SAN FRAN PART I

I had such a blast up north in San Fran last weekend.

There was a ton to cover in just a few short days, but I'm pretty sure most of the important stuff was checked off the list. Of course popping into boutiques and art galleries, eating too much food and taking tons of pics were taken care of.

Annabella's

I have to admit that finding this random candy shop, Z'Cioccolato, pretty much made my day. I didn't hesitate to grab a handful of Smarties and a Ring Pop.

There was no agenda for the trip and I really liked it that way - it made room for little detours down back alleys to admire some graffiti art and get inspired on a whim.

Don't sweat it - there's more San Fran coverage to come.

SPOTTED MOTH

So I went back to Spotted Moth the other day.

When I was in Downtown Orange a couple weeks ago I stopped by this boutique to check it out and I was super impressed with the build out, vibe and the clothes. Everything was so perfectly thought out. Although, I pretty much expected that since their website is just as great.

I wanted to head back over so I could chat it up with Christina, the boutique manager. I really enjoyed hearing her story about how Spotted Moth began and we talked about how their branding and merchandising for the store all sort of came together.

I seriously love all the attention to detail - check out these cute hang tags.

Scored this rust/cream leopard print dress

Anyway, I think you get the point - if you're looking to score some super cute stuff head over to Orange Circle. Oh, and don't forget to grab a cookie at the Blue Frog Bakery over there - I hear they're pretty tasty.

DOWNTOWN ORANGE

Last weekend I spent the day over in Downtown Orange.

Started off at Filling Station and grabbed some brunch. That brunch goes down in the books - such amazing cinnamon french toast - yum.


Afterward, I roamed around and snapped a few photos.Downtown Orange is super cute and there are tons of random places to shop and little bakeries, etc.

Also, I was happy to bust out these cut-off denim shorts I designed last year.

I popped in one of the antique shops. I'm sort of into antique shopping since about a year ago when I found a vintage 1930's ice cream shop chair. It has a white (rustic) paint job with a wooden seat. I love it. Except, I'm told I shouldn't use it as my computer chair (ergonomics, pssh). My argument is that it's cute and worth it.

Anyway, there were some vintage fashion sketches, magazines and pattern books that were pretty fun to check out.

More to come from Downtown Orange later. I had a lot of fun at one boutique in particular... you'll see!

ABBOT KINNEY

I was pretty excited to get out to Venice recently.

I loved walking the shops over on Abbot Kinney. There's so many great one off boutiques so I was obviously in my element.



This little place was literally the smallest shop I've ever seen. It was basically a tiny greenhouse surrounded with a chain link fence - super random. All of the shops and art galleries on Abbot Kinney are different and interesting though.

Crusin' Venice



I almost took these vintage shades home with me. Just a tad crooked though - bummer.



The day ended with ice cream (of course) and pretty colors setting in the sky.

MISTER CARTOON SANCTIOND EVENT

Mister Cartoon is a super legit tattoo artist.

He's tatted a bunch of celebs and has done some collaborations with several brands like Nike and Vans. Anyway, I headed up to downtown LA a few nights ago, for the launch of Cartoon's new car care products line, Sanctiond. I was pretty excited to check out the tattoo parlor he works out of and all of the custom cars. The event was pretty rad and there were some great food trucks on hand. Yeah, I tried out a Chocolate Chip cookie and Peanut Butter ice cream sandwich from the Cool Haus truck - pretty tasty.

Don't get too excited, I didn't come home with any tats, but it was still a really fun night.

THE GRIND

I'm always wishing for more hours in the day.

In fact, if you were to ask me what I need most, I'd probably tell you 'time'. When I'm not doing freelance stuff, I'm working on several other personal projects.



On a regular day, my only real free time is spent at the gym - it's where I get a chance to sort out all my ideas and thoughts. Afterward, I dive back into more work until the wee hours of the morning. Then I get up 5 hours later and do it all again. It's so worth it to me because all the things I work on, I'm super passionate about and they're all just pieces of what's to come.



Even though, in a lot of ways, this has all been years in the making, I feel like it's really only the beginning - I'm so excited for everything that's next.

LA FASHION DISTRICT

Drove up to Downtown LA a couple Saturdays ago.

Remember that weekend recently when the weather was actually really nice here in Southern California and we all thought Spring was here for good. No random rain, etc... I was lucky enough to spend one of those days out at the Fashion District in LA.

It started off with a wholesome brunch - including bottomless mimosas at Tiara Cafe of course.



Santee Alley is such an interesting place. You really have to be on your game when you go - negotiating is key.



I landed some super cute Spring heels.



I'll never pass up the opportunity to snag a few yards of fabric to play around with. I'm excited to create a couple new things - just wait and see!



Hurry up, weather - make it Spring already!

LAGUNA BEACH ART WALK

I really enjoy checking out random art walks and had fun crusin' the one held in Laguna recently.

It was pretty small - but there were some cool pieces.

Love the colors in these ceramic saucers.



There were some interesting things like these eco-notes that grow into plants? Yeah - I don't know exactly how that works, but it sounds fun! And I particularly liked this wooden goblet - I think chardonnay would taste pretty good out of that.



Anyway, with Spring approaching, strolling outside by the beach at the art walk is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

BEST KEPT SECRET

About four years ago, I stumbled upon this random little boutique Ragz Dressware in Carlsbad.

Since then it's been one of my favorite shops when I'm on the hunt for something a little different.



The Beat

Ragz does a super good job with keeping up with the trends and buying things that you're not really going to see anywhere else. Apparently, a few other people agree because they've opened up two other equally as cute shops all within a couple blocks of each other.



When I was there a few weeks ago I picked up some really fun items for spring.



Blues and Shoes

Super cute must-have wedges

So, there you go - one of my best kept boutique secrets. If you're lucky, I'll fill you in on a few more...