And so it is: anamuonline.com is live!

It's nearly 4am on Saturday September 12 and I have a big goofy smile on my face. ANAMU online is officially up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After many, I repeat many,  trials and errors with constructing the bags and more recently working with Photoshop and on web stuff, it is all complete.

From an idea to make a bag for myself nearly two years ago to today, seeing all of my creations via the shiny computer screen ready to share is simply awesome. Thank you to all of my friends and family...your endless support and encouragement means SO much to me and I hope to see many of you tonight at our little launch fiesta (thank you Caitlin!).

It's been a labor of  love thus far and I cant wait to continue creating new pieces.

www.anamuonline.com is now open :)

Travels near and far: vintage finds

Thought that by getting an iPhone I'd be posting more frequently but that has definitely not been the case.  Along with preferring to blog from my laptop, I've been swamped at work and putting the finishing touches on ANAMU on the side. I have however been able to do some fun travels: girls desert weekend for my friend Caitlin's birthday and New Orleans for Shoe Drops in local schools. Check out this great news piece we got for that last week!

Lots of highlights from both but my favorite thing about traveling is scouring local thrift/antique/vintage shops.

In the desert, we were ecstatic (see photo) to pop into Mc Whorter's shop. A very fitting name becuase it was literally the most crammed and dusty place I've ever been in.

... but, that made my findings that much more exciting. I couldn't resist the gaudiness of these diamond wall pieces that scream 1950's/60's Palm Springs. The bag was twenty-five cents (!) and I'm really looking forward to getting it polished and perhaps adding some metal studs along the top-front edge.

Didn't get much shopping time in New Orleans since I was there for work but I managed to squeeze it in two hours before my flight departed (was SO tempted to "miss" it once I saw how great the shops on Magazine Street were!).

Scored a sweet glassware set of 6 to add to my newly realized collection. It started when I purchased a set of retro glasses in Kentucky last year...I still dream about that little antique shop off of Mountain Parkway.

Check out the silver brims on these via NOLA...

My parents laugh at me every time I come home from a trip because they know I'm going to say "look at what I found!!!"

Some people collect shot glasses, others buy magnets...I'm a traveling vintage shopaholic and I am proud of it.

East Village San Diego: Impressed

Spent the day in Downtown San Diego yesterday working from Hive Haus (an incredibly awesome collaborative workspace) and really fell in love with the East Village district where their retro-fitted building is located. On our walk to lunch I spotted this residential building that incorporated shipping containers in its facade. Would love to see if they are utilized inside too....should have knocked on someones door!

This neighborhood is still considered to be up and coming but I think its already arrived. It had great buildings, great shops and restaurants, and even rad astro turf patches on some of the sidewalks. There's a grittier side to it the further east you go but even that didn't feel too bad; it looked like Disneyland compared to some emerging areas of Downtown LA.

Every time I'm in SD I feel like I could move there....but then I get back home to LA and remember how much I love the endless opportunities this expansive city offers. Even if I do have to sit in traffic once in a while to take advantage of them all :)

**Shout out to Dave Brown of Holiday Matinee for hosting an awesome party, Cause for Drinks, where we raised over $1,000 for FOT!!!

Count em': bags are done!

The first set of bags, all 20 of them, are officially complete as of last weekend (yaayyyy!!!!). They took a while to make since I worked on them a bit at time during the weekends but it's been so worth it. Since the next step was to take photos for the website and Etsy (where I will have the store set up) I am thankful for two things:

1) my friend Mike Kim for telling me about this page on how to make a photo box

2) iPhoto editing features. I now fully understand why photographers use so many lights and reflecting sheets!

Here are the bags ready and READY! However, you'll have to wait for the site launch to see the final pieces :) ... coming soon!!!

Berzerks welcome

The last time I went to the circus I was four years old and remember thinking that the clowns were totally lame. Well, I'm all grown up now and on Friday I experienced Cirque Berzerk. This was not your typical circus: no unnecessarily trained animals for show, no fluffy cotton candy, and no snotty little kids running around (I love kids and will be an auntie in December, thank you very much).

Berzerk was truly a world of its own. I felt like I had been transported in time - perhaps the 20's or 30's - and the latest side-show made a pit stop in town.  There were gothic-ish burlesque dancers/fire throwers/fire eaters, amazing acrobatics a la Cirque de Sole, and even a bad-ass zombie hip-hop number. The story line was extremely cohesive and unexpected for a "circus" (there's goth and zombies involved, so yes, it's about death).

