Five Fine Things, No. 16
Lots of good things to share!
Hello, hello! I am writing you from desk, freshly inspired by a weekend away in central Connecticut where Fewer Finer was a vendor at the third annual Fenimore Lane Design Summit at The Mayflower Hotel and Spa, put on by interior designer Ariel Okin. It was my first time at the event and I loved it! I bought a lot from the other vendors, met so many great clients, saw some familiar faces, and the weather was amazing. I had never been to this part of Connecticut and I loved how green and beautiful it was. The homes, landscaping, and architecture are incredible! Plus, we made some time for a few good meals and additional shopping, so it was an all around success!
I want to do a deep dive on art collecting and some of my favorite artists so I’ll work on that for next week! I didn’t have time to dive into that this week, so instead I’m serving you up a platter of a lot of random recs and good finds.
One of the things I’ve been busy with is answering interview questions for other newsletters I love! If you had not yet seen, Charlotte Parker from Charlotte’s Web featured The Fewer Finer Townhouse and Natalie from Table Art featured it too, both taking a different angle with their questions for me about design, sourcing, and inspiration. I’d love you to read both of them:
Another thing I did recently was participate in a photoshoot for the launch of a new bag collaboration between Parker and Thatch and Big Night - The Everywhere Tote. Big Night is a store around the corner from me that I visit on a weekly basis, so it was fun to support in this way. For the shoot, I got to spend the afternoon biking around the neighborhood with Richie, and I just loved it!
Today we launched a Big Summer Vintage Drop online at Fewer Finer. It’s definitely worth checking out. My favorites that are still available include this gold envelope charm with a removable letter that’s addressed to a real Brooklyn address, this well priced omega chain - my favorite look right now, this amazing greek coin, and the platinum diamond tennis necklace of my dreams! You can see more pieces from the drop in this instagram video!
The whole point of this letter is to share things I really love and use, which is what I like to do in my five fine things lists. Instead of just sharing things I’ve seen or that I like, I want to tell you what I actually use and love! But, sometimes I haven’t vetted something and still want to share it - so here’s a quick grab bag:
I’m going to Esperanza in July and I can’t wait for a little Mexican getaway. I’m a huge fan of Auberge hotels and this one looks amazing.
My friend Priyanka shared a very fun birthday wishlist full of things I, too, would love. Have fun reading it!
I am continuing to love my Isla products and just bought a few more for gifts and my own restock. My three favorites are the Toner (I use this on my legs before lotion and it makes them so much less dry!), the Storm Serum, and the Lip Balm.
My friend Sarah Lederman writes a great Substack called Pulling Threads and shared this Pac Sun x The Met shirt that I loved and bough immediately even though they just had XL left, so this will be my hang out on the dock/bathing suit coverup shirt this summer. I also like this black t-shirt from the collection.
I’ve been collecting recipes for summer salads I want to make for dinner and lunch. I have been terrible about packing work lunch lately and need to get back into it. All of these are on my note to try: Smashed Cucumber Caesar, Cucumber Chickpea Salad, Crispy Quinoa Salad, Peas and Goat Cheese Salad.
I saw this hack for rinsing rice before cooking and could not believe I had never done it this way! We eat a lot of rice at home and now I know the best and easiest way to rinse it!
Relaxation Poses
I read this article, Four Positions That Trick Your Nervous System Into Relaxation, two weeks ago and have been doing one of the stretches for about 10 minutes nearly every night since. I will say, it’s easy for me to work this into my evening because I usually spend about that much time laying on my son’s floor as I put him to bed, but I thought the article was worth sharing and I love having a specific directive on positions to do to help me wind down. My favorite are the first two and I usually pick just one and try to stay in it for about 10 minutes. I have a bolster similar to this at home and love it, and this one looks cute too. This is not sexy stuff, but I really do find that my body needs to be instructed to relax at the end of the day and this helps. Another thing I wouldn’t want to live without is this cream that I’ve written about before. I put on my feat before bed almost every night and relaxes you like you wouldn’t believe!
Nelle Atelier Jeans
The BEST jeans if you are shorter! I have mentioned this brand on here before but wanted to share a bit more about them since we just hosted them for a pop-up at The Fewer Finer Townhouse last night. I just love their jeans, which are specifically made for petites. They are 100% cotton and such a luxe comfortable denim. The two favorites from last night, both of which I love are the Kiki in Sapphire and the Laura in Pearl. I also own and love the Georgie in Onyx and the Miri in Indigo. Sadly they do small production runs so you have to get them while they are around. The first two I linked have more available sizes!
Everyone in my family is a huge fan of Oaktown Spice Shop. They have the very best quality products, really great spice blends, and are kind of like a secret arsenal for taking you cooking to the next level. I highly recommend taking a look on their site and picking out a few blends that align with your taste. I love the Eastern Mediterranean Spice Blend, the Persian Lime Curry Rub, and the Salsa Matcha Mix. You can easily see if any stores near you carry them on the link here!
my new obsession: this hibiscus iced tea Another food/drink thing I had to share more about is my recent discovery of this Zeeza Hibiscus Tea. I found them at a small local shop but then learned you can also buy on Amazon. It makes the BEST iced hibiscus tea, which I could drink all day long in the summer.
Cutie Lamp Shades
I bought a lampshade from Duzy Designs on Etsy a few years ago and recently shared the link with a friend who was looking for something fun. I’ve loved mine and think the quality is amazing for the price. I love really cohesive rooms that then have a punch of color or pattern in the form of something fun like a lampshade! Here are some favorites:
some cutie lamp shades 
the only two photos I could find of ours! Thanks for reading! Talk soon,
Madison
Loveeee The Everything Tote !!!
Love this! And loved you and Richie in the shoot 💙❤️