Our Top 10 Must-Haves for Our Puppies
We learned so much with our first pup Potato that has come in handy in raising, Ringo, our newest guy. We love the puppy phase and don’t mind the potty training. That said, Jackson and I made this quick list for you of our favorite products that we regularly use with our dogs.
1. Slip Rope Leash
This slip leash is perfect for puppies who are wiggly on walks. We started early with Tato and followed suit with Ringo. We dislike harnesses because they allow the dog to keep pulling without any signal that they are doing so, whereas the slip rope gently lets them know.
2. Himalayan Yak Chews
Our friend Katherine turned us on to these yak cheese chews and they’re amazing! Your dog’s breath will smell like smoked gouda and they’ll be occupied chompin’ on this for hours.
3. Poop Bags with Carrier Clips
This pack of lavender scented poop bags will last you forever (we’ve had ours for 3 years and are still going strong) and even comes with a convenient carrier case you can clip onto the loop end of your leash so you’re never without a baggie.
4. The Classic Kong
The Kong is a classic for a good reason: it’s durable and will provide your pup hours of entertainment. Fill it with peanut butter and pop in a few blueberries then stick the whole thing in the freezer for a bit before giving it to your pup as a popsicle.
5. A Comfy, Neutral Bed
This darling bed is available from Italic in several colors. We like to keep our stuff neutral, so we’d go for either the cream or blue. We have a similar one from then last year.
6. Serious Clippers
We now groom our doodle boys at home. We had enough issues bringing Potato to groomers where he’d come back with a serious gash or a horrible style. Now we use these Andis clippers to do the heavy duty shearing of his coat in the summer before we trim up with a scissor set.
7. Folding Pen
We didn’t go the doggie gate route because we prefer that our dogs don’t have the run of the house when they’re little. We love this folding pen and use it to make a space for Ringo to be in while we’re in the living room or we use it to block of the exit on the back porch.
8. Plush Toys
With our guys, plush toys don’t last too long, but they love them so much and they come in the cutest styles so I buy them occasionally. When I do, I prefer not to pay more than $6 for one and Chewy is my best bet. How cute are these!
9. Puzzle Bowl
Our Ringo guy uses this slow feeding bowl every day (otherwise he scarfs his food down too fast and gets the hiccups which are very cute but probably don’t feel fantastic for him).
10. MudBuster
Cleaning muddy puppy paws is a breeze with this handy tool. You add a little water, stick their paw inside, twist it a bit, and then dry the much cleaner paw upon removal. This is a game-changer for the winter time here.
Bonus: Nature’s Miracle
When you can’t get there in time or your pup surprises you with a puddle of pee, Nature’s Miracle is your best friend. Get the big refill bottle in addition to the spray bottle.
Hope your puppy journey goes splendidly!
xo,
em
Everything You Need to Know About Going to a Concert at Ascend Amphitheater
From Americana rock to jazz pop, we’ve seen it all at Ascend, one of our favorite Nashville venues.
Vance Joy. Norah Jones. Odessa.
Kimbra. Lucius. Young the Giant.
Brandi Carlile! St. Vincent!
Ascend is Nashville’s premiere outdoor venue. It’s downtown (like on the riverfront) and there’s a blend of lawn seating and actual seating. While they have just changed their bag policy (and have been truly so rude about implementing it without so much as a heads up or email via TicketMaster etc to upcoming visitors… I digress), I have generally had good experiences there. We’ve learned some things over the years of our shows at Ascend, so I’m sharing them with you!
Where to Eat and Drink
I would describe all these restaurants as $$ (not cheap, not totally spendy). That’s to be expected for the area. You’re in the heart of a city so expect to pay a little extra for your pre-show cocktail.
For a casual bite: Liberty Common
A cute French bistro meets American cafe style menu with Aperol spritzes and oysters. Their happy hour is actually excellent.
For a large group: Bakersfield
As a Californian, the town of Bakersfield does not elicit fondness or an association of authentic Mexican food, but this place does know what they’re doing. Their guac and margaritas are not messing around. If you’re going with a group of 6 or more, they do a house selections menu for $18 per person.
For a date night: Calacas
Jackson took me here recently on a date night and it was so yummy! We enjoyed the Día de los Muertos vibe. While we’d say skip the ceviche, definitely try the pork pibil tomale and the chingon carnitas.
