Friends - this weekend was one of those crazy whirlwinds where I had a zillion things to do, but somehow still managed to get my butt thrift shopping.  Not once, twice.

 I had two special occasions, my sweet gal pal's birthday,  and sissy time with little sis.

And aside from a lovely lunch and chattery catch up time, what else were we dying to do? Duh.

I found original price tags on immaculate silk.
Black leather pants that fit like a glove.
Sparkly top, and a sparkly dress to boot.
Perfectly deconstructed (paint-splattered) men's jeans... (For me, not the hubs. Sorry babe.)

A painting I didn't buy, but was quite drawn to...

And some fitted black trousers that I cannot wait to wear!

See that little "red tag"above ...? That means $1! $1! $1!

Entire outfit thrift. And around $8. Yep. Swoon.

What did you do over the weekend, pretties? xx

Lake Tahoe

Taking the time to enjoy one of life's most simple pleasures... the snow!

And finding a reason to wear a vintage (little boys size, I suspect) snow coat I found years ago in a random shop on Melrose. (I don't remember the name, but I remember the shopping trip!)

Coat - Vintage, Striped turtleneck - French Connection (also seen here), Jeans - F21, Braided headband - Vintage strap (also worn here) Boots - Borrowed from a fab friend

Beautiful Lake Tahoe... and sledding like I haven't done since I was a kid.

Then coming back to a view like this. 

And oh, P.S. ~ the view was from a hot tub. Not bad at all.  xx

Skinny Trick/Brown Rice, Tuna & Peas

I haven't done one of these in a while and after I got a comment from beloved follower Aggie (hi Aggie!) about these cookies, I figured it was time for another one.

Brown Rice & Peas please:

This is one of my all-time favorite lunches. Healthy, easy, filling.

Sorry about the romantic lighting (tuna and peas... très romantique!) but it was late in the day and I hate using flash.

Speaking of photography, I had the most amazing dream last night. I was in Europe taking a photography class and using one of those antique cameras with real film.

Awesome.

Of course I was dressed to perfection and it felt just like a Woody Allen film as a tall, dark and handsome stranger smiled at me from across the room (who coincidentally looked a lot like that tall, dark and handsome guy trying to win a million dollars on "Minute to Win it" last night)...

Anyway, getting off subject here! Tuna! Peas! Yes.

First of all, make real brown rice. Not the instant stuff. I found a method online (sorry, I don't remember where or I'd give them props) on the easiest way to get perfect brown rice:

1. Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice.
2. Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes.
4. While the rice is still warm, throw in about 1 cup of frozen peas (use frozen or fresh, never canned! It will be mushy and no good.)
5. Dump in a can of albacore tuna.
6. About 1 tsp of garlic or onion powder (sprinkle to taste) salt, pepper and done! You can also use fresh chopped onion but I prefer it this way.

So simple, so healthy, and very yummy!

I promise to try and update more often with my skinny tricks, but in the meantime, visit my girl Poppy's blog, Diet Schmiet for some great advice & recipes.

Now about that dream...

Pix 2&3 - Film stills from Vicky Christina Barcelona

Know Your Muses/Natalie Portman

I'm not going to turn this into a movie review, but if you haven't seen Black Swan, you're truly missing out.

(I must admit I love just about EVERYTHING this girl does!)

Photos 1&5 - Natalie Portman for Dior

Photo 2 - "Black Swan" still

Photo 3 - V magazine 09

Photo 4 - We heart it

H&M Navy Jumpsuit

This H&M jumpsuit is just so easy to wear...

And when I was pulling outfits together for the Palm Springs shoot, it was sort of a last minute addition that became a key piece for all three days.

I love finding classic silhouettes that can be mixed into my mostly thrifted vintage wardrobe.

And when I purchased this sweater vest from H&M months ago, I had no idea just how much wear I'd get out of it.

It's like having a super cozy blanket that can also be tossed over just about everything.

Navy Jumper & Sweater - H&M

Belt - LaRok

Shoes - Forever21

Cast and Crew

Hangin' with the crew in Palm Springs and taking a moment to admire the stunning beauty of the house we were shooting in.

We had a blast despite long hours and little sleep, and I couldn't help but feel lucky... I mean, how cool is it when people you work with are actually your friends?

