Happy Sunday, y’all! Hope everyone had a really wonderful week. We are currently OOO, getting to spend some quality time with loved ones, which we feel so freaking grateful for. No other EHD updates, so please enjoy this week’s links.

This week’s house tour is so stunning! Mallory put it in our “watercooler” Slack channel. We were all gushing over it. Oh, and the amazing Commune Design is behind it, so no wonder we were all in love. Enjoy!

From Emily: Cathy and Gartett (The Grit and Polish) revealed their Poplar Cottage kitchen, which they have been working on for over 5 years (the project took many turns). As you know, I love a long-form blog post and appreciate the hard work that goes into this job more than most, so in case you missed it, head over and see their kitchen reveal. It’s sweet, warm, thoughtful, and hardworking (just like them). It’s meant to be a rental, so they made a lot of choices with that in mind, and it turned out so high quality, inviting, and just really “them”. Great job, guys!

Also From Emily: Just want to give my slippers a shout out since they are my new favorite toy. Since I work from home, I wear slippers every day and take them very seriously. I like the easy-to-slip-on ones, the moccasins, and the tall Uggs. I wish they weren’t so expensive, but the last time I had them, they lasted 3 years (in Arrowhead and Oregon).

From Jess: In another effort to stay warm on the East Coast, I bought this incredibly cute striped knitted scarf neckerchief. What’s even better is that it’s also delicate enough to wear on a chilly night in LA. I bought the blue and brown striped one, but there are so many color options. I want more! It’s that perfect accessory that makes a simple outfit really cool and elevated.

From Arlyn: This time of year, you’re either strapped for cash or feeling like you’re ready to get your hands into something new…or both. So I’ve got something for either of these types. My daughter had a craft fair at school to wrap up the semester, and we made worry stones. What I thought would be great for kids ended up being even better for adults! We love having one around to rub; it really calms the nervous system down to fidget with something, and the gentle swirling of the thumb does just the trick. I followed this tutorial (sort of); we skipped all the fancy extras, but liked how the creator explained smoothing the edges and forming the shape. I had some glossy Modge Podge sitting around, so we sealed ours with that since the matte clay out of the oven didn’t feel great.

From Gretchen: I was really inspired by Marlee’s DIY gift post from a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t help but make one of her craft ideas for my parents. My family isn’t huge on gift giving at this stage in our lives (the STUFF of it all just gets a bit overwhelming, and as cliche as it sounds, all we really need is each other’s good company to celebrate); however, a small, sentimental, and functional DIY gift totally flies! Using Mar’s recommended Sculpey and mini magnets, plus these stamp letters and cookie (clay) cutters I found, I made some pretty cute mini magnet photo frames. I painted the borders, stamped them 2025, and sealed my creations with glossy spray paint, like she suggested, then attached magnets on the back with Gorilla glue. I have this super awesome Liene photo-sticker printer (it’s so easy and fast to use and really comes in handy for a number of crafts) and printed out some photos we took together when my parents were out here for Thanksgiving. Both of them loved it (I loved making it), and each little frame found a spot on their fridge right away. So fun!

From Mallory: If you’re reading this, I’m likely already in Los Alamos on a little weekend getaway with my boyfriend, Austin! Last year, around this time, we last minute went up to Paso Robles with my parents, and my mom had the idea to stop in this tiny, adorable little town for some BBQ on the way (and Austin loves BBQ, so it was an easy sell). You guys, the town is ADORABLE and only 2 hours from LA. I’ve been to Solvang and Los Olivos a ton, but never popped into this area – it feels like a mini town in Texas but with a very California flair (read: natural wine is present). The whole town it’s one street basically, so it’s super quaint, but it’s full of cute antique shops, insane BBQ, coffee/pastry shops, and the most iconic billiards dive bar. We booked a reservation super far in advance for Bells (yup – there’s one Michelin star restaurant and it’s supposed to be AMAZING). When we left last year, we knew we needed to come back and spend more time – so that’s exactly what we’re doing, and if you’re in the LA area (or really anywhere) it’s such a fun getaway that’s so underrated IMHO.

From Marlee: I have pretty dry skin in the winter (which a ton of folks can relate to), but holy $%#& my forehead specifically gets SO dry and itchy. I’ll put a thick layer of moisturizer on, and within 10 minutes, it’s screaming for more, and I’ll end up carrying lotion around to reapply just on my forehead every hour. About a month ago, I could feel the dryness coming on, so I started researching new moisturizers to try and ended up getting the Instant-Angel Firming Moisturizer by Dieux. I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks now, and I’m obsessed. It’s SO rich and soft, and I love that it literally smells like nothing (sometimes lotions will say “unscented,” but it still has that sort of clinical smell IYKWIM). My forehead is feeling really happy, and my entire face feels so soft. I also get really dry under eyes and started to notice a lot of redness and irritation, so I got up the Dieux Reviving Eye Gel as well, and it’s amazing. A little goes a long way, and I’ve noticed a lot less redness around my eyes since I started using it. This part is totally optional, but I’ve been applying it and then wearing the undereye patches for 20-30 mins, which apparently helps lock the moisture in. I can’t tell if they do anything for sure because I started using both products at the same time, but overall, this routine has helped immensely (I also love that the eye patches are reusable). My friend had recommended these products to me a long, long time ago, so I’m so happy I finally tried them! I have a feeling they’ll be in my routine for a while.

We so appreciate you and see you tomorrow for a fun one. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Dressing Up Holiday Sweaters For A Party (While Still Being Comfortable)