For Southern cuisine: Martin’s
If you’re from out of town and hungering for some genuine Southern barbecue, we recommend Martin’s. It’s a solid joint with a few different offerings, though you can’t go wrong with pulled pork, fried pickle chips, or a half rack of ribs.
What to Wear
When people from home (California) ask me about the weather at home (Nashville) in the summer, I have come to terms with describing it as “similar to what I imagine it feels like to be inside a giant mouth.” Ew. But TRUE. The humidity. Feeling that outdoors is giving you a shower after you already showered and put on make up and dry clothes. Peeling your thighs off of plastic chairs and carrying their indent with you for an hour. It’s a mess. But it’s non-optional, so we deal with it. K? K.
That said, if you’re seeing a show any time between May and September, prepare to sweat. Ascend’s dress code is casual. I like wearing something long and flowy (protection from the itchy grass, breeze, comfort) or something short and strappy (limited fabric, breathing room for my arms). That bug spray in your friend. Wear comfy sandals so that you can pop them off once you’re to your lawn seats. Remember that you’ll want to be comfortable sitting on the ground, so wear something you can move around in decently.
What to Bring (and NOT Bring)
Ascend has joined many other arenas in implementing a clear bag policy. It helps speed up the entrance line and makes safety checks easier (so I get it, but next time you implement a policy, at least alert people: ugh). While you technically can still bring in a tiny clutch, I find it’s best just to set up a clear back and leave it in the closet so it’s always ready to go. Camille and I split this two pack from Amazon and spent $9 each on a bag dedicated for outings like this.
Here’s what you can put in there:
Cell phone - duh.
Credit and/or debit card - inside Ascend is cashless—which I think should be illegal and is discriminatory, but I’ll save that rant for another day. For now, you’ve been warned.
Mini deodorant - you’ll thank me when you want an extra swipe because the Outside Mouth is too sweltering.
Empty Water Bottle - you can bring in one full and sealed plastic water bottle (sure, but the environment, ja feel?) or an empty aluminum or plastic water bottle to fill up near the bathrooms once you’re inside. If you want to get specific, you’re allowed “up to 1 gallon in a factory sealed or empty reusable water bottle. All reusable water bottles must be plastic or aluminum, no glass allowed, or ones with a camel-back straw.”
Food - you can bring your own food with you! This is amazing and so rare. Pack your picnic, making sure that you remove any branded packaging and everything is in a clear container. The deets: food must be “in a clear plastic container or 1-gallon ziplock bag. No food with any bones or that would need the use of utensils. No commercial branding names/ branding so please put any food into a separate clear bag/container to store your food.”
Deck of Cards - if you’re waiting between sets or you get there early to stake out a good lawn spot, having a little game with you is handy.
Handkerchief - we keep these handy for when you need a last minute tissue, napkin, or sweat absorber.
Old Quilt - this doesn’t have to fit in the bag (thank goodness). We find that a large old quilt is the comfiest to sit on, gives you large surface area, and can easily be doubled in case the grass is wet without losing much seating space. If you don’t have one, swing by Good Will and wash one you find thoroughly.
Do NOT bring:
Umbrella - it will get confiscated and you will be sad. Not that I know that from personal experience…
Aerosols - bug spray, hair spray, dry shampoo: leave them at home. Bug spray your legs and arms before you leave home or bring one with a pump-style top.
Lawn chairs - you can rent them there for $10!
Any outside beverage that isn’t water. Sorry.
Animals (except service animals) - leave your pets at home. This is not the time and place.
What to Eat and Drink Once Inside
Ascend has a pretty fair selection of food.For local food, you’ve got Daddy’s Dogs, Ben & Jerry’s, and different food trucks each show. They also have in-house entree offerings from cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, hot chicken, Impossible meat cheesesteaks as well as side snacks like nachos, pretzels, candy, and popcorn.
For drinks, expect to find canned wine (red, white, and pink), a couple different beers, and some cocktails. Drinks are ungodly expensive IMHO. Jackson paid $32 for a large seltzer and a tall boy of beer. YIKES. We say pregame and just pretend it’s a college throwback vibe.
