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50 Comments

  1. Elizabeth Roderick says:

    This has to be one of my favorite articles. You described me to a ‘T’. You’re probably better than I am about using the soaps with carved flowers, but I have them. Good oils, Molton Brown pink pepperpod hand soap, teacups, and the Waterford clock, I gave my parents for their 50th anniversary. My favorite, Nouvelle candles in Mademoiselle. Little things make life sweet. Thanks for this uplifting post!

    1. Thank you and boy, I have definitely found my peeps! I guess we all think alike around here. I should do a follow up post with the ideas you guys posted in the comments… 🙂

  2. One of your best posts ever. I agree with it all! Everything you listed are on my littl luxuries list as well. I giggled when I read teacups, notecards and beautiful scented soaps. I feel the same. Also, good candy in a pretty candy dish, one beautiful pen to write on gorgeous note cards, beautiful handkerchiefs to carry in your purse, and a plethora of exquisited small lamps illuminating every corner in the evening hours.

    1. Thanks so much and these are great ideas! As I said to Elizabeth in her comment above, I should do a follow up post with all the great ideas from you readers!! Clearly we’re of the same mind around here… 😉

    2. Nan, Odessa, DE says:

      Me again,

      Lory, We may share this interest because of our age. Most of us were raised by parents of the depression. Our parents only know SAVE.

      Ask more about the “exquisited small lamps illuminating every corner in the evening hours”, mentioned above by Katacrudul, please. Would like to know HOW to create that soft mood lighting in my home at night.
      What lamps to buy, light bulb (size, type), and where to stage them. Thank you!
      [email protected]

      1. Funny, because while I love the idea of soft pockets of lighting, I’m actually the type who lights up my house like daylight at night! I love lots of light! Still, I would image small lamps on a table will get you the effect you’re looking for… 🙂

  3. Lory–This is a wonderful post. We all need to take care of ourselves and treat ourselves more often. It’s is nice to know that someone shares my same thoughts. I always love seeing the beautiful flowers in your posts and the accessories in the photos which are inspiring. There is so much beauty in the world and it is important that we incorporate it, even if it is a small thing, into our lives.

    Ciao!

    1. I couldn’t agree more Diane! I was actually delighted to see how this post resonated with my readers… 🙂 Clearly we’re all of the same mind!

  4. Lory, I agree with you and all other comments made. A beautiful post! Who deserves a little treat more than we ourselves?
    Ginger

    1. So true, Ginger!! It’s a delight to read these comments and know this is exactly why I get so much joy in posting to like-minded people and why your feedback means so much to me… 🙂

  5. Love this post, Lory, and I absolutely agree! When we first met, the hubby insisted on buying inexpensive polos until after much nudging from yours truly, he became a fan of Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan. RL is my favorite American designer, hands down. I love his classic, iconic style, and the brand’s quality has always endured the test of time. By the way, I recognized your Glen Plaid right off, so pretty with your flowers; it’s one of my favorites that I’ve collected over the years. I love your beautiful teacups, too!

    1. Thanks so much!! Yes, a lot of people don’t realize that little luxuries are attainable and once you get used to having them, delightful… 😉

  6. Nan, Odessa, DE says:

    I couldn’t agree with your philosophy more!!!!!!!!!
    We are worth these small over the top items.
    I do have problems with scented items that do not keep the scent.
    For this reason, I enjoy, YARDLEY, scented lavender soap.
    Keep this type of post coming!

  7. I have a small crystal bowl that I rarely use. I have a goofy looking ring holding bowl in the kitchen above the sink. Using your inspiration, I switching out goofy for classy bowl to hold my jewelry while I wash dishes

  8. What a fun post! I grew up in a frugal home and I can understand my parents’ rationale…they raised three sons in the hills of Kentucky during the Depression. However, growing up I always wanted the brands that my best friend had. Then I married a very frugal man, so luxuries, big or little, were out of the question. It was as if my pleasure (or I) didn’t matter to him. Now I enjoy some of the small treats you mention in the post. Beautifully scented soaps, a fragrant billowy hand wash, really good nail varnish, fresh flowers (even a small bouquet), a nicely balanced pen to write with (I actually have good handwriting…another luxury), a lovely tea cup with a silver spoon, a beautiful compact that closes with that satisfying soft click, a vintage handkerchief… I think all these niceties reinforce our sense of ourselves, our well-being. I’m not proposing going out and spending a ton of money just to make yourself feel better…can you say “shopping disorder”? You have so eloquently listed the things that you enjoy and none of them cost the earth. These little indulgences are like a hug. I always come away with inspiration after reading one of your posts.

