We made it to Sunday y’all and we are happy to be here. While we’re all trying to enjoy the holidays and not overwhelm ourselves, that comes less naturally to some of us:) But we are grateful to be here with you all and hope you all have as many fun plans as you see fit (like Em’s incredibly sweet cousin crafting party). But for now, let’s link!
This week’s house tour is going to truly steal everyone’s hearts. If you think you’ll be immune, we hate to tell you that you are wrong. We don’t think we’ve seen a house this charming, this happy, this inviting, THIS COLORFUL, and yet still elevated and incredibly put together in a while. But no one should be surprised because this house was designed by the incredible Frances Merrill of Reath Design. You also might be delighted to find out that the homeowner, Katie Jordan, and Frances also worked together on this infamous home project🙂 So please go get your big dose of eye candy and have a great rest of your day!
From Emily: The DIY ornaments (inspired by one of my favorite bloggers) that my kids and I are tackling this weekend. We are having another crafting party but with older kids (today, actually) so I wanted to come up with something that was slightly more grown up (some of the kids are tweens and teens). My hope is that they can make multiples for themselves and to give them as gifts (and hopefully they’ll turn out really pretty?). At the same time, I still don’t want a ton of mess, clean up, risk of paint on the sunroom floor, or huge costs. So when I saw Grit and Polish’s post about these DIY wallpaper sample ornament baubles I thought they looked pretty doable and fun (especially if I go to the craft store and get really colorful paper that I know our kids will like – not just wallpaper samples).
From Ryann: I can’t stop wearing these leggings. I have heard amazing things about Alo but now I can tell you firsthand that their quality is unmatched. These ones hold their integrity so well which is very important to me and the waistband doesn’t slip down like others tend to do. I would even go as far as to say that Alo leggings surpass Lululemon!
From Caitlin: I just flew through Season 2 of the Cover Story podcast. Let me set the stage for you real quick: two ex-spies drag some New York Magazine reporters to Montana, claiming that an esteemed billionaire/venture capitalist is running a perverse trafficking ring in the middle of this formerly-sleepy town. And, well…it only gets stranger from there. (Spoiler: turns out that the accused AND the spies are all pretty crummy guys!) If you’re going to be sitting on a plane, on a train, or in the car over the next few weeks, download this for the ride. It’s a well-paced, pretty shocking, and well-researched listen.
From Mallory: I bought these snowmen from CB2 and I am in love with them!! So simple and sleek but make awesome winter/holiday decor. I love them so much!!! They are sparking so much joy for me rn.
From Jess: I have two go-to/favorite skincare brands. Shani Darden and Dr. Dennis Gross. I tend to mix and match their products such as Shani’s Retinol Reform and Dr. Dennis’ Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads. Both incredible! But after I finished my SD moisturizer, I wanted something a bit richer for the cold dry winter months. So I decided to try Dr. Dennis Gross’ Vitamin C Lactic Dewy Deep Cream and his Vitamin C Lactic Firm & Bright Eye Treatment. I’ve been using them for a few weeks and LOVE how they make my skin feel – super hydrated and bright. And because I clearly have a problem, I bought his Stress Rescue Super Serum with Niacinamide during Black Friday. I’ve only used it a little but it feels great and none of these products irritate my sensitive skin. I know these are pricier brands but if you have the budget I can’t recommend them enough.
From Albie: To know me is to know that I love tea, which is part of my gardening motivations — to have my own tea garden. As much as I love tea, it only dawned on me just the other day that I don’t have any good “old-fashioned” teacup sets. I ended up falling down a rabbit hole & coveting Spode’s Creatures of Curiosity collection. And by the way…the collection is more than just tea wares…hence the rabbit hole. The color combinations & pattern play…it’s all so good! This is also how I was introduced to the Spode brand — where have I been — and now I have way too many things in my shopping cart.
Again, have a great rest of your Sunday and see y’all tomorrow. xx
Opening Images Credits: Design by Project M Plus | Styled by Velinda Hellen and Emily Edith Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
Moisturiser?
Moisturizer*
Puh-lease … “Moisterizure” is not a word. It’s here, x2.
Moisturizer – US
Moisturiser – UK/Aussie, etc.
The DIY decorations are cute and doable.😊
Have to second you here, Rusty! How did this strangely phonetic misspelling get into the headline? The Grit and Polish link to those ornaments is awesome, though. Hope Emily’s crafting party with the older kids is as fun as it seems it will be, based on the great pics from the last crafting day!
I have another amazing podcast to recommend. I just listened to the most eye-opening 6 episode podcast on reading from American Public Media and want to recommend it to everyone. The podcast is called Sold a Story and is reported by Emily Hanford https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
It explains the different ways reading has been taught in schools, and how some of the methods are not backed up by the science of reading. No matter whether you’re a parent, teacher, or have no connection to reading outside of learning yourself, this podcast is for you. It’s so compelling, informative, and shocking that I highly recommend it to everyone.
