Kony 2012

I haven't been on here in ages, sorry. I went on a cruise and then had to make some life changing decisions (quit my job to take another one in a completely different industry, gulp) so I've been a little slow to get back into the swing of things on here. I start my new position on Monday, so I might taking a little more time to get settled before I am back in full effect. In the meantime I wanted to share a video and project that I found out about on another blog. If you have already heard about, that's even better because it means word is getting around. It is a somewhat longer video (about 29 minutes) but is absolutely worth your time and completely inspiring. I heard about Joesph Kony and the L.R.A (Lord's Resistance Army) maybe about half a year ago and was horrified. Unfortunately I forgot about it until I ran across this today. I feel like this is something that we need to try and keep in our consciousness. On April 20th, 2012 people around the world will post stickers and street art to try to get the word out. After watching this video, when you see this, you will now know what it is and at least in thought will be part of the world community in this matter (the kits with stickers and posters are sold out online, so we can't join in on the fun of spreading the word but at least can be aware).
Anyways, please take the time to watch this video when you can. This video is a little small, so if you want to see it bigger click here for the youtube link.

-J

Big Changes?

So there is possibly some big changes professionally in the near future. It's been stressful and hard to make decisions lately, and because of this, it is inevitable for me to daydream about just going away for a period of time to take a break. Of course that will never happen and hopefully the changes that are made are for the better. Today I ran across this blog page and loved her discussion about her move to Paris. I love blogs for the fact that I might not be able to do that but at least I can read and explore other people's memories or experiences of it. If you have time, take a read here.

Source

-J

Mimosas and Puppies

Wow, time is just getting away from me, isn't it? Sorry about that, although I am hoping that there will be some big changes in the future. We'll see what this means for the bloggy blog, but I might be taking a longer break then I first thought. Anywho, two weekends ago Brian's sister came down and visited with us. After mimosas at the apartment I finally got the chance to take her to Little Next Door, one of my fav places on Third St.  It was such a great time and loved to catch up with her one on one. And how is my luck, a Cavalier King Charles puppy sat next to us throughout our brunch. Love it and couldn't have been more perfect!

Ok, I could not resist putting up this pic of Paige from Cuteoverload.com (one of my happy places haha) just to put in a reference for what we had sitting next to us. For more pics of this adorable little puppy, click here. 


Another quick note, how amazing is this topper coat at Ann Taylor?? To bad it's damn near $300 (for faux leather?!). Still, so cute. Let me know if anyone finds a similar, cheaper one (or better yet, has an amazing hook up).

Ann Taylor - $298

-J

Beauty School (Dropout)

By the end of last year, I had run out of products and was using what I had lying around or could afford at the time. Since it is a new year, I did get some small little helpers that I severely needed. Some of these things I am just trying out and others are tried and true products. 

1. Stila Eyeshadow. I used to use Stila all the time (favorite color: Kitten) but for some reason or another just stopped using them all together. Cut to this past Christmas and the Stila Eyeshadow Full Palette I received as a gift. Now I am back on the Stila train in a big way. I forgot how much fun it was to experiment with eye colors. This palette really got me out of a rut that I was in for a very long time. I couldn't find a pic online of the actual case, so I just used a singular eyeshadow as a place marker. 

2. Pur Mineral Foundation. I used Bare Minerals like most everyone out there and liked it but it would wear off and as my face got more marks on it, the harder it was to cover. I was surfing around online at who knows where and I ran across this brand. The reviews seemed to be pretty good so I thought that I would give it go last June before the trip to Europe. I am so happy I tried because it can definitely cover and bonus: it's pressed powder so I can carry it in my purse easier than that big block of Bare Minerals loose powder pot (I do still like Bare Minerals Bronzer though). I ran out of the Pur Mineral foundation I had a couple months ago and finally bought another one this past weekend. Wow, what I was missing in my life! I should never go that long again. 

3. Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick in Copper Coral. I love this red-orangey shade. It's so hard for me to wear a blue red, so this one works on me. Full disclosure: I am thinking about cheating on this lipstick with Nars Heat Wave, but I'm sure that I will be back to this because I know that it works. So easy to throw on when I don't have time (or more accurately, too lazy) to put on full makeup. I just put this on and feel instantly more put together. 

4. Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream. I bought this when I had run out of my previous eye cream and was walking by Benefit on Third Street and it called to me. I decided to take the plunge and try a new one that I hadn't yet heard about. Turns out, it ended up being pretty good and keeps my eyes cool and refreshed. Also, I'm partial to the very cute packaging. I completely judged this book by its cover and it worked (that also works for wine most of the time, I definitely judge by label art). 

