Author Archives: C.

Weekend Cocktails

Posted in DIY, Food, Treats by

While I like cocktails as much as the next girl, it turns out I’m not a big drinker on the day-to-day. Sure, I’ll have a glass of wine with dinner every once and awhile, sip a midori sour during girls night out, or grab a margarita over Mexican food; but ice tea is my liquid of choice (passion-fruit iced tea if I’m feeling especially feisty).

Fun fact: this past weekend is the first weekend I can recall in quite some time having a cocktail on Friday, Saturday AND Sunday.  What a lush I’m turning into! Perhaps it’s the vibe of the season and cradling a sweet drink in your hand makes the days of summer all the more sweeter.

It all started at happy hour with the gang from work on Friday evening. Followed by two super delicious and well-presented homemade concoctions that I can’t take credit for (thanks Ryan!) other than the bellini peach-raspberry syrup that I buy by the bottle every time I hit the Olive Garden to add to my iced tea because I’m obsessed with it. Don’t laugh,  I admit I have a very strong affinity for the Olive Garden.

If you’re looking for a good summer cocktail,  I just had to share the deliciousness I experienced every single day of the weekend with you. Try it at home yourself! While you do, I’ll be seriously rethinking the frequency of my cocktail intake!

Friday Night 
White Tea Cooler

Ingredients: wild tea vodka, st. germain, mint, fresh lime juice, luxardo maraschino cherries, soda water.

Saturday Evening

Homemade Concoction #1

Ingredients: Olive Garden’s bellini peach-raspberry syrup, vodka, club soda

Sunday Afternoon
Homemade Concoction #2

Ingredients: Olive Garden’s bellini peach-raspberry syrup, vodka, 7-UP, sugar-coated rimmed glass

Beaches

Posted in Explore, Fun by

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Where: Point Dume Beach

Location: Westward Beach Road, off Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

Far from being the sappy experience of the 1988 film starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey (I could almost drop a tear right now just thinking about that movie), you can’t write a blog about all that glitters in Los Angeles without dedicating some much deserved web time to what makes LA, LA. The beach!

This weekend, “the wind beneath my wing”  (remember THAT song?) and I hit Point Dume to enjoy the Malibu sunshine, cool down after the hottest week of the summer so far, and R.E.L.A.X. I was beyond excited to spend some time playing in the sand, using the new beach umbrella I got recently, and taking my new straw hat I bought at the flea market last weekend out for a spin.

It was the epitome of how to spend 5 hours on a lazy Saturday and I don’t need to brag about what a beautiful day it was. The proof is in the spiffy collage I made above. I will say that the dolphin (yes, dolphin) sighting pretty close to shore and the sound of the crashing waves while laying out on a blanket staring at the water were the highlights.

The not so highlights?

Halfway through Glamour and nearly done with my iced latte, a woman plopped right in front of me with her newborn, blocking my perfect view of the ocean. Also a child’s birthday party set-up around us and we were slowly being swarmed by 5 year olds as more and more families showed up. This necessitated a change of venue by moving down a few feet from where we originally set-up camp. Problem solved, perfect view intact, and relaxation continued.

Other than a slight wardrobe malfunction, that thankfully wasn’t a disaster, but means that I’ll have to buy a new bikini (and you know how a majority of women just LOVE bathing suit shopping – NOT!) I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!

Get out of the house and live it up at the beach (or a park if one isn’t nearby) at least a few times this summer. There’s something so special and soothing about a change of scenery that resets your clock after sitting in an office all week.

My essentials: magazines, Aveeno sunscreen, Raybans, and an iced latte! Happy beach day!

Cupcakes (no Cashmere)

Posted in Food, Treats by

In celebration of tiny cakes everywhere and one of my favorite blogs, after having spent lots of time researching my passion for carbs topped with icing and taste testing my behind off; here are my thoughts based on my quest to uncover some of LA’s best cupcakes. Clearly, I haven’t tried every single cupcake in this great land, so I’m basing this list off of the places I’ve personally frequented.

