NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
I haven't left Fashiontribes.com. I am still part of the staff. It was to streamline the blogs.
Why the move?
So you can find it easier and the pages will load faster.
There's a ton of new podcasts and features waiting to go up. So check out the new location and let me know what you think!
Stevie Wilson
NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Attention Southern California Lifehouse fans!! Want to be a part of an exclusive major internet event with Lifehouse? Yahoo! Music and Geffen Records want you to join us when Lifehouse takes the stage for Nissan Live Sets in West Los Angeles, CA.
Check it out at the LA-Story.Com blog
Stevie Wilson
I love to shop especially for cutting edge fashions but can't always (or ever) afford the price tags on my favorite designer brands. Does this happen to you?
NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Well it's time for a Bargain Alert!!
There's an online site that's got some major price slashing going on. Where?
Hit the LA-Story.com blog to get the deets. Better hurry, it ends June 4!!
Stevie Wilson
Want a bit of newsy news? Catch onto WebSnob and check out what's cooking in our collective kitchens-- a little fashion, a little beauty, a little commentary, even a video or two
Get The REAL Dish!
Fashion plates go Parisian chic with Delight.com's Les Femmes Dish Set and Coquette says snatch them up before they are all gone!
Give your fave 4-legged fashionista a chic, Sienna Miller-inspired leg up by rocking cruelty-free fashion suggests Fashiontribes.
There's MORE Web Snob-- but you need to hit the NEW site for LA-STORY.. which is www.LA-STORY.COM! So easy and just a click away..
saw this in last week's Best Bets from the email newsletter from NYC that I subscribe too. What's really cute is the 'tude of the shirt, it's cotton and perfect for summer fun. Bright catchy colors and I love the price --$34.00..
want to know where to get this cheeky little shirt?
Check it out on the www.la-story.com , the new home for LA Story's 411 that makes it easier & faster to find online!
Stevie Wilson
Ever wonder how to handle your iPOD shuffle and not lose it and not bang it up? ( raising hand here).
NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Ever wonder where your keys are --with bag or hands full of stuff? (this is *so* my issue).
Ever wonder how to keep your ear buds from getting lost or so tangled up that you could strangle yourself? (sorry, but that's so totally me and my bffs).
How about ever been in a situation where you can't find a church key? (don't know what that is? bottle opener!)
Problem solved with a Mophie Bevy-- it's a protective case for the Shuffle, keychain, earbud wrap and also a church key all in one.
Easy, simple and affordable. Check it out. It's worth it.
Stevie Wilson
2nd Annual Night of Spirits Event Benefits the LA Chapter, Muscular Dystrophy Association
For MORE information on this event, please check out
www.LA-STORY.com for all the details.
Hopefully that image got your attention in case the headline didn't. (just wait. there are OTHER great photos. Such a creative line- pushing it to the edge!)
Fly Naked is a new line of jewelry for men (or maybe for women too) that's very much outside the box . Designed for the man who knows who he is, jewelry is one of the ways he speaks his mind -- ostentatious he isn't, but he is bold.
There's a lot more to this post! Lots of great photos and 411, so check it out on the new blog location: www.LA-Story.com
Stevie Wilson
Papierblog ponders whether Australian designer Josh Goot made a mistake going with Target
Stylehive has just launched Style Communities with great brands such as InStyle, Gap, Shopbop and Ron Herman! Check them out and join today!
LA STORY suggests you "Surrender" to the luscious voice of Jane Monheit in her podcast!
FitFlops are all the rage in London says Girlawhirl
Second City Style is making beautiful music with the accordion...pleat this summer.
SheFinds - -Fashion, Beauty, FINDS: Chic Luggage for Chic Travelers
Styleaholics Love the 80's? Love Cassettes? Then you're gonna love these wallets!
Jewelry gets the bag as The Jewelry Weblog dicusses the idea of combining jewelry bling with hand bag function.
eBelle5 discovers a handful of Marc Jacobs Designer Handbags that retail for under $65
Find out what's tops for Pops with StyleBakery.com's list of Father's Day Gifts he's sure to love
Don't you hate it when you spot another gal in your favorite outfit? Coquette introduces you to the unique handprinted fashions of Snoozer Loser.
