It’s official. Some light holiday decorating and a weekend filled with watching some of my favorite holiday movies and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I thought it would be fun to curate a list of some of my favorite Christmas songs – old and those that are destined to be new favorites. My two “go-to” Christmas CD’s have always been Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas and Josh Groban’s Noel. There are also some great tracks on Celine Dion’sThese Are The Special Times that are nostalgic to Christmas when I was a teen. To mix it up a bit, I decided to check out new releases from both Kelly Clarkson and Mary J. Blige. I have to say, I think Mary’s new holiday album, A Mary Christmas, will make it into rotation for years to come! And Kelly Clarkson’s Wrapped in Red has solid tracks that capture festivity in a fresh way.
So let’s tame some of those chilly Monday Blues with a cup of hot cocoa and my Holiday Hits playlist. Just go ahead and log in to your Spotify account, hit play, sit back and relax, or get to work on those emails with this mix in the background perfect for bringing some holiday cheer!
*If you like the mixtape feel free to subscribe to it on Spotify:
A few random things bringing a smile to my face at this particular moment and interestingly, that thing we call “love” open and closes my short list today. When I saw Frida Kahlo’s quote on an otherwise blah day, she kinda blew my mind with these 12 words.
And speaking of love – if you’re looking for a good Thanksgiving weekend read to lose yourself in something else besides turkey and pie, check out Falling into You, then the sequel, Falling into Us by Jasinda Wilder. I can’t recall know how I stumbled upon these books and I don’t really read much of this genre (other than 50 Shades, because hey, who hasn’t at this point?), but I couldn’t put either book down. Jasinda Wilder has a way with stories. I read Falling into You this summer (insert a handful of other books in between) and I’m just now finishing up the second. Wow! Alert: they’re “steamy!” though not pushing 50 Shades territory…and much better written.
Insert my “Carrie Bradshaw-esque” voice here: “I couldn’t help but wonder…do people actually have relationships like Colt and Nell; Jason and Becca?”
With the exception of the fact that pumpkins and pumpkin spice everything made an appearance with the turn of the calendar page to October, it hasn’t felt much like Halloween this year. I can’t pinpoint if it’s the general atmosphere, how chaotic life has been lately, or the very peculiar weather over the last few weeks, but I can’t say I’ve been very festive this season. In fact, for the first time in years, I didn’t even carve a pumpkin!
I have been making it a point to incorporate a horror flick here and there to try to shake things up, but when it comes to a good scare to really get in that Halloween state of mind, I knew I needed something new and something within budget,
An impressive promo trailer on their website (below), along with a reasonable fee, and 5 star rating on Yelp…and I was on-board!
Deemed one of the best D.I.Y. mazes in town, I couldn’t get over the mere $3 donation benefiting the Big Worm’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Not only was it an affordable excursion to get into the Halloween spirit, it was also for a good cause! Win. Win.
The plan was to head out the weekend before last, but I couldn’t make it. Knowing that the maze is only on for two weekends before Halloween, this past Saturday night the decision to hit the heart of the valley to locate that missing festivity and find a good scare was all I could think about. I knew I found it the moment I turned onto the eerily darkened residential street, filled with expansive homes, and a light fog in the air that lent to all good things spooky.
Muffled screams from inside the maze filled the atmosphere as I waited in a short line outside. I got to chatting with the guy working the front door and learned that Sherwood Scare, themed differently every year, is designed and produced by movie industry professionals who create sets. They develop and build the intricate and highly produced maze over what is essentially their basketball court in the backyard of their massive private home – a feat that took over 2 months of planning and construction alone.
2013’s theme, “Camp Sherwood,” welcomes guests into a room where they are introduced to Head Counselor, Skip, before engaging in an orientation video designed to entice visitors of Camp Sherwood’s awesome outdoor adventures…until the once happy-go-lucky campers somehow went missing, returning that fateful night not quite so happy-go-lucky. Thus begins the next 10 minutes of pure terror.
I can vouch that The Sherwood Scare is as awesome as you read about. One almost forgets that you’re simply in someone’s backyard, supporting a good cause. The actors were dressed head-to-toe in horror and stayed in character, successfully creeping me out the entire time. The production value of the scenery was detailed and far superior to what I’d even expected from a $3 admission.
Understandably, photography is not allowed – though you’d be too damned scared just getting through the 2,000 square foot maze to dare attempt to document any aspect of it anyway.
All I can say is, “Bravo! What fun!”
This maze easily rivals and outperforms even the high-end haunts I’ve been to over the years. I can assure you, my lacking Halloween spirit was revitalized by the time I left. I was happily spooked.
The last night to indulge in the dark side at Camp Sherwood is on Halloween Night, this Thursday, October 31st from 7pm-Midnight.