    1. This is so true, and very well said! I like that you called it a little hug you give yourself. Yes, I think luxury is really just defined as things that are a bit above what we might normally buy, so we each set that budget. We also each decide what we’re willing to give up in order to have these things. Keep enjoying!!

  9. I am so agreeing with you about the little indulgences. It’s just those little things that give you a ‘lift’. One of my passions is silver service pieces (they are in my bathrooms too) and when they are polished, there is nothing like it. I love monogram linens, French soaps, lovely crystal pieces (also in the bathroom), flowers every week, special teacups for tea and nice little books that refresh the soul! You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough . . .enjoy!

  10. This is a wonderful post. I am in the same camp. I would rather do without lunch or coffee out a few days a week and have flowers, wonderfully scented candles, and a few other little luxuries to indulge in. I truly believe it is about finding something that truly brings joy to your day.

  11. Are we long lost twins?? Like those above, I so enjoyed this post, and, like you, I would rather have one really beautiful thing than six that are just mediocre. I am sorry that I have to settle for really nice faux flowers instead of the lovely fresh ones – my precious cat, Miss Annie Mae Purrsalot, with leave the silk ones alone but there is no place where the real things are beyond her athletic kittycat reach. I also do the same thing as you with my notecards. I spend so much time finding special ones that I can’t bear to never see them again and the same with Christmas cards.
    Thanks for the lovely post.

    1. Haha, so funny, Emily, that you do the same with note cards! Thanks so much for the kind words… 🙂 And while I love fresh flowers, I fill in with faux, too!

  12. I’m a little late to the party, but I wanted you to know that this is one of my favorite posts ever! Little luxuries don’t even cost money necessarily. A few years ago, I stayed at home for several weeks while recuperating from surgery, and I rediscovered the wonderful pleasure of using my whistling tea kettle, instead of heating water in the microwave. That whistle brought a sense of coziness and caring that the microwave could never achieve. I, too, love those delightful carved soaps, and use them in my bathroom all the time. I also order my own monogrammed stationery that seems to elicit many compliments. You MUST do more little luxury posts! Pretty please with sugar on top!

  13. My husband and I had this conversation recently and even discussed not discussing it with friends and family we thought wouldn’t understand. Does that make sense? He subscribes to the philosophy of getting that one good thing instead of a bunch of cheap things and after more than 20 years has convinced me to think the same way. I have come to believe it is actually less expensive in the long run. I’m glad he feels that way because I just so happen to love crystal, footed crystal and those pretty crystal jars with lids. I discovered when we moved recently that I had collected enough to fill the china cabinet! I actually use my crystal every chance I get to be able to enjoy it. We keep Q-tips in one of the lidded cut crystal jars in the bathroom. I haven’t been able to find my favorite soap since Target stopped carrying it but I’m looking! Those beautiful bone china tea cup sets are on my radar too! Love this!

    1. That’s exactly how I feel, Shirley!! So glad to have reached a kindred spirit… 🙂 And yes, I completely understand keeping it quiet because not everyone gets it… lol!

  14. Dear Lory, thank you so much for sharing your post about how to add little luxuries to your home decor at my latest link party. I loved your post so much that I featured you on my blog http://www.dagmarbleasdale.com!
    I hope to welcome you back soon,
    warm regards,
    Dagmar

  15. I get my sheets ironed. It is more than a little luxury, but I do a lot of do-it-yourself things to afford this luxury.

