Happy { Crafty Giveaway } Weekend

Remember when I posted this, I said to come back and there might be something in it for you? Well here it is!

As a "thank you" to all of my amazing readers, I'm giving away a set of In-vita Paper Studio note cards.

I'm going to keep this little giveaway really simple. Just leave a comment stating which set you'd like, and your email, so I can let you know if you win.  (1 entry per person) 

Please choose:

 Bubble pattern

or

Floral pattern

I will announce the winner on Wed., August 4th, so you have until Aug. 3rd at 11:59pm PT to enter.

Good Luck, and Happy Weekend!

***Entries Closed***

Renegade Craft Fair: Part 2

I adore stationery, and have been known to doddle for hours while in some of my favorite paper stores. I knew that stationery would have a strong pressence at Renegade, and I was not disappointed. There was so much variety, that even I was overwhelmed by choice. I'm great at buying cards, but not always great at sending them. Oops. ;) So, I was a good girl, and only bought what I would actually use. 

One of my first stationery stops was at the In-Vita Paper Studio booth. In-Vita has a wide range of darling greeting cards, thank you notes, and invitations! They also do personalized stationery, and even wedding invites.

I had to refrain from buying one of everything!

I'm obsessed with the pattern of these blank note cards! And the colors are right up my alley! I bought these two.

The next stop on my stationery tour was to the Jen Hewett booth.

Jen is based in San Francisco, and likes working with different media. She not only illustrates, but also silkscreens some of her sewn items. I'm already wishing that I would've bought more from her, but she does have an Etsy shop. Already bookmarked and saved in my favorites. :)

What girl doesn't love shoes? These cards and prints stole my heart. The little floral notebooks were pretty sweet too!

The shoes showed up again on natural linen zippered bags. Perfect for storing makeup! :)

I'm kicking myself for not getting this one, now that I'm looking at it again. This bag looks just like that paper from elementary school, that we used to learn how write in "cursive." Wouldn't this be  the cutest back-to-school present?

I just can't get enough of this "wellies" print! As much as I adored everything in Jen's shop, I used restraint and picked up these cards:

There were so many amazing artists at RCF! I could've had a whole week of posts to showcase them all! Instead, I encourage you to go next year, and support these talented, indie creators! I'm sure that the 2011 RCF will be even better!

Renegade Craft Fair: Part 1

Even though I spent most of last weekend working, I did manage to squeeze in a little crafty excursion. Renegade Craft Fair had been on my radar for awhile, so I was excited to finally check it out, now that LA is one of the cities the fair travels to.

It was a fun day out, with hands-on craft workshops, and even a photo booth!

Overall,  I was pretty impressed with the indie-craft talents of the artists who came to show their wares. There was a lot to see, but I quickly found my favorites. One of the first stops I made was at the QNZ - Queens Metal booth. 

QNZ is known for using of a variety of metals, and fusing the industrial with the organic. I immediately spotted this "Beach Pebble" Necklace from their Sprout line.

Here's a quick photo I took using my computer, just so you could see it on. (Sorry, I'm not showing my face because Photo Booth makes me look disgusting!)

I wouldn't normally wear it with this outfit, but you get the idea. It looks perfect with something simple like a solid black dress. I love that this piece is so different than any of my other jewelry, which is exactly what I was looking to find. Something unique.

The next booth I stopped at, drew me in by this pair of cuties.

and this one

These adorable cats, are by Ryan Berkley Illustrations. He happens to create lots of other animals, but I didn't take pictures of them. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm more of a cat person. As soon as I saw the pair of kitties in their t-shirts,  I envisioned my "two" in the picture. I decided to take a chance and ask the artist if he does "pet portraits." He said, that normally he doesn't, but he was getting ready to do a pet portrait event! Ryan is planning on doing a limited number for this event, so not everyone interested will get a sitting. I described my cats to him, even showed him a couple of pics on my iphone, and he said that they would be a fun portrait for him. He seemed excited about it. Needless to say, I'm #1 on his list of people interested, so I'll keep you posted if it happens. Keep your fingers crossed!

Considering that this was only the 2nd year of Renegade-LA, I thought the turn out was great! Apparently, the artists were happy that so many people came out too. Hopefully next year is even better! 

Be sure to come back tomorrow for RCF: part 2, and I'll show you my favorite stationery finds. There might even be a little something in there for you!

Happy { Crafty } Weekend

I hope everyone is off to a fabulous weekend! I have to work later, but I'm hoping to make it to the Renegade Craft Fair before. If you've never heard about Renegade, it's basically a large scale DIY event featuring hundreds of independent artists and their unique handmade items. RCF is held in cities across the US every year- including Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, and now Los Angeles! The fair is known for being one of the first events of its kind, and for featuring top-notch indie craft artists and designers who travel from all over the map to participate.  They also have live music, and I've heard that the gormet food trucks will be out in force. Could be trouble! 

Be sure to check back on Monday, for a full report on my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale purchases. Yes, plural.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend!

xoxo,

Bren

Malin Akerman and Biba

Malin Akerman from PAPER Magazine on Vimeo.

My friend Maranda is an amazing hair and makeup artist, and it seems that her  daughter Biba is following in her mother's footsteps! Biba recently demonstrated her unbelievable skills, when she worked her "makeup magic" on actress Malin Akerman (27 Dresses, The Proposal, Couples Retreat). I have to say, that I've never seen Malin look more beautiful!

Remember the name...Biba. Pat McGrath should be worried.

Enjoy! :)

A Louboutin Daydream

I came across this fantastic short film when I was looking for something else, and just had to share it. The film is called "Dancer in a Daydream" in which master shoe designer Christian Louboutin wears a special pair of jazz shoes (with studs and red soles, no less) and dances in his daydream , as he sketches in his studio. Christian Louboutin is so adorable! As if we didn't already adore this man enough for his to-die-for shoe designs! In this film, he literally melts my heart! <3

 Here's a sneak peek:

Watch the full video here.

Unusually Fine

Unusually Fine Photography is comprised of  Max & Margaret, who are both sought after artists in their own right. Together, they capture the most incredible images. Most recently, this team shot a beautiful wedding in Anguilla, and stayed to shoot "the day after" pictures. What a great idea, having professional photos taken of your 1st day of  marriage! You must check out the amazing-ness on their site.

As much as I adore their camera skills, I'm obsessed with the short films they make! They are so adorably charming! Check them out...

These videos make me want to brush up on my French!

Smelling the Roses

It's been so gorgeous in  LA these past couple of days! Clear skies, snow capped mountains and sun. Such a welcome reprieve from last week's torrential downpour! Though, the warmer weather has made me feel a little impatient for Spring to get here. One of the things I'm most looking forward to, is visiting the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, when the roses are in bloom.

I could spend an entire day with the roses... taking in the splendor of the garden and smelling every variety imaginable. Pure heaven! Last year I went to the Huntington in April, and it was just perfect! The only thing that can make it better this year, is to make reservations for the Rose Garden Tea Room. Here are some of my favorite shots from last year's visit...

 

A collection of the various roses I captured that day...

{  Happy Weekend! }