The Bell Newsletter

Hello friends and family of The Bell, Last week’s newsletter will be the final edition for the foreseeable future. I’m not quite ready to say The Bell is done forever, but it’s done indefinitely. Unfortunately, I’m burned out. Not from this newsletter, whatsoever! But from other things. I thought coming back to writing during an exhausting, challenging season would fill my cup, but instead I find that each week I’m trying to create from empty. You know what I mean?

I’m seeing a lot of reels going around Instagram right now about the power of paint. And not to be like, I was first to that trend, but five years ago I transformed every room in my 600 sq. ft. apartment in Boston with paint: the most renter-friendly of upgrades.

Okay, grab a coffee or a cocktail because there’s so much bouncing around my brain this week that I have to share with you. Thus I bring you the June méli-mélo, or mishmash. Windowsill herbs. If you’re growing herbs on your windowsill, congrats to you! I can’t make anything grow inside. But I have a bumper crop of backyard herbs I was forgetting to use. Here’s my hack: go out in the morning and cut a bunch, then pop them in a glass of water on your windowsill like cut flowers.

If I can do it, anyone can The cost of everything related to lighting is one of my biggest annoyances with the home decor market. Why are all lamps so expensive? Why are all lampshades so expensive—even the mass-produced ones from mid-market brands like Pottery Barn or Serena & Lily?

As a renter Remember the 5 easy steps to starting a garden from scratch article I published a few weeks back? Nowhere in those 5 easy steps does it say “start a bunch of plants from seed.” But that’s exactly what I did, a couple of months ago while it was still full-on winter in Chicago, on my enclosed back deck. I’ve never grown plants from seed before. As we’ve established, I’ve never grown a garden before.

Last week’s newsletter was all about searching on FBMP like a pro. This week, my best tips for closing the deal and getting your purchase home. But before we get into it, a few things that caught my eye this week. Dresses to swan around in, for upcoming parties and vacations Cara Cara makes my favorite warm weather party dress in my closet, and I reach for it when I want to feel like Grace Kelly.

It’s May! Memorial Day and its accompanying home decor and outdoor furniture sales are right around the corner. While you should absolutely use this sale season to shop for brand new items you have on your list, a bunch of seasonal products are popping up on Facebook Marketplace right now, for cheap. You just might be able to find what you’re looking for, gently preowned, at a fraction of the cost of even the best sale price.

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Bell! It’s spring, I have a yard at my home for the first time ever (not counting the French house… that’s a whole other thing), so today we get to chat about something I’ve been thinking about for years: starting a garden from scratch. !!!!! My limited gardening experience comes from my middle-childhood.

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Bell! Surprise! This one is a little different: it’s a popup shop of French countryside antiques. The Bell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Hello and welcome to this year’s first edition of The Bell! Wow, I’ve missed you. As subscribers know, this newsletter has been on hiatus for quite some time. But it’s finally back! Though it’s going to look a little different than it did before. I’m a little different than I was before. Don’t worry—we’re not scrapping everything you loved about The Bell.