card was a postcard, with an autumnal illustration of a couple stading among orange leafed trees ~ the backside is covered in orange hearts, and you wrote a neat message with a pink pen! You also included a few red heart stickers <3
Continuing the autumnal vibe, the second postcard feature an illustration of an orange hued landscape, with a sunset, mountains, pine trees and a serene lake~ you wrote on it using a pink pen, and included a sticker of a cat wearing a pilgrim buckle hat, along with an orange circle-shaped sticker with "hello autumn" written on it. Along the bottom, you placed a thin blue washi tape, which was filled with small golden leaf illustrations :)
And as for the third postcard, it continued the orange theme, with a girl walking in a field of orange grass and poppies~ you used the same pink pen, and placed a matching washi tape strip along the bottom, but this one is broader! You also included a sticker of a dog and a cat, both dressed up in pilgrim attire and surrounded by pumpkins - and you added two more circle-shaped stickers in a sort of red/brown and tan, which featured illustrations of a pumpkin pie slice and a mug of some hot beverage :)
The next card was placed in a brown envelope - you wrote "Happy autumn JJ" on the front of the envelope with a red pen, and you sealed it using two stickers: a lavender and a yellow square sticker with "hello beautiful..." written on it :D
The card is a beige, double-sided card with an illustration of a person holding an orange umbrella, standing next to a golden retriever ~ there's brown text underneath the pair that reads: "I miss you most of all, my darling, when autumn leaves start to fall...". The inside is decorated with autumnal stickers of: a pumpkin pie slice, 5 oak and maple leaves, an acorn, an orange flower, a mug of hot cocoa and a scarf~ you used a neon orange and wine coloured pen to write down some autumnal tunes :D thank you <3
In a true autumn fashion, you covered the next envelope in a bunch of autumn-based stickers and washi tape! Along the bottom, you placed an orange strip of washi with white illustrations of various leaves - this was accompanied by a deep blue, broad washi strip filled with illustrations of woodland animals, as well as flowers and logs :) you also added stickers of: pumpkins, a cluster of flowers, a bear holding balloons, more pumpkins, as well as two cats and two dogs dressed in pilgrim outfits! Theres also a sticker with the words: "you're the pumpkin to my pie" written in a shiny gold colour~
You also wrote "Happy thanksgiving JJ" along with a bunch of hearts in green, orange, yellow and red :D the colours are so fun!
And at last, you sealed the envelope shut using a plastic wax stamp with a clear design, with flowers and leaves in the middle~ the inside of the envelope is golden btw, which is so pretty!!
The card is a crisp white, double-sided, with branches filled with maple leaves (or some kind of acer tree) hanging above the words: "Though miles apart seperares us," in a shiny orange/bronze colour! The card has orange diamonds glued to it, and a bunch of the leaves are 3D, made out of orange plastic that is slightly see-through, so you can see the layers! The inside is filled with illustrations of the maple leaves, as well as stickers you included: a pressed yellow flower, a group of orange helenium flowers, and two butterflies in the polyommatus and lycaena families (weve got a lot of these at the cabin, here's some photos I've taken of them: https://imgur.com/a/XmkXxEP) - there's also pre-printed text in a deep red colour, which continues the sentence on the cover of the card, and it goes: "what is most important is always close in our hearts... family, friends and love. Happy thanksgiving" - you also wrote a very sweet message in a green pen underneath the text :D
The next card was placed in a white envelope, where you wrote: "even when skies are grey, you light up my day... :)" which is super cute <3 you also included a Christmas sticker featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and you sealed the envelope with a matching sticker!
The card features a very cool picture of a girl, standing with a dog, looking out on the ocean while they're being framed by the nature surrounding them - what makes this picture so cool, is that it was created using paper and real flowers and branches! It's like a multi media design, which makes it cooler cause it gives the effect that everything pops out of the image~ you wrote inside it using a blue pen, and it was accompanied by a gift you made for me - I talk more about this gift later on, but it was a bookmark youd made for me using the quilling method, and it is simply stunning!!!
Most of the cards you've gifted me were autumnal in tone, but you also included a very christmassy design! It was placed inside a red square envelope, which you decked out in stickers and washi ~ at the bottom, you placed a thin red washi with a tan criss-cross design. It was accompanied by a thick white washi strip filled with ornamental Christmas baubles! Above it was a sticker of a deer, along with 3 pop-up stickers of a christmas tree, santa and some balloons~ in the top right corner you placed a sticker of a wreath, which is next to a sticker of a snowflake, as well as a red banner with gold details and "a very merry christmas to you" written on it! With a green pen, you wrote "Happy Christmas JJ" :D
The backside was decorated with two Christmas tree stickers, along with shiny green letter stickers to spell out: "you are beautiful"~ and at last, you sealed it using a green wax stamp with a Christmas tree on it :) the inside of the envelope also reveals a deep green, with illustrations of candy canes and Christmas baubles scattered about!
The card itself is green, and features an illustration of a mouse, leaning up against a Christmas tree with a ladder, reaching up with a Christmas bauble to hang! It has gold details in the string lights, the packages, as well as the gold text that reads: "merry Christmas" ~ at the back of the card, there's a sticker sheet filled with candy canes and Christmas baubles!
The inside reveals a bigger picture of the cover art, and showcases a pop-up of a Christmas tree, with 3 mice decorating the tree! Theres gold text on the right that reads: "decorating the season with fun! Holiday stickers included!" ~ you accompanied the card with your own message :D it's such a cute card, and I love how content and happy the mice look as they're decorating the tree together :,)
And so, inside of a red envelope with a green flap, which has a white square on the front to allow for writing, along with illustrations of toys, presents and santa running along with a list, are some letters! You wrote on the envelope with a gold pen and sealed it using a white wax stamp sticker with hollies in the center~
There's two letter, both with a swanky shape, gold border, and an illustration of santa, with the sled, and a bunch of forest friends in a snowy landscape ~ thats accompanied by the text: "Christmas is coming!" In gold lettering! On the other side, there's a red and green border, with more illustrations of presents and santa scattered about ~ you wrote in these letters using a green pen - as for the move "Christmas as usual", I did watch it! I watched it when I was in Singapore visiting family, and I gotta say, it was passively aggressively racist oof.. but otherwise, a lot of it is true for how norwegian Christmases go, although I've not gone ice bathing, because I have no desire to spend more time out in the snow than I need to haha! I spent my Christmas in Singapore, with a mix of norwegian Christmas dishes (kålrabistappe and pinnekjøtt mainly) and fish for me, as well as some other dishes that... could be a Singaporean thing, or just random dishes. We also had rosenkål/brussel sprouts, and idk if that's a Norwegian thing or if everyone have it for Christmas, but we struggled finding it in the store haha! We also celebrated with caramel pudding and ginger cookies with non-stop on it (which is our brand of m&ms or smarties). We then opened presents, and my brother and I hid in his room :)
We also played mahjong and watched the second spiderverse movie lol
And now.... the blank cards!! The majority of the blank cards you gifted me were placed inside a red and clear coloured plastic bag, shut with a circle-shaped sticker with a Christmas tree on it, and you can see the cards here: https://imgur.com/a/w81sPZC
The first card is a white card, with an illustration of a unicorn on it, along with a rainbow and various hearts and shapes~ it's dotted with colours, which you can paint with water to fill in the blank spaces!! Thats such a cute concept :D
Also, speaking of cute, you gifted me a tiny Christmas card with a "naughty, nice, undecided" checklist box on it, where you can check the corresponding box for said person you send it to :) you also gave me a set of letters and envelopes, which are showcasing an illustration of bears riding a roller coaster in the nightsky!
And you gave me a small square card with a grey background, and black illustrations of planets and the stars with "the universe always has my back" written on it!
You also gave me a card of a cluster of pink gemstones, a postcard featuring a closeup of knitted snowmen, a postcard featuring a love quote, two destination postcards of the californian coast and Big Sur (the big sur one is also glittery!!) Also, random tangent, but "sur" means "mad/angry" in norwegian, so everytime I read big sur, I just keep thinking big mad lol. You also gave me a postcard featuring a field of flowers (mainly poppy and cowslip), a Christmas card featuring a painted llama with a Christmas hat and scarf, a card featuring Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, as well as one of elephants at twilight in Botswana~ and at last, a cream-coloured postcard with a colourful quote that goes: "when something goes wrong in your life, just yell "plot twist!" And move on.", words of wisdom haha!
As for stickers and ephemera, you gave me a TON, as you can see here: https://imgur.com/a/l8U1fLh
Most of it was placed inside a plastic ziplock bag with the sanrio character "my melody" on it~ most of the other stickers etc were placed inside a blue pouch with gold snowflakes on it, and an illustration of santa next to a snowman :) it was shut with a sticker with red ribbons sticking out of it, and showcasing an illustration of a girl in the woods with a glowing deer!
I'll try to keep this brief, because there's a lot to go through here, but let it be known, I was blown away by everything and I love it all so much!!
You gifted me: a gingercookie tag, circle-shaped stickers with christmas themes, a sticker sheet of cats wearing santa hats, a sticker of santa, a reindeer, santa and a reindeer carrying the presents, a bear wearing a Christmas tree suit, a mug of hot cocoa, two mugs, a snowman, a Christmas tree, a stack of presents, a rocking horse, nutcrackers, 5 more Santas, gnomes in a window exchanging presents, two more Christmas tree, a santa bear holding presents, 5 Christmas themed circle-shaped stickers, 5 Square Christmas themed stickers (all of these left room for writing on, so they work like tags!), a gnome carrying presents on a trolley, a few more Christmas tag stickers~
As for sticker sheets, you gave me: a sheet with goldfish, two cat sticker sheets, hearts/plants/doves, fancy letters, cartoon-esque characters, pop-up and textured norwegian stickers, 3 Rilakkuma sticker sheets, a sheet with two bears and a rabbit, 5 Sumikkogurashi sticker sheets, 4 sheets of bears/hearts/fruits/rainbows/flowers, a sheet of fairy kittens, a sheet of various stamp-looking illustrations, 2 sheets of cats, bears and mice dressed up in various outfits, a bunch of colourful wax stamp stickers, as well as a ton of colourful circle-shaped stickers! And you also gave me three big cat stickers that I immediately put on the front cover of my sketchbook :)
Along with the stickers, you also gave me some ephemera paper items, such as: 3 Christmas patterned sheets of paper (white with illustrations of holly leaves and berries, a snowy town, and a small town from a birds perspective), as well as 5 smaller Christmas themed papers in various shapes and sizes, which I will be using to decorate future Christmas presents~
Aaaaand, you also gave me two Christmas quizzes!! One of them was trying to match a language to the words "merry christmas" in different languages - I managed to get all except for 3 correct, which is astonishing cause I'm terrible with languages :‐) the other quiz was giving vague hints where you'd guess which Christmas song it was referring to, and I don't know the names of enough Christmas songs to be any good at it lmao - but they were really fun, thank you!!
Inside the package, you also included heaps of snacks! The snacks can be seen here: https://imgur.com/a/FxnC92a
There were 3 small candy canes inside, which I love, they're such a nice Christmas treat and brings me back to one special Christmas when I celebrated with a friends family, and their tree was filled with candy canes, and they let me take as many as I wanted :D
You also gifted me a clear box filled with champagne gummy bears, which were adorable~ and inside of a Christmas themed plastic baggie, shut with a red circle-shaped sticker with green ribbons, and the words "Holiday cheer. Wishing you a very merry christmas" in gold, was a chocolate bar! It's a peppermint and marshmallows themed chocolate bar, which is such a fun combination - seriously, you find the strangest and most intriguing chocolate flavours!!
Inside white silk paper, shut with a green Christmas sticker, and left with two square Rilakkuma notes, where you wrote in a green pen "sorry it's so late" and that "you bought it for (me) on halloween" is a Halloween themed pocky stick box!! You know I love Halloween, and honestly, there's never a wrong time for Halloween themes stuff <3 thank you love :D
You also put another type of chocolate bar in a red and blank coloured plastic bag, which was shut using a bunch of cat stickers wearing santa hats ~ the chocolate bar is a gingerbread based chocolate from chocolonely, and the bar itself was shaped like a Christmas tree, so if you broke up the bar, you could even hang the tree up, thats so cool!!
And then you gifted me a a whole 'merci' brand chocolate box, which was filled with various flavours! It was packaged in a beige and gold silk paper, and tied shut with an elastic thin red rope~
Continuing on the christmas theme, you placed three hot chocolate bombs inside of a red plastic bag, shut with a red and white spotted ribbon :) and inside a green and red&white peppermint themed silk paper, shut with a red velvet ribbon, was a kinder chocolate calendar! I love a good chocolate calendar, cause I've got such a sweet tooth haha
Speaking of sweet tooth, you gave me two sugarfina chocolate bars, which were designed to look like Santa's attire, with the classic buckle belt - as well as Mrs. Clause, with an apron. It was cookie dough flavoured, as well as peppermint hot cocoa flavoured :D
Also, the cutest thing ever, you gave me a bear shaped pastery?? It's so cute!!! You placed it inside a red baggie, shut with a red circle-shaped sticker with "treat yo elf" written on it :,D
As for odd things I would never think of getting, or even finding in the first place, you gave me Hello Kitty themed edible wafer paper ~ they're shaped like hello kitty donuts, topped off with bows, and I really want to do a hello kitty inspired muffin party, using these :) i have no clue where to buy edible wafer paper around here, so this is really fun!
You put a bunch of fun treats inside a deep green baggie, filled with christmas-themed illustrations, which also features a small window to sneak peak, and shut with a blue circle-shaped sticker with candy canes and "sweet" written on it! Inside were two "seattle chocolate" chocolate bars that were white and dark truffle flavoured :o there was another chocolate bar of the same brand, but this was peanut butter flavoured! The designs of the chocolate bars were great fun too ~ you also gave me another chocolate bar, this one a plain milk chocolate :)
Along with these chocolate bars, you gave me: a hot chocolate bombs on a stick, an apple strawberry dried bar, a kinder joy, and a durian mochi! I really enjoy trying so many cool new flavours and textures, and I loved going through all the fun stuff you sent me <3 so thank you!!
And as for the last of the snacks, you've supplied my hot beverage supply <3 all of the tea and hot chocolate was placed inside a plastic zip bag, which had a soft blue colour, with snowflakes all around, and the characters from Winnie the Pooh dressed up for Christmas :) inside was a sticker of a cup of tea among a stack of books~ and ofc, a bunch of tea!! From "palais des thés", you gave me: green tea with jasmine, rooibos with vanilla and almond, oolong with flowers and lemon, herbal tea with mint leaves, and organic black tea from Assam and Yunnan :D along with these was a tea of vanilla rooibos, and a black Christmas tea~ from "four sigmatic" you gifted me an organic cacao mix with reishi mushroom, and at last, you gave me a packet of hot cocoa from Starbucks! Thank you so much for all this tasty joy!!
