Best Weekend Ever

You know those weekends that are so amazing that you don’t even think about anything else that you have to do except what you’re doing right then and all the fun things that are about to happen right after?  It’s called living in the present and I highly recommend it.  Not only was it my husband’s birthday, but October 31st marked the 5th anniversary of our first meeting.  We had a lot to celebrate on top of Halloween, which turned out to be the Best Halloween Ever.  I’ve never seen so many amazing costumes.  Our friends really turned it out this year!  Please excuse some of the blurry photos.

I was Frida Kahlo

My husband, Darryl, was Vincent Van Gogh

Matthew was Alex from A Clockwork Orange

This was my second favorite costume of the night.  Sorry for the bad quality photo, but this guy killed it as The Regal Beagle. That’s right – from Three’s Company. Amazing.

But first place, my friends, went to Weekend at Bernie’s.  GENIUS!

Toryn as David Byrne and Nicolette as a paper doll

Emily as a panda bear

Renee’ as Lucille Ball resurrected from the dead

Becky was making me laugh all night as Carol Channing in Alice in Wonderland

Hilarious.  Sara and Katherine as two “Toddlers and Tiaras”.

Drew as Sherlock Holmes

Athena as Ned Flanders

Happy Birthday, Baby

Today is my husband’s birthday and I’d like to dedicate some Altered Images to him. Happy Birthday, D.  I love love love you.  I’ll meet you in the living room for a dance party.

Bejeweled

I stopped by Space 15Twenty on Friday to check out the Pangea pop-up shop that showcases jewelry from various designers and boutique owners whom I am very much in to.  Maryam Nassir Zadeh brought her bohemian NYC flavor to LA with ethnic-inspired jewels, Lizzie Fortunato’s bib necklaces and chunky strands stood out in the same space as Arielle de Pinto’s web-like chain creations, Daydream Nation’s knit and chain collars had a crafty, modern DIY aesthetic, and ConfettiSystem’s installation was made of the most beautiful pastel metallic spheres and fringe.  I’m not sure how long the pop-up shop will last, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in the LA area.

Images above – ConfettiSystem

Images above – Lizzie Fortunato Jewels

Images above – Maryam Nassir Zadeh

Images above – Daydream Nation

Images above – Arielle de Pinto

Rose Bowl Browsing

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. for the Rose Bowl flea market last Sunday.  It’s interesting how many more people there are at the flea market around 6 a.m. in the summer.  Scoring on the good stuff and beating the heat can make any dedicated Rose Bowl shopper wake up early.  I don’t know if I was more awake this time around or what, but I spotted some really amazing stuff on the home/antiques side of the market.  I also noticed that the vintage clothing on that side is usually of higher quality.  It is a bit pricier, but well worth it.

I think I found my favorite spot for vintage dresses.

This vendor was selling Victorian treasures and ’80s accessories.

Old beakers and pharmacy bottles

I really love old science and botanical charts.  I spotted this one and was able to take a photo, but there were some really cool vintage prints from England and Paris that I found and didn’t get a chance to photograph.  If I were to purchase one thing for my home, it would be one of those.

I freaked out over these chairs.

This spot is a little slice of heaven.  A lovely woman and her husband sell nightgowns and dresses made from vintage linens from France.  They also sell these German fisherman shirts that are pinstriped and are the perfect washed out blue.  I wear mine as a dress.

I have no idea what that rocking creature is, but I loved the horse head with a body made of wood.

Travel in Style

Records Yumm!!

I can’t get enough horses.

Colorful beads from Ghana

All these blues make me want to be sailing the Mediterranean

I Wanna Rock With You

I had a pretty stellar weekend.  Went to San Luis Obispo to visit my in-laws which is always guaranteed to be a relaxing getaway.  Rarely do my husband and I leave their house to venture out, unless it’s to go hiking or to the farmer’s market. Their house is absolute paradise – a gorgeous garden that is in full bloom and is filled with fruits and veggies; a hot tub complete with the most perfect view of the hillside; a back gate that leads all the way up to Cerro San Luis (awesome hike); and so many comfy reading spots that it’s hard to choose.  We came back to LA to participate in Sunday’s first “Hunt and Gather” event which was a success.  A group of peeps got together to sell vintage clothes, artwork, vegan treats, margaritas, and all kinds of goodness.  Sunday night we went to see Amazing Baby and Phoenix play at The Wiltern.  Phoenix is out of control amazing on stage.  Not only are they amazing musicians, but they also put on a ridiculously good show.  They played old hits and new hits and the entire sold out crowd was dancing and going nuts, and when the show ended and the lights came on, Michael Jackson’s Rock with You came on and it turned into an even bigger dance party.  It was totally “a moment.”

Hanging out at my in-laws

The lush garden

They turned their greenhouse into a guest room!  It’s so awesome – you can see the stars at night while lying in bed.  I wish I could say that I sleep out there a lot, but the truth is it’s been a while.  I got bit by a spider the last time I slept in there.  

This is the lemon tree that leads to a little pond.  The lemons are the size of oranges, and I swear I’ve seen a couple the size of grapefruits.

Look at these artichokes!  They are just about ready to be devoured.

View from the hot tub.

Some vintage clothes and accessories sold at Hunt and Gather.

These are terrariums that my friend Matthew makes.  They are filled with moss, wooden sea creatures, vintage clocks, beetles, and all kinds of wonders.  

Some classic novels

Treats

Robert and baby Oliver

The $1 margarita crowd

The lovely Nina

Zach and Nicole are getting married!

The Queen of Hunt and Gather, Sara

And lastly, Phoenix

Hunt and Gather

My friends and I are having an event this Sunday, June 28th and will be selling all kinds of cool stuff including vintage clothing and accessories, rare records, artwork, terrariums, furniture and more.  Plus, we’ll have tons of baked goods and margaritas for $1.  If you live in the L.A. area, stop by!