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...

CONDOR'S NEST RANCH

I was over at The Condor's Nest Ranch in Pala a couple weeks ago.

The Condor's Nest is a great venue nestled in the hills of North San Diego County that holds a lot of events and weddings. I had the chance to walk around the property and take few photos.





I have this thing for vintage trailers and Airstreams, when I spotted this one I was super excited. I love the blue picket fence around it with the rustic planters.





This place is a huge estate. Not only is there an awesome ranch house, mini casitas and a vintage trailer, but there's also a barn with all these farm animals running around.





I'm pretty sure my favorite part was this little greenhouse. I took my time in there snapping tons of photos - it was so peaceful and there were a lot of random interesting antique decor pieces.





Anyway, it was really my ideal day - California sunshine + mini photoshoot.

THIS IS NOT IKEA

A few weeks ago, I made my way over to TINI (This is not Ikea).

It's this great little antique furniture place off Fairfax in LA where there are tons of vintage pieces and little treasures.





There are several rooms filled with all sorts of eclectic items and you really have to dig through all the nooks and crannies to see everything.





I guess they also allow for most of the pieces to be rented as props for productions - good to know.





Anyway, if you're out in that area, check it out - it's definitely worth a browse.

ALL OF THE LIGHTS

Have you ever wondered what has happened to all of Vegas' old vintage signs?

Yeah, I know - me too. Apparently a lot of them are stored at this boneyard near Fremont Street.



A bunch of these signs have been either donated or rescued. It's kind of cool because some of them are from as far back as the 1930's.

Great color...



When I spotted this pile of signs all I could do was envision was how great it would look as a silk charmeuse pattern.



Anyway, I'm really glad that there's a little boneyard for retired neon signs. It made for a really fun/inspirational afternoon with all the colors and shapes.