Estate Made

The Warmest Comforter / Duvet Cover Combo

December 3, 2021

The story of how I accidentally found the warmest bedding combination of all time.

Living in New England, winters are cold and we let our house drop to 55 degrees night. It actually makes for an amazing sleep to be toasty in a warm bed with cold air. In all the winters past we would layer a number of blankets and comforters to keep warm through the night. At one point we had a heated blanket, two comforters, plus two pendleton wool blankets piled on top to keep warm. It was like a distorted tale of the princess and the pea.

At some point I decided I wanted to bring some order to the chaos of mismatched bedding, and get a duvet with a duvet cover that would be easy for me to wash, and could swap out as the my tastes or the seasons changed.

And so my hunt began. We have a california king bed, and finding a comforter to fit has always been a challenge. The other challenge was finding a duvet I felt good about, one that didn’t use animal feathers.

After days of searching, comparing, and reading reviews (I am nothing if not thorough), we settled on this all season down comforter, and duvet cover.

As it happened, they were purchased in the summer, and I had assumed that come winter we would need to top them with the wool blankets at a minimum to keep warm in the night. To my surprise, this combo holds your body heat like NOTHING else. We are HOT in the night. Winter came and we are still hot. Good hot. This is our second winter with them, and we still have not needed to add another blanket to the bed. They also do that thing that pillows do. You know the cool side of the pillow? Well the cool side of this duvet is on top, so if you need to stick your leg out to cool off, you’re met with the instant cooling sensation of the top side of the cover. It’s bliss.

We chose a white cover, so everything is really easy to keep clean as you can throw them in with some oxy clean and brighten them like new again. And something else, they feel like a cloud. Like the bedding in the best hotel you’ve ever stayed in.

And that’s the story of how I found the warmest bedding ever. Stay warm my friends. You can thank me later.

All Season Down Comforter from GrayEagle, and Duvet Cover from Cotton Kulture.

The One Ingredient You Need to Eliminate Menstrual Cramps

November 1, 2018

Menstruation is a regular part of life as a woman, but the cramping, soreness, and side effects don’t have to be. When I was younger I didn’t suffer from the painful days that some of my peers did (I remember a few who would regularly stay home from school several days each month), but at some point in my 20’s the symptoms began to bother me more. Often times, day 1 would carry a lot of pain from cramps and would distract me from work or enjoying my day, and I’d spend hours on the internet looking for solutions.

What I finally found and have been using for years, is blackstrap molasses. Ideally I take it daily for general health, but most importantly to eliminate my menstrual cramps I always make sure to take it every morning starting at least 7 days before my period arrives. 1 tablespoon has done the trick, but I’ve worked myself up to 2 tablespoons these days.

Blackstrap molasses is the thick, dark syrup that is created on the final boiling of syrup from sugar cane and contains many vitamins and minerals. Most importantly for women during that time of the month, it can replace iron lost through bleeding, and other important nutrients needed to balance the body.

I’ll be honest – the taste takes some getting used to. What I find works best and also helps increase absorption is chasing it with orange juice. I actually don’t even swallow the molasses first – just pop it in my mouth then wash everything down with oj. The taste doesn’t bother me at all anymore and I’m happy to report that orange juice has not been ruined by association for me. 🙂

Now I hardly remember I have my period at all aside from changing my menstrual cup twice a day – but that’s another story. 😉

GET IT: Blackstrap Molasses
BEST BUY: 128 oz. Jug (once you make it a habit!)

Scenes from Florida

September 18, 2018

TAKEN WHILE SPENDING TIME ON THE SPACE COAST & KEY WEST

BEACHSIDE
all the time

A Street Cat
Named Bonnie

Help Me Decide: New Studio Art

May 11, 2015

When we first moved into our house several years ago, we were renters living in only half the space. I had a normal 9-5 job and my freelance desk space took up a small area of a room I shared with my clothes (since there were no closets). Since then, we’ve purchased the house, moved into the second floor, and I’ve been working for myself for the last two years. I now have a gorgeous open room with big bay windows, but I’m still living with the little office decor I had all those years ago. Now that Spring is officially here in Vermont (flowers! grass! the green creep up the mountains!), it’s time to transform my studio into the office I have in my head.

The most obvious first step for me is to hang art on the walls. A gorgeously framed piece immediately brings color and a sense of intention to a room. I spent last night poring over the pieces available at Minted. They have a beautiful selection of abstract prints, which is what I’ve been picturing for the room. My favorite part are the frame options, both the variety as well as the ability to see them with each print. Framing typically stresses me out because there are so many options in the world, and being able to see the finished result as well as total price really sold me on making my first office purchase with Minted.

Now the fun part – what do I choose?