The Bell is back

Allow me to reintroduce myself

Hello and welcome to this year’s first edition of The Bell!

Wow, I’ve missed you. As subscribers know, this newsletter has been on hiatus for quite some time. But it’s finally back! Though it’s going to look a little different than it did before. I’m a little different than I was before.

The Bell in her new era

Don’t worry—we’re not scrapping everything you loved about The Bell. Here’s where we’re restarting from:

We’re mostly talking about home decoration & design

The thread that has consistently run through the last few years, and that I’m most eager to write about now, is how to design a home (and life) with quality, unique ingredients—without spending a fortune. I’m the friend my friends text when they need low-cost, no-decorator-needed design advice, and I can be that friend to you, too. Homeowners and renters welcome. The Bell’s previous focus on quality, craftsmanship, and evidence of the human hand in our material world will continue.

It will be very practical & tactical

I’ll be covering DIY, making things with our hands, high/low mix (thrifting, FB Marketplace, showing when Amazon/IKEA/Wayfair are worth it, etc.), homemaking skills (sewing, herbalism, gardening, etc.), decorating when you live with children, and translating inspiration from online into real life projects. I want every post to be useful to you and to inspire you to create within your own surroundings.

Also some storytelling

I’ll keep telling French house renovation stories, and add stories of homemaking and amateur gardening in my 1930s Chicago rented apartment. When I get the chance to go antiquing and brocanting, I’ll blog those excursions.

Landing in your inbox once a week

The Bell will publish weekly, with a Friday send. All articles will be free, while I figure out how to truly add value to paid subscribers. All “things making life special this week” and miscellaneous recs will be in the subscriber chat so we can all share our finds.

What do you think? Do you like what you hear? Any requests for topics to cover?

Since this is a newsletter, let’s end with some news. It’s been so long!

• ICYMI, we moved to Chicago in August 2025 and we really love it. We live in a neighborhood in the northwest part of the city with a semi-suburban feel, but still access to walkability, the train, and the advantages of city living. It feels like the best of both worlds.

• My daughter is now more of a toddler than a baby! She’s a little dynamo and I’m more obsessed with her every day.

• I turned 35 in December. Maybe I’ll have a party at some point this year? Tbd.

• We haven’t been able to visit the French house for a long time, but a few things are still going on in our absence. Notably: demolition in the attic for a total renovation project to make it a livable space.

• I quietly closed my corporate ghostwriting business in the fall and became a full-time mom for a while. Work going forward is going to be, well, this! I have big plans for this newsletter and another business that I preview below.

What’s new with you? I miss communicating with readers and I always love hearing what’s going on in your life. Drop me a note in the comments!

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And now for a big announcement!

I went shopping for you in France last summer! I brought home some really beautiful finds on all my trips to the Loire Valley brocantes, so you can have a piece of French country life in your home, too.

All will be revealed in next week’s newsletter!

Until then,

xx Jane