IT'S (FINALLY) GAMEDAY

I was recently asked "If you could add a thirteenth month to the calendar year, between which two months would you put it?". My immediate response of course was "Septober!". I would absolutely slip another month in right now! I love fall, especially early fall, the anticipation of cooler weather (with enough heat to still justify trips to the lake or the river!) and as many of you know, football season started last weekend. Ya'll, it's my favorite time of the year. I've decided to set myself up with a little challenge. Every Friday, from today until the end of football season, I'm going to put together a room based off of a college football team. The catch is that is has to be a room even a fan of a rival team would love to be in. So none of this:

So what we're really talking about is a nod to your team. An homage if you will, inspired by the teams colors, state, traditions, and if I do my research right, even hopefully some artists and makers from their home state. Obviously I'm going to start with Texas. My sweet sweet Longhorns, it's looking like yet another holding-on-by-the-seat-of-our-pants season, but I love them none the less. Luckily cow skulls have been trending pretty hard as well as textiles with a southwest flair. Austin, Texas inspires thoughts of natural materials, rustic elements, all with a creative and eclectic flair. These are some images I found that I think encompass the kind of room I could hang out in all day and slip into a nostalgic stupor of college days gone by.

Clockwise from Top Left: Image from The Transatlantic, a midcentury take from Blood and Champagne, one of my favorite inspiration images of all time from DesignSponge, and finally this comfy stunner from none other than House Beautiful

So how can you get this feel for yourself? Think about Austin's natural, casual elegance; balancing Southern Hospitality and comfort, traditional elements with a bit of bohemian and not so fussy that you can't just come in from a day at Barton Springs, pop open a Fireman's 4 and lounge on the couch to watch the game. Here is my take on a Longhorn-inspired living room!

Sources: Plant stand from Ferm Living, Harper Couch from Interior Define, Coffee table and carved side table from West Elm, Assorted Pillows from Shop Saint Cloud and Amazon, Art Work by the ever so talented Mary H Case for Biscuit Home, Metallic Cowhide Rug Similar at One Kings Lane , the incredible Humphry Chair from Houston's very own Texas Rover Company, and of course that corner-filler extraordinaire: the ubiquitous fiddle leaf fig

What do you think? Can you see yourself cozying down in here with The Eyes of Texas playing softly in the background, a little Rebecca Creek Whiskey in a glass, maybe a bottle from Becker Vineyards about to be opened, and a view of the hill country out your window? A girl can dream. I don't know if any of my other rooms will be this extensive, I can't claim to have ever lived in Ohio (Hey, Buckeyes!) or that I have any particular love for those Aggies ;), but I would love to put as much heart into each room I do this season! So heres where I need your help, who should be next? Feel free to tell me about that team you love so much, the things that make your college town so amazing, and any can't-miss makers in your state! Whats it going to be y'all? 

LLD REVEALS: THE BIG TOUR

Finally! Here it is y'all: the BIG Studio Tour. I had the honor to work with the lovely ladies of BIG Power Yoga in Houston to help them complete their vision for the second location of their incredible yoga studio. I could not possibly have asked for better clients or more amazing people to collaborate with to bring this dream and vision to life. If y'all will indulge me in a moment of gushy love: BIG Power Yoga is so much more than a yoga studio, it's a community of incredible human beings who have been brought together by a love of getting disgustingly sweaty in close proximity to each other.  What is really moving and humbling is that they then take those lessons of hard-work, compassion, self expression, and perseverance out into the world. I have personally met so many yogis who are going out and changing the very fabric of Houston and redefining what it means to be a Houstonian and a citizen of the earth. I know that may sound a little hippie dippy, but the people who run and attend classes at BIG are the real deal y'all. I feel so lucky to be even a small part of it. AH! Ok! Enough sappy from me! The studio has been alive and kicking for  over three months now and of course I'm just now  getting around to sharing photos of the space so I hope you enjoy!

The first thing you encounter when you walk in is the gorgeous, custom-made front desk (hand crafted by non-other than one of the owners' fiancés! Pure. Talent.) The retail section is up front too, as well as Sandra the fiddle-leaf. Sandra was panic-purchased on opening day and she is magical. Plants, really, are magical. The chair is from Ikea and that fabulous and oh-so-tricky-to-install-but-so-worth-it gold heart is from Urban Walls. 

This is where the magic happens! The Community Studio is one of two large studio spaces, and this one can hold 115 mats!

A MAJOR lesson I learned: take more before photos!!! I was so disappointed looking through and only finding a couple i could use :(

Sources | Couches: Jardine Sectional - West Elm, Pillows: H&M and Urban Outfitters, Rugs and Poufs: Ikea, Lighting: West Elm and Color Cord, Custom Mural by Wiley, Reclaimed Wood Counters: Custom

Heres my favorite part. Thats not true, I don't have a favorite part. That would be like saying "I really love my dog, but I especially love his tail." That makes no sense. What I have noticed though is that if you walk into the studio for the first time and get one of their little mini-tours you will definitely hear something along the lines of "you must see the bathrooms". The women's bathroom is so big BIG could have yoga classes inside it. Its glorious!

