Field Trip: Los Angeles Fashion District

Man oh man, you want to see a kid in a candy shop?  Just put two crafters in the Los Angeles Fashion District!!!  My Mom and I were giddy!

Mom had been there a number of times, but this was my first trip.  First stop: Micheal Levine's!

Imagine a fabric shop the size of WalMart, and you'll get Michael Levines.  They have every kind of fabric imaginable, and I'd never seen anything like it in Hancock's or JoAnn's.

I especially loved their cotton knits, and got yardage from several different prints for a few upcoming projects.

I also found adorable quilters cottons for a baby quilt I'm making soon!

huge batik section

a whole row of polka dots!

From there, we wandered in and out of stores, looking at everything.  I don't have any specific projects coming up (besides the baby quilt), so I was mostly just looking at everything.

Fabric stores are just the beginning.  There are also stores that only sell ribbon, or bridal stuff, or beads.  We went in one bead store the size of my local grocery store, where every vertical inch of the place was covered in beads.  Talk about sensory overload!

I bought a few strands of beads with some upcoming projects in mind...

All that oohing and aahing over stuff made us hungry, so we dined in the International Food Court.  Chicken Shawarma, yum!!!

If I ever get really into making clothing or crazy fabric crafts, I know where I'm taking my pilgrimages.  The LA Fashion District was beyond cool.

Bonnie Projects

 

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Jet Setting: Los Angeles

You didn’t think all I did for my Mom’s birthday was make a few pieces of jewelry, did you?  I also took a weekend trip to visit her and my Dad in Los Angeles!

Tommy wanted to make sure she knew the trip was part of her birthday, so he came up with the idea of wrapping me up as a gift for her.  She loved it!

My first day there my Dad had to work, so Mom and I had a girls days.  We started off by getting our nails prettied up.  From there, we headed downtown to the Fashion District.  We finished off the day with a happy hour with friends in Pasadena.

Saturday my Dad and I tortured ourselves with the P90X yoga workout.  After recovering over lunch, the family went to tour the Getty museum.  I wasn't a huge fan of the art, but the architecture and gardens were amazing!  I think the Getty would be a lovely place for a picnic date, or just a place to relax and spend time with loved ones.  Plus (besides $15 parking), it's free!

After the Getty we had a healthy dinner of salad and wine at Tender Greens in West Hollywood (yum!).  That put us in close proximity to the Roxy, where we went to see the Unknown play.  The guitarist is the 13 year old daughter of my Dad's work buddy.  How cool to play at the Roxy at 13 years old!  They were pretty rockin', too!

Sunday morning we took a whale watching tour out of Long Beach.  Unfortunately the "whale highway" was slow that morning, but we did see sea lions and a pod of 500 dolphins!

Sunday afternoon my Dad and I rode bikes along Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach.  You can't ride very fast due to all the people, but it was great being out in the sun and there's pretty good people watching there.  That night we had friends over for dinner and went to bed early.

Monday morning Mom and I messed around the house doing alterations and computer stuff.  I also got a chance to photograph her sewing room, so check back soon for the tour!  And to finish off a great weekend, we all stopped for In-and-Out on the way to LAX.

All in all, it was a fun-filled weekend in Los Angeles with my parents!  I'm really glad I went :)

Bonnie Projects

2013 Resolutions

2012 has been a phenomenal year.  We got married and bought a house, my sister-in-law got engaged and married (look for the flower photos soon!), my brother-in-laws graduated college, and most everyone close to us is healthy and at a really good point in their lives right now.  We are incredibly blessed and thankful!

All these wonderful things have made me quite a busy person, so my resolutions this year center around making time for the important things.  My professional coursework has drilled into my head that goals be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound), so I'll try my best.

1. Catch up with friends more often in person and on the phone.  I have some really great friends, and I really miss them!  My goal is to catch up with my best friends at least once a month.

Lovely ladies at my bachelorette party

2. Get in shape.  I've been kind of lapsing on my regular exercise schedule, and we haven't been eating great.  My goal is two-fold here: exercise at least three times per week, and be in shape such that all my clothes fit properly.  Before the wedding, we had good success following the eating guide in The Seven Principles of Fat Burning by Eric Berg.  Basically, you eat lean proteins, fruits, and veggies.  We felt great doing it!  I still don't have time for meal planning, so I'm changing our Emeals subscription to the Paleo plan.  I don't know anything about being Paleo, but the recipes agree with the Fat Burning book, so I'll be using those.

3. Maintain our home as a refuge.  This means staying organized, continuing to work on the projects (but in a timely manner so they don't take over our home), and keeping work separate from home life.

Foyer before and after

4. Travel!  Outside of visiting family, my goal is to go on at least one international trip and one stateside.

In Dominican Republic for our "engagement-moon"

  
5. Volunteer.  My goal is to volunteer for 50 hours this year.

Shopping trip for toy donations

I wish everyone a wonderful year!!!

