weekly r.e.p.o.r.t. c.a.r.d. #7
Standout Mother's Day gifts, three crowd-pleasing recipes, and raffia clutches
Happy Sunday! Taking it easy today after hosting an appetizer party for friends last night. More details about the rules / how it worked / what people made in this Reel, but I *highly* recommend doing it with your friend group—especially if you’re into food!
I served the following healthy-ish recipes for dinner, which were all hits:
Bob’s chicken & cabbage Salad: A delicious Asian-fusion salad that’s hardy enough for leftovers the next day. Omitted the almonds due to a peanut allergy.
Rainbow summer rolls: One of my go-tos for workweek lunches and entertaining. Subbed peanut butter for sunflower butter and it turned out amazing.
Smashed cucumber salad: Ended up not having time to make these, but they were a planned dish. So easy and perfect for a crowd! Have made dozens of times.
And for dessert, my beloved 1-900-ICE-CREAM. This ice cream is truly the best in the world. It was around the corner from our apartment in Rittenhouse, and I would go…multiple times per week. They do national shipping drops every so often, so get on their mailing list. Follow them on Instagram in the meantime for flavor envy.
An example of 1-900-ICE-CREAM supremacy. Vanilla latte ice cream with triple layer chocolate cake chunks, fudge frosting, peanut butter crunchie sauce, chocolate covered pretzels, and a salted caramel brulee swirl.
If you’re new around here—welcome to the weekly r.e.p.o.r.t c.a.r.d! It’s a weekly grab bag of the ideas, things, and people that I’m loving. Check out last week’s issue here. It’s a fun, light addition to the VARSITY READER fold.
This edition will look a bit different from the others. This edition is a bit abbreviated, as the back half is dedicated to my Mother’s Day gift guide—part 2! (You can find my first Mother’s Day gift guide here).
Let’s dive in!
Reading: No new book to recommend this week. Still making my way through a few! I only recommend books here that I 10000% love. Books are like authors’ children. Why would I use my public platform to degrade a book? That’s like calling their baby ugly.
I’m always open to book recs, so please share in the comments what you’ve read and loved recently!
You can find every book I’ve ever recommended here (and they’re all 10/10!)
But on the article front, an excellent New Yorker piece on how NYC is losing its grip on the bagel scene. Bagel shops are cropping up all over the country—and gaining cult followings. (Take PopUp Bagels, for instance—they started in Connecticut!)
Eating: This Mexican Chili Crisp has been my hyperfixation food for the past few months. I top eggs with it, mix it with tuna for lunch, drizzle on salmon, put on veggies…the possibilities are endless.
It’s the perfect hit of sweet heat—the dried bits of mango & pineapple perfectly balance the spice. I know you’ll love it!
Obsessing: A raffia block heel is perfect for summer. I snagged these earlier in the week, and love the bow detail (and that the heel isn’t too high). Also a great price point ($128). They’re unfortunately sold out in most sizes and not available anywhere else, but I’ll keep my eye out for more stockists!
Recommending: Last week, I shared about one of my favorite shopping hacks—scouring eBay for vintage bags. It’s silly to pay $300+ for a summer wicket clutch…but that’s what a lot of designers are charging these days. With a vintage find, you pay way less…AND you’re getting something infinitely more unique.
In last week’s edition, I rounded up vintage black wicker bags on eBay under <$100. There’s still a few left in my curation!
This week, I did the same for tan raffia & wicker clutches. All under $130 and adorable! Run—there’s only one of each piece.
This one is $48! But retails for way more.
Treating: I have a box of unused beauty samples that I always *mean* to dive into—but then make an excuse. I’m carving out some time tonight to sit in my sauna blanket, put on a face mask, and watch TV (the latest episode of Palm Royale). Putting together a box of unused samples is also a fun outlet if you feel like you *need* to buy something. Treat yourself to a self-care moment and that urge may go away!
