Oh, Ribbon Tree, Oh Ribbon Tree

Last Christmas Steve's mom mailed us this Ribbon Christmas Tree she made. I stole it from the apartment and brought it to work to decorate my desk. This year I was excited to put it out again and it's gotten oodles of attention! I love home-made decor and this one's so cute I had to share it with you. I can't wait to take it back home today to spruce up the living room!

Wanna make one of your own? (I hear JoAnns is having a 70% off clearance on all of their Christmas stuff). Go here for a step-by-step slideshow on how to create your Ribbon Tree. Enjoy and happy Holiday crafting! 

I Hate New Years, But I LOVE Dressing Up

Christmas is in a couple of days and 2011 will sneak up way too quickly afterwards. New Years is by far my least favorite holiday of the year. Nobody can ever agree on what to do, there's always a lot of hype for a whole lot of nothing, everything is triple the price it normally is, one couple always gets into a fight, and everyone makes promises they'll break before the month is even over. I swear I am not this negative all the time- just for this one night of the year. 

The upside to this overrated celebration is that EVERYONE gets dressed up. It's the one night of the year where there is no such this as too much shine, sparkle, glitter, or sequins (I mean, in my world there's NEVER too much) and you can be as flashy as you like- the more blinding the better! These are some of my favorites for this dreaded holiday ;-)

1. Crystal Helix Necklace, J.Crew, $88
2. Strapless Dress, Rebecca Taylor, $495
3. Antique Jewel Stretch Bracelet, Forever 21, $6.80
4. Samantha Jacket, French Connection, $199.99
5. Crystal Feather Earrings, J.Crew, $58
6. Tiered Party Dress, Rebecca Taylor, $395
7. Chain Link Watch in Shiny Golden, Michael Kors, $225
8. Embellished Bow Headband, Forever 21, $7.80
9. Sequined Slingback Heel, BCBG, $178
10. Metal Mesh Foldover Clutch, BCBG, $128
11. Antique Stud Set, Forever 21, $3.80
12. Brings the Party Dress, Modcloth, $114.99
13. OPI Glitter Nail Polish from the Burlesque Collection (I am OBSESSED with the Gold Glitter, but that's only because I couldn't afford to buy them all. Waiting for Ulta to have their nail polish sale...)

I can't stop the rain...

It's not supposed to rain in Southern California, like, ever. But it has been... and it will continue to through the holidays. Don't fret! Rain means you get wear RAINBOOTS- one of my favorite footwear accessories. Not only do they come in a million styles/colors/prints AND price ranges, but who doesn't love a good puddle-frolic without having to worry about your feet getting muddy? I already have black and multi-colored polka dot ones I got from Target and sadly one doesn't really need more than one pair, but it doesn't hurt to look!

1. Ilse Jacobsen Rub 2 Short, Solestruck, $149.95
2. Hunter Boa Short Rain Boots, Bloomingdales, $205 (On Sale for $100.45!)
3. Emma Preppy Plaid Rain Boots, Target, $24.99
4. Hunter Festival Lace, Solestruck, $129.95
5. Merona Zenia Whales Rain Boots, Target, $24.99
6. kate spade new york "Randi" Rain Boots, Bloomingdales, $125
7. Zig-Zag Print Rain Boots, Target, $24.99
8. Hunter "Champery" Wedge Rain Boots, Bloomingdales, $175

A Weekend of Fairs

This past weekend was a BUSY one in Los Angeles. Two of the biggest craft fairs, Renegade and Unique L.A. were both held downtown on Saturday and Sunday. I thought it was strange that they were on the same dates since many of the vendors tend to do both, but Amy and I decided to take advantage and make an entire day of it- ready to blow some dough and support fellow local artists and crafters. We started with fabric shopping at Michael Levine's (supplies for my own crafting), moved onto Unique L.A. at the California Mart Building, grabbed lunch at the famous Philippe's, and finished the day at the park for Renegade. We were both exhausted by the end of the day, but it's always great to get inspired AND have a chance to enjoy some beef stew ;-)

There were too many things I loved to even count, let alone take pictures of, but here's a taste of some things I liked at Unique. SO CUTE! 

The treats in the cafeteria were particularly compelling this year. Just look at those displays!!! I didn't taste any because I was saving my appetite for Philippe's, but they looked YUMMY!

Philippe's is ALWAYS crowded, but they are a well-oiled machine that runs flawlessly, so you are never in line that long... trust me, it's worth it! We ordered a beef dip with swiss (to share), macaroni salad, beef stew, giant pickles, and Arnold Palmers to drink. Grand total? less than $10 each. Can't beat that price! After lunch it was on to the next one...

The great part about Renegade is, although it's smaller than Unique, it's free to park and free admission (which means more money to spend on THINGS!). As expected, A LOT of repeat vendors. We lucked out with a beautiful day- almost too hot out- for wandering around the Los Angeles Historic State Park. 

The best part of Renegade was the free photobooth! I love me a good photobooth and it's even better when you don't have to dig for $1 bills :-) magbooth had fun props (always a plus) and a super-cute booth that printed pictures so fast they were pretty much ready before you could pull back the curtain to exit. They also post their photos online so you can grab a digital copy if you need to. Fantasgreat.

We were so exhausted after the long day, I had to go home for a super-long nap. 

pretending it's cold in california

Every year around the holidays the city of Santa Monica sets up an outdoor ice-skating rink complete with Christmas decorations, hot chocolate stand, and cheery holiday tunes. It's become a sort of tradition for our group of friends to go, even though very few of us are very good at skating (the boys don't count because, well, they're good at everything). This year we went for my friend Lindsey's birthday and everyone was told to wear their Christmas sweater, so I put on my Snoopy and elf hat (naturally)

The rink itself was a little disappointing this year. Usually it's very heavily HOLIDAY theme, but that was replaced by bright, bold, floral decor (not what I think of when I think ice-skating) and instead of Christmas music they played a strange Justin Timberlake-heavy pop mix. I love me some JT, but if he's not singing Silent Night I don't wanna hear it on the ice. Just my opinion. Still, it was a great time and a good excuse for us to act like it was winter out even though it was probably around 75 degrees ;-) Gotta love Souther California!

my favorite: 2011 Printable Calendars

2011 is right around the corner! As the new year approaches we will all have to update our desks with new calendars. I really like to buy printable ones on Etsy. They're usually pretty inexpensive (between $5-10 per PDF file) and are SO cute. Plus, who doesn't love supporting independent artists? Here are some of my favorites (I bought the 2nd one for my desk at work). 

(pictured from left to right)

Vintage Label Inspired Calendar, govango on Etsy

Childrens' Illustration Calendar, coreymarie on Etsy

Owls in the Tree Calendar, valentinadesign on Etsy

Suki Tam Illustrated Calendar, tamptation on Etsy

Notepourri Calendar, notepourri on Etsy

Vintage Bird Calendar, janesays on Etsy

nobody loves L.A. like Miss Amy does

My old roomie and new workout buddy, Amy, does these awesome little paintings of Los Angeles landmarks and buildings and sells them on her Etsy store.

A few weeks ago she set up a Kickstarter to help fund her goal of 100 10"x10" paintings for a gallery exhibit. The money donated will go towards art supplies (we all know how expensive that can get!) and printmaking. Her goal has to be reached by February 21st and every little bit helps. Pledges can be as little as $1, so check out her sites and if you see what you like, lend a hand... err... a buck ;-)

Miss Amy Loves L.A. BLOG
Miss Amy Loves L.A. Etsy Store
Miss Amy Loves L.A. Kickstarter Pledge Page