Insta-Tweet Selfie Summer Saturday

{Chili Beans sunglasses, Vine Street Market beach bag, not rubbing sunscreen all the way in courtesy myself}

Summer in LA means beach time, stocking up on sunscreen and remembering this is California so you’ll still be cold at night. Sometimes, I also remember to snap some photos.

Pave paradise, put up a parking lot.

2012 In Pictures

I’m going to be cliche and say, I can’t believe it’s already the end of 2012! This year has flown by and yet, at the same time, it feels like alot has changed since this time last year.  In 2012, this little ol’ blog started to give me some new and great opportunities which I am so grateful for. I hope these opportunities continue to come and grow in 2013! I had some fantastic experiences this year which included going to fashion shows, writing about designers and their collections, photographing events and attending some fantastic LA soirees.

Life wise, I spent a blissful vacation in Malibu, celebrated my b-day in Palm Springs, watched one of my oldest and dearest friends get married in DC, moved to a new place and had many wonderful, wine filled evenings with good friends.

Here’s a look back at some favorite photo shoot pics over the past year…

And some favorite life moments…

Right now, though I’m really looking forward to getting a new year underway.

Bring it, 2013!

Guest of a Guest: Bungalow at the Fairmont Miramar

I’m combining my normal always within the never post with a beautiful new spot I was lucky enough to be able to photograph on Friday evening. Bungalow just opened this weekend in Santa Monica at the Fairmont Hotel and I absolutely love it! It’s the perfect place to chill with friends and the interior design is just amazing; so beautifully Southern Californian. Not too shabby a way to spend a Friday evening!

Excess Baggage

I am so excited to share with you all the little adventure I took to the Excess Baggage showroom! Excess Baggage is an awesome website which offers great brands like Brandy Melville, Blank NYC, M2F Denim, and Wkshp at up to 75% off regular prices. Seriously, I want every piece of clothing on this site and I had such a blast going through their showroom and pairing together outfits with the owner of Excess Baggage, Haylee Winard. In fact, I may have ended up loving that orange tank so much it came home with me!

{Excess Baggage Cobalt Hi-Lo Skirt, Excess Baggage Sioux Falls tee by Wkshp , Free People lace bra (similar here), Frye sandals (similar here)}

I also had a chance to ask Haylee a couple of questions about her company and here’s what she told me:

Haylee, what inspired you to start your own clothing company and where did the name Excess Baggage come from? I am originally from Scottsdale, AZ and I moved to Los Angeles to attend FIDM. While going to school I knew I wanted to own my own business, ideally a boutique. When I was graduating the economy was not good, stores were closing left and right so I had to switch up my plan. I decided an online store was easy, low overhead and less risk than an actually store front. Over the two years that Excess Baggage has been in business, it has now grown to a full showroom  where we do by appointment shopping, styling, and trunk shows! The name Excess Baggage came up while brainstorming over tequila with a few girl friends! We knew we wanted to sell for less than retail and thought the name “Excess Baggage” was something everyone would understand and relate to!

{Haylee and I going through the showroom clothes}

Can you describe Excess Baggage’s ideal customer? The Excess Baggage woman is smart, confident, and beats to her own drum. She knows her style but isn’t afraid to branch out and try new things and experiment with colors, textures and trends. She loves a good deal and appreciates detail and quality!

Do you have a line you carry that’s a personal favorite and why? My personal favorite is one grey day, it is a year round sweater line that is absolutely amazing. The fit, fabrics and effortlessly cool vibe the line has is right up my alley. I love simple pieces with a little extra something to make them stand out, and that is what this line is all about.

If you love a hip, laid back, California style like I do, you’ll go nuts for Excess Baggage. Check out their whole collection over at ShopExcessBaggage.com!

(Photography by Patricia Steffy)

A Malibu Beach Breakfast

{Malibu jeans from Intermix, Free People shirt, Vintage zebra sweater, Ray Ban sunglasses, Urth Cafe African tea latte and tofu with grilled vegetables }