I did not always have this dream to build / renovate / own a cottage near the coast of Ireland. In 2009 when I was studying abroad, my group visited Northern Ireland for a weekend, which included a stop at Giant’s Causeway. It was a stereotypical fall day in Ireland—gray skies and a light mist…
My mom loves flower gardens. I grew up in a small city with a larger-than-average yard, and in every nook and cranny she squeezed in a flower bed or a bush. When I was a baby, I used to sit outside and keep her company while she planted flowers in her roughly 12-foot-long plot against…
I do not put much stock in astrology, but I am a Pisces and I have always felt happiest near the water. Be it a pool, a lake, or the ocean, the water brings me joy, calm, and rejuvenation. Maybe it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy—I was born a Pisces so I identify with the sea. Though…
In reflecting on the first time I was excited about clothes shopping, I believe it was circa sixth grade in Limited Too with my mom. I attended Catholic elementary school so my outfit choices were largely decided for me via the school uniform. Every so often though, the school had a “Dress-Down Day” where you…
Inspiration is all around us—in a fleeting moment, a painting, a flower, or an interaction can make us feel warm and fuzzy. Over the course of the week, I see, hear, and feel these unique moments of inspiration, and I try to capture them in my mind (or in my camera roll when possible) to…
When I picture my idyllic country escape, the starting place is usually the Irish countryside. I studied abroad in Galway, Ireland while in college, and I’ve never been able to shake the way those green, rolling hills beneath moody, blue-gray skies made me feel—like I was simultaneously gasping to inhale as much fresh air as…
Where were you when your first Cottagecore fantasy overtook you? I was in our ~600-square foot apartment in the city of Boston on January 13, 2021, as if I even need to say, mid-pandemic. How do I know? I have an entire OneNote page dedicated to inspiration for the bakery / flower shop / tea…