5. Mario Badescu Face Wash and Toner (Special Cleansing Lotion C). This are my newest additions to the mix and the ones I am desperately hoping works. I have problem skin and it is only getting worse. I go to a dermatologist yearly and am devoted to my prescribed day and night regimen but my skin was still getting worse. What the hell?! I have already heard about this line and I was hopeful but never tried it out. I was at Ulta last weekend buying my foundation (see above) when I ran across this and saw how many products they have for my type of skin. Wow, finally! I perused all the bottles in the section that would help me out (there are many more products from them for other types of skin) and bought the face wash and toner since I was out of my normal products of this same nature. I still am in the testing phase of this so we'll see the outcome. So far so good. I did go on the website and see all the celebrity endorsements (including personal fav Jen Aniston) so thinking there is something to this (she does not do many endorsements without her true approval, no kim-kardashian-I-will-hawk-anything with her).

6. Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara. Truthfully I got a sample of this and I don't even remember how I got it, but I threw it in my purse so that I can use on the go. After work one night, I applied this over my long day's worth of Lash Stiletto Mascara from Maybelline and what a difference. So I know it sounds a little weird, but now everyday I use both mascaras. One coat of the Lash Stiletto and one of the Clinique Lash Doubling. Truly I could use anything for the first coat, but what a difference when I put on the Lash Doubling. I will need to buy a full size one soon. 


I am definitely not anywhere near a beauty expert, but these certainly do help me out when I need it.


-J

A Place for Everything and Everything in it's Place

I don't really make New Years Resolutions (and stick to them for that matter) but I do have goals that I've been wanting to accomplish so I figure why not now in the new year. First and foremost, I want to get our apartment more organized and clean. This will be an especially big feat when it comes to my closet and dresser, so my plan is to do a little bit by little bit. This weekend, I'm thinking that I will tackle my sweaters which were once neatly housed in a hanging sweater holder in the closet but now seem like that same sweater holder threw up all over itself so it is now a tower of knitted mess. I also figure the linen closet could be an easy fix. I found some cute lidded boxes online at Ikea that will serve as great organizers, so I'm eager to get those sometime soon. I will have an organized life someday, but for now it will just be baby steps. Some linen closet inspiration below.

Sources: 1&2, 3

The Ikea boxes I'm planning on purchasing, link here

So here's to getting in order, which hopefully spills over to all aspects in my life.

-J

Musings of a Holiday Past

Yes I know, I haven't touched this blog in awhile. Actually it feels like forever ago. Since we went on break at work, I guess I decided to go on a break from everything well, computer related. And truthfully... it felt great. But now I'm back and hope to document our lives slightly more regularly.

This past holiday was full of....

El Carmen fish tacos (yummy)...The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...Wine and more wine...Little Next Door (double yummy)...Fondue at home (love my fondue set, thanks Mom!)...B's family Xmas Eve Dinner (so funny)...J's family Xmas Eve later dinner (had wayyyy too much to drink in onesies)...J's family Xmas Morning...(cozy, warm Oprah Xmas)...B's family Xmas dinner (so much love and laugh.. and amazing Grandma's brownies)...Mom's bday dinner (Maggiano's Italian goodness)...walks to the library...walks to waffles..walks on third...more walks everywhere...movies at home...Farmer's Market sangria and bombas...happy hours...Ahi Sushi (our xmas gift to each other)...Bao dim sum and $2 beers...sunshine...New Years Eve and New Years Day at Mel and Mike's (with sparklers and hats)... Friends hanging out...leaving pics of Mel and Mike throughout their house so they run across them randomly in the years to come.

It certainly is hard to get back into the swing of things after all that. :)

-J

Holiday Overwhelm (in a good way)