You also gifted me tons of cool items, and the selection feels personally curated for me, which is so sweet :,)
I'll start in no particular order, just based on what I picked up first :)
One of the gifts was a calendar! It is a soft yellow, featuring an illustration of kirroitori's muffin café~ the inside is illustrated and designed around the cartoon characters present on the cover, and it is super cute!!
In a similar vein, you gave me another calendar of the same sort, but featuring the rilakkuma characters having a tea party :D the inside is colourful, and the pages present the characters on the cover, chilling and having fun :) they look like this: https://imgur.com/a/aKZyux7
Speaking of calendars, you gifted me a wall calendar thats Californian cost themed! The pictures are gorgeous, and it's just such a pretty calendar :,) it looks like this!: https://imgur.com/a/QdLO5pM
Along with all of the wonderful gifts, you gave me two different types of candles!! I hecking love scented candles, and these come in such cute boxes :,D
The first one i picked up was placed inside a Christmas themes plastic bag, tied shut with brown hemp rope :) it's a cedar balsam scented candle in a silver tin can, and it's so cute!!
Here it is!: https://imgur.com/a/a91wdP3
The other candle is inside a bronze coloured tin box with a flip lid, a rectangle shape with the cutest library design! It is a Jane Austen themed candle (or as it says on the back, a tin austen) and it's jasmine scented :) it's hand-poured and I love it so much <3
It was packaged inside red, white and green plaid coloured silk paper, and tied together with a red ribbon that's sort if bulbous? With various bubbles, which reminds me of those seaweeds you can pop! This is what it looks like!: https://imgur.com/a/rUA2nEv
Next up are some more authowriters based gifts!! They were packaged inside a soft yellow coloured silk paper, with gold details of geometrical circles and stars ~ it's from a winery apparently haha :) it was tied together with a thin red fabric ribbon! Inside were two items - a "PopNotes" sticky note dispenser, which comes out of a blue typewriter, as well as a pocket mirror with a flip lid! The mirror is blue, and features a quote by Oscar Wilde ("To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.") And a plant watering itself~ the packaging the mirror came in features a quote from his collection of thoughts "only dull people are brilliant at breakfast", which i only know because i read it this year, and I read a Good Reads review where someone said that Oscar Wilde would be on twitter if he was born today, and honestly? Yeah lol. The quote on the box isn't visible on the photo, cause I think it was on the back? It was this: "you should either wear a work of art, or be a work of art" - anyway, here it is!: https://imgur.com/a/w0TnX1x
The next item was also a gift for Leo, my beautiful boy! It's a star-themed harness for cats ~ it's a silky deep blue with shiny gold stars and moons, which is just so cute :,) I mean, look at it!!: https://imgur.com/a/EjFchVC
It was placed inside a Christmas themed plastic bag (which also features a cat, how fitting!) - you placed a white sticky note inside, where you wrote a note about taking Leo for a stroll, with a baby blue pen :) the plastic bag was shut with a washi tape, which was plaid patterned, a red, green, cream and gold!
And now... for the ROCKS. You gifted me a beautiful amethyst, along with a note, letting me know it was an amethyst (let it be known, I found the note jumbled further into the box than the rock lol, but that's the natural jostle of mail for ya!). And along with the amethyst, which was wrapped up in lime green silk paper with white & red peppermints on it, were two slim agates! Theyve been coloured a hot pink and a deep purple, and in the center, a gold eagle and gold wolf has been painted :) they're super pretty <3 take a look!: https://imgur.com/a/GnvKbSI
And here's some super cute stuff you've gifted ~ they were all placed inside a sanrio inspired pouch, along with all the stickers and other fun stuff :) heres the items: https://imgur.com/a/c05lri3
Theres a magnet sheet, featuring the bears of Rilakkuma (and the chicken) - you also gave me two magnets of the line friends, the bear and rabbit carrying hearts <3
Theres a keychain of a san-x character, Sumikkogurashi, which has the big yellow cat, wearing a flower crown (or in this case, flower collar?) - it also features a tiny grass dude, with tiny little feet :,D
Theres also a pin of a tokidoki unicorn wearing witchy gear ~ it's so shiny and pretty! And they've solved a big pin problem, which is that they always shift and move due to the weirdly distributed weight, so they added two pins to the back :) and finally, a keychain of two sanrio characters! Two kids flying on a star, with a nice shiny purple chain~
Thank you!!
The next item is a very gorgeous tea towel :D it was placed inside a plastic pouch with a clear side, and a red side, with gold and white snowflakes scattered about :) it was shut with a blue hexagon sticker, with a gold border and green ribbons sticking out from the underside - in the middle is an illustrated deer! The tea towel was placed inside a cotton stringbag - the towel itself is so pretty!! It features a map of California, with various illustrations of certain "trademarks" of the various places in California, like the red woods and bears! It also features a small description of the state, and the state bird~ it's just so nice looking, with the soft colours and vintage feel, just look!!: https://imgur.com/a/2KROhfy
Next up is a little fella! You gifted me a penguin plushie wearing a red hunters hat (the ones with the flaps), a trapper hat! His name is Luke :) https://imgur.com/a/UhbUzur
He's currently chilling with all my other stuffed toys lol
In a true bookish fashion, you gave me a bunch of different bookmarks! Theres 4 in total, and they're all currently being used or being put on display ~ the first one I saw was the Winnie the Pooh one! It was inside a plastic covering, with a brown tassle and an illustration of Winnie and Piglet walking in the woods, along with a quote that goes "it's so much more friendly with two" <3 the second bookmark i picked up was also inside a plastic covering - it features an agate inspired rock (purple), with a purple rope going town into a tassle with gold details ~ it's super pretty!
The third bookmark had a red ribbon attached to it, and it was a red and yellow electric guitar inspired design! It's super cool :D
The final bookmark was hand-made by you, and it is beautiful!!! It's made using the quilling technique - you gave it a wood border, with a soft beige background, and with coiled up paper in mesmerising curls, you created a 3D flower with white, yellow and green paper! You also attached a silver sibbon at the top - it's too pretty to be used and im terrified of breaking it, so for now, it's on display on my shelf :) it's super thoughtful that you wanted to incorporate my favourite colour, it's genuinely perfect <3 here they are: https://imgur.com/a/4tFNgub
And now, the coolest Christmas bauble I've ever seen, look at this!!!: https://imgur.com/a/f0Yohip
It's a clear bauble, and inside it is sand, seashells and a yellow plastic bucket :,D on the outside, there's a print of an otter and "Monterev, CA" written on it ~ due to the oils of the sand, it causes the inside to have a sort of rainbow film, and it is just so cute and precious :,) this too is on display on my shelf, because my Christmas tree is one that reaches up to my knees, and was gifted to me by my friend because they thought my lack of Christmas decoration was sad haha! I'll likely not put it on the tree though, because I'm terrified it'll fall and break, so on the shelf it stays! All season, all holidays! Thank you :D
Now, this item brought me back to primary school haha - it's scented chapsticks! With scents such as: tropical punch, watermelon, vanilla, oatmeal cookie, cotton candy, mango, strawberry and kiwi ~ they're bright obnoxious colours and they're PERFECT. I've never been the kind to use chapsticks (although, I should), but these always hold a soft spot in my heart as a kid who loved scents and colours to the max <3 it's extremely nostalgic and a warm feeling swells in me when I look at the brightness and pure delightful childishness they exude, and the smells!!! I still love scents, it just brings me so much joy to smell stuff haha :,) here they aaaaare: https://imgur.com/a/serMDtb they were wrapped in a red plastic pouch, and shut with a circle-shaped sticker with an elf on it, and the words: treat yo elf"~
Going back to the more artsy stuff, cause you always supply me with the greatest art supplies, pens!!! All kinds of pens! And speaking of scents, you gifted me a scented pencil :D it's blueberry scented, and features a pen with a white and blue design, with snow and penguins and snowmen, super duper cute and a delight to my senses!! As for stuff that brings me back to my childhood, this funky pen you gifted me thats a baby blue, with a snowglobe at the top! It contains glitter snow with a silver angel in the middle ~ ah, when I was a kid, we'd get small gifts in our Christmas calendar, and I'd get these funky pens which did various stuff, like: i had one with a soft tennis ball on top, and I could pull a lever and the ball would bounce off (though it was attached to a string). I also got a pen with a mini glass hand boiler! Youd put your fingers on the bottom part of the glass, and the blue liquid inside would start going upwards (it had two bulbs, shaped kinda like an hourglass) and when it reached the top part, it'd start to boil :) i still have that pen, and it still works! So yeah, these pens are really tugging at my childhood nostalgia haha :D
Along with these, you gave me a calligraphy pen (ElegantWriter) which is super sleek ~ and you also gave me a 12 pack of pencils with gorgeous colourful floral patterns!! The colours are so nice and pleasing to the eye <3 I love a colour bomb :D all of these were placed inside a deep green plastic bag with candy canes and santa hats on it, tied with a velvet red ribbon, which is just adorable (I love all the various ribbons and bows you used!) Also, I really love all the pencils you've gifted me over the year - I've genuinely used up all of them cause they work excellently with drawing haha!
The pens don't end here, because BAM a six pack of jelly roll pens!! Theyre colourful and flow so well, what a treat!! I adore colourful stuff... it makes me unreasonably happy haha :) it was placed in a clear plastic bag, featuring santa and snowwwww ~ the bag was shut using a blue sticker shaped like a Christmas tree, which had "merry christmas" and "Happy Holidays" written on it in white, neat-o!
The final pens, because THERES MORE, were packaged in santa silk paper (theres more than just santa on it, there are christmas trees, but we both know who the real star is), and tied together with a shiny green and silver ribbon, seriously, where DO you find such beautiful ribbons?? You got such a range! Anyway... the pens inside were colourful fineliners from the sharpie brand, and they're smooth as butter, and all the gorgeous colours that make me very very happy <3
All of the pens and pencils can be seen hereeee: https://imgur.com/a/emToRGb
The artsy stuff doesn't end here though, because we've got memopads, sticky notes and colouring paper, and wow! We don't do Christmas presents much anymore in my family, and due to some family conflicts, I doubt we will celebrate together next year, so this feels like such a thoughtful and warm hug of a gift. I would like to articulate exactly why this makes me so emotional, but it's hard haha ~ it just feels like you out so much effort into getting stuff personalised for me, and I've never experienced that before :,)
Anyway, going off the rails there for a second.. theres 3 different sticky notes! One is mermaid themed, with mermaids inside a shell, each mermaid its own stick-it note, which i thought was creative!
The other two are themed after characters from "line friends" and "bt12" - both are designed similarly, with two different designs: the top one being shaped after a character, with a soft pink background and a slightly deeper pink lime-art. The bottom design is a soft rectangle with the characters in the bottom right corner - one is purple, the other is turquoise, and both are absolutely adorable!
Also, I spoke too soon, because there MORE sticky notes - these are more like stick-it tags that you use to mark books etc ~ they're pastel coloured, and will be perfect because I've wanted to annotate a book that a friend of mine likes, but I couldn't find any good tags!
Next up is a three-pack of notebooks + one blank book! They were inside silk paper with a plaid design in red, green and white ~ it was tied together with a red and silver ribbon which has a fun design, like... the edge is ridged, and it has silver circles in the middle! The books are white with black-lined illustrations with gold details. The designs are of: a peacock, greenery with beetles and bugs, and a jungle with macaw parrots! They've been made in a way that allows for the lines to be coloured in, which is such a fun idea :D
You also gifted me a memo pad with two super cute designs: both are simplistic, in very rustic and soft colours, one featuring a cat stretching, and the other being a chicken being scooped out of a piece of a cake - I've seen you use them before, and you've gifted me some before, and I love them so much, so thank you!! I love the colours, they scratch an itch in my brain :D
Along with this memo pad, you gave me a collection of decorative paper, which feature pastel-coloured lanterns, and which allows for you to write on them, like a cool decorative letter~
And at last, you gave me a massive watercolour pad!!! It was inside the same red and green plaid silk paper, with a gorgeous broad, red, silk ribbon - and it was accompanied by a letter! The letter was inside a deep green envelope, with a shiny red wax stamp, with "merry Christmas" stamped into it :D the other side of the envelope left a big white square, with gold details, where you wrote "Happy Christmas JJ" with a gold pen~ inside was a letter, which was shaped funkyyyy. I'm not even going to try to explain the shape it is, just take a look: https://imgur.com/a/P7saicc
Anyway, it features a Christmas tree made out of tiny illustrations in green and silver, of various Christmas-themed stuff, like deer, trees, ginger cookies and gifts! It also had a green and silver border ~ and you wrote in the letter with a red pen :D heres the actual notebooks, memo pads, stick-it notes and watercolouring paper: https://imgur.com/a/39mPXcQ
And now, for the drum rolls, because this is the cutest stuff ever - you MADE ME earrings, and they're dream catchers!!! I need to reiterate, you CREATED THESE by HAND for ME!!! I dont even know if the holes in my ears are still holes or not, but it doesn't matter, because I will treasure these to the end of time <3 I'm just all mushy about this sweet gesture - they're just so pretty and just... the care and thought put into them?? The effort?? I dont deserve anything you've given me, and yet you keep putting in so much time and effort and all this beautiful dedication that makes me feel like the most special person ever :,) aw man, the whole thing has made me very emotional. I remember when I received the package, I just immediately felt baffled, because I find it off how such a beautiful and wonderful person could pick out someone like me to bestow such beautiful handcrafted gifts, and everything is just so meticulously placed and chosen... ah, it makes me weak. And teary, it came at a very detrimental part of my life. I can only hope that I can give a little something in return to make up for all the wonders you've conferred me - you're just such a wonderful person, obviously not just because you've been so generous, but also because you just... are!! Everything about you is honey sweet, and you remind me of the smell of rain, during the mornings of summer when everything is soft and warm. You remind me of the wind swaying grass softly in a field, and the softness of snow falling gently from the clouds. I read a book recently called "the secret life of bees", and the soft feeling of the main character living in a pink house, helping along with the beehives, getting sticky from honey, wading in the river and having soft conversations when the sun is setting on the hot summer evenings were exactly the sort of feel I get about you. Soft, gentle, sweet, and yet someone who packs a punch, someone who has hidden secrets and surprises. I don't think I can really ever put it into words.
Anyway... I'm far past the limits of how long I can let a post go on for at this point, haha! Heres what the earrings looked like, just such a beaut: https://imgur.com/a/UbSC9UR
cont. in comments

