My Pastel Easter Brunch

Welcome to our exploding pastel Easter brunch with Cooking Light. When I was 8 months pregnant Cooking Light asked if they could do a feature at my house to celebrate Easter (this was in September) that would shoot when Elliot was 3 weeks old. I remember thinking “hmm . . . that is terrible timing and you should probably say no, dear God just say no.” But then I also remember thinking “ooh, free party! Free food! Free beautiful content for the blog! And an excuse to host a fancy brunch at our house, with our best friends during a time that typically is less social.” So yea, like any insane content obsessed blogger I said “YES!”

When the day rolled around I was a bit overwhelmed with that baby, but as promised I did very little work. Scott and I collaborated on the art direction, but he shopped/styled it (and once again did a beautiful job). I had to dress myself, but they payed for hair and make up which was a treat, and we cleaned the house (which I’m sure I had help with, although I don’t remember now). Otherwise I sat back and enjoyed a very fun, beautiful, and delicious early November Easter brunch with our best friends.

We wanted it to be a modern, pastel spring brunch with a glam/Scandy feel. White with lots of pastels and cobalt blue in there since we were in my house, after all. Look at this spread:

Scott did such an amazing job.

Look at this low maintenance flower arrangement that he threw together – with just a few boring peonies (I’m joking). Quick fact: peonies in October are like $10 – $12 a stem (wholesale!), so that arrangement below honestly probably cost more than all the flowers at my wedding, which had a budget of $400. But they are much cheaper now in the spring. Trader Joe’s sells them 6 stems for around $10.

The menu was delicious and extremely healthy. I didn’t know this but Cooking Light obsesses about calories – making sure that the entire meal stays under a certain amount. Our whole meal was only 828 calories per person, believe it or not. The olives and the wine were not counted, however.

We started with the flatbread which was delicious.

Next we had the most unsuspectingly delicious pea soup ever. The portion was relatively small, so I think I polished off three of these. I will ABSOLUTELY make this again and I know that both our kids will love it, too. Pick up the magazine for the recipe.

On my honor I have no obligation to give this food rave reviews. But trust me when I say that this pea/asparagus and bacon salad was insanely, shockingly good. I will make this anytime. Granted we had a talented chef/food stylist preparing this, but they executed a recipe that had been researched, tweaked, and perfected by the Cooking Light editors in their test kitchen.

The main course was this beautiful roasted thyme salmon.

When I found out it was an Easter Salmon I was a bit like “uh, you mean roast or ham or chicken, right?” Then I remembered that it was Cooking Light, and they intended to be on the healthier side. We joked a lot about “Emily’s Famous Easter Salmon.” But when I tasted it I was blown away by how good it was. While most people may not prepare salmon for their Easter brunch, you can certainly make it any other time as well.

We finished off the meal with a absolutely tasty carrot cake. Everything was so delicious and it was SUCH a treat to basically be thrown a 4 course Easter brunch by a magazine. Clearly we had fun.

Those eggs were just decor. Scott bought them at the farmers market, then hard boiled them, then dyed them to be spread around the table. I think some of them were edible but I don’t believe we ate them – but then again I was in newborn fog land so I don’t remember anything.

The living and dining room were covered in spring, and I brought back a lot of my blue/pink accessories for the occasion, and I really liked it.

Look at that tiny baby cuddled up on my shoulder. Charlie was napping during these photos which made me sad, but you don’t deprive a toddler of napping, especially when you are excited to have a few drinks and are babysitter-less.

I carefully instructed our friends to wear their simplest pastels, which they did. I myself struggled with what to wear as clothes weren’t fitting for obvious reasons – so I went with the “spray tan, tiny skirt, 9″ heels and a boxy top” method.