  16. Lory, I so love your blog and quiet elegance. I am allergic to fresh flowers and scented things but
    there are excellent faux choices. I love the cut glass biscuit jar and all things crystal.
    My mother loved the finer things in life and so do I. I found this quote that defines me:
    I am going to make everything around me beautiful-that will be my life.
    Elsie de Wolf

  17. I’m glad I came across this post. I’m starting a new job in two weeks and I have no idea what my work space will look like. Having little luxurious items like beautiful notepads, pretty and out of the ordinary containers for office supplies, etc. make a new job much more bearable. Even during stressful periods (like the learning curve when you first start and are the “new kid” on the block), they can make you feel more serene and comforted.

  18. You are my kind of girl! I have always said it’s much easier to write those thank you notes with a beautiful pen and a lovely stamp than just plain paper! I’m with you. Love this post and love those beautiful containers!

  19. Diane Corsaro says:

    Love, Love, Love this post. I bought several things from your list. Your site has inspired me to redo some of my house as it just looks tired and I wasn’t sure what I needed to do. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

  20. It feels great to see that so many of your readers are just like me! I agree that a lot of us had parents from the depression. My mother and I sat for hours on Saturday mornings drinking our coffee while she shared stories. She would go to the early mass on Sundays and come home so her sister could wear the coat to church at the later service. My mother had an appreciation for beautiful things and learned to sew at an early age, but even then material would cost more than she could afford. She would rip apart old clothes to reuse the fabric. She brought me up to have the same appreciation but like you, once I started to earn my own money I would opt for some of the nice things. Back in the day, Vanity Fair underwear was costly and I thought I had “arrived” when I could buy some. I would often come home with two of a lot of things, one for me and one for my mother. I got her to use things instead of leaving them in the drawers for years, waiting for some special occasion. Once I got married I had to grin and bear it returning to the noname brand of everything.lol. But life has been good and even through years of struggling we sought out a lot of things at flea markets and hand me downs from family. I am lucky that my husband learned the value of enjoying life on a daily basis. This post as well as the comments brings back a lot of sweet memories for me.

  21. Paula Trotter says:

    I loved everything about this article ~ all the pretty little luxuries that make our day, I could not agree more. I love (when I could) going through the candle isle, the soap isle, and well just about any isle in the Home Goods store. The one thing that made me laugh when reading all of this is when you said you always keep the last one of the note cards because you can’t bare to part with it. I do the same thing! With a few of them I have framed them to hang in my bedroom. I also have a pretty one with shells on it hung in my bathroom. Minds for the sweet and pretty little things think alike. 🙂

  22. Arbie Goodfellow says:

    We could be shopping buddies girlfriend!
    Yes I do the same thing and enjoyed reading about it just makes be want to add more of those little luxuries.
    I use to a long time ago when walking through Marshall Fields purchase a 3.00 Godiva chocolate bar (sold by the cash register)and let each small bite melt and savor it with luxury pleasure.
    I too grew up in the same saving environment because we didn’t have much to spend. I too wanted the same brands my friends had and didn’t . It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to splurge on the little things that make me feel like I am treating myself with the good things in life. Simple pleasures are the best!

    1. Ahh, what a pleasure it is to know I reached a like-minded person! So often we put these things out there and have no idea how many people feel the same. Thanks for taking the time to share!! And yay for chocolate!

  23. I always have a pretty cloth hankie in in my purse instead of tissues. I love a good smelling candle and I’m so disappointed when I buy one and then it has no scent when I burn it. The same thing goes for clothes. We shouldn’t save our pretty clothes for when we go out but that is a hard one to do. I learned the hard way when I outgrew some of my pretty clothes and had not worn them much because I was saving them😢 I also love pretty dish clothes and linens. After I grew up and left home my sweet Mother would often surprise me with a pretty gown for sleeping. I guess she knew that was something I wouldn’t splurge on. My grandmother would do the same for us granddaughters at Christmas. And I like to do the same for my now grown daughter.

    1. Yes! These are the wonderful little pleasures that often don’t even cost as much as things we waste our money on without a thought, and yet these give so much pleasure! How lucky your daughter is… 🙂

  24. I do love pretty notecards! Frugality may be an upcoming necessity as prices continue to rise. Like you, that was my childhood as well. Thanks for the inspiration and I may just have to indulge myself😉

  25. DeeDee Clark says:

    I never use the last pretty notecard. My children will someday wonder why.

  26. This was a fun post. It encouraged me to splurge at times and enjoy life a bit more.