LA Time: Beachy Keen

I am having an amazing time here in LA. Yesterday my sister & I headed up to Malibu to enjoy our old favorite stomping grounds. Back when Andrea went to Pepperdine she lived in a 4 bedroom place with 3 roomates, so pretty much I had own room and it was amazing. Yesterday we headed back to all our old favorite places (Coffee Bean, Planet Blue, M Fedric) people watched, shopped all the post-Christmas sales and window shopped at stores we had no business being in. Then we walked the beach & pier and enjoyed drinks and snacks. We couldn't have asked for the amazing weather that we enjoyed.

I couldn't stop staring at the ocean, it hypnotizes me.

A cocktail ocean side is the second best thing to being in the ocean.
I freaking love beach time.

I love the heck outta LA, and I plan on enjoying every minute I have down here.

Today I am playing with Sara in Hermosa, I wish I could share this amazing 70 degree weather with you all. I hope you get some playtime in this Thursday as well.

Things I love: Hearts & Sparkles

I hope you all are having an amazing Holiday season. My Christmas was filled with some Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and Audrey Hepburn goodies. I love having inspirational TALENTED ladies as my heroes and idols. My Christmas was also filled with toys, gadgets and games because I believe you should always remain a kid at heart (however, emotionally you should ALWAYS be growing!!).

I love this time year because all my favorites come back to town and all my high school friends hang out just like they used to. I managed to squeeze in time with my high school clique, neighborhood gang, and reconnect with my guy friend crew.

They all make me feel young again, and there's a reason I've kept them around & so close for so long.

Being around those whom I love & respect shined a light on as to why I was keeping people close to me that were only bringing me down.

Never be afraid to remove people from your life that truly don't deserve your time, energy or love. It's not easy and it's a hard pill to swallow but sometimes it's just necessary.

Angie is my favorite Britney Spears fan and she's a LOV-ar & I heart the sparkles out of her!!

Today I'm off to LA to spend time with all my SoCal faves. I have very little planned besides an amazing white party on New Years Eve (my first time out celebrating since I was 20!!).

So excited to rock this hot little thing:

So seriously, if you're in LA and have some time I'm ALWAYS down for a coffee (or cocktail) you should hit me up.

And in the meantime watch me live blog from LA on Facebook (Amber Lane - friend/subscribe me or fan me Ambersnotebook) Twitter and on Instagram (Ambersnotebook).

I hope you use this time to think about what goals you would like to accomplish this year, BIG & SMALL.

My Goals, you ask?

-apply for Survivor

-continue my mission of spreading positive energy around

-attend as many parties as possible

-learn a new photobooth pose

-start making more money

-find a more permanent living situation

-hop back in the dating pool (SCARY!!)

-continue to ROCK MY THANG OUT!!

Things I Love: Half Birthdays

Today I turned 29 & a half.

AND A HALF.

And let me tell you, that half matters. The past 6 months have been a whirlwind (Tornado? HURRICANE?).

And I've gone through probably the biggest life change I have had thus far. My 29th birthday on June 14th marked a year since I sick with pneumonia.

During the two months that I spent in & out of the hospital, I began to reflect on why I was so unhappy with my life and I began to make some changes.

I decided I didn't want to be a teacher anymore. And I took a leap of faith that I could propel my blog into something more then a hobby.

I grew a pair (Mom, just Urban dictionary it) and started going to every party, event and meet up I heard about.

It might look easy, but it's hard to do. Going blindly into an event, party or situation is scary, and I'll be the first to tell you that.

{You don't even know how many times I got back in my car, drove away, and FORCED myself to go back and go inside}.

But I did it, and it paid off.

A year later I go to parties and events several times a week, and I couldn't be more gracious and excited about EVERY single one I attend.

And I am MORE then grateful & blessed with all the new friendships I've made, all the reconnecting I've done with old friends & all the relationships that have grown stronger these past months.

I have met some AMAZING people these past six months, and it's been unreal.

I'm looking forward to my next 6 months and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be celebrating every SINGLE last day that I have in my Twenties.

