11 Home Renovations That Will Make You Want to Remodel STAT

Samantha Tagher
Jul 27, 2015

Curling up on the couch on a lazy Saturday to binge-watch some of your favorite shows is basically the best kind of Saturday. One of our guilty pleasures is weekend marathons on HGTV. Our current obsession? America’s Most Desperate Kitchens. You get to watch two hunky guys make over kitchens from coast to coast. Sounds pretty rad, right? Oh, and watching it is even better knowing that HGTV Host John Colaneri is going to be at Re:Make 2015. YAY! We can’t contain our excitement. Want to join the event? Request a ticket here! But for now, scroll on to see some of our favorite renovations.

1. Light + Airy Contemporary Style: We’re all about this kitchen. From the island to the industrial stools to that ah-mazing dining room table, we want it all. Oh, and we can’t forget about that stunning light fixture! (via HGTV)

2. Neutral With a Pop: Two words can describe our feelings about these purple walls: Totally. Obsessed. Keep your space neutral and add a pop of color by painting the walls, because why not? (via HGTV)

3. Open Concept Kitchen and Dining Room: Open up a cramped kitchen to create a light and airy vibe. Plus, adding wall art is never a bad idea, right, John and Anthony? Right. (via HGTV)

4. Two-Toned Cabinets + Pendant Lighting: Pro tip: If you’re not looking to make your kitchen 100% color-my-world status, opt for a couple colorful light fixtures. See? It’s a cinch to take your kitchen from drab to fab. (via HGTV)

5. Marble Countertops: All-white everything. Okay, so maybe not everything, but those marble counters are to die for… and we wouldn’t mind a bottle of that wine either ;) (via HGTV)

6. Mint Green With a Vintage Stove: Kitchen makeovers don’t *always* have to mean contemporary and modern styles. On this episode, they kept it vintage with a retro stove and hood. (via HGTV)

7. Red Tile Backsplash: Y’all know how much we love a vibrant pop of color. So, when we saw that red tile backsplash? It was basically love at first sight. Bravo John and Anthony. (via HGTV)

8. Simple + Crisp: This kitchen is definitely spacious enough to pop some bottles and have a party or two :) (via HGTV)

9. Spacious + Functional: This one is fit for a chef, or an aspiring one in our case. Given the wine cooler, oversized island and double oven, it’s safe to say we’re pretty impressed with this reno. (via HGTV)

10. Eclectic Townhouse Kitchen: When in doubt, having a bright set of cabinets is never a bad idea. This yellow version is totally eclectic. Swoon-worthy? Yaaas. (via HGTV)

11. Orange Cabinets: Not ready to commit to fully colored cabinets? Opt for a statement set like this. It makes for the perfect pop. Just ask the Kitchen Cousins! (via HGTV)

Have you renovated your kitchen recently? Share your before and after shots with us! PS: John and Anthony, if you ever need to redo a kitchen, you’ve got our number on speed dial.

Save the Date! Brit + Co Is Coming to NYC

Imagine a colorful world with all of your female idols speaking, creative workshops everywhere you turn, food that will make you salivate, must-see music performances and, most importantly, dozens of ‘grammable moments all around.

Historically, we’ve brought Brit + Co to life annually with Re:Make, a two-day event we’ve hosted in San Francisco attended by nearly 15,000 women.

But this year, we’re trying something new called #CreateGood! Not only will we be visiting our friends on the East Coast, but we’re also switching up the format. Instead of two days, we’ll be live for FIVE.

That’s right. This year Brit + Co will be hosting a new type of event in NYC from October 4th through 8th in the heart of SoHo: a fully immersive digital program culminating in a five-day pop-up experience with the theme of #CreateGood.

Our goal for #CreateGood is to enable women to walk away feeling like a more creative and confident version of themselves through speakers, workshops, live performances, and more. We want to show the GOOD women can achieve in all areas of their life, from good food to good style to good work and good minds.

