One of the most cherished friendships I’ve built over the course of Rue’s evolution is with photographer Emily Johnston Anderson. We met while both living in Chicago when I contacted her after seeing her home featured on Design Sponge. Fast forward a month or so later and Emily photographed my apartment, which later ended up in the premiere issue of the magazine. Though she lives in New York and I’m in San Francisco now, we get to see each other a few times a year at various photo shoots and events. Regardless of the situation, we always seems to end up in deep conversation about life and love.

I’m not quite sure what took me so long, but I just ordered this beautiful print from Emily to hang on my living room wall. I love the (lack of) color. I love the way it reminds me how opportunity comes both as a mountain to surpass and an open sky to embrace. I love that I know the story and the eye behind this photo. And I can’t tell you how happy that makes me!

I don’t know about you, but I love seeing the work spaces of creative types. It’s always fun to get a glimpse inside the place where others get inspired and do their work, don’t you think?

At the moment, I’m finishing up some decorating details on the Rue San Francisco office so I’ve been on the look out for inspiration.  When I came across Erin Gate’s Boston studio on The Everygirl, it quickly became my current obsession.

It’s fuss free and the perfect mix of function (hello organization) and style (I need that tufted chair). What are your requirements for the perfect workspace? I’d love to hear!

*For more of Erin’s office, check out The Everygirl

It’s been awhile since I’ve loved a home as much as I love Heidi Merrick’s Los Angeles abode. 

It’s the bright white walls and dreamy California architecture that first draw me in. Soon after I’m caught by the thoughtful pieces and careful editing, which together work so perfectly to create an enticing place that feels both poised and lived in at once.

The palette of neutrals punctuated with little bits of radiant color is absolutely perfect. The fun (albeit sparing) use of color keeps it from feeling too precious, which a white home can easily become. Heidi balances the two so wonderfully.

At first glance, this kitchen seems rather unassuming, don’t you think? I almost skimmed right over it, but then I noticed the quirky old-fashioned stove, pretty marble counter tops, and the messy-but-nice display of ingredients on the shelves. I couldn’t help but fall in love with its simple charm and character.

There are so many elements speaking to me in this room. For starters, the scale of the oversized mirror perched atop the dainty little desk would be considered off by all standard accounts, but it works here! In fact, it more than works. It’s a confident display of knowing the rules then intentionally breaking them. And then there’s the cobalt blue poster bed. We’ve all seen this one in white a dozen times, but the blue adds a welcome surprise. And who could forget the little chandelier? It’s the visual equivalent to a goodnight kiss – perfectly sweet and innocent!

Of course, you can never go wrong with a peacock chair! It transports me right to the desert evoking feelings of global travel and exotic worlds. And for me, that never goes out of style!

*Check out more photos of Heidi’s home on Glitter Guide

“..but the one thing you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. The moment that you feel that just possibly you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself, that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.”

This morning I woke up to a video. One that I needed to hear. Words that so many of us (especially those of us embarking on a road less traveled with our work) should store safely in our hearts for easy retrieval. It’s funny how life has a way of giving you exactly what you need when you need it when you keep your eyes and heart open to its gifts. Today, these words came to me like a precious gift and I hope in some way, they’ll touch you too. I encourage you to take a moment to listen. 

*Image via Free People

Let me start first by saying thank you for all the kind comments and emails you generously gifted me with after Monday’s news. I’m not sure you’ll ever know how much your love really means to me. As always, I have so much to be grateful for!

A couple weeks back, I shared that I keep a daily gratitude journal and the enormous impact it’s had on the way I experience life. I’d like to make a habit of reflecting on what I’m grateful for each Friday as a way to close my week. So…

This week I am grateful for:

ONE. A mother who has taught me through example what true grace, humility, and class really look like.

TWO. A kind email received in a moment when I needed it the most. (Thank you Blair.)

THREE. The beginning of a new friendship.

FOUR. Focus, productivity, and passion for my work.

FIVE. A very loving and supportive guy in my life.

If you’d like to share what you’re grateful for this week, I’d absolutely love to hear! Have a restful weekend my friends and thank you for visiting this week! — Love, Crystal

*Image via Creative Index

Friends, I’d like to share with you today some news, equal parts bitter and sweet. After Rue’s upcoming June 19th issue, the editorial team will be changing. Anne and Bri will be parting ways with the magazine, while Cassandra will be staying on as market editor through the summer with a possible role transition after that.

These girls here are my lifelong friends. More than I’ve expressed to them, I love and admire each of them deeply. They are, and always will be, part of the fabric of Rue. The journey we’ve share of building the magazine together over the past two years – from tears of exhaustion to tears of joy – remains etched in my memory as the most incredible ride I’ve ever experienced. Their talents are abundant and I’ve enjoyed observing them, learning from them, and growing with them both professionally and personally. I can’t tell you how excited I am to continue to watch them seize the day, reach their every aspiration, and cheer them on along the way.