Zzzzzz.....time to catch up on your beauty sleep, advises Fashiontribes. In honor of Better Sleep Month, learn the secrets of a good night's sleep from experts at the Better Sleep Council.
Some dames dig dogs, other kittens cuddle cats-Kristopher prefers glammy dead animals, like a vintage alligator bag.
It's sale season at Bag Snob so get your goodies before they sell out!
The Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick collection pays tribute to the strength and beauty of ancient Greek goddesses.
Channeling his Greek heritage, Napoleon Perdis, make-up artist extraordinare (who recently opened a store on Hollywood Blvd. The party was so extraordinarily packed, that the Fire Marshall was ready to close the doors. EEEK. More about this later)
Available in five different finishes in thirty shades, each lipstick carries with it the essence of the all-powerful mythological allure that the goddesses possessed.
Channeling such goddesses as Aphrodite, Calliope and Calypso, each lipstick boasts a sumptuous blend of natural waxes, shine-infused polymers,
the emollient properties of evening primrose, jojoba and apricot nut oils and free radical scavenging anti-oxidants, ball to form one of the most high performance lipsticks ever created.
Pro-tip: For devastatingly desirable lips – lavish with Lip Lacquer-- the non-sticky slightly sheer but oh-so-sexy lipgloss that's to die for!
Available for $22 at Napoleon Perdis stores, Saks Fifth Avenue and select independent retailers
Stevie Wilson
If you don't know who Jane Monheit is, please don't skip over this podcast. This is really something different. It's not your typical 'indie rock/pop' person that I interview. Instead it's a singer whose vocal prowess is phenomenal and she's just as beautiful as her voice. Grammy nominated Monheit has just dropped her seventh album and still finds there's a goldmine of songs in the pop/jazz repetoire to sing-- and bring her own tone, "voice", personality to each one of these songs and make them her own.
Produced by the magician producer, Jorge Callandrelli (Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and more, Surrender features 10 tracks of fab ballads and sexy and romantic bossa novas. Now you might not recognize all these names but you do know Stevie Wonder and Jane covers Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” in a magical way. She also worked with Sergio Mendes’ on his “So Many Stars,” which he produced, arranged and guests on, along with Johnny Mandel & Paul Francis Webster’s “A Time for Love.” There's so much depth to these songs, that they don't sound like classics but fresh material.
Working with her core of musicians including Ari Ambrose (saxophone), Michael Kanan (piano and Fender Rhodes), Orlando Le Fleming (bass), Rick Montalbano (drums) and Miles Okazaki (guitar), Monheit has shown us that not only can she do the classics, but she can take contemporary material and make it gorgeous as well as venture into Brazilian jazzy bossa nova beats and produce a lush, sexy "meet me in Rio" feel to these amazing songs - and she's very very good at interpreting the romance of the language.
Check out the podcast so that you can learn the who, what, where, why and how about this album as Jane Monheit gives us some time to ask her about her newest "baby" and what she's doing in her life when she's not on the road or in the studio-- and you will be surprised at the things she really loves. Or -- if you already listen to Monheit-- you won't be surprised. She's a multi-faceted, fun-loving person whose enthusiasm for her favorite things should be 'bottled" for it's pop and fizz. Don't forget to check out the track listings-- there are 2 streaming songs!