We chose this theme because we believe it’s the right moment in time to pause and consider how we, as women, can both do good for the world, but also for ourselves.

Beyond all that, like all B+C events, we promise that there will be confetti, balloons, and color… SO MUCH COLOR. So make sure to bring your phone, because you’ll definitely want to take part in all the photo-worthy moments we’re creating.

Can’t make it to NYC in the fall? No worries. While we’d love to see you IRL, we totally understand you’ve got a busy schedule, girl. That’s why all #CreateGood content will be streamed to our audience across Brit + Co social channels for a fully digital experience. So, make sure to like and follow us STAT ;)

Stay tuned over the coming months as we share more details of our next-level lineup of activities, performers, and speakers joining us. Want to be the first to know? Sign up for our #CreateGood newsletterHERE.

Can’t wait to see y’all there!

xo, Brit

Are you planning on attending our pop-up in NYC? Let us know on Twitter using the hashtag #CreateGood. We can’t wait to party with you! And make sure to stay up-to-date on speakers, programming, and more right HERE.

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Love Whole Foods’ Berry Chantilly Cake? Now You Can Try It In Latte Form

Fans of Whole Foods’ iconic Berry Chantilly cake are going to want to run to their closest store, because there’s an all-new treat inspired by the famous dessert. Yep – the Whole Foods coffee bar just announced a Berry Chantilly Latte that pulls flavor inspiration from the beloved treat, and it looks extremely tasty.

Scroll on for everything to know about Whole Foods’ new Berry Chantilly Latte!

Whole Foods

In case you haven't experienced the sheer magic that is the Whole Foods Berry Chantilly cake, it’s an item from their bakery counter that’s earned cult-favorite status since its launch 13 years ago.

The cake features layers of vanilla cake slathered with Chantilly cream frosting and a fresh medley of berries like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Per Whole Foods, it’s so iconic that customers have stood in line for it through power outages and natural disasters.

Greta Hoffman / PEXELS

Seeing that the cake itself is so adored, it’s no surprise that Whole Foods’ coffee bar just dropped a latte inspired by each sweet, sweet bite. The new Berry Chantilly Latte highlights notes of "creamy vanilla sweetened with berries and a whisper of almond.”

@wholefoods

Per Food Network, the development team behind the new sip desired a “not-too-sweet” effect, ultimately choosing a combo of strawberry and almond for the drink. Of course, it's loaded up with shots of espresso to round out the sweeter flavors.

Whole Foods

Once Whole Foods introduced the Berry Chantilly Latte on Instagram, tons of coffee-loving shoppers sounded off with excitement.

“Say no more. On our way!! 😍😍” one person commented.

“My favorite latte of all time 10/10,” another said.

“Got it this morning and it does not disappoint!!” one more user said. “Wish it was permanent!!”

Amazon

Available to order hot or iced and with your choice of milk, the new Whole Foods Berry Chantilly Latte will be in participating locations through July 1.

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Here’s Why Brené Brown Believes Creative Women are Powerful

In case you missed it, last weekend was Brit + Co’s fourth annual Re:Make conference in San Francisco. One of our keynote speakers was a scholar, the founder of COURAGEWorks and the giver of one of the most inspirational TEDTalks of all time Dr. Brené Brown delivered a brilliant message about courage and vulnerability. Her quotes have been so inspiring, she recently collaborated with Sugarboo to launch The Brave Heart Gallery, which sells artworks of her quotes (also 20 percent of the proceeds go to a really good cause). Her most recent book RisingStrong explores how “falling gives us the power to write a daring new ending” and how processing the pain head on is can be strength. And according to Brené, when it comes being a creative woman, though not everything you do will be a success, daring to do it anyway is deeply important.

