Happy Sunday y’all! Aren’t we just cruuuuuising through September. Aside from the Hendersons fully loving being in the farmhouse and things continuing to move along up there, there’s not too much to report. Well, we do have a very exciting EHD birthday tomorrow for our Mallory and we hope she has a wonderful day off:) Do any of you have any good news? Please share in the comments! Ok to the links…
This week’s house tour is a stunning 17th-century stone farmhouse. Previously owned by another designer, there wasn’t too much that it needed outside of decor. Lucy Cummingham, the new designer, said “It was one of those houses you walk into and it feels like a warm hug.” Once you look at the photos you can easily see what she means. It’s really the perfect home to look at on a Sunday if we do say so ourselves:)
From Emily: Y’all. I can’t STOP watching Instant Dream Home. It was a show I “tested” for (meaning spent 8 hours with other hosts to find the right combination of chemistry and after much deliberation turned it down. It was meant to be a 24-hour renovation and as the design lead I honestly just didn’t want that type of craftmanship on my head (and it shot in Atlanta for 4 months. Meaning 4 months away from my family, during the pandemic). So when it came out recently I was like “WAIT THAT’S THE SHOW!!!” and I started watching it. It’s now a TWELVE HOUR RENOVATION and if you are wondering how the hell they are doing it, you’ll see. It’s meant to be an Oceans Eleven style with 5 different experts in different areas (design, landscape, etc), where someone deserving is “nominated” and then it’s a crash surprise makeover (I pitched the “Feel-Good Flash Makeover” show to Netflix six months prior to this, btw). Then they build and plan everything off-site (at their “headquarters”) and bring it in on cranes. It’s RIVETING. The design is pretty good, too! Watching it, all I can think of is how much production went into it and how unbelievably stressed I would have been if I had said yes. The families they cast are so deserving and even though you know that the paint isn’t dry and everything is likely a little janky (does the plumbing even work?), you do get a real sense that their lives will be changed for the better. I have a million issues with the shows (like what do they do with all their stuff???) but considering it sounded like a trainwreck to shoot (which I’m sure it still was) I am legit into it and impressed. Give it a go this weekend. Even my kids love it because it’s so action-packed and riveting to watch.
If you’ve been around here for a while then you likely remember Emily talking about an incredible organization called Miry’s List. They are a nonprofit organization supporting families resettling in the United States as refugees, providing the things that they need to get started in their new lives – from diapers to beds to cleaning supplies and toiletries. They just started their 2022 Bed Fund for Refugees campaign. 100% of proceeds purchase the most important household essentials for their newest families that are in the first 30 days with them. Their goal is $400K to support 300 more families. Want great news? They’ve confirmed the first $50,000 donated will be matched 1-for-1 by The Shapiro Foundation and Milana Vayntrub so your money can go twice as far. Miry and her team are doing such important work for families that have been through the most unthinkable situations. So if you are able, please consider donating.
From Ryann: I am actually sort of mad that I went to Trader Joes and decided to try out these Sour Cream & Onion Flavored Rings. I love to snack and my favorite food is chips so going to Trader Joes, in general, is dangerous for me. Anyway, I immediately got home, opened them up to try them, and the bag was gone in less than a day. They are so good, you guys. It helps that my favorite chip flavor is sour cream & onion but I think anyone who is trying to cut down on regular potato chips (these are made from red lentils and rice meal) will enjoy this snack. My only complaint is they need to sell them in a bigger bag.
LOOK AT THESE PIECES! THOSE FABRIC COMBOS! What a stunning collab with two brands EHD are big ole fans of – Reath Design and Kalon. If you have the budget, please buy these!!
From Mallory: I recently just found my winky lux lip balm and forgot how obsessed I am with it!! It’s totally clear lipstick but when you put it on it changes the ph balance in your lips making them a more saturated version of your natural color. It’s so cool and I love wearing it!!
From Jess: If you want a WILDLY easy snack/treat recipe check out these date balls. I made them at the beginning of the pandemic and forgot how insanely delicious they are. Softly sweet, with a hint of salt and somehow taste like they are made with butter. They are also oddly filling. I can’t recommend them enough.
Also From Jess: In an attempt to enhance my kinda wavy hair I finally bought this diffuser attachment for my hair dryer. I did a light google search and the consensus was that this was a great one. Then when I went to purchase it for $23 it had 4.5 stars with over 11k reviews. I was pumped. Now I’ve only used it twice but I’m happy with the results! I want to continue to play with different curl mousses (I have fine hair so I can’t use “heavy” products if I want a semi-decent wave/curl). I bought this one because the reviews were good and it was under $10. The waves are happening! But I think I used a little too much product so there’s a chance I’ll be even happier with the results. BUT has anyone tried this mousse from Oribe? I love the brand but it’s pricey so I want to feel more confident that it’s worth it. Let me know!