So much holiday happenings this past week. Last Thursday was the West. 3rd st. Holiday Party. The stores open their doors with yummies and treats for all (including rose champagne at one amazing establishment). I was a little shameless (to Brian's annoyance) of my partaking in the free goodies. "Well then whats the point of putting it out if no one is going to take it" was my response as I quickly walked in, grabbed a beverage, took the obligatory gander around the front half of the store and made my way onto another.  I seem to remember that he wasn't above trying everything at Jones on Third. Later,  B and I had to stop off at the dress-up photo booth/bench creating that stunner above, ha. Stilt walkers dressed up in holiday costumes strolled around, which to be honest is quite frightening to me sometimes. Kinda borders along that whole clown phobia which was instilled in me from awful horror movies like Killer Clowns from Outer Space and I think also some scary stories from Unsolved Mysteries (remember that gem of a show?). All in all, it was fun to enjoy the atmosphere and the holiday spirit. Saturday night we celebrated Brian's sister's one year anniversary at her boutique, Luscious Soul in Thousand Oaks. She does such a great job picking out clothes, house decorations, jewelry and all sorts of fun stuff. I was in heaven. Brian bought me a beautiful bracelet and I scored myself a black day dress with wrap belt (so perfect for my strolls around 3rd st.). She's done such an amazing job with the store and everyone was out to support. Afterwards we had to head down to Newport Beach for an Christmas Party with some friends. Tina and Matt, the hosts, have been fixing up their home for the past year and the work really paid off. It looks incredible. After that festive jaunt, we stayed the night at Mike and Mel's house so we can all head down to the Charger game together for Sunday Funday. We won, so of course made for a great day and we also managed to see a web video celebrity ("What What in the Butt" music video featured on Tosh.0).
Needless to say, we had a fun weekend but definitely were exhausted. Just starting to get back in the swing of things and thankfully so as B and I have a three day weekend to spend in San Diego. Here we go again. :)

Blurry, but wanted you to see the scary festive stilt walkers

-J

Christmas Soiree

Christmas season was officially started last Saturday as we gathered together our friends for a little shindig. We had so much fun. Well to be quite honest, too much fun. I'm pretty sure I blinked and it was 4:30 in the morning. There were so many laughs especially with the white elephant gift exchange, spontaneous dancing all over the place and drinks were spilled everywhere, but all in good fun. The girls did a fabulous job of decorating, the tree looked perfect. My favorite part of the night though was when I got to hand out my homemade gifts to my friends. It meant a lot to me and I think that they all really liked them (can't explain more as there are a few more to be given out). It makes me want to make my gifts every year since I had such a good time creating them and it gave me more enjoyment to give. I will share more about them once they're all out in the open. :)
There were more people later, but we didn't really use the camera once the party was in full swing:

The girls

The boys

My gifts all wrapped and ready to go

-J

Rocking Around A Non-Existant Christmas Tree

Source

I went with my friend Lindsay on Tuesday night to get the Christmas tree for the girls' apartment to get ready for the party. I am a die-hard Noble Fir tree buyer, Douglas Firs be damned (sorry if you like those kind, just not my cup of tea). This year however there was a new type of tree that popped up: a Nordman Fir. Apparently this tree is popular in Europe, but I had never heard of it. Basically all I can gather is that it looks like a high quality Noble Fir. Love! The needles have almost a sheen to them and it is very strong and full. Honestly, I don't think the two of us could have picked out a better tree (and trust me, we have bought a couple trees together and have run the gamut).  While we were there, I saw a couple taking home a cute 3' - 4' tree. I wasn't going to get one for Brian and I, but I'm thinking that this was pretty doable and am now making plans in my head to pick one up this weekend.

-J

Thanksgiving Love

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I got to spend time with my mom and sister which was nice (the two and a half hour traffic to get down there, not so nice). Of course there was yummy food and drinks although my sweet potato dish turned out very lackluster. I will definitely try something else next year. After the food, I rolled myself to the car and drove up to pet-sit at my Dad's house. Always so fun for me to be surrounded by animals and fortunately Blinky, their cat, was ready to have some love and comfort from me. Every time I sat down she wanted to be right there with me. Moving around once I was sitting was not prohibited and I was given quick, snappy meows each time I tried. I even got the evil eye when I turned the pages loudly on the catalog I was trying to look at. But oh how I loved every minute of it. The boys (their two dogs) were giving me the cutest looks and did their best sleepy, can't-get-out-of-bed-in-the-morning snuggles in the morning. It was so much fun, hope I get to head down there again soon.

-J

My New Walking Destination

 

 

West Elm finally opened! It's only a couple blocks away and just in time for the holiday season. Yes, I went there on the day that it opened and it was magical. I slowly walked around, looked at each piece and mentally put it in my imaginary home. So much fun! I thought that maybe they would have a grand opening special going on to celebrate, but that wasn't happening so in turn my purchasing wasn't happening either, haha. Oh well, it was one of the best walks I've taken in a long time (so much sights to see). 

 

My New Walking Destination by jillianso on polyvore.com

-J

New website addiction

 
Since my shopping is limited these days, I found a website to curb my urge. Polyvore lets me create "sets", basically I can put together outfits and designs to create something like the above. Makes layout design a piece of cake. Loving this! And it can post straight to the blog. You can bet that there will be more of these in the future. 


