Lifestyle
The Link Up: The Car Vacuum Em Didn’t Know She Needed, Mal’s Go-To Design Books, And How To Get Your Makeup To Last
Hope everyone is having a good Sunday. We will always do our best to bring you great design and lifestyle content every day, but please know that in weeks like these and in the many before, we are all deeply affected by what’s going on here and abroad. If you feel the same, we are with you. Be safe, and let us all take action in any way we can. Ok, here are this week’s links for a little needed lightness<3
From Emily: I am IN LOVE with this drawer and car vacuum. I honestly didn’t know that I needed it. I thought it would be another appliance that I’d buy and store, but I’m stress cleaning my house this January – every drawer, every cupboard, and I’m using it all night and through the whole weekend. I even used it in my freezer – to get into the corners where little bits of breaded chicken nuggets got, and I can’t get out with a rag. I used it in my vanity, and it picked up all my rogue hairs and tiny bits of who knows what in my deeper drawers or in the back of the cabinet. It is rechargeable and has only 2 parts. Don’t get me started on my spice drawer!! Now the suction isn’t so high that I’d recommend it JUST for cars, but certainly works (but if you are a consistent car detailer, then you might want something stronger). IT also engaged my kids a lot as they helped with the “great January re-org” at the Henderson house. I read a lot of reviews, and there were many that were much more expensive or some that were oddly cheap, but at $38, it felt like the right amount for an investment. Now I just need to invent an apron that has a pocket big enough that I can keep it on my person all weekend long (think like a pistol holder, but for a small vacuum).
On that note, if you are purging and in Portland, I have a FANTASTIC new place for you to give your used home goods to (and not just gently used – they’ll take most things!). Community Warehouse is a massive bank of home goods that serves people transitioning out of homelessness. They work with their caseworker to come in and shop (for free), and they need everything- yes, used mattresses, used Tupperware, dishware, sheets, towels, furniture (obviously), art, lamps, working coffee makers – all the things that you might donate to Goodwill. But don’t donate there (Goodwill is fine, but its for profit). This serves our local community, and they make it SO EASY. There are three locations – NE Portland, Tigard, and Gresham- and you don’t need to make an appointment. AND some of the better stuff (vintage or just new and nice) goes to their estate retail thrift store, and it’s LEGIT good. The profits from that go to support the massive overhead they have. I’m so grateful to know about them. OH, and they’ll pick up larger pieces of furniture for $50, which is WAY less than even going to the dump. Community Warehouse, folks. It’s where it’s at (and hopefully more to come with them this year – we are trying to figure out the right way to collaborate to help these families outside of just donating all our leftover goods from shoots).
Also From Emily: In case you missed it, yesterday we soft-launched a more personal newsletter that Brian and I are co-writing (separate posts, but doing it together). While some personal stuff will always live here (highlights, struggles, AMAs), if you want to get even more personal, that would be the place. You can sign up for free for a week to get the first two posts to make sure it’s something you want to spend your $5/month on. Head over there to check it out if you are interested. xx
From Cailtin: Are you freaking out? Does everything feel terrible? TRUST ME, I GET IT. And I have a nice, accessible, quick read to recommend: the aptly-titled Reasons Not to Worry: How to Be Stoic in Chaotic Times. I’m a big philosophy dork, albeit not usually too into the Stoics (I’m more of a Platonist fan – this one from Boethius is my all-time favorite!), but the title jumped out at me at the bookstore for obvious reasons. It’s relatively breezy, it’s very easy to read – I was able to focus on it, even in the chaos of a hospital! – and it made me feel a little better (or, honestly, maybe even a lot better?) about the world spinning out of control around me. You’ll fly through it in an afternoon or two – think of it like a beach read, but a beach read that might prevent you from having a mental breakdown. I think we could all use a little wisdom from the Stoics right about now, don’t you think? (And thank you all for the kind words last week. They warmed my heart more than you’ll ever know. I’m so grateful to have “met” all of you over the past 6.5 years!)
