Renegade Craft Fair Pt. 2

Yesterday the first booth we stopped at was my teachers' booth, Me Like Clay.

Obviously we were already hysterical from the heat.

Though how could you not be completely in joyous heaven when surrounded by so many beautiful handmade things?

Hailee found some friends at the Yetis and Friends booth, featuring the best pineapple coconut popsicle ever from one of the vendors.

Kelso Doesn't Dance had some funky planters. Neon usually doesn't call to me but something about neon mixed with nature just feels right. Succulents and air plants are best for California's warm weather, because they're difficult to kill, and they come in all different captivating colors that bounce off of the desert's neutral colors, just like these colorful little bowls!

I didn't get a business card for this shop so unfortunately I am not sure what their website is, but it's seriously inspiring me to go get some old fences, make some frames and planters, and decorate my entire house with them.

I wonder if this guy knew I took a picture of his legs. Thanks, man.

Here's more of Adina Mill's work, which I featured in my last post.

Near the end of our adventure we saw what looked like another food truck, but in fact it was a mobile library! The Library Store (#onwheels) was a book worm's dream. Lined with market lights, art, and books inside, it was a magical end to a magical day. (Aww)

Renegade Craft Fair Pt. 1

The Renegade Craft Fair was something I've wanted to go to since I found their Instagram a few months back. It takes place in a few different major cities, and I was just waiting for it to happen again in LA. It's just a giant collective of all of the most current crafters you could ever want to buy from and be inspired by.

The whole day was magical. Walking down the steps of Grand Park overlooking the tips of a hundred white tents, it looked like a bowl of creativity sprinkled with the likes of folky home furnishings, traditional tattoo graphic tshirts, potted and hanging plants that could go on forever, intricate metal jewelry, and pretty much everything you could ever want.

Magic Carpet Yoga Mats had the best decorations in their booth! These beauties will be featured in their upcoming lookbook. If you do yoga, throw out your old boring mat and treat yourself to something stunning that you can keep out all day long.

This girl caught my eye multiple times. The first time I saw her I whispered to Hailee, "Oh my goodness that girl is adorable, I have to take her picture!" Standing in line to purchase an awesome graphic t-shirt from Maiden Voyage Clothing, I saw her a second time and found my chance! She radiated light and was so beautiful in her Anthropologie dress. I honestly think it's a gift to be able to accessorize appropriately. If everyone I ask to photograph is is sweet as her, I could be a blogger for life.

In the absolute highest heat of the day, we wandered by the booth of Adina Mills Design House and had to stop to stare for a while. Adina makes gorgeous gaudy rings, bracelets out of old watch chain, and other intensely captivating jewelry using a clay-like material and precious stones.

I love wall planters! New crafting goal. Everything here was so inspirational. It took us a half an hour walking around Downtown Los Angeles before we found someone who knew the right direction to point us in, and we still almost walked right past it- but the SoCal heat and melting as we walked was more than worth it. Hailee and I met so many nice artists and it sent my mind spinning into a vortex of paint and metal and plants. I'll be crafting for weeks without sleep at this rate.

One of the art forms I do is ceramics. Two of my ceramics teachers (who I absolutely love) at the clay center I go to make up 2/3 of Me Like Clay, a group of three ceramists who create everything from mugs and bowls to hanging birdhouses to planters to bee fountains. Yes, bee fountains. Check out their website to see how incredible it all is. They were actually the reason I even know that Renegade was happening in LA this weekend, so I owe that experience and this blog post to them!

Blueberry Banana "Cheesecake"/Smoothie Cake

It's true that "you are what you eat," and thanks to Instagram I've been able to see the health-recovery journey of many people and learn a thing or two. There are many incurable health disorders that, if you eat a well balanced and purposeful diet, can be less stifling to your daily life. Everybody should strive to be healthy to some degree, but it's often difficult because of learned habits of craving what we call 'junk food,' or food with little or no positive nutritional value. 

Over the past year I've realized that healthy food is not just the reason you wanted a dog (don't pretend you never tried to feed your pet all the greens your parents forced onto your plate). Although I am not vegan or vegetarian anymore, now that I'm experimenting in the kitchen more often, I tend to prefer vegan/vegetarian recipes so I'm not eating so much cheese, oils, or fried and frozen foods. It helps me expand my understanding of the possibilities I have to make my meal healthy, down to the kind of flour I use. Fruit, with natural sugars and sweet flavors, are practically candy by themselves. Coconut products are heaven because you can use it to replace almost anything, from sugar to oil to flour to water to milk. Then there's nuts, which make butters and milks and more. The list goes on forever.

I found a recipe for Blueberry Banana Cheesecake off of an Instagram account I follow and, with a few changes for personal preference, it turned out delicious.

Recipe:

(BASE)

- 2 cups Almond Meal

- 1/2 cup Chia Seeds

- 3 tbsp Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl 

(some kind of nut butter or something similar)

- 1 cup Oats

- handful of shredded coconut

- 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar

- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil

(FILLING)

- 6 ripe peeled Bananas

- 1 pack of Blueberries

- 2 cups Plain Greek Yoghurt (on the search for a vegan replacement for this)

- 2 tsp Cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

How:

1. (BASE) Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or with hands until gooey but firm. Press into a large, deep baking tray (preferably a Springform Pan). I pressed it down, then scraped the top to give it some crumbles for the filling to cling to.

