Venice Beach

It's Saturday again.

Thank goodness.

Weekend = freedom

The weekend is a time to let your hair down, sip basil gimlets on the back patio, and explore the wild and wonderful sights LA has to offer. This weekend is all the more sweet and special because my gorgeous and fun sister-in-law has joined me. And because Mr. Justin Jones has 3 days off to spend at home. 

So because I have a guest...and a burning desire to explore all Los Angeles has to offer, we elected to brave the vicious snarl of traffic and set off to Venice Beach Boulevard.

Venice Beach was originally dreamt up and constructed by developer Abbot Kinney. Thank you Mr. Kinney for setting a vision that was both whimsical and wild at the same time. Imagine this: the brilliant sun overhead, sparkling off towering palm trees and tented vendor's shops while around you throngs of busy laughing people whirl by on bikes, skateboards, and, in some cases, glittery purple ice-pick heels. The crowds range from Midwestern tourists to dreadlocked locals in flowered swim trunks. There are shops for tattoos and churros around every corner, and the air is full of the scent of sea breeze and cinnamon with occasional wafts of Lady Jane.  

Venice Beach is all luxurious white sandy beaches, ripped jean shorts, bikinis, and street art. It is energy and color woven into a multi-ethic and linguistic tapestry of motion. The air was thick with vibrations from the pounding beat of the drum circle and people wove, danced, and moon-booted their way along the street. With artists, hipsters, hippies, and fashionistas a like it offers a truly Californian experience. 

While ambling along the boulevard, avoiding skateboarders and trying not to trip over people's dogs, I rocked one of my current creations: a red striped dress with asymmetrical hemline. 

The dress is made from a stretch jersey cotton in a cherry red with white pin striping. It was shamelessly inspired by an urban outfitters dress. It is a simple shift dress with short sleeves, a scoop back, and contrasting line of stripes to accent the asymmetrical front hem. The urban outfitters version was a body-con dress but I have made mine a bit more forgiving. It seriously took me less than 2 hours to make and I love to wear it. The color currently matches my sunburn. C'est la vie.

It was the perfect dress for a sunny afternoon of people watching and photo snapping. Justin wouldn't let me take one with the 6 foot yellow python, but here is one of me with Lisa the international swimsuit model and her creepy owner. 

I absolutely love people. I love the energy you experience when tons of people from different walks of life join together in a common interest. Venice beach has its own language of singularity, embracing the bizarre, young, and old. With the marketeers selling everything from sugar skulls to two-headed turtles, it made me wish I had another set of eyes to take in all the sights. 

Thanks Danielle for donating extra pics!

A View from Above

 Week one has come to a close.

The last week of July was also my first week of living solely in Long Beach. It has been a week of dichotomies, being both stressful and empty, quiet and eventful.

The stress is mainly work related, therefore making it both tedious and frustrating. The emptiness comes from the absence of one Mr. Justin Jones who is busy learning the ins and outs of the Embraer 175. The quiet is my life once I get home from work, and the eventful involves mini-tornados of kids at work, a gas leak in the kitchen, lizards in the house, and LA traffic.

Week one down.

Regardless of the drama, or lack of it, I have made it through one week. I have been briefly reunited with my love and gotten the opportunity to explore more of this fascinating city.

Over the weekend Justin and I have been on the search for excellent driving roads, scenic overlooks, and local dives. We spent Saturday in the Belmont Shore and 2nd Street area of Long Beach, exploring darling little boutiques, popping into creperies and pizza parlors, and lounging around our beachy bungalow drinking wine. This Sunday we drove to Rancho Palos Verdes to enjoy gorgeous views from the hilly roadsides.

I feel like I am on a never-ending vacation.

Despite the daily forays into work, the boundless sunshine and energetic hustle of the city leave me feeling like I am on an endless summer vacation. Californians don't know how good they have it. My co-workers complain about the scorching heat (85 degrees in the sun, 66 in the evening), the terrible humidity (50%), and the possibility of rain (maybe <1 inch in the next month). Those of us Kentucky bred know better.

But this post isn't just about my latest California experiences (as wild as they may be), but also to showcase my latest sewing creation: a tie-front dress with cut-out.

Those of you who have been following my blog may remember a dress very similar to this one from last year. This tie-front dress was my first attempt, wrought with poorly installed zippers, uneven darting, and an awkwardly shaped bodice. Needless to say, it needed to be re-vamped.

This latest version has an elastic waist, gathered detailing on the back bodice, side pockets, and a much more functional front-tying bodice. I used my favourite dress pattern to create the front and back bodices, HEAVILY modifying the style to create the front-ties. I used the same skirt from the pattern, using the elastic to create gathers rather than the typical pleats.

The fabric is a polyester blend in a ditsy floral pattern that I find so appealing. I am in *love* with subtle little florals. It says feminine without being overpowering. This fabric was from my local Hancock's Fabrics back in Louisville, KY. I am so excited to check out the fabric stores here in LA. It's lucky my closet is bigger, because I foresee many a new sewing project in my future. 

This dress is light and breezy, simple yet girly, with just enough skin to whisper hello. It looks cute in everything from flats to chunky heeled clogs, and is appropriate for ambling along the beach or drinking margaritas alfresco. Basically a must-love.

