California Dreamin ~ Blogtourcali ~ part 1

I'm baaack... from a slightly extended stay in California.  Oh my, how to find the words to describe the amazing time that was BlogtourCali.  I seriously do not know where to begin.  It was the kind of experience where you knew you were forever changed in some small way; feeling newly inspired, feeling like you made connections that will last beyond the days spent laughing till you were crying, discussing design, business, family, breaking out in song, and so much more.  It was the kind of experience that made you grateful you were part of a community where people feel so much passion and everyone wants to support you in ways you hadn't even considered.  It is infectious and you want to return that in kind!

There is a lot to think thru so I will begin with a summary in pictures.

From the beauty of Santa Monica ~

          Our fabulous hotel, The Huntley is a blog post all by itself

      Looking towards Malibu (insert heavy sigh)

to the beach scene ~

to the street scene ~

     Excuse me ~ this is a parking garage. LOVE IT! They did something
     #clever; there was an illuminated sign listing the number of spots that
      were left in the garage - details people

Design minded-ness is everywhere.  Just because something must be utilitarian doesn't mean it can't be attractive or whimsical!

From dawn till dusk ~

I ate well ~

and drank well ~

hell, we didn't just drink, we learned the finer points of making our own cocktails from a master mixologist

I made new friends ~
      some of whom are Irene Turner, Kim Salter, Michele Alfano, 
       Andrew Dunning, and Sharon Mccormick

and reconnected with old friends ~
       great to see Lori Gilder and Erica Islas

we posed in silly poses ~

       The exterior of Miele Beverly Hills showroom was the office of the
        popular Charlie's Angels TV show.  It is still a stop on the tour bus ride
        around LA.  Patti Johnson, myself and Sharon Mccormick HAD to
         recreate the famous stance.
     

 
           Jonathan Legate and Margot Austin: twins on the Streets of San
            Francisco

     

and played silly games ~

       right Jonathan Legate?

We found fabulous resources at WestEdge Design Fair ~

       The Barker Hanger was really cool with planes literally taking off every
       15 minutes or so. overhead.  The show was well curated and intimate
       which made it nice.  You really got a chance to talk to the designers
       about their product.

     
     I sourced:
   

Kathryn M. Ireland and Grange

EIS Studio pebble seats

Rohl rock crystal faucet

Top Brew by Scanomat

St. Frank one of a kind Textiles

Barkskin by Caba Co.

And I fell in love with a little Pomeranian named Jiff ~

       who has over 400,000 twitter followers, btw

      You know I am a freak for cool lighting and there was plenty

As Usher's Can't Stop, Won't Stop spins atop the elevated DJ booth, I felt exhausted and exhilarated!  I knew we were in for an action packed, fun filled couple of days!

AND Blogtour rocked and rolled on ~ stay tuned for more...