We thought, since there are a fair number of you that aren’t on Instagram, that we’d start embedding some of our favorite posts we created here! Our social team works so hard to also create helpful, fun, and interesting content, and we don’t want you to miss it either. Enjoy!
All of our jaws DROPPED when Emily unveiled this incredible new piece of art she recently got. We all want it!
Remember Robyn’s beautiful living room and dining room reveals? Well, this is a little “start to finish” carousel of photos of those projects:)
Finally, a little celebration of the blog’s 16-year anniversary, here’s a great reel about the wild and wonderful journey<3
From Mallory: I find that large coffee table books are some of the most necessary items in a home, but are also the most annoying to buy. So I was absolutely THRILLED when I received 3 amazing books as gifts!! The Studio Shamshiri book, the Pierce and Ward book, and this AD book are now my favorite books on my coffee table. They’re all substantial (which is oftentimes the hardest to find) and are filled with the most amazing photos and stories. I highly recommend these if you’re in need of some big styling books! And PS – you can also buy them “new and used” on Amazon!!
From Gretchen: One of my goals for the new year is to get my headstand back. I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for years. Pre-pandemic, I was a yoga fiend. I was so dedicated to an almost daily practice, but when all of my favorite studios fell off as the world shut down, I lost a ton of progress. In the last year, I’ve really re-committed. I’ve been going back to my favorite hot yoga studio roughly 3 times a week. I feel like I’m almost back to where I was…except for my headstand. So to practice at home, I went ahead and invested in a headstand chair. It’s not the most beautiful piece of functional furniture, but I do like that the cushions come apart and back together again to make it a regular stool, should you happen to need an extra seat for a guest or meditation or whatever. But it works as advertised, is quite comfortable, and feels very durable! And it’s nice to feel safe while I practice going upside down again. Another funny plus is that the box it came in ended up being the perfect weird skinny size to store my large wooden snowflake decorations. If you caught my post on Tuesday about DIY storage ideas, I ended up decorating the box this arrived in and now use it to store some of my Christmas stuff. I painted it baby blue with a red snowflake, and while it’s a little dumb, it makes me happy to reuse something I would’ve otherwise thrown away:)
One more thing! I want to give a big THANK YOU to all who shared such helpful comments on last week’s link up in regards to my morning headaches. Not sure if my upside-down chair is going to help or hurt my progress with this, but it’s great to have a bunch of your helpful suggestions in my back pocket the next time I have a flare-up. You guys are the best!
From Marlee: I’ve never been real big into setting spray when I do my makeup – to be honest, I was skeptical of it and felt like I didn’t do anything that would require me to use it. In my head, it was only for celebrities on red carpet events when there’s hot lights melting the makeup off their face. After buying the milk hydro-grip primer spray, I get it now. I’ve been using this on nights out, basically anytime I’m applying blush, concealer, and any bronzer, etc, this stuff is amazing. Not only does my makeup actually last the entire night (normally I feel like my blush has disappeared after a few hours), but it also leaves me with such a nice dewy glow. It doesn’t feel sticky or stiff at all; it just sort of seals everything in. I’m a fan! You can use this both before and after putting on your makeup – I love the Saie dewy gel as a primer, so I’ve just been using this as a setting spray.
From Jess: In case you’ve been waiting for a sign to start a retinol or just don’t know where to start, I have used and love Shani Darden’s Retinol Reform. Here’s a video podcast of Shani being interviewed about all things skincare and her award-winning retinol. I used her orgininal formual for since 2020, then took a little break after I had finished my last bottle to try the awesome Allies of Skin Multi Peptide Growth Serum. I really love them both, and since Shani changed her retinol formula to make it even better, I’m just going to trade off days between the two. Or once I build up my retinol tolerance after a few weeks, use the growth serum in the morning and the retinol at night. We’ll see what works best! PSA – If you use retinol, you HAVE to wear sunscreen. Sara Tramp told me before I originally started that if I didn’t wear sunscreen, I was going to cause way more harm, and it would be pointless. Just so you know<3
Also From Jess: In a time that feels and is extremely scary, donating to organizations like this one is so important and does make a difference. If you already donate but can afford to tack on a little more, now is the time. That’s what I did. It’s not all we can do, but it’s something, and it helps.
