September means launch season for us here in Laurel Denise Land! We hope you're loving our 2025 Collection as much as we are. Here are some other things we're loving as well :)

Aline:
Fall is so close to falling here in Tennessee and I got the nesting urge to update my wardrobe ASAP so that I’m prepared for the coming crisp days. A couple of Google searches led me to this knit jumpsuit on Amazon and it is SO good. Stretchy and cozy, but also not see through AT all. And I know it’ll be perfect for layering once it starts to get more chilly outside. I may have convinced Mabby to buy it as well, so maybe this convinces you too!

Our garden produced THE most squash and zucchini this year, so I’ve gotten pretty creative with recipes. One of my favorites has been for this totally yummy banana bread alternative zucchini bread. And it's dairy free! We actually had one zuc get so big that I got six loaves of bread out of it…noting to dig through the leaves a little better next year...eep.

I’m super excited about this one because I didn’t even now it existed! I have a very active toddler and a newborn coming soon, so I’ve been game-planning how to maximize our playroom for good independent play as well as make it a nice place for me to hangout postpartum. The internet said here you go ma’am! Foam mats that look like a rug! AND are easy to clean - I mean, say no more. I really feel like I’m next level mom-ing now.

Mabby:
Life has been a blur lately with the abrupt shift to early morning school shuffles. We’ve even had some cool mornings which are getting me excited to slip on my slippers and sweaters! That means it's also time to get some new jeans. I’m super excited how “kick jeans” are available everywhere now - they're my vintage flare jeans from high school but back on trend. The amount of times my teen has complimented my outfit is shocking!

Our launch of the 2025 Collection has been SO fun to prepare for and I’ve been dying to get my hands on my own Clipboard Folio. I recently met with an architect and didn’t have a clipboard or a place to take notes - the horror! Enter this beauty to solve all of my problems. For real, it’s surprising how many different things I doodle and draw when talking with a draftsman.

Virginia day trip alert: Recently my family and I drove over the mountain, did a short little hike, and ended up at Basic City Craft Beer Co for some yummy pizza and nachos with craft beer. We then hit up the Goodwill (the best) followed by the world’s best ice cream, Klines. Talk about easy living. It was so fun and easy that we plan on going back for “leaf peeping” in a few months!

Nancy:
I’ve been listening to audiobooks left and right recently, and one of my favorites has been My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. An epic novel tracing a friendship from adolescence to the cusp of womanhood, its written with beautiful language and contains complicated characters and relationships. Truly a breath of fresh air after reading/listening to mostly thrillers and fantasy novels for the past few months. Originally published in 2011, I was delighted to hear that it’s part of a series (there’s 4 total!). ALSO Elena Ferrante is actually a pseudonym and no one knows the author’s real identity!   The internet speculates that it could be semi-autobiographical, which if you read the book, would be quite scandalous. You can take the thriller away from the girl, but you can’t take the girl away from the thrill (that works, right? Right??)

Let me describe my perfect dinner: garlic bread. Nothing gets me more excited than when someone puts a big 'ol slab of hot garlic bread on the table. What do they usually serve it with? Noodles. Lasagna. Spaghet. Does eating all those carbohydrates in noodle form restrict how much garlic bread I can fit in my stomach? Yes. This is a problem. Solution? THIS LASAGNA. Since it’s made with zucchini slab “noodles” and a sauce made of sweet potatoes, I feel like I’m getting all my veggies in, as well as not compromising on my desired garlic bread allowance. Also, there’s plenty of sauce to sop up! I make it with veggie sausage and also add spinach in-between the layers, because, why not!

There’s some new stickers on the LD block! And these camping ones have stolen my heart, taken it to the mountains, fed it s’mores, and then tucked it into a sleeping bag under the stars. I’m headed to New York at the end of September for a camping trip with my parents, so you know I will be decorating that entire week with cute little mushrooms and trees and moths!

Lolly:
I finished up Wrong Place, Wrong Time on the plane home from visiting out fulfillment center in Utah and it was so good! I really loved it. A quick read, definitely suspenseful, but not too scary and I felt like it was well written.

No one is fine without these new stickers in their life. The end.

Another day, another thing from Free People or Anthropologie I’m recommending, but I need y’all to know about my favorite new sweatshirt that I intend to wear every Sunday afternoon (and Monday night and Thursday night and sometimes Friday nights and probably, just because it’s on, Saturday afternoons?) and here are the jeans I purchased for myself as a reward for a launch well done!

My new favorite body lotion is this stuff from Paula’s Choice. I love it so very much!

Jenn:
In our house, football season and fall kick off at the same time—no joke, the games won’t even start if the house isn’t decorated! I love switching up my front porch decor each year, and guess what? I went to Dollar General just for some cleaner and ended up finding the cutest fall stuff! I snagged a farmhouse-style wooden book stack, a blue and white plaid basket, and the prettiest pumpkin and leaf garland in orange, white, and gold. Definitely worth checking out!

My niece is turning sweet 16 and can’t wait to drive herself to high school football games. Since most schools have a clear bag policy these days, I got her this adorable Kendra Scott clear crossbody purse, and I filled it with gift cards to her favorite stores. It’s such a fun, practical, and — as she would say, aesthetic gift idea she’ll love!

The holidays are coming, and if you’re already planning gifts for your kids’ teachers or coaches like I am, I’ve got a fun tip! I’m always on the lookout for cute ways to package gifts, and I’ve been loving Shelby Parks' Instagram for inspiration. She’s amazing at adding that extra 'zhuzh' to everything, whether it’s gift wrapping or party planning. Definitely worth checking out for some creative ideas!

See you next month, loves!

xo, Team LD

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