Surrender Track listing:
1. If You Went Away
2. Surrender
3. Rio De Maio (with Ivan Lins)
4. Like A Lover
5. Só Tinha De Ser Com Você
www.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/asx/JaneMonheit-SoTinhaDeSerComVoce.asx
www.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/ram/JaneMonheit-SoTinhaDeSerComVoce.rm
6. So Many Stars (with Sergio Mendes)
7. Moon River
8. Overjoyed
9. Caminhos Cruzados (with Toots Thielemans)
ww.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/asx/JaneMonheit-CaminhosCruzados.asx
www.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/ram/JaneMonheit-CaminhosCruzados.rm
10. A Time For Love
Want to know more about Jane Monheit? Check out these websites:
Jane Monheit Concord Official Site:
http://concordmusicgroup.com/janemonheit
Jane Monheit Official Site:
http://www.janemonheitonline.com
Jane Monheit on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/janemonheit
Jane Monheit Surrender Tour Dates
06/02 The Cleveland Playhouse Cleveland, Ohio
06/05 -06/10 Catalina Bar and Grill Los Angeles, CA
06/13 -06/14 Soho Restaurant & Music Club Santa Barbara, CA
06/15 Anthology Restaurant Live San Diego, CA
06/16 Anthropology Restaurant Live San Diego, CA
06/17 The Coach House San Juan Capistrano, CA
06/22-06/23 Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club Miami Beach, FL
07/09 Kuumba Jazz Center Santa Cruz, CA
07/12-07/15 Yoshi's Oakland, CA
07/17-07/22 Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
08/10 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
08/11 Mt. Gretna Playhouse Mount Gretna, PA
08/12 Planting Fields Arboretum Oyster Bay, NY
08/18 Mable House Amphitheatre Mableton, GA
09/01 On The Waterfront Festival Rockford, IL
09/22 Travis Park San Antonio, TX
09/23 One World Theatre Austin, TX
10/09-10/11 Blue Note New York, New York
Ready to buy now?
¡BAJA! COOKING ON THE EDGE By Deborah M. Schneider
“the reigning queen of San Diego chefs.” – Bon Appétit
Photographs by Maren Caruso
Winner of the 2006 IACP Award for Best Photography for CHOCOLATE OBSESSION
If you have been to Rubios, Baja Fresh or actually been to Baja Mexico, there's nothing like an authentic BAJA style taco. It's a taste that is rarely duplicated here in the US and typically not well-- till now when you have Deb Schneider giving you the step by step hints, tips and ingredients to put together not only the most killer tacos but the most incredible recipes for an amazing BAJA style menu.
YUM is all I can say. It made me want to COOK-- and trust me that's no easy feat these day.
She covers categories like:
This book includes the secret sauce for those amazing fish tacos, terrific salsa recipes and tons more things that are EASILY prepared.
Available at Amazon.com
All I can say is YUMMY!! I love Baja style cooking!
Want a taste test? Here's a pretty easy to do recipe for a cheese-cake like flan that's to die for.
Cream Cheese Flan with Orange Sage Honey
Traditional flan is a heavy combination of sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and runny caramel. I much prefer this version, which despite the name is more like a light delicious cheesecake. The finished, chilled flans will pop right out of nonstick muffin pans or a soft silicone mold, or you can bake and serve in 6-ounce porcelain ramekins. Sara Polczynski developed the basic recipe, which I have adapted.
Makes 10 individual flans.
Orange Honey Syrup
1⁄2 cup mesquite honey or other dark honey (see note below)
1 fresh sage leaf
1 large orange
Flan
1 pound cream cheese
7 large eggs
2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh berries or peaches (optional)
Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the honey and sage. Remove long strips of zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler and add to the honey (reserve the rest of the orange for another use). Place over medium-low heat until warm. Let steep, off the heat, for several hours or overnight. Remove and discard the zest and sage.
Make the flan: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Set 10 (6-ounce) straight-sided soufflé dishes in a roasting pan just large enough to hold them.
In a blender, combine the cream cheese, eggs, condensed milk, milk, and vanilla; process until very smooth. Divide the mixture evenly among the dishes.
Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Bake the flans for 40 to 50 minutes, or until they are no longer liquid, feel barely firm in the center, and jiggle only slightly when moved. Remove from the water bath, cool, and chill.
If you wish to turn out the flans, hold a dessert plate firmly over each mold and quickly turn upside down. Drizzle the tops with the honey and garnish with the fruit.
Note: The flan may be baked in one large dish, instead of individually. Increase the baking time to 1 1⁄2 hours. Agave syrup (available at health food stores) may be substituted for the honey. The syrup is agave sap boiled down to a honey-like consistency, with a unique, gently herby flavor.
Recipe from ¡BAJA! COOKING ON THE EDGE By Deborah M. Schneider, photographs by Maren Caruso (Rodale; June 2006).
Stevie Wilson
Looking for some sexy little bag to spark your LBD? How about something to dazzle that top and jeans?
Turn to Jalda for some incredibly amazing bags. She doesn't do just metallics. She has other textures, presentations too-- but these are smokin' for summer and ideal for holiday! Think of the cost per use- it's suddenly pennies!
www.jaldastyle.com or call 310 203 0888 (that's LA baby!)