Cupcakes Couture
Location: 916 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach
BY FAR the most delicious and best dressed cupcakes in LA!  I stumbled into
this oasis of sweetness when hanging out on the Manhattan Beach Strand one Saturday afternoon nearly a year ago. It’s a trek to get down to the South bay for me, but MY GOODNESS, it’s worth every traffic light and hassle to get there. The shop is well designed, the girls that work the counter are sweet, and the concoctions are the best. Nearly every cupcake has a sweet filling in the center, always tastes fresh, and NEVER disappoints. This place also has THE BEST gluten-free selection (which makes my boyfriend very happy) that I’ve come across if you struggle with an intolerance to wheat. My favorites are the Cupcake Wars reality TV show winning Lemon Blueberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, and the Sunday Mimosa (only served on Sundays, get it!?!) 
Sprinkles
Location: 9635 Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills

THE place that started it all, well, at least in my opinion. This is what I think of as the originator of the cupcake craze in Los Angeles – like how Pinkberry spawned the frozen yogurt movement. I can’t recall how I first heard of this place, but it remains an oldie but a goodie in my book. Sprinkles’ forte has always been location, location, location; oh and the cupcakes are moist and delicious! They have one the largest selections of flavors but rotate them out depending on the day, as seems to be the case with all places. Beware the place is small and the line LONG. Their best invention yet? The cupcake ATM if you want to grab a cupcake at 2:00am. Great ones to try: Lemon Coconut, Red Velvet, Strawberry, and Pumpkin.

Frosted Cupcakery
Location: 1200 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood

If I can’t make the trip to Manhattan Beach or Beverly Hills, Frosted comes in a close third. The cupcakes more than cover it in a pinch, but I so desperately wish that Frosted would catch up on the flavor selections! They stick with pretty safe choices. Their shop seems to run of cupcakes quicker in my experience than with other places, and the treats themselves are very good, but I find they don’t have quite the same punch. The best thing about this place? The price! These guys run under $3.00 each, which is a steal! What scores additional brownie points? Their awesome ice cream cupcakes. I’m a huge fan of their red velvet and cream cheese cupcake filled with vanilla bean ice cream!

Vanilla Bake Shop
Location: 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Century City

My latest taste test on the cupcake front comes from Vanilla Bake Shop. I’ve noticed the shop for a while now when checking out a movie or shopping at the Westfield center; and have been in before a few times to check out the place, but had never purchased anything (which is so unlike me.) I have to say this place is aptly named, it was a very “vanilla” experience. I hate to call this out, but the person working the counter was pretty dismissive (coloring in fact) when I walked-in recently. Further to that, they only have 6 flavors to choose from on any given day. I went with a safe Vanilla Bean and did enjoy the cupcake. It satisfied my sweet tooth but they lose points for not much variety on any given day and poor service. Perhaps it was an off day. I was also told that a gluten-free selection was in the works and would debut in May of this year, but nothing yet.

Crumbs
Location: 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood

Love the name, pretty blah when it comes to the cupcakes. I do like how decorative these guys are, but for some reason, I get a “straight out of a box” taste from them. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you just want sugar, and you don’t really care how or in what format, so these will more than handle your needs, but the fresh taste wasn’t quite there for me. Dare I say they were a bit too sweet as well?  I love that they have multiple locations around the city. I count 6! Then again, because they have so many locations, maybe this alludes to why quality lacks in their cupcakes. It seems they’re more into design, which is super important, but I’m also about my tongue doing the happy dance on contact.

With that, I’m now seriously craving a cupcake and I don’t care which location it comes from! If you have a hidden treasure on the tiny cake front that is missing from my list, please do let me know! I’m always looking to gain 5 pounds (said no one ever!)

