The Link Up: Emily’s All-Time Favorite Outdoor String Lights, Arlyn’s Affordable Fancy Event Dress, And A Great Glowy Contour Set

Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope it was a good one. We don’t have too much to report aside from that we needed to get a few more shots of the new outdoor grill area (we really can’t wait to show you), and hope you saw the exciting progress with the farmhouse garages. Oh, and did you catch Em’s post about the REAL story of her famous giant ficus tree? Go read that here if you haven’t. Alright, let’s talk links…

This week’s house tour is the most serene Grecian home you could imagine. But what is even more beautiful about it is that it was designed by a mother-daughter team and built with local artisans. While this home is a new build, it was meticulously designed to mirror “the restored 19th-century residence”. The windows, the beams, the shutters, and the piece of art in the kitchen will take your heart. Oh, and the view will take your breath. Check it out here!

From Emily: My Favorite LED string lights for the perfect outdoor vibe (both shatterproof and a nice warm glow). The “too bright light” is a real mood killer, and yet it’s pervasive mostly because you might not know until you’ve hung them up that they are too bright (the typical problem). So I have two solid recommendations for you based on the color of cord you might want. 1. For those who want a darker cord (which blends in much better in nature, near trees at night than a white one), I have and love these that I bought from Lowe’s last year. They check all the boxes; they are LED (low energy, last forever), the bulbs are shatter-resistant (not glass), and the bulbs on this one are 1 foot apart, meaning that they are pretty close together. They aren’t the ones that “hang down” but rather just string across. We have them along our split rail fence around our pool, and I LOVE the vibe of them. I leave them on most nights as property lights (we didn’t overlight our yard on purpose), and they are just so charming. But for our painted porch and our new gazebo, both white, we wanted a white cord option. So for this, I chose these, which are also very warm and glowy, white cord, come in really long lengths (50′), and are closer to 24″ apart. These are specifically good for the back-and-forth vibe inside a porch because you don’t want them to be too bright, which more bulbs could do. Again, it’s all about the right level of warmth and amount of bulbs and I have found that 2′ apart is great for the bistro back and forth vibe under a porch (but you might want your bulbs 1′ apart for out in your yard where the light is less contained by a roof structure. As you can see, I’ve thought about this a lot, thus the strong recommendation. Skip the glass bulbs, skip the incandescent – these two string lights are my favorites.

From Caitlin: This week, I polished off a great book from my local library about a topic near and dear to my heart: HOUSING. (Am I a broken record yet? Another week, another exploration of housing policy in America.) ANYWAY – it’s called The Houses That Sears Built, and it’s a fantastic read that details the rise, fall, and impact of the business that made homeownership available to thousands of Americans for the first time. I love Rose Thornton’s voice – she’s friendly and familiar, so it reads more like a blog or a beach read than a dry, fact-based retelling – and it made me strangely emotional at points! Sears was the Amazon of its day, and they unlocked homeownership for poor farmers, single women, immigrants, and more by offering well-priced, world-class materials and decent, fair mortgages to all. (Get this: the only question on their mortgage application was “What is your vocation?“) In any case – it’s a fun one. Read it! PS. Sadly, this one’s not available via Bookshop.org, but you can likely check out a copy for free from your local library with Libby! 99% Invisible also did a great episode with Rose, if you prefer audio.

From Jess: Last weekend, I happened upon a sample sale downtown (which isn’t something I ever even near to “happen upon” normally lol), but I got the cutest bag! I love my Clare V Gran Fanny so much, but it’s black, so especially as the warm weather approaches and my clothing color palette gets a little lighter, I also want another bag option. When I saw this one, I loved it immediately. It’s not huge but large enough to actually put stuff in, the shape is fun but not too wild, and I really love the ball details. I hadn’t heard about this brand, but really love the options (like this larger one or this pleated one), and they are all made with vegan leather.

