Happy first Monday of May!

Hope you enjoyed a relaxing weekend and got to spend some time outside! The warmer weather and sunny days are everything right now!

Can you believe we’re on our 6th edition of On a High Note?! If you’re new, each Monday, Kendall and I share a snippet of inspiring, lighthearted and/or helpful ideas to try, read, make, cook, drink, do, and so on! (If you missed our previous editions, make sure to catch up!)

Let’s jump in to this week’s roundup.

Try...

Starting an Outdoor Herb Garden

“Anyone else craving fresh foods and light, flavorful recipes this time of year?! 🙋As a self-proclaimed crazy plant lady, I’ve been inspired to start a balcony herb garden to grow more things and have tasty herbs on hand! This Better Homes & Gardens guide is super helpful for beginners, whether you’re interested in starting an outdoor garden, a windowsill garden or an indoor herb garden!” – Kendall

Do...

Cool ways to display family photos

“It’s no secret that Cup of Jo is one of my favorite places on the internet. I loved this post, “11 Ways to Display Family Photos” and I thought it was especially relevant right now. Ordering prints and framing photos is something we always mean to get around to, but never do! What a great project to tackle right now–plus, surrounding ourselves with photos of loved ones is a surefire way to cheer ourselves up, right?” – Jess

Watch...

Parks and Rec’s Special

“Did anyone catch the Parks & Rec reunion special that aired last week?! Five years after the series wrapped, the cast reunited for a special to benefit Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. I haven’t seen it yet, but I could definitely use some Leslie Knope humor in my life right now- I’m bookmarking this to watch as a midday pick-me-up.” – Kendall

Make...

Your own illustrated map!

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“I, like many people, have been tapping into their inner childhood art student lately. I loved this article in the New York Times, “How to make an illustrated map in 8 steps“. How fun! It breaks down each step to creating a map of, well, whatever you’d like! I want to make one of Chicago! Or maybe Paris! I’ve found drawing to be the perfect way to unwind and disconnect, and this will be be such a fun thing to frame as well!” -Jess

Read...

FOMO Is Over. Give In to the Joy of Letting Go.

“I thought this New York Times piece was super interesting. It talks about the beauty evolution many women have had during quarantine. From having endless time to spend on self-care rituals to getting creative when reoccurring (brow, hair, lash) appointments can’t be made, to deciding which beauty maintenance we actually want to do for ourselves and which ones we’re ok to drop forever…” –Kendall

Wear...

The best mumu!

“I can’t think of a better time to invest in a house dress/mumu situation than right now! As comfortable as sweats but cute enough to wear outside the house now and post-quarantine, this $28 Amazon mumu that Jess raves about (and owns in a few colors!) is definitely quarantine capsule material. 😂Tip: It seems like different colorways have different shipping times/sizes available, so check them individually! ” –Kendall

Shop...

Something for your mom!

“PSA: Mother’s Day is this coming weekend. (Yes, that’s me and my mom above!) While many of us can’t be with our moms, I think we can all agree that they deserve some extra love and attention this year! Send her a thoughtful card, have her favorite dinner delivered from a local restaurant, and/or send a care package from one of my favorites:

Small Packages: They have three Mother’s Day packages to choose from (order by 5/5 to ensure it gets there in time and use code JESSKEYS for 15% off your order!)

Equilibria also just launched their beautiful “Thank you, Mom” bath & body box for Mother’s Day, which is such an amazing collection to send mom from afar! Use code JESSKEYS for 20% off your first purchase. Today is the last day for free shipping for Mother’s Day arrival!” –Jess

Gorgeous face masks!

Non-medical face masks are quite literally the OPPOSITE of joy, but they’ve become a necessity for going out in public these days. I wanted to highlight two of my favorites here, if you’re in the market!

Taylor Tilman is a New York Designer who is selling masks made of gorgeous material and donating all proceeds to charity! I’m so excited that she sent me one (pictured above) and told me that any purchases made through my referral link (I don’t get a commission, it’s just to track!) will be donated to the charity of my choosing, so I’ve chosen the Greater Chicago Food Depository!

Another favorite is CeCe DuPraz, another New York designer, who makes this adorable lips mask! This will definitely get some smiles when you wear it out in public, and bring business to a small brand!