Making Arrangements

Posted in DIY, Fun by

The older and wiser (fingers crossed on the wiser aspect) I get, the more I appreciate real-live natural beauty. One of the smallest pleasures I like to give myself are a quick homemade vase of flowers. I truly share the sentiment that having a simple bouquet can instantly change your mood every time you walk into a space or even glance in its direction. It’s a great way to energize your home or your desk at work as you scowl at all those urgent-marked (but not really that urgent in reality) emails.

I recently found a new web series from Lauren Conrad, who seems to be trying to dethrone Martha Stewart herself with these DIY craft-based videos. Goodness, has she come a long way from “The Hills.” This girl is in the thrust of building an empire. More power to her!

As much as I LOVE flowers, they can get pretty expensive. Especially, if you hit a flower shop and buy them piecemeal, which I have yet to do personally so it’s on my “to-do list.” While doing my weekly Trader Joe’s run, I stopped and grabbed a small bundle of yellow roses ($4.99) and purple mums ($3.99) to try out this trick I learned from Lauren:

My Results?

My home not only looked and smelled better; but I got to entertain my crafty side by using a different object as a vase, which I usually use in my pantry to store packets of tea bags. It took a good 10 minutes to tape the grid, then cut and rearrange the flowers to my liking.

The beauty of making arrangements is that you can use any type of flower or any object as a vase. I’ve been seeing lots of creativity with using teacups, pitchers, and mason jars as a holder for a blooming bouquet.The sky really is the limit. More posts to come as I continue to explore my floral making side.

Bagging It

Posted in Fashion, Handbags by

Thanks to my blossoming Pinterest addiction, I’ve been able to fantasize about my dream closet stocked full of the latest and greatest on the fashion front. Unfortunately, every time I get excited about a wardrobe themed pin and click the image that takes you back to the original website for purchase, the item is usually already sold out (damn!) or it’s $500.00 (double damn!)

Being a girl on a budget, I was beyond excited when I found Kaela Designs and their California chic handbags while killing some time updating my pin boards.

Cheryl Katch Hobo Bag w/ Acrylic Ring Handle

After some research, I discovered that the bags originate from a small mother-daughter business and all bags are handmade in their San Diego studio. I instantly loved this bag so much I actually paid $12.95 for shipping and I usually refuse to pay such outrageous shipping costs!

The treasure arrived 4 seemingly long days later, well packaged, very well made, and even had a beautiful hand-written note from Rita, one the designers. Talk about classy!

I get compliments every time I stroll the city streets with it on my arm!

Urth Caffé on a Saturday

Posted in Brunch, Food by

Location: 8565 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood

I’m one of those people who doesn’t mind being alone. Don’t get me wrong, I can be quite the social butterfly when I want to be, but I do like my own company where I can just be. I frequent movies by myself, love to window shop solo so that I can go at my own pace without feeling like I’m dragging anyone around, and sometimes I’ll even take a book and sit at a restaurant.

Over the weekend, I took advantage of a little stag time and headed over to Urth Caffé in West Hollywood. I grabbed (or rather fought) for a seat outside to enjoy the gorgeous day and ordered myself a delicious and well-presented Spinach & Mushroom Quiche (proof below).

Major Pro: You pay before your meal is served. No fighting/terse conversations over who spent more or threw $15 on the table when they clearly don’t understand the concept of tax and tip in addition to the cost of the meal when the check comes. (Ugh. These people are so annoying by the way). Also, they serve their own organic coffee for all you pesticide conscious nuts out there!

Major Con: This place can get crowded and beware that the venue isn’t very large so the tables are pretty close together. I can almost tell you the entire conversation of two aspiring actresses sitting next to me, and trust me it was as cliché as it can get. So keep this in mind if you’re into a more private dining experience and don’t want to whisper over your lunch. As such, I’d strongly advise against meeting an ex here to have that deep closure conversation to your relationship.

Overall, definitely a great place to come solo to grab lunch or a latte; or to meet up with a friend in a casual, yet trendy atmosphere. The Hollyood Tour bus even drives by with tourists snapping pictures of you while you’re mid-chew, making all who sit there a bit more confident in their choice of eatery.

