Over the last few months, I’ve made so many little discoveries that aren’t meaty enough to warrant a post on their own but are still worth sharing. And feel free to share any new discoveries of your own in the comments below!

Here we go:

1. Slim Aarons Women Book

The photographer who shot the who’s who of the rich and famous in the 50s, 60s and 70s has a new book of work out, simply called WOMEN. It’s bound in lemon yellow and features rare outtakes of one of my favorite images of all time, Poolside Gossip. I display my current book rotation on wall shelves.

2. Contact Paper

Okay, so I don’t mean that cruddy 70s floral contact paper stuck to the insides of your kitchen cabinets! There’s a whole new breed out there. Contact paper now comes in marble, granite and other great, super realistic patterns and is perfect for photo backdrops. I know fashion bloggers use contact paper all the time for flat lays and I can see why — it’s much cheaper than buying a slab of the real thing and easier to transport! I just bought this marble roll and it’s perfect.

3. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

I went a few years without wearing foundation and for the most part, loathed the idea of wearing a mask of beige on my face. After a brief flirtation with Makeup Forever HD foundation, I kept seeing glowing reviews of the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation in magazines from top makeup artists and finally gave it a try. Six months in, I can honestly say that it lives up to the hype. The formula is lightweight enough to not feel mask-like and has a dewy, natural finish that makes you look naturally refreshed. Score!

4. Conde Nast Travel Magazine

With more of my time going towards big projects at the studio, I haven’t had the chance to travel as much as I’d like this year. I’m still daydreaming of far-flung locales and thinking of where I want to go next, though. Part of the fun is in the planning, right? I love, love, love the beautiful design of this magazine and it’s always on-trend with its suggestions. I think of it like an in-the-know best friend who always has the best restaurant and hotel recommendations.

5. Pantone Studio App

This free app allows you to pull color palettes straight from images and gives you the coordinating PMS swatch numbers! Once you’re done, you can save out the Pantone palette swatches as iPhone wallpapers. There are other similar apps out there but this one has a clean, simple interface that is much more user-friendly.

6. Black Mirror Playlist

I recently discovered this dramatic playlist. It’s sad, beautiful, haunting and definitely worth a listen.

7. This American Life

I know I’m like 10 years late to this amazing podcast but by mentioning it, if even one of you discovers it, my job is done. Each episode follows the same premise: it focuses on one particular theme and has a handful of acts (stories) that tie into it. Some of the stories are inspiring, some are heartbreaking and some are downright weird but they are all fascinating and remind us of the strength of the human spirit. I’m so obsessed that I’ve already made it through 4 seasons of archives!

8. Samsung NX500 Camera

I’ve had this camera for over a month now and after taking a few hundred photos, I’m smitten. I had an older model in the same style for a few years and was really happy with it — Samsung knows what they’re doing. It’s packed with 28 megapixels and works fantastically well in low light. There are too many features to list here but it’s a great camera if you want high quality photos in a compact body that’s light enough to carry daily in your bag (like I do).

9. Countable App

With all the changes happening in the United States government, it can be hard to keep up. Countable helps you stay involved by giving you summaries of upcoming bills, allows you to contact your lawmakers and let them know what you think and reminds you how they ended up voting. Pretty amazing.

10. Zara Ankle Boots

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect black boots and just picked these up. I like the chunky, stacked silhouette and the height works with everything from jeans to dresses to leggings. I got the black but the grey would look amazing for Spring.

Okay, so that’s what I’m excited about right now! What about you?

What’s inspiring you lately?

This year, I’m trying to be more mindful about setting aside time to explore my personal visual style. Instead of aimlessly grabbing images online and dragging them to my desktop, I’m paying more attention to visual cues.

What are the things I naturally gravitate towards?

How can those same things I love most play a part in my personal brand?

As you’ve probably noticed in the posts here this year, the visual style of Nubby Twiglet is continuing to evolve and it’s a purposeful move. 2016 marks my 15th year of blogging (that sounds so weird to say!) and for that milestone, I wanted to add a dash of gold to the branding and graphics.

Metallic gold has been a huge obsession of mine ever since I found a pair of Marc Jacobs sneaker wedges six months ago. Every time I laced them up, whether it was for a day in the office, a conference talk or exploring Florence, Italy (above), I noticed an extra pep in my step. That simple addition of metallic gold to my wardrobe started popping up in the design elements I was drawn to. Whether it was a gold sink in a kitchen or a metallic gold texture, I couldn’t get enough.

Of course, all gold can feel a bit over-the-top and very Liberace. To balance it out, I started pulling in more organic, black and white patterns. Sometimes it was a marbleized pattern here on the blog, other times it was a hand-painted windowpane pattern on a jumpsuit. I started adding more hand-done fonts and illustrations to projects. Overall, that rough-hewn, looser look added a nice contrast to the gold.

Sometimes, it can feel like small shifts and changes aren’t worth talking about. Maybe they don’t feel grand enough to mention…but I want to change that here. Even the smallest elements you find yourself drawn to start to pile up. Pretty soon, the visual evolution you’ve been seeking, whether it’s in your brand, wardrobe or the way your room is decorated doesn’t feel so out of reach — it’s right there in front of you because you’ve taken notice along the way.

As I begin the redesign of this blog soon, I’m taking these organic black and white patterns and plenty of gold with me to explore.

Evolution feels great. Never be afraid of change — it’s what keeps things fresh, exciting, and makes life worth living.

Your turn: What are you noticing yourself being drawn to these days? Are there colors, styles, patterns, eras or something else that’s making you super excited?

Italy photo: Lisa Jane Photography.

Image sources: Radical Self Love Coven Almanac. Jonathan Adler brass ring holder. Marni shoes. Gold sink. Hand painted stripes. Lost My Mind graphic.