Omg yes!! I found this so wild!
Thank you!
Did y’all see that blue attic bathroom on the house tour? A mahogany tub inside a tiled/curtained walk-in shower alcove… be still, my heart!! I would love to be transported there with a good book.
Can vouch for the daily peel pads — I have used them for a couple of years now and they are holy grail status for me! I always stock up during the big Sephora sales
Those wallpaper ornaments are a fantastic idea. Can’t wait to see how they turn out.
She posted an updated tutorial too: https://www.thegritandpolish.com/blog/this-years-wallpaper-baubles-diy
Love the ornaments. Regarding the house tour- I subscribe to AD (paper) and I never created an account, and you have to do that to read these articles now. Too lazy and didn’t want to possibly confuse my paid subscription; therefore, did not read. 🙁
Roberta, with a little sleuthing, I found the tour on Instagram, if you have an account there. Otherwise, Reath Design said it will be in the January issue, so you’ll see it in your print copy soon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl3yBFZufwx/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Please make room in your budget for a professional editor!!!
Also, those peel pads don’t pass the vibe check of a supposedly eco-friendly blog. 😞
That was way harsh, Tai
Please make room in your empty life to unsubscribe.
Are short curtains now ok? Everyone has been telling us for so long they have to go to the floor, , but I’ve now seen a few designers going short. Not sure what to think 🙂
If you guys ever did a round-up of dinner services, from Spode and Wedgwood to the Internet brands that follow me around, with a stop into the mall stores like Crate and Barrel, I’d be forever in your debt. I desperately need new china. I prefer porcelain to stoneware. Thank you in advance:)
Check Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace first. There are so many beautiful china sets available for dirt cheap.
The Dennis Gross peel pads are very good for my skin. I am very sensitive to a lot of products, I have aging skin, but can still break out. I am just very careful with what I use. Yes, I’d love to use all vegan, cruelty free everything, but some have led to eyelids being puffed shut for several days, and others to my face turning bright red, and then peeling, so…
I feel as if these pads open up my pores to allow my serum, and moisturizer to really do their job.
A money saving tip is that you can open the package, cut each pad in half, and put the duplicates back into the package. I fold down the top tightly, and put into a plastic baggie. Move quickly, so nothing dries out! I feel that you still get plenty of treatment with the smaller size.
Just checked, and they are cruelty free.
Has anyone ever had a piece of artwork or painting repaired? I have a small 8”x11” framed landscape oil painting (with lots of craquelure) that fell off a mantel, dislodging a few chips of the painting. It isn’t worth a lot, but I do really like it. Wondering how much it would cost to fix.
I think a professional artist would be able to do this more cheaply than a so-called ‘repair’ service.
If it’s oils, search for a local oil painter in your area OR an arts society – they’d both be able to help.👍
Great ideas, thanks!
When I looked into this for a sentimental oil painting with a big puncture, I was quoted about $3K (I didn’t fix it). But I would imagine that a repair without major structural issues like mine would be much less? A curator friend recommended finding someone through this database for high-quality work: https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator.
Thank you, what a great resource. Found 3 people locally and will contact them (but I have a feeling their work will be too expensive).
“moisterizure”, huh?
The Alo leggings are only available up to a Large (12-14) in case that’s helpful for anyone else to know.
As you imply, they are not as inclusive in their sizing as Atheleta or other competitors, although they do offer some images with larger models which is something. That said, I love them and wanted to add more details on sizing. I am 5’3″ and 134 pounds slightly bottom heavy and mediums are consistently great. I can fit into small, however so if you are on the fence be sure to try both Alo Soft and the Alo Airlift as the former is more lounge and the later is more compressive, again depending on what size you try. Their returns policy is outstanding and convenient, but you can also find them at Nordstrom. Final note, they run sales often and allow returns on sale items.
Alo has women’s items up to XXL (20-22).
No offense to the owner (because each to their own) but this house does not steal my heart whatsoever.
Two comments: short curtains in the home tour? Are those going to be back in?! I didn’t hate it…
And two, what is a tea garden and can we get more info on that Albie?!?
Why do you post links to sites with pay walls – very frustrating! (ie: house tour at AD)
This is curious – I didn’t have any issues accessing AD, which has a lot of free content online and on YouTube. I DO have issues with links to products, due to Safari’s privacy updates that prevent ad tracking. But AD is pretty accessible if you just type in the URL and go…. not saying this didn’t happen to you (AT ALL) just saying it may be worth trying in a different browser or going directly to the site to see if the issue is elsewhere than the link in the post…
beth, I don’t have an AD account or subscription, and I was able to view the house tour without logging into anything. Maybe try a different browser or clear your cookies?
OKK we might just need to get the Alo leggings now!
Hugs xxo, Annie from http://www.purposeandpineretreats.com