When I say I’m not a hand model I mean it, and I know that up until this point it wasn’t proven, but please feast your eyes on those claws. It looks like a hawk talon around a crystal ball a la “Game of Thrones” or “Labyrinth.” Don’t worry, I’m not hand-shaming myself, I think it its actually hilarious and could care less. You’ll also notice that I put my skirt on backwards for that shot because the buttons weren’t looking terribly flattering. The skirt is from Urban, pink sweatshirt is from Maje (out of stock), and button up from Isabel Marant (out of stock).

Jenny has much nicer hands, with nary a wrinkle in site, a teeny tiny slim wrist, with very un-talon like fingers. Look at her flaunting them all around my special Easter brunch. It was my day, Jenny, MY DAY.

All the styling was so beautiful. Scott did an amazing job, per usual, and I was so happy to live with all these flowers around our house for the next week.

I wish I could tell you what I was laughing about but I think I was pretty much delirious – tipsy on daytime Rose and so glad to be around my friends again. We hadn’t laughed that hard in months. It was exactly what this slightly postpartum depressed and totally exhausted mama needed.

We didn’t fully style the credenza behind me (we weren’t sure it was going to be in a shot) but Scott and his team did make that insanely beautiful wreath with a wooden hoola hoop from Ikea. He used fishing wire, peonies, garden roses, and maiden hair ferns.

We have an extremely strong group of friends in LA (a few were out of town) and the whole day was such a fun, luxurious celebration where we basically were treated like guests in our own home by the Cooking Light team.

This little bunny was the star, even though she just sat there and let herself be kissed all day.

I typically wouldn’t put so many photos of me in a post for fear of, you know, being accused of general narcissism but during this time (the first couple months after birth) I don’t really remember too much. It was all a fog and I was in and out of that crazy hormonal depression. So when I saw these photos (specifically the one below) I thought “ahhh, I look genuinely really happy and even pulled together.” I remember feeling so extremely happy at times (those brutal highs and lows) but never that pulled together or human, so it was just nice to see myself that way.

So thank you, Cooking Light, Scott, food stylist Marion Cooper , Danielle (who made my face and hair look all nice) and all my friends who helped make this rather strange newborn November Easter brunch such a fun, beautiful and happy day.

1. Blush Linen Napkins | 2. Gold Flatware | 3. Mint Snack Bowl | 4. Marble & Wood Cheese Board | 5. Textured Pink Vase | 6. Gold Splatter Dessert Plate | 7. Gilded Rim Stemless | 8. Porcelain Bowl | 9. Pink Glass Vase | 10. Porcelain Plate | 11. Geometric Vase | 12. Mint Tray | 13. Pudding Bowl | 14. Pink Glass Plates | 15. Gold Rimmed Plates | 16. Gold Taper Candle Holders | 17. Marble & Brass Tray | 18. Textured Blue Vase | 19. Candle | 20. Mint Linen Napkins | 21. Silver Votive Holder

***Photography by Dylan + Jeni

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It’s in the Bag

I’ve always considered handbags to be like wedding dresses – don’t start shopping for the real thing because you will fall in love, and then you’ll be sad that it can’t be yours. So when Trendlee inquired about collaborating on a post I didn’t know what to do. I love the idea of luxury items (like most folks), but they are often so expensive that it’s hard to really talk about them here. But, then I was chatting with my staff and they reminded me that just because expensive purses historically haven’t been my thing doesn’t mean that a.) it’s off limits, and b.) we can’t make good content with them. ESPECIALLY when that content is about an affordable way to acquire them. So I started looking at the site, and now I’ve officially hopped onto the top of that “luxury handbag” slippery slope.

I received this bag in the mail, opened it, and liked it. Two days later I had a fancy meeting on the West Side with a new high end client, and I wanted/needed to look good. Extra Good. So I grabbed for my bag, stuffed it with my goods and looked in the mirror. It was a very “Hello, Lover” moment and all of a sudden I thought “oh . . . I get it now. . .”

I went to the meeting and I did feel good. A good handbag can do what a really good pair of jeans, or even a good coat can do – it can help manufacture a bit of confidence. It’s not genuine, deep, life-long confidence obviously, and not actually tied to your worth, but it makes you feel pretty darn good, which is fun.

