The ETSY Party at CRAFTED #spon

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Jamie

Last Friday night I was invited out to CRAFTED for their first ever ETSY party.  Friday, August 24th was National Etsy Day, and Etsy was forming meetups across the US for artist’s to come together and craft together.

CRAFTED was the perfect venue for this, and they made sure to put one together.  It was a very successful event with over 1000 attendees. Just check out the pictures below:

They did an amazing job with the decorations considering they started out with absolutely none.

The tie dye station was located outside.  Although the company never received the t-shirts they had ordered for this event, but they still encouraged everyone to bring in something of their own to tie dye.

A nail polish station that we made sure to hit up (Erin, Mary, and Rebecca, and myself!)

There were a variety of craft stations throughout CRAFTED in which you could partake.  They even brought in Crafter Mark Montano from “The Big ASS book of Crafts.”

And, the craft I chose to partake in was making my very own “Idea Jar.”  I decided inside I’d place all the places I’d want to travel to or go see in LA or surrounding cities, and on a weekend that I happened to be bored I’d go in the jar and pull something out and that’s where life would take me:

CRAFTED is a great place to shop, and embrace local Los Angeles Artisans.  Did you know in order to exhibit in CRAFTED your goods must be made in Los Angeles?  The artist’s pay for a 10 x 10 space in a month what they would pay for one weekend at a Unique LA or Renegade Art Fair festival!

You’re more than welcome to share space with other artists, but you must be there 75% of the time.  CRAFTED has a 35 year lease for this space, meaning they have no intention of going anywhere, and they are going to expand every few months to become the largest permanent CRAFT venue of it’s kind  in the US.

This upcoming weekend for Labor Day they are doing it BBQ style.  Fox Pizza Bus will be there roasting a pig, and bringing their BBQ style pizza.  There will be live entertainment and live artist demonstrations.

Remember, CRAFTED is open every weekend throughout the year.

Fridays: 12pm to 8pm

Saturdays and Sundays: 11am to 7pm.

Disclosure: I was invited out to the Etsy party by the CRAFTED team.  A whole lot of swag was given, and we had a night of fun crafting. 

Keep an eye out in weeks to come where I begin to showcase some of the local artisans of CRAFTED with some possible fun giveaways in the future =) There are a ton of great local Los Angeles artists at this venue.  And for me, this is my way of supporting the ARTS.

 


Categories: Art, Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fresh Brothers is now OPEN in Brentwood!

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Jamie

Right along San Vincent Boulevard in Brentwood lies the brand new “Fresh Brother’s store.” What use to lie “Freshie” now has become Fresh Brothers, a fun and family friendly pizza chain in the Los Angeles area.

Fresh Brothers, if you haven’t heard, is LA’s most happening pizza chain. They’ve recently been named “Pizza’s Today’s Independent Pizzeria of the Year.” In June, Michael Greenburg, co-founder of Skechers USA, inc, made a personal investment in Fresh Brothers, and Fresh Brothers is looking to expand within the Los Angeles area.

Brentwood being their first expansion. By the time they discovered the land plot for this location, they turned it around within 26 days before opening on Friday, August 24th.  That is pretty incredible, and it shows you how dedicated this family chain is, run by Adam and Debbie Goldberg and brother Michael Goldberg,  Their brother Scott owns Miller Pizza Company in Chicago, and made the transition to the pizza business pretty easy considering pizza making was already in the family.

When I asked Adam and Debbie, “why pizza?”  Their response was that they wanted to get into a business that allowed more time with their family.  I asked them if that’s been happening, and his response was an astounding yes.

Last Sunday I was invited out to their new Brentwood location, and lo and behold, I even got to make my own pizza:

Erin from “horsingaroundinla” and myself creating our pizzas!

My Pizza Creation: Secret Family Pizza Sauce, Meatballs, Ham, Pineapple, Pepperoni and Cheese! YUM. On a Thin Style Pizza Crust.

