Jen Shoop is our guest curator today!
Also in here: what I should have been for Halloween
Hi, hi, hi! Congrats that Halloween is over! And welcome to new readers who made their way here via Jen Shoop – more from her in a minute.
Quick story/ photo/ another story:
While I was packing up film for the lab last month, I decided to finish a roll of medium format film in a camera I hadn’t shot for years. It was super fun to open my scans and find this photo from October 2020:
When I thought back to the day I made this photo, my first thought was: So joy!
Origins of “so joy,” if you’re new-ish: Last summer, on a trip to the sequoias, my then-3-year-old and I were holding hands standing in the middle of a secluded, gentle stream and he couldn’t quite find the words at first to express how relieved and thrilled he was… here’s how our conversation went. 🥲
special guest: jen shoop from magpie
Y’all, I’m so excited – Jen Shoop guest curated today’s Handpicked! She’s the founder and author of Magpie, a literary lifestyle publication that features serious essays on grief, motherhood, and literature, while also providing fashion and product recommendations.
PS: You can read our texts here! And now, some links from Jen:
I’ve been wearing UBeauty’s new lip plasma daily. I’m not a gloss girl, but this formula fills and plumps lips in a way I didn’t think was possible.
It’s been a Doen fall for me -- they’ve got my number! I’ve purchased several of their blouses and dresses for fall, and I’m planning to wear this one for Thanksgiving. (You can see me in it here.)
My mom ordered my sisters and me these scripture cards for the Advent season. I love the idea of re-centering around them on a daily basis, especially when Santa, gifts, decorations, parties can occasionally upstage the real meaning of the holiday.
Love a ladylike jacket with casual jeans. This one is giving me Celine vibes at a more reasonable price.
I have been living in these ultra-soft, ultra-swingy lounge sets from Lake this fall season. I own them in two colors and alternate between them at night. They are divinely soft.
As a writer, I do a lot of drafting and note-taking by hand, and I’ve come to be rather picky about paper and pens. I love the notebooks from D.C. based Appointed, and for pens -- obsessed with these fine-point gels. I just got a new pack in the mail and it was like Christmas morning.
Most of the year, I run every other morning, and these are my all-time favorite running shoes. They are ultra-lightweight but supportive. I’m on my fifth or sixth pair! For running clothes, I love the gear from Tracksmith.
My children (4 and 6) are at an age where we can now play family games together. We’ve had so much fun with Slamwich lately. I’m partial to the deck-of-card style games for them, as I can throw them in my bag for quick distraction at a restaurant, doctor’s office, etc.
Thank you, Jen! I gotta say, I’ve DMed and emailed so many people whose work I admire, and often they don’t respond, but Jen did. And look at us! We’re bona fide internet friends now. Here’s to reaching out and reaching back!
If you'd like to curate an upcoming issue of Handpicked, please fill out this form 🤗
today’s bouquet
I am screaming: Mean Girls reunite for a Walmart commercial. Despite having every single word of this movie memorized, I have no words.
Oh my gosh, this artwork made me cry. So beautiful.
Cannot believe it: The Beatles are coming out with a new song tomorrow. (Side note, if you’re a Beatles fan and a Questioner like me, stop what you’re doing and watch Get Back.)
This won’t be the only time you hear me sing the praises of the Amazon-famous cardboard castle: we have gotten hours and hours of mileage out of this thing. Would be great for a pre-Thanksgiving-dinner kid activity.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving hacks: paper plates at the kids table. Should probably throw in some turkey hats while we’re at it.
If you’re looking for a terrific art book, Henri Matisse: Drawing With Scissors has been super fun to read with my kids and get some ideas for collaging together.
“A book can make a child laugh or feel clear-and-happy-headed as he follows a simple rhythm to its logical end. It can jog him with the unexpected and comfort him with the familiar, lift him for a few minutes from his own problems of shoelaces that won’t tie and busy parents and mysterious clock-time, into the world of a bug or a bear or a bee or a boy living in the timeless world of story. If I’ve been lucky, I hope I have written a book simple enough to come near to that timeless world.”
―Margaret Wise Brown (via)
The cleverest freaking artwork.
Cute little baby wooden picture frame!
Thinking I need a pink marbled mushroom lamp for my work table.
Took my breath away: a carpet of golden leaves beneath a 1400-year-old gingko tree. It reminds me of one in the park we used to walk to when we lived in Prairie Village. Happiest memories.
in my basket
Why didn’t I dress up as Rainbow Fish for Halloween? Why.
My sister is searching for something to wear to a black-tie work event (it is at The Plaza!!!) so I’ve taken it upon myself to shop with her. My top picks: this blue puff sleeved midi dress, black with florals, and a show-stopping green gown.
Perfect for fall: crushed velvet mary janes.
May I recommend installing this Chrome extension before holiday shopping, it’s the best way to get no-strings-attached cash back. If you haven’t signed up yet, here’s 40 bucks, free. I’m a huge fan of Rakuten. Yuge.
Never too early.
Wishing I could give each one of you a pair of these, I get more compliments on them than anything else I wear (and they’re a steal).
last thing
Most clicked link from last week: those pretty cord covers
Readers today: 1,278
A quick head’s up – next week, you’ll get two emails from me: the regular Wednesday edition of Handpicked, as well as a Gift Guide on Thursday.
Have a beautiful week, thank you so much for reading.
“Any real peace process has to begin with ourselves… We have to practice peace to help the other side make peace.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh (via)