Also From Jess: Well, that same day, I also had the joy of getting two pairs of shoes from one of my absolute favorite brands, Intentionally Blank. Emily has known the owner, Ty McBride, since the beginning of him opening his doors. With these truly damaging tariffs (to put it very lightly), we are at risk of losing really special brands like this one, which also has an owner who cares about supplying his staff with health insurance and 401ks. As we sadly know, not every business owner has that mentality. Thankfully, we also have an incredible boss who shares those beliefs. But back to the beginning issues with these tariffs, you can watch this video Ty recorded about it. Of course, most brands are currently going through the exact same thing, but if you have the means and could use a truly great pair of shoes, please consider looking here and soon (their tariff bill of over $100k is due by the 5th). In addition to the two I bought at the sample sale, I just rebought these mules (I’ve had my first pair for a decade) because they are my absolute favorite. But also, these incredible maroon boots! Or looking for a cool sandal? Maybe these? Need shoes for a wedding? They have so many great options! More than ever, it’s so important to put our money into brands like Ty’s.

From Arlyn: Last month, my husband and I attended a “parent prom” for my daughter’s school (it was a fundraiser). I swore I had a dress I could wear and knew, in theory, exactly where it was. Well, I found out the Wednesday before the Saturday that I was, in fact, wrong about that. The dress had gone missing and I was left gownless. I considered renting something but in a great moment of serendipity, I got an email from Old Navy about their new line called The Occasion of formal wear. I ordered a few styles but landed on this dress, and it’s wonderful!! The satin is bias cut, which means it drapes so beautifully. It’s not lined but the fabric is thick and wears nicely. I got the warm taupe color as a departure from the standard black, and I’m very happy with it. It’s a $65 dress that seriously looks and feels like a $300 dress. Be sure to check out the whole line if you have any “occasions” coming up this summer!

Also From Arlyn: Fix It Friday Time!! Having trouble nailing down that one big important thing in your room? Here’s your chance to get some professional design advice for those areas in your home that need a little help. Maybe you’ve been going back and forth between 3 rugs to ground your sofa. Your dining room all set except for the right curtains (or even chairs)? I’ve got you covered. Send in bright, clean photos (smartphone snaps are fine) of any room or area of your home where you’re stuck on selecting one big thing to either finish it up or move it forward, and I’ll pull some selects for you. Please email me at arlyn@emilyhendersondesign.com by end of day Monday, May 5th for a chance to be included in my article and get my feedback.

From Mallory: So I tried out a new makeup brand recently and I’m VERY impressed with 2 products in particular: this face wash gets makeup off SO easily (I usually struggle to get my mascara and everything fully off and this guy really gets the job done) and also this contour set glides on and is SO PRETTY (and also would make a great mothers day gift btw!) Also, Em has been using the contour set for YEARS and loves them – so I’ve officially been emfluenced!

Also From Mallory: I made Gwyneth Paltrow’s banana pancakes, and I gotta be real – they were BOMB. I used regular flour and also added in a scoop of vanilla protein powder (cause I’m trying to get that protein in) and MAN they were delish. Highly recommend!

From: Gretchen: Last week, we were helping Em sort through some old rug samples at the Farmhouse and I came across a Rowena rug in the perfect size for my living room. She let me take it home and now it’s down and looking great, but feels like it’s missing something… a rug pad! The rug itself is super soft and fairly fluffy, but thin in areas, and feels like it would benefit from some extra cushion and a little grip. Thankfully, I JUST wrote a review post where we tested out 11 different rug pads to find our favorite, so I didn’t hesitate in purchasing this Cloud Comfort Memory Foam pad to throw underneath. Yes, it’s a little spendy, but because I know it’s a good one and I secured the rug for free (thanks, Em!) I felt it was a worthy splurge!

From Marlee: The best affordable sweatshirt is this vintagesoft hoodie from Gap. I bought one for my BF a few years ago, and shortly after bought another for myself. It’s one of my all-time favorites that I always go back to. Gap’s vintagesoft line is so so good and is somehow always on sale? It’s incredibly plush even after a ton of washes (we got them at least 2.5 years ago) – and comes in so many colors. Size up for an oversized look!

Thanks for hanging out with us today and see you tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Mike Garten for Good Housekeeping magazine | From: My House Tour From Good Housekeeping

The post The Link Up: Emily’s All-Time Favorite Outdoor String Lights, Arlyn’s Affordable Fancy Event Dress, And A Great Glowy Contour Set appeared first on Emily Henderson.