Happy 4th of July! We hope you have a truly wonderful day, full of all the classics - hot dogs and popsicles. Maybe some corn on the cob? Or maybe a few games of corn hole? And, of course, there are the fireworks. My dog is absolutely petrified of fireworks (as many dogs are) and I've recently learned that many veterans are really sensitive to fireworks. I felt quite embarrassed (and a bit ignorant) to have not known. So, firework displays are a mixed bag around my house. But, we do love us some sparklers!!!

We also hope you take a minute to consider how it feels to be an American these days, the good and the bad. And if there's anything in the "bad" column...and there will be because there's simply always room for improvement...both for our country and for our homes (the home projects are never done, never!)...today might be a good day to figure out some big or small way you can be a part of the solution. A little DIY project for the state of our nation. Just like the smallest update to your home, maybe updating a light switch, has a true impact on the way you feel about your home, the smallest act can have a true impact on the way you feel about our country (and yourself).

Yikes. That got a little heavy. And a little weird..."DIY project for the state of our nation"...did I just parallel home improvement projects to country improvement projects?

Let's move on.

1. You know we're huge fans of Cynthia Harper around here. We interviewed her not long ago and shared her pearls of home design wisdom on the blog. This week she shared a super easy (and real) plan of attack for recreating your home without spending a dime. It's a fantastic blog post, check it out - click here.

2. Authentic African mud cloth is still peaking on the trend scale. Mud cloth pillow covers are The. Rage. And, make no mistake, we're totally raging along with everyone else. But, slightly under the radar and just as rage worthy, are pillows made of Chinese wedding blankets. Here are a few from Etsy. They're stunning. I want them all.

Gray Oak Studio - Chinese Wedding Blanket Pillows

Starting at top left (clockwise) 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

3. Did you know that H&M and Moschino are colloborating?! It's sort of old news, but I just found out...so, new to me! The collection comes out on November 8. Mark your calendars.

4. Ever wonder why some chocolate chip cookies are thick and cakey while other are thin and crispy? Being someone that was on a quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie for some time, when I saw this blog post I squealed with delight. It's like a chocolate chip cookie dictionary. And it would have been highly useful to me before I discovered the perfect chocolate chip cookie, which I didn't so much figure out how to make, but how to buy...ha. And I buy it from Sugah Butter Flour. This is a local baker (if you're in the Boston area) and her chocolate chip cookie is literally and truly perfect.

5. With Mother Nature gifting us some gorgeous weather for this holiday week (maybe a bit hot...but hard to complain when winter lasted 8 months this year), my family has been spending as much time at the beach as possible. A few summers ago I learned an amazing, works-every-time trick for getting wet sand off at the beach - baby powder. Take a poof of baby powder in your hands and rub it over the wet, sandy area. It's magic. I promise. It's my kids favorite thing to do. I swear they slather themselves in wet sand just to then slather themselves in baby powder and watch it all dust off.

Again - I hope you're having an epic 4th! I'm off to eat more popsicles and rub more baby powder on my wet, sandy hands...

- Leah

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