It’s not that I don’t have my splurges because I do. I splurge on art, rugs, and the perfect sculptural lamp – just up til now handbags weren’t one of my ‘things’.

This is all to say this, friends:  IF handbags are your jam, then I have a new great resource for you.

Trendlee is a high end, preowned handbag, online reseller. It’s highly curated and specializes in mostly luxury brands (Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton . . . but also has a ton of other great brands) at much more affordable prices than those you are used to seeing.

When I started perusing their shop I noticed that virtually all of them look like they are brand new – and mine (that gorgeous blue Céline) was practically new when I received it.

I wore it a couple days later with my new boho top from Doen and it looked equally as cute.

What sets Trendlee apart is that they buy from normal folks and then handle the reselling themselves – so it’s very curated as they only buy what they feel is beautiful and on-trend enough to sell (even if it’s seasons old).

I also borrowed this one (below) which is more sophisticated and professional. Still timeless, for sure, and that pony hair is so pretty, but it’s no cobalt Céline. Nothing compares to my cobalt Céline. Oh dear God, am I going to start shopping for handbags now? I can’t have another vice, I just can’t.

They are big on authenticity (because the designer handbag obsession has spawned an even greater obsession of knock-offs), and they guarantee each of their bags authenticity.

Alright, so there you are – pictures of me with my first beautiful handbag in our home, in outfits that I actually tried to care about. Sometimes you need an excuse to care enough to pull together an outfit. For me handbags are something I can see myself splurging on every now and again – to reward myself for a particularly hard job that I have finished. I now see the appeal . . . it’s just how to handle my new love . . .

If you are into handbags – I get it now, and Trendlee has hundreds of luxury bags ranging in every price range. If you aren’t into handbags, or that’s not something you want to/can splurge on then hopefully you enjoyed some pretty photos taken in my house. Here is the the collection I curated from their site featuring a handful of my favorites. They are giving 5% off for all Emily readers, so get on over there and enter code EMILYH when you check out.

Now, your thoughts on luxury pre-owned handbags – Are you in? Or not your thing?

*This post is in partnership with Trendlee but all opinions are my own. I know a handbag post may not be for everyone, but I thank you for supporting the brands that support the blog and keep us creating daily, interesting, and free content.  

*They also give free returns (in the US only), whatever the reason, international coverage with flat $50 fee anywhere in the world. Usually ship same day. 

**Photography by Jess Isaac for EHD, Hair/Makeup by Danielle Walch 

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Color Crush: Is Lavender The New Blush?

Word to your mother. And word to your grandmother too, who I think will be pretty happy about the color we’re talking about today. Typically reserved for granny-type things like broaches, scratchy bedspreads, and Sunday Brunch eyeshadow, this color has pulled a fast one on us by making it’s way onto the “Top 10 Colors for Spring” list. That’s right, today we’re talkin’ about LAVENDER.

Lavender (or any shade of purple) may indeed be the least used color when it comes to interior design. In chatting with Emily, only one of her past gazillion clients has let her come near them with a purple paint swatch (and probably only because they were on TV). Well folks, today I am here to prove the haters wrong. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that this trendy new color from the fashion world CAN work in the home too.

Before we dive into lavender interiors, let’s look at some well-dressed ladybirds who are rocking this new fashion trend, without looking like Barney.

As you can see, all of these gals look effortless and chic by keeping the overall palette simple and wearing minimal to no pattern. Fun touch-me textures, like fur and suede, keep the hue looking rich and interesting instead of overly feminine or tacky.

Popping a lavender jacket on your bod is one thing, but incorporating a such soft, frilly color into your home is a much more serious matter. Let’s take a seat in these lovely lavender chairs and get to business.