It was a decade in my life that shaped and changed me into the woman (a Grown Ass one, obvi) that I am today.

I hope you're living the life you love, and if you're not, try to make some changes.

Big & small.

Loving your life is an amazing way to feel, trust me, I haven't always felt this way.

Don't be afraid.

Time to start party planning, my birthday party is going to be a doozy!!

Photobooth's are going to be necessary, duh.

Things I Love: Treating Myself

Ever wondered what items catch my eye when I'm shopping? Or need a couple more things to put on your holiday wislist? Make sure to check out my (and other fabulous SF & NY blogger's) Pop-up shops on SHopittome.com to see our must have items this Winter. My theme? PARTY hopping, duh. (Party hopping posts to follow...)

Peep the scene and let me know what you think!

Look of the Day: Lady GAW GAW

If you know anything about me, you know I love old classic movies and classic movie stars. There's something about movie stars like Vivian Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn {among others} that intrigues me to pieces. I can never read enough about them. I just love hearing about their romances (divorces?!) , their roads to fame and discovering who they were off screen and behind closed doors. It's as if the more I learn about my icons the closer I feel to them. So naturally I was more then excited to see My Week With Marilyn.
My friend Vanessa and I decided to make a GAW aka Grown Ass Woman (something I was recently called) night of it and go out for dinner and a movie. Well me, being me, I couldn't help but try to attempt my best Marilyn inspired look for the occasion. It was a lipstick, curler and lingerie (who cares if no one is going to see them, you'll feel like a lady!) kind of night for sure. Oh and extra mascara, eyeliner and heels, just like Marilyn.

Just like Marilyn.
When Marilyn wasn't wriggling around in tight dresses or posing for the camera she always wore something classic, ladylike and, well, slightly conservative. My Rag & Bone button up blouse seemed to fit the bill. Although my curls fell, there was something about the dramatic side part and flouncy blonde waves that made me feel, well, like a GAW.

The lipstick might have helped too.

Rag & Bone Button Front Blouse

Coffeeshop Coat

Free People Corduroys

Steve Madden Booties

This 6 year old jacket seemed perfectly GAW.

and may I recommend my fave brand Wacoal/B Tempted for lingerie (and if you've never been fitted for a bra I HIGHLY recommend it).

And if Santa is reading this, I'll take anything out of the Nordstrom December Lingerie catalog.

There's something to be said for the old Glamourous Hollywood Movie Stars and their elegant, graceful and ladylike ways. I don't see that enough in Hollywood these days. Michelle Williams, however, does have that grace; and I thought she did an excellent job as Marilyn, particularly in the scenes when Marilyn was herself, away from the camera. I definitely recommend checking My Week With Marilyn out.

Some of the things I took away from the movie:

Positive energy is so incredibly powerful AND it's infectious.

Believing in people and looking for the good in them can help you see the good in yourself.

We should all have a cheerleader {or a whole squad of them} and you should never stop cheering other people on, it'll make you feel good as well as them.

Movie Stars & famous people are just like you & me and we all have insecurities.

Glamour & Grace never go out of style.

People I Love: Sara

There are friends in your life that make an impact on you and your life. They are the ones who through thick & thin you KNOW you can turn to. The ones that you have more stories together then you can count. The memories, experiences and life lessons that you had together really meant something and STILL mean something.

Sara is one of those friends to me. There's not a person in the world that I get more dancey & silly with. We're not normal.

Sara and I went to preschool together, and we were the "Queen Bees "of that little church preschool. After preschool we went our separate ways but over the years I always remember her name coming up with soccer friends and other friends who went to her elementary and middle school.

Sara Gliebe is not one to forget.

During our freshman orientation I wanted to reconnect and meet as many people as I could from the other main middle school that our high school was combining with. And when I saw Sara (and her older sis Lexie) I walked right up to them and re-introduced myself.

Our friendship snowballed from there and we instantly hit it off. As Sara recalls I was the funky, slightly dorky friend with a camera around her neck.

