Five Things on a Friday – 10/3/25

Happy Friday, friends! We have lots going on around here and so much to catch up on, so grab yourself a cozy drink and let’s have a little chat. 🙂

We’re starting something new in my newsletter, and I’d love to invite you to join us! This is something I’m so excited about because it just means so much to me. Every Christmas, I try to get a little better at being organized with all my gifting, traditions, and activities, and I’m sure you do the same. My goal is always to try to get everything done in a stress-free way and to leave room in our schedule for a little magic, a little spontaneity, and a little relaxation, too. I’ve done this in different ways in the past, but the goal is always the same: When the holiday season rolls around, I want to be able to really enjoy it without feeling like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders because of an impossible to-do list. This year, I created a little plan for myself: A day-by-day list of mini assignments to help me slowly, quietly start to get ready for the season, bit-by-bit, with the goal of actually enjoying the process along the way. I thought it would be fun if I shared these little daily assignments with you, too, so we could work towards a peaceful, stress-free Christmas together over the next few months. You have to be on my email list to get the daily assignments, as I won’t be posting them anywhere else. This is just for our little email community. 🙂 We just started at the beginning of October, so sign up for The Creek Line House by email now if you haven’t joined us already!

I have so many little projects on the go around the house, and it’s just so fun. You know I love a good mini house project. They’re my favorite. Those little tweaks and adjustments you make to a room that’s already lovely to make it even better are, in my opinion, what really makes a room feel like home, and when the magic really happens. I’ve been adding layers of personality to the ensuite with warm wood tones and a bathroom gallery wall (I shared this earlier this week!), making a few more tweaks to Kennedy’s room to bring in more cozy softness, and getting ready to fill a blank wall in the living room that’s been bugging me for years. We’ve also been doing some of the less exciting things, like adding a fresh coat of paint to another bathroom and redoing the lighting in the basement to make it feel a little less dank down there. Even though projects like those aren’t really beautiful or Instagram-worthy, I still find those everyday home maintenance tasks to be just as satisfying.

My plants are taking over the house, and I really think I’m going to need a greenhouse soon. It started off innocently enough. For the last couple of years, I’ve been enjoying propagating my houseplants to make new plants for free. Usually just one or two every few months, whenever my plants seemed like they were big enough to spare a few clippings. Then I started to realize that I could actually take clippings of some plants from outside, like my ivies, and turn them into houseplants too, or maybe even just grow them as houseplants over the winter and then repot them outside in the spring to avoid having to buy new nursery plants for my planters. And then I started wondering what other plants I could propagate over the winter for my spring planters. And now we just have plants in every window. It’s been so fun to see how much I can grow for myself, though. I never quite realized the possibilities until this year, and now I just can’t seem to stop experimenting. Does anyone else propagate their summer plants to save them for next year?

Pictured above: Rug | Curtains (use code CH12 for 20% off) | Mirror

I’ve been on the best walking streak. I used to be really good about walking every day. A nice little walk has always been one of my favorite things to do, so it’s never been hard to find the motivation, but what I do find hard is allowing myself the time to take a little break and go for a walk. It seems a little indulgent because I just enjoy it so much. Well, I’ve recently become aware of the fact that the stress of constantly working from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep, even if I enjoy it, is really taking a toll on my overall health. Even if you’re doing something you love, you still need to step away, readjust your eyes, breathe a little deeper, and move. I should probably be going for walks more than once a day, and maybe dedicating more time to other things I love that don’t involve typing, or hunching over a notebook, or staring intently at a pile of styling supplies to make sure that everything is just right, but for now, I’ve been doing a great job of getting in my 20 minute after-dinner walk every day, and it’s just been so helpful and so lovely as well.

Have you heard about this new “personal curriculum” trend? I believe it started on tiktok, but I’ve read about it a few different places now, and I absolutely love this concept. It began as a tactic that people were using to try to combat the “brain rot” that can happen from consuming too much low-quality content online or through various different forms of media. The idea is that, even if you’re no longer formally in a learning environment, you can challenge yourself mentally, enrich your life, and improve your cognitive function by assigning yourself your own little personal curriculum of subjects to study over the course of a month or a season. You choose a subject that interests you, and assign yourself a series of books and articles to study to deepen your understanding of that subject. People have chosen subjects across all categories from the history of astronomy, to cozy soups, to cross-stitching. I realized that I’ve loosely assigned myself a personal curriculum over the last couple of years that has involved trying to read and understand the significance of various works of classic literature, but I’d love to go even further with adopting this personal curriculum philosophy and study a few other subjects in a little more of a focused, structured way. Knowledge isn’t heavy to carry around, after all! Do you have a personal curriculum that you’re studying? I’d love to hear about it for some fresh ideas!

