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The Link Up: The Riveting And Eye-Opening Article Em Is Recommending To Literally Everyone, Mal’s $7 Flower Arranging Hack, And Three Summer Dresses We All Love
Here we are in mid-July! Em’s at the mountain house, the team is getting in their summer vacations, and farmhouse posts are coming in HOT! We are grateful to have you with us as always and hope you are getting into those summer activities too. But right now it’s time for LINKS!
This week’s house tour is home of Lyndon Cormack, one of the founders of Herschel Supply Co, and designed/renovated it with Mark Burkart of Little Giant Studio. As a mountain lover who grew up snowboarding, Lyndon’s dream of owning a log cabin was realized with this home. We LOVE the THICK logs, the black wood kitchen, and the juxtaposition of all the modern art and whimsical lighting. It’s all just very cool and very cozy. Go check out the rest of the house here!
From Emily: I found this article about being non-binary, RIVETING, and highly educational. It’s by Brock Colyar and it’s for anyone who doesn’t feel like they grasp non-binary identification (i.e. a lot of people). IF you find yourself resisting this and feeling frustrated by this shift in gender norms, then this is a good non-lecturing entertaining way to learn about it. It really surprised me, gave me strange relief (not sure if that’s just through feeling educated), and generally helped me understand those who identify as non-binary and more importantly why they identify that way (and some things we should and shouldn’t do). It’s great.
From Caitlin: Grabbed this sweet linen-blend dress on a whim earlier this month when I was outlet shopping in Rehoboth (tax free, baby!!!). I had pretty low expectations (read: no expectations) when I headed into the dressing room as this cut isn’t traditionally my favorite – the tiered cut usually reads “maternity” on me because of my bust + hips – but I was SO pleasantly surprised. It’s weirdly flattering (expected it to be more “babydoll,” but it definitely came in a bit closer to my actual waist) and it has tie-shoulders, which means I could customize it to show less cleavage (or more cleavage, if you wanna flaunt the ladies. Not judging here!). The reviews say it works great for smaller chests, but my 36Fs felt great in it, too. BIG FAN! Who woulda guessed?!?!
Also From Caitlin: I BOUGHT AN AIR FRYER. I really struggle with cooking – it’s not a skillset I ever picked up and it’s something that makes me really frustrated as an adult (there’s a vicious cycle of “I’m so bad at this, and I don’t want to practice, because I’m SO BAD AT THIS”) – but I gottttttttta cool it with the delivery fees, you know? This is the one I got (suckered by those Prime Day deals!!!) – does anyone have any tips, links to favorite recipes, words of encouragement, etc.? Books or Youtube channels? Pro tips? ANYTHING? Please help – I’m floundering over here:)
Look at this brand-new hotel! Jess and her friend Casey got to have a quick little tour of the new Nine Orchard hotel in LES, NYC and they were stunned. A former bank built in 1912, this building has been beautifully restored. The details are out of this world. If you are in or going to New York anytime soon, it’s a must-see.
From Mallory: I just got influenced to buy this flower frog (which I had never heard of before, but apparently, it’s a commonly used tool to do Japanese Ikebana – which is a type of artistic floral styling). I saw it in this video and it makes your flowers look SO beautiful and I can’t wait to try it and incorporate it into my own home. It’s also very affordable at only $7 for the piece, then you can put it in whatever pretty bowl you want.
From Ryann: I have three weddings left to attend this year (including my own–wild) and I know I am not the only one experiencing wedding fatigue. So if you are looking for a wedding guest dress for any upcoming nuptials, allow me to introduce you to the dress I wore to a wedding a few weeks ago and received so many compliments on. It has a super cute criss-cross halter neck line (eliminating the need to wear any necklaces), and is comfortable, flirty, and a little sexy. I got it in the dark brown color and feel it’s perfect for a semi-formal wedding or event (and on sale!).
From Jess: I’m back on the thong train but the last thing I wanted to do was spend a bunch of money on underwear. While out to dinner, my friend happened to tell about these no-show ones! You get 5 for $15 and they are comfortable. I got my normal size but when I first put them on they were a little tight. However, after a wash they slightly stretched out making them perfect.
Also from Jess: I recently heard about this new inclusive makeup line called GUIDE Beauty that actress and MS/disability advocate, Selma Blair is now the Chief Creative Officer. The founder, Terri Bryant, is a celebrity makeup artist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and lost the dexterity in her hands. So out of a desire to help those like her have better/usable products she created her brand. They have an incredible line of inclusive brushes, with a new set coming out soon, as well as a few makeup products. In Terri’s words, “From the novice to somebody who has challenges with movement or strength and even the professional makeup artist on set, GUIDE’s products enhance the lives of makeup users everywhere.”
Also Also From Jess: As I spoke at length about, I recently went to a dear friend’s wedding on the east coast a couple of weeks ago. It was a blast and my mom’s dress/shoe selection all worked out perfectly (see above:)). But one of the bride’s cousins was wearing THE CUTEST dress and it’s taking every ounce of me not to buy it because I technically don’t need it. But if you are looking for a cute wedding guest dress, this one is great (and not at all as shiny as it shows on the site!)
Well, that’s it from us today! See y’all tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Design by Lyndon Cormack and Mark Burkart of Little Giant Studio | Photo by Ema Peter | via Clever
Caitlin, I remember whrn Emily didn’t cook! And look at her go now! (as well as Brian)
Maybe the air fryer is ypur key into the world of cooking?
My nephew and his wife have one and they make everything from pizza (with their 4 and 6 year olds) to sausages and Butter Chicken in it!
