Hi There. It’s Wednesday again. Which is sort of feeling a little stressful because the days left before Christmas are quickly diminishing. So much to do, so little time to do it. Oh goodness.

1. Speaking of the new year being less than a month away, we have a fun new thing we’re launching in 2019: Ask Gray Oak Studio. We want to answer all our design questions. Maybe you’re uncertain on how to mix metal finishes. Maybe you’ve seen something in one of our projects that you loved and want tips on how to create a similar vignette in your home. Maybe you want to know our favorite white paint color. Whatever your question is, we are excited to answer it.

Once a month on our Instagram Stories, we’ll dive into all the questions and give you all the answers. So, email us, DM us, leave a comment with any design question you have. We’re excited to offer you guys some quick, easy solutions.

2. Is it me or are Scout Elves are about as common as Christmas trees. Right? The head of marketing for Elf on a Shelf should be teaching at Harvard. She created a market and then cornered it. Amazing. So, our elf is named Snowflake. She’s a she (she has earrings…duh) and this is her first year with us. We’re very green to this whole thing. But, thank you internet, I found The Unofficial Parents Guide to Elf on the Shelf. One can go deep into this world, but staying on the low key side of things I found a lot of use in this guide.

I also found out about a “upgrade kit” you can buy on Amazon to make your elf more moldable (I’m envisioning Gumby-like). And…I got it. It hasn’t arrived yet, I’ll keep you posted. If you’re into it, there’s SO much out there to really amp up the experience. There are elf casts, elf graphic tees (you read that correctly), a “tool kit” for the actual elf (think canes and chairs and signs)…so much guys, so much. .

Gray Oak Studio - Wednesday Five - Elf on Shelf Accessories

3. This week we had another install! A modern, polished, adult living room. We showed a bunch of sneak peeks on our Instagram stories. Here are some if you missed them. The room is still missing window treatments, but we couldn’t wait any longer to share.

Gray Oak Studio - Dover Project Living Room

We hope to write some project posts over the holiday break. We’ve had three installs in the last two months and will get you details on everything…soon…

4. You know I’m obsessed with podcasts (Sonia is too by the way!). Well, Sonia found Time Magazine’s roundup of the best podcasts right now. I think it’s finally time for me to jump on the Serial train. Season 3 is out and I hear it’s as good as Season 1. So, the question is, do I skip right to season 3? Or do I start at the beginning? Hmmm…

Gray Oak Studio - Wednesday Five - Best Podcasts - Serial Season 3

5. The Sorel Out N About boots are new to me for this season and I love them. I love them. I do. The weather around here (Massachusetts) has been rainy and cold for what seems like months. And these guys have been clutch for keeping me warm and dry through each stop on my average frenzied day. It’s nice to not have to pull on my full on rain boots every time I run to the bus stop.