Um not much has changed, right?

Sara's family even "took me in" when my parents got divorced. I needed an escape and Sara's family let me stay over EVERY single weekend of Sophomore year when I was dealing with my changed home life. I needed an outlet and being silly with Sara was the direction I took.

We did stuff like driving around town, squirting people with squirt guns, ordering Big Macs from Jack in the Box or sitting "farmer style" (Lexie, Sara and I sitting three to the front in Lexie's station wagon).

We were WEIRD!

Oh and we wanted Facebook before there was Facebook. We would drive around town just to see what people were up to, sometimes taking unexpected pictures of people when they were getting out of their cars to use the local payphone (yup, I'm that old).

This behavior which we found to be silly was not understood by the popular senior girls and eventually Sara and I were dubbed the "Stalker Bitches" and were significantly harassed (rumors were spread, people tried to run us over, someone even had a loud speaker in their car which people would get on and yell at us as we walked to our cars). I even had someone do an "11" (peeling out) on my parents front lawn. Some of our friends even joined in on the fun because, well, it was cool. The senior girls and boys were doing it.

All Sara and I wanted to do was laugh, dance and be silly.

But Sara and I stood strong, we knew that behind closed doors people really liked us. Although the constant bullying lead us to make some poor decisions, which eventually resulted in us attending the local community college. Soon after Sara moved to San Diego and our paths drifted apart once again. We kept in touch, and saw each other once year when Sara was in town for Christmas. But we were never as close as we were in high school.

Back in August when I announced my divorce Sara was one of the first people to call and see how I was. She invited me to come down to Hermosa Beach and stay with her for Labor Day weekend, I already had plans to go to Oregon so I thanked her for the invite and promised I would take her up on the offer.

When I hung up the phone I thought about my schedule and realized I didn't have plans for the following weekend, and I immediately called her back and I asked if that weekend would work, luckily it did. I booked a flight went down. Right away Sara and I picked up right back where we left off. And I couldn't have been happier about it.

I'm so happy to have Sara in my life, back in my life, and am MORE then grateful to have a new place to couch surf on the regular. And I'm SO HAPPY to have my favorite tiny dancer back in my life.

It's funny how the more things change the more they stay the same.

Never forgot those people, friendships and experiences that changed and shaped your life.

I know I never will.

LOVE YOU SARA & THE WHOLE G-CLAN!!

Things I Love: Sunshine & Rainbows

I like LA like A LOT. And I am more then grateful that my sister and long-time friend Sara are so welcoming & let me couch surf in SoCal on the reg. I'm not going to lie, after being in a relationship for 9 yeas (lived together for 7!!) I get lonely.

Yup, that's right, divorce isn't all sunshine & rainbows. It hurts, like A LOT. But when I'm in LA, Hollywood and Hermosa Beach I feel anything but lonely and I'm SO grateful for that. I'm MORE then happy to be heading down to enjoy my favorite places & people. Oh and to DANCE (OCEAN BAR HOLLA!!).

Hey, if you're a SoCaler I'd love to kick it sometime. You can find me working at Coffee Bean or at the Sunset Marquis most weekdays when I'm there (AKA tomorrow).

If you're not a SoCaler, follow my adventures on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Ambersnotebook on all three).

I guarantee I'll make you laugh at least once.

I mean I do stuff like this...

And this is the kind of stuff you get see if you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Enjoy your last weekend before the Holidays really KICK into gear!!

On My Radar: findersKEEPERS

It's a fact that I'm a sucker for Australian clothing brands. I mean, I love me some Mink Pink (as seen here, here and my FAVE) & One Teaspoon. They're two of my favorite brands and they both happen to be from Down Under. Their pieces always seem different and original, and I can't help but fall in love with them.

I think the surfer, beachy feel of their brands speak to the California girl in me. And you know I love the beach & surfers! My current Aussi obession (no, not you Kimmi) is findersKEEPERS.

Umm OMG!

I NEED every dress of theirs that I have laid my eyes on. Hotness is all I can say. I am definitely going to be adding a few of their pieces to my collection, their stuff is badical.