Are you the designated driver for your group? I have good news for you! You get free fountain sodas. Just go to the Guest Services tent right inside the main gate and someone will get you a voucher.
Where to Park
Option 1: Don’t drive in the first place. Take a Lyft! This is what we do pretty much every time we come downtown. When we come with friends, they drive to our place in East and we take one ride share together. (It was actually a factor in choosing the location of our house). We recently had a horrible experience with Uber and have always loved Lyft as well as have some friends who have had good experiences working for Lyft. There are designated drop off and pick up zones for ride shares so check your app to know where those are. We always order the Lyft ride 2 songs before we think it’s the end of the show. We typically don’t mind missing the last bit of the encore unless it’s someone we are huge fans of (read: Brandi Carlile). Beating the rush a little bit helps. But it’s also for sure the time to pay that extra surge charge or the up-fee for having your car come directly to you. Trust us.
Option 2: Reasonably priced garages. I used to work downtown and can attest that you’ll rarely get the $11 parking ticket for an expired meter so I never pay them. If you can find a street spot, this is for sure your best move. If you’re heading downtown—I was about to say “on a weekend” but really every day is some tourist’s weekend in Nashville—then it’s worth knowing a few of the best garages to park in.
Library Garage: 151 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
Their hourly rate is $6 BUT their daily max rate is $20. If you park after 5 pm or on weekends, then it’s a $10 max for up to 12 hours. If you’re a Nashvillian with a library card, you can park for free for 90 minutes any time and then it’s just $3 per half hour after that.
Metro Courthouse / Public Square Park Garage: 101 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN
Their hourly rate is $8 BUT their daily max rate is $20. If you park after 5 pm or on weekends, then it’s just $5. Find yourself downtown frequently for work or live somewhere downtown where parking is tough? Night-only parking is $100/month.
4th and Commerce Garage: 147 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
Their hourly rate is $10 BUT their daily max rate is only $25. If you park after 4 pm, the max rate is $15 and if you park after 6 pm or on a weekend, then it’s just $10! Truly a steal.
Bonus: Getting Great Tickets for Cheap
Ok this really feels like sharing some insider secrets. We have seen many shows at Ascend for free. Yep. We’ve been gifted tickets here or there by loving friends.
But our number one trick? DoMore615.
Register for an account and pay only $3 to cover your first 3 months of membership. If you like it after that, they’ll charge you just $5 a month. What does membership get you, you ask? At least one pair of free tickets to an upcoming Nashville event (live music, sports, plays, and more) each month. You’ll get an email asking if you want to keep the tickets, release them back to others in the pool, or gift them to a friend. Typically, tickets get your name on the list somewhere or stash a pair for you at will call. It’s a great way to have what my family calls “planned spontaneity” because the events on offer are between one week and 2 months out and you can opt in rather than having to search from scratch by yourself. Then, just plan a fun date night or GNO around the event you got tickets to! We’ve been to the Ryman, Ascend, writer’s rounds, and Bridgestone through the DoMore615 program.
Don’t forget to take at least as many silly photos as you do cute ones. Blessings upon your Ascend-sion!
xo,
em
My Mom Got Married!
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in May 2022, my mom Courtney married her partner Jim McLaughlin. We are ecstatic for them. There’s no straightforward path to love and their stories certainly had some twist and turns to get to each other. They met online at the beginning of the pandemic and started spending lots of time together. We celebrated with a ceremony where they spoke about each of the guests, where their living room became the reception hall, and where we danced the night away with Spotify as our DJ. Jim redid their backyard so it would be picture perfect for the ceremony. How beautiful!
All images are by the lovely and talented Kimberly MacDonald.
photography: Kimberly MacDonald // venue: Ridge Road Retreat, Novato, CA // planning: Camille Grager // florals: Camille Grager // wedding invitations: Emma Vendetta // wedding dress: Chiara Boni La Petite Robe // groom attire: Nordstrom // rentals + catering: Just Relish // music: Emma Vendetta
3 Favorite East Nashville Happy Hours
My requirements for a quality happy hour:
Reasonable hours. None of this 5-6 pm nonsense, which is impossible to get to in time for most of us working folks.
Reasonable prices. If your happy hour drink is only $1 off regular prices or is north of $9, you’ve lost me.
