The Link Up: Em’s NEW Favorite Self Tanner, Two Cute Dresses, Jess’ Summer Candle, And A Bittersweet Announcement

Happy Sunday, everyone. We are starting this week’s link up a little differently this week. This was our wonderful Ryann’s final week at EHD. We couldn’t send her off without giving her A TON of love. We’ll let Em kick-off why we love Ryann so much.

An Ode to Ryann Trombetti

From Emily: Today I have very very bittersweet news that our beloved Ryann will be moving on to pursue new career adventures. It’s been five years, FIVE YEARS!!! of wonderful editorial ideas, opinions, writing, design help and so much fun and love from Ryann. She started as a temp (literally to help us do a bunch of spreadsheet work as we turned the site more into a resource) and we couldn’t let go of her. We just really, really liked having her around and I personally benefitted from so much of her wisdom. Her role grew and grew as we shifted into more of a publishing platform and design resource. What a gift she was. But now as the blog returns to a more personal blog and we shift our business, things started to not make sense and her job here wasn’t lining up with her own personal pursuits. So through really open and honest conversations and brainstorming we both feel like this is the right move – despite our pits in our stomach and occasional nausea. But the good news is she is an EHD alum which means this won’t be the last you’ll hear from her. She of course will be going after her goals but she will always have a place here to pop in and write every now and then if she wants to. We love her, you love her, she speaks our EHD language and you simply can’t just replace 5 years of a full-time relationship. You just can’t. It’s such lasting value – both personal and professional. All of it makes me so happy (moving on to better things) and sad (it’s always sad to make big shifts like this). So thank you Ryann for your years of hard work, great attitude, FUN, wisdom, creativity, work ethic, and humor. 

Ryann came into this job with zero background in interior design (she just applied for the temp admin position) and in case you missed it, three years later revealed her living room makeover takeover which blew us all away. Check it out HERE. It’s been such a wild ride here at EHD – boom and bust, big staff, then scaling back, me moving to another state after two years of lockdown, and lots of shifts due to social media and huge cultural changes. I can’t tell you enough how much having a supportive, understanding team has been to keeping us still in the game and moving forward (again, both professionally and personally). Thank you Ryann for being here, in all the important ways. We will miss you very, very, very much.

From Jess: To know Ryann, is to love Ryann. We both really grew up together these last five years and it has been a pleasure getting to work with her every one of those days. She’s talented, hardworking, and has always been there as the sounding board I trust when I was unsure about something. My second gut check if you will 🙂 She also kept me in check when I missed something too! Then on top of all those things, you won’t find a better hang. Ryann is SO fun, is always up for a soulful conversation (and encourages them), and has such a beautiful heart. While EHD won’t be the same without her, I am so excited to see her thrive in her next adventure. This job was just the beginning. I know it’s wildly cliche but the sky really is the limit when it comes to our Ryann. I know this isn’t goodbye but a we’ll see you soon. She is joining a pretty remarkable group of EHD alums that have also never been able to fully escape us 🙂 Can’t wait to read that novel one day!!! 

From Mallory: Ryann is one of the most thoughtful, creative, and talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She’s the edgiest gal with the sweetest heart. A true baddie. As a fellow 7 (for my enneagram-obsessed friends), she has an incredible ability to make seemingly mundane work extremely fun while also having mastered the art of efficiency and writing skill. No seriously, her writing is some of the best I’ve ever read!!! Ry has been such an asset to this team and while we’re all gonna miss her so much, I can’t wait to see her spread her lil wings and fly!! GO CRUSH IT OUT THERE RY. LOVE YOU!!!!

From Caitlin: OH MY GOD YOU CAN’T MAKE ME WRITE THIS??? I tried to tell Ryann how much I love and appreciate her when we got team drinks on Wednesday and immediately started crying, so you can imagine that I am a teary-eyed baby while writing this. I know that you guys see Ryann’s incredible work on the blog – I still think about the thoughtful piece she wrote on body image – but SHE’S EVEN BETTER IN REAL LIFE. She’s thoughtful and smart and a total blast, but I most appreciate her bravery and this innate sense of fairness she has – she has an incredible talent for speaking truth to power (woof, I know that phrase is corny, but it’s true!) and I so admire how she’s able to navigate her relationships with folks while pushing people to do the right thing. I’m so lucky to have worked alongside her and I hope I picked up a few of her traits over the past few years – she’s one of the good ones! RYANN, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Fun Memories!!

From Ryann’s INCREDIBLE MOTO…

And her first hair transformation in 2018: the chicest bob!

Who could forget her second hair transformation in 2022: The cool girl perm!

She married her soulmate<3

And got to spend time with all of you at The Mountain House Reader Event!

There were lots of after-hours hangs, too 🙂

And a few adventures our team will never forget! (Like our trip to Portland :))

Did we mention she’s a natural model? Her beauty and talent know no bounds.

Words just can’t express how much we love and will miss our Ryann. Please go shower her with more love in the comments, and then if you want to come back we have our regularly scheduled Link Up below:

The Link Up

This week’s house tour is both incredibly well-design and unbelievably charming, with the coziest, lived-in feel. Designer, Sara Charlesworth and her husband bought his family home from his father and carefully brought it back to life while maintaining those important family memories. We don’t want to say too much more because you really need to just go look at it. Enjoy!

