March 11, 2023

Designing a Gender-Neutral Nursery

A positive pregnancy test is the start of a million to do lists. When we found out that we were having a baby, Doug started researching trusts and wills and 529 college savings plans. Me? I hit up Pinterest to start planning a nursery design.

Because we didn’t find out the baby’s sex in advance, I wanted everything to be fairly neutral. I also didn’t want the room to feel too babyish, so the space could easily grow with Baby L as they got older. Lastly, I wanted to keep everything streamlined and bright because the room isn’t super huge.

My vision started to solidify when I found this crib. I loved its clean and modern silhouette, and the blend of white and natural wood. Once I settled on this element, everything else fell into place!

Here’s an idea of what I was envisioning:

How did it turn out? Come back next week, because I’ll be sharing some ‘before’ photos and reveal the nursery. Let’s just say it was QUITE a transformation!


August 8, 2023

Oh Baby Baby







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Summer reading list

A post shared by Jess (@itsjesslevy) on

Champagne Thursday will be popping a different kind of bottle soon! You may have seen the announcement on Instagram – we’re adding a very tiny member to the team. It has been a long and winding road to get to this point, so it couldn’t be more appropriate that we’ll be welcoming this little bundle on Thanksgiving Day.*

Anyway, this is why things have been pretty quiet around here – because I’ve been a little busy offline! We’re super excited. While this won’t turn into a mommy/parenting blog, there will be some really fun content coming in the next few months.

 

*= of course, due dates are not precise. Baby’s coming when baby’s coming!


April 5, 2023

My Winter Wellness Journey

Hey hey hey! Long time, no chatter. I’ve been percolating offline this winter, and honestly…it’s been kind of nice.

Today, I want to share with you some of the non-flashy but totally essential things I’ve been working on this winter. It feels selfish to say, but I’ve been focusing a lot more on what I need. It’s less of a self-centered methodology, and more listening to what my body/mind is telling me it needs.

Here are a few simple steps on my winter wellness journey that were a great reset, and have me refreshed for spring.

I started moving my body more.

I’ll be the first to tell you, I have no problem spending all weekend curled up on the couch with snacks and TV. It a bit scary how good I am at being a human log. However, I feel better and my body works better when it’s been active. I put that gym membership to use, and am now a bit of a regular. There hasn’t been a huge change in the way I look, but my energy levels are higher.

I cleaned out some of my belongings.

Besides being a couch potato, I also lean toward being a pack-rat. There was a day in early January where I looked around at all the STUFF I have, and needed to just clean it out. I systematically dragged boxes from the basement and emptied them, keeping only what I absolutely loved or have a specific use for.

Before I started this clean out, I looked up a number of organizations that took donations for things I knew I had excess of (clothes, homegoods, books, etc). As I came across items that I had no longer wanted, I was able to separate them into piles so that they could have a useful second life elsewhere. (Just because I don’t have a use for it anymore doesn’t mean it’s trash!)

I put a pause on shopping.

Seeing all of the piles of stuff that I was getting rid of was a huge eye-opener. Actually, it was kind of gross to see how many clothes I was getting rid of and how many clothes I still had. In order to get a better handle on my consumption habits, I did a no-shop January and February. Two of my blogger friends organized a group of us who were doing no-shop February. It was a fun way to support each other and keep up the momentum. I didn’t keep it up for March, but it’s definitely helped me to re-evaluate my habits and values. I have a long way to go here, so each reset is worth it.

I found my W.E.L.L. Summit Tribe.

I attended the W.E.L.L. Summit in Boston last year, and I was invited to join them this year as an influencer. I am so honored to be working with them, and love their 360-degree view of wellness. It’s not about perfection. Instead, they focus on empowerment and learning.

The next Summit is on April 21st, and I hope to see you there. You can get tickets at the WELL Summit website, and use code WSJessica for 15% off your ticket. I will also hosting a rad giveaway on Instagram starting this weekend, so keep your eyes on this space for details!