Ugh.
This is Wyoming. Please do not bet your life on cell service!
I love to go up the mountains this time of year, just to see where I can go. I know when to turn around because it's not worth risking getting stuck.
One year, I went up and was driving down dirt roads. Roads were good and cruising along. I see two people walking down the middle of the road. I was thinking they were just out there like me, enjoying the first nice weather, but...they did not attempt to flag me down, but I stopped anyways.
"Hi! You folks ok?"
"Yes! But our truck got stuck back there on a snow drift. I made it through the first one, but I got high-centered on the second"
Meanwhile, I am assessing the situation. This is a man and woman, both well into their 70's. He has sneakers on, she is wearing loafers. She is wearing a light wind-breaker. He has no outer wear. She is visibly shivering. Their shoes are wet. Their pants are wet. It is about 3pm. At least three hours of daylight left.
He says, "We tried to dig the truck out with our hands and sticks, but that didn't work. We figured we might find a place to borrow a shovel, but we haven't seen anyone. We don't have any cell service. Do you think you can give us a ride to where we can get service to call AAA?".
I had already decided that I was not even going to try to go see if I could get their truck out. I knew the road that I had just traveled and that I could travel it again. They were going with me!
My truck is a regular cab so only one other person can ride up front. They insisted that the man go in the seat as he had a bad back. The wife was much thinner and colder. So I got out my EMERGENCY GEAR that I carry for winter. I wrapped her in the goose down coat I carry, put the extra wool socks I carry on her feet, laid out the thick sleeping bag I carry as a pad for her in the back of my truck (I do have a topper on it, otherwise we have crammed into the cab).
I set out for the highway.
It was over seven miles. They never would have made it.
So I get to the highway. I ask if he has a signal.
THEY DID NOT ACTUALLY HAVE A CELL PHONE!!!!!!
He asks if he can borrow mine. I just told him that I never had signal there and we were going to town.
I drove them down the mountain into the town. They were hungry. We went to Hardees (their choice). I bought them some food because they left their money in their truck. They borrowed my phone to call AAA.
The lady was trying to explain to the AAA lady what the address was. I asked if I could talk to her. I told the AAA lady that they were stuck in a rural area and that whoever the local tow truck driver should call me back and I could explain right where their truck was.
They sat and ate their food. Tow truck driver called. I told him where they were and also that these people had exactly ZERO idea how close to death they came that day. He got it.
He showed up. They got in his truck and off they went. They made it back home.
These people gave no indication that they had any idea that if I had not found them that day, they would be dead. It was a nice 40 degree day, but went into the teens at night. They were already hypothermic, not dressed for the weather, and did everything wrong!
Carry emergency gear in your vehicle. SHOVEL
SHOVEL! SHOVEL! DID I SAY CARRY A SHOVEL???
A tow strap. If someone comes along to pull you out, give them the ability to do so.
I carry a complete change of clothing...pants, shirts, jackets, coats, gloves, socks, boots. If I am stuck and get wet trying to get myself out, then I can completely change into dry clothes.
A really nice, low temperature rated (no 40 is not a low temp), sleeping bag.
Three ways to start a fire. A lighter. Matches. Striker. Carry some firestarter...cotton balls covered in vaseline, Large frito chips (not kidding), some tender.
Let someone know where you are going and when to expect you back.
Stay with your vehicle!!! It shelter from the wind, snow, ground and much easier to spot from the air than you.
I have found so many things in the mountains but those old people are the ones that make me think the most. So grateful I found them and they didn't die. So grateful I knew better than to try to pull their truck out (we could have all been screwed). So grateful I did the safe thing and got them home safe, but it still blows my mind.
People can and do DIE on Wyoming roads because of stupidity.
Please don't be one of them.