Sources | Tile: 1" Hex Matte in Black and White - Daltile , Countertops: Walnut butcher block - Floor Decor, Sinks: White Demi Lav - Kohler, Faucets: Grohe, Sconces: Contour Single Sconce -West Elm

I sure do hope y'all enjoyed this mini-tour. I am so excited to finally have gotten to share it! If you're in the Houston area you should stop by for a class - best yoga in town! Just visit BIG Power Yoga online to check out the class schedule! To see some more inspiration from the project stop by my pinterest page - you can see more sources from the project as well as images that inspired the looks! Namaste y'all!

QUICK TIPS: CLEANING

Tidying up your space is also one of the best first steps you can take when you're looking to upgrade your space. Disclaimer: I find cleaning to be cathartic - it's also my number one form of procrastinating. Giving a room a good scrub can help you feel accomplished and give you a new perspective on just how much stuff you have (and how much you really need). I have been on a major minimalism kick lately after moving out of my little apartment. At least, I thought it was little but apparently I also lived in a black hole because the second moving boxes appeared suddenly so did ALL THE THINGS. Seriously nothing makes you want to give up all your worldly possessions quite like moving. Another thing about moving - at least out of an apartment - is leaving it all sparkly and shiney in an attempt to get back that elusive deposit. A normal person would hire a cleaning service (a normal person would probably also hire movers...) but since we're far from normal around here I thought to myself "it can't be that bad to clean it myself." Flash forward a solid 72 hours of non-stop scrubbing  and let me tell you if I weren't so dead set on my career as a designer I'd be a pretty great maid. I came out of that marathon of dusting and disinfecting with some serious tips for you guys. I'm not saying you all need to drop everything and dust your floorboards, but if you were so inclined here are my top 5 clean-the-house-top-to-bottom cleaning helpers.

1. Windex. No not just any blue spray. Windex. The brand. No this isn't an ad either but after cleaning all the windows and mirrors in my apartment twice because the first cleaner left streaks. Just buy the Windex. Someone help. Find me a greener glass cleaner? Does vinegar really work? Until then, Windex just works so well!

2. All-Purpose Cleaner. I love Method's stuff bc I feel good using it around the house and it smells great and I'm pretty sure it won't give me cancer or make me grow a second head. Clorox also makes a green all-purpose cleaner that I think is really spectacular. Use this for all things: wiping down countertops, non-wood/laminate furniture, etc etc. Quick and easy. 

3. Two words: Magic. Eraser. How have I never used these? Yes maybe I sort of thought my finger skin was slowly being melted away by who knows what black magic is in these (gloves ftw.) but oh my goodness. The tile floor that took me an hour to scrub on my hands and knees a year ago? Clean in 15 min. That soap scum on my tiles that clearly only demon fire could remove? Clean! (For shame....I totally had soap scum, and I openly admit it. I'm only human.) Spotted chrome? Clean! Smudged walls? Clean! CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. While I am 110% committed to switching myself to a greener less toxic cleaning regimen, I openly admit when the job really calls for it, I will whip one of these bad boys out of my back pocket. (While google-image-searching this I found out that washing your face with a magic eraser is a thing. I'm not doctor, but I would advise against this.)

4. Clingy Duster. I went with a reusable fluffy thing. Nothing dusts the dust off those ubiquitous multi-paneled apartment doors better. And ceiling fans and baseboards and anywhere dust could lurk! Gone! Yes, perhaps it's just shoving it onto the floor, but thats why you dust before you vacuum. Anything that doesn't stick to the fluff gets sucked up into the vacuum.

5. This is my favorite thing I have ever learned. You're saying to yourself, "A squeegee? But we already cleaned the glass!". NO. This is for your carpet. I have a dog and this dog is cuter than all get out, but he's also a giant fur factory on legs. While I hope to never again have wall-to-wall carpet, sometimes it's a situation that cannot be avoided. By running the rubber squeegee over the carpet, particularly around the edges where the carpet meets the wall you can start to scrape together all the hair that gets trapped along the baseboards - a place vacuums have a real issue with. Picking up the hair this way ahead of time also cuts down the burden on your vacuum and keeps you from emptying the vacuum bag nearly as often. If you have a fur-baby this will change your life.

I hope adding these products to you cleaning arsenal helps you get your space spic and span in no time - and one dust-free step closer to a space you love coming home to. So tell me, what are your favorite cleaning tips? How do you green your cleaning routine? Do you have a product you love? I would love to hear from you all - let me know in the comments!  

PS: Again, let me say this isn't an ad, no one is paying me to say anything - this is just my experience with cleaning up after myself and trying to be an adult. :)