P.S. Whenever you go to Sephora, Ulta, or another beauty retailer in-person, always ask for samples. I’ve gotten some great samples simply by asking (like Goop cream and bumble & bumble shampoo).
The ultimate Mother’s Day gift guide
If you missed part one of my gift guide, you can find it here!
Let’s start off with the obvious. Moms want your time. Even if you’re planning to get your mom a material gift, time together is infinitely more special. A few ideas:
Plan a fun cultural or active day together (museums, hiking, biking) and cook dinner for your mom in the evening.
Treat your mom to a spa day, a nice dinner, or a day at the theater.
Write your mom coupons that she can redeem at a later date. My siblings and I started this tradition when we were younger, but we still do it. Coupon ideas include a homemade dinner, a spa day at home, or help with dreaded household chores (like cleaning the basement).
Now for some gift ideas that will impress even the most discerning mom!
Flower subscription (price varies): A gift on repeat! Flowers are something that people love being gifted—but wouldn’t necessarily buy themselves. I’ve seen bouquet subscriptions for <$50 per month. You can subscribe for two months, three months, a year—it’s flexible!
Dried flowers ($30+). Dried flowers are such an easy way to add character to a home or office—without the price tag of weekly fresh flowers. I did this in my own bathroom after catching a bouquet at a wedding, drying it, and popping it in a $17 vase. You could even get your mom a Mother’s Day bouquet, dry it for her, and give it to her in a few weeks. 🥹
A snack basket (price varies): My future mother-in-law is one of the toughest people to buy a gift for. But her ultimate weakness? My snack recommendations. For Mother’s Day, I’m giving her a big basket of snacks. I’m including my beloved 60 calorie chocolate-covered almonds, the best protein bars of all time, better-for-you gummies, and more top picks. If the mom in your life is a foodie, you can make her a basket of stuff from fun food brands, a self-care basket if she loves spa days…the possibilities are endless!
Monogrammed clutch ($59): My future MIL gave me this clutch two years ago, and it’s the perfect vacation bag. The large size holds my phone, AirPods, lip gloss, mints, a mini sunscreen, and cash. I’ve also gifted this bag to friends—and they’ve also loved.
Collegiate silk scarf ($130+): I discovered The Clearly Collective on TikTok, and have been enamored with all of their designs. The founder—Olivia Cleary—is an architect by trade, and wanted to bring the beauty of college architecture to scarves. Such an elegant and personalized gift! Schools include Georgetown, Princeton, Michigan and more. They also have scarves for locales including the Hamptons, the West Village, Newport, and more.
My beloved compression & lymphatic drainage leggings ($157): I cannot shut up about these leggings, and for good reason. They’re usually $197, but the brand gave me a code (JULIA20), that brings the price down to $158. I’m buying them for my mom, and they’re the perfect gift for any mom who travels a ton for work / is newly postpartum. Why they’re so damn good…
They majorly reduce bloating. I wear these leggings whenever I’m on a plane *and* multiple times per week. I am typically very bloated whenever I travel (feel like the Michelin Man when I walk off the plane), but these completely eliminate my bloating issue. Even beyond bloating, these leggings have major benefits. I got this message on Instagram from someone the other day:
They have reduced my cellulite with regular wear. I struggle with cellulite on the bottom half of my body. Who doesn’t?! But because the leggings have a lymphatic drainage component, cellulite reduction is another benefit. I was trying all sorts of crazy creams, but these were way more effective.
A few other FAQs and notes on these:
I do not splurge on any other activewear (all of my other stuff is from Old Navy). So these truly are worth the $.
I am 5’7 and wear a size medium in these, and they fit perfectly. I am typically a 6/8. They are snug (like any other leggings), but aren’t too tight. Size down if you’re in between sizes.
I wear these leggings multiple times per week (they’re not just for travel).
They are extremely comfortable. There are microperle beads on the inside, but you truly don’t even feel them.
If you have any other burning questions about these that I didn’t address above, ask away!
In case you missed it
A personal plug
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