If you search “lavender bedroom” on Pinterest, you’re gonna be overwhelmed by the abundance of super ornate, over-the-top styling. I’m talking about rooms with lavender walls, rugs, lamps, bedding, and tacky chandeliers. EVERYTHING is lavender. Too much lavender can go Gaudy McGauderson pretty quick, so if you want to use the color to make a bold statement, let’s look at ways to do it tastefully.

Pairing a lavender sofa and artwork with more muted blue/grey tones and rich wood makes this room feel sophisticated, calm and masculine.

Who woulda thought lavender DRAPES could look chic? The dramatic height of these bad boys keep them looking luxe and elegant. And look at those pretty kitties, would ya?

Keeping the rest of this room neutral not only allows the lavender chair to shine, but also keeps the space from looking too girly.

But what if girly is your jam? Let’s look at some rooms that play up the use of other colors for a more feminine appeal.

I would never think to pair lavender with a deep red, but somehow this just works. And a wood horse head thingy never hurts.

Pops of metallic keep this room looking sophisticated and chic.

How fun is that crazy rug?

While this many trinkets personally gives me the heebie jeebies, hats off to this gal who played up the femininity of lavender with loads of jewelry, vintage artwork from Vogue, and a dreamcatcher.

Another fun use of lavender – and bonus points mixing a SECOND shade of purple, lilac.

A chandelier AND a lavender sofa? Where’s a girl supposed to eat her Ortega tacos and watch House of Cards? Alas, it’s still a beautiful room.

And now it’s time to get the look. Check out this plethora of all things lavender. Since I’m a sucker for ruffles, I particularly like the sweatshirt and bikini. How about you? Have you already been rocking lavender for years? Still skeptical lavender can reinvent itself? Discuss.

For more posts about color trends, check out Buttercup Yellow and Powder Blue.

1. Knitted Mink Sweater | 2. Fuchsia Rose Print | 3. Leather Crossbody | 4. Sunglasses | 5. Arm Chair | 6. Shibori Pillow | 7. Knitted Pillow | 8. Vase | 9. Peplum Tank | 10. Chair | 11. Sheet Set | 12. Vacation Duffle | 13. Color Block Pillow | 14. Ruffled Sweater | 15. Fur Pillow | 16. Lace Top | 17. Sofa | 18. Bathing Suit | 19. Tufted Chair | 20. White Sea by Julie Hansen | 21. Accent Table | 22. Rug | 23. Purse | 24. Pouf | 25. Bed | 26. Lamp | 27. Pan

*Post authored by Carla

 **Carla Fahden is a Creative Director at a creative agency in Minneapolis with a focus on fashion art direction. Off the clock she devotes her time to writing her blog, designing wedding stationery and watching her Felicity box set. 

*** Image Sources 1 | Grid 1 | Grid 2 | Grid 3 | Grid 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

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A Baby Girl’s Blush and Green Nursery

Elliot’s nursery is finished, and just like that baby you see there, it is pretty darn magical. This room is both airy and cozy, welcoming and minimal, grown-up and yet so playful. The first two weeks after giving birth were spent in here nursing, watching reruns of Parenthood and Brothers and Sisters (for the first time), and while it wasn’t totally finished yet, it had such a good vibe already. I have such newborn nostalgia every time I walk in here and its become my favorite room in the house.

My original intent was a Pacific Northwest forest nursery, but as you may have noticed, it’s very “Where The Wild Things Are.” It’s practically gender neutral, with some touches of soft pink to warm up all the greens. It combines my love of country, victorian, and midcentury. As you well know, there are many rooms in my home that I’m like “eh, thats not quite portfolio worthy (my master bedroom, for instance, and even my deck), but this room? This room is one of my favorites. EVER.

Let’s do a quick trip down memory lane. As you can see, below, this room has gone through quite the transfortation over the last two years:

When I found out we were having a girl I, well, I cried tears of joy, and then calmed down (see gender reveal video here) and pulled together this mood board.