-J

You say it's your birthday

One way to make me automatically happy is to employ some trivia gaming tools. My birthday was on Saturday and my amazing friends took me to a new (to me) restaurant called Vodvil. Guess what? They have game night every single night and on top of that, they have some pretty darn yummy food. I was in heaven. They have a moderator that organizes the games and you break up into groups of 2, 3 or 4. So much fun to have different groups in our party tie a round, so then a member of the groups has to go on stage and answer the tiebreaker question under the spotlight. My group knocked the "name as many movies as you can that feature Brad Pitt" game out of the park! So proud! Haha. All this industry work has paid off for something. This is a place that I will definitely be returning to (and will be sure to get that mac n' cheese).

Tie Breaker

The old roomies

I have the best friends!!
-J

Tis the Season for...

Holiday Cocktails by jillianso on polyvore.com

 I am well aware of the fact that it is not yet even Thanksgiving, however for some reason this year I am ready to delve into the Christmas season already. Most every year it springs upon me much too quickly and I, like most, get those panicky thoughts right in the thick of it. "Have I bought everyone a gift?", "Do I have time to send out Christmas cards?" come to mind. This year I decided that I will go with the flow and just take it as it comes. I have already slightly started thinking about gifts so that definitely helps (you won't get me again this year, you evil crowded mall you!). What helps the most is that I am co-planning a holiday cocktail party in early December. This means that I must get in the spirit asap, which luckily is surprisingly easy to do right now. My ideas today are a special cocktail for the night. So many choices, but only one to choose. Maybe I should do a taster night! Yep, definitely going to start with that and then go from there. 

-J

Some San Clemente Lovin

Anytime for San Clemente is a good time. This past weekend, Brian and I drove down to have lunch with my mom and sister to celebrate my upcoming birthday. I chose to eat at Sonny's Pizza, which is our neighborhood Italian restaurant. This is the type of restaurant that you spend much of your childhood at and in this case, that is so true. I have a die hard love for this place and it was fun to share that with Brian. After a delicious meal, Brian and I drove down through downtown to the pier. It was  a perfect day so we took a walk to the end and enjoyed the view. We figured since we were there, why not get a beer at Fisherman's, a restaurant on the pier. It meant so much for me to show this to Brian and it was fun to just take a minute to breathe it and realize how lucky I really am.

-J

Pillow Talk

I was reading one of my regular blogs and she mentioned this new product that has come out. It's long distance pillows (link here). Basically when you and your significant other are separated by long distance, you each have a pillow and wear a sensor ring. When one person goes to sleep on the pillow with the ring on, the other person's pillow will slightly glow and vice versa. You can also hear the heart beat in real time. Not sure how this works (needs wireless internet right?), but an amazing concept nonetheless.

-J

Afternoon Jaunt

This past weekend, I was desperately in need of a new book. Instead of walking to the bookstore, Brian and I decided to check out the new West Hollywood library. It just opened up recently near the Pacific Design Center and made for a great afternoon stroll. En route, we happened upon the cutest little community garden on a quiet section of San Vincente Blvd. The fenced-in garden had plots of land for each house/family and you have the space to grow whatever you please. How fun to spend time every Saturday morning (in my mind) to head out with the garden tools, do some pruning and weeding, take home some fresh lemons, tomatoes, basil, what have you and cook an early supper using my fresh ingredients. I would love that! I wish there were more of these around here.
After I stopped with the scenario-making in my head, we made it to the library and it was gorgeous. It looks almost more like a museum than a library. I signed up, got my card and took two books home to read. One of which I started and finished on Sunday.
Of course, on the way home we took a detour for some happy hour beers at 3rd Stop. Such a fun afternoon trip to enjoy the city.  Plus, happy hour creates a happy Brian.

Community Garden

Pacific Design Center

Street Art by Shepard Fairey on the parking structure

More street art murals behind me

The ceiling in the library lobby

-J

If I should ever be so lucky....

to have a room that is turned into a closet (my absolute dream) or even a walk-in closet, I would definitely decorate with Inslee Haynes fashion art (link here). I happened upon her blog awhile back and bookmarked it so that now when I get the chance I can gander through all the pretties that she creates (and also sells). She does commissions as well, see the third pic below. How fun to create a header design for the blog through her.

Speaking of rooms that are turned into closets, don't you think that it qualifies as a girl-cave? Why do guys get their own rooms? I would love for B to get a man cave and once that's accomplished then I can think about getting my very own. 

-J