I, Emily Henderson, am hijacking your attention and Jess’ usual linkup to celebrate Jess’ 10 year WORK ANNIVERSARY!! Jess Bunge, you magical soul of a human, is our favorite, most creative, hard working, compassionate, talented editorial leader. I feel endlessly grateful and lucky to have her and hope to God I can continue to keep her for many more years. I’ve said it before, but working at such a small company for one very flawed human is not always easy. Of course I try hard to do all the things, but I don’t take the years for granted and feel just incredibly appreciative of the decade of dedication. Jess is such a huge part of the success of the business and the heart and soul of the blog. She does so much behind the scenes as well, and I rely on her so much to help guide decisions or just make great judgement calls. Digital media is a very scary place without the right support, both emotionally and professionally. I hope I can continue to support Jess like she supports me and the business (and you). Plus her Moto designs are incredible – that woman has serious design talent! We celebrated her during our last retreat and surprised her with a pontoon ride and a big fun dinner out (with balloons and a pretty epic “compliment jar” where we showered her with so much praise and love). It was quite the love fest, as it should be. So lets give Jess some love in the comments – this blog would truly not be here in this way without her leading every single day. Happy 10 year Workaversary Jess. I thank the God and universe for you and am so grateful for you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. xx

Happy 10 Year Work Anniversary Jess!!!!!!!!

Now Back to the linkup that Jess had fully prepped 🙂

Happy Sunday, everyone! The photoshoots have. not. stopped. And we are getting very ready to start this holiday season. We are also pretty excited to get even more down and dirty with the Lowe’s kitchen budget. Here’s the cabinet budget post in case you missed it. Ok, let’s talk links!

This week’s house tour is the ultimate example of style contrast, and it’s incredible. Just north of Barcelona, this home, from the early to mid-1800s, has been beautifully reimagined while keeping a lot of the original features. What’s even cooler is that this home has never left the family; the great-great-grandson of the original owner, along with his wife, are the ones who hired Barcelona architect Raúl Sánchez to make it work for their lives. Go read all the history and enjoy this incredible home.

From Emily: Legit torn about which plaid overcoat to get – they are both  SOO GOOD. The first one is black/brown plaid from  Marine Layer, coming in at $288, which is a lot (but y’all, everything at Nordstroms, Madewell, and even Banana Republic was like $450 for long wool overcoats). And a lot of those were just solid black or camel, which is great, but I like a little more personality and not to look so serious (I don’t have a serious office job, as you know). This one fits so well, has great tailoring in the shoulder, big deep-lined pockets, and the color palette is so easy to wear on all occasions. The plaid doesn’t go “bathrobe-y” at all. God, I’m really talking myself into this one right now.

The second one was my initial gut favorite; with the powder blue plaid, it’s just so fun and stylish. It’s also $168, so it’s much less expensive, and it has a better lining and more of a pea-coat vibe. But it is less versatile (maybe?) because it’s a bolder pattern. It feels more “me,” but I’m extremely drawn to having a more sophisticated, subtle alternative!!! What to do????

From Caitlin: I regret to inform you that the Oura Ring 5 does, unfortunately, live up to the hype. Den recently upgraded us (a big “thank you” to his HSA), and I absolutely love this little health monitor – it’s 40% smaller than the old version, lasts 9 days (!!!) on a single charge, and offers a ton of nuanced data on everything from nighttime breathing rates to stress levels to body temperature to cardio capacity to the distance of my bike rides and more. Sadly, I do require some type of feedback loop to keep myself (relatively) healthy, and all of this information is like catnip to me – I really love this little ring. (It also blows every Apple Watch and Fitbit I’ve ever worn out of the water – there isn’t even a comparison.) If you’re looking for a slam dunk gift this holiday…this one’s it.

From Arlyn: I’m excited to report that fall has arrived for us in the mid-Atlantic. It was a long, hot summer, but pulling from the top of my closet, where I store my cool/cold weather pieces, has me with an extra pep in my morning step. One of my absolute favorite things to throw on for school drop-off (or basically any casual activity) is my American Eagle snap-front sweatshirt. I most certainly wrote about it last year when I bought it, but it’s time to remind everyone about it! It’s one of their best-sellers for a reason; oh, and they added a new henley-style version in the same shape that I’m also looking to add to my closet, considering how much I wear my existing sweater. Be warned: These run HUGE. I normally wear an XL in tops, and I can get away with a medium here if I want it slouchy and long, and even a small if I’m after a less roomy fit.

Willoughby Chair | Piano Stool | Bar Cart

In case you missed it, the Jon Batiste & Suleika Jaouad Collab with Anthropologie just dropped! They said that they wanted to create things that they couldn’t find for their own home. It’s fun, colorful, happy, and has the same wonderful energy they bring to the world. We are big fans of the furniture in particular.

From Gretchen: I’m still on my Korean skincare journey and was recently turned onto a new sunscreen that I’ve been adding into my routine and simply love! It’s the Beauty of Joseon face sunscreen. The packaging is nice and quiet (yes, that stuff matters to me), and the product is so easy to apply and feels very light. It doesn’t feel greasy at all and is super easy to layer under my makeup. I’ve been wearing it for weeks now, and my skin really agrees with it.

From Jess: Last weekend, a new friend of mine was wearing these pants and my lord, they were cute! As you know, we are Colette pant fans, but these have a scalloped edge around the pockets that gives them some edge. I have a pair of the classic corduroys, and they honestly feel like pajamas; they are so comfortable. They are perfect for the fall and perfect for the holidays.

From Marlee: Last week I was at Em’s filming some social content and got to test out a couple of candles that she had ordered. We lit this Santal one to give our video a nice ambiance, and it smelled SO. GOOD. For only $24, I would say it’s almost a perfect dupe for this $40 candle that I’ve reordered a few times, so I’ll definitely be ordering the $24 instead next. I know that ordering candles online is risky, but you really can’t go wrong with this one. We also tried the Minerale candle that I know is one of Mal’s favorites – this one smelled very, very crisp and clean. The Balsam Fir one was also very, very nice as a winter scent – I have a major aversion to artificial pine or fir scents (even the Trader Joe’s one is a little too artificial-smelling for me), but this one was great! Looks like you save some money if you bundle 2 or more candles. I will definitely be ordering some for my house!

From Mallory: Last year during Black Friday weekend, I went into Williams Sonoma and found MY DREAM pumpkin Staub on a massive discount (I’ve been tempted to get one for years, but I was never going to drop $380 full price). The only con about getting it during Black Friday was that I had to wait an entire year to pull it out for fall – but let me tell you, when I whipped this thing out to make butternut squash sage pasta, IT WAS WELL WORTH THE WAIT. It is back on a LARGE discount (but you can actually still enjoy it during fall!). I am Staub’s biggest fan – their products are excellent quality:)

It was great spending some time with you today! See ya tomorrow xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House Reveal: Our Light-Filled Neutral & Textural Living Room