Something for everyone. Jackson is dairy-free, I can only handle so much gluten, and plenty of our friends are vegan. We’ve gotta be able to meet up somewhere that has a decent number of options.
Bonus points: Food included.
Plane Jane
When: Daily from 5 - 7 pm; Tuesdays all day!
What: Beer $3, Wine $6, Cocktails $9
Specials: $8 shot + beer combo.
$10 specialty cocktail
Why we like it: Plane Jane was recently (another favorite of ours) by a Vandy grad (go ‘Dores) as his second enterprise after the success of Coneheads (right above Plane Jane!). We love this spot and it’s right near our house. Drinks are creative and on point, service is friendly and prompt, and the space is vibey without being over the top. While there isn’t food on site for happy hour, we just wander upstairs for delicious (and reasonably priced) chicken and truly the best damn grits I’ve yet tasted.
Up Down
When: Daily from 3 - 7 pm; Saturday from 11 am - 9 pm; Sunday all day!
What: Cocktails $7 (seven options to choose from)
Specials: Tuesday $1 off TN drafts.
Wednesday $1 off domestic tallboys.
Thursday 10-cent game tokens
Friday $2 pizza slices until 8 pm
Saturday 2-for-1 tokens
Sunday $30 six pack and a pound of tokens
Why we like it: With a rooftop patio (that is pet friendly!) and a ton of games inside, you’re set at Up Down whether it’s raining or sunny. Great entertainment for all ages and excellent drink deals. What’s not to love? The retro games provide a good space for larger groups to mill about and enjoy a corporate happy hour if you’re planning one of those.
Lockeland Table
When: “Community Hour” daily from 4 - 6 pm
What: Snacks to share $7, Cocktails $7
Specials: $7 glass or $30 pitcher of cocktail of the day. Food specials for kiddos!
Why we like it: While it’s a little on the early side, Lockeland Table’s Community Hour is true to its name in that way. The pizza is my personal go to, along with some grilled veggie of the day to round it out. Their cocktails are excellent and the pitcher is always a fun way to do a large format cocktail to share for 2-4 folks. The best part? A portion of the proceeds from Community Hour benefit the PTOs of schools in and around Nashville.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lyra
When: Daily from 5 - 6 pm
What: Cocktails $6, Beers $6, Wine $6 and discounted food
Why we like it: We love the food at Lyra. Their happy hour deals are great! This one gets an honorable mention because of the limited hours. We recommend getting a reservation for the patio at exactly 5 pm when they open and happy hour kicks off. Place your order and wait for the deliciousness to arrive. You’ll have time for a second round of HH drinks before the deals end and you’ll have plenty of food to make it dinner. When family is in town, we tend to go here and order one of everything off the menu. No joke.
Reflecting on a 35mm Summer
Summer 2019 was the first time I picked up a film camera. I ordered a Nikon FE from Etsy and off we went! Once the scans from our Belgium + France trip came back with great success, we started carrying the camera everywhere we went. Here are some images from Moon River festival in early September that same year.
Drinks with the Cocktail Queen
My little sister, Camille, turned 27 this April (can you tell I’m behind on blogging?). I am very fortunate to live in the same city as her and we get to spend some quality time together. While she had plans for her birthday dinner with her sweet boyfriend Andrew, I got to spend the day with her. We started off with a pink drink at Starbucks. Because you get a free birthday drink, so you gotta, right?
Next, we grabbed a snackie lunch at the restaurant inside Restoration Hardware in Green Hills. I’ll just go ahead and say it: everything there is overpriced. BUT if you’re going to pay $20 for fries, they should feed two people for lunch, be perfectly crispy, and be covered in real truffle shavings, parsley, parmesan, and garlic. So…yeah. Worth it on those. We ordered a bottle of rosé and sipped the early afternoon away!
We split up so Camille and Andrew could dine, but we reconvened for a surprise event organized by her friends Liz and Bianca. Our dear friend Brandan came to town and we all met up at Liquor Lab in downtown Nashville. If you know me, you know I care deeply about civic infrastructure and it was exciting to be in a space in downtown that wasn’t only dedicated to country music and day drinking (even though I love both of those things).
