LA's Salt Swimwear gets 'Lucky'

Congrats to the fabulous Salt Swimwear line, all made in LA, who were featured in Lucky as an Editor's Pick!

Do we love their colorful prints? YES. How about their use of great details like gold buttons and ruffles? Yep. And what about the (very) revealing bikini bottoms? Borat said it best: "Sexy-time!"

Meet the Salt Swimwear team at the Spring Show, April 24/25, and buy at discounted prices (gasp)!!! They'll be in booth 265.

A Tote to Covet

Drum roll please....... The 2nd Annual Spring Show's tote bag will feature an exclusive design by (omg) Keith Scharwath! Keith is so successful and super-talented it makes me jealous. What do I mean by successful and super-talented? Um, how's this? Work for Nike, Sony, Beautiful Losers (Aaron Rose, Shepard Fairey, etc.)...


Everyone who attends the show gets the tote bag free with their $10 entry fee, which is what helps us run the show/rent the space/pay for advertising - all things that put money right back into the LA economy. Hooray!!!

The OC's Leatherette Heart gets BUSTed!

Congratulations to Leatherette Heart, who has her work featured in BUST magazine!!! She has been a UNIQUE LA vendor since the very first show and we heart her. Pardon the pun! :)Don't miss her at the Spring Show, April 24-25.

The Spring Show Workshop Schedule is Here!

The free workshops at the Spring Show are set. And they are going to be amazing! Quayside Publishing authors will be on-hand all weekend to show you how to make cool DOY goods! Come join us, sit down with the kids and have a blast... Take a peek at the great schedule of workshops now.

Amoeba joins UNIQUE LA!

Attention indie rockers, metal heads, vinyl vampires, record collectors, Amoebaphiles... It's official, Amoeba will be creating a two-day Pop Up location downtown as part of the UNIQUE LA Spring Show!
Yep, this means that UNIQUE LA fans can browse and take part in workshops for hours upon end while their cranky lovers/friends/room mates/kids can enjoy thumbing through vinyl and hanging out. After all, there's only so long some people can look at jewelry and organic lotions before freaking out... Though of course UNIQUE LA also offers free drinks and a hosted bar. ;)

Like Johnny and June, this is truly a perfect pairing!

What's blooming this Spring?

Here is our first sample preview of vendors who will be at the 2nd Annual UNIQUE LA Spring Show, April 24 and 25...

Handmade hats by Bijou Van Ness

Made in LA bathing suits by Salt Swimwear


Gourmet popsicles by The Pop Shop

Recycled leather bags and accessories by dean


Great Mother's Day cards and gifts from Rock Scissor Paper

Congrats Eva Franco!!!

Eva Franco, one of our favorite dress designers and UNIQUE LA vendors, has a dress from her new Spring/Summer collection featured on the cover of the Anthropologie catalog. WOW that is major... Congrats Eva!

*You can meet and shop directly from Eva at the upcoming 2nd Annual Spring Show, April 24-25! She always sells for less then retail (yay!) and has the incredible talent to pick out clothing for you that fits like a charm and looks fabulous.

All that is old, is new again...

A true Scavenger, I look forward to "the ultimate score" every time I go hunting. Of course being a collector of just about everything, I tend to score big everywhere I go: "A lot of old golf balls for $5? Ohhhh, I can display them in an old pail!"


But what's a gal to do in between trips to the Rose Bowl Flea Market or to St. Vincent's? Hit up the Newfound Territory gems that await at Three Potato Four. Their perfectly curated collection of 'old world' items give me my fix. I've been a loyal fan since they started back in 2007, and know you'll become addicted too. Just don't buy anything I may want! ;)

East End Girl

The mailman just delivered this surprise in the mail...


This awesome tote bag was sent from Dust and Co. Woo-hoo!

Music to our ears!

The fantastic Grammy Museum, at LA Live, will be sponsoring the UNIQUE LA Spring Show this year! Details to come soon, but expect some fun ticket giveaways to the non-profit museum and more...