Next to the big tent there was a vendor area for food, drinks, shopping, and dancing courtesy of a Vaudeville band. Everything had an edgy yet welcoming feel...everyone was happy to be there. All of this set in Los Angeles Historic State Park made it feel like we were a part of a little secret in the middle of LA and in a completely different world for a few hours.

I believe that this was their last weekend in town but there's rumors that they might extend the shows...everyone must check this out if they can.

Oh, and we found Superman's kryptonite...

Well hello, Motel 6

Not  too shabby. Motel 6 is revamping its guestroom accommodations from "I have to sleep on that?" to "I want this in my house!". It's nice to see that modern aesthetic can be reached at this price point...well done!

(500) Days of Downtown LA

I had no idea the film (500) Days of Summer was set in Downtown LA until a friend of mine told me that she thought of me throughout the entire movie. She is now requesting we do a "Downtown Day" where I can show her my favorite spots. Though I loved the premise of the film, I couldn't help but jump in my seat in excitement every time there was a mention or shot of Downtown's architectural beauty. With so many different neighborhoods, it was nice to see the Historic Core and Broadway District get a little recognition. Don't get me wrong, I love the new modern buildings in Bunker Hill , Grand Ave, and South Park (sans LA LIVE) but the true gems are those often ignored amidst the hustle and bustle of discounted electronic, toy, and clothes shops. You just need to look up.

The LA Times put it best:

Tom and Summer try their best to find architectural relatives of the Chicago School in downtown Los Angeles: soot-stained but broad-shouldered and highly decorated mid-rise buildings like the Eastern Columbia, in particular. For them, the neighborhood's charm is decidedly romantic, and therefore never far from nostalgia, and the buildings that sum up its appeal are underrated architectural gems that have managed through all these decades to avoid the wrecking ball. And yet as was the case in last year's "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," an inferior movie but one with many scenes downtown, the characters in "(500) Days" symbolize a younger generation of Angelenos who find the neighborhood appealing precisely because it feels to them dusty and underappreciated, rather than notable for new buildings by some of the world's leading architects.

Did the snack-food world just become perfect?

Chocolate tortilla chips - nuh uh?!?!

Okay, it may sound strange but they have managed to breed my two favorite snacks together. I can't not try these.

They may just one-up my favorite Trader Joe's treat: dark-chocolate covered edamame.

Brass as bling

It's jewelry time! Bags are nearly complete so I thought I'd give my necklaces some TLC. I really love the vintage, close-out pieces for pendants that I scored. What I don't love is how my wrist and hand pains keep getting worse. Have my second acupuncture treatment tomorrow and I'm sure a wrist brace is somewhere in my near future. Doesn't help that type like a maniac all day at work either.

No pain no gain right?

Mid-century modern dreaming

One week after visiting REVIVAL, a humble yet amazingly stocked vintage shop in Lincoln Heights, I am still dreaming of owning this piece....

It was priced at $300 (practically free!) and was in pristine condition. If only I had space for it!

If you're into vintage furniture and accessories, make the pilgrimage. While there, stop by the HUGE St. Vincent Thrift Store across the street but expect the typical rummaging required to find the diamonds in the rough.

The bobble head touch

Got to the game early, got my Man Ram bobble head, got my dodger dog, and then got to see a moment to be written in the record books: Ramirez hit a grand-slam in his first and only swing of the game...the first ever Dodger to do so on his own bobble head night. The stadium went nutts and the value of that little bouncing figuring just went up :) Manny stepping up to the plate...

Will play substitute

Andrew Bird's show at the Greek held a spot on my calendar for months but I never bought tickets. On the day of the show I looked at my schedule and thought, hmmm, perhaps I'll end up going somehow.... Sure enough, I got an invite a few hours later. I can thank my friend Kai Brown for that since he couldn't make it and offered up his ticket. That was last week. Yesterday I got a last minute invite to see Jet at the Key Club. The original show buddy got sick the day before so I was the lucky beneficiary of yet another free ticket. It was the perfect opportunity for my high-school friend and I to catch up and see a band that I hadn't listened to in years!

