Noteworthy
Last Thursday I took off and enjoyed a weekend away in Sedona with two of my girlfriends! We rented an Airbnb, did a lot of hiking, and relaxing. It was amazing to unplug and enjoy gorgeous scenery with good friends. Many of you requested a travel guide, but since we were social distancing, we honestly stayed outside hiking and in our rental home the majority of the time. However, I figured it might be helpful to share some snippets of our trip here in this month’s Noteworthy post, for those who were interested? Click through for inspiring links, updates, and for a peek at what we did in Sedona last week… it’s a magical place!
First, I’ll chat about our wonderful time spent in Sedona. I tucked my phone away to fully unplug (otherwise it distracts me), but I owe my besties a big thank you for taking beautiful photos, seen throughout this post. As I mentioned, our goal was to relax, enjoy nature, and just spend time away from home. Sometimes a change of scenery can be refreshing, and I’m so happy I took the time to get away- with SO much going on, I almost cancelled, but Emmett persuaded me to take some time off. We cooked at our Airbnb most nights, or ordered carryout- but I can say Creekside, Mariposa, and Cucina Rustica had glowing reviews and came highly recommended (we tried carryout at some)… oh- and Sedonuts for breakfast!
Aside from lounging and relaxing in our beautiful rental, we did a lot of hiking and taking in the scenery around us. It’s always good to connect with nature- I feel creatively charged when I’m outside. I would highly recommend the All Trails app, if you enjoy hiking. I’ve been using it since we moved to Utah and it’s still my go-to resource. My favorite hike of the trip was Bells Rock. We hiked to the vortex and spent about an hour meditating. It was incredible! I also enjoyed seeing Chapel of the Holy Cross, pictured below, that was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s students. I’m a design and architecture nerd, so it was fun to analyze and see this one in person. We were also able to squeeze in a quick trip to Horseshoe Bend since it is on the way from Utah to Arizona.
Sedona felt like a much needed break and I was surprised to return home to a winter wonderland (we got a LOT of snow while I was away), and a strong desire to deck the halls (which I talked about in yesterday’s post), get creative, put together some fun gift guides, and of course continue working to get our shop up and running (which will hopefully be VERY soon)! I just have a few more items to photograph and upload… we’re so close!
The guest room has been finished for a couple of weeks, I’m just waiting on a few pieces of art to arrive. At this point, with the hustle & bustle of the holiday season, I’m in no rush. We’re not hosting holiday house guests this year and it has taken us this long, so I want to make sure it’s *totally finished* before I bust out my camera to photograph and share. Thanks for being extra patient! I think you’re going to love the end result… also- this is what renovating in “real life” looks like, and sometimes it takes awhile to fully finish a room. I’ve been getting lots of “when is it happening?!” type of messages and I promise you, nobody is more excited than me to style, shoot, and share that space. It’s so beautiful!
My last five purchases (these Noteworthy posts always make me think of what I’m spending money on)…
- christmas tree // You already knew about this one, if you read yesterday’s blog post. I’m excited to fluff that baby and decorate!!
- velvet ribbon // This is also for holiday decorating.
- snow boots // These are on super sale right now, and given we have six inches of snow blanketing our lawn, I figured new snow boots was a great idea. This will be my third pair of Sorel brand, and I swear by them.
- match strike // You know I have way too many matches and match strikes, but this one is my new favorite! It was a total impulse purchase.
- cardigan sweater // My work from home uniform is usually black leggings, comfy jeans, or joggers… with a basic tee or sweater. I love layering long cardigans in the winter and this one fit the budget. Nice simple style!
We’ve got Thanksgiving on the brain and although it’s just Emmett & I this year, I love styling and setting the table! This article shares lots of inspiring Thanksgiving color palettes, if you’re in need of inspiration.
This article got me thinking about return-on-investment when it comes to homes and renovating. While I’m not in total agreement with those spaces bringing the best ROI, I do wonder (and find it interesting) how the pandemic, staying home, and social distancing will effect “desired spaces” in a home, and what that looks like from an investment point-of-view. I’m guessing spaces that are multi functional, home offices, and other rooms that weren’t high on the list, are probably making their way to the top. I’ve talked about ROI on the blog before, if you’re interested: 10 home updates that actually pay off & add value, and… 10 home updates to skip based on ROI.
I was saddened to hear of French designer, François Catroux’s passing this week. He had such a unique eye for design, and I remembering pulling inspiration from him during my time in design school! This tribute was really nice.
How do we feel about carpet? Eventually, we’ll be replacing all of the existing carpet in our home (or replacing it with other flooring), but the plan is to keep certain areas carpeted- primarily the upstairs bedrooms. Our existing carpet is fine… it’s not ugly and it’s not the worst, but it’s really not holding up well to our dogs. I’m constantly trimming snags and it’s just not very durable. One thing I can definitely recommend- DO NOT use looped carpet if you have pets.
We’re thinking of skipping the pie this Thanksgiving, and want to replace it with CAKE. This sticky toffee pudding cake. I prefer cake to pie. What is your preference? Do you have a go-to Thanksgiving dessert? That is always my favorite part of the meal, haha!
Happy Wednesday, friends! How is your week going? I hope very well! It’s going to be a busy season around here, but I can’t wait to share lots of fun things with you. Coming up, we have: the kitchenette reveal at the office, the Tuesday Made store launch, the guest bedroom reveal, gift guides, my 2020 holiday decor tour, and so many other exciting things. Have a great day!