2. (FILLING) Blend all ingredients together in a food processor/blender until smooth, then pour into the pan evenly on top of the base.

Hailee was my chef-mate during this process. It's always more fun to cook with friends.

Oh, and you're going to need big mixing bowls for this. Trust me.

Special thanks to Colton for providing the snacks.

3. Bake at 320 degrees F (160 degrees C) for about 50 minutes.

4. Place in fridge / let cool, then serve with any topping you please. I used Peaches and Spearmint. 

It has the consistency of cheesecake, or as my friend Josh said, 'fruit mousse.' 

So if you use your imagination, it's Blueberry Cheesecake! Otherwise it's basically just a really cool cake-shaped breakfast/dessert smoothie- and the best part is that it's super healthy for you. 

Enjoy!

Nutmeg's Ojai House

I love crystals. I have way too many that sit in little boxes or in my incense bowl, but it's okay because one day they'll come in handy (maybe?). Nutmeg's Ojai House is a great place to find crystals for a super low price, which is awesome because so many stores ask highly unreasonable prices for a little chip of the simplest quartz. A very spiritual store, they have crystal meanings by each stone, metal sculpted wall hangings, decor from local artisans, and a bucket filled with Tibetan peace flags.

A recent addition to the store, a side room was renovated to hold Tarot Readings, spiritual healing, and information on Mayan birth charts.

There's also a nice selection of fine art throughout the store, from framed pieces to mystical postcards to hilarious bumper stickers. I only have good things to say about this shop, and it is an absolute must every time I visit Ojai.

If you've ever been to my house, you've probably been overwhelmed and confused by how many buddhas/goddess statues we have everywhere (probably more than 40). This store was definitely giving us some competition.

In the spirit of antiquing and "one man's junk is another man's treasure" I absolutely love old neon signs. (I'd just need four more letters!)

Fig, Lennon Closet, and Shop Summer Camp

On Wednesday a failed trip to the Ventura Flea Market (due to the Ventura County Fair being set up) ended up giving us a whole day to wander the beautiful Ojai, CA.

They say that Ojai has a spiritual vortex within its hills, which is why it's such a peaceful retreat and everybody is so creative and kind. Even just the drive through the mountains to get to the town is stunning with the trees and all of the cottage-like houses lining the roads. 

Vest: Lennon Closet, Shorts: Goodwill, Blouse: Love Story, Shoes: Doc Marten, Jewelry: handmade necklace and tibetan rings/bracelet.

One of the shops I stopped in was Fig, what looked like merely a gated alleyway between shops from the street. What began as an ivy wall with handmade ceramic sculptures lining the wall led to a back room with ladder shelves and basically everything you could ever want in your home. Hanging air plants, cute paper place mats, fragrant oils and handmade jewelry from the locals, and dainty dreamcatchers.

Next was the Lennon Closet, a thrift store in the Rainbow Bridge Market shopping center. During this trip I found a beaded dark grey felted wool vest. I walked by thinking, "I haven't worn a vest since freshman year, I'm so not a vest girl anymore..." but it kept catching my eye, and of course, I put it on and was obsessed. There went my cash (it was only $18, a sweet deal in fact), but it was a good investment. Always call your clothes an investment, because they are, not always monetarily but definitely for self-expression and joy.

Along with their consigned clothing, they also house local jewelers' pieces, including Wild Honey. Their selection of stone rings and bracelets, along with scarves from India and other unique finds, blows me away every time.

Our last stop of the day was on the way out. We took a quick right turn into what used to be an abandoned gas station, and currently the super hipster and amazing Shop Summer Camp. It looked like I had walked into a Wes Anderson film, where perhaps a lumberjack and avid crafters had lived for a while. Connected to a framing shop (they had the most beautiful wood selection!) the other way to get inside was by walking under a huge lifted glass and wood car shop garage door. Can that be my front door when I get a house please? Everything about this store was magic.

Something Old and Something New

Anything vintage, velvet, turquoise, crystal, middle-eastern made, or a throwback to the 60's with an added almost gaudy kind of lushness, will catch my eye.

Free People (and its counterparts Anthropologie and UO) generally does a beautiful job capturing this, as well as Sugarhigh Lovestoned, Spell & the Gypsy Collective, Lenni, and Pamela Love. And those are just the clothing companies. Of course, most people who crave this free-spirited lifestyle of a beautiful world do not have the kind of money in pocket to actually ever buy any of these brands' items, though they do a solid job of inspiration.

I'm girly, I really am, but most of the time I am happiest in the Goodwill thrifted muumuu or my baggiest vintage cotton blouse and a good ol' pair of cut offs. Perhaps it's not the most flattering at times, but I try my best to make up for it with my giant collection of rings and layers of arrowheads and silver around my neck. I also make most of my own jewelry with finds from flea markets or unique pieces passed down to me, which I will post for sale on this blog and Etsy soon!

Important rule for styling:

Shoes are the easiest way to complete an outfit. They are the deciding factor in whether you look completely lack luster and out of style or eye-catching and iconic. They help dress it down or dress it up, the same way that an appropriate selection of jewelry can.

I personally don't have many shoes *gasp!* but the ones I have go with everything. I've got my trusty black Doc Martens, a pair of black flats and a pair of nude ones, jelly sandals for the beach, and a pair of Steve Madden cheetah and leather chunky sandals. There's something about 'chunky' or wedge-like shoes that have captured my heart, at least for now.