wit & whimsy

wit & whimsy » birchbox

July 20, 2016

Witty Conversation With Birchbox’s Brittany Tomkiewicz

November 29, 2015

Get Beauty Products (That Never Go On Sale) – On Sale

April 14, 2015

the beauty edit: birchbox soho

November 18, 2014

2014 Gift Guide 02: For the Man in Your Life

December 2, 2013

2013 gift guide 04: for the person who has everything

November 21, 2012

w&w gift guide : 01 : for the men in your life

February 9, 2012

birchbox x zoya x wit & whimsy

December 13, 2011

w&w gift guide : 03 : for your bff

November 10, 2011

birchbox

Bringing Paris to me since 1994 🥐

Bon weekend, mes amies 🤍

I’ve managed to read six books since January 1 but the one I can’t stop thinking about is The Book of Lost Names by @kristinharmel

My mom recommended this book having just finished it and she told me it was about a fictional female forger (but based off real events) in France during World War II. The story is *amazing* and just so moving. It’s stayed with me since I finished it a week ago as it reminded me of what endurance and perseverance lies in each of us when faced with hatred and uncertainty.

In the words of Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail...”read it. I know you’ll love it” 📖 💙

And in case you missed my post this week on my favorite books of 2020 - head to wit & whimsy to read it and don’t miss the comments section which is full of recommendations from you guys! I have already added several of them to my list this year

I’m back 👋🏻

This was the longest break I’ve taken from Instagram ever. If you read my return blog post on Friday you know that I set my limit on the app to one minute for the last 3 weeks. It allowed me the space and time I needed to rest and reset and just *be*.

Instagram is a part of my work that allows me so many amazing connections and I’m so grateful for this community. (And in my time away I missed you guys!)

But I desperately needed a break from the sometimes overwhelming keeping up the app made me feel the past eleven months. I shared more than ever in 2020 and as a result I also scrolled way too much.

I was able to fill my time away from Instagram with walks in fresh air, loads of reading and overall I was more purposeful with my time which felt so, so nice.

For all who sent me kind notes checking in and for all who championed my time off - I so appreciate you.

I started this year with a hopeful but heavy heart as we face our realities amidst a growing pandemic and a divided country I’m having trouble recognizing as home. But I’m practicing gratitude for what I do have and working hard to prioritize the things I can control.

Regular blog posts resumed today on wit & whimsy and I’m glad to be back here with you all. Sending you love and sending you a feeling of hope as we begin yet another year ❤️

Wishes for the new year 💫
More health
More wellness
More opportunity
More listening
More love
More joy
More happy memories
More understanding
More exploration
More learning
More equality
More dreams realized
More progress
More togetherness
More awareness
More self care
More certainly
More creation
More connection
More faith
More kindness
More hugs
More gratitude
More ✨hope✨

Photo from February 2020 by @carterfishphotography

Happy New Year and happy 14th anniversary to wit & whimsy!

It’s the longest running job I’ve ever had and by far my favorite! I particularly love that the anniversary (12/29 officially) falls right around a time where we are reflecting on what we want out of life and what our dreams and goals are for the new year.

wit & whimsy was born out of my true love of sharing things I find and like and I’m so proud that it’s grown into a community of supportive, joyful people who champion the quest for a fulfilling, happy life full of things and people that make it worthwhile.

I’m so excited to see what this next year brings for me both professionally and personally. I spent a lot of time while unplugged thinking about the attitude I want to bring into this new year. So much of last year was dark and hard and sad. So I’ve been restoring my positive spirit and outlook and choose to believe great things are on their way this year.

If you missed it - my big 2020 reflection year in review post is now live on wit & whimsy. I believe one of the best ways to look forward is to examine the past and then move onward and upward! I’m grateful for the victories and accomplishments of last year amidst the pain and the struggle and I’m hopeful for a year filled with more connection and growth and new beginnings and hopefully some love and some travel, too.

Happy new year to all of you! I hope you’ve enjoyed this holiday season and I’m looking towards 2021 with much hope for better days ✨

👋🏻 friends. Saying a farewell for 2020 as I plan to take some time off in the coming weeks.

I need a break badly. I’ve not felt this level of burnout, this level of tiredness in my bones in some time. The stress of this year- it.just.won’t.stop and it’s officially taken its toll.

(I feel guilt over my tiredness and my wanting and needing a break. Because I’m not working on the frontlines. I’m not an essential worker. I’ve not been putting my life at risk for nearly a whole year. I’m able to provide myself. Myself and my loved ones largely have our health for now. )

And yet what I feel is real. And I feel it deeply. I took one week off this year. And otherwise I worked and worked. The thing about being self employed and living alone is that it’s hard to turn off from work. There’s *always* more work to be done and no one to tell you to stop. To take a break. To get some rest.

My positive spirit has dampened of late. My hope is that by turning off for a bit I’ll restore it and bring it back stronger. I know from past experiences that it is the tough years and the challenging moments that make us grow. So my hope is the next few weeks I can look back on that growth and recognize it and appreciate it vs. feel spent and exhausted by it.

I have two more blog posts planned for the rest of the year (12/26 & 12/31) and then will be back mid-January. I’m also going to take a proper break from Instagram for the first time ever. Going to see what it’s like to actually stop working for a bit and hope it renews and reboots me. I have so much to be grateful for this year and being able to take this time off is one of those things. It’s time I take advantage of it.

You can find the latest on witwhimsy.com always but otherwise I’ll see my inbox + my DMs + you guys in 2021.

May you have happy holidays and I hope you, too are able to take a break to rest, relax and be restored.

Sending you all love - thank you for the immense support this year- I’m so grateful for it ❤️

*Carrie Bradshaw voice* Hello, I live here 😜 If only! @newyorkpalace

This photo was made possible by 2020’s lack of crowds and @allieprovost’s willingness to get in traffic for the shot! I’ll always remember this holiday season as captured by photos like this - normally there’d be so many other people but this particular morning we had it all to ourselves 🎄

Happy Friday and happy one week till Christmas! My last Weekly Roundup of 2020 is now live on wit & whimsy!

#christmasinnewyork #christmastree