Wednesday Day Five - 7

Happy Wednesday everyone! If you're new to the Gray Oak Studio blog, every Wednesday I round up thoughts, happenings and inspiration from the prior week. Everything from what Sonia and I are reading to new recipes we're trying. And, of course, interior design ideas and behind the scenes scoop on our personal and client projects. 

So, let's get to it.

1. We love Instagram polls. We're kind of developing an obsession. If you haven't noticed, we've been polling our Instagram followers (via Instastories)...a lot. It's just so fun. A couple week's back I asked about Bachelorette viewership...those results disappointed me greatly. Turns out I'm one of the few who tunes in on Monday nights. This past week, I asked whether traffic going to vacation was worse than traffic coming home from vacation. And Sonia took a poll about the size of art above a bed. Close calls on both.

2. Speaking of polls...if you've been following along, I very recently installed barn doors in my house. They're amazing. I adore them in a normal/extreme way. The one thing left to complete the project is to add handles. And I can't decide which I love more. So...poll time. Obviously. Because the collective opinion is always greater than the solo opinion. Unless I disagree with the collective opinion...but let's assume I won't. HA.

Here are the final 3 options. I'm going to resist my instinct to describe each option because that could possibly sway your opinion or reveal mine. So, what do you think? Leave a comment or head over to our instastory and vote!

3. Being the mom of young girls, I find myself in the loop of mini lady fashion trends. So, animal face knee socks are the hotness. Apparently. If you don't know what I mean, check it out. 

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And if you now need these for your little one. I found them on Amazon. Ordered them. And gifted them to one of my favorite little ladies last week. 

4. A while back I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that supports kitchen tables over kitchen islands. Technically, the article argues that kitchen islands are ruining America...which may take it a bit far, in my humble opinion. But, the overarching idea really resonated with me. I've always been someone who feels it's important to sit at a table for family meals and face one another and talk about our day and be, for lack of a better work, traditional about it. Then, Young House Love Has a Podcast discussed the article a couple weeks ago and it had me thinking about it all over again. Sherry and John do their family meals at an island, but they also agreed with some of what the article presented. I'm still on the side of tables over islands, but I'm curious as to what others think. Does your kitchen have an island? Could you live without it? 

If I were to go island-less...this is a sort of fantastic way to go...

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5. This weekend will be the 4th annual block party for my neighborhood. My kids look forward to the annual block party almost as much as they do their own birthdays. It means hours of play with their besties, unregulated sugar consumption and late bedtimes. As part of the planning committee, I mostly hope it doesn't thunderstorm...which is the current forecast. I'm also curious how others run their neighborhood parties. We haven't quite figured out a formula for maximum attendance and maximum enjoyment. If you have any suggestions by way of planning, food, entertainment...anything...I would love your input. 

Until next week!

- Leah

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Wednesday Five - 6

My head is still spinning from all the shopping I did this week. My wallet is also spinning...spiraling...empty...something to that effect. If you missed our Nordstrom Anniversary Sale round-ups, check them out (here and here) because the sale continues through August 6th!!!

1. Sonia is in Bermuda. And I'm jealous. Through the wonders of Instagram, she connected with an amazing follower who was born in Bermuda and who gave her a bunch of travel suggestions. I mean - how cool!!! I will try to convince her to give us a quick blog post about her adventure when she returns. In the meantime, check out our Instagram and Facebook accounts and you too can feel jealous.

2. I have new barn doors in my house. And I'm quite obsessed with them. The journey to install them was...miserable. But they're up and I love them. I. Love. Them. I'm not 100% sure on what pulls I want, so stay tuned. When I narrow it down to my favorite 2 options, I'll do a poll on our Instagram stories to see whatcha think.

3. There's already an "it" color for 2019. Seriously. Even we can't keep up with this stuff, and it's our job. The color is Night Shade and it's a deep green. It makes sense. We've been seeing the full range of green in all sorts of spaces, most notably on kitchen cabinets. Everything from sage to emerald. So, if you want to be ahead of the trend, go green.

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4. Despite the fabulous summer reading list I heard on NPR, I ended up reading Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (I'm only a few chapters in) . A friend gave it to me with a pretty good recommendation. Before diving in, I can honestly say I had never heard of Rachel Hollis. I may have been the last person on Earth because it turns out she's kind of a big deal. So, anyway, I'm enjoying it. It's sort of self-help-ish and girl power-ish and funny-ish. All the good ishes. And each chapter is a story to itself, so you can read it in short chunks without it being annoying. So far, so good.

5. Can anyone confirm for me that Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx were/are a thing? I caught a headline this week that said they were on the rocks. Well, I didn't know they were ever confirmed as a couple. So, I did what any reasonable person would do and I Googled it. I found a timeline of their mysterious relationship on a very reputable website (Us Magazine). And now, I feel even more unsure that they ever had a relationship that may or may not have ended.

Have a great rest of your week!

- Leah

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More Picks for Amazon Prime Day 2018

You guys! Everything is selling out! I couldn't even get on waitlists for some great stuff I found. So, while watching The Bachelorette, I pulled together one more round up. Here it is:  

Cold Brew Coffee Maker - We have all learned that there's a difference between cold brew and ice coffee and cold brew is much better.

Yeti Portable Cooler - So hot right now.

iPad Case - One of those indestructible ones.

Stroller Hooks (2 pack) - I have these. I've had them for about 6 years and they're easy and awesome and have held up perfectly.

Trampoline - I searched around and the prime day deal ($199.99) beats everything else by at least $60.

Squeaky Eggs - My kids loved these as little ones. They're simple and fun and there's a bit of opportunity for learning (colors and matching). Classic toy.

Vitamix - I own this and it's amazing. It's also super expensive and buying it today/tomorrow will save you a BUNDLE.

Gymnastics Tumbling Mat - It folds up and is much better for your kids tumbling practice than the hardwood floor.

Dyson Cordless Vacuum - Another huge savings if you're in the market.

One more note - I saved a bunch of money on diapers. All different brands are offering savings including Babyganics and Seventh Generation. I think I saved 40% on both.

OH - and if the links don't bring you directly to the lightning deal, just search for the product name in the prime deal category. 

Okay, that's it from me. I'm heading to bed!

- Leah

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