I want to take a moment to thank a few people. Thank you dad for all your support and wisdom that you have lavished upon Justin and me. Thanks mom for listening to my semi-hysterical phone calls and all of your prayers. And thanks to my bestie Sarah who must have the gift of foresight, because that jar of Nutella you gave me has saved my life.

Dress: self-made, shoes: DSW, necklace: Etsy

Cover It Up

This is my first official weekend in Los Angeles.

I have spent a big chunk of time unpacking the house, hanging pictures, and stocking staple groceries like coffee…eggs…nutella…
You get the idea. The important stuff.

Additionally, my older sis Tori kindly offered to drive in from Phoenix to help me unpack. It is about a five hour drive from Phoenix to the area of Long Beach, but took a bit longer because some parts of the freeway had been damaged by mudslides from the rain this past week. Tori arrived Thursday night around 1:00 AM with her sweet pup Joseph in tow.

It would have been terribly ungracious of me as a host if Tori didn't get to spend at least one afternoon on the beach. Therefore, Saturday afternoon Tori, Justin, and I drove up Highway 1 to El Matador Beach in Malibu.

Tori wore the beach cover-up I made last month while dreaming about this relocation. I wore a beach cover-up that I made about 2 years ago when I first learned how to sew. It is laughable how much improved my skills are!

The cover-up Tori is wearing is made of a white cotton-blend that I bought at Hancock's Fabrics. I used Simplicity 1161 to create the top. It is heavily modified. I created larger shoulder draping, added pin striping to the front, and added a pocketed skirt to the top to create a dress. The back has a large open V because I am obsessed with open back dresses. 

My cover-up is actually made from the fabric of a maxi hippie-esque skirt I bought years ago. I added pin-striping to the front, straps, darted the back, and added criss-cross ties to the sides. It is super comfortable, falls below my boobs if I shrug my shoulders, and has dangerously see-through qualities. In other words, it can only be worn over bathing suits.

El Matador Beach is a magical place. It sits right below a rocky cliff tangled with cacti and succulents. The beach's terrain is soft sand speckled with a multitude of rocks the color of brick, lavender, sea green, and obsidian. Along shoreline sea caves and tide pools dot the surface and sea grass tangles around your feet. 

El Matador seems like a popular spot for photographers and I counted more than 3 swimsuit shoots going on with models draping themselves across the rocky shoreline like PG-13 rated scenes from A Little Mermaid.  While my marathon-powered thighs have definitely seen their share of In N Out burgers and ice-cream sundays, it didn't stop me from prancing around the rocks with Justin and Tori for this little photo shoot.

All in all, it was lovely afternoon and an excellent way to begin my So-Cal life. 

Swimsuit cover-ups: made by me, sunglasses: Francesa's, hat: e-bay, sail-boat swimsuit: Victoria's Secret

On the road

It has been a few months since I last posted.
So much has happened.

Where to begin?

At the end of May my husband Justin was offered and accepted a position as first officer at Compass Airlines. He had hoped, planned, and worked for this opportunity and we knew it would bring a ton of change. One of those changes, the biggest, would mean our moving to Los Angeles, CA.

We are only 12 days into July but time has flown. The days involved frantic job searching on my part, stomach churning indecision and anticipation, frenzied Zillow searches for housing, and exhausting phone interviews.

Those 12 days saw me accepting a new job, our packing up the Uhaul and trailer, and moving all our things to the bright, vibrant city of LA.

Our good friend Miguel had no idea what he was signing up for when he said yes to helping us move. The drive from Kentucky to California took 3 days, 36 hours, and more gasoline and cups of coffee than I care to admit. My eyes are still tired, Miguel is officially an angel from heaven, and my right buttox will never be the same. 

Day 1: KY > IN > MO > OK > TX

Day 1 started at 7:30 AM and didn't end until 2:00 when we finally pulled over in Amarillo, TX. Amarillo is a tiny postage stamp of a city, build around the highway for stragglers like us. We arrived, stumbling dazedly from the cars, so sleepy that even the dinky lobby at the Red Roof Inn looked promising. We got a solid six hours of sleep, drank some slightly disreputable-looking coffee, and began day 2.

Day 2: TX > NM > AZ

New Mexico

Fuel stop outside Flagstaff, AZ

Sunset in AZ

We stayed the night with my older sister who lives outside Phoenix, AZ. Phoenix was 95 degrees when we pulled in her driveway around 9:30 PM. The temperature was surprisingly comfortable without the added heat of the sun. We parked the trailer in her rock and desert grass font yard, admiring the glittering stars in the clear Arizona night. Tori proved to be the hostess with mostest, showering us in blueberries, triple peppercorn bacon, and hazelnut coffee before we hit the road for the third and final day.

Day 3: AZ > CA

Oh California. What can be said that every songwriter ever hasn't already penned? Glorious mountains, idyllic beaches, and throngs of interesting and beautiful people. Justin and I feel giddy calling our tiny slice of LA home. 

We spent most of our 2 days in Los Angeles moving into our home but took a breaks to treat Miguel to cruises in the Santa Monica Mountains and a brief soiree at Seal Beach.  

Seal Beach 

Santa Monica Mountains

I feel like the whole week was a dream. From the stunning vistas on the road to the Neverland-like feel of SoCal, it was an incredible journey to this new place I call home. 

A **MASSIVE** thanks to Miguel for being a trooper and partner in crime on this trip. We couldn't have done it without you! Thanks to Tori as well for hosting us and introducing me to triple peppercorn bacon. 

See you guys in LA.