Black jumpsuit - Vintage 

Shoes - Stuart Weitzman 

Earrings - Forever21

Bangles - Vintage

Blue vintage shirt/ Vintage beaded clutch

I found this vintage shirt while doing one of my weekly Out of the Closet runs and fell in love with the vibrant blue print.

It  has a cool secretary tie for the front (and I wore it that way with a pencil skirt and nerdy glasses for a pitch meeting)

But currently loving it tied in the back to pop up the collar and give it some edge.

This vintage clutch was one of those finds where I actually gasped when I saw it.

It's so glamorous with such intricate beaded detail and in practically mint condition.

I love the idea of mixing girly and tough, strong and feminine at the same time.

This pretty much sums up my ideal outfit! Now tell me... what's yours?

Shirt and clutch - vintage

Skirt - Forever 21 

Shoes - Vince Camuto Moma's

Silver cuff & sunglasses - Forever 21

Necklace - H&M

Behind the scenes

Totally beat but had a blast on the shoot, and wanted to give you a quick sneak peek at our behind the scenes in Palm Springs for Audrina Patridge's new VH1 series!

I can't wait to share all the deets from road trip to wrap, but for now I must must must get some shut-eye and spend some quality time with a tiny little monkey that I've missed so much. xx

Palm Springs and VH1

Have a gig in Palm Springs as you read this, and spent the weekend prepping wardrobe wise for what is most definitely vague territory.

I'll be interviewing a certain celeb, and wearing some of my fave vintage gear in the process, while VH1 films the entire thing. (I can't give too many deets yet, but I promise they'll come!)

Being my own stylist and helping other lovely ladies find and wear their best gear is something I live and die for...

But when the reality cam is watching our every moment and production begins at 4:30AM (yes, you heard me right) and there is so much to do, and several days of changes...

Well, my entire house ends up looking a little something like this.

God bless the amazing man in my life for putting up with this madness. But luckily, once the wardrobe chaos settles and narrows down a bit, I've come up with a pretty good system for organizing my looks.

It's sort of like a clothing and accessory explosion until I finally make my choices (and once I've tried on about everything in my closet!)

One of the best tricks I've learned from set is to plan every look from head to toe, and organize the accessories together with their corresponding outfit when packing.

I use little ziplock bags to hang them on the hanger. Easy!

It definitely makes it less stressful when getting ready, as you don't have to think about it. I sometimes even pin a ripped out magazine tear for inspiration. I not only do this for shoots, but for all packing in general. (I promise, it helps!)

Have a fantastic week and check back in for deets and road trip photos!

Jacket & belt - vintage

Tank - H&M

Shorts - random boutique on Main Street

Seven Random Things

I got this idea from a blog award that floats around, and when I was given the award a few times this past month, I thought it was time to play along.

Seven Random Things
(Stylish blogger Award)

1) I always say I'm from Arizona, but I was born in San Diego and have lived in L.A. for the past 14 years. So as reluctant as I am to call myself a "California Girl" I suppose that it's true.

2) I've been an actress for a really long time (since I was a kid in AZ), and some of my films can be seen running on cable. My favorite was an action film where I played a demon slaying heroine!  A film I did a couple of years ago is about to be released, which is weird because I feel like I've had a whole lifetime apart from acting lately.

3) I used to be really blonde.

4) The best thing I ever did was become a mom. My daughter is the best, most beautiful thing in my world, and looks just like the man I'm madly in love with.  It's put my entire life into perspective. My relationships and friendships, my career and goals... (Update: And now I have a son too! How lucky can one girl get?)

5) I come from a family of seven, and have three amazingly talented sisters. One is a singer/songwriter and the other two (twins!) also work in the entertainment biz doing hair and makeup.The girls are the crazy artists in the family, while my brothers are all quite sane and clinical. (One is actually a clinical psychologist.)

6) I started this blog because a friend of my sisters (blondie pictured below) told me she loved my style and would read it every day. (I had never read a single blog up until that point) It's been an incredible artistic outlet (and journey!) and I'm so glad she convinced me to do so.

7) I became obsessed with vintage fashion way before it was cool. We didn't have a lot of money when I was young (hello 7 kids!) so we did a lot of our clothes shopping at thrift stores. I would spend all night looking through magazines and ripping out pages, then I would try to find it, style it, and make it work via thrift. Now it's become a sport, bonding time with my sisters and closest friends, and an irreplaceable passion in styling and all fashion related ventures.  I can never pass a thrift store window without popping in!

Hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about me. I love sharing with you guys! xx