Author: Nicole Balch

Style: For Leaving the House, or Not
Should we do a style post? Sure, that’s fun!

I haven’t been shopping much, have you? I did have a very strong desire to wander the local plant nurseries and find things to bring home that I may or may not have gotten around to actually putting in the dirt, but alas, that early spring planting window closed. I did get one new dress recently though, and I’ve been wearing it every chance I get. Dress it up for singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a loved one from a safe distance! Dress it down for not leaving your house for days on end! Versatility.

I’m also wearing my Cupro dress from a couple of years ago with the same frequency. It looks like Universal Standard doesn’t sell the dress anymore, but it’s back as a jumpsuit! Oooh. I’m an XS in the brand for size reference.

Also, bras? Hahaha. Have I professed my love for the True Body bras to you yet? I have a large cup size and small band that can be hard to find anything but an underwire to properly fit. These hold me in with some support and are more comfortable than going without. They are not the most flattering, but they are all I’m wearing these days. The lower-priced Target versions are comfy but not as good.

We are of course continuing to wear a mask when we go out. I miss wearing lipstick, but putting makeup on has never been so quick! My favorite concealer, some mascara, and fill in the sparse parts of my brows if I’m feeling fancy. Done.
1. Mask! Make a no-sew version. Get the pale blue hospital-style ones. Buy one with a space for a filter. Make one yourself. Whatever works for you.
2. Shoes that feel like slippers.
3. A bra that’s actually comfortable all day long.
4. A dress that’s a t-shirt in disguise.
5. Or better yet, a jumpsuit!
6. Easy makeup? Fill in the brows.
7. A little concealer under the eyes and on spots.
8. Mascara does wonders.
9. The best sorts of shorts are cute while secretly stretchy and forgiving.
10. Don’t forget glasses for all the reading we’re doing!
June 11, 2020
Honor Roll
Well, a post in the format of my Honor Roll posts, but perhaps not deserving of the descriptor. I have been sharing on Instagram while being quiet here, and for that, I apologize. Below are a few links that were shared in my IG Stories, but I’m also including them here.

I stand in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. You will find no shortage of reading lists for anti-racist work (Danielle Henderson’s is a good one and it was transcribed here), so I am focusing on the intersection of race and housing. Specifically, redlining, blockbusting, and gentrification.

I have shared the first article below before, but I’m including it again with a newer, related piece.
- Not in Your Front Yard: Why ‘For Sale’ Signs are Banned in Oak Park
- How the Green Line, a Pink House and 12 Cents Changed How I See My City — “I always wondered why Chicago’s mostly white neighborhoods looked so different than the city’s black neighborhoods. Then I studied 168,859 home loans.” (For reference if you’re not from the area, that pink house is about 2 miles away from ours, just past the city border.)
Further Reading
- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Matthew Desmond — This is on a lot of Black Lives Matter reading lists for good reason. If you haven’t yet, read this.
- The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn: Gentrification and the Search for Authenticity in Postwar New York, Suleiman Osman — Brownstones: so romantic and cool! Here’s how gentrification played a role.
- The Edge Becomes the Center: An Oral History of Gentrification in the 21st Century, DW Gibson — Stories from the perspective of the people displaced.
- The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segrated America, Richard Rothstein — This is next on my reading list and was recommended by many of you when I said I would like to learn more specifically about redlining and blockbusting. Here’s the Fresh Air interview with the author.
- Brooklyn Window Series by Adrian Brandon (prints available)
- ‘Just Not a Political Person’ by Katie Benn
June 9, 2020
Birthdays and Foster Cats

Eleanor and Brandon both celebrated birthdays last week. There were phone calls and Zoom meetings with friends, and the best surprise birthday serenades from the sidewalk. Earlier today, we returned the favor for another family member’s birthday. We sang and danced in front of their house to YMCA and I maybe drew a fake mustache and dressed like a construction worker and then realized my face would be covered with a mask? I think the look still worked though, honestly.

And we’re fostering cats! The timing worked out so that I could pick them up and bring them here on Brandon’s birthday. They’re sisters and shy (Samantha especially), but so sweet. They’re also beautiful. So smol! Jeannie is a calico, and Samantha has patches of black and white.

You can tell which one was easier to get a photo of! Both cats are available for adoption as a bonded pair through the Animal Care League here in Oak Park. I imagine they’ll be here with us for a while since shelters are still closed, but reach out to the ACL if you’re interested.

My family is of course hoping I’ll say we can keep them.

May 6, 2020
One Month In

My children live in a blanket fort city that has fully taken over the library.

It seems pretty magical, really. The kids have taken to e-learning well but they miss their friends. We’re all looking at a lot more screens than usual, and there was snow to play in today. We do have a couple of birthdays to celebrate soon and we’re trying to figure out how to make them feel special.

I was sick for a while and I haven’t left my property since March 13, but my Animal Crossing home and island look amazing! It has been a perfectly timed distraction and escape.