Being a creative in this day and age can at times be daunting — uncertainty about job security, the fear of rejection and staying in love with your passion after it becomes your job can be more than enough to turn people away. “When your vocation becomes your occupation, there’s always a little shift, so you have to protect it,” Brené tells us. “You have to keep the love alive so it doesn’t become just another thing you have to do, because then you can’t put the magic in it.”

And for creative women, we face an additional catalog of hurdles. “Creativity is kind of revealing a part of our soul, and we live in a pretty hostile environment,” Brené says, “so I think it’s scary to put yourself out there when there are so many critics and cynics out there today. I think that’s what make creativity scary, and I think that’s what make it powerful.” Rising in the face of adversity is certainly a strong statement. As our FLOTUS put it, “When they go low, we go high.”

And when you put yourself out there — yes, sometimes you’re going to fail. That’s okay. What you have to be careful of is letting your failures define you. “One of the big life stages at mid-life, anywhere from mid-thirties to late-fifties, the big developmental life stage is integration. We bring home all the parts of ourselves that we have orphaned because we don’t they fit in with who we’re supposed to be, we call them all home and we say, ‘This is me. The good, the bad, the tough, the beautiful.’,” Brené tells us. “I think that’s the gift of being my age, I have a very sensitive bulls–t meter so if you haven’t called everything home and made peace with those parts of us that are hard, that’s hard to be around.” And being able to pick up again after your fall — or even forgiving yourself for lingering down there too long — is all part of the process.

What do you think about Brené Brown’s advice? Tweet us @BritandCo!

(Photos courtesy of Brené Brown and Sugarboo)

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This Returning Trader Joe’s Easter Dessert Is “So Popular,” Shoppers Are Buying 5 At A Time

The spring goodies at Trader Joe’s just keep on coming! The latest addition to the grocer’s seasonal lineup is none other than their famed sheet cake – reimagined in a classic spring flavor. Trader Joe’s fans are already scrambling to find this $6 dessert at their local stores because it’s “soooo yummy” and simply “the best.” It’s also a stunning option for celebrating Easter or sharing sweets with your loved ones just because!

Scroll on to discover the returning Trader Joe’s sheet cake flavor you won’t want to miss this spring.

@trader_joes_treasure_hunt

That’s right, Trader Joe’s sheet cake fans: the Carrot Mini Sheet Cake has officially hit shelves – just in time for all the best spring festivities. This returning product boasts a “moist, flavorful” carrot cake base topped with plenty of cream cheese frosting. This traditional combo truly can’t be beat!

Trader Joe’s

The Carrot Mini Sheet Cake joins Trader Joe’s existing sheet cake lineup that is entirely too yummy. Their current flavors include mainstays like Dark Chocolate Ganache and Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean, alongside the newer (and gluten-free!) Yellow Cake. TJ’s tends to launch new flavors for their sheet cakes around each season – they’ve even had a Pumpkin Spice version in the past!

Reddit

One Trader Joe’s fan on Reddit happily announced when the Carrot Mini Sheet Cakes came back to shelves, and plenty of other users chimed in on the excitement.

“I can’t wait,” one person said.

“BRB, about to cause a carrot cake shortage in the New York Metro Area,” another Redditor commented.

More customers raved about the returning spring dessert on another thread under r/TraderJoe’s:

“I went yesterday and have 5 in my freezer for now…” one person said. “I will continue to buy single ones but now have a stash in case they sell out for the season. It is by far my favorite of the mini sheet cakes.”

Another user noted that the Carrot Mini Sheet Cake is “moist, and the frosting is fantastic, not too sweet.”

Reddit

Trader Joe’s fan account @trader_joes_treasure_hunt also shared the new find with their followers, with countless shoppers expressing their excitement:

“These cakes any flavor are so good!” one person wrote.

“Best carrot cake I ever had in my life,” another said.

“Holy sheet I love some sheet cake,” someone else commented.

Reddit

The smooth cream cheese frosting makes it an excellent blank canvas to add Easter-themed sprinkles or even small chocolate eggs for the holiday, though it’ll still taste like heaven if you eat it plain. The size of this sheet cake is perfect for sharing with a small group – or just keeping all to yourself this spring!

