An afternoon at the Viceroy

August 4, 2009

For months, Pamela and I have been discussing some artistic collaborations. We've finally arranged our schedules and got to work. Now that are schedules are in order, we have been working like mad women! We have found that we work very well-together. This the first of many projects that we have lined up.

Jen and Jerome contacted Pamela about doing a portrait session. Jen is a childhood friend of Pamela's who she recently reconnected with via Facebook. {Gotta love Facebook} Pamela selected the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica as the location for the shoot. She invited me along to assist and take a few pictures of my own.

I am in love with the Viceroy. The colors and the interiors are stunning. I guess it doesn't hurt that the interiors were done by world-renowned interior designer Kelly Wearstler. Here are a few of my shots of the interior.

Jen and Jerome brought their adorable dogs Lou and Lola to the shoot. They wanted some family portraits with their dogs. I was happy about the inclusion of their dogs, because as everyone knows I love to take pet portraits. Here are a few that I was able to sneak in.

While Pamela was getting this shot...

Photo by Pamela Masters

...I got this shot of the dogs peeking in on their "pawrents".

While Pamela got this gorgeous shot of Jen...

Photo by Pamela Masters

... I got this sequence of Jerome.

Lola and Lou were good sports. They were well-behaved and very patient with us through the whole shoot, which lasted 3 hours.

But even the most patient of folks, get bored.

Thankfully, Jerome's sister Melissa came along to watch the dogs and help with Jen's Hair and Make-up. Melissa was great at being both dog handler and Hair/Make-up Artist. {Seriously, if you need a Hair/Make-up person, you should give Melissa a call.}

I was able to get a few shots of Jen and Jerome.

I didn't get many shots of Jen and Jerome because... well, that's not what I was there for. I came to assist Pamela. Believe or not, I had a blast doing it. I was heavily involved in the art direction and set dressing. Pamela and I got some amazing images. Of course, it helped tremendously that we had great models and a great location. Not only are they incredibly attractive, Jen and Jerome are witty and fun.

You must see more photos of Jen & Jerome. Mosey over to Pamela's blog.

I couldn't resist snapping some photos of Pamela in action. It's intriguing for me to capture someone while they're shooting. Most people don't think that a photo shoot is work, but it is and here's proof.

This last shot is my favorite.

Mini Crafty Goodness

Regular Updates are coming, but I wanted to share this info... The Unique L.A. folks have another show this Sunday.


Here's a tip from the Unique L.A. folks:

p.s. Because the Farmer's Market takes up Ivar and Selma, we recommend parking at the seven-level Arclight lot, located about two blocks down on Ivar (just below Sunset).

Nate's Escape

July 21-30, 2009

Despite our 9 year age gap, my brother Nate and I are fairly close. He comes out to Southern California to visit me and our family in Orange County. Typically, he comes to visit 2-3 times a year. Because of other family obligations, he hadn't come out to visit in over a year. As such, there was A LOT of things he wanted to do and see once he made it out here.

There was a lot of shopping... although Nate did most of the buying. We discovered that shopping at mid-day, midweek in L.A. is the way to go. In four hours, we were all over town.

Map of the places we visited

On the first day, we went to Undefeated, Union, Supreme, Stussy, Hundreds, Diamond Supply, Huf, Active, and Neo39. In other words, we went to the hottest sneaker shops in L.A.

On his 2nd day in town, we went the Agenda Tradeshow.

Of course, we spent lots of time with family. After the tradeshow, we went to visit Jasmine and Baby K-lynn (Nate's nickname for Brooklyn)

Nate spent the rest of the weekend with our family in Orange County. I had some quality time with Rob.

I picked up Nate from our relatives' house in O.C. We ended up having a all-night gabfest, my aunt and uncle included. Once we got back to L.A., we did a little more last minute shopping. Again, Nate did most of the buying.

We had a family dinner at one of Nate's favorite places. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.

Janine & her boyfriend Joe


Nate & Jasmine


Jovan & Bella

Rob models his "Sunset" - half fruit punch, half lemonade

Once it was all said and done, I need a vacation from my lil' bro's vacation. Although, I didn't mind. When I'm in VA again, I plan to order Nate around;)

We scream for Ice Cream!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

The past week was a scorcher. The weather has been un-Southern California like with temps in the 90s with humidity! We typically don't see these temps until about mid August and humidity is unheard of. Like the rest of the locals, we turned on the air conditioning and hid out for the duration. When the heat subsided, I suggest we get some ice cream. The summer heat gives me an instant hankering for a sugar cone. I suggested good ole' Baskin Robbins. Rob offered to take me to a local Ice Cream Parlor in Alhambra - Fosselman's. I love to try new places. So, we headed to the San Gabriel Valley.

Fosselman's Ice Cream
1824 W. Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-282-6533

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought of ice cream.

They have quite a selection of flavors. All of which they make in house.

Rob holds my ice cream while he waits for his ice cream sundae.

Rob holds up my Dulce de Leche Ice cream for a close-up

The verdict? Delicious. I would definitely head back there again. Although, I'll pass on the Dulce de Leche in lieu of one of their more exotic flavors like Lychee.

More Mariachis

Friday, July 24, 2009

Rob and I were invited by a friend to attend what she called an outdoor Mariachi Show in Long Beach.

Turns out it, it was a CD release party at the Museum of Latin American Art.

Unfortunately, I was a tad under-dressed. I really hate when that happens. I had on a maxi dress with high-heeled sandals. The other women in attendance? Cocktail dresses. Our companion? Chic black outfit. To make matters worse, they were only serving beer and cheap liquor. It was bad times. The only positive, it was a gorgeous night at a beautiful venue.

We only saw the first 10 minutes of the performance. The mariachi performer's new CD was his "breakout" CD of Spanish love ballads. Our companion was not pleased. So, we exited almost as quickly as we appeared. I wasn't complaining.

While waiting for the valet to bring us our car, Rob decided to strike a pose with one of the statues.

It was still early (9PM). So, I suggested we continue with the mariachi theme. Both Rob and our companion have raved about La Fonda Restaurant, but I have never been there. So, we headed to MacArthur Park.

{photo from La Fonda website}

LA FONDA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
2501 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: 213.380.5053

While en route, our companion made a reservation and inadvertently spoke to the Executive Chef. She flirted and sweet-talked our way into a great table close to the action.

I immediately ordered a margarita. Not so surprisingly, the night took a turn for the better.

{Please excuse the bad iPhone photo}

Because of our companion, we received stellar service.

I had the Chef Special - A White Fish Dish served with Shrimp. It was superb.

Rob had a Mignon en la Huitlacoche-

We ordered my favorite, flan, for dessert.

The performances were awesome. My Spanish is limited, but I understood enough to have a good time. Here's a preview of the show.

Mariachi Encore at La Fonda Restaurant from Anne K. on Vimeo.

What started off as a bad time turned into a good time. If you want to see a good mariachi performance in L.A., head to La Fonda.