I still love it and we stuck to that board for the most part. The look and feel is the same but all the pieces changed – as they do. I love that CB2 sofa but right before I pulled the trigger I found the vintage daybed. That dresser was purchased but is now in the new guest suite. I found a vintage rocker instead of the one on the board. And while that crib (above) is my favorite crib in the world, I chose to not splurge on it and instead get a great $300 one.

The wallpaper was the main inspiration for the whole room, but we had a huge challenge – one of the walls (the main wall) was made of cinder blocks. I liked this look, I did, but it meant that I couldn’t wallpaper. So as I researched I found that there was this product called Faster Plaster.

Faster Plaster is a really thick paper under your wallpaper. It’s basically spanx for your wall. Wall spanx. It’s removable if the next owners want the cinderblock feature again. Like spanx it’s not flawless, by the way. And you can see light lines. It doesn’t bother me, but I could see it bothering someone (it’s not visible in photos because it’s so slight).

Once the Faster Plaster was in place we could install our amazing wallpaper.

This paper is so special. It’s like a mural, with huge impact and a big powerful graphic, but it does have a repeat. It goes from floor to ceiling – so it’s not a decal that stops at the tree and instead continues the white to the ceiling. It has a lot of depth and texture. It feels neither photo-realistic nor cartoony – it’s this strange middle ground that is totally perfect. The artist that created it is truly talented.

I purchased that side table at the flea market for $40, and it has square brass legs. Score.

The rug . . . OH THAT RUG. It’s a shag that I want to shag. It’s so plush and soft – almost like another piece of furniture. It’s thick and reflects the light in such a beautiful way. Am I afraid about the fact that it’s white? Yes. And I do make sure people take off their shoes in this room, but it’s also a baby room so yea, take off your shoes. This rug does NOT shed, which has been an issue in previous shag rugs, because babies get it in their mouths and it’s annoying for everyone involved.

Let’s talk wicker daybed. I asked Victoria where she got her daybed (SFgirlbybay) and she gave me the source – a vintage dealer in San Francisco. She had a similar one and sent me pictures. I actually love Victoria’s more, but I still love this one. Of course now Anthro has a better version of this daybed because the height of the foot and head is the same whereas ours are twin beds, so the head is taller. I love it, don’t get me wrong. The reason I got it (and the reason that I wanted the CB2 sofa) is that this room was big enough to sleep one adult if needed. This could be a friend, mother in law, or myself during those harrowing nights. So instead of a sofa or a huge changing table, we opted for a twin bed turned daybed. I LOVE IT. We had a custom mattress made by Eve Mattress and it is just the right combo of hard and soft, perfect for those naps. We have that guest suite downstairs but it feels separate, so if you are by yourself it’s a little sad. It’s nice to have one more place to sleep inside the house.

The changing table is part of the Babyletto line at Target. I saw it at Joy’s kids line press preview (they used it as a prop) and I was like “who has been keeping this piece hidden from me?” It had just come out, and it was the perfect scale that I needed. It’s great because once those kids are done with diapers (you know, when they are like SEVEN, it feels like) we can take off the top and that piece can live anywhere in the house.

I left that diaper pail in the shot out of respect for all you moms. We keep all the diapers/whipes/disgusting ointments hidden in the top drawer, but I get annoyed when I see photos with both sides of a changing table with nary a diaper pail in sight. All these moms with non-pooping babies …

The crib is also from the Babyletto line from Target. It’s so good, you guys. I’ve designed now 13 nurseries (2 you haven’t seen yet) and I’ll tell you this: Don’t splurge on your crib unless it’s EXTREMELY special. Remember the lucite crib? That is special. Otherwise there are many $100- $300 options out there. Think about how many kids you are going to have, but otherwise go cheap. This crib still turns into a toddler bed so we’ll have it for 4 years but there is still no need to spend $1500, IMHO.

Please stare at that rug some more.

The gold stool has been floating around my house. It’s VERY good, simple with a shockingly high end looking finish, considering it’s only $70.