Liquor Lab kicked off with a small dinner from Peg Leg Porker (which was excellent as always) and basic orientation to the tools at hand. We then started on our first of three drinks. The most interesting thing we were taught was using a cranberry and cinnamon tea bag to flavor the tequila in one beverage. It only took two minutes and totally changed the drink for the better!
How cute are these two?!
Ok, we’re pretty cute too ;)
We had to bring the crew, obviously. And this crew knows a good bit about beverages. While Andrew isn’t big into alcohol, he is a chocolate milk expert. Alec has worked in the alcohol industry, Jackson brews, Bianca is opening a bar in Seattle, and Camille—the cocktail queen— regularly creates cocktail menus for events, restaurants, and individuals.
We highly recommend Liquor Lab for a good time if you’re in Nashville and looking for an alternative to the honky tonk scene.
xo,
em
Meet Ringo!
Sir Ringo Lemon Jefferson Reimers joined our family on June 7th, 2022. He started out as just a little beeb. When we sent these first photos to family and friends, they thought we were getting a guinea pig.
Jackson got to name Potato (if you haven’t heard that story, do ask; it’s pretty hilarious). So I got to name GoGo.
Ringo is named after the Beatles drummer, of course. You’ve likely heard it said that Ringo Starr was the "worst drummer in the Beatles. I prefer a take I recently read that describes Ringo was the exact right drummer for the Beatles: nothing too complicated, killer at four on the floor, a team player.
His middle namesake is Blind Lemon Jefferson, an early American blues and gospel singer who started as a humble street musician and, through plain ol’ hard work and persistence, got signed to Paramount records and rose to fame in the 1920s. Jefferson also refers to Jefferson Street in Nashville, the historic Black music district that was the true original Music Row and is home to my favorite museum, Jefferson Street Sound Museum.
He is a good boi who already knows his name and also responds to GoGo, Go-ee, Ringo Bingo, and Dingus.
Here’s how he rode in the car on the way home. Yup.
Immediately snuggled in. It turns out that the car is pretty much the only place he is this chill.
He is mostly a squirmy boy with lots of energy, which is great since he has a pal to play with constantly in Potato.
Potato took two weeks to warm up to Ringo. The internet said to give them two months. I was impatient after about two days. We followed all the suggested protocols of introducing them on neutral territory and making sure they have their own stuff and separate time with each of us as well as time all together.
How am I supposed to get anything done with this level of cuteness haunting my house?
Our dear friend Alec Myszka came over to take some professional photos of Ringo (the one at the top and the one below are both from Alec). GoGo seems to love the camera. He is officially the biggest ham of our household and misses zero opportunities to cool himself by sitting on a floor vent or bark at his own toys just to entertain us.
Potato and Ringo are now nicely getting along. Though Ringo does still pull at Po’s tail to get him to play (part of being a herding pup), he does treat him like a big brother. Potato is so sweet and always demonstrates the correct response when I tell Ringo to “go potty” or “go to place” (his crate) by doing it first to show Ringo. Tato even takes naps at the same time as Ringo (who has truly worn our 3-year-old pup out with all the playing).
Ringo is king of the side eye. Again, the ultimate HAM.
This new pup has gotten some snuggles from friends and family. In particular, he likes accompanying Jackson in pretty much everything he does. Jackson’s truest happy place is probably playing a video game on the Nintendo Switch with GoGo in his lap and Tato by his feet. What a life!
xo
em
Picnic at Arrington
When it’s fall and friends come into town, the time is ripe for dining al fresco. Picnic comes from the French word pique-nique, with piquer being the verb for “to peck at or nibble”; it’s kind of like saying snackie snacks. We may be far from France, and (devastatingly) far from Napa, but we can still pack up some cheese and grapes and grab a bottle of wine to enjoy outdoors. Camille made this fantastic loaf of honey beer bread that we enjoyed with goat cheese and local whipped honey (great for allergies too!). We took a nice drive out to Arrington Vineyard where we opted for a red blend and set ourselves up in the partial shade of a beautiful oak. So this is your reminder that something as simple as eating outdoors can be a the chance of pace you need and an autumn experience to enoy!
Based On A Novel By Stephen King
You might be aware that spooky season is my favorite season. I was a late bloomer when it comes to horror movies, but I’ve now come to enjoy the genre and watch spooky movies even outside of spooky season. (! I know, right!)