Just check out how rad their promo video is.

I currently have it on repeat, and it's bringing me back to being at Ocean Bar & dancing to DJ Dik (who is going to be playing in SF Dec 9th -- who wants to come dance with me?!)

Finders Keepers - Stardust* from Aus Labels on Vimeo.

And if I'm out dancing I definitely hope to be wearing one of these dresses:

{click images for details}

What brands are you currently eyeing?

And seriously SF friends come DANCE with me!!

Things That Make Me Smile: Fairytale Days

Last Thursday was another one of those days I had to pinch myself to remind myself this really is my life. When I was invited to attend a brunch at Neiman Marcus with Joseph Altuzarra you know I was more then excited. Brunch at Neiman Marcus with a French fashion designer?! Sign me up! Once my excitement settled I was left with the question: What does one wear to such an event?
I've got my night event outfits down, but an 11:00 brunch on a Thursday? With a FASHION DESIGNER? And he's French, none-the-less. I discussed my outfit ideas with my friend Vanessa and her mother. Perhaps wool skirt (it is fall), or a blazer (conservative). Nothing too short that was for sure.
When I came back to my closet, I came across a never before worn Philip Lim 3.0 dress purchased several years back (again after seeing Lauren Conrad wear it). I had always planned on hemming because it was a bit longer then I would typically wear. Turns out it was the perfect dress and length for such and event.

As I walked to the event I was texting my friend Vanessa about how nervous I was and how over dressed I felt. A cream dress, Louboutin's and lipstick at 11am? So not my jam. But when I arrived at the event and saw the table settings, camera crew and oh yeah the head-to-toe chic Anh, my nerves calmed.

Oh that is until I ate the butter, thinking it was yogurt. Yeah, I did that. I also live tweeted Joseph's name as Jonathan. What did I tell you about mistakes?

You forget about them when you are in the presence of greatness, and how amazing is this table setting?

The food was excellent. Especially if you like butter, kidding!

The quiche was fantastic, as well as the salad and brioche.

And you know I had a little bubbly.

What's my name? Amber Lane (and I like Champagne!!).

Anh and I were seated rather close to Joseph, he was so charming and Katie aka MrsZambrano (seated to Joseph's left) did an excellent job interviewing him! And his Grandma (seated to his right) was a hoot!

MrsZambrano commented that Klassy & I are "equally hyper", I'm going to go with silly. We have a BLAST together. And who does't like to hangout with someone who introduces you as blog superstar?! Gotta thank my manager ahem, I mean Klassy, for that tag-line.

During the brunch we viewed Joseph's fall & resort lines. Both of which we inspired by the 90's. (LOVE). The fall collection was included lots argyle (yup, I wore that in the 90's) and deconstructed parka's. The collection was inspired by Kate Moss and Johnny Depp. The whole line was like tying a flannel around your waist without having to do that, that was the vibe of the line.

While the resort was centered around eyelet fabric (think Alicia & Liv driving by lake and frolicking with a country boy, oh yeah).

After we all got to meet Joseph. So fun!!

Kristen and Joseph.

Oh and hang with his Gma!!

After the magical brunch I went to change (in parking lot restroom none-the-less) and headed to do some shopping. The fairy tale was over, but the day wasn't.

I still had to more events to go to and one more designer to meet! I went to Carrots to celebrate their 4th anniversary party hosted byTaylor, Caitlin and Erin. Love those ladies.

My Loubs were killing me by then and Kim, Elisabeth and Gigi witnessed me walk (hobble!) barefoot to my car to relieve my feet from their Louboutin prison.

{rocking my new theory blouse}

We then hit the new Steven Alan store where we got to meet the man himself. Super approachable and happy to be in San Francisco.

With Heather, Tara, Mr. Alan and Kristal. LOVE those ladies.

and with Meghan, Katie, Mira, and Joanna.

Such an amazing day. I can't tell you all how grateful I am for all the opportunities that have come my way!!