“Flea-ing” It on Melrose

Posted in Explore, Fashion, Fun by

Location: 7850 Melrose Avenue

Deets: 9:00am-5:00pm every Sunday, free parking, $2.00 admission

Typically, anything with the word flea in it is usually a turn-off avoided at all costs on my part. Unless it involves a day in the warm sunshine, sipping a fresh squeezed lemonade (with a hint of mint) as you peruse the Melrose Trading Post; one of LA’s most popular flea markets. I spent hours this past Sunday strolling aisles of vintage jewelry, handmade artwork, furniture, handbags, shoes, and clothes galore! Let’s be honest there was some junk too, but I’ve come to love the saying, “another man’s trash is another man’s treasure” since moving into my own apartment a few months ago and needing to fully furnish it. Not looking for anything in particular and flying solo turned out to be best recipe for truly savoring this first experience. It’s like the universe knew exactly what I needed and boy, did I SCORE: a little something for my new place, a little something for my jewelry box, and a little something for my accessories collection. Check it out!

Rare Marilyn Monroe 24”x36″ poster, $15.
(frame purchased separately at Aaron Brothers)

Faux vintage long necklace, $10

Straw Hat and me in it, $15 (For the hat, not me)

 

The Queen of Versailles

Posted in Documentary, Explore, Film, Fun by

Location: 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino

I’m not a Monday kinda gal. In fact, I’ve been making every effort to bring some sparkle to this dreaded day by making plans with my boyfriend after work to have something to look forward to throughout the day as I get re-acclimated to the routine of the work week. This past Monday was especially filled with some “sparkle” to say the least.

Having been a patron of the historic Laemmle Theaters on the west side of the city for quite some time now, I was excited to finally visit The Town Center 5 in Encino to indulge in my OBSESSION for documentary and independent cinema. There’s something so endearing about actually having to buy tickets through a window, sitting in an old movie theater, and eating decently priced popcorn – with FREE parking, no less.

Tonight’s flick? The Queen of Versailles, one of the most fascinating cinematic experiences I’ve had this summer. 1 hour and 40 minutes of complete access to seeing how the other side lives.

The film chronicles the lifestyles of the rich and *semi* famous (I had never heard of them prior to the movie). Billionaire couple, David and Jackie Siegel, are in the midst of building the most expensive home in the United States, an astounding 90,000 square foot American castle modeled after their love of the Palace of Versailles in France.Talk about “champagne wishes and caviar dreams!” I could literally hear Robin Leach in my head during the first half hour of the film as director Lauren Greenfield takes us into a world filled with chauffeurs, maids, nannies, private planes, closets filled with high-end in designers, diamonds, and Jackie Siegel’s very obvious boob job.

Until…

…the economic meltdown that will forever be the Year of our Lord, 2008. Though David and Jackie struggle in their own right (but still seemed to be living the high life compared to us 99 “percent-ers”) we are instantly transitioned into how this time impacts their spending, their family dynamic, and their relationship. I wouldn’t call this a riches-to-rags story, because the Siegels still slept in a mansion every night and not under a freeway; but cutting their personal house staff from 19 to 4 (with 8 children), taking commercial flights when traveling, shopping for Christmas presents at Walmart, and getting into disagreements about not turning off the lights in the mansion to conserve electricity bills are the highlights of their difficulties.

What resonated about the film is that you’d assume that people this wealthy would be completely mean-spirited, spoiled, and disillusioned; but there is a humanity to them that doesn’t make you hate the Siegels as you exit the movie theater. Jackie might look like your typical blonde trying to battle the aging process, married to an affluent man 30 years her senior, who is somewhat unenlightened about what is going on with her family’s finances; but she has such a charm and presence on-screen that you’re drawn to her. She’s funny, has an honesty about her that’s refreshing, studied engineering (hello!?!), and shares her compassionate side by loaning a good friend $5,000 when her house is in jeopardy of foreclosure. The fact that she doesn’t fully understand what’s going on with her personal finances alludes more to her disconnection from her husband, who in contrast is taking their economic hardships with great strife. By the end of the film, David has gone from a jovial, hardcore supporter of the Miss America Pageant festivities and women in general; to a man who barricades himself inside of a cluttered man cave, completely ignorant (or uninterested) of the family life around him.