The sky was cloudless, piercing blue, and perfect. The sun shining ever so brightly and ever so presently at (a not-so-temperate) circa 93 degrees. It was the definition of a beautiful day. One of the most relaxing afternoons I’ve had all month was when I found myself taking advantage of what I thought was the final stretch of an extended LA summer (but really wasn’t) and headed out to San Marino to experience one of the most breathtaking estates in town, The Huntington Library.
While world renowned for its fine European and American permanent art collections, changing exhibitions; as well as its rare books collection establishing an equally renowned research library – I have quite the soft spot for their stunning botanical gardens!
Curated in such a way that literally takes you through geographic recreations of gardens around the world, spanning 120 acres among the massive 207 acre property, I spent a Saturday afternoon strolling a colorful Rose Garden into a lush green Japanese Garden, complete with the popular moon bridge (pictured above); through stalks of large bamboo, completely encapsulating you as you walk along the concrete path somehow finding yourself in an open Australian garden. Not too far further, lily ponds appear, leading you up to the Subtropical terrain and into the humid Jungle Garden.
My favorite memory from this day was simply taking a moment to sit on an unassuming bench, thick stalks of bamboo all around – sitting in silence, listening to the low chirp of the birds while watching the squirrels frolic in the trees. The world seemed so far away and in that span of time, I was completely present to my surroundings.
The museum closes pretty early (4:30pm) and we arrived a little later than planned. Rather than to rush through the galleries to appreciate the fine art collections and their special exhibition, we arrived in just enough time to leisurely indulge in perfect nature. What a day…in the garden.
Happy Monday! A few things that I’m looking forward to that should make for an exciting week…
1. An impromptu visit to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica this weekend brought a few new treasures to play with all week long. These big brown eyes of mine will have a little more drama than usual thanks to an old gal pal’s recommendation for Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara. I’m in love! Bonus points for cashing in on my Sephora rewards points for Victor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb – my new signature scent this week. Hello, gorgeous!
3. My Chromecast will be here in a few short days and I’m beyond excited to expand my entertainment options. I jumped on this gadget the moment I saw the email announcing its awaited release. A small step for those of us who refuse to pay for cable…at least for the time being.
4. Looking forward to getting into the Halloween spirit this coming weekend. A visit to the Sherwood Mansion for the annual Sherwood Scare is sure to set the tone. Beware boys and girls!
5. Netflix has done it again. Like my recent addictions to Thirty Rock and Friday Night Lights, I’m discovering juicy new entertainment (that’s been off the air for ever and I’m just now getting to it). I’m sure any time I have to myself this week will find me in front of my TV devouring Gossip Girl.
Six random things that made me smile, think, dream, or stand up and cheer. Life is good boys and girls. And if you need an affirmation, check out Ultrahome.org’s 20 Most Beautiful Living Spaces (#1 below). I dare you to not be completely mesmerized. Here’s what I’m lovin’ right now…
It doesn’t feel like an authentic L.A. summer until there’s a trip to the Hollywood Bowl. Not only is it a quintessential experience when living in the City of Angels, it also happens to be my favorite place in L.A. if I had to pick one.
This past Labor Day weekend found me right where I wanted to be: with my guy, a small picnic dinner, and seat at the Bowl ready for a night of movie music under the stars. The Big Picture: A Night at the Oscars was an enchanting extravaganza celebrating music from Academy Award winning films that magically echoed through the warm September night. Conductor David Newman and the immensely talented Hollywood Bowl Orchestra recreated soundtracks to some of Tinseltown’s most renowned stories masterfully playing the score over live picture projected on their new state of the art LCD screens. As clips from famous films such as To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), The Artist (2011), An American in Paris (1951), and The Wizard of Oz (1939) played on the large screens, I almost forgot that the accompanying live music was even happening! The synchronicity and the crisp, booming sound were so solidly fused with the visuals, you felt like you were just watching a movie as you would any other time.
What was particularly special about this night was the eclectic mix of films and genres the program chose to highlight. Instead of the very obvious choices you might expect on a night like this, films such as Bullitt (1968), Up (2009), and You Only Live Once (1937) were saluted. In fact, I admired that they didn’t focus merely on films that won the coveted Best Picture award, but films that won accolades from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a variety of areas from film editing, to acting, to screenwriting.
{Making our way up to the cheap seats…yet again.}
Unlike this time last year with an engaging Jason Alexander as host – there was a weakness in the show with this year’s selection. Mary McDonnell (the President’s wife who dies in Independence Day) was an odd choice. She was ever so gracious, but clearly reading from a teleprompter and just didn’t have that natural relaxed spirit you’d expect in hosting duties on a night like this. I’m not one to be too harsh in this situation, I can only imagine what it’s like getting on stage in front of an 18,000 seat amphitheater, but I was often taken out the evening festivities when she was on stage. She just wasn’t the right person for the gig unfortunately. This would be my biggest criticism of the evening (outside of some obnoxiously loud people behind us.)
