The Link Up: Em’s Outdoor Flatware Set ($35 for 6 Settings), Caitlin’s Sturdy Summer Sandals, And A Charcuterie Board We Plan On Having For Dinner

Happy Sunday and happy first day of June! Wow wow, it always gets here so freaking fast. Not too many updates aside from shooting some very important rooms in the river house (yay!), Les wrote his highly anticipated Father’s Day gift guide, and we hope everyone had a good long weekend this past week. Wait, half-day summer Fridays are back! Well, that’s one reason to celebrate June getting here fast:) Links? Let’s do it.

This week’s house tour is potentially the most playful and colorful one we’ve featured yet. The amount of fun and personality is the best, so go see if you want to smile!

From Emily: A lot of questions on our outdoor kitchen dishware/glassware/flatware (I should do a whole post on it). It’s a hard balance between wanting stuff you “don’t care about” (because it will get lost, thrown in the dirt, easily thrown in the trash even, etc) but I really try to stay away from single use anything (while we buy compostable plates for huge parties, I HATE plastic single use silverware). So I found this wooden handled set of 6 place settings for $35 that gave a sweet “camping” vibe and felt like it wouldn’t be easy to just get thrown away with trash, but if it did, at least it was super affordable to replace. The reviews are to not put it in the dishwasher (we are hand washing outside anyway), so I don’t think these are your everyday flatware inside. But I’m thrilled with them thus far – they don’t feel super expensive, but certainly not as cheap as they are (Hot Tip: black flatware is much easier to get thrown away or lost – our Airbnb property manager is constantly having to buy more at the mountain house).

From Caitlin: How closely do you read the Link Up? You may recall that a few weeks back, Intentionally Blank (one of our favorite small LA businesses, ICYMI) was hit with a massive tariff bill. To pay it off, they held a 30% off sale where I grabbed two pairs of shoes: these sculptural cognac leather mules to replace my 20-year-old Birkenstock Boston clogs (!!!), which have finally separated at the sole, and these sturdy black summer sandals. Both pairs have leather uppers and lowers – so the quality is awesome for the price – and OH MY GOSH, WALKING ON THEM IS SUBLIME. The memory foam insoles feel incredible! I was initially worried I’d need to break them in, but they were ready-to-wear right out of the box – I even brought my mules on our team retreat. I’ve seen how these shoes hold up over time (Jess has been rocking some of her IB shoes since 2019!), and I’m just so pleased with the purchase. It feels good to support a local business, it feels good to get a great product, and I just love wearing my new freakin’ shoes!!!!

From Jess: As I kinda mentioned last week, I just went on vacation to my favorite place, Mexico. But this wasn’t a beach vacation, it was a city one. So I needed some vacation/summer tops that were cute/stylish, and ideally, I could wear a normal bra with. Turns out I’m very into the linen vest trend that’s impossible to ignore, especially if you are shopping IRL. This one that I found is great because it’s a little different from the standard vest. It has a high neckline, a line of linen-covered buttons down the front, and a cute curved hemline. Oh, and if you wear it with a high-waisted bottom, you won’t see nearly as much stomach as the model is showing. Just an FYI because I probably wouldn’t have bought it had I just looked at it online. It does run slightly small, so I sized up. It’s so cute and is something I could wear either day or night, but also easily into the fall.

From Arlyn: Here is my yearly reminder to MAKE THIS BURATTA BOARD! It’s by our friend Meg from Ain’t Too Proud to Meg, and honestly, it’s the absolute most perfect non-cook meal for you to eat by yourself curled up on the couch, catching up on The Studio, or if you’re entertaining a crowd. It’s gorgeous, ridiculously delicious (the cherries make it!), and the perfect combination of things to grab at the farmer’s market when you want to stroll around but aren’t exactly sure what to pick up.

From Mallory: I’ve had my eye on this lamp for quite some time now…and it finally went on sale, so I snagged it! I love the square shape and the burlwood (we got a HUGE fan of burlwood over here), and the best part? It comes on a dimmer switch. Snag one before they’re gone, my friends!

From Gretchen: I’m a big game girl. Not in a hunter, big cat, Carhartt kind of way. More like board and card. One of my new favorites is a word/card game called Anomia. A friend of mine brought it along to a girls’ weekend recently, and we all had the best time playing it together! You’re racing against each other to shout out a word, quickly flipping over your cards that have different symbols and categories. When two players’ symbols match up, you go head to head, trying to think of a word that falls under your opponent’s card’s category. So if my card said “Color” and my opponent’s matching card said “Pet”, I’d be trying to shout out “DOG” before the other person could come up with “RED”. It’s an easy game to pick up and is truly hilarious to watch as people try and find the words. Highly recommend for your next game night!

From Marlee: I went to a wedding recently and was determined to find a dress that could double as an everyday casual dress during the summer – which is harder than it sounds! After searching the internet high and low, I was served an ad for this dress from a brand, Afends, which I had been ignoring ads from for at least the last year or 2 (dare I say…it’s almost as if they knew!). What a find!! This will be my dress of the summer and every summer from now on – it’s so so comfortable and lightweight (seersucker) and looks super cute with a sweater layered over the top. It ties in the back so you can wear it loose or snatch it up if you want. It comes in a bunch of cute gingham prints as well as solids – they also have a few similar dresses with different necklines if you’re not into the plunge. It felt like a fair price for the quality, so if I end up wearing it as much as I anticipate, I might treat myself to another color! My only note is that it ships from Australia, so expect it to take a little longer to arrive:)

Thank you (as always) for taking the time to stop by and hang with us! Remember to come back tomorrow for a very exciting and really pretty update. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: Emily’s Glendale Primary Bedroom Reveal

The post The Link Up: Em’s Outdoor Flatware Set ($35 for 6 Settings), Caitlin’s Sturdy Summer Sandals, And A Charcuterie Board We Plan On Having For Dinner appeared first on Emily Henderson.