The Link Up: The O Shows Emily’s Whole Family Loves, The Pants Julie’s Been Living In, & A $12 T-Shirt Dress

Posted On May 23, 2020 By admin With Comments Off

photo by victoria hely-hutchinson | design by emily adams bode | via architectural digest

Hello friends and welcome back. We are feeling extra chatty today so we’re going to get right to this week’s lengthy link up:)

This week’s home tour does colorful and textural in the best possible way. Head over to give your eyeballs a real treat (and let’s definitely talk about how great that cobalt blue accent wall is).

From Emily: “We finally found now THREE shows that all four of us look forward to watching together (we tried many others). Magic For Humans, LegoMasters, and now Nailed it. It’s a cooking competition for amateur bakers trying to do advanced cakes/cookies etc. and it’s meant to be hilarious and it really is. Brian and the kids laugh out loud a lot (and he’s been a fan of the host Nicole Byer for years – she’s hilarious). There are so many seasons to go through and it’s keeping us entertained most nights. Our kids had an idea to do a family team competition against each other which sounded like so much fun. So we are going to divide up into teams this Saturday and try to bake and decorate something far outside of our skillset. I mean, it’s something to make the weekend feel different.”

Also From Emily: “We’ve had this one step ladder that we bring from bathroom to kitchen back to bathroom and kitchen for both handwashing and to help cook and it was driving me NUTS. We also didn’t have one in their bathroom and it’s time for them to start brushing their teeth at the sink, not us chasing them around and pinning them down in bed (lovingly). In LA I have one from Serena & Lily that I love, but I found one 1/3rd the price on Etsy that is equally as cute and comes in all black, white/wood, and all-natural wood. The stool schlep is over.”

Lastly, From Emily: “My go-to bag that is the perfect size for everything I need to carry (including my laptop) and I have talked about many times on this blog is 30% off through today only and it could be a great mother’s day gift. Parker Clay is a truly incredible company giving so much back. If you are interested here is a bit more about them and what they are trying to do.

From Sara: We all know about my love for Bloomist (and the wood chain I featured in my living room reveal), but I’m currently looking eyeing this simple, beautiful vase as a potential Mother’s Day gift. It’s coming up quick! They also offer a line of eco-faux florals (made from recycled single-use bottles, for all you black thumbs out there) and I think this one would also be a great gift.

From Mallory: “I had big plans last month to go to this fancy gala, but life happened and I quickly realized I needed my fancy dress money back. So I returned it (although now it’s on sale for 70% off) & got my Nordstroms gift card back in my pocket. I’ve been pondering what the heck I should spend this gift card on (like do I really need anything right now??) but I found something good. I was going to keep this link a secret because I felt so scummy and guilty at first, but then I read a Manrepeller article that Caitlin sent me about what people are spending money on, and this comment felt very relatable: “I’m honestly not ashamed to say I’ve been spending a considerable amount of money on clothes. I’ve been supporting local brands, enjoying the reduced prices (some brands I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise), and most of all, it makes me happy amidst all the chaos. My therapist also said that buying stuff is an attempt at controlling the situation around you, which I agree is true. AM I JUST LONGING TO FIND CONTROL? Or did I just buy these shoes because they’re literally $100 off?? I’m genuinely not sure the motive behind it…do you guys feel like you want to buy stuff or not? What are you spending money on right now??”

From Caitlin: “Confession: before I decided to do laundry in the tub, I did the lazy thing first and actually just ordered some more comfy home clothes. I ended up grabbing this t-shirt dress in a few colors because it was only 12 dollars, there’s nothing comfier than wearing a giant shirt with no pants, and it can be repurposed for actual clothing later. BIG FAN.”

From Ryann: “I’ve been coveting this dress that Emily has had for a while and I don’t know why, now that I have absolutely nowhere to go, I felt compelled to buy it. Nevertheless, I am SO excited for it to come in the mail, and will probably wear it to work from home everyday. “

From Jess: “I want to give a second shoutout to Supergoop! and their sunscreen that Whitney recommended yesterday. She uses the “Matte” formula while I use the “Unseen” version. Both are likely wonderful but since I have only used Unseen I am going to just speak to that one:) Ok so here is the deal. I am not an avid everyday sunscreen wearer. I know it’s so dumb but unless I’m going out into the sunshine, I’m like, why?! Fast forward to 2 weeks into quarantine (with no sun exposure the whole time) and my face was kinda red and my texture not normal. I chalked it up to stress. BUT THEN, literally last week I had a revelation after seeing an instastory from @itsreallynana. I am spending a minimum of 3 more hours a week looking at a screen due to workload and Netflix consumption. Meaning I am exposing my skin to way more blue light than it’s used to AND not protecting it! So while she was promoting a different sunscreen (that I almost bought because I NEEDED it right at that moment) I decided to take a breath and look at my SuperGoop! face sunscreen that I already owned but rarely used. Guess what? It had blue-light protection too! So now I am using it every day and it’s honestly my most favorite face sunscreen I’ve ever tried. I love the gel formula because it’s so silky and there isn’t that white residue you have to wait for it to absorb. Really, it just feels awesome on my skin. So now (finally) my skin is being properly protected from my screens and I am creating a new and easy habit. Which is more necessary than ever since I’m about to start using a retinoid serum…wish me luck and I will report back once I give it a go!”

From Julie: “Lately, I have been living in these pants. No really, I am on day 4 and have no plans of switching up my wardrobe, I even slept in them the other night cause really who cares right now. They feel like sweats but are technically a pant with a whole button AND zipper, so I am still a working professional in them.”

And one small business note: Taryn Schumacher is the incredibly talented photographer behind Dusted Boulevard. She’s currently offering digital downloads of her photos in an attempt to raise $3,000 to cover the cost of a shaping helmet for her newborn son, Bray Conrad. If you’re in the market for some new art, this is a great way to score a beautiful piece ASAP while helping a lovely family

Last week Brian shared his favorite NY Times gluten-free cookie recipe, which uses almond flour in place of traditional all purpose flour. This week our baking obsessed photographer, Sara, decided to make them herself. But since flour hasn’t been the only thing she’s been finding a little more scarce at grocery stores lately, she wanted to see if she could find subs for the butter and egg the original recipe called for too. So she swapped out the butter for plant butter and the egg for mashed banana. And while she was at it, she added almond extract and chopped walnuts. The result was a toasty, nutty, vegan, and gluten free riff on a chocolate chip cookie. If you don’t have a banana on hand (as an egg replacement) you could try one of these other methods. And if you don’t have access to a plant-based butter you could try using shortening (like Crisco) or 7 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

Vegan & Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups (310 g) finely ground almond flour

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

10 tablespoons (140g) plant based butter cubed and at room temperature

1/2 cup (110 g) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (75g) mashed banana

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

12 ounces (340 grams) bitter sweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bar

1/2 cup (65 g) chopped walnuts (optional)

Flaky sea salt for finishing (optional)

Instructions

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl whisk your 2 3/4 cups (310 g) almond flour, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder together. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer cream your 10 tablespoons (140 g) plant butter, 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, and 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar together until light.
Add your 1/4 cup (75 g) mashed banana, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to your creamed sugar and butter batter, and mix until combined.
Add your dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Then switch to a spoon!
Add your chocolate bits and walnut bits and gently mix until incorporated.
If you’ve got the time, cover your mixture and chill for at least and hour (but preferably overnight!) to let the dry ingredients hydrate and the flavor deepen.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and place 1 tablespoon sized drops of dough on the tray (spaced out about 2 inches from each other). Top with flaky sea salt, and bake until they are golden brown around the edges – about 15-18 minutes.

Oh and here’s a hot tip – Freeze individual cookie dough balls, then you can bake them one at a time in your oven or toaster oven for a single serving, warm cookie snack.

Finally, this week’s happy hour chit chat topic: Are you finding yourself dressing up, like REALLY dressing up to go to the grocery store just to spice up your day?? Or are sweatpants and comfy clothes winning right now? We happen to be split between both camps so there are no wrong answers. Let’s discuss. xx

Opener Image Credit: Photo by Victoria Hely-Hutchinson | Design by Emily Adams Bode | via Architectural Digest

The post The Link Up: The 3 Shows Emily’s Whole Family Loves, The Pants Julie’s Been Living In, & A $12 T-Shirt Dress appeared first on Emily Henderson.