Wow! Last week’s Link up was on Christmas Eve and now it’s New Year’s Eve. Talk about big days! Well, we’ve been off this past week, and hope that you’ve had some downtime too before we all ring in a new year. Hug your loved ones tight and see you in the next year with a pretty exciting reveal to start us off!
This week’s house tour is the most iconic house we could have chosen as the last one of the year…Barbie’s Dreamhouse Jungalow style. That’s right, the year that Barbie took over the world now has a Jungalow-designed dreamhouse, and as you can imagine it’s incredible! Justina absolutely nailed it. The colors, the patterns, the joy. It’s the perfect house tour to close out this wild year. Enjoy!
From Emily: I rarely watch a full-length YouTube video house tour, but I LOVED this one of Beata Heuman’s Swedish farmhouse. It’s likely because I’m just such a fan of hers and her work feels so special. I know that she has mad design skills and yet this house feels kinda normal at the same time. If you are bored and want to watch someone I admire a lot here you go.
From Gretchen: Happy New Year!! What a whirlwind 2023 has been, in the absolute best way. I’ve never been busier and I’ve never been happier. But ’tis the season to look ahead, and wave goodbye to old things, which in this case is my beloved apartment. Thankfully, this bittersweet goodbye is only because I’m moving into a place that has everything I could ask for, namely, more space. So I’m spending this first week of the new year moving my many things from one place to another. To keep track of it all, I’m doing what I do best: labeling like a lunatic. Box of kitchen tools? Labeled. Suitcase full of books? Labeled. Clothes, toiletries, shoes, candles, tchotchkes, cleaning supplies, medicine, memories?? All labeled. Last year I was obsessed with my Dymo Embossing Label Maker (still am) because it made everything in my apartment feel vintage and cute and most importantly, organized. I still use it religiously, but for this move, I decided to implement the classic Sharpie and tape combo, except I still have to be an aesthetic weirdo about it and use this brown painter’s tape instead of blue. Whatever makes the packing process more enjoyable, right? I just really like the look of it, plus it’s usable for a number of things. I might switch to organizing with it in my new place–just don’t tell the Dymo I’m cheating on him!!
From Mallory: I was at my gym the other day and this cute company was doing a promotion and giving away free B-12 shots. I was skeptical but ultimately have been wanting to understand more about the B-12 craze and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised!! Now NOTE I am not a doctor so please do your research before to see if this is right for you, but after this shot I felt IMMEDIATELY more energized and serotonin was certainly boosted. It was wild. Now I’m not the type to go get a B-12 shot every week but I might snag some supplements to try to incorporate it into my life more because WOW I love the health benefits!!
From Caitlin: If your New Year’s resolutions include “wearing more sunscreen,” then boy, do I have the product for you! I’ve been obsessed with this dewy moisturizing sunscreen for the last few months – it’s about half the cost of Supergoop’s Glow Screen and I actually prefer the finish! (It’s a little less sparkly.) It does smell like sunscreen which I didn’t expect to love, but it’s actually a nice visceral experience every morning! It absorbs so quickly, it doesn’t leave any weird cast, and it works for all different types of skin tones. Let’s all start 2024 off with the right sun protection
From Jess: I found the most incredible Christmas gift for my dad JUST in the nick of time! When I was at my best friend’s house in her garage, I saw this amazing battery organizer on their wall. I know it doesn’t sound that exciting but I promise if you click the link you’ll see what I mean. I feel like I’m always either looking for or wondering if I have the batteries I need. So when I saw this organizer (that comes with a battery tester) I thought, “OMG they always know where their batteries are AND if they are running out!” I know my dad will think this is VERY cool. Oh, and it’s under $30:) Now I just need to figure out what to get him for his birthday in two weeks…
From Arlyn: If your kitchen sink doesn’t have a landing spot for soap, counter spray and brushes/sponges, stop right now and grab this kitchen caddy from Target. Something like this was a game-changer for us. We would teeter the Dawn bottle on the ledge by the window and it was always goopy with old soap. And the spray for the counters was just…around. Anyway, corraling is always the best approach to org (after decluttering, of course). Just make a note that it looks white online but it’s a bit more gray in real life.
See you all back on January 2nd and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: This Primary Suite Was Designed Around An Arched Stained Glass Window – See How They Made This New Room Feel Vintage
Gretchen, your apt is/was amazing, I enjoyed the tour very much, thank you for sharing!
Such a beautiful, personal, thoughtful and artful space. I love your Mom’s paintings, they caught my eyes right away (I always appreciate original art) they add such depth to your space as do your collected furniture and lamps, such a unique space!
Best wishes on your new apartment, though it’s sad to leave your beautifully made home, as you wrote, the new one is: “a place that has everything I could ask for, namely, more space.” I hope you’ll be revealing your new home’s rooms through out 2024!
Happy New Year to everyone at EHD and it’s readers!
I second that! Gretchen, I love your place! Please please keep sharing your incredible style with us here on the blog!
Great “New Year’s Day” column from Carolyn Hax: https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2024/01/01/carolyn-hax-social-issues-too-big/
Gretchen, I loved watching the video tour of your home. Can’t wait to see what you do with your new space.