Stevie Wilson
Check this out. Planet Funk the store in LA and PlanetFunk.com is having a sale. Not just ANY sale mind you, but a sale where the more you buy, the more you save.
Buy one sale item -- get 25% off
Buy THREE sale items-- get 40% off!
NOW that's a deal-- but it's a LIMITED TIME OFFER!!
Can't be combined with any other special offer but it's definitely worth taking some time to surf the site and get some bargains in the process!!
Now if paying the credit card were that easy!!
Stevie Wilson
Maybe you have heard about the carnage in DARFUR.. or maybe not.
If not, call this a reality check because you NEED to know that there are people being slaughtered out there. You might think that there is nothing you can do. Maybe you feel that you can barely make ends meet and you cannot help in any way.
Guess what- YOU CAN.. By using your computer to watch the NEW DAY video from THE KIN trigger a donation to halt the brutal genocide in Darfur simply by watching The Kin's video hosted by Revver.com.
"The tragic genocide that the people of Darfur are being forced to endure is horrifying - my brother and I felt we had a responsibility to do whatever we could to help," says Isaac Koren, one half of The Kin duo. "The groundbreaking technology of Revver presented us with a solution where anyone with a computer - a child, grandmother, taxi driver - can make a difference immediately, to save lives and halt the genocide in Darfur."
The Kin aims to raise $350,000 with a high-tech campaign tapping the power of the Web, video and music.
A complex and bloody civil war that has left 400,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced in just three years, the Darfur conflict is a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape and mass slaughter unmatched in the 21st Century.
Aletheia Entertainment recording artists The Kin, led by Australian brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren, are the most recent artists to join the growing world contingent of concerned citizens.
The brother musicians have made a video of a stirringly soulful acoustic performance of their song, "New Day" available through Revver.com. (I know where it was shot because I saw them perform there -- just for me and my photographer-- that will come in another blog)
As a "Revverized" video, "New Day" has technology embedded into the clip which triggers a donation to SaveDarfur.org every time a viewer watches the entire video and clicks through to the sponsor's link displayed at the end.
Viewers who visit the video at http://www.thekin.com/savedarfur to see and hear "New Day" will definitely consider it time well spent.
"This is a song about overcoming oppression," says Thorry. "The words visualize a time when people come together for peace."
"A lot of people want to help, but they don't think they can afford the time or the money," Isaac Koren concludes. "We're happy to help bring critically-needed aid to Darfur in a very simple way: All you have to do is watch a video.
This fantastic spontaneous acoustic performance shot in a California parking garage, this is acoustic musicianship at its best.. with their gorgeous harmonies and passion for the topic with the accompaniement a single guitar, these guys are smokin'. The lyrical message is one of hope and that we can make a difference-- YOU can make a difference. They are trying to make a difference and have already started the process. You need only to watch the video and click on the link. Pass it on to friends and tell them to watch (they will love the unique vocalizations and style of this new band) and then click the link.
It doesn't get any easier than this my peeps. So watch the video.. it's an easy 3-4 minutes to see these guys LIVE acoustically --in a garage no less- listen to the power and passion in their voices, their lyrics, in their presentation. You can help.
.
Stevie Wilson
Maybe you have heard about the carnage in DARFUR.. or maybe not.
If not, call this a reality check because you NEED to know that there are people being slaughtered out there. You might think that there is nothing you can do. Maybe you feel that you can barely make ends meet and you cannot help in any way.
Guess what- YOU CAN.. By using your computer to watch the NEW DAY video from THE KIN trigger a donation to halt the brutal genocide in Darfur simply by watching The Kin's video hosted by Revver.com.
"The tragic genocide that the people of Darfur are being forced to endure is horrifying - my brother and I felt we had a responsibility to do whatever we could to help," says Isaac Koren, one half of The Kin duo. "The groundbreaking technology of Revver presented us with a solution where anyone with a computer - a child, grandmother, taxi driver - can make a difference immediately, to save lives and halt the genocide in Darfur."
The Kin aims to raise $350,000 with a high-tech campaign tapping the power of the Web, video and music.
A complex and bloody civil war that has left 400,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced in just three years, the Darfur conflict is a calculated campaign of disp
