Tie dye kits, ice cream makers, succulent gardens.

For a lot of people, this has been an interesting year for shopping, as we’ve bought things to keep ourselves busy at home.

Today I’m sharing a few of random items I purchased throughout the year either out of boredom or to keep myself entertained. I thought it’d be fun to talk about the good, the bad, and the pointless of my quarantine buys.

Wax seal stamp kit:

Unquestionably, the most random thing I bought during quarantine was a wax seal stamper. Did I have a solid justification for buying it? No. Do I often send handwritten letters? No. But I was obsessed with wax seal stamping videos for a couple weeks back in April, so I decided to find a cheap kit online so I could try making a wax seal myself. It was one of those purchases that I knew would probably end up collecting dust in the back of my closet, but I bought it anyway.

The kit I purchased came with an stamper, a initial stamp (in my case, P), three sticks of colored wax, a melting spoon, and two tea light candles. Though it was surprisingly difficult to break apart the wax sticks (I had to use a knife—scissors wouldn’t cut it-no pun intended), the process of making the stamp was easy. There was a brief moment of panic when I thought I’d accidentally left a burn mark in my table, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

The stamps themselves came out nice, albeit slightly crooked. I experimented by adding pressed flowers to a few, which I liked a lot. But as I previously mentioned, there wasn’t any real reason for this purchase, so I’ve only gotten a few uses out of it.

Usability: 3/10

Ability to make me feel like a character in an 19th century novel: 10000000/10

The complete works of Jane Austen:

Speaking of 19th century novels…I also bought the complete works of Jane Austen toward the beginning of quarantine. Pride and Prejudice has always been one of my favorite books, so after I reread it in spring, I decided I might as well read the rest of Jane Austen’s works. If you haven’t read anything by Jane Austen, I’d highly recommend it. I’m generally not a huge fan of the classics, but I love the way her books explore life during the time period, though it was strange to be reading about characters who basically spend all their time sitting around the house during a year when that’s what most of us have been doing.

My ranking of the books changes constantly, but right now I’d say 1). Pride and Prejudice 2). Persuasion 3). Northanger Abbey 4). Emma 5). Sense and Sensibility 6). Mansfield Park. (I’ll probably end up switching it again by the time I publish this post, lol).

Circular knitting needles:

I’m a knitter, so I decided to learn how to knit using circular needles during quarantine. I messed up, like, four hats before I finally got the hang of it, but now I can make a pretty basic hat.

Zodiac anklet:

I love zodiac stuff, OK? I spend more time than I’d care to admit on Etsy looking at zodiac-related candles and jewelry. Basically, if you put a Cancer symbol on it, I’m into it. I bought an ankle anklet over the summer that has a double-sided charm. One side says “Cancer” with a little crab on it, and other side shows the Cancer symbol and says “imaginative.” I wore the anklet most of July and August, and it hasn’t seen any wear and tear. It’s one of my favorite pieces of jewelry, and I’m certain I’ll wear it again next summer.

New skincare products:

I talked about this in a post a few weeks ago so I won’t get into specifics, but I developed a new skincare routine last year that I’ve been loving. Some of my favorite brands include The Ordinary, Pacifica, and Tarte.

Hoya heart plant:

I feel like I don’t need to explain why I bought this plant—just look how cute it is! I purchased the plant a few months ago, and I’ve (somehow) managed to keep it alive since then. I put it on the corner of my desk at home to brighten things up.

Sincerely,

Paige

Instagram  | Twitter | Bloglovin | Pinterest