Have a great rest of your weekend and see y’all tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Design by Lucy Cunningham | Photo by Harry Crowder | via House & Garden
Erik from Instant Dream Home was the wood shop teacher at the school where my husband teaches and my daughters attend. My older daughter confirms that when he would visit her classroom back when she was in pre-K/K (somehow she has just started 3rd grade?), the kids would call him “Doctor Doctor Monkey Pants.” So that’s what we call the show at my house. 🙂
🤣🤣
For Jess, I have fine curly hair that can’t handle heavy products too. That mousse you tried is good but kinda sticky. I love OGX Coconut Curls Cream Mousse. You only need a tiny bit and it’s much less sticky/crunchy.
That house tour – OMG! I could move in. So snuggly.💗 It has soul.
It seems curls are having a comeback! My hair went from dead straight to ringlets after chemo and seems to be staying this way. It’s taken me a hot second since 2019 when it happened, to work out how to handle them, but mousse and a diffuser is it! 👍
This happened to my husband too, Rusty! He swears it was all the blood and platelet transfusions. Cheers to good health! xoxo
Apparently, it’s not expected or common, but it can permanently change the hair follicle.
The body is amazing. 😊
I worry with makeover shows with snappy timelines that they’re leaving these people with a poorly crafted house. While fresh furniture is a kind gesture, the construction process could not be perfected in that time.
What we need is a new season of Full Bloom.
Now all I’ll be thinking of when I watch that show is whether or not Emily would have been a better person for the show and wonder who else was in the running. I can’t un-know it. And how whoever is on it wasn’t their first choice. Ick.
*Every* TV show would have cast a bigger actor/designer/expert if they could.
Jess, I highly recommend Oribe Curl Gelee. It’s a better value than mousse imo. Comes in a tub that has last me two years (My hair is shoulder length and I don’t use it every shampoo, but still. A little goes a long way.). I find it doesn’t get crunchy or feel heavy, or attract a lot of dust/grime so I have to wash it out 24 hours later, all qualities that have eliminated other popular curl products. https://www.sephora.com/product/oribe-curl-gelee-for-shine-definition-P469060?skuId=2438711&icid2=products%20grid:p469060:product
I’m really surprised by the unnecessarily tasteless bashing of a show that you decided not to be on, Emily. “You know that everything is a little janky”?? You have no idea that’s the case. Just because it wasn’t the right fit for you, doesn’t mean that the other designers who were chosen & decided to be involved are not highly qualified and did not do excellent work. The lead interior designer, Adair Curtis, is a fantastic designer (also with his own show), and clearly worked well under pressure with the other designers/hosts. You could have just ended your thoughts with the fact that you were considering being on the show, decided against it, but enjoy watching the final production. No need for comments about the quality of work, because it in turn, reads like a comment on the quality of the designers that ended up on the show.
oh no, if you’ve watch the show it is clearly a bit janky. That’s kind of the appeal of the show…it’s a bit of a hot mess, but in a fun way? Like, in one episode they build a whole bathroom addition off site and truck it in. Needless to say, many of the fixtures break on the drive over. It’s part of the drama of the show. They embrace the “janky-ness” and it makes for very entertaining television. I don’t want to speak for Emily, but I really don’t think that comment was meant in a mean spirited way.
I have watched the entire season, and understand what you’re trying to get at, but that’s not what janky means. Janky is not the same as fast-paced, high stakes, you don’t know if it’s going to work until the very last minute. Janky literally means poor quality and with the rest of what Emily shared, means that she believes that the design work done on the show, and thus the people involved since she decided not to be, are of poor quality. Perhaps it was just the wrong word choice, but it was a significant one esp in the context of her almost involvement with the show
In the spirit of making sure Sunday’s post receives as much reader engagement as Saturday (wink), I ask you with the kindest heart to please consider that Mother Earth can not nurture a barren belly. We have been killing off all things natural to have a nicely groomed yards and orderly monoculture which is in no way natural or sustainable. Artificial turf will purge microplastics and chemicals into the soil underneath with every rain and every dog claw shred as the pups make their hot laps out back. Is there a problem with not doing dickle with it for a year and just see what she wants to grow? I mean, you get to use your incredible (convenient!) wash station in the beautiful mud room that you designed with your very smart brain (no snark, just love), I challenge you to embrace it! We have been doing this for the past 11 months in Western WA and have been pleasantly surprised at what she plants: Queen Anne’s Lace, wild chamomile, dandelion, ferns, berries (black, wild rasp, huckle, salmon and service), wild carrot, poppies, burdock just to name a very few. Many are edible and some are considered widely beneficial. Dusty… Read more »
Love this! So much better than the “one and done” concept espoused in Emily’s IG stories. “One and done” may work in a cost-benefit-sustainability analysis for the purchase of appliances or bespoke furniture. But not for lawns and gardens! The earth is a living breathing thing, and we have a responsibility to listen to it and nurture it on an ongoing basis, not smother it with more plastic and concrete.