Wherever you are on your own personal wellness journey, this is a great event. The community is welcoming, and there is always something new to learn. One of my favorite sessions last year was about financial health. It wasn’t something I expected to see on the lineup; when I think wellness, my first thought is about green living. When you think of wellness as 360 degrees, it makes SO much sense and I learned a ton at that session. I’m so excited to see this year’s session line-up. Hop on over to their website, and I can’t wait to see you on April 21st!


December 11, 2023

Hosting a Simple Holiday Party with Paperless Post

Happy holiday season! This is one of my favorite times of year – the lights, the music, the overall festivity. It’s easy to get caught up in everything, and feel like things need to be extra extra… which leads to exhaustion and burnout. It doesn’t have to be this way! Here are some tips to throw a simple holiday party.

Invitations


Electronic invitations are the easiest and fastest way of spreading the word. You don’t have to sacrifice style when using Paperless Post to send your invitations. There are designer collaborations from well-known designers such as Rifle Paper Co, Kate Spade, and Sugar Paper. There’s an invitation for every style and tone of the party. It’s incredibly easy to use, with step-by-step customization. You can even send yourself a test invitation or schedule it to be sent at a later date. Once the invitation is sent, there is an event dashboard to manage rsvps. You can even send an event reminder or note to the guests (perfect for reaching the group should there be a snowstorm the day of your party!). It could not be easier.

Food

Finger food appetizers are cute, but unless you have a professional kitchen (and sous chefs) at your disposal, it’s a ton of work. Invite people over for a meal, and create large servings for a self-serve buffet. Pop a soup into the crock pot, make a big salad, and slice up a fancy loaf of bread. It’s healthy, hearty, and does not require you to be in the kitchen for days prepping.

Drinks

Set up a drink station, and direct guests to help themselves. Put out a variety of flavored seltzers, and make a batch cocktail. (I highly recommend this cranberry-thyme spritzer.) Complete the set up with some fancy straws, a bucket of ice, and cups. Voila. Before you know it, you’re done.

Activity

Getting together to visit and celebrate the season is a perfectly acceptable reason for a party. If you are feeling the pressure of too much to do at this time of year, you can also incorporate this into your party. Add in a cookie swap element and have guests go home with a variety of baked goods. Another idea can be to have a wrapping party so you and your friends can wrap gifts away from the eyes of the recipients at home. You can chat, have lunch, and get something crossed off of your To Do list.

I hope that these tips helped you to plan a fun yet simple holiday party!

What is your favorite type of holiday party? Do you host, or do you just like to attend others’ parties? Let me know in the comments!

 

This post was made in collaboration with Paperless Post. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Champagne Thursday.


December 1, 2023

Gift of the Day: Something to Read


Books are amazing gifts because there is literally something for everyone. Here are some great titles for gifting. (Bonus points if you find a independently-owned bookstore to buy these at. My favorite choices around Boston are Brookline Booksmith and the Brattle Bookshop.)

Best Sellers

Give the reader in your family some new water-cooler chatter with the newest/hottest titles. My eye is on the new book from Ron Chernow (yeah, the guy whose previous book inspired Lin Manuel Miranda to write Hamilton) that focuses on Ulysses S. Grant.


New Edition of an Old Favorite

they have a favorite book? Try finding a different edition of it! This edition of Alice in Wonderland was illustrated by Salvador Dali, and I’m totally adding it to my own personal wish-list.


Coffee Table Book

This was my favorite category to make picks for. There are so many good ones that I was making googly-eyes at!


Cookbook

I should have eaten lunch before looking at these! I added some of my favs (Deb Perelman can do no wrong, and I’ve been cooking my way through Sara Forte’s newest book), as well as a few that I’ve had my eye on (hello, Cherry Bombe). This category is for all of the people who love to play in the kitchen!


Want to see the other gift guides for this holiday season? They’re all linked here.