The Slow Scroll, No.01
House reno progress, my new favorite bra, recent outfits, and more from the last week.
Hi, friend — I hope your Sunday morning is off to a slow, relaxing start. For 2025, I’m leaning into sharing more on Substack and I’m excited to introduce, The Slow Scroll.
The Slow Scroll is a weekly newsletter that you can expect on Sundays — it will include recent happenings and links from the prior week. Think the stuff I would share while catching up with my girlfriends over drinks or text.
This post is too long for email, so I recommend reading it in Substack for the best experience! I’m hopeful to grow this community in 2025 — if you enjoy this post, please leave a heart or share with friends who might also enjoy following along :)
We started a house renovation this past week — finishing phase 2 of turning our attic into my closet and redoing the shower tile in our master bathroom.
I say redoing the shower tile because our first house project ~5 years ago was renovating the master bathroom. We made a huge mistake when we didn’t check the tiles prior to installation — we were given the wrong tile, but didn’t realize until it was partially installed.
We should have just stopped, fixed the mistake, and started over, but we thought maybe the tile would grow on us? Surprise, it never did, and 5 years later here we are.
Let my mistakes be a lesson to you — always double check every single tile (to confirm it’s the right tile and weed out damaged pieces) and don’t be afraid to start over if you find yourself in the middle of a mistake.
I’m so grateful to do renovations, but without the guidance of an interior designer or expert, I easily get overwhelmed — I worry about overlooking details, making an expensive wrong decision, or the final product not turning out exactly like I envisioned.
Lately, I’ve tried to shift my mindset from “I have to” to “I get to”. It’s a simple, but powerful, swap of words, and has made a noticeable impact on altering my perspective and improving my stress level around the renovation. I can’t take credit for coming up with the concept, but also can’t remember where I first heard it?
Below are some progress pictures from both the spaces.
In the coming weeks, I’ll share more about my closet planning process and organizational must haves. If you have any closet related questions, feel free to leave in the comments below and I’ll include in the future dedicated closet posts.
In my DMs:
After sharing a try on of Pistola denim on IG stories, I received a few DMs about how great their petite collection is. I knew I liked their denim — they always have on-trend cuts and washes, with the majority of styles under $200, but I had no idea about their petite collection! If you’re looking for petite denim, be sure to check out their collection here and here.
Recent buys:
I was in dire need of some new bras and bought a few styles from EBY to try. I ended up keeping the nude relief and quickly ordered two more of the same style. It’s wireless, but still gives lift and support, and the soft cups are extremely comfortable. I hate when a bra outline is visible, but this style is seamless and essentially invisible under t-shirts and fitted tops.
What I listened to:
I came across The Happiness Lab podcast this week and listened to two episodes: How to Embrace Imperfection and Feel Like You’re Enough.
As someone who over identifies with my performance and can easily get lost in a cycle of self criticism, both episodes deeply resonated with me — especially as I try to navigate all the planning and decisions for the renovation. After listening, I walked away feeling like I had just finished a successful therapy session!
Recent beauty product restocks:
The face wash I’ve used almost exclusively for the last 5 years. It’s so gentle and never drying. It includes cucumber extract that helps calm my skin and the subtle cucumber scent gives spa vibes.
This body oil wash that actually leaves my skin feeling hydrated. I love the Necessaire body wash scents, but never noticed a difference in my skin. I switched to this one and noticed my skin instantly felt more hydrated after using.
A brushed up, full brow is a must for me. I love that the Rare Beauty Precision eyebrow pencil is 2 for 1, a brush on one end and pencil on the other. I start with the brush side to brush up my brows and then use the pencil to fill in. To give a laminated look, I use this brow freeze gel to set my brows in place.
This moisturizing lip product with hyaluronic acid is my go to for keeping my lips hydrated during the cold, dry winter. It’s sticky, so I typically just use it at night, but during the winter, I use it through out the day. I ordered an extra to keep one at the bedside and one in my bag.
Recent outfits:
Outfit 1: We had a casual dinner at a friend’s house on Friday night — a dark denim would have paired well with the olive sweater, but the wide leg, utilitarian pant felt less predictable and I really love a tonal outfit. Leaning in with the earthy neutrals, I opted for chocolate brown accessories.
Outfit 2: We spent the week in Charlottesville to get out of the house while the reno started. Most days consisted of lounging around the hotel, so I wore matching sets, (like this old cashmere set from Splendid) paired with my Rothy’s cozy clogs. This under $20 white long sleeve shirt is my go to base layer through fall and winter.
Outfit 3: I only got “dressed up” one night while we were in Charlottesville. Knit dresses and slip dresses are two styles I rely on for date night outfits. I love the maxi length of this dress for its lengthening effect — paired with black knee high boots, a black suede pouch, and a turquoise stone long pendant necklace (similar) for a pop of color.
Out and about in DC:
This week, La Tejana, a casual breakfast taco spot in DC opened a cozy cocktail bar upstairs. Five years ago, long before the restaurant opened, the owner used to sell just the tortillas. After living in Texas for 6 years, I’ve had my fair share of Tex-Mex and tortillas — I can confidently say the La Tejana tortillas are the best.
The upstairs bar is cozy and casual with a cocktail menu that focuses heavily on my two favorite spirits, mezcal and tequila. The limited bar bites menu covers the essentials like chips and queso (or gauc), jalapeño poppers, a few tacos, and a quesadilla. Everything was so tasty! An added bonus? We bought a stack of tortillas to go — can’t wait to make tacos at home this week!
A few other noteworthy things and links to share from this week:
Suede is the texture of fall and winter, but How Much Money is a Suede Bag Really Worth?
I recently started to admire the Gabriela Hurst demi soft clutch, so I enjoyed this article about how her brand was born and her philosophy that sustainability and quality go hand in hand.
Another podcast I listened to this week, based off a book first published in 1936, offers 4 valuable lessons on How to Win Friends and Influence People.
The Hunting Season sample sale started this weekend and with up to 75% off, it’s worth checking out.
This ivory tweed lady jacket is now 50% off — my current size has fluctuated, so giving recs on fit is challenging, but I think it fits pretty TTS. It is so chic and gives a polished finish to any outfit.
Until next time,
Kelly
This post contains affiliate links, that means if you shop directly from a link, I may make a small commission from it, but at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work through shopping the links and sharing with your friends!