A Summer Visitor's Guide to DC

Unfortunately, nobody pays me to write!  All opinions are 100% mine.

Washington, DC is the most touristy place I've ever lived!  It's been so much fun having friends move here for jobs long-term, and having friends and family come visit short-term.

I was recently asked to help out some friends with their itinerary for an upcoming trip.  My recommendation list turned out to be pretty extensive, so I thought I'd share it with you.

The qualifications were that they are a group of several adults and three teenagers, want to get a little off the beaten path, are staying in Crystal City, and don't want to go home broke.

What to pack:

• Comfy shoes - You can easily walk 10+ miles a day here without even knowing it
• Sunscreen - It's sunnier than you'd think!
• Water bottles - There are water fountains all over, but it's expensive to buy water from vendors.
• Hand sanitizer - The metro is germy.
• Subscribe to Dealery DC to get a consolidated daily email of all of DC's Groupon-type discounts
• Smart phone - Download the NextBusDC app so you know when the next metro or bus is coming, and use Google Maps for finding your way around.

Bonnie's Recommendations on DC Activities:

Touristy but worth it:

• Shopping in Georgetown, plus cupcakes from Sprinkles
• Newseum (the only non-free DC museum I've been to that I would pay money for)
• Segway tours (I know they look dumb, but this was the highlight of my parents trip here!)

segway tour of DC

• Botanical Garden (free!) (Side note - this was the ONLY thing open during Snowpocalyse 2010)
• Natural history museum (butterfly garden is free on Tuesdays)
• Renwick (less-frequented Smithsonian art museum, always has something unexpected!) 
• The Old Post Office Pavilion (the second-best view next to the closed Washington Monument, free, plus decent food court)

view from the Old Post Office Pavilion

• Zoo (free!)
• Nationals game (they're actually good this year!  Fireworks after Friday games, and several free concerts on Saturdays)
• Lincoln monument (very romantic at night, too...)
• FDR monument (very unexpected but lovely!)
• Jefferson monument
• Washington monument (but closed till 2014 due to the earthquake)
• WWII monument

Off the Beaten Path:

• Jazz in the Sculpture Garden (free!, can get crowded)
• Kayaking on the Potomac

See the monuments from your kayak!

• Shopping at Eastern Market for local crafts and food
• Bike riding - Our favorite way to get around DC! (There are rental companies and I think the bikeshare program has now been opened to tourists) 
• Kennedy Center (fun shows, especially Shear Madness and the National Symphony Orchestra.  Also have free shows all the time.  Fabulous 360 views of DC and Arlington)

Enjoying a view of Georgetown and the Potomac at the Kennedy Center

• Outdoor movies (in Crystal City, Navy Yard (near ballpark), the Mall, etc.) 
• Watching planes take off and land at Gravelly Point Park
• National Arboretum (especially their bonsai exhibit) 

My Dad with a white pine that's been in training since 1629

• Simply exploring the city

Bonnie's Recommendations on DC Dining:

Ok, dining in DC is expensive!  Don't go anywhere with "bistro" in the name or anywhere that makes tapas - you'll be broke!  If you want my real opinion, eat breakfast in your room, and make sandwiches for lunch.  DC simply isn't known for having good food.  It's alright, but definitely not worth the price and time it takes away from doing other awesome stuff.  These are my recommendations for folks trying to dine casually without spending a million dollars.  Maybe another time I'll do a post on the more posh DC restaurants worth splurging on)

• Eastern Market (food vendors, fresh fruit, delicious subs) <$10
• Matchbox is really yummy!  I like the one in Chinatown or on Barracks Row $15-$25
• Ethiopian (the ONE thing DC is known for, go to any near U street) <$20
• Ben's Chili Bowl (good prices, quick, metro friendly, very historical) <$15
• Vapiano (lots of Italian choices, but can get crowded with the happy hour scene on weekdays.  Decent prices and you don't have to tip like at a regular restaurant) $8-$15
• Mai Thai in Old Town - good Thai food on the Old Town waterfront $10-$18
• Paradiso Pizza in Old Town or Dupont $10-$20
• Sweet Green - they have 9 salads they serve, that's it!  $8-$10
• Pentagon City Fashion Mall (Loads of inexpensive options.  All the tour buses stop here)
• Native American Museum (they have real American Indian food that I hear is really good!  Can't get that outside of DC!) <$10
• Museums
• Cupcakes (DC is known for their cupcakes)
• Teaism (somewhat more ethnic and healthy food, plus huge tea selection) <$12
• Pork Barrel BBQ (in Del Ray in Alexandria) <$12
• Pat Troy's (very authentic Irish pub in Old Town) <$8-$20
• Nando's Peri Peri (Peruvian chicken, very delicious, awesome sangria) <$12
  
  
  
  
  Have a wonderful trip!  And say hi if you see me!