November Favorite Things
November is probably my favorite month of the year. My birthday, my maternal grandmother’s, paternal grandfather's and my dad’s birthday are all in the same week and my dad’s birthday is almost always on Thanksgiving. For my family, Thanksgiving has always been a big deal and something we look forward to every year. But it tends to fall into the shadow of Halloween and then Christmas decorations, kind of just getting tossed in. Last night, I went to an outdoor networking event and everyone kept saying it was winter even though winter doesn’t start until the end of December. It's still fall folks, even if the weather feels more like winter. Sigh.
Ok, now that I’ve gotten that little rant out of the way, I do acknowledge that now is the best time to start purchasing your Christmas decorations and gifts so pretty much everything on this list has to do with Christmas, sorry Thanksgiving! I love November because this month contains so many warm, family memories but I also LOVE to decorate for Christmas and I have found so truly wonderful things this year. I’m particularly excited for Pottery Barn’s holiday bedding. I’ve really gotten into plaid and tartan this year.
Like always, everything on this list is either something I’ve already purchased or plan to purchase very soon and every place is from a store I’ve purchased from, know and love. if you enjoy this list, please be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you like about it or anything you’re enjoying here at Spirit Element. It really helps me to understand what you’re into so that I can offer more of what you want to see.
Xoxo Lorriane
Fashion
If you like Uggs but find it too expensive then give Koolaburra a try. A lot of the styles are very similar but with a more relaxed feel and are generally made with faux fur which is also awesome if you’re trying to reduce your fur use or are vegan. Though keep in mind, I think some styles do have a bit of sheep fur. They also have really amazing options for house slippers like the Peachee which I purchased in Ashley Blue and these are 100% faux fur. The soles are rubber so you can wear them outdoors without destroying them and they’re really comfy. I always get at least one pair of Koolabura slippers every year because I wear house slippers a lot.
I like to buy low impact clothing whenever I can and if you’re interested in finding out what your favorite store’s environmental rating is, check Good on You, an Australian brand dedicated to exposing environmentally harmful clothing manufacturing. I will be the first to admit that I don’t always shop low impact but I have been making an effort to switch things out little by little.
One low impact show brand is Alohas which makes shoes to order for the most part. They run pre-sales and only manufacturer the pre-sale orders and just a bit more to reduce waste. My favorite books from them this year are the Watercolor Vegan Leather Boots in black and beige and the Tempera vegan Leather Mules in brown. I love the mules most because these are going to be so easy to slip on for quick errands or laid back weekends.
Its been unusually cold here in Los Angeles which I couldn’t be more excited about because I love cold weather and I LOVE coats. Usually I can only break them out at my parent’s house which gets down into the thirties but it looks like I’ll get a little more wear this year. My favorite finds are The Italian ReWool® Trench by Everlane which is made with 74% recycled wool and in this amazing but not overwhelming houndstooth print, the Avec Les Filles Faux Leather Trench Coat by Anthropologie which I got in black, and the Greylin Knit Shirt Jacket, also by Anthropologie. They don’t have a lot of regular sizes for this one but as of writing this, it was on backorder. But they do have a lot of petite, which I am, so I was able to snag one.
Decor
These clip on candlestick ornaments from Pottery Barn are so cute! I love the idea of candlesticks in a tree but not the idea of burning my house down. So I jumped on these as soon as I saw them. I love this Letters to Santa ornament I found at Joann’s which is almost always having a sale, at least in stores. They were 40% off when I bought them and I used them in some of the holiday candle photos for the shop along with these mini Christmas trees. And then I was looking for a gift for a friend who recently bought their dream home and found this 1st Christmas in New Home ornament and how sweet is that? A perfect gift for any first time homeowner.
For Bedding, this Santa Toile Organic Cotton Duvet Cover is like my dream come true. I am writing this right now, drinking coffee from a mug that looks identical! I love Toile print in general. But as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been getting into plaid and tartan this year and absolutely loved this Stewart Plaid Cotton Duvet Cover too. Reminds me of Outlander and one of my favorite guilty pleasures, the movie Made of Honor. Though linen is probably my favorite fabric in the entire world, and I'm really torn between the Stewart Plaid Cotton and the Pick-Stitch Stewart Plaid Cotton/Linen Quilt. And just in case you’re wondering, here are the matching shams which I thought maybe I’ll get the shams instead of the quilt.
And a little secret, I have a serious mug problem. I must have at least 100 novelty mugs which is insane so I’m trying to cut back BUT, I found this Snowcap Reactive-Glazed Monogram Mug which I dedicated to buy one for each family member to have for Christmas morning. And then we can leave them at my parents house and they can be a little special thing every year, or at least that’s the plan. I also love this Stocking Mug for myself.
Which leads me to stockings. I have found some amazing options this year, all of which are from Anthropologie which is one of my favorite stores. Let’s start with my favorite stocking, the Forest Stocking in this black and white pattern. I am truly a minimal maximalist and I love a pattern in a muted color. But I also love the Wilma Stocking in a much brighter but still simple design. My favorite buy of the season are these Palla Stocking Holders. They are so cute and I can’t wait to use them.
Now I know that I make candles but I genuinely love candles and I will buy them just as readily as making my own. I am obsessed with these snowglobe candles. It's such a beautiful design and I will buy almost anything with a good design. And the Wooden Humble Home Candle has an equally amazing design but these are going fast so get them if you want them. There were a few left when I wrote this but they have sold so quickly. I have a list of drink based advent calendars below but this one is so special and you can fill it with what you want. It’s called the Sleigh Advent Calendar from Arhaus.
And if you don’t know already, I created a magical potions making membership where I share ritual potions recipes including a selection of diffuser blends. I love having the diffuser on pretty much all day and this one that I found on Amazon is probably my favorite at the moment. I like to find unusual diffusers and this vintage inspired one is so gorgeous and just up my alley.
Foods
It just doesn’t feel like the holidays without an advent calendar so I’ve found a couple different ones. The first is a tea calendar which I plan to use for my evening tea ritual. I love tea but I love coffee even more so I’m most excited about this coffee advent calendar. Finally, I found an amazing wine calendar because yes, I love that too!
Books
I took an Astro-Herbalism course many moons ago and I loved it, mostly because it brought together two of my favorite things, herbs and astrology. This deck is basically an astro-herbalism deck and it has been a joy to work with. Its one of my favorite decks for this month. I’m sure you’ve realized how much I love Anthropologie and I love their sister brand Terrain just as much so I was so excited to see their second book, Terrain: The Houseplant Book: An Insider’s Guide to Cultivating and Collecting the Most Sought-After Specimens. The first book is also amazing and has a chapter on Christmas decor. Its called, Terrain: Ideas and Inspiration for Decorating the Home and Garden. Finally, River Cottage in the UK put out an amazing Christmas book last year with every sort of inspiration for food and decor you can think of. It's called Christmas at River Cottage and trust me, you need this book if you’re throwing any kind of holiday party this year.
Ok, that’s my list for November. What was your favorite thing on the list? Did you end up buying anything? Be sure to leave a comment down below.