From Emily: I won’t call myself an expert in many things, but when it comes to self-tanner I can proudly (??) say I’m a professional. I have tried them all and while many work totally fine I have two that are EXCEPTIONAL. My normal overnight one is St. Tropez (you have to use a mitt) but I have a new better/faster hack. This one does the job in TWO HOURS. I’m not kidding. The other day I had forgotten to put on the foam the night before so I woke up at 7 am and put on this two-hour ultra-dark tan. My team came over around 8 and I told them what I had done. We then proceeded to watch it develop LIVE and sure enough by the time I needed to be in my short shorts on camera I was totally tan. Now it says you are supposed to rinse off at 8 hours, but I don’t. I just keep it on for the whole day and I can’t believe how great it looks. I know that I’ve been professing self-tanner for years but it’s because I am so fair and really can’t get any natural color (and have stopped trying). This makes me look/feel better instantly. I know people are nervous to try it but the worst that can happen is that you go a little too dark and then rinse it off (don’t try this first time for a wedding or anything). Now the 2-hour one doesn’t last as many days, so what I’ve been doing is the St. Tropez as my base, then every morning if I’m going to be in shorts or a swimsuit, I just throw the 2-hour one on my legs almost like daily lotion. I hope you have enjoyed this one-woman spray tan show (I really should shoot a new reel about it – it’s just so highly effective and makes a huge difference in my life).

From Mallory: I tried on this dress a few months ago and realized the other day that I regretted not buying it. BUT sometimes waiting is in fact in your favor because it’s now on a hot sale!!! I snagged it finally — if you’re in the market too it would make a great wedding guest dress or just a fun dinner dress 🙂

From Ryann: I completely forgot about this dress, probably because it was left in my suitcase that I still haven’t fully unpacked from Japan:) I pulled it out yesterday and basically haven’t taken it off since (I’m wearing it now!). It is a smock-style dress so it is extremely comfortable but the neckline is low and it has a cinched waist so it is still, dare I say, flattering and form fitting. I have it in black and love that it feels totally appropriate to wear at night to dinner but it is still casual enough that you could wear it to a BBQ. It comes in a cute blue pattern too. This dress will be in rotation all summer.

From Arlyn: If I told pre-mom Arlyn that she’d gladly be spending $34 on baby pajamas, she would have laughed in my face. It’s literally inches of fabric, how can it cost $34? BUT LET ME TELL YOU. TAKE MY MONEY because Little Sleepies makes the greatest baby and toddler pajamas of all time and I’d probably spend $50 each on them. For starters, they are made of super soft bamboo that helps regulate body temperature, they wash VERY well, the zippers are of incredible quality, open from the top and the bottom, have hand and foot cuffs you can leave opened or close up, and the sizing lasts FOREVER. Case in point: We put Evelyn in size 3-6 months the other night because we needed to do her laundry…and they fit (with the feet uncuffed). I could spend $10 on pajamas that will fit her for a few months if they even last that long through the wash, or I could spend $34 on pajamas she’ll use for a year+. Win, win, baby! If you know someone who is expecting, or even if you have littles of your own, look no further. (Oh, and they have matching adult PJs, too….)

From Caitlin: I know we’re a little heavy-handed on the shorts recommendations this week, but there’s one more from me! If you have bigger thighs, wider hips, or a larger butt (or all 3! Hey, twin!) then I cannot recommend Abercrombie’s entire Curve Love line enough. I’ve always struggled to get that nice flare out that Em talks about because the jeans that fit my waist are just a little too tight on these big ol’ thighs of mine! (The same thing happens with boyfriend jeans, too – they all fit me like skinny jeans because I have wider hips.) ANYWAY – the Curve Love line is specifically designed to have your standard waist size, but they’ve added extra inches in hip and leg so they ACTUALLY fit like the cute shorts that all you folks with narrower bottom halves rock every summer!! I grab mine in a 14 and they’re the perfect fit, but you can also try a size up and pair with a belt if you’re looking for an even looser fit in the leg and butt. I SWEAR by the Mom jean style – after years of wearing shorts that were just right around my entire leg, it is SO AWESOME to have some pairs that are comfortable and breezy and that make my legs look so cute!!! (Like. These shorts GAVE me higher self-esteem? They’re a dream, I swear!)

From Jess: Last weekend I got to spend a magical two days celebrating one of my close friend’s birthday in Ojai and Santa Barbara. It was my first time in Ojai and it was as magical as I had hoped it would be! With wine tasting and eating the most delicious wings I’ve ever had from SAMA SAMA, came a tiny bit of shopping. I restrained myself and only bought one thing…this candle. It’s a great summer candle and the throw is so good! It’s both fresh, floral, and earthy. This brand truly has so many incredible scents to choose from.

Also From Jess: Then in Santa Barbara the next day we popped into Anthropologie and my friend bought these pants and they looked incredible on her (FYI she is on the taller side). She loved how comfortable they were and the little “v” cut in the front which is subtle but so flattering. And the best part is they are on sale:) She got the dark green which makes them really wearable all year long!

Hope you have a great rest of Sunday and get to spend some time outside. Share some love for Ryann below and we’ll see y’all tomorrow! xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Farmhouse Backyard Update: Our Split Rail Fence Choice And Why It’s My Favorite (And Most Affordable)