Reddit

The Trader Joe’s Carrot Mini Sheet Cake is currently in stores now for $5.99 each. It’s only available for a limited time, so you’ll definitely want to hurry to try it before it’s gone!

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about more amazing Trader Joe's products!

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Everyone's Losing It Over The Latest 'Narnia' Casting Rumor: "Deeply Troubling"

Greta Gerwig's Narnia has generated some buzzy casting rumors over the last few months. Charli XCX, Daniel Craig, and even Joseph Quinn have all been a part of the rumor mill (but considering I've been waiting for news on this adaptation since it was acquired by Netflix in 2018, I'm not mad about all the chatter!). And the latest Narnia casting rumor has cause more conversation on the internet than anything else. Meryl Streep might be voicing Aslan.

Here's everything we know about the Aslan & Meryl Streep casting rumor in Greta Gerwig's Narnia movies.

Is Meryl Streep in the Narnia cast?

Meryl Streep is reportedly in talks to voice Aslan in Greta Gerwig's Narnia movies. The casting rumor first broke on March 31, leading some people to wonder if it was an early April Fool's Day joke, until Deadlineconfirmed the rumor on April 3. Fans of the book have called the choice everything from "interesting" to "cruel," and the conversation revolves around one particular question: are they making Aslan female?

A lot of Narnia fans were taken aback by the rumor about Meryl Streep because of the fact Aslan is an allegory for Jesus (referred to in the Bible as the Lion of Judah) — especially since Aslan's mane is such an integral part of the series, and lioness' typically don't have manes.

When the White Witch sacrifices Aslan on the Stone Table in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, she shaves off his mane in an attempt to shame him and strip away his identity as King of Narnia. Lucy Pevensie hiding her face in his mane in Prince Caspian plays a huge role in bolstering her courage and faith, and the mane even comes into play during The Last Battle before (spoiler alert) Narnia gets destroyed.

'Narnia' fans have a lot of opinions about a female Aslan.

The most iconic visual of the Narnia series, arguably more than the wardrobe or the lamppost, is Aslan's mane. "If it’s true that Aslan has been changed to a female lion in the upcoming film, it’s deeply troubling that the filmmakers would make the choice to visually distance itself from The Chronicles of Narnia as it has always been known to its fans and the public imagination," one Narnia fan wrote on NarniaWeb. "It would be hard to look at a decision like that and not think that they were deliberately disassociating from the Narnia canon."

Another fan on NarniaWeb points out that having Meryl potentially voice a male Aslan "would be a fine way to convey the genderless nature of the soul. Aslan transcends all of that and was never bound by the idea of duality in the way that the ‘fallen’ believe they are."

@bereckerwentviral for his claim that fans who are upset about the casting simply "hate women" (yes, some of the backlash to Meryl's casting rumor has been atrocious). "I would like to officially say that if I die, I would be more than honored if Meryl Streep were to play me in my biopic, she’s the greatest to ever do it," he said in the comments.

"Meryl was hired based on merit. She’s the best," another Instagram user said in the comments.

However, Netflix hasn't confirmed Meryl Streep as Aslan.

Disney/Walden Media

Let the record show that, as of writing this story on April 7, Netflix hasn't actually confirmed anything about the movie outside Greta as director and Atonement cinematographer Seamus McGarvey as Director of Photography. Whether the film is a The Magician's Nephew adaptation, whether Daniel Craig is playing Uncle Andrew, and whether Meryl Streep is actually voicing Aslan are speculation at this point.

As one viral tweet puts it, "Increasingly convinced Greta either has no idea what she wants to do with this movie or has a vision so incredible nobody else can see it." Stay tuned for official casting announcements!

What do you think about the Netflix Narnia casting rumors so far? Let us know on Facebook.

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