Going in my first ever trip to Japan and would love any feedback you guys have.
I'm going to be landing in Tokyo, staying their for 5 days visiting the different parts of the cities and some temples as well as a day at Disney sea.
From their spend a few days to recover and visit onsens.
A few more days in Kyoto eating as much as I can and getting more of a traditional Japan vibe.
Overall I'm hoping to have enough to last a week and then wash halfway through, and hopefully pick up a few more pieces at Uniqlo and a pair of Japanese jeans at samurai.
Worn: Cotton t-shirt Banana Republic travler pants Darn tough socks All birds tree runner Patagonia cap
Packed: 2 cotton shirts 1 light weight merino sweater 1 merino T-shirt 1 button down Oxford 1 black pki 10 underwear 3 darn tough socks 1 pair of shorts
Bag: Patagonia MLC smolder blue Aer city pack 2 with: Kindle Switch

I asked on here a while back for the most durable fiber for things like bags and cotton seemed to be fat and above the crowd favorite, but as I’m now looking into purchasing some, I’m wondering if the ‘softness’ of the cotton changes how durable it is?
I’ve heard about the difference in softness between like plain cotton, pima, mercerized, etc, but even across ones that are just labeled ‘100% cotton’ with no other signifiers, there seems to be a large range of how soft they are to the touch.
Does a rougher cotton like the Lily Sugar & Cream hold up better to wear and tear? Or is it just it being cotton that makes it durable and the ‘softness’ doesn’t really matter?
Thanks!!

