Issue #304 - February 10, 2023

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A weekly dose of comfort for your inbox with musings on and recommendations for downtime.

Time to bloom. Image source: Yasmine Mei

Hi ,

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? The pressure of a perfect night can be real, but I’ve found so much joy in using the day to celebrate my loved ones in all forms—platonic, familial, and, yes, crushes too. This week we’re sharing a few sweet ideas for feeling the love (or at least loving heart-shaped things), including a very charming DIY valentine tutorial from artist Grace Miceli. xoxo—Aliza Abarbanel, Executive Editor

Say it with conchas. Image source: Claire Corsten.

This Week's Picks

Curated this week by Aliza

Love songs: I made you a Valentine’s Day playlist! Dim the lights and crank the volume.
Breakfast in bed: If your love language is baked goods, consider whipping up a batch of crackly heart conchas over the weekend.

Out: Getting dehydrated at dinner. In: A sleek, centerpiece-worthy water filter pitcher from LifeStraw that filters out 30+ contaminants—now in trending pebble gray. Take 20% off your purchase of any LifeStraw Home product at LifeStraw.com with code “GNI.” *Sponsor

Page turner: I devoured How Far The Light Reaches, a luminous essay collection blending marine biology and personal memoir from science journalist Sabrina Imbler. Each chapter focuses on a different deep water dweller, from hearty feral goldfish to mysterious sperm whales, drawing insightful connections to decidedly human questions of identity and community.
A vegetarian stunner: This crispy, golden pie from Nasim Lahbichi delivers comfort and plant-based protein with an assist from loubia, savory Moroccan stewed beans. It’s the perfect antidote to February gloom.
That’s amore: Swap the candy hearts for illustrator Marianna Fierro’s cheerful pizza parlor-inspired stickers—perfect for punching up a laptop case or homemade card with dolce vita vibes.
Fave new follow: I can’t stop, won’t stop watching “scrape painting” videos. Transforming neat rows of technicolor dots into swirling kaleidoscopes with a simple squeegee scrape feels like visual ASMR.
Silky smooth: Winter dryness is in full effect, which means my well-loved jar of Hanahana shea body butter is getting extra use. The ultra-moisturizing cream is ethically sourced from the women-led Katargia Cooperative in Ghana, and even a small scoop goes a long way.
No vase, no problem: Repurpose used cardboard into a DIY vase for foraged plants or purchased flowers. It’s a perfect V-Day activity for kids, elders, and everyone in between. In other words, I’m 100% planning on doing this over the weekend.

This week's Sponsor:

A centerpiece-worthy water pitcher

It’s the perfect time of year to hunker down inside with a cozy dinner party. But any host knows that getting up to fetch water refills or clunking down an unsightly pitcher really isn’t a vibe.

An actually-aesthetic water filter pitcher is my answer to keeping everyone hydrated while also building a tablescape, and I love this pebble gray one from LifeStraw. Not only does the LifeStraw Home add a chic touch to any table, its dual filters remove microplastics, bacteria, and 30+ other contaminants. Subscribe for set-it-and-forget-it filter refills, and you’ll always have fresh water for an impromptu gathering.

Ready to upgrade your old pitcher? GNI readers can take 20% off their purchase of any LifeStraw Home product at LifeStraw.com with code “GNI.” Now it's time to text the group chat with a dinner invite.

Share Your Love: A 10-Minute DIY Valentine's Day Card Tutorial

Grace Miceli’s illustrations are equally playful and highly relatable—the kind of comics you see on Instagram and immediately send to your best friend. Her work as @artbabygirl hinges on topics that make me feel held and seen: self-actualization and screen addiction, but also “biggest fear” flavored Doritos. Grace teaches folks of all artistic levels (read: even non-existent) how to channel emotions with art, and here, she’s sharing a homemade valentine card tutorial. Follow along below, and tag us on Instagram if you share your creation: @girlsnightinclub —Aliza

1. Grab your materials! You will need colored paper (two colors are ideal), scissors, glue or tape, a writing utensil, and the tulip card pattern. You can print the pattern out or just wing it by using the below template as a visual reference.

2. Fold the paper for your stem in half. Line the pattern up with "do not cut" on the fold. Cut along the dotted lines.

3. Fold the paper for your petals in half. You can place this pattern wherever you want on the paper, as you’ll be making two separate, unattached pieces. Cut along the dotted lines.

4. Glue or tape along the top of the stem and attach your petal. Repeat on the back.

5. You did it! That was pretty fun, right? Now it's time to decorate and personalize your card for your friend, lover, self, neighbor, mom, pet or whoever you want to know you appreciate them this Valentine's Day :-)

Download Tulip Pattern

How sweet it is. Image source: Kate Jenkins

This Week's Reads

How to Help the Victims of the Turkey-Syria Earthquake (ELLE)
The New Rules (New York Magazine). Modern day etiquette advice on texting, tipping, ghosting, and much, much, much more.
‘It’s a Control Thing’: Why Are We So Fascinated by Super-Organised Homes? (The Guardian). Unpacking the appeal behind our age of decanting everything into glass jars (and sharing the oh-so-satisfying results on social media).
Michelle Singletary’s Money Milestones for Every Age (Washington Post). A personal finance columnist’s biggest advice, broken down by decade of life. Useful!
Let’s Unpack Sardines (TASTE). Reexamining the working-class stalwart amid a very real tinned fish revival.

💌 Reader mailbox: “I made the Miso Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats from a few weeks ago....DIVINE! I made them twice in one weekend, they were so good. I’ve never used miso before, so I’m looking forward to learning to cook with it now that I have a jar.”– GNI reader Aspen D., on Natsha Pickowicz’s salty-sweet treats linked in a recent newsletter. Tip: We love using miso in soups and salad dressings too.

This newsletter may contain affiliate links, which means when you buy through the link, we might get a cut. We only recommend products we believe in or are thinking about a lot. Sponsored content is clearly marked as "Sponsor." Thank you so much for your support!

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Issue #304: heart-shaped crafts and conchas ❤️

This Week's Picks

A centerpiece-worthy water pitcher

Share Your Love: A 10-Minute DIY Valentine's Day Card Tutorial

This Week's Reads

Older messages

Issue #303: pasta night, eggflation, and how to say no 🥚

Issue #302: our readers thoughts on new beginnings 🦋

Issue #301: edible sunshine

issue #300: strangely satisfying 🤞

in: make daily movement doable

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