BTW, I visited the museum today and it's really, really cool. The current Elvis at 21 exhibit is great - what an amazing era in American music. But did you know you can go into a recording booth and sing? H-E-L-L-O! :)

Just another fantastic thing to do downtown...

Just a reminder... Apply by March 10

The applications for the 2nd Annual Spring Show are due March 10, this Wednesday. We've already had hundreds apply, with some really cool folks from Texas, NY and Oregon... Get 'er done!

Video killed the radio star...

You will not want to miss the newest video... With some bumpin' bass!

Manifest Equality Hits Hollywood

Taking over an empty space on Vine St, which used to house a Big Lots, my friend Yosi has created a truly powerful 5 day gallery for civil rights called Manifest Equality... It includes works from over 150 artists including LA's Shepard Fairey and Keith Scharwath, all centered around the theme of equality for all -- bringing awareness back to the ongoing (and frustrating) Prop 8 debate. Since passing in 2008, the proposition has banned marriage between homosexual partners in California. Every single person should have the right to love and to marry who they choose. Period.

While I wander through my often stressful daily life (cramming in tweeting-working-exercising-working-sitting in the car-more working), the one thing I will never know is the incredible stress of not being able to openly/legally marry the person you love. I can't imagine what that is like. Demeaning? Maddening? Depressing? The weight that it must put on one's shoulders...

It's time we stood up, together, through art through voice through pen, and demanded EQUALITY FOR ALL. It's 2010 for F's sake!

The show runs through Sunday March 7th and is free. I really encourage you to go...

The 2nd Annual Spring Show application is online now!

That's right kids, we are hitting it hard this April 24-25... Food trucks selling eats, more free drinks, great music, and as usual a great community. Apply now! Seriously, you won't want to miss it. :) Last day to apply is March 10th.

Our 'yummy' photo shoot.

Shawna Dawson and I had pictures taken for our brand-new, and totally delicious, event: the 1st Annual LA Street Food Fest. Thanks to the wonderful people at Studio DNA and Monica, our amazing photographer, the pictures turned out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I had no idea false eyelashes could be so beautiful... And am left wishing for longer lashes all the time. :)

Lucky's Editor interviews me!

Amy Flurry, an editor for Lucky, interviewed me for eBay's The Inside Source and dug deep into my world of collections...

Is it a crime to covet vintage Star Wars wallpaper?!

Okay LA, it's time to GIVE!

I have organized an event that, if I do say so myself (cough-cough), is genius. Instead of the norm UNIQUE LA shopping event, I've gathered over 50 non-profits so you can come "shop" for great causes you'd like to help. With budget cutbacks and an increased need for services, NOW is the time to get off your computer for a couple of hours and find out how you can help. Please join me at CityLabs this Saturday from 11-4 at the California Market Center!

Look at what everyone is talking about: Huffington Post, Causecast.

Hope to see you there!

And the winner is...

There were many amazing booth designs at the 2nd Annual Holiday Show, held in December of 2009, but one definitely stood out. Congrats to first-time vendors LoveNailTree who won the show's booth design contest! They get a free booth at the Spring Show (April 24-25)... They created an intimate 'store' within their 10X10 feet space, and event built plywood walls! Wow. :)

The runner-up spot goes to Paper Pastries, who created the sweetest little shop ever. Congrats, you get 50% off a Spring Booth!

Join me for the 1st LA Street Food Fest!

I am proud and excited to announce a delicious brand new festival I'll be doing: LA Street Food Fest! Come eat your heart out while also browsing 30 of the coolest UNIQUE LA vendors. See you there...

FROSTED Cupcakery Opens in LA

I visited the new Frosted Cupcakery, at 1200 N. Highland in Hollywood, and wowsa was it good. The red velvet cupcake was super-moist, and unlike other places they didn't load on too much frosting. Delicious! Here are some pics I took with my phone...

Bloody Lust...

I'm getting ready to ship back the shirts that Blood is the New Black loaned us, and am so sad to part with this favorite of mine called Annie Hollywood by the photographer Dan Monick. It's so good...

Happy New Year LA!

I hope you all get everything you want this year! That's my little sis on the left. :)