Doesn’t it come with a book?
One quick Google search = limitless possibilities!
You can do it!?
Gotta say, a “hack” uses someting not normally used for that specific purpose.
Given that a ‘flower frog’ is designed and specifically used to hold flowers in place, it ain’t a hack, just a really useful object worth sharing!
Caitlin, congrats on starting your cooking journey. Words of encouragement: no one is born knowing how to cook. We all learned. We all make mistakes. Unless it’s completely inedible, it’s a success.
skills advice: an air fryer is basically a small convection oven. So anything you want to have a surface that’s dry and crispy is best, but likely baked anything could work. Appliances can certainly inspire. But there is no short cutting learning fundamentals. Good news, it’s just 80% practice and 20% access to quality ingredients. California has a lot of great food, readily available, at lower cost than many other parts of the country.
My advice is get a good chefs knife, a mandolin and a nonstick fry pan. Start with food assembly (sandwiches, salads, non-baked pasta dishes). Maybe learn a sauce or dressing you like on everything. You’ll learn how to prepare ingredients for cooking as you also eat better and more cheaply. I bought Mark Bittmans The Minimalist Cooks Dinner and referenced it for years (still do).
learning to cook what you like to eat is essential to a good life, imho. Good luck!
Emily, thank you for sharing information about nonbinary folks! ??? I know it can feel like a daunting subject but learning about and normalizing the gender spectrum literally makes the world safer❤️
Mel (a mom to two nonbinary kids)
Yes!! Came here to say the same thing – THANK YOU, Emily ❤ and the article is a really good starting place!!
Yes, thank you Emily (and Brock!) .
Caitlin, Everything I know about using my air fryer has been from Skinny taste. The skinny taste air fryer cookbook is a great place to start and has a mix of easy and more complex recipes. Her website also can be filtered by air fryer. Lots of good ones on there! For an even easier start, throw some trader Joe’s potstickers in there with a spritz of olive oil, 370 degrees for 10 min. Perfection! Have fun!
I’m an air fryer convert (mine is a Cosari) after resisting the purchase for months. It’s a perfect appliance when cooking for 1 or 2 people. Instead of heating up your oven and your house to roast vegetables, stick them in the air fryer (spray them with avocado oil and throw some salt on them) at about 400 degrees. I’ve done green beans (about 10 min), broccoli (about 8 min). Delish every time. You can do baked russet or sweet potatoes. It really is terrific for roasting veggies. I also use it for reheating leftovers (like leftover french fries — they crisp up again! — and pizza).
The best thing I’ve made in my air fryer is salmon. Take 3 or so 1-inch salmon filets, put a mix of gochujang, paprika, a tspn of oil, and whatever other spices you like, slather it on the salmon, cook the filets in the air fryer for 18-20 minutes (9 to 10 min a side). Absolutely perfect every time.
Flower frogs can often be found for $1-2 at flea markets. Antique stores price them s little higher, but about the same as the Amazon one linked. I’ve started collecting them when I spot one at a flea market, and have a collection of sizes to use when arranging flowers.
Jess – I love your mom’s red dress on you! Gorgeous!
Oh yes! Jess, your mom’s dress looks amazing on you!?
Caitlin. Skinnytaste has the BEST recipes! You must head there to get inspiration for air fryer and other recipes. Her recipes are all really amazing. And Ryann, Jess and Caitlin you look really amazing in those dresses. How fun.
On learning to cook:
The best way is to find someone to teach you in real life. The good news is that you probably know a lot of people who are good cooks. Just start asking around. This is a great way to get to know people.
If this sounds too informal, I’m sure you could find some cooking classes to attend.
If that doesn’t work for you, think of something you’d like to eat and look it up on YouTube. You can probably find a video of someone making just about anything you can think of.
As you learn, embrace learning a little at a time. Maybe the first time you make spaghetti, you use boxed noodles, a jar of sauce, and frozen meatballs. Maybe (if you really love spaghetti) you work up to making the sauce. Then later on when that’s second nature to you, you make the meatballs. And hey, before you know it, you see a great deal on a pasta machine at the flea market and think, hmmm… The point is, take your time, build your confidence, and don’t worry about doing it all perfectly.
Thank you for the Colyar article. Very helpful. As a side note, I hope your blog will consider adding the following to your editorial writing guide: do not ascribe gender to inanimate objects. I’m sure it started out as something considered amusing. But the times have moved on. Thanks.
What is offensive about this practice, exactly? It’s okay if you wouldn’t choose to do so or even find it annoying, but I don’t think it’s harming anyone to refer to an object with gendered pronouns.
So Emily directs people to a piece on nonbinary pronouns and this is the response?
It’s never enough, is it?
Caitlin, a snack we make constantly in the air fryer is kale chips. Take some kale, we like dinosaur kale, and cut it up into about 1″ pieces, tossing the thick stems, then massage avocado oil into them (don’ spray or just toss, it will not coat them well). Then toss with salt and put them in the air fryer. They are so yummy. We also use them as a topping on some dishes, including soup.
One tip; I put foil or parchment paper on the bottom. I measure the bottom of the air fryer pan and cut them out. It makes for an easy clean up.
loved the article recommendation! as a he/they, feels great when there’s attention brought to this topic. and on my favorite design site?! *chef’s kiss*
Thanks for sharing such tool
Caitlyn: I recently visited a friend who has an air fryer. She took a bag of frozen whole okra, sprinkled the okra with some salt, pepper, and Indian spices, and air-fried them. The okra was delicious! Crispy on the outside, and not slimy on the inside. Enjoy, and please do share your future recipe successes.