NEWS AND FINDS

Pictured above: Use code CREEKLINEHOUSE for an extra 5% off your OppositeWall.com order | Blumenstilleben print (in a vintage wood frame) | Dunes at Camiers Print | Take My Hand print | Darla Vintage Frame | Fishing Boat Print | Elena Vintage Frame

-I’ve mentioned the Canadian brand Opposite Wall before, but I just wanted to take a moment to highlight the absolutely stunning pieces they sent me for my recent partnership with them over on Instagram, because I was just so impressed once again. The thing I love so much about Opposite Wall frames and prints is the quality and the authentic look of the pieces. We all know that when we buy a mass-market framed print from a big box store, it can look kind of cheap and plasticky. You can almost never display them next to something like a real oil painting with a wood frame, because it makes the big box store piece look so cheap and junky. Opposite Wall frames and prints are beautiful enough to be displayed right next to antique paintings and vintage framed prints, and they hold their own, looking so elevated and beautiful anywhere you put them. Frame quality sounds like a silly thing to be so passionate about, but it really just makes all the difference. Here’s a look at my pieces below as I was getting ready to add them to my new bathroom gallery wall. If you find yourself browsing and loving Opposite Wall, make sure you use my code CREEKLINEHOUSE for an extra 5% off your order!

-I’m sure you’ve seen those wireless LED sconces popping up everywhere these days. They’re just so simple and convenient because they don’t require any hardwiring, and the lightbulbs are rechargeable. They allow you to add wall sconces anywhere in your home without having to call an electrician, and they can just complete a space so beautifully. The issue is that so many of them are so cheap-looking, and a little too small to really make a grand statement in larger rooms. I recently found these Pridola sconces, though, and they’re such beautiful, substantial pieces, more of a wall lamp than a sconce, really. I have an empty wall in my living room that has been driving me crazy for years, so I’m excited to add these sconces to turn the wall into a beautiful feature instead of an eyesore. I have an idea for a little DIY tweak I’d like to do with the sconces first, and then I’ll show you how they look in my space! I got the black color, which is so perfect for my home.

-If you’re looking for affordable new sheets, I just need to remind you about these Gokotta sheets that I tried recently. They’ll be on sale in a few days for Prime Days, so add these to your cart now. The bamboo sheets are incredible and perfect for refreshing a guest room for upcoming holiday guests. I’m not exaggerating when I say they’re just like silk. The drape, the softness, the cooling effect, everything about them is so luxurious, and I just wasn’t expecting it at all when I decided to get them to freshen up the bed in Kennedy’s room before she comes home next. It turns out that these are the best-kept secret in affordable bedding because, since getting them, I’ve had several other friends tell me that these are what they use as well, and they absolutely love them. Letting you know in case you’ve been out of the loop like I have! 🙂

-Currently reading: This summer, I made my way through Anna Karenina as well as Jude the Obscure, and I’ve really been on a roll with my semi-depressing classic literature. 🙂 I’m currently reading Light in August by William Faulkner, and although it’s beautifully written and I’m absolutely engrossed in the story, it’s definitely not easy to read about some of the topics discussed in this book, so it’s not exactly what I would call an uplifting read. I’m loving the education I’m getting as I’m reading through all these classics and starting to understand how these names and titles that I’ve heard mentioned so many times are woven into the fabric of our culture. It feels almost like putting a face to a name and I think it’s just such a worthwhile exercise. Classics are classics for a reason.

-I love displaying family photos in beautiful frames around the house, and the frames that usually catch my eye, sadly, are way outside of my budget. I came across this stunning ginkgo leaf frame last week (on Amazon, of all places) and couldn’t believe how affordable it is. This would make such a beautiful gift if you’re starting to plan for Christmas!

-I get so many compliments on my stack of vintage wicker picnic baskets. If you love this look too, but can’t seem to find any good ones secondhand, this set of three stacking wicker baskets is such an easy, affordable option to get the same look. Just had to share if you’re a bit of a wicker fanatic as well!