Happy Friday! Chris and I made it home from our anniversary trip to New Orleans Wednesday afternoon after having the most incredible time. Chris served a mission for our church there 15 years ago and it was my first time so we really took it all in and experienced so much. I’ll share more next week as soon as I go through my photos. We stayed at the Maison de la Luz that opened earlier this year,  after reading so many positive reviews about it, and that alone left me so incredibly inspired and ready to tackle the rest of this year! Gimme a break with that headboard!

Other fun things this week:

• Interior Define dropped a bunch of new fabrics and now I’m undecided on which to get for the Charly in our office (I already ordered the sectional, but you can choose your fabric later. I shared a couple weeks ago the mock-up for the space with an emerald green sofa, but now that pieces are in place, I’m re-thinking. Wouldn’t this burgundy be pretty??

burl wood table | area rug | cardigan (40% off today) | sneakers | jeans

• I like the snakeskin trend, but a lot of the shoes in the print are heels and not practical for my every day life. Enter my fall sneakers that have been getting a lot of mileage. Best $45 I spent last month!

• Making these fudgey vegan, grain free brownies this weekend!

•We were thrilled to be asked to be on LuAnn Nigara’s “A Well-Designed Business” podcast. The interview came out while we were away last week! We talked a lot about using content creation to grow our business. (Psst — Posting a picture is not the same as creating content.) We also shared come of the top-line points that we cover in our Good Influence(r) course. If you’re into creating a business around design — or just a business owner — you’ve got to give LuAnn’s podcast a listen. Her guests drop knowledge about how to turn talent into a business, and we were honored to be on this roster.

• Is this the new it rug? (I’m saying yes)

• Yesterday, my sister told me that you can return ANYTHING you order from Amazon to Kohl’s. No box needed. No extra charge and that nugget of knowledge has blown my mind over and over the past 24 hours. I’m terrible at shipping things back, but I can definitely make it to a Kohl’s. (Am I the last one to know this?!)

• This choker would be the sweetest gift for your bestie (or yourself).

•This was a cool read about office interiors (something our mind is on big time right now as we are in the middle of pulling ours together. (See phase 1 here) If your workplace is as comfortable and welcoming as your home, the thinking goes, you never have to leave. A lot of start-ups can’t afford the best young talent…So how do they attract it? With cool spaces. 

• Everyone focuses (too much, imo) on the return on investment, so I was delighted to find this chart from the National Association of Realtors putting more emphasis on Joy Score Projects–The “Joy Score” measures value in a whole new way, determining which renovations make people the happiest. More money in your pocket notwithstanding, some renovations may put an even bigger smile on your face. I’m FOR projects that will bring you the most joy while LIVING in your home. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

• 12 of the best articial flocked trees.

• I stock up on this ribbon every year: Black ticking stripe, Red ticking stripe and this thinner one in the best 4 colors that always comes in handy.

• What shopping malls looked like in 1989 (for starters, there were people).

• Look at this cutie. (scroll)

Happy Friday!!! Lights are going up in the office today if you want to follow along on stories!