August 10, 2025
Photo: Jenn Hall Sweatte
WELCOME TO ISSUE 24 OF
THE [PALM] SUNDAY TIMES
Hi! How are you? It feels like forever since my last newsletter and so much has happened since! I'll try not to overload this issue by catching you all up on every little thing, but I will give a bit of a summary of my trip to Portugal, a new stockist update, and what's ahead for the Fall.
Let's dive into all of it below.
So pour yourself a cup of tea and get comfy.
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
- Marcel Proust
PORTUGAL
A DREAM TRIP
I'm back from my 10 day trip to Portugal and wow, what a place. I hadn't traveled internationally since my trip to Crete in 2019; I forgot how much traveling changes you. While there, I felt so much joy come back to my body. So much tension left my neck and shoulders as we wandered through the streets of Lisbon and swam in the waters of the Azores. I absorbed as much inspiration as my brain could handle, and then stored the rest on my camera roll (3,000+ photos to sift through!). I think because we moved to Florida in 2021 I thought I didn't need a trip because so much around me was novel, but there really is something about leaving your country and culture that revives you, gives you a new perspective, and restarts your hard drive.
We spent 3 days in Lisbon, 1 in Cascais, and 6 on the island of São Miguel. Lisbon was as wonderful and charming as everyone said it was, perhaps even more so. I couldn't believe how gorgeous every little thing was, from their architecture to their flowers and their people. Don't even get started on the cute little yellow trolleys. I can see why Lisbon is the hot spot that it is today, but can't figure out how it took so long for everyone to discover it.
A little less on the radar was The Azores which still felt untapped. Most places we went, despite being heavily documented on instagram, were largely empty. We enjoyed so many incredible places like black sand beaches, thermal spring baths, and waterfalls all to ourselves. We stayed at amazing hotels and ate delicious food. I've posted 4 blog posts so far with day-by-day summaries of our itinerary and photos, but here is a quick recap of what we did in case you need an easy reference for planning your own trip.
Day 1 Lisbon
- Hotel: Locke de Santa Joana
- Breakfast and Coffee at 94° Cafe
- Hop On Hop Off Bus from Hotel to Castelo de São Jorge
- Visited: Castelo de São Jorge
- Walked to: Convento do Carmo Ruins and Museum
- Dinner: Maria do Carmo
- Walked to: Arco da Rua Augusta
Day 2 Lisbon
- Hotel: Locke de Santa Joana
- Breakfast at Hotel
- Hop On / Off Bus to National Tile Museum
- Visited: National Tile Museum
- Walked to: Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (very uphill)
- Dinner: Portas do Sol
- Trolley Back to Hotel
Day 3 Lisbon/Cascais
- Hotel: Locke de Santa Joana
- Hop On / Off Bus to Cascais
- Lunch at Cafe in Marina
- Swam at Santa Maria House Museum Bridge
- Wandered Around Town, Ate Gelato, Swam at Beach
- Hop On / Off Bus Back to Hotel
- Uber to Dinner in Almada at Ponto Final
- Speed Boat to Lisbon, Uber to Hotel
Day 4 Lisbon
- Hotel: Locke de Santa Joana
- Feira da Ladra (Flea Market) on Tuesdays at Campo de Santa Clara
- Visited National Pantheon
- Lunch at Hello Kristof near Pantheon
- Leave Lizbon and Fly to Azores
Day 5 Ponta Delgada
- Hotel: Azoris Royal Garden Hotel
- Walked Around Ponta Delgada
- Visited Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião
- Lunch at Cafe Central near Pantheon
- Picked Up Rental Car from ANC Holidays
- Drove to Furnas
- Dinner at Hotel
Day 6 Furnas
- Hotel: Terra Nostra Garden Hotel
- Explored Parque Terra Nostra
- Thermal Baths At Parque Terra Nostra (Lauren did Whale Watching trip)
- Drove to Santuário Diocesano de Nossa Senhora da Paz
- Dinner in Villa Franca do Campo at Mercado da Vila
Day 7 Furnas
- Hotel: Terra Nostra Garden Hotel
- Drove to Furnas Lake
- Explored The Lake, Church, and Thermal Caldeiras
- Drove to Porto Formoso and Swam At The Waterfall
- Drove to Hotel Pedras do Mar
- Dinner at Hotel
Day 8 Caloura
- Hotel: Pedras do Mar
- Drove to Black Sand Beach Praia Baixa d'Areia
- Drove to Caloura
- Explored Convento da Caloura
- Swam at Agua de Pau
- Drove to Sete Cidades
- Explored Lakes and Hiked
- Dinner at Alabote in Ribeira Grande
Day 9 Pedras do Mar
- Hotel: Pedras do Mar
- Swam at Lake Pool and Natural Pools In Ocean
- Lauren B Flew Back to NYC
- I Drove to Ponta Delgada
Day 10 Ponta Delgada
- Hotel: Armazéns Cogumbreiro
- Explored Ponta Delgada
- Had an Appointment With Local Antique Dealer
- Visited Santuário do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres
- Flew Back To NYC!
PALM SUNDAY X CATBIRD
MY THIRD STOCKIST
I'm very excited to announce that you can now shop the Pearl Vessels and the Fontanellas at www.catbirdnyc.com! I remember when the Bedford Ave. Catbird store opened in Williamsburg in 2006 while I was living in New York. It was where all the cool girls shopped and I was so intimidated. It is truly a wild thought now to think that they carry my work. Remember a few issues back when I talked about saying "yes" to things that scared you? This was the thing I was talking about - taking on my first wholesale account!
You can also shop select Palm Sunday pieces in person and online at 19 Hands Jewelry and Artful Home.
THE LATEST RING FOR PARADISO II
COMING SOON
Right before I left for my trip to Portugal I managed to finish this ring for Paradiso Pt. II, a ginormous aquamarine (that almost has the coloring of an emerald) set in a half ounce of Fairmined 14k gold! It's a stunner for sure and will be available in the next drop, date TBD. Also shown in this photo is the Paradiso Ring in silver, now available for ordering.
Til next week!
Thanks so much for following along.
Lauren