Speckled Eggs & Side Quests
For people with 847 screenshots they'll never look at again
At 2:47 AM last night, I was 3 tabs deep in button quail videos while Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" played for the eleventh consecutive time.
Not my rock bottom. Not even close.
Does your brain do this, too? Create elaborate escape hatches when the world gets too loud? When every headline feels like it's screaming directly to your nervous system? When people who've never worried about an overdraft fee are literally eating cake in space?
It's like my mind built an emergency exit door, and it led straight to tiny birds making ridiculous sounds on YouTube at 2 AM.
And then it hit me while watching Jim Croce performances after the quail videos (because my brain has exactly zero transition logic)...
Jim Croce was 30 years old when he finally "made it" after years of construction jobs and playing in empty bars.
Just as everything aligned, his plane crashed.
No warning. No grand finale.
Just a brief, brilliant moment and then gone. It's the brutal reminder none of us wants, but all of us need: the perfect time isn't coming.
The day when everything magically aligns? When you finally feel ready? When your ducks are in that mythical row?
It's a mirage.
You just have to start. Messy. Scared. Unfinished.
And maybe those weird research spirals, the midnight furniture rearranging, the hobbies that make zero sense to anyone but you?
They're not distractions from your real life.
They ARE your real life.
The soundtrack. The side quests. The speckled eggs of it all.
💡 Put a lamp in the closet for no reason at all
It feels deeply Parisian. It costs nothing. You will smile every time.
🌶️ Add a Jalapeño to Your Pinot Grigio
One thin slice in cold white wine. The sweet-heat tension creates something entirely new that makes both better.
🖼 Frame a recipe card like it’s a love letter
Preferably stained. Preferably from someone who used real butter.
💌 The Bobbi Brown Substack Moment
Bobbi Brown. The iconic . Recommended my Substack. I’m trying to act normal about it. I am not succeeding. Framing the email and telling my grandkids about it.
🎧 Make a Playlist Called “When I Want to Quit Everything.”
But only put songs that make you feel warm and capable. Play it while folding socks, and suddenly, you’re okay again.
"I've unsubscribed from every newsletter except this one. It's like getting a text from the friend who always shows up with wine when you've had a sh*t day without you even having to call." — Shelly A.
A Love Note to My Pop Smith:
If comfort had a scent, it would be the first ten seconds after I flip the Pop Smith switch. Real kernels whirl, the kitchen fills with that warm, nutty aroma you only get from old-school theaters, and three minutes later, I’m wrist-deep in a bowl of impossibly fluffy popcorn! Clean-up is a single wipe, the retro base looks good enough to live on the counter, and suddenly, “popcorn for dinner” feels like a flex instead of an admission of defeat.
✨ GIVEAWAY TIME! ✨
Cameron and I are handing over a signed copy of Mary Randolph Carter’s classic,
“A Perfectly Kept House Is the Sign of a Misspent Life.”
If you love imperfect homes, clutter‑with‑stories, and living rooms that look like they have feelings, you need this book on your coffee table.
Plus, there are 8 other amazing design-inspired coffee table books in this giveaway up for grabs.
How to enter (takes 8 seconds):
That’s it. You’re in the running to snag Carter’s signature and a permission slip to embrace your beautifully messy life.
The Rebellion of Imperfection
I saw a video yesterday where a designer, very seriously, took a FULL MINUTE to declare that "Nancy Meyers interiors are the new chevron.”
The Weekly Reset Framework
Or: “How to pull yourself back from the edge when everything feels like too much.”
This system has saved me from three mental breakdowns, one almost-career-change, and countless moments of "maybe I should just move to a cabin in the Cotswolds and never speak to anyone again."
1. Rearrange One Thing (15 minutes Max.)
Not your entire home. Just one tiny corner that's been making your eye twitch.
What I rearranged: My spice cabinet.
Threw alphabetical organization out the window (designed by people who've never frantically searched for cumin while something actively burns). Organized by frequency of use instead.
My cooking stress dropped 43% (results may vary!)
2. Romanticize One Boring Necessity
This week's transformation: Dish soap.
Decanted that neon green liquid into a glass dispenser with a brass pump. Somehow, doing dishes now feels like I'm the sophisticated protagonist in a Nancy Meyers film rather than a resentful gremlin.
3. Use Up Something You’ve Been “Saving”
What I finally used: That fancy hand cream I've been “saving for a special occasion.”
Turns out Tuesday can be a special occasion if you decide it is. Revolutionary concept.
4. Give Yourself One Tiny Unnecessary Pleasure
This week's indulgence: Solo cheese plate at 3 PM on a Wednesday.
On the “good plates,” we save for guests. It takes 4 minutes of effort. Felt revolutionary. Even took a picture of it, then decided against posting because some joys should just be for you.
5. One Intentional ‘Yes’
Just one thing I actually want to do, not have to do.
The Space Between Chaos & Calm
Where design psychology meets real life
You know those rooms that make you instantly exhale?
There's a psychological reason some spaces feel like a warm hug while others make your nervous system go haywire, and it has nothing to do with how expensive the furniture is.
After 15 years designing spaces for everyone from anxious CEOs to overwhelmed parents, I've discovered the thing that transforms a house from “nice enough” to “I never want to leave:”
It's not the perfect color palette. It's not following trends. It's not even having “good taste.”
It's understanding the subconscious signals your space sends to your brain.
And there's one counterintuitive principle that changed everything for my clients...
Unlock This Week's Member Vault ($7 < cheaper than your lunch today)
The Mixed Woods Rule: Why matching furniture is for catalog photos, not living humans (with real before/afters from my own home)
My 3 Secret Sourcing Sites: Where I find vintage gems for under $20 that designers call “rare finds”
NEW: Prompt Pack: The exact copy-paste scripts I've refined over 6 months to help real people with real problems.
For less than the overpriced latte you're planning to buy today, you could transform how your home makes you feel tomorrow. I mean, you can still get the latte if you want; this space is about having the cake and eating it. Cake, or latte? Both.