THE GRIFF

A couple weeks back I spent the day with the most important person in my life.

When we first met he asked me what my ideal day looked liked, I replied 'Exploring, creating art and taking photos'. Here we are 4 years later spending most of our days doing just that.

On this particular outing, we hit up a cute little cafe in LA for lunch, peeked in our favorite antique furniture shop and then roamed around the Griffith Observatory snapping photos all afternoon. I was happy to finally knock the Griff off our list of about a billion places we want to see together. Anyway, these are the exact kinds of days that make extremely happy, fulfilled and grateful.

THE WINDY CITY

I really dropped the ball on this one.

Chicago slipped my mind and I forgot to post some of my fave images from the trip. Back in May a bunch of friends and I headed to the Midwest for a little Memorial Day Weekend fun in Wisconsin and Chicago.

Sadly, I don't really have any photos from the lake in Wisconsin. I think it's because I was truly present while I was there. Growing up as a kid my family and I would take trips to the lake for summer vacation and it was always so peaceful and serene. I experienced that all over again while staying at a friends cabin on Cedar Lake. We spent our days there BBQing and boating. I spent as much time on that boat as possible and by the end of it I didn't want to leave.

Although, it wasn't too terrible to be pulled away to go to Chicago afterward. It was my second time in the Windy City and it had been about 15 years. So this time around I really had a strong appreciation for the city and what it has to offer. It's super clean, there's great shopping and restaurants AND boat tours. I really loved the boat tour.

THE MAINE EVENT

Recently, I got back from a trip to both Maine and New York.

A good friend got married out in Portland and afterward a little vacation was in order. Maine was seriously gorgeous and all I wanted to do was find a lighthouse somewhere along the way and explore. Luckily, there ended up being one right by the quaint little cottages we were staying at. After a few days in Maine I road tripped it down to NYC. It took all day since no requested stop was turned down. This meant everything from random stops to check out antique shops, getting some art at a pastry shop, finding a 'breakfast served all day' restaurant to grabbing a Lobster roll from McDonalds. Yeah, I eat a lot - anyway, the whole experience was awesome since I had never traveled along the East Coast like that. Definitely a refreshing change from the frequent Desert road trips.

OTHERS FOLLOW - LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

I'm finally able to share the video I filmed for Others Follow Fall 2015 campaign.

Somehow I always find myself working with the best crews. The Others Follow team was awesome and besides getting the work done we spent a lot of the day laughing. It's hard the call this work when it's mostly just fun. Their new collection, Last Days of Summer, has been released and you can peek it here.

WHITNEY EVE SUMMER PREVIEW

Last Friday I spent the day in LA and previewed the new Whitney Eve Collection.

First of all, I was completely impressed by the amount of detail that went into the preview. Plants and floral were everywhere. Everything was so cohesive with the vibe of the clothing. In addition to that, there were gorgeous florals by Bloom That, a mini nail station (I got mine painted grey - of course) and also a super talented fashion illustrator (@jeanettegetrost).

It was a very intimate event which gave ample opportunity to browse through the collection. I loved the juxtaposition of floral, lace and a bit of abstract animal print utilized throughout.

OPEN HOUSE

Today was a Sunday well spent.

First of all, wow, I'm blogging about something that happened the same day of the post. I haven't done that since the beginning of Hanger Shortage. But I think it's because I was really excited about my day. I came home and edited the photos right away and couldn't help but just share them and a little about what I'm feeling.

My girl Haley, designer of Junim , opened up her home for us to have a little gathering to display her line, mine (16thColony) and Katie Dean Jewelry. It was a day meant for shopping, drinking and chatting. But what I really took away was the value in getting together with passionate, like-minded babes. All of us girls ended up extending the party and discussing various topics about running a business, the meaning of social media these days, etc (plus, a little boy talk - duh). It's these kind of stimulating conversations that get me really inspired and energized. I was in great company today and just genuinely happy about it. As I continue to work on Hanger Shortage and also my line, I get to meet the most awesome, creative people and I'm always amazed when I look back and see all the relationships I built. I also really love when I can bring those people together. Thanks to those who made it out today.

SYDNEY

Australia - Part Two.

Previously I recapped Melbourne and today it's all about Sydney. Australia has been number one on my travel list for a really long time. I think it all started when I was just 12 years old and began scuba diving - shortly after I learned about the Great Barrier Reef and knew that I had to get there someday. Even though I didn't make it up to that part of the country this time, there were plenty of other reasons why going Down Under was a top priority - I'll get to scuba or snorkel there at some point for sure. Anyway, I've also just been really intrigued by the culture and the style/fashion that comes out of there. Plus, who doesn't love koalas?



The first day in Sydney it started to pour down rain as we happened to be by the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was already on my list of things to do, so naturally this was the perfect event during an afternoon rainstorm.



Another thing that I wanted to hit up was the Rocks Market. I'm already really into going to random sidewalk sales and flee markets here in the US, so I wanted to see what this was all about. I liked the fact that artists of all types were lined up in their booths right there in the middle of the city. There were food vendors and people just strolling along. It had a really good vibe to it.



Bondi Beach was another really awesome place to see. I had seen photos of the Iceberg Swimming Club and wanted to check it out in person. Bondi also had some really great shopping. Since it was going into Fall there, the whole place was pretty much like a ghost town. But I kinda liked that gloomy, dark feeling that cast over the beach.