Jackson and I throw an annual Halloween party where we pull out all the stops: the drinks are flowing and the food is plentiful. I absolutely love hosting and Halloween is a great excuse for us to invite our friends out for an evening of rowdy fun. While our dining room is still awaiting its construction projects, we were able to turn it into a buffet easily and we placed the bar outside on the porch.
The last few years, we’ve tried to select a different theme. This year, we went with Stephen King since I’ve lately been reading his novels. (The man is a master of the craft of writing for sure).
Naturally, we opted for a couple’s classic: Jack and Wendy Torrance from The Shining. Potato opted for a simple yet complementary costume: Georgie from It.
Make a balloon arch, light all your candles, and crank up the Haunted Hits playlist - it’s party time, y’all! Yes, we built a Pet Sematary in our backyard. Yes, the way to get into the party was to make your mark on the Overlook Hotel’s redrum door with an axe. Any more questions?
Sissy Date
This sissy date is from a while back (February 14th, 2019), but I wanted to share it as just one variation on the theme of sissy dates.
As you may know, I love my sister Camille. I think she is extremely cool, she’s the kindest person you’ll meet, and she always knows how to put her own pizazz on things. She’s ostrich feathers and tea in Paris. She’s panning for glass bits in my stream and recycling event florals to give to folks who need cheering up. She’s a fancy cocktail in her pajamas. She’s singing Shrek’s praises and telling you all the Bosch details you didn’t know you needed to know.
Like any family member, spending lots of quantity time and much quality time together throughout the years has given us a special bond. AND I want to keep getting to know her. She’s changed! Can you believe it? People change! Sometimes they get even better. I want to know who she is now and who she’s becoming, not just who she was to me at age 6 (an adorably aggressive hugger) or 13 (a makeup pro already) or even at 25 (the most generous carer for my grandfather).
So we go on sissy dates. While we often hang out casually, mostly when she stops by to see Potato (I am in second, maybe even third place now), we also really like to have dedicated time to do an activity or go somewhere fun together. Most recently, we did our first annual Sissy Weekend. Because we’re both pretty broke (thanks, 2020 and grad school), we did a staycation with face masks, homemade poptails (that’s a cocktail in a popsicle), massages, and a three night sleepover.
Here’s a sissy date from a time when the world was more open. Valentine’s Day 2019. Just because she was single didn’t mean she had to sit out a Valentine’s Date (not that I was her only offer on that front, but I like that I beat out the competition). We went to lunch and then made candles and drank champagne. Zero complaints here.
I *may* have purchased more than just a candle here (but those throw pillows were on super sale, babe!). We enjoyed sniffing all the scents, having a guided activity neither of us had tried before (I now pour my own candles at home), and getting dressed up to be out and about in the world together.
We’ve done picnics and roof top bars. We’ve gone to a Ke$ha concert and danced on Broadway. We’ve spent hours in McKays and devised intentionally bad business plans (one of our fave past times). And we’re looking forward to getting to be out and about on a sissy date in the near future! So thanks one more time to Dolly Parton for making our vaccine dreams come true.
xo,
em
Cute Doods
Ain’t got nothing to say here. It’s just that I quit social media and I still needed a place to show off this super cute photo of my boo and our pup. If you’re looking for me online, I’ll be here, without the advertizing and the commodification of my attention (or yours!).
em
Happy Pride!
To all my queer friends and family, I wish you a joyful month of celebrating yourself and your community! Your commitment to honest love and living teaches me daily. Your bravery, vibrancy, and strength shows me that there is more possible in this world - you expand my view in necessary and beautiful ways. Love who you love and know that I’ve got your back.
Office Floating Shelves
It’s been a minute since I’ve done a house update and wow have we been doing some house-updating! We decided like very sane and well-planned people to try to knock out three of our biggest projects in the two weeks before my family came to visit. Yep. One of them was this little office schmooze. We are always in need of shelf space for more books (this is where you pretend to be surprised) and I’d designed these floating shelves over our desks to solve that functional issue as well as have a little flair: they look like piano keys! Beveled and everything. I’m very happy with how they turned out and now I just need Camille to come over and style them for me. It’ll be a fresh challenge for her because these books are more like pantry staples: I’ll be using them and moving them around all the time as I’ve entered the writing phase (cue giant restaurant gong sound) of this Ph.D. journey.
