Park here

Sometimes even an ordinary parking lot can stop me in my tracks. The texture and pattern of this building on 8th st. definitely intrigued the architecture nerd in me.

One down and eerrr...several more to go

The first of my girlfriends got married over the weekend and boy was it surreal. As I stood watching and listening to them say their written vows I couldn't help but cry a bit (out of joy of course) and also think "holy shit, this is the phase of life we are all in!"

I thankfully held it together and then relaxed enough to foolishly dance the night away like a good bridesmaid should.

Congrats to Vikki and Brian ... I couldn't be happier for the two of you, love you!!!

For a peek at the wedding, check out Vikki's company blog for All You Need is Love Events (yes, she plans weddings. Perfect right?)

Buying and creating - a Saturday well spent

The upside of living in the Fashion District is that fabric buying trips are so easy. Just a walk down street and I can browse the latest offerings at The Loft, a space where remnant and overstock fabrics are sold. I picked up some denim swatches there and scraps of super soft yellow leather from another store across the street.

When I got home I was extremely motivated to get some design work done so I laid out muslin fabric and began to draft some ideas for a tote bag. I love my clutches but I need to make something that I can use everyday too! There will be several sample trials but I'm excited to figure it out. Hopefully we'll have new bags and more easy gift accessories online by November :)

Bubbles on the roof

It was time to finally get some social use out of the rooftop so I invited my gals over for some bubbly and twinkling city views. It was a beautiful night...so happy and fortunate to have shared it with incredible friends. Xoxo.

My hometown just got a little more stylish

I was driving through my old neighborhood when a very chic storefront caught my eye. House of Honey opened in May and from the looks of it, it's really adding some sass to good ol' South Pas.

As soon as I walked inside I was sold. Every piece in there is unique whether vintage or custom made. The china was spectacular, as were the paintings that lined the walls, but most interesting were a pair of old chairs that were re-upholstered using vintage fur coats. So brilliant.

It was nice to meet you, House of Honey. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Gone campin'

Though we love living Downtown, sometimes you just need to get back to nature. At first we talked about going up to Northern California, Wyoming, and some other obvious mountain destinations but then we remembered that we have some great options just a few hours away - hello Sierras!

Just shy of Mammoth is Big Pine, where we booked two nights at a campsite and made our home amongst the chipmunks. I had been craving horseback riding so we signed up for a day-pack into the John Muir wilderness. It was BEAUTIFUL but as the day wore on, our butts got sore, the heat and wind picked up, and it was less and less enjoyable. It was a rough ride going downhill on the rocky and narrow trails but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The scenery, the scents, and the company (chipmunks) were incredible. There is truly nothing like being in the great outdoors and I'm SO thankful that these national parks exist for us to enjoy.

Hello again

Losing my free home wifi combined with busy work projects, a mini-vacay, and Unique OC made for a very quiet blog.

Well, I'm back and first thing up is a little announcement for a show Anamu will be at this weekend.

If you are in the OC area, or have friends and family who are, check out THREAD Show on Sunday! It will be my first time there so we'll see how it goes!

New webshop + GO NATIVE Collection

The new shop is finally up!

First up in the shop are the GO Native Collection clutches and cuff bracelets followed by brand new brass necklaces.  Very excited about all of these - they are playful, eye catching, and truly unique.

Browse the Envelope Clutch and Frame Clutch categories for past styles and the new SALE for recently discounted pieces - isn't that nice!

Keeping it real

Something you don't see in your mailbox everyday: a postcard.

What a nice surprise is was to find an old-fashioned greeting from a friend who is traveling and working abroad.

Who's up for bringing pen-pals back?

Keeping it real

Something you don't see in your mailbox everyday: a postcard.

What a nice surprise is was to find an old-fashioned greeting from a friend who is traveling and working abroad.

Who's up for bringing pen-pals back?

Thank you, library

I've been without the internet since my free wifi source moved out of the building. At first there was panic but then it made for a great excuse to go to the beautiful Central Public Library.

A new shopping page for anamuonline.com is in the works so I spent several hours at a study desk uploading images and creating listings...the only thing that got me out of there was hunger and their 5:30pm closing time!

Still not done but stay tuned....

Bespoke for the boyfriend

After miserably failing to find the perfect fitting dress shirt in traditional brick-and-mortar stores, the boyfriend turned to Google for the hunt.

What he found was Proper Cloth, a site that makes custom men's shirts right here in America. Joe was so excited about the discovery that you would have thought it was Christmas and there were fifty gifts under the tree all with his name on them. It was truly adorable.

We were really impressed with the site - the copy is witty, hip, and the service is easy. You set up an account, submit your measurements, select the fabric and styles (cuff, collars, etc) and then wait for your bespoke shirt to be mailed to you within several weeks.

The packaging was impeccable and I love that the first thing you see is an embossed shirt box that reads "Handcrafted in America" (hell yeah!). Enclosed with the shirt was a letter from Proper Cloth's founder written with the type of humor and wit that makes you wish you could "write like that" ... a very nice touch.

Needless to say, all expectations for fit, quality, and service were met and they've got a customer for life. Maybe I'll give them a try...I don't think it says men only anywhere on the site ;)