I do not know what I had. The cough and tightness in my chest lingers still, but thankfully I recovered with rest and my family is well. I’m getting the hang of Zoom meetings for existing clients, and any new design projects are being added to a waitlist or we’re doing e-design.

I know a lot of people are GETTING! THINGS! DONE! Not I. This period of low productivity has been disappointing, even though I know it was necessary for both physical and mental health. Still, it’s nice to be coming up on the other side of it. I started a list of all the little tasks I could do around the house with supplies we have on hand, and it grew to a surprising length! I always feel best when I have a project (or 10) to work on; time to busy myself.

April 15, 2020
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is Lovely

What should we talk about today? Because I only want to talk about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You in?

I started a separate Instagram account (@ACLuluLovely) dedicated to Animal Crossing about a year ago. It started as a test, to see how far only hashtags can take a brand-new account (turns out about 100 followers, though it is admittedly a small niche topic with limited growth potential). But then? It quickly because something I genuinely love having. It’s no longer a growth experiment, and it brings a lot of low-pressure fun to Instagram. I like looking back to see some of my past designs, it will be handy for seeing my new island’s progression, and it’s inspiring to see what other people are creating with the same set of in-game tools. You’ve heard of people creating accounts just to follow cute cats and dogs when they need a dose of cuteness, right? This is my version.

My gaming name is always “Lulu,” and my town/island/village/world is always “Lovely.” I don’t know when that started, but it was years or even decades ago, and so it goes.

My family is all over on “Kiddo” island, and we’re sending each other letters and gifts every day. I’m connected on Nintendo to some of my actual friends, and to my “friends” in Pocket Camp. I’m also in a crossover group for fans of Ologies and have added a top-notch group of people to visit and be visited by that way. A few people have found this other Instagram account or just reached out to ask (because hi, I’ve talked about these games a bit before), and yes I would love to be friends with you, too! Come visit my island. I’m not time-traveling, but I’m doing and unlocking as much as I can and enjoying the changes all along the way.

My island flag will be a moth that I drew in pixel art form, inspired by the game’s own version. I’ve been designing my own clothes while I wait for Mabel to visit. My house is expanding and starting to shape up as I find new furniture and decor, little by little. I just started an orchard and have my first piece of bamboo! And have you seen the detailed illustration view of the bugs and fish? Oh, to fill up that museum will be a dream.

My tentative plans for the upper portion of my island are inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1905 photos from his visit to Japan. It feels fitting to urban planning, in Oak Park (the home of Wright), doing an American’s version of a Japanese aesthetic. Pretentious silly stuff when you think about it too much, but who cares? It’s bringing so much joy.

The kids and I set up a little photo shoot for the special edition Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch (which is now going for ridiculous amounts of money on Amazon and eBay). Did you know that Amiibos and Playmobil are about the same scale? We are having some good, nerdy fun with it all.

My only criticism (and it’s a big one) is that the game locks some features that are only available to the first player. There will be some teamwork and communication needed for multiple island residents to move the island forward; be sure the first resident is the person that will play the most. I’m the sole resident of Lovely, but Kiddo is being managed by a kid who swore “no, I could do it!” Brandon is logging into that account to complete tasks for the island as a whole.

Still! It is an absolute delight. A delight! And coming at a time when we’re all staying home to flatten the curve (please stay home), it is a much needed distraction and escape.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available as a digital download, so if you already have a Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite, you can get it right now. And then add me as a friend and come visit! I’d love to have you.

March 25, 2020
DIY Roman Shades

If you are looking around your home for some projects to keep yourself busy, maybe some Roman shades are in order? Fully functional Roman shades! None of this faux business (which I have made in the past and will say are far easier).

Now here’s the thing: I’m not great at working with fabric. I don’t want to give you a sewing tutorial for something I’ve only successfully done a handful of times. I can, however, point you in the direction of where I found information!

I looked at the professionally-made ones I have from The Shade Store to get an idea of spacing. The little rings sewn into the back were spaced three across (left, middle, center), and 7″ apart vertically. I think you’re supposed to take the height of the window and divide it equally into sections to get your measurements, but I didn’t. 7″ apart looked good to me, and so that’s what I went with.

This Soft Fold Roman Shade YouTube tutorial was the most helpful and easy to understand. Do it that way! That’s the extent of my tutorial.

If you are reading this shortly after I post it, you know that I am of course writing this during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’ve found your way to this post much later and are simply looking for the information on how I made my shades, hooray! Go to the store and get the things you need! They don’t take much to make if you’ve already got some fabric to use. The rings and cord are specialty items I don’t think many of us have lying around though, so if you are sheltering in place but looking for a project, you could make the body of the shade and add rings later when stores are open again. (Two binder clips, one on each side, are a simple temporary way to keep them open in the meantime.) My only other recommendation would be to get an electric staple gun if you can. It isn’t essential, but they’re fairly affordable and make the project far easier to do.

March 23, 2020