Let’s be very clear: I may have designed the shelves and built the bases, which you can see Jackson installing onto the wall below, but I would not ever have been able to do this project on my own. Not even with two of me. I needed Jackson. These shelves are HEAVY. They’re built to last, cut from the last remaining two by fours we have from taking out the wall (the former fourth bedroom, which no one needs in a 1522 square foot home). I could barely hold them up to the wall. I certainly didn’t have the strength to press them flush to the wall, then grab a drill and push that at a 90 degree angle to the board. Yikes. In, yes, sadly classic Emma fashion, I got 60% of the way into this project and then had to grovel like a child who can’t reach the top shelf. Also, I cannot reach the top shelves in our home. Jackson graciously rescued me and did the massively effortful part of getting these up… then decided he really wanted to see it all the way through and enjoyed using the cute little clamps and the wood glue and the nail gun and voila! We had some finished floating shelves.
We moved a few things around in this room and as you can tell, these iPhone photos are on par quality wise for how finished this room is. HD pics headed your way when the new desks, zebra rug, and roarschach prints are all in place.
What'cha think?
em
Portrait Of A Good Boy
Just some beautiful photographs of my dog with his commissioned portrait
My sister commissioned a portrait of Potato for Jackson’s gift a while back and the artist, Emily Elizabeth Miller, did a fantastic job. Camille’s one request was for a photograph of Tato with his likeness. Wish. Freaking. Granted.
Anyone else have a pet portrait or is it just me….
xo
em
Bougie on a Budget: March
How is it March already? Hasn’t it been March for a year now?
How is it March already? Hasn’t it been March for a year now?
Feeling like these are both relevant questions. How about some spring-ish things that are a little bit hopeful?
Lele Sadoughi Studs
Yoga Block
Marc Fisher Heels
Acrylic Whiskey Glass
La Neige Lip Mask
Gingham Mask
Cinq A Sept Silk Mini
Wave Pillar Candle
Wondergloss with Collagen in Spicy Pink
Pastels and the hint of the idea of being outside (with those whiskey glasses): bring on the spring vibes!
xo
em
Potato Turns Two
Potato is my doggo. He’s more than that, though.
I feel like everyone who has a dog that they love dearly knows what I’m talking about. Tato is also a blanket, a doorbell, a teddy bear, and a vacuum. Tato is a good friend. And today, he turns two-years-old.
Living with Potato reminds me of some of the better aspects that life has to offer. He is relentlessly hopeful. He is always eager to exercise and be outdoors. He is content to eat the same thing every day. He prefers to snuggle but also knows when to take alone time. He is fascinated by the smallest things.
Before we had Potato, I would read Mary Oliver’s poetry on dogs and wonder how someone could have such profound realizations—let alone find the words for them—from watching a dog?
Now I get it. I GET IT. I have learned so much from Potato’s way of being in the world and from my way of responding to him. I’ve learned about unconditional love and how hard I am on myself for things that are inevitably flawed and human. I have grown confident in knowing another being’s needs: I know what each little bark or squeak means, when he’s hungry or needs to go out, what he wants before he tells me. While there are many, many differences between pets and children, raising Potato has given me new courage for my hope to someday become a parent.
To celebrate a dog’s birthday is very much not about the dog. DUH. It is about recognizing what he brings to our little family and expressing our appreciation and noting our growth. I mean, are we going to make him a cake? DUH. But unlikely he’ll remember yesterday was any different. Which is exactly why I love him so, so much.
Now, I’ll leave us with a *small* selection of some of my favorite Po-tographs.
xo
em
GOTCHA DAY
TATER TOT
PO AND FRIENDS
Bougie on a Budget: February
February is all about sharing the love. So here’s some love from me to your wallet.
February is all about sharing the love. You know I’m always trying to share things that are from small, woman-owned, black-owned, environmentally sustainable, and local businesses. So here’s some love from me to your wallet.
Also, I absolutely love Valentine’s Day (my first date with Jackson, as cheesy as it is) and the colors and patterns that come with it so enjoy.