From Arlyn: For day-to-day stuff, I still very much find my Lululemon Everywhere bag incredibly useful. Except that sometimes, I just need more space to carry things like stacks of my daughter’s library books, my actual full wallet, snacks, etc. So for Christmas, I asked Santa for a large canvas tote bag. I had had my eye on the famous L.L. Bean tote, but it was backordered in the color and size I wanted. After some research, I found that Land’s End had a very similar tote, so I added that one to my list in the zip-top design and large size. Um, I LOVED it. It ended up being so much better than L.L. Bean’s because that one doesn’t have any interior pockets, while this one has great organization. The zip-top prevents things from falling out when I inevitably have to bend over to pick something up while carrying three other bags (#momlife), and it’s so well made. TBH, I loved it so much, I immediately ordered one in a different color (olive) in the medium size for more everyday carrying, because the large is VERY large and better for traveling. It’s on sale right now for under $40. HURRY!
Thanks for spending this time with us. Hopefully, most of us get the holiday off tomorrow, but let it be a time for some reflection, given the man we are honoring. Peace, equality, and everything else we hold dear as a country doesn’t happen without action. We will see you back on Tuesday. xx
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: A Beautiful Bedroom Makeover Reveal For My Friend, With Some Of My Favorite Bedding
This is incorrect and wow am I dismayed to see this repeated here – Goodwill is NOT for-profit. It’s a lie (that they are for profit) that’s been circulating since the early 2000s – Snopes has an explainer. from the Goodwill website: What is Goodwill and what does it do? Goodwill is a network of 161 autonomous, social enterprises that generate opportunities for people to achieve economic stability and build strong families and vibrant communities by offering job placement and training, and other community- based programs. Each local Goodwill organization is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Goodwill serves people with disabilities and disadvantages; veterans and military families; youth and young adults, including youth who are at risk and opportunity youth; older workers; people reintegrating into society; and others facing challenges to finding employment. Goodwill was rated the number one brand doing the most good in the world for 2016 and 2017 in the Brand World Value Index from the creative agency enso. It has been on Forbes’ list of top most inspiring companies for three consecutive years — the only nonprofit featured on that list — and is proud to be recognized by GuideStar with its Platinum Seal of Approval, the organization’s highest… Read more »
Yes! Came here to say the same thing! Thanks for putting this here. They do really, really important work.
It took me 10 seconds of googling to confirm from multiple sources that Goodwill is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Yes- Goodwill has helped several of my family members who had fallen into addiction and legal trouble. They employ people who are otherwise unemployable and help get them on their feet.
Thats not to say that this other organization isn’t great. I love that you’re highlighting local organizations that help people. But there is SO MUCH used stuff in the world. There’s enough to go around, surely.
Also- I never understand why anyone cares if someone does profit from their castoffs. We used to have a neighborhood free store. It got shut down because people were offended that some folks were coming in and getting stuff and reselling it. Anyone who has the initiative to profit from other people’s rejected items has my support. We should be encouraging this in the name of sustainability if nothing else.
I hope you’ll post a correction next week. There’s no reason to drag one non profit while promoting another
Thank you! Misinformation is so damaging, and so easy to not engage in to begin with. I volunteer at a local home center non-profit. Non-profits are allowed to make money. There are rules that govern how revenue and profit must be used, but chiefly it’s to further whatever the organization’s mission is. I get tired of the sentiment that unless a non-profit store isn’t literally handing items out to people for free, that they aren’t going any good. That’s simply not accurate. Goodwill Industries serves a valuable purpose.
Goodwill has helped my special needs sister with job training and employment. So beneficial to so many in need. My daughter in law was employed through Goodwill and worked with special needs adults, helping them to learn independence skills and taking them on social outings. They do so much good for so many groups.