What happened to the turf in the backyard post? I can’t find it on the site anymore and was so interested in all of the reader comments. Was it taken down?
Hi Jess – I have fine curls too and I really like the DevaCurl Frizz-Fighting Volumizing Foam (their spelling). After I shut off the water in the shower and before I step out, I flip my head upside down and scrunch the product through my wet hair, even into the roots. Then I dry myself off like normal. When I take my hair out of its turban, I leave it – don’t go anywhere near it with a comb or brush. You can just let your curls dry naturally or defuse. But the foam is super light weight and doesn’t leave my hair greasy or crunchy. I get a lot of compliments on it – think kinky, beach waves. Especially helpful when we have a “heat dome” and don’t want to go anywhere near hot tools like last week. AND it doesn’t break the bank. Keep us posted on what you end up liking – cheers!
Has anyone ever tried a silk head wrap? I have tried the micro fiber type and it leaves my curls looking ratty.
My son has very fine curls as well, and uses a satin bonnet to sleep. While it definitely gives strong lunch lady vibes, it TOTALLY works and means less brushing, combing, and therefore, screaming (he’s 5.)
It seemed in rather poor taste to volley several backhanded insults at this Netflix show, then insinuate the premise of the show had been your idea all along. I am not sure I’d call what’s written here a “recommendation.”
I watched one episode of that show and my first thought was about the stuff too! So they are givng all new furnitures and knick knacks, and what are they doing with their own things?!
Using essential oils can make your house smell like a spa, and offer you the deserved relaxation after a busy day at work.
The first step to make your home smell like a spa or hotel is choosing the right scent.
Find out more: https://www.mykindofzen.com/luxurious-essential-oils/
‘where someone deserving is “nominated” and then it’s a crash surprise makeover (I pitched the “Feel-Good Flash Makeover” show to Netflix six months prior to this, btw)….you know that the paint isn’t dry and everything is likely a little janky (does the plumbing even work?),’
So if the show is similar to the feel good flash makeovers you share with us on this blog, should we assume the quality of your work is ‘a little janky’ like you are assuming of them?
I do think that these short timeframe design shows can be negative both for design outcomes and viewer mindset, but it seems odd that you would publicly criticize a show you have no unique knowledge about but also try to claim the idea behind the show as your own.
With Emily’s flash makeovers the design work is done off-site and then they just come in and install it which is perfectly fine for interior design work (and landscaping usually). It’s the rush jobs involving construction that usually go wrong which is clearly what she was talking about (she specifically mentioned plumbing for example). She’s not wrong to be concerned either, people have sued shows like this because the construction on their homes was so shoddy.
Oribe products have a too-strong aroma for me. I can’t even be around friends who use it without sneezing. I’ve been using the Ouidad climate control gel, although even that is a bit too scented. My all time favorite it Jessicurl Confident Coils (available unscented, and I have fine waves, too).
That show is so fake, you were right not to associate your brand with it.
Thanks for this! Jess, just on your question (exciting that you’re trying out a diffuser; helps my hair’s curl and wave a lot) – I’ve heard mixed reviews on that Oribe mousse, better reviews for their volume mousse. Joico’s ICE mousse for curls used to be amazing for your hair type (as you describe it), but they alas reformulated and it’s not great anymore imho. Two potential recs – the Oribe curl gloss instead of the mousse (less heavy than most of their other curl products), and this almond/avocado curl mousse gets a lot of love from curlies/wavies: https://www.ulta.com/p/almond-avocado-curl-enhancing-mousse-pimprod2032098
And great house tour! What a lovable farmhouse.
I would skip the Oribe Mousse, I didn’t love it. Two favorites that do a great job are Hair Rules Wavy Mousse and Oiudad Climate Control Gel (it’s a very light gel and leaves my curls soft not crunchy). I also recommend DevaCurl No Poo Shampoo, it takes some getting used to, but regular shampoo strips your hair of it’s natural oils, which is what causes flat and frizzy curls.
We have been doing this for the past 11 months in Western WA and have been pleasantly surprised at what she plants. I’ve heard mixed reviews on that Oribe mousse, better reviews for their volume mouse.
If you’re looking for another nonprofit to spread the word about, city living ny (https://citylivingny.org/) is a great one which helps young people previously in foster care acquire furniture for their first homes!
Jess: re curly hair. You want to use water based products and stay away from oils. Many curly hair experts recommend the brand Innersense. Remember, its a journey but over time if you treat your hair right, curls will come through! Good luck 😀