8 spring rituals for the northern california home
let's get organized.
If you hate the idea of spring cleaning, but love the idea of spring rituals, today’s letter is for you :)
1). Pick a signature seasonal flower
Spring does not officially start until the first vase of pink tulips graces the coffee table. I have decided that this specific color and flower is my seasonal favorite. Sometimes I’ll mix with other stems (ranunculus girlies wya), but I always come back to pink tulips.
I think the Full Belly Farm bouquets at Monterey Market (top photo) have the best price-to-quality ratio (better color vibrancy, stem hardiness, overall freshness), but Trader Joe’s flowers (bottom photo) are good value for what they are.
2). Deal with your cardboard boxes
A pile of cardboard boxes waiting to be broken down, recycled, and turned into more cardboard for more online e-commerce is the ultimate representation of the doldrums of modern life. It just never ends. Here is my current cardboard pile, which is honestly not that bad compared to the leaning tower of pisa/jenga situations I’ve built up through avoidant neglect.
I set aside 20ish minutes and bust out my mini pink box cutter to gaslight myself into thinking this is a fun, cutesy task. It feels like a huge achievement after everything’s been cut up and tucked nicely into the recycling bin in a space-efficient way. It makes me feel like a really good citizen.
3). Maintain a colorful fruit bowl
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the fruit bowl is its heart of hearts. Every week or so, I pick out everything that has gone bad (a moldy lemon is the usual culprit), compost it, wash the fruit bowl, and arrange the rest in a satisfying color gradient. Tbh it could use some limes for a splash of green!
4). Organize your desk
*This section includes a sponsored mention from Burga.
It is a constant struggle to keep my desk clear. At any given time it’s strewn with hair ties, lip glosses, receipts, post-it notes with newsletter ideas, color pencils, and 1099 forms (the bane of tax season). Last winter, I ordered two green Bisley under-desk storage cabinets, plus a smaller yellow desk cabinet (this model is 25% off rn), and they’ve been an organization lifesaver. Perfect if you have a lot of crafting stuff or collect paper ephemera like me.
Here is one of my stationary + tech accessory drawers. Doesn’t have to be perfect, I just need to be able to see where everything is.
Check out my favorite fawn print powerbank from BURGA here and get 15% off all products with my code VIVX15. The dual charging (magsafe + cable) comes in clutch when I need to charge my phone and a portable mic for a day of on-the-ground reporting!
5). Indulge in a shower orange
If you’ve never heard of a shower orange, let me change your life. It’s when you bring a whole orange into the shower with you and peel it and eat it…in the shower. The hot water steams the citrus rind so everything smells zesty, and it brings a delightful added sensory dimension to a self-care task. I like doing a shower tangerine or mandarin—something with a thinner peel and easy slices. Try it and let me know what you think.
6). Bookmark recipes from my favorite cookbook
With each change in the seasons I often find myself stuck on what to cook for dinner. Despite letting seasonal produce guide my grocery shopping, I feel rusty. Like, am I forgetting another way I could use this extra basil? Should I commit to buying a whole bag of fava beans to make falafel from scratch, or will I get overwhelmed once the food processor and tahini gets involved and wish I just ordered takeout from Fava?
So, I flip through my trustiest cookbooks—Salt Fat Acid Heat is a classic—and bookmark recipes that are (1) realistic for my energy level and (2) reliably delicious. Lately, that has been pesto from scratch with canned chickpeas and a store-bought rotisserie chicken. My pesto is made with Brightland olive oil and a LOT of raw garlic.
7). Burn pear incense
I don’t like all incense. Sometimes I go to a natural wine bar or fancy “concept store” and I get a massive headache from whatever incense they’re burning. Scent is very personal! Luckily, my partner and I both love the pear scent from Ichiko Ichie, a Japanese incense brand that we stumbled upon in Osaka a few years ago.
It’s crisp, green, and pleasant. It soothes my nervous system and feels familiar. It’s what home smells like.
If you are traveling in Japan, you can order it online and they’ll ship it to whatever city you’re staying in—that’s how we restocked on our incense when we were in Fukuoka last winter. It is expensive to buy outside of Japan, unfortunately. If you’re in the US, Brooklyn Tailors in NYC carries it.
8). Grow something
My friend passed the gardening bug to me, so now I’m in that stage where you’re obsessed with seed packet art and googling what does it mean to SOW a seed (this reminds me of the line from Schitt’s Creek about FOLDING the cheese).
I limited myself to a realistic haul of (3) seed packets from the local nursery, and sowed two dozen California poppy seeds this weekend. They are supposed to be pretty resilient to all soil types, which will be good for my morale as a beginner.
I’m not expecting to have much of a green thumb, but it feels good to touch dirt and I can always try again if they don’t sprout…having a low-stakes gardening project gives me something to look forward to every day.
Molehill Miscellany
EADEM sent me their Lip Softening Balms in a few shades, and Bissap Glaze is 1000% the reddish-brown shade for my complexion. The color does not last as long as a lipstick/lip stain, but the formula does what it says in that my lips do feel noticeably softer after application.
This March heat wave has me so sluggish, sweaty and craving a bowl of cold noodles. I’m living in my Cou Cou cotton slip dress and Lunya silk slip dress.
Bay Area readers: ReLove in Oakland has a great collection of Dosa silk pieces in stock right now.
Friday’s newsletter is about my recent trip to good hot, a bayside community sauna with signature design details like porthole windows and the exclusive use of lowercase text signage. Paid readers will get access to the whole article, which includes an in-depth edit of my favorite swimwear brands.
xo viv
Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) I may earn a small commission from purchases made through affiliate links.
The shower orange makes me think of The Body Shop satsuma shower gel 🍊
Great rituals for So Cal, as well. And I love the shower orange idea!!!