Lifestyle
The Link Up: Em’s New YouTube Watch, Marlee’s Great Walking Shoes, And A Portland Sale You Are Not Going To Want To Miss
Happy Sunday, everyone. Hope we’re all doing ok. We thought we’d take a second to promote our newsletter. Mallory has been killing it with making it more fun and user-friendly. We don’t spam (we promise!), so if you aren’t signed up, go here! There’s a special and fun little new decorating guide if you do;) Ok, to the links!
This week’s house tour is of the one and only Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter. It’s an explosion of pattern and texture that’s full of art and fabric collected by Melanie herself. But what makes this layered and bold home work so harmoniously was low contrast color palettes (like Arlyn talked about here). You just have to see it for yourself.
From Emily: The older I get, the more I’m so impressed by my cohort of design influencers innovating and just continuing to put themselves out there. Amber Lewis’ new YouTube series about designing her home in Southern California is fun and absolutely worth the watch. She’s obviously incredibly talented in a million ways, but I love how this shows off her personality, and you get to see her team (which I always love when a light is shone on the people working so hard behind the scenes of larger brands/people). I know how much work (and time and money) this level of production takes to execute, so great job, Amber. I hope it takes off!! If you love great design in snackable video edits, I think you’ll really love this.
Also From Emily: As another reminder! For all my Portland friends, Saturday, April 11th, I’ll be having a pop-up sale at Community Warehouse, where I’m bringing like 10 racks of clothes that are in great condition. An occupational hazard of the job is that I need to wear what is current – clothes I legitimately love. But I can’t keep accumulating clothes without purging, and most of my clothes aren’t high-end enough to go to consignment, but they are almost in perfect condition, so it feels sad to donate to Goodwill. So I offered to do a pop-up for 4 hours where CW gets all the money from the sales, while I get to meet a lot of you, which really fills up my bucket. More details to come, but we are thinking I’ll be there from 11-3 pm at the Community Warehouse location on MLK. I’ll bring a lot of other swag that is sent to me that I don’t need – think candles, beauty, some lamps/bedding – all things that had to be shot, but are in perfect condition. Think more garage sale than flea market. Come say hi!!!
This week’s Instagram highlights in case you missed them:
From Mallory: I finally (after years and years) caved and bought a new pair of UGG slippers!! I had had these for so long that the fuzz basically disappeared, so I thought, why not invest in a new pair? So I popped into Nordstrom since I had a gift card and tried on the ones with the back on them this time…surprise surprise – I LOVE THEM. I wear them pretty much every day and am truly never going back!!
From Caitlin: I’ve been spending nights and weekends cleaning out my childhood home. I’ve found some incredible stuff, like an 1800s bible from Sweden, photos of my family’s farm in Poland, a family tree that places my ancestors in New York in the 1700s (!!!), but I’ve also discovered like, nine hundred boxes of Christmas decorations and all my childhood books and my mom’s riding trophies and ancient cassette tapes. My immediate, emotional instinct is to keep everything – and I am getting a storage unit for some furniture and art, which I hope to be able to use one day – but the sad reality is that I cannot stash infinite ephemera. Enter: this video from Rajiv Surendra, which reminded me to be ruthless with my decluttering. Perhaps it might help with your spring cleaning, too? (PS. Once I get everything sorted, I’m getting the house ready for sale – my goal is to have the home on the market in May/June. But man, it is overwhelming – I’ve never even bought a house, so the idea that I’d be selling one never even crossed my mind. I will take ANY and ALL tips on this front – when did you enlist your realtor? How much did you fix up? Did you repaint, or was a magic eraser enough? Do I need to get the driveway repaved? Would love any real-life stories of how you got your home ready to sell, and if your investments were worth it. I have no family left to ask, take pity on me!!!)
