Happy Sunday, everyone. Some big shoots have been happening that you’ll get to see with your own eyes in the next few weeks. We promise you’re going to love them! This is also our last week with Em until she embarks on her spring break adventure so it’s going to be a busy one:) So take a few minutes to relax with us before it’s pedal to the metal time. Let’s link!
This week’s house tour is just the definition of cool elegance. The mix of seating, the color palette, the way the art is hung. It’s a must see!
From Emily: A show to binge – unsettling, sad, disturbing, but well done. As you know, I’m a former Mormon and also an influencer but that’s where my commonalities end with Ruby Franke – the YouTube mom who destroyed her family, abused her children, and really shocked the world. The 3-part Hulu documentary recently dropped with 1000s of hours of unseen footage and interviews from her husband and two oldest children. Like all moms (or humans) I have such intense compassion for these kids… Listen, there are dark underbellies to all things, and I don’t think this is a specifically Mormon story but I get extra creeped out when I see things in people that I see in myself and then they end up doing what she did. It, of course, made me wonder if I’ve ever exploited our kids for my career (I really don’t think I have and they BEG to be featured more which I don’t). But the whole “striving to be the perfect mom” thing, I fear is Mormon cultural conditioning and something that I need to watch more closely in myself… Anyway, watch the show if this piques your interest. It’s 3 hours and fascinating (and seems as though the family members involved really wanted to do it to help tell their side of the story).
From Marlee: A recent read that I truly have not been able to stop thinking about is I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman – it follows an anonymous narrator who has been raised in an underground prison along with 39 other women – they have no measurement of time and don’t know how they got there. The 39 women remember their lives before their mysterious imprisonment, but our younger narrator’s knowledge of the world (and of herself) is only shaped by what she has learned from the other women. It sounds bleak – and it is – but it’s haunting in the “I’m never going to forget this” type of way. It’s dystopian and a little sci-fi, discusses womanhood, friendship, love and death, and is deeply introspective and thought provoking. It’s a short read (200ish pages) and packs a major punch. It’s one of those books where you go in expecting one thing and it turns out to be something else that you didn’t necessarily want but you’re not mad about it? That’s how I felt at least. If anyone has read this and has similar book recommendations please let me know because I’m itching to feel this way again!
From Mallory: I (luckily) escaped the LA rain last week and ventured over to Hawaii for the trip of a lifetime!! Before I left I found a Nordstrom giftcard in my wallet and snagged this insanely gorgeous dress that’s perfect for any spring break trip you may have coming up (and if you’re in a time crunch you can order online and pick it up like I did FYI). I felt like a princess walking around in this bad boy – it’s very high quality and has the cutest drop waist but doesn’t lay super tight which was ideal after mai tais from Monkeypod (which I just found out are the most delicious mai tais ever if you happen to be traveling to Maui – go there). Anyway, shoutout to Farm Rio for always nailing fun resort wear and cool patterns – and shoutout Caitlin for showing me the brand years ago!
From Gretchen: If you saw Jess’ post a few days ago, outdoor spaces are on the mind–and on mine too. I have a small deck attached to my place, roughly 10ft by 10ft, and I am slowly but surely getting it ready to enjoy this summer. Soon I’ll be inheriting a few gently used outdoor furniture pieces and I’ve been on the lookout for some additional decor pieces to bring it all together. The main problem is my deck isn’t looking the prettiest at the moment–the railings are grungy from the rain and the decking is a little worse for wear. I stopped into World Market to do some prop shopping for a shoot we had and found myself checking out their outdoor rug selection. I was pretty impressed! I’m still pulling together my moodboards for my outdoor space, but I’m really leaning toward this rug. I like that it’s fairly affordable and even more so that it’s reversible, so I can spread out the wear or change up the feel of the space. It looks like a rug I’d keep inside, which is also important because I have french doors that connect my deck to my living room and I’d like the spaces to feel fairly cohesive. But I was also eyeballing this green rug, because I do feel like some color out there could be nice (and it’s about $50 cheaper), but I’m not sure if the pattern is too much for me. We’ll see. Both are on my rug ‘yes’ list for now until the furniture is in place and I can get a better idea of what will look best!
From Jess: In case any of you are Summer House watchers, I am a huge fan of Amanda’s current style. To me, she’s the epitome of the effortless cool girl. I want to dress like her when I grow up even though I’m older:) So it was very exciting when she announced her second capsule collection with Otra Eyewear. I’m so happy for her and the sunglasses are, of course, extremely cool. I really love these.
From Caitlin: I’m a few weeks late, but I really enjoyed this piece in the New Yorker on the democrat-driven housing shortages in our major cities. In our attempt to safely regulate the construction industry over the past several decades, we made it nearly impossible to build at all – it’s a glaring policy failure that contributed to the mess we’re in now. I’m a major YIMBY type (and a card-carrying member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, to boot!) and am really heartened that folks on both sides of the aisle are leaning into pro-housing, pro-building policies – I genuinely believe the world will be better when we’re not spending a majority of our income on shelter. (If you’re interested in learning more on this topic, Ezra Klein’s new book Abundance drops this week.)
From Arlyn: Remember that time I wrote about fiber and almost the entire comment section of the Link Up was about fiber? (It was like two weeks ago haha). Well, I forgot I meant to share the Mott Fiber Chart I got from my dietician that has been so helpful for me! It’s nowhere near complete—I wish it better compared things like black beans vs. pinto beans (which are a fiber powerhouse, FYI)—but it’s been a useful tool for me and maybe it will be for you! Happy fibering.
Thank you for stopping by and see y’all tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Another Design Box Checked – The Kids’ Bath Wallpaper Reveal!
