If you’ve been around for a few years, you know that most years, in the fall, I share a post marking another year of Articles Club. Last year, I missed that post – but it was for a good reason! Behind the scenes, a few of us were working on a very special guide, and I waited to post until it was ready. And now it is!
Meet: The Articles Club Guide! Over the last eight years, we’ve fielded many questions about our beloved AC:
What is an articles club? How can I start one? How can I find people to join? How have you kept this going for so long??
We are genuinely happy to answer these questions – all of us want to spread the good news of articles club! – but also, if you’re really interested in starting your own group, I don’t just want to answer a few questions: I want to dump everything I’ve learned, and all of my considerable enthusiasm for what this group has meant to my life, into your lap, in the hopes that you will, indeed, go on to start your own.
That’s not always practical on a large scale. So — we made a guide! After brainstorming as a group, four of us got together and wrote out everything we know about starting and sustaining an articles club. Here’s a glimpse at the table of contents:
Fun, right? We put everything together into a beautiful package and you can purchase it right here for $20. All proceeds will go toward funding our annual weekend together, so rest assured you’re contributing to adult friendship bracelets, brownies-still-gooey-from-the-oven, and a polar plunge off the lakeside cabin’s dock. (Eep! We’re going with a Parent Trap theme this year, so it only seemed appropriate. Bathing suits will be worn. Fingers crossed no towels get stolen from the shoreline.)
So far, we’ve spun off three other articles club groups across state lines, and few things bring me more joy than knowing we’ve played a small part in spreading the joy we’ve experienced to others. In a world shadowed by loneliness, this feels like a small way to beat back the darkness.
Speaking of darkness: I was putting June to bed the other night, and she was telling me how she doesn’t like it when she’s trying to fall asleep and it’s quiet downstairs, but “my favorite nights are when you have Articles Club because I can hear everyone laughing.”
My heart!
My children may grow up in a world where true friendship – friendship that sits with you when you’re broken, and makes you laugh til you cry, and follows up on your prayer request, and doesn’t gatekeep anything – is rare. But hopefully, because they’ve seen it modeled by my beautiful friends, they’ll know what they’re looking for – and maybe even be inspired to create their own candlelit nights around a messy table, with good food and lots of laughter, for others. May it be so.
I lucked out in the relations department in manyways, but one of my favorite lucky breaks is having my Aunt Nan in my family tree. Not only is she kind, hilarious, and thoughtful, but she is INSANELY talented. Longtime readers will remember that she contributed two of the most special pieces in June’s nursery — the crib skirt she sewed and horse mobile she knit (!) — but they represent just the tip of her creative iceberg.
Everyone who knows Nan has been saying for years that she should open an Etsy shop and share her talent with the world, and I’m so happy to say that she has!! Really, the only question was what product she might focus on, and I love what she’s chosen: the sweetest decorative pillows, with a classic New England spin.
These beauties would be right at home in any camp, cottage, or coastal-inspired interior — Northeastern zip code not required. The quality, of course, is impeccable, all of the colorways are completely customizable (at no extra charge since every pillow is made to order!), and the pricing is so reasonable.
I’m so proud of Aunt Nan and couldn’t wait to share with y’all! Isn’t it neat how the internet and platforms like Etsy make it so easy for people to share their gifts, and for the rest of us to support talented people? Truly marvelous, I think :)
P.S. Just for fun, I would love to hear about your most talented (quirky or otherwise) relation in the comments. For example, in addition to Aunt Nan, one of my cousins has memorized the birthdays of almost 50 family members!!
After doing them for five years in a row, last year I took a break from sharing gift guides. It takes a good amount of time to prep and post them, and if I wasn’t all-in, I wasn’t interested in throwing up a few J. Crew links and calling it a day. (Though let’s be real, most people I know would love a gift from J. Crew! :))
That means I have an overflow of ideas stored up, and I’m excited to share a few this week! One of my favorite parts of gifting is getting to support independent brands, and to share them with my loved ones. Today, I’ve rounded up 14 gift ideas from Etsy shops and small businesses, all perfect for the sweet, stylish kiddos and parents in my (and your!) life. Several of them we already own, several of them I’m planning to gift this year, and several June and I would love to receive! All the details are below…
Tiny Dancer tee | Soft, snuggly, and perfect for the baby of this former-ballerina. Poppy bow set | These are our favorite mini bow headbands! My June has the two solid pinks shown here. Teepee | NOT CHEAP. However, the detailing is incredible (pom poms! swiss dot!), and I think this is a plaything the whole family could love for a long time. Great Day plate | I love gifts that are experiences, and these plates by my friend Emily Ley are a perfect compromise – they offer something fun to wrap, as well as the promise of lots of sweet “great day” memories for years to come! Pearl the Mermaid | With the sale of each Cuddle + Kind doll, 10 meals are provided to kiddos around the world. Plus, they’re adorable! Soft bib set | A comfy and stylish solution for teething drool. Yes, I just used the word drool in a gift guide :) Buffalo check bow | The bows from this line come in the best patterns (including Rifle Paper Co!!), and the oversized scale is aww-inducing. Knot headbands | One more bow favorite! We loved these thick, soft headbands when June didn’t have much hair, and I know they’ll be back in the rotation once she has enough for a ponytail! :)
Patterned crib sheets | It was nearly impossible to stop at just three patterns (peach, flamingo, floral) – this shop has dozens of them, and they’re all gorgeous! I’m partial to the crib sheets, but they also sell swaddles and pillow covers. Buffalo check bell sleeve dress | This is way more than I usually spend on baby clothes, but for photos or a special occasion, I love this stylish shop! Give me all the buffalo check, please. Bunny-print bin | Again, so hard to choose just one Pehr pattern to share. These soft bins are perfect for nursery storage! Felt pennant | I love the old-school styling and Southern flair of these pennants.
Classic silhouette | We had June’s silhouette made locally this year, and I think it would make such a sweet gift! Try A Family Print Shop, Heart Paper Scissors, or an artist in your community. Simple pushwagon | This is a toy that would have totally captivated me as a kiddo. I hope my girl feels the same way, because I’m pretty sure it’s in her future! :)
I’m sure it goes without saying, but if you’re thinking of purchasing from any of these shops, hold tight until Black Friday! I’m almost certain they will all be running sales.
Any other favorite kid brands I should know about? I have lots of nieces and nephews to shop for this year!
One of my very favorite weddings from the latest issue of Southern Weddings is on their blog today! Elyse and Jack, who began dating when they were 16, blew me away with all of the thoughtful and sentimental details they packed into their celebration. (See: the ways they incorporated Elyse’s “xoxo” sign off, Jack’s proposal and their subsequent catering choices, and their confetti bar!) And yes, this wedding holds a special place in my heart because I got to play a small role in the decor, providing the tinsel stirrers for their cocktail hour champagne station. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my sparkly creations look better!
Tinsel stirrers are available here. All photos are by Greer Gattuso – visit Southern Weddings to see the rest of this wedding, including more images of the stunning cake below!!
