Do Fries Go With That Milkshake?

When I was at one of the Thread shows months ago, I came across this t-shirt brand that I just love - Detroit Sprinkles. The shirts are screen printed in a garage in LA. And since they are individually screened by hand, no two t-shirts are alike. We can thank three Detroit natives who grew up on the same street for coming up with the super cute designs. Here's the milkshake t-shirt I nabbed at Thread and I'm oh-so-glad the weather's getting warmer...I'm so ready to take this t-shirt out for a spin. By the way, my t-shirt came in a can. LOVE it!

Archiving My Jewelry - Item #1

I have a massive collection of jewelry. There, I've said it. Now, granted most of it is costume jewelry. But regardless, I have a lot of it. My mom once joked that I could wear a different piece of jewelry each day for a year and never repeat a piece. That's completely bogus. I actually think I could go for two years. :)

Why have I amassed such a collection? Well duh, I love accessories! But almost every piece in the collection has a special meaning to me - I remember where I purchased each item, about how much it cost and why I bought it.

It still is a lot to take in. It can take me hours to decide which pieces to bring on a weekend trip! One day, I do plan to pass the collection on to my one and only daughter and I really want her to know the meaning behind each piece she will one day wear. So with that mind, I'm starting a new regular feature, if you will, on this blog that no one reads - "Archiving My Jewelry."  I will periodically write about one piece of my collection and number that piece. Some day (maybe two years from now!) I'll finish archiving the collection. Here's piece #1...

"Orange Bead Necklace" - Item #1
Purchased at Elsewhere Vintage, Orange, CA - January 2011
Vintage, circa 1960s
$8.00

LOVE LOVE LOVE this necklace, purchased just recently at a vintage store in Orange, California. Why I love it? The color, for one. Plus it reminds me of all of the color bead necklaces I used to wear in the 80s but that I sold at a flea market thinking I would never want to wear them again. Boo hoo. Well, I'm holding on to this one for a while. Hope my daughter likes orange.

Clothes That Stand the Test of Time

Reaching a "milestone" birthday recently has made me take a second look at my closet. There are several things in there that I "can" still wear (read: the clothes fit) but that I probably shouldn't wear (read: I'm a little too old for things like mini skirts). Let's face it - at my age, I already know what looks good on me, as far as shapes, colors, styles, etc. I'm just too old and tired to fight it so I've finally decided to just stick to what I know.

This is not to say that I've decided never to touch anything trendy or super hot at the moment. That's what Forever 21 is for. :) I'm saying, there are certain styles of clothes that will always stand the test of time. Clothes that look good no matter what age you are. Clothes that you can leave in your closet, not wear for 10 years - and then take them out and wear them and still look good. (Well, usually still look good.)

In other words, what's classic is always new again.

So a vintage shopping we go...

Lately I've been uber-fascinated with vintage clothes from almost every era. It's so true that fashion comes back around over and over again. If I were a fashion designer, I would just go back to different eras and do a different take on trends that worked in the past. But since I can't design or sew, I'll just take vintage clothes and put my own twist on them with my own personal styling.

Starting this year, I'm on a mission to only wear vintage or vintage-inspired clothes. The classic lines and shapes are going to do this aging body wonders (I hope!). You'll hopefully be seeing my latest vintage finds this year. Until then, here are a few photos that are inspiring me...

vintageous.com

shopramonawest.com

weardrobe.com

New Favorite Hotel: The Cosmopolitan

These are a few of my favorite things: fashion, shopping, art, food and Las Vegas. All of my favorite things seem to converge at The Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas strip. It had me at the gigantic high heel shoe art displays. And the art book vending machines. And the carefully selected shops, including Skins 6|2 Cosmetics and AllSaints Spitalfields. Oh, and the lovely collection of restaurants including Holsteins Shakes and Buns, Jaleo and STK. The gift shop, Monogram, is one of the best hotel gift shops I've ever seen. I only buy necessities at hotel gift shops, but I actually want to buy the unique jewelry pieces at this gift shop. I mean, even the hotel's stanchions are freakin' cute! Yes, I said the stanchions!! Dear Makers of The Cosmopolitan: For lack of a better way to praise your creation, I'll just go with -- you rock!

Cocktail Rings With Meaning?

beautiful rings by Omnatura

First, a personal story. When I was going through an extremely rough patch several years ago, a friend of mine gave me an amethyst crystal rock. It was meant to remind me of life. Just like the rock, life was full of rough spots -- but on closer inspection, it was also very intricately beautiful. At the Thread Show in Costa Mesa, Calif. last Sunday, I was immediately drawn to Omnatura, a jewelry line conceived in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil and inspired by the Bahian culture. Made with amethyst and agate, these rings reminded me of the imperfect perfection of my amethyst crystal rock.

I love jewelry with special meaning (to me) so you know I had to get my hands on one of these! All of my jewelry will one day be passed on to my daughter and I can't wait to share with her, when she's able to understand, what this ring represents to me.

Not only are the rings beautiful but they are consciously created as well. All Omnatura artisans and collaborating designers are part of what they call the Cycle of Sustainability, which certifies that the whole process of production, from the materials to the labor, is "socially, ecologically and sustainably minded."

You can find the rings online at http://www.omnatura.com/ and www.hazelandharlow.com/ or at select stores listed on the Omnatura website.

If you ever see me wearing that ring, now you know the story behind it.

Disclosure: I did receive tickets to attend Thread Show but this did not influence the thoughts or opinions expressed in this post.  And I purchased my own ring...and love it so... :) 

Little Tokyo Boutique Alert!

On our quest to "rediscover" neighborhoods of Los Angeles, I took the fam to Little Toyko and stumbled across this nondescript boutique.  It's called Shop-Ashiya. Not much to look at from the outside and the name of the store doesn't really grab you.  But trust me -- racks and racks of cuteness await you inside!  The clothes are unique and trendy -- and as the store owner told me, the dresses here are "very Japanese-style."  If you buy something here, you're almost guaranteed to be the only gal at the party with the adorable dress that everyone wants.     

There are sales racks but even the regular prices are really reasonable.  Also, for a small boutique, there's quite a selection and the owner said new shipments come in all the time. 

I'll post my finds soon.  If you want to check out the boutique for yourself, here's the 411:

Shop-Ashiya
140 Astronaut E. Onizuka St.
Los Angeles, CA  90012
(213) 928-0929

                                                                                                                  

Out Shopping

Just a quick note to say I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!  I've been attending events, shopping, eating, working...oh yeah, and taking care of my family!  Promise to post some good stuff soon, including my thoughts from Unique OC, the upcoming Threads Show in Orange County and all of my recent finds!  Now if only I could figure out a way to get more hours out of my days...