[SELLING, PRICED TO MOVE]
SHIRTS, TOPS
SMALL J CREW Slim Oxford Shirt AND Merona Casual Shirt
SMALL J CREW Thomas Mason Ludlow Dress Shirt
SMALL EVERLANE Shirt Charcoal
SMALL Brooks Brothers Zip Merino Sweater Striped
SMALL ZARA White Dress Shirt
SMALL Merona OBCD Short Sleeve and OBCD Long Sleeve Shirts
EXTRA SMALL Patterned Blue/Navy Blue Sweater
EXTRA SMALL Murano Linen Slim Fit Short Sleeve Button Down
SMALL Uniqlo Non-iron Cutaway Collar Dress Shirts x 2
SMALL TAYLOR STITCH Grey Shirt MiUSA
SHORTS and PANTS
30x30 TWO J CREW Bowery/Ludlow Slim French Navy Pants Stretch
30x30 J CREW Navy Fleece Lined Pants
31 LANDS END CANVAS Olive Shorts
30 LANDS END Fitted Navy Shorts
31x30 J CREW Wool Pants Hopsack Bowery Pants
TAILORING
38R MARKS AND SPENCER Navy Blazer Slim
FOOTWEAR
COLE HAAN Made in Maine Pinch Loafers with OG box, shoe bags 8.5
HI TEC Altitude IV Hiking Boots Dark Chocolate 10
NORDSTROM Chukka Boots Black Water Resistant, Ortholite 9
SEBAGO Campsides Camp Mocs Made in USA 9.5
ACCESSORIES
TWO Ties 2.5", Banana Republic, Silk, Cotton, Vintage Pink And Gray, Made In USA, Italy
FARIBAULT WOOLEN MILLS Weekender /Duffel Bag Navy / Tartan Plaid Wool / Canvas
HOW TO BUY
On Grailed, which now forces sellers to use exorbitantly priced labels of theirs (20 bucks for a pair of pants that I can ship via USPS for 4 bucks...), so message here for best price, bundling. I'll send full invoice via PayPal with same buyer protection and copy of the item page, etc: https://www.grailed.com/users/8189-crzyboystewardrobe
NOTES