I bought the rocker from MidCentury LA in the valley – my favorite midcentury warehouse (tied with Amsterdam Modern). It was a faded blue velvet which I liked, but didn’t love so we had it recovered in this pine green. Here is a sad truth about nurseries – rockers don’t rock well on thick rugs AND to add to the problem they need to be either all on or all off the rug. The solution is to get a massive glider that does function a bit better on thick rugs, or to get a smaller rug. Neither of these are good options. In a perfect world there would be more oval rugs for this exact reason. I may end up moving this chair into the guest suite (I bought it knowing that it was a piece that does not need to be a nursery even though its a rocker) and getting a larger glider or club chair. I love this chair, though.

The DWR sconce is one that I’ve loved forever. It’s classic, midcentury, and extremely functional. But the main reason I love it here is that it gives off the softest light. Normally with sconces the underside is exposed and that is annoying to look at – especially for a baby laying in the chair trying to be read to (and subsequently rocked til they are sleepy). This sconce has a fabric shade on all sides = extremely soft baby friendly light. I highly recommend it (and I might be even putting them in my master bedroom because I love them so much).

The textiles are probably the least obvious thing that makes the most difference. Remember when the curtains looked like this? They were too low/short and really visually heavy. This time around I hired Loom Decor to do the curtains and they did a FANTASTIC job. We took them floor to ceiling, wall to wall, in a blackout lined light green linen. They are perfect. So perfect in fact that I also bought them for my closet doors (instead of the janky doors that were there).

In my quest for peacefulness I also asked them to make some pillows in the same fabric. Since the wallpaper was such a statement I wanted the textiles to be low-contrast and really soft and textural.

I was extremely impressed with their textile selection, quality and the execution was PERFECT. The lining was beautiful and the length was perfect. You’d think that doing it over the internet would be risky, but it wasn’t. I went slightly too short (because you can’t notice 1/2″ floating) to be safe. And everything came so perfectly, with that hardware which is seamless and disappears.

Look how beautiful those curtains are.

I can’t recommend Loom enough. And while they did gift some of the items, I have no obligation to give them a rave review – just crediting/linkage. But honestly I would use them again, and again, and again. Their product is solid, beautiful, and extremely convenient. Those black-out lined drapes would have cost $570, which is more than readymade, but the quality and function far exceeds that.

Jane Denton’s work always makes me happy, so of course I had to have it in this happy room, too. She originally sent the X for a different project and then I thought – what if we did X and O for hugs and kisses in Elliots room? She agreed. What I love about her work is how quiet and simple it is but since its embroidery it feels really special, unique and original. If these were a print they would be really cute, but having it be in this medium obviously has more quiet impact.

There I am practicing my Lion King move with that little cub (my dress is from the Who What Wear Collection from Target and I LOVE it). The rocking horse and that robot are made by the same designer – Matt Monroe who worked at BBDW before going off on his own. He’s a dad and wanted more beautiful furniture/toys for kids so he designs and builds these out of his studio in Eagle rock. I LOVE them and am so glad to support/promote his work.

So there you have it- Elliot’s gender neutral, peaceful, forest themed nursery. I love this room so much that I may never even change it, which is saying A LOT coming from me :)

Here are all the sources so you can get that look:

1. Daybed | 2. Embroidery Art by Jane Denton | 3. Leather Pouf | 4. Unicorn Doll | 5. Linen Pillow | 6. White Shag Rug | 7. Rocking Chair (similar vintage) | 8. Stripe Pattern Pillow | 9. Crib | 10. Bunny Doll | 11. Macrame Pillow | 12. Mattress | 13. Wood Rocking Horse | 14. Changing Dresser | 15. Arrow Pillow | 16. Stump Stool | 17. Round Pink Pillow | 18. Brass Accent Table | 19. Wallpaper | 20. Pink and White Pillow | 21. Robot Monkey | 22. Pink Linen Throw | 23. White Blanket | 24. Rebecca Atwood Pillow | 25. Unicorn Head

*** Photos by Tessa Neustadt

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