Came to post about Goodwill too! Our local Goodwill has a huge social programs portfolio, where they take what they earn in the stores and channel it back into the community through paid workforce training and wrap around social services for veterans, people with disabilities, and second-chance job seekers. They are a wonderful organization and community partner. Also, I’d like to watch the Instagram links, but you have to join Instagram to see them, which defeats the purpose of posting them here for those of us not on Insta.
I was able to see the Instagram posts without having an account just by clicking on them.
Weird! This morning it just kept redirecting me to Instagram and the App Store, but I tried again and they worked!
Thank you for including the embedded Instagram content. I was able to view each of them without an account.
I also appreciate being able to see what you’ve been up to on Instagram (since I do not have an account). I’m not used to reels–is there a way to slow it down so I can see each image for a bit longer?
The problem with Goodwill isn’t that it’s for profit versus nonprofit. It is a registered nonprofit, but it has gotten a lot of controversy over the years for paying It’s disabled workers very little while its executives get paid far above average compensation. Go to the Wikipedia page and look under the criticism heading and you’ll see why it has a bad reputation with some people, especially in Portland.
Agree. Because of these issues, it’s not my first choice for donations, but it is hardly for profit. As many people have attested here in the comments, they certainly help individuals.
I’m just here to say that carousel of photos of the dining room step by step makeover was incredibly helpful! Wow. Simple but effective.
I’ve noticed the last two link ups don’t have any house tours. Have you guys decided to do away with that? I do miss it.
Agree, I miss the house tour! I loved this townhouse by Emma Ainscough.
houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/emma-ainscough-chelsea-house
I always appreciate when EHD acknowledges the enormous challenges our country is facing. And I realize your business model requires enabling and suggesting purchases. But if there’s any way to avoid steering dollars to some of the worst corporate players, that would be a huge contribution. Amazon, Target, and Home Depot are among those that many of us who are working in our communities to save democracy and protect our immigrant friends and neighbors choose to avoid.
Also add Lululemon to the list. Another horrible billionaire owner (are there any other kind?).
Came here to say the same thing. It seems like a lot of the big accounts I follow say a lot about standing against what’s happening in our country, but they still constantly and consistently link to Amazon (and others). I get that the financial aspect makes it really challenging to divest of those partnerships, but still…🫤 It’s disappointing.
Erica, I agree with you. I have finally cancelled my Amazon account because I don’t agree with their business practices, but man it is tricky! It takes me a little more effort to find what I need, but it feels really good to be supporting more businesses in my neighborhood (like my local hardware store, a well-run hardware store is amazing!). I’d much rather spend a few more dollars and keep that money in my community than give it to Amazon. I know that might not be an option for everyone for a variety of reasons, but I’m glad I’m able to.
Totally agree! I’d much rather supposed Goodwill than Amazon, Target, and Home Depot.
100%. I’m a long time reader and totally expect sponsored links and purchase suggestions. But when nine times out of ten it’s linked to Amazon or Target, it’s just like… can we branch out? These companies are actively funding or folding to Trump’s agenda – it really does matter where are individual dollars go; do we want to support their horrible regime when there are often easy alternatives? At minimum, books should be purchased anywhere but Amazon!
EHD team, what do you think?
Enthusiastic agreement! 99.9% of the time there’s an alternative to Amazon. You can get that Bissel vacuum at Best Buy.
If anyone if wondering why some might be skeptical of Goodwill, particularly people in Portland – you might want to go read the wikipedia article on it. There has been significant controversy. Being a non-profit is not a guarantee of good practices.
I came here to echo the comments on Goodwill and ask EHD to correct the post. It is irresponsible to have something factually wrong so close to the beginning of the post and expect readers to scroll all the way to the comments to see the correct information.
I think it also distracts from the very worthy organization you’re trying to highlight.
Caitlin, thank you for introducing us to Brenda. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her over the years and your relationship warms my heart. I am so sorry for your loss. We will all miss her.