After my pizza making skills I was feeling pretty confident and even asked Adam Goldberg if he’d hire me 😉 What do you think?  Looks pretty good, heh?

Fresh Brother’s offers party options in which you can have your children make their own pizza’s.  Fresh Brothers is very kid friendly, and often times even hands out dough for your child to play with as you wait for your pizza.

And good news for those of you that are Gluten Free!  They carry Gluten Free pizzas.  They get the crust from a vendor that comes to them in a sealed box.  They do not make the crust themselves.  So whether you’re gluten free, or have someone in your family that is, Fresh Brother’s is an option for you, and they bring back one of the favorites in pizza!

Their locations are based on pick up or delivery, but they do add tables inside in which you can easily stop in and have your pizza right there with you.  They have their own fresh brother’s delivery truck so they can deliver it right to your door.

But beyond their pizza, Fresh Brothers does have some other great options available:

For the meat lover, they have a selection of wings to choose from: Buffalo, Italian, and Chicken bites.  Their sauces include: mild, hot, bbq, roasted garlic bbq, and SUPER hot.  These wings are baked, not fried.

And another one of their specialties are their salads:

Salad varieties include:

The Fresh Salad: Spring Mix or romaine meets tomatoes, onions and cucumber.

Farmer’s Market Salad: A fresh mix of broccoli, corn, carrots, celery, cucumber, green pepper, mushrooms, onions and peas blended with a choice of spring mix or romaine.

BBQ Chicken Salad: Barbequed Chicken breast over a tasty bed of romaine, cheddar, corn, zesty onions, and black beans topped with fried onions.

Cobb Salad: Romaine lettuce, chicken breast, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, egg and tomatoes.

Greek Town Special: Healthy romaine lettuce, savory feta cheese, kalamata olives, cucumber, red onions, pepperoncini peppers, and tomatoes.

Antipasto Salad: Crisp romaine lettuce heaped with salad, ham, mozzarella cheese, green and black olives, onions, tomatoes and pepperoncini peppers.

Caesar Salad: Crunchy hearts of romaine, shredded parmesan and croutons.

Don’t those all sound great?  So, the next time  you’re looking to try some pizza, and you haven’t tried out Fresh Brothers, make a visit at one of their 7 locations: Redondo Beach, Manhatten Beach, Calabasas, Westlake Village, Marina Del Rey, Beverly Hills, and now BRENTWOOD!

Oh, and my personal indulgence:

Their FRESH KNOTS: Garlic bread tied in tasty knots, dusted with parmesan and a side of pizza sauce!

Fresh Brothers Brentwood:

11740 San Vincent Boulevard, right off the corner of Barrington.

They have their own parking lot right off of Gorham that they share with surrounding businesses.  So either walk, bike, or drive in.

Disclosure: I was invited out to Fresh Brothers to partake in making my own pizza, and I was showcased samples of their food.  I love their pizza and all opinions are my own.

And a personal thank you goes out to Adam Goldberg for taking the picture of myself and Erin creating our pizzas!  He got a good one =)

 

 

 

 

 


Categories: Cooking, Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Letter to My Younger Blogger Self:

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Jamie

Dear Me: (A Letter to My Younger Blogger Self)

When you start out on this adventure of blogging, it may start slow, but you eventually begin to find your groove. In the end, it’s okay if you change things around for a bit, and you don’t necessarily have to give yourself a single niche, this blog was started to talk about all the things you love, remember?

Don’t ever forget why you began to blog either. Remember, it was for your love of writing. And always go back to that. Down the road if you need a break, it’s okay to take a day or two off. Your readers will forgive you, and they’ll be there when you get back into the swing of things.

A few months down the road you’re going to realize how awesome it is to share knowledge of the things you know. And you’re going to find that people are really receptive to your photography tips. Yes, you will be the first to admit that you don’t know everything, but concentