Making Old Photos New, Fried Toast, and Other Minor Improvements
Hello! Last weekend I spent a few hours tooling around my apartment, re-arranging some plants and the mess of candles, pottery, and other random objects scattered atop one of my consoles. I chucked some stacks of things I’d been safekeeping for reasons I can’t even remember, and then I bought a new toilet brush at MUJI. All minor adjustments, but together they felt like tiny victories that added up to an enormously satisfying sense of accomplishment!
It’s the little things: small, often unoticeable-seeming upgrades, tweaks, hacks and discoveries that ultimately deliver a big impact…which is what this edition is devoted to.
1.
A delightful counterpoint to otherwise basic table settings—and one super-savvy way to reduce fabric waste— Atelier Saucier gives deadstock fashion textiles new life in the form of dinner napkins, table runners, and other fun linens to, well, feast your eyes upon. (Look, when I see a chance to pun, I can’t NOT take it.)
2.
Hobbyist photo archive-keepers, you’re welcome: This free online software restores old photos that may have been taken back in the pre-digital era. It’s the good kind of retouching.
3.
I’m scared to call it an ‘improvement’ because that might upset some very fanatical Dimes Square zealots…so let’s just deem it a very welcome addition to the neighborhood: Parcelle’s new wine bar is a gorgeous gem of a spot that already promises to be an even more cozy and desirable setting when the colder months descend. The wine list—not surprisingly—offers an impressive lineup of atypical bottles, with a menu of unique small bites to match. I’m obsessed with the anchovy toast, which in itself reveals a small improvement: forgoing the typical toaster-oven route in favor of frying one’s bread instead. TRY IT.
4.
Speaking of fried bread and savory toast snacks, I bought some of this jammy, buttery seaweed spread for that very purpose. (Mom and Dad: prepare to have your minds doubly-blown when I make our next aperitivo spread this weekend.)
Also: These dark-chocolate covered dates hover somewhere between ‘minor’ and ‘major’ on the improvement scale. Besides being an upgrade to your average stuffed date, I’d say these are also a pretty stellar entrant to the chocolate-covered-fruit-of-any-kind scheme. Plus, the packaging is just so damn good, you can easily give these as gifts to hosts, or just break out at the end of your own dinner gathering. MAJOR small improvement, definitely.
5.
A fun assignment, should anyone choose to accept— My friend Julie and I recently had one of our ritual “meal+ a movie in bed” dates to watch Klute (my first time seeing it!). And ooof! Aside from the fashion, there’s little else about it that’s aged well. I happen to think it would be a great candidate for a modern-day Hollywood remake, or perhaps even a dark and brooding Scandinavian miniseries, rich with deeper explorations into the lives of sex workers…and just more character development across the boards. But who should we cast in the roles??? Thoughts?