From Gretchen: If you’re like me and struggle with time blindness (aka my insane inability to show up ANYWHERE on time or early), then you know how important it is to have visible clocks all around the house. And I do mean all around. Microwave clock? On (and set three min fast to give me a buffer). Oven? Same deal. Bedroom alarm clock? Digital, visible, and usually yelling at me to get up. But my best trick to have on hand are these tiny digital clocks from IKEA. They are the perfect discreet size, battery powered (and last forever), and I’m not kidding when I say I have at least one in every room of my place. They’ve had them for a while, and I’ve collected them in other colors, but they just released a fun cobalt blue color that I had to grab. Well, actually, I bought four. They are ONLY $2 (!!!) and are such a game-changer for me. Simple design, fun color, functional, and cheap!
From Marlee: If you’re looking for a fun pair of shoes that can jazz up a casual outfit, but can also be worn for long walks or hikes, I love these shoes from Keen. They come in a ton of fun color ways and are incredibly comfortable, so I can walk around in them for HOURS. I would say they’re true to size! I also have had this pair of shoes from Keen for a couple of years now, and they’re so so comfortable. I love having shoes that aren’t “true” athletic shoes, but can make an outfit feel a little more sporty.
From Arlyn: I used to follow an account on Instagram that would share home tours from yesteryear, and I LOVED it. I’ve since not been able to find that, but Architectural Digest just reposted Barbara Streisand’s home tour from 1993 on their feed, and it was so fun for me to see. The black-and-pink tile kitchen. The 1970s/’80s Art Deco vibes. The fact that her closet is still relevant for today’s style! It’s wild and over-the-top and definitely a moment in time, design-wise, but I wanted to share. There aren’t a ton of images, but still an entertaining swipe through. Does anyone else have other accounts that share similar things?!?
From Jess: Ok, here are three videos that have been really bringing me joy. So if you need a little smile, here you go:) I simply can’t stop watching this video and this video of Ethan Hawke. Also, this “dance take” video of the Hamnet cast is everything.
Thanks for hanging with us today for a bit, and see you tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Creating An Outdoor Oasis At The Carly With AllModern – The Case For The Matching Set
Caitlin, ask around for realtor recommendations. Word of mouth is best. A really good one will be trustworthy, pleasant to be around, a straight talker, and can tell you exactly what, and what not, to fix or upgrade. Best of luck to you!
Caitlin, I’m so sorry about this epic task at hand. I would recommend focusing on finding a realtor sooner rather than later, and working with this person to determine the amount of work and expense on your end that would maximize ROI. It really depends so much on the local market!
Hi Caitlin! My aunt is a great realtor in Greenville. I’d be happy to connect you, and I’d let her know you’re not ready to select a realtor, you’re just looking for advice on how to prep the house. She lives and breathes Delaware real estate!
Caitlin, sending you a big giant huge enormous virtual hug. If you’re interested in other cleaning videos to have on in the background, I highly recommend The Space Maker Method on YouTube. I’d start with Julia’s NYC apartment declutter.
Jess, thank you for the video links. I thoroughly enjoyed them.
Some thoughts: split the cost of a good stager with your realtor- it really helped me sell a house.
i bought really cheap carpet from a store recommended by a property manager. HUGE bang for the buck.start now on curbside appeal- if needed a landscaping crew can work wonders in a day, prune for optimum growth, etc.
To show the love for the house, I put a 3 ring binder with plastic sleeves holding manuals, warranties, photos in other seasons(epic snowstorm) on the kitchen table. Also list of nearby attractions, parks, schools and restaurants.
i discovered spray plastic paint, made the melamine under the kitchen sink look brand new!
i stocked the frig with water bottles, seltzer, protein bars. The realtor could be gracious, and dehydrated buyers aren’t the best.
Good luck.
Ok, wow, these are such actionable, low lift, affordable things to do that I could see paying off. Thanks for sharing!
I’m a professional home organizer and I work in tandem with high quality real estate agents. Weeding through a lifetime of stuff is very emotional and stressful and it feels like it takes forever. An organizer will help you make thoughtful decisions. You can find a certified professional organizer at napo.net. One note about storage units–they are a repository for your delayed decisions. Give yourself an end date for the unit like a year or less. At what point does the cost of the unit exceed the value of the stuff?
Guys, did I miss something about Caitlin and Brenda???? I’m worried.