But as we know, change is inevidable. And if we can embrace that, then the world is ours. Of course, this was hard for me to process as these discussion began last April, but a wonderful, marvelous thing soon happened. The same courage and strength and faith that allowed me to dream up Rue in the first place, came over me, excited me, invigorated me, and I began reflecting on the beautiful memories of the past and growing excitement for the new opportunities Rue would have in the future. And again, I am reminded that if we show up for life, life shows up for you! 

And so, as one phase closes, another one begins. I’ve been blessed again and have  found some incredible gals who will carry the Rue torch into the future and are already busy at work on issues to come. I’ll be introducing them to you in the upcoming weeks and can’t wait to see how they continue to evolve the magazine with me!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for being part of the journey, through all our incarnations, and I promise you, Rue will continue to kick ass! –Love, Crystal

P.S. Please take a moment to read Anne, Bri, and Cassandra’s posts today and join me in supporting them into their next endeavors.

*images from Rue’s Issue 3 launch party via Ilenia Martini

Is there anything more fun than a styling project? Not for me! So when the nice folks at Lemlem reached out to Rue with a little styling challenge, I was all ears. They sent each of the editors a different product to style at home, reflecting our individual styles. But I decided to cheat a little and thought it’d be fun to surprise my boyfriend and style up his pad instead:

I’ve always loved this little reading nook of his, so I decided I’d use this space as my blank canvas. Thankfully my beau already has excellent style and gorgeous furniture pieces and accessories to work with so my job was easy. I wanted to add a lighter, brighter feel for summer and create some layers to add depth and interest. Here are the results!

The first thing I did was swap out his existing brown leather pillow for the more summer friendly Lemlem one. I adore the subtle neon orange stripes for a touch of color! Next I brought a plant into the space, which we got from his parent’s garden, because nothing makes a room feel more alive than a little nature. He also has an excellent art collection in his place, so I gathered some of my favorite pieces and lined them up along the wall for a casual gallery feel. And voila. An updated space which still reflects his style but is now fit for the summer!

Here’s to hoping he likes it ;)

*images via my iPhone

There’s nothing spectacular about this kitchen. In fact, the stove is rather unsightly and the drawers beg for a paint job. Yet, somehow it’s all so  unexpectedly beautiful. I just love when a space surprises me like that!

Pink and gold. Has their ever been a color combination more perfectly feminine than that? Add a small dose of masculine navy to balance it all out and a few sunbeams, and we’ve got the most perfect little moment I ever did see!

*images via Plaza Interior & Skona Hem

I was watching television the other day with Oprah when she mentioned something quite profound. For the last sixteen years of her life she’s kept a gratitude journal, writing five things each day that she’s grateful for. She believes that it’s been the single most powerful thing she’s ever decided to do, drastically changing her life. After hearing that, I decided to give it a try and let me tell you, the results are like magic.

I’ve found that when I focus on my blessings, I see beauty even in the challenges and the pain. It teaches me that blessings and beauty are everywhere, so much so, that I can’t escape them, even if I try. Though I keep a private gratitude journal daily, I’d like to start posting five things at the end of each week here on the blog to help reinforce the power of counting our blessings. My hope is that you’ll try it too.

This week I am grateful for…

ONE. Second chances and new beginnings each morning I awake.

TWO. A boyfriend who weathers all of our storms with love and patience.

THREE. Kind notes from readers (thank you Mikky!) to remind me how lucky I am to have them.

FOUR. A breathtakingly beautiful city to live in.

FIVE. The people around me who help make my work life function, from my accountants, to my interns, and everyone in between.

Have a beautiful weekend, my friends. And don’t forget to take a moment to pause and count your blessings! –Crystal

*Images via Sarah Seven

Currently I’m in the throes of producing content for the upcoming travel issue of Rue and as you can image, it’s about twice as hard to find homes abroad as it is here at home. So last night I sat in bed, thumbing through last year’s International issue for some inspiration (an all time favorite not the least of which because I was falling in love with my beau while working on the issue and I have fond memories of that time).

I stopped at the Iceland home (pg. 78) we featured and took a moment to take it all in. For me, this is poetry in the form of a home. Unfortunately these images of the space never made it into the magazine last summer so today I’m sharing them with you. They deserve to be seen.

If ever there was a stairway to heaven, this would be it. Does it take your breath away the same way it does mine? The thin lines and negative space. The powerful statement it makes in the most humble of ways. The light that streams in calling you upward and beyond.

And of course, by now, you all know I’m obsessed with Emily Johnston Anderson’s photography, so it’s no surprise she’s the delft hand behind these shots.