• I tend not to do price drops until I'm out of free bumps, but please don't hesitate to make an offer meanwhile. I will also do my best to answer any questions you may have as soon as I can.
• I always ship at the latest by the Friday after you buy with tracking and generally via USPS priority or USPS ground package. International is no longer something I do; USPS has made it untenably expensive. Still, if interested, shoot me a message and I can see how much it comes out to.
• I have perfect feedback across many transactions (see history) and do my best to address any issues that may come up, so please purchase with confidence.

Finally, thanks for looking, and check out all my listings if you're so inclined. Happy to make deals (bundled shipping and possibly additional discount) for multiple purchases.

Big DH Gate Find List - 500+ ITEMS - Many Categories

Hey guysss, ne DH Gate find list guys, please watch carefully before you pick an item and always check twice for the size chart and the reviews! NOTE: I have not bought all of the items on the list, but all of them are manually collected from positive reviews and from different dhgate hauls. (Check the reviews of each item or massage the seller for QC pictures before you buy.)
PLEASE

• ask the seller for pics if you didn't find reviews or a size chart .
• this post will updated
• use cashback.

SHOES / SLIDES:

1. BAPESTA
2. Nike Dunks
3. Dior B22 1
4. Dior B22 2
5. Jordan 11
6. Balenciaga Triple S 1
7. Balenciaga Triple S 2
8. Balenciaga Track 2
9. Balenciaga Slides
10. Christian Louboutin
11. Nike Tuned Air
12. Burberry Pattern Shoes
13. Revenge Storms
14. Yeezy 350 v2
15. Kobe 6
16. Yeezy 500 TSM
17. More Off-White Sneakers
18. Yeezy 500
19. Yeezy 450
20. Yeezy 350
21. Yeezy Slides
22. Yeezy Foamrunners
23. Crocs
24. Cristian Loub Spike Low Sneakers
25. Cristian Loub Spike High Sneakers
26. Nike Dunks
27. Nike Shox TL
28. Nike Tn
29. Nike Skeleton AF1
30. Nike AF1
31. Nike Air Max 1
32. Nike Air Max 95
33. Nike Nocta Glide
34. Nike Nocta Hot Step Air Terra
35. Nike Uptempo
36. Jordan 1's
37. Jordan 4's
38. Jordan 11's
39. Versace Chain Reaction
40. Alexander Mcqueen's
41. Balenciaga Track
42. Balenciaga Triple S
43. Balenciaga Runners
44. Birkenstocks
45. Burberry Vintage High Sneakers
46. Prada Loafers
47. Prada Boots
48. Gucci Slides
49. Gucci Horsebit Sandals
50. Maison Mihara Yasuhiro Sneakers
51. Timberland Boots
52. Golden Goose Sneakers

T-SHIRTS / JACKETS / TRACKSUITS:

1. Stone Island Hoodie
2. Stone Island T-shirt
3. Palm Angels Tracksuit
4. The North Face Puffer Jacket
5. Balmain T-shirts
6. Canada Goose Vest
7. Balenciaga BB Logo T-shirt
8. Nike Tech Fleece
9. Gucci Spray Letters T-shirt
10. LV Skeleton T-shirt
11. Ralph Laurent Bear T-Shirt
12. Ralph Laurent Polo T-shirt
13. Off-White T-shirts
14. Stussy Hoodie
15. Lacoste T-shirt
16. Vlone Friends T-shirt
17. Vlone Flames Logo T-shirt
18. More Vlone T-shirts
19. Rhude T-shirt
20. The North Face Vest
21. The North Face x Brain Dead Jacket
22. Fendi Puffer Jacket
23. Prada Zip Pocket T-shirt
24. Prada Puffer Jacket
25. Drew House Hoodie
26. Louis Vuitton Patch T-shirt
27. Palm Angels Pattern Tracksuit
28. Palm Angels Bear T-shirt
29. Palm Angels Back Logo T-shirt
30. Palm Angels Spray Heart T-shirt
31. More Palm Angels T-shirts
32. Sp5der 555 Hoodie
33. Sp5der T-shirt
34. The North Face Light Jacket
35. Moose Knuckles Jackets
36. Ralph Lauren Zip Hoodie
37. Polo Ralph Lauren Jumper
38. Ralph Laurent Collared Shirts
39. Lacoste Polo T-Shirt
40. Balmain Sweatshirt
41. Burberry Rider T-shirt
42. Bottegga Veneta T-shirt
43. Canada Goose Jacket
44. Trapstar Irongate Jacket
45. Trapstar Tracksuit Set
46. Trapstar Black And Yellow Set
47. Trapstar Shooters Tracksuit Set
48. Trapstar Summer Set
49. Gucci Tiger T-shirt
50. Fendi T-shirts
51. Bape Shark Hoodie
52. Bape Camo Logo T-shirt
53. Bape x Undefeated T-Shirt
54. Bape x Heron Preston T-shirt
55. Nike x Fear Of God T-shirt
56. FOG Essentials T-shirt
57. Gucci Snake Polo T-shirt
58. Gucci Bear T-shirt
59. Comme Des Garcons Hoodie
60. Comme Des Garcons Sweatshirt
61. Comme des Garçons T-shirt
62. More cdg T-shirts
63. Gap x Balenciaga Hoodie
64. Balenciaga Sweater
65. Balenciaga Hoodies
66. Balenciaga Reflective Logo T-shirt
67. Adidas x Balenciaga T-shirt
68. Balenciaga Logo Hoodie
69. Balenciaga Spray Logo T-shirt
70. Balenciaga I Love Paris T-shirt
71. More Balenciaga T-shirts
72. Kenzo Flower T-shirt
73. Boss T-shirt
74. Celine Hoodie
75. Chrome Hearts Dagger Hoodie
76. Chrome Hearts Longsleeve
77. Gallery Dept T-shirt
78. Gallery Dept Hoodie
79. Stone Island Longsleeve
80. Stone Island Zip Hoodie
81. Trapstar Summer Outfit
82. Louis Vuitton T-shirts
83. Louis Vuitton Camo Logo T-shirt
84. Nocta Jacket Nike
85. Fendi Eyes T-shirt
86. More Fendi T-shirts
87. Rhude Racing Team T-shirt
88. CPFM YE Must Be Born Again Hoodie
89. Kids See Ghosts Hoodie Kanye West
90. Amiri T-shirts
91. Bape Shoes
92. More Amiri T-shirts
93. Moncler Polo T-shirt
94. Moncler Sweatshirt
95. Versace Robe
96. Balmain Denim Jacket
97. C.P Company Zip Up
98. Represent T-shirt
99. Gucci Polo T-shirt
100. Gucci T-shirt
101. More Gucci T-shirts
102. Kith T-shirts
103. Prada Triangle Logo T-shirt
104. Prada Sweater
105. Paris Shirt
106. Prada Vest
107. More Moncler Jackets
108. Palm Angels T Shirt
109. Gucci Pattern Polo T-shirt
110. Another Ralph Laurent Hoodie
111. Moschino Italy Bear T-shirt
112. More VLONE T-shirts
113. Christian Dior Atelier T-shirt
114. Prada Puffer Jacket
115. Louis Vuitton Puffer Jacket
116. Louis Vuitton University Jackets
117. Revenge Hoodie
118. Revenge T-shirts
119. Philip Plein T-shirts
120. Nike x Fear Of God T-shirt
121. Louis Vuitton Knit T-shirt
122. Drake Nocta Hoodie
123. PSG Tracksuits
124. The North Face x Gucci Jacket
125. North Face Puffer Jacket
126. Stone Island Longsleeve
127. Bape Shark Hoodie
128. Trapstar Irongate Jacket
129. Nike Tech Fleece
130. Prada Jacket
131. LV University T-shirt
132. Canada Goose Jacket
133. Amiri T-shirt
134. Ralph Lauren Polo
135. The North Face x Gucci Jacket
136. Bottega Veneta T-shirts
137. Supreme x The North Face Jacket
138. Balenciaga Chrome Letters Hoodie
139. Celine Zip Hoodie
140. Prada T-shirt
141. Rhude T-shirt
142. Trapstar IRONGATE T-shirt
143. More Gucci T-shirts
144. Balenciaga Hoodies
145. Vlone Flames T-shirt
146. Balenciaga Print Logo Hoodie
147. Gucci T-shirt
148. Balmain T-shirt
149. Palm Angels T-shirt
150. Fendi T-shirts
151. Celine Tie Dye T-shirt
152. Bape Flowers T-shirt
153. More Vlone T-shirts
154. Balenciaga Sweater
155. Amiri T-shirt
156. Astroworld Hoodie
157. Pian Sicko T-Shirt
158. LV x NBA Jacket
159. LV Varsity Jacket
160. LV Skeleton T-Shirt
161. LV Patch T-Shirt
162. LV Blue Bubble Font T-Shirt
163. Burberry T-Shirt
164. Bape Hoodie
165. Bape Black Head T-Shirt
166. Bape Alphabet Crystal T-Shirt
167. Bape X Warrior T-Shirt
168. The North Face 700 Nuptse Jacket
169. The North Face Nuptse Fleece Jacket
170. The North Face Light Jacket
171. Canada Goose Wyndham Jacket
172. Lacoste Jacket
173. Moncler Maya
174. Moncler Montca Jacket
175. Polo Raulph Lauren Sweater
176. Polo Raulp Lauren Tracksuit
177. Stone Island Long Sleeve
178. Stone Island Hoodie
179. Stone Island T-Shirt
180. Vlone Friends T-Shirt
181. Fear Of God Tracksuit
182. Prada Puffer Jacket
183. Syna World Tracksuit
184. Trapstar set summer
185. Gucci Tracksuit
186. Spider Hoodies - Tracksuit
187. Spider T-Shirt
188. Gallery Dept T-Shirt
189. Trapstar Irongate Jacket
190. Trapstar T-Shirt - Summer set
191. Trapstar Shooters Tracksuit
192. Trapstar Irongate Tracksuit
193. More Trapstar Tracksuit
194. Balenciaga Hoodie
195. Balenciaga Sweater
196. Balenciaga Print Logo Hoodie
197. PSG Tracksuit
198. Palm Angels T-Shirt
199. Palm Angels Bear T-Shirt
200. Amiri 22 Hoodie
201. Amiri T-Shirt
202. Amiri Cupid T-Shirt
203. Nike Windbreaker
204. Nike X Nocta Techfleece
205. Nike Techfleece set
206. Corteiz Tracksuit

PANTS / JEANS:

1. Eric Emanuel EE Shorts
2. Corteiz Cargo Pants
3. Essentials Sweatpants
4. Rhude Shorts
5. Gallery Dept. Sweatpants
6. Stone Island Cargo Pants
7. Lululemon Yoga Pants
8. Flower Jeans
9. True Religion Jeans
10. Gucci Shorts
11. More Amiri
12. Stone Island Sweatpants
13. Stone Island Shorts
14. Balmain Jeans
15. DSQARED2 Jeans
16. Amiri Jeans
17. Amiri Angel Jeans
18. Dsquared2 Jeans
19. Bape Shorts
20. Palm Angels Shorts
21. Eric Emanuel EE Shorts
22. Essential Sweatpants
23. Essential Shorts
24. Stone Island Shorts
25. Spider Sweatpants
26. Trapstar Shorts
27. Gucci Shorts
28. Burberry Shorts
29. LV Carpenter Pants
30. LV Carpenter Pants Black
31. Corteiz Cargo Pants
32. Gallery Dept Sweatpants
33. Flower Jeans
34. Flower Shorts
35. Palm Angels Shorts
36. Bape Shorts
37. Amiri Jeans
38. Amiri x Skull Jeans
39. Purple Jeans
40. Polo Swimshorts
41. Chrome Hearts Jeans
42. Amiri Jeans
43. Stone Island Shorts
44. Dsquared Jeans
45. Bape Shark Shorts
46. Rhude Shorts
47. Palm Angels Track Pants
48. Palm Angels Shorts
49. Corteiz Cargo Pants
50. Amiri Stars Jeans

ACCESSORIES / OTHERS:

1. Louis Vuitton LV Belt With Box
2. Rolex Watch With Box and Receipts
3. AP Watch With Box
4. MCM Backpack
5. Swatch x Omega Planets Watch
6. Gucci Shoulder Bag
7. Prada Shoulder Bag
8. BB Simons Belt
9. LV Gradient Belt
10. LV Pattern Belt
11. Yves Saint Laurent Wallet
12. Yves Saint Laurent Cardholder
13. YSL Bifold Wallet
14. Trapstar Irongate Shoulder Bag
15. PSD Boxers
16. Louis Vuitton Messenger Bag
17. Salvatore Ferragamo Belt
18. LV Wallets with box
19. Hermes Wallet
20. Louis Vuitton Cuban Link Bracelet With Box
21. LV Women wallet with box
22. LV Scarf And Beanie set
23. Burberry Scarf
24. Iced Out Cuban Link
25. Goyard St. Louis Tote Bag
26. Christian Dior Saddle Bag
27. Gucci GG Belt
28. Gucci Snake Belt
29. Gucci Snake Printed Belt
30. Gucci Ring
31. Gucci Keychain
32. Dior Pattern Belt
33. MCM Pattern Belt
34. Hermes Belt
35. Versace Belt
36. Nike Socks
37. Supreme Backpack
38. Louis Vuitton Backpack
39. Alyx Backpack
40. Supreme Shoulder Bag
41. Supreme Face Mask
42. Supreme Dice
43. Air Pods Max
44. Balenciaga Socks
45. Prada Necklace
46. Prada Bucket Hat
47. Marc Jacobs The Tote Bag
48. Chanel Flap Bag
49. Louis Vuitton Card Holder
50. Louis Vuitton Pattern Duffle Bag
51. Louis Vuitton Transparent Duffle Bag
52. Louis Vuitton Chain Wallet
53. Lv Purse
54. LV Waist Bag
55. LV Alpha Messenger Bag
56. Hermes Blanket
57. Hermes Pillows
58. Gucci Towel Set
59. Louis Vuitton Wool Blanket
60. Chanel Bath Towels
61. Chanel Sunglasses
62. Celine Cat Eye Sunglasses
63. Celine Hat
64. MCM Leather Hat
65. ICON Hat
66. Amiri Hat
67. Gucci Hat
68. Gucci Snake Hat
69. Prada Hat
70. Burberry Hat
71. Coach Tabby Pillow Bag
72. Bottega Cassette Crossbody Bag
73. Vevine Westwood Necklace
74. LV Millionaire Sunglasses
75. LV Cyclone Sunglasses
76. LV Ring
77. LV Earrings
78. LV Emilie Wallet
79. Various LV Bags
80. LV Sunglasses
81. LV Keychain
82. Chanel Earrings
83. Clear Cartier Glasses
84. Cartier Nail Bracelet
85. UGG Gloves
86. Tiffany Bracelet
87. Tiffany Hearts Ring
88. Tiffany Solitaire Ring
89. Tiffany Earrings
90. C.P COMPANY Beanie
91. Canada Goose Beanie
92. Prada Beanie
93. Louis Vuitton Beanie
94. Balenciaga Beanie
95. Gucci Shocks
96. Balenciaga Side Logo Hat
97. BB Simons Belt
98. Gucci Shoulder Bag (MEN)
99. Trapstar Ironsgate Shoulder Bag
100. LV Scarf & Beanie Set
101. Airpods Pro / 2nd Gen / 3d Gen
102. LV Gradient Shiny Belt
103. Hermes Belt
104. Balenciaga Hat
105. Gucci Pattern Hat
106. Gucci GG Belt
107. Unisex Prada Sunglasses
108. Rolex Watch (With Box & Receipt)
109. Cartier Clear Glasses
110. Dsquared ICON Hat
111. Rolex Watch (With box)
112. Rolex Datejust (With box)
113. Rolex Daydate (With box)
114. Patek Phillipe Watch (With box)
115. AP Watch (With box)
116. BB Simons Belt
117. LV Crossbody Purse
118. LV Messenger Bag
119. LV Messenger Bag 2
120. LV Cardholder
121. LV Sling Backpack
122. LV Wallet
123. LV Scarf
124. LV Sunglasses
125. MCM Backpack
126. Gucci Belt
127. Gucci Snake Belt
128. Gucci GG Wallet
129. Gucci Wallet
130. Gucci Pouch
131. Goyard Cardholder
132. Goyard Wallet
133. OFF-White Rug
134. Prada Hats
135. Prada Phonecase
136. Prada Messenger Bag
137. More Prada Bags
138. Prada Sunglasses
139. New Era 59FIFTY Hat
140. Nike Socks
141. Cartier Glasses
142. Crease Protectors

Bags

• Celine Phantom Bag $129.99
• Chloe Hudson Bag $197.52(another option, the leather looks good)
• Miu Miu Matelasse Flap Bag $67.21
• Gucci Lady Web Crossbody
• Gucci Marmont Med
• LV Keepall Duffle Bag
• LV Speedy Mini
• LV Toiletry Pouch Giant Monogram
• LV TwistIf you order, be sure to ask seller about the twist lock. There is a recurring flaw of the DHG reps spinning 360. I also posted a review of this bag from designerpurse, and their lock functions correctly
• Prada Belt Bag
• Prada Black Nylon Tote
• Prada Small Black Messenger
• YSL Classic Sac de Jour
• YSL Kate Tassel Bag

Shoes

1. Gucci Chevron Espadrilles $69.49 ( goes up to size 42)
2. LV Lace-Up Winter Fur Boots $79.65 (goes up to size 42; cute boots, I’m not sure if these are fantasy?)
3. Christian Louboutin Pira Ryad Wedge Sandals 6cm/12cm heel both $69.41 (loads of different color-ways)
4. Christian Louboutin Suede Pumps 8cm/10cm/12cm heel $76.36 (only comes in black)

Tops

1. Balenciaga Logo T-Shirt $22.66
2. Balmain Crewneck Sweatshirt
3. Polo Bear T-shirt
4. Versace Medusa Top
5. YSL Star Crewneck Pullover

Sunglasses

• Celine Cat-Eye Sunglasses 41468S $53.44(very very stylish! ❤️)
• Gucci Oversized Sunglasses GG0061S $41.68

Headwear and Accessories

• Gucci Silk Headband $13.18Chanel/Dior Headband $17.00 ( worth buying )
• Fur-Trim Parka Winter Coat $76.31 (not sure if this is designer, but it's a pretty coat!)

Sets

• Gucci Underwear Set $26.30(comes in two different styles; a user gave this a positive review here )

Jewelry

1. Bulgari Serpent Ring
2. Pandora Charm Bracelet

Here are some extra Items

1. Nike x Drake Hot Step Air Terra nocta
2. Essentials Hoodie
3. Trapstar Shooters Tracksuit
4. The Tote Bag
5. Prada Loafers
6. Iced Out Cuban Link
7. Gucci Hat
8. MCM Hat
9. Nocta Hoodies
10. Louis Vuitton Ring
11. Nike Socks
12. PSG Tracksuit

So two weeks ago someone spilt water on my thinkpad T14. It was a bottle full of water and I t took me around 15 seconds to react to it as I was away from my desk.
First thing I did was force power off and put it upside down for an hour. Next I opened the back and let whatever water that could drain, drain. Now here comes a couple of stupid decisions I take. 1) I turn on the laptop. It powers up but does not go beyond the Lenovo screen. 2) I let it sit for the entire night and turn it on the next morning. It turned on, and everything except for the keyboard stopped working. I thought this would be a simple keyboard replacement. But no, as I was using it for the next 5 minutes, it just stopped responding. I took it to a technician and he told me that it was a short circuit and the motherboard was damaged. My heart sank. With the motherboard damaged, my laptop was as good as garbage.
I had no idea how to proceed now. But then my dumb brain got a dimwitted idea. Put the entire laptop in a bag of rice of sorts. I anyway decided to go with this idea. I bought 10 kgs of rice on my way home. Found a large airtight container that I somehow had and started working towards it. I took out some cotton and stuffed the ports on my laptop and made sure they was no other way I’d have to deal with rice as a problem. I now placed the laptop in the container and started filling it with rice. Once filled I let it sit for about 48 hours.
48 hours later I dejectedly took out my laptop and tried turning it on and to my surprise it booted up normally and my keyboard was also working fine. I was so happy that I had tried out that stupid idea that came to mind despite reading online that it can do more harm than good. It’s been a week now and my laptop’s in tip top condition.
Tldr; Someone spilt an entire bottle of water on my 8 month old T14. It was stuck in a boot loop, I had lost all hope. As a last resort I put my laptop in a box of rice for 2 days and it’s working absolutely fine now (Bag of rice works for laptops too).