The Link Up: Emily’s Family-Friendly Holiday Movie, Arlyn’s $8 Wifi Plug She LOVES, And The Coziest Heated Blanket On The Market

Hi folks! Welcome back to the link up, December edition. Yes it’s already December and yes that is a disorienting fact but that won’t stop us from bringing you our latest and greatest obsessions. Let’s jump in.

This week’s home tour, via Rue Mag, is a perfect example of mixing wood tones, textiles, and art to achieve a minimal and elevated design but that’s not the only exciting thing about the space. It is one of three bungalows in Montauk, NY that is available to rent through Airbnb and the twist is everything inside is for sale (!!). Talk about the perfect safe vacation experience.

From Emily: Suzanne has tried out 4 different heated blankets and swears this one is the best because one side is fleece and the other side is faux fur.

Also from Emily: JINGLE JANGLE is this year’s family-friendly holiday movie. Fun music, AMAZING costumes, great acting, art direction, and of course a heartwarming story with a super talented diverse cast and crew.

From Ryann: My new best friend is Joanna Spicer, a beauty vlogger that is so funny and real and gives REALLY amazing product recommendations. I actually think we could be real-life best friends so Joanna, if you are reading this, LET’S BE REAL-LIFE BEST FRIENDS. I’ve discovered so many new brands via her youtube including Sleeper, Donni, The Lobby, Loops Beauty, and so many more and I literally trust everything she says is worth buying. Plus she has a very cool 80s/Art Deco style and her new studio/office reveal is very good.

From Malcolm: The power of representation is real! My sister read the book Brown Boy Brown Boy What Can You Be? by Ameshia Arthur to my three-year-old nephew, and his reaction to the character in the book was “he looks like me!”. Cue emotions. This seems like such a nuanced product to recommend, but there really is something powerful to be said about seeing ourselves positively represented in an array of careers and occupations. To this day, my sisters and I reminisce about books that we read as children, and how they impacted the trajectory of our lives (most of which certainly did not have central Black characters), so it warms my heart that my nephew feels seen and capable of anything. The sky’s the limit!

From Jess: 2020 is trying to make sure I NEVER forgot it. How you may ask? Well, this past Tuesday night I decided that I really needed to food prep some healthy food because there was no way that my current diet was helping my overall mental health. So as I was chopping up some kale, my knife slipped and stabbed me good in the wrist. Ok, it was technically my fault but really 2020?! Luckily I still had (and still have) total hand function and I really didn’t want to go to the ER. Those bills didn’t seem worth it. I won’t go on a rant about our healthcare system but like wouldn’t it have been swell if I could have just gone to the ER without fear of near bankruptcy… for a mere flesh wound? Just saying. Ok back to my story. So after a hysterical (not the funny kind) call to my father, I realized that all I had were small bandaids from “the adhesive on the protective packaging no longer holds together” years ago. So I used a random nonstick pad, masking tape, and an elastic bandage to hold me over till morning. I guess this is more of a cautionary tale to tell you to make sure that you have either a real first aid kit like this one or bandaids of multiple sizes (including large ones). O and hydrogen peroxide and maybe an antibiotic cream🙂 Lastly, make sure when using really sharp knives, also use a very sturdy cutting board. My really thin and light one may be going into retirement.

Also From Jess: My favorite person on Instagram, Crystal Anderson, reposted her and her now fiance, Kiesh’s love story. I forgot how much it just cuts through me in the most beautiful way and watching it instantly improved my day. If you haven’t seen it before watch it immediately and if you have, do yourself a favor and watch it again. The pureness of their love and how deeply they see each other is nothing but a gift to witness.

From Arlyn: Hands down, the greatest $8 I’ve ever spent on “Christmas decor” is this Wi-Fi plug. I plugged my Christmas lights into it and can control it all right from my phone. I’m able to schedule what time it turns on and off, put it on a timer or just manually operate right from my bed (i.e. never again will I have to crawl out of bed at midnight because I forgot to unplug the lights). It’s a Christmas miracle!”

From Mallory: Have I told you about my favorite wine glasses yet???? They’re these awesome guys from Crate and Barrel and they ROCK. Some nice wine glasses are super thin and breakable (which ain’t cool) but these are just sturdy enough to be pretty but not tooo thin of glass. Plus the shape is so good. It would make a great gift! I actually bought them for my parents as a gift once and they love them too. (They also have them in a red wine glass which is also great.)

From Albie: I am obsessed with these Gold Cabinet Pulls Acrylic Drawer Pulls for the upcoming kitchen reno & can’t wait to see how chic they’ll look.

Alright friends, that’s all from us for now. Have a great Sunday and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with a brand new reveal:)

Opener Image Credit: Design by Studio Robert McKinley | Photo by Read McKendree | via Rue Mag