Happy Sunday, everyone! The team was BUSY this past week. Emily, the PDX gal, and Mallory were all on site for a very fun and special project we can’t wait to show you. Then Jess got to go to Fariha Nasir’s book launch party (that Arlyn wrote with her) in LA at the incredible Block Shop’s brick-and-mortar. If you haven’t gotten the book, we promise you are going to love it:) Go here to check it out! Ok, let’s talk links.

This week’s home tour/From Arlyn: EHD friend and all-around fabulous human being Erik Kenneth Staalberg just shared on his Instagram that Apartment Therapy featured his Glendale home as a recent House Tour, and I swooned. I visited his ridiculously well-styled and incredibly authentic home about two years ago; I was helping with a designer’s book at the time, and it was being shot for those pages. I’m glad it’s out in all its glory for everyone to see. Besides being a feast for the eyes, the layout of his home is nearly identical to my first place in LA, so it feels so nostalgic to me. Given that Erik is a prop stylist, his rooms look different than the last time I was there; I remember walking through his long hallway—I had one just like his…endless—and just taking in every detail, every trinket, every moment he created. His home is the kind that you look at and then get flashbacks to all the items you said no to at the thrift store because you didn’t know what to do with them. He always seems to know what to do with an antique judge’s gavel or an oil painting of a bride. Pour yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy!

From Emily: Guest cottage quick shout-out!! Half of my lighting just got installed while I was on a work trip, and I was SO excited to see it in person. I ordered from Olde Brick Lighting, which was the first time for me. Y’all, if you want customizable farmhouse/classic/schoolhouse-style lighting, I can solidly say how impressed I am with it. I got to choose the finish (antique brass) and some of the dimensions (mostly the drop) and the opacity of the shade, etc., so it leans custom (but came in weeks). And I love how lighting in a house speaks to each other (no hard and fast rule here, just a preference), so I love that the same gold finish is consistent and every room kinda gives a nod to the whole design. Customer service was so lovely, and the reviews were all really, really good (mine, too, obviously). I’m so excited to show you.

From Caitlin: Last Sunday, Den headed to our local outlet mall to buy a pair of pants. I tagged along at the last minute…and came home with a pair of pants. (AIN’T THAT THE WAY? His hunt continues.) I wasn’t expecting to find anything, but these $45 barrel khakis left me floored. These were SO GOOD – imagine the material and cut of the Colette pant (albeit at a fraction of Anthro’s price) mixed with a modern barrel silhouette in a smorgasbord of easy-to-style colors. I grabbed the off-white stripe in size 14 – admittedly a total guess, but based on my average size – and spent about 5 minutes in the fitting room feeling totally shocked that I had stumbled into comfortable hard pants that fit this well. The moral of the story is that you should invite yourself on every shopping trip, lest your Cinderella fall pants appear when you least expect!!!

Also from Caitlin: I have to confess that I came down with a punishing case of the shoppies at the aforementioned outlet mall, in which I also grabbed these adorable Lululemon shorts for a song. (Yes, we are blessed with tax-free shopping and a legitimate Lululemon outlet – Delaware has its high points.) ANYWAY – the high-rise, pleated detailing, faux-skirt look, flirty leg, and cheery color all make me feel like a million bucks. I paid just over $19 (again, blessed by the outlets – down $118!) but would have absolutely paid their website’s current $44 sale price. I wish I had gotten them earlier this summer – they would have seen a lot of wear. (But for now, rest assured: I am the belle of my arthritis exercise class at the Y.)

From Gretchen: I had an extra 15% off birthday coupon to use at the Gap (I can’t seem to get enough of them lately). Because I’ve been wearing and loving my navy vintage-looking zip-up sweatshirt from them, I went ahead and bought it in two more colors (with the excuse of using my coupon) in Black and Light Blue. But luckily (for you and me), they’re also on sale! Originally $80 and down to $40 with an additional 10% off if you use the app! I’m writing this a few days before you’re reading this, so I hope the sale is still going on come Sunday. If so, I can personally recommend the “tapestry navy”, “black,” and “light blue” versions, the third of which I am wearing right this second. I really love the fit and softness of these sweatshirts and know they will be a fall staple, on their own or layered under a heavier jacket. They sit nicely, a little cropped at the waist, and the “wedge” style just means more room around the bust, arms, and armpits, which I really prefer to a too-tight sweatshirt. I think I’ll stop at three colors for now…but who knows! They’re that good.

From Jess: Small business alert! Due to health stuff, sugar is something I need to be pretty careful about. So when I stumbled upon this homemade sugar-free granola that’s from a family-run and operated bakery, I was pumped! They are out of Long Beach but also sell at some grocery stores like Erewhon (where I actually found it), Mother’s Market, etc. For some reason, the Erewhon near me hasn’t had it for a few weeks, so I went on their site and found out that they sell at a local farmer’s market near me and also do online orders! So guess where I was yesterday morning 🙂 Anyway, if you are looking for very delicious granola (with good sugar-free options) and want to support small businesses, Sconage Bakery could be a perfect match.

From Marlee: The other night I went to a friend’s house, and she was SO excited to play a new game she got. There is nothing worse than going to someone’s house for game night, and it takes longer to explain the rules of the game than it does to actually play it… well this game is exactly NOT that. It’s INCREDIBLY fun, silly, and hilarious. Think apples to apples/cards against humanity meets… poetry? You basically have a magnetic tray with TONS of various magnet words, and you create poems based on different prompts. Each round, you take turns reading your poems, and the judge’s favorite wins. It’s easy, requires NO explanation, and requires a little creativity but not too much brainpower. It also makes you CRACK UP (the most important part of a game for me). I can’t wait to play again!

From Mallory: I’ve never worn a barrel pant before, but when I saw someone wearing these cream pants with brown stitching, I fell in love and had to snag them. They fit true to size and genuinely go with everything – I’ll be wearing these all the time!!

Thank you for spending this time with us, and congrats again to Erik for this incredible home tour!

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: How We Are Using Quilt Mini Splits To Heat And Cool The Guest Cottage