Puppy Love Card
Delicate Pearl Necklace
Floral Heart Bath Melt
Love Poems by Pablo Neruda
Loving Art Print
Custom Love Letter Blanket
Cookie Mixtape from HiFi (Nashville)
Candle Date Night Kit from Wooden Wick
LBD
The cookie mixtape is the way. to. go. It’s from HiFi, a deliciously local Nashville biz right on the east side (so near us!). And as someone who loves letters and blankets, I wouldn’t be mad about my valentine getting me that custom gift (HINT HINT).
xo
em
Our Painted “Wallpaper” Bathroom
The process of updating our bathroom (which started as a clean and new but very, very blank slate) started with imagining some kind of fun contrast on the main wall.
The process of updating our bathroom (which started as a clean and new but very, very blank slate) started with imagining some kind of fun contrast on the main wall. I fell in love with some spectacular wallpaper before realizing what an expense and ordeal adding wallpaper to a home could be. Once I read a little more, I floated an idea to Jackson (ya know, the other person who lives here) and Camille (the person I would ask to do me a major design favor): what if we painted wallpaper onto the wall instead of actually wallpapering the bathroom?
Fortunately, they both said yes and we began to explore designs. I wanted something organic feeling. The wallpaper I liked had a kind of feather or scale vibe to it. I liked that, but we couldn’t settle on a pattern that was a good balance of organized and loose. So we kept thinking.
I wanted to in some way match the colors of this beautiful Japanese woodblock print from the 1940s that my Grampa gifted me. We settled on contrasting dusty pinks to give a femme yet sophisticated feel to the guest bath.
Soon enough, Camille came to me with the absolutely brilliant idea of making some rorschach prints, scanning those, and devising a pattern thereafter. She thought it was a good way to get the organic shapes with some structure since the rorschachs would be in identical halves and we would digitize them and clean them up. We took some pretty pain-staking efforts to get them just right.
They’re available for purchase as digital prints in the shop! And yes, they all have fun names based on what I read into them.
After all the prints were dry, we scanned them at high resolution (1200 dpi) and I began digitally cleaning them. Once all 22 of them were tidied, I started manipulating the rorschachs into patterns and eventually adding colors.
A lot of trial and error led us to a simplified pattern of a single rorschach. No doubt we’ll be producing patterns with them in the future…for, say, some custom “wallpaper” painting templates and wrapping paper perhaps? ;)
We painted the whole wall the lighter dusty quartz color and then got out a $60 projector and some 5 gallon containers on which to gradually stack it. We drew all of the patterns carefully onto the wall in pencil (which you can erase easily later) and began the process of painting.
And so we were off to the (painting) races! Believe it or not, we used some cheapo IKEA brushes to do all the detail work. I loved how the end result included more texture and variability than wallpaper would have.
I know all the images are of Camille but I promise I didn’t make her do all the work. We had a great time painting together, listening to music, and drinking some beer.
In true bathroom fashion, we celebrated by brushing our teeth (as Camille is doing here). That fabulous towel is vintage. Isn’t it awesome?
Would you ever paint your “wallpaper”? Let me know what you think of the room!
xo
em
Bougie on a Budget: January
Kicking off the new year with some extra well-priced goodies.
Kicking off the new year with some extra well-priced goodies. Jackson and I did a complete inventory of everything we regularly use in our home that needs purchasing or refills: soap, laundry detergent, paper towels, and so on. A few of our favorite finds are below!
Blueland Handsoap Tablets
Who Gives A Crap TP, 48 rolls
Vermillion Vase
Sam Edelman Faux Fur Jacket
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
Color Pop Bronzer (a Chanel dupe)
The Ordinary AHA+BHA solution
Colorfulkoala Black Leggings
16 oz. All Purpose Cleaner
I just ordered stuff from Blueland and am excited to try it out.
But let me tell you about these leggings. They are my favorite. I have eight pairs. They are all I wore on our camping trip across country. They are so reasonably priced and they are lululemon comfortable. They have rave reviews on Amazon, but we’re trying to #quitAmazon for lots of reasons. So yeah buy them directly please.
be comfy and be budget-friendly!
xo
em
Goodbye, wallpaper. Hello, paint!
When wallpaper is too expensive but you still want a pop of color and pattern in a space, painting is the way to go.