Happy Sunday everyone! What a week it’s been! We’re feeling pretty fired up and hopeful, we LOVE our second Rugs USA drop, and the design projects are cooking with gas (you’ll get some fun info on that tomorrow). Until then let’s get to some links…
This week’s house tour is so special! Fashion designer and activist, Aurora James, saw huge potential in a 3-bedroom Laurel Canyon Cottage that a friend of hers initially called a “tragic disaster”. Thankfully, she trusted her gut because now she has a stunning, deeply personal home that is GORGEOUS. Go check it all out here!
From Emily: Some crafts require work from us, others do not. This falls in the latter. I came back from a work trip to find that my kids had made like 30 small and adorably hilarious sculptures (with their teen babysitter – y’all, should we have them move in?). While summer is almost over, this air-dry clay is so easy to play with (no baking or waiting) has such great colors, and inspires so much creativity. 10/10 recommend and will be buying it over and over. While there are cheaper ones that aren’t in the little tubs (and admittedly I hate the extra plastic) it does make it last a lot longer, because unless your kids are good at “putting things away” they might leave it out and then it dries out. We kept our tubs (they went through two full kits) and plan on buying the cheaper ones to put in the tubs (at least that’s the fantasy version of me doing that). Regardless, air-dry clay is where it’s at and the more colors the better.
From Caitlin: Last year, I told you about my dear friend (and teammate!) Gillian who runs Resilience Rising, a 501c3 non-profit that provides support for women and children who have survived commercial sexual exploitation. If that sounds heavy and serious, IT IS. Politicians talk a lot about human trafficking, but Gillian is doing the boots-on-the-ground work to actually support these survivors. The good news: after years of hard work, Resilience Rising is finally opening its supportive housing program in California and they’ll be welcoming their first young survivor on Monday (like, TOMORROW). If you have anything to spare, would you mind grabbing them something small (or big – you do you) from their Amazon wishlist? Gillian’s put a lot of care into describing what each item will be used for, and there are so many small things (starting at just $9) that will make this a safe, warm, happy place to heal. You can also donate here, if you prefer! (PS. Thank you so much to those of you who have donated previously. You transformed the holidays for these women – I’m so appreciative of your kindness and generosity!!!)
P.S. For some reason the items that have the “See all buying options” don’t seem to give you the option to select Gillian’s address. For everything else, just pick “Gillian Wood’s Gift Registry Address” under “Your Addresses” at checkout!
From Mallory: I spent almost 100% of my time last week wearing these $15 shorts and this matching $25 sweatshirt and I got so many compliments from the gals and guys!! They’re very comfy and loungey and that green color is EVERYTHING. Don’t want the shorts?? Don’t sweat it they have $20 matching sweatpants also. Run do not walk.
From Gretchen: I’ve been on a mission to slowly but surely upgrade my shoe collection. It’s time—it’s been time. Most of my pairs are hanging on by a thread and I’ve been working to replace them one by one. Recently I picked up some vintage-looking Nikes (in-store, no less) that are so comfortable and cute! I got them in ‘Vintage Green’ (the swoosh is sort of hunter green), the suede and waffle texture is a combo of white and cream, so they kind of go with anything! They’re great for walking but also look so cute dressed up. I’m tempted to get them in more colors—for Nike, they’re pretty affordable!
From Arlyn: My straight hair is fairly low-maintenance most of the time but the water in our place has a high mineral content which has left it feeling dry and frizzy. (And yes, I know I should add a water filter to my shower head; I have one but just haven’t gotten around to installing it!). I had some decent luck with a bar shampoo and conditioner from The Earthling Co. but I ran out and decided to give something else a try because I was just looking for some more moisture. I stumbled upon this hyaluronic combo a few months ago and I’m SUPER pleased with it! It leaves my hair soft, shiny, light and fluffy, and smells like it came from an expensive salon. It lathers well (even in my hard water), moisturizers without weighing down, and adds volume without making me feel like I’m a news anchor from 1983. Frankly, whether you have crappy water at home or not, you should try this stuff out! (There are other formulations, too, but this is the one that I picked based on my hair needs.)
From Jess: Ok so I’ve been testing out ATK natural deodorant for the past two months. I didn’t want to suggest it until I could definitively say yay or nay. Well, the results are in and I am a big fan! I tried the discovery set (which lasted me the whole two months it promised plus some since I’m still on my last tube) because I wanted to see what scent I love most. I had three favorites (No. 1 – PETITGRAIN, MANDARIN, NEROLI, No. 2 – CEDAR, EUCALYPTUS, ORANGE No. 4 – MINT, POMELO, TOMATO VINE) but honestly, they all smell so fresh, cool, and elevated (I know that sounds odd but it’s true). This brand was founded by two West End dancers who clearly know how important a hardworking/long-lasting natural deodorant is and their packaging is completely plastic-free! It is a balm that you put on with your hands (or with this applicator they sell) but that doesn’t bother me at all. Not many all-natural deodorants have worked for me (and my last brand sadly went out of business) so I’m ecstatic that AKT has been so effective. It’s also been a HOT summer so I feel really confident that this balm works. Now, I just have to decide which scent I want to get in the full size!
That’s it for today! Have a great rest of your weekend and see you
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: We Tried A Metallic Wallpaper And Here Are My Real Feelings (+ The FIRST River House Mini Reveal!!)
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