We talked about getting tickets to see The Sounds later this month but they're all sold out. Planning can be overrated.

We've got business cards!

Now I just need to finish all the product, put it up on the website, and we're ready to go ... woo hooo!!!!!

Sewing: to be continued

Got back to sewing today...almost done with one set :)

Crafty Saturday downtown

It's been too long since I spent a day downtown. Thankfully I had an excuse to go. Needed to buy some jewelry and bag supplies and as always, my friend Jose at the bead store knew how to up sell me - I can't go in there with a budget because it immediately gets thrown out the window. He's going to drill holes in some vintage brass pieces for me and I can't wait to pick them up next Saturday!

Also waiting for me next weekend will be a custom-made tank by Apliiq. Joe of 213 etc took me to Apliiq's workshop where the customer is the designer. I picked out (unknowingly but not surprisingly) a vintage fabric for Ethan, the owner, to cut and sew patches onto my selected tank with.

Even though I could do it myself, it's nice to support someone that's taking a simple concept and creating a new shopping experience with it. I had a lot of fun seeing what he does and has to offer.

The rest of the day consisted of lunch at Blu LA Cafe (delicious portaballo burger on brioche bread) and some perusing at the Renegade Craft Fair. Perfect day, absolutely perfect.

DIY Notepad

Scratch printer paper and back sides of used sheets make for a nice notepad. I don't think many of us at work will ever loose the boot-strapping (and eco-friendly) approach to getting things done.

To water or not to water: Native Gardens

We need water but we use more than we really should. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has placed city-wide ordinances for water consumption during this summer season's shortage. It ranges from restricting sprinkler using to Mondays and Thursdays only to only serving water in restaurants upon request.

One of the biggest culprit is the disire to have lush, grassy front lawns on every house on the block. LA is a desert so why not plant what is naturally condusive to its climate?

Native gardens have been getting alot of attention in recent years and I really hope the interest (and execution) continues to grow.

This photo is a perfect example of what I'd want in a garden of my own. I'm completely obsessed with the subtle brightness of aloe blooms against the cool hues of its counterparts agave and senecio (finally learned what these are called!).  You can see more images here in the LA Times feature.

This pic is going on my wish list for sure....and...I'll take the house too. Thank you.

If you want to feel like a bad-ass...

Listen to "I Know What I Am"

Band of Skulls has been on my radar for some time now so I checked out their performance last week at the Hammer Museum (free summer concert series, Also I Like To Rock). I'm not usually into metal type sounds but these guys had seriously impressive presence and in my opinion, should have headlined the night instead of Amazing Baby (way too over-hyped).

"I Know What I Am" is one of those songs that I can turn up and instantly feel like I can take on anything and anyone. Bad -Ass.

Phoenix: Yes, the best show ever. Recap and other reviews

Seeing Phoenix Sunday night at the Wiltern was truly the most fun I have ever had at a show. I haven't danced and smiled that much at a concert since The Go Team! played the Glass House in Pomona, and that was pretty phenomenal. Phoenix's performance made me feel like I was fourteen again. The only difference this time around is that I'm obsessed with musical talent versus rock hard abs and synchronized dance moves.

LAist and LA times posted some great reviews. If you have some time, definitely read the LAist one - describes the night to a T.

Honestly, in LA these kinds of shows are rare - we're usually too cool to get up and bust a move. Everyone must have been as amped to see them as I was because the whole place was going completely insane the entire night.

They'll be back in LA in September at the Greek but I think I'd rather let this show stand on it's own for now and not mess with the perfection of it all.  I'm still glowing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X6R9ncuqCU&feature=related]

Vegas as a testing ground

Took one of my prototype bags to Vegas with me and it was the best thing I could have done. Not only was I able to enjoy the fruits of my labor but I got to test it out to the ultimate degree with non-stop dancing. I'm talking about jersey fist-pumping all night long. Well, not really but you get the idea.

It was during "boom boom pow" that I felt the chain snap off on one end.  I caught it before it fell to the floor and since the material is soft and is easily grasped, holding it as a clutch versus wearing it over the shoulder as a purse was still really comfy. Good thing it's designed for either use :)

Though I was bummed (for a second before proceeding to dance) it never would have happened had I not taken it out so I'm very thankful that it did! Now I know I need heavier duty rings so we can have happy dancing ANAMU lovers in the future.