Otherwise, the night was another huge success. This time I went homemade with a ham and cheese sandwich (sometimes a girl just needs one), good conversation, lots of people watching (you couldn’t ask for a better place to do this!), and a night dedicated to two of my greatest loves: movies and music.
If I’m still carrying anything with me as I write this, the evening inspired me to check out films that I haven’t ever seen before or want to watch again. I see a night curled up on the couch with The Wizard of Oz and some popcorn in my near future.
The Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Their summer season ends this month.
About 4 years ago, I took up a new hobby in jewelry making and fell in love immediately. Once you pick up the basics, you’d be surprised at how often you find yourself eyeing a set of earrings in a department store, but saying to yourself that you could easily replicate them yourself for half the cost. I will admit that this can become an expensive hobby if you start working with high quality materials. This, combined with the amount of time it can take to make a single piece – I now have a much greater understanding of why jewelry is often so expensive.
Normally, my jewelry making projects are earring themed, though I have often used what I have learned to repair pieces that I would have otherwise gotten rid of. Recently, I’ve been wanting to add a delicate gold necklace to my collection and came across the perfect inspiration on Cupcakes and Cashmere.
I loved the design. The use of a short row of stones to add a bit of drama to such a simple necklace was a great idea and starting point for what I wanted to do. However, the design used on C&C was much longer in length and didn’t have a clasp because it was long enough to simply slip over your head. I wanted a necklace that was much shorter, had a clasp, and wanted to alter the design of the stones – opting for small Swarovski Elements Crystal Bicone beads in a unique pattern over the ombre effect used on Cupcakes and Cashmere.
I used very inexpensive materials, all purchased at Michael’s for crafting my piece. I loved how it turned out so much that I will eventually swap the chain that I used for something of higher quality that will last longer and maintain a better brilliance.
You can read the full “How To: Delicate Necklace” to get the details on the inspiration for my design.
Every summer over the last couple of years, I’ve made it a point to spend more time at the ocean. Beach days typically now find me at Point Dume in Malibu on late Saturday mornings well into the afternoon with all the essentials necessary to completely veg out and relax. In fact, aside from a $70 massage – I can’t think of anything else that actually does completely relax me. The sound of the waves, a good book, some snacks, and sand in your toes for a few hours always does the trick.
{Morning waves.}
An even sweeter thing to partake in while in Malibu is a stop for lunch at Paradise Cove. Paradise Cove is a private beach about 2.5 miles northeast of Point Dume that loosely mimics the Beverly Hills Beach Club from 90210 (the Walsh-era one) minus the club membership with a much smaller stretch of sand. I’ve never had the expensive pleasure of spending the entire day here lounging on the private sands with a beach bed rental (which would run you about $90), but I do love to stop and eat at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe.
{Cafe.}
Full of cliché in a way that just works, Paradise Cove grants complete permission for guests to be as laid back and chillaxed as possible. The cafe, located right on the sandy beach, is on the pricier side at an average $20 an entrée, but is well worth the splurge. I can’t think of a place that serves larger portions (this place easily surpasses the Cheesecake Factory) and they welcome sharing meals without problem. I do find it funny that for a place full of bikinis, bathing suits, and things “beachy” that the restaurant would be so courageous as to serve so much food. I mean, who wants to pig out while at the beach? This is why I recommend stopping by AFTER a day at the beach and just before making the trek along P.C.H. back home and to bed.
Though certainly not a frequent indulgence (because of the amount of calories you’re inhaling, money you’re spending, and the guilt you feel when looking at all these attractive people in model-esque shape), I’ve had nothing but positive experiences overall. The service is great. The food tasty. And they serve drinks in fruit shells. Always a plus in my book. Beware that on the weekends, it can get rather crowded and while they are not very efficient at keeping to their reservation schedule, it can’t hurt to make one on Opentable to bypass the walk-ins.
So my advice to enjoy a little bit of Paradise? Start your morning with an awesome spot on the beach at Point Dume, arriving circa 10:30am to grab the best spot before all the tourists show up. Spend at least 5-6 good hours taking in the rays and getting through that book you’ve been meaning to for the last two weeks. Head to the Cove. Order a watermelon daiquiri and the tomato and caramelized onion grilled cheese sandwich. Paradise found.
Paradise Cove is located at 28128 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
{Watermelon Daiquiri.}
{Cobb salad. Tomato and caramelized onion grilled cheese.}
All That Glitters 