The film doesn’t end with things on the mend, instead it depicts what we’re all still dealing with nearly 4 years later: making compromises to deal with the changing economic climate and reassessing how we spend.

I walked away from this film with three feelings:

{1}. No matter where you are in life and your set-point in your lifestyle, it seems that it’s never enough. Prior to the financial crisis and even during it, the Siegels seem to have it all: Wealth (or at least still more money than most), health, family and friends. Perhaps this is the best example of “having it all” but still feeling it’s not enough. The takeaway being that if billionaires still need more, we’re all in trouble.

{2}. There is such a thing as “too much” and it doesn’t necessarily guarantee your continued success. David Siegel, despite his initial accomplishments, was not exempt from the happenings of 2008, nor did he seem to be prepared to deal with the day when his fortune might be threatened. And p.s. – Why would anyone want to live in a 90,000 square foot home?

{3}. I promise I paid attention to the film, but spent at least half the movie staring directly at Jackie’s chest wondering how she doesn’t experience severe daily back pain?

A sparkling Monday night indeed!

Graffiti Coffee Bar

Posted in Explore, Food, Fun, Treats by

Location: 180 S La Brea Avenue, Mid-City

Welcome the City of Angels! The place where even making a quick stop to grab an iced latte on a warm Sunday afternoon between errands necessitates valet parking. The first 20 minutes free, of course.

Anytime I see the word coffee, cafe, latte, or any iteration of the espresso bean posted around town, it makes my heart flutter with pure joy. I picked up my now ever-present coffee addiction (or daily treat as I like to say) when I first started working in “the industry” and was charged with the glamorous task of taking everyone’s Starbucks order. Outside of that cliché fact, you can’t help but notice when a brand new, blinding, stark white building pops up while driving down the in-progress revamping that has become La Brea Avenue. A street that while trendy in its own right, sticks to a more common opaque color scheme.

Enter Graffiti Coffee Bar. Strangely named given that there isn’t much chromatism to the two-story black and white interior space. You feel like you’re about to walk into a Hollywood nightclub with the door entry selectively located on the side of the building, only to feel like you are actually in a nightclub with the thumping music and fireplace greeting you as you walk in. The Intelligentsia brewed coffee is delish (I smiled with every sip) but given that I spent $6 on an iced vanilla latte, it’ll be more of an indulgence than a regular neighborhood coffee spot.

Beware, they’re cash only (unbelievable and quite unacceptable in this day and age) and only serve whole or soy milk options, but were super friendly. I don’t see myself stopping in to sit and blog with my laptop anytime soon, I like a more quaint atmosphere where you can sit in your sweats and zone out for a couple of hours with your typical soft guitar music lacing the background; but I would make the trek here to meet a friend to catch up over coffee or if I’m feeling exceptionally rich and want to splurge on my caffeine fix.

All in all, a bit of a dramatic experience just to grab a latte, but it gave some spunk to an otherwise lazy Sunday last weekend. Then again, would it be Los Angeles if there weren’t some form of drama attached to it?

 

Beginning

Posted in Blogs by

Welcome!

All that Glitters comes about from a deep-seated need to celebrate life. To relish my creative side. To indulge my adventurous side. To write about my passions: film, food, fashion and fun. And to chronicle my life living in one of the most dynamic and exciting cities in the world, Los Angeles, CA.

This blog aims to explore all that glitters; all of the highlights, both big and small, that I want to share in an attempt to bring the celebration to you.

One of my new favorite guiding quotes in life is: “Just breathe…you’ll never live this moment again.”

I hope that through these posts you’re as inspired and determined as I am to see the beauty or the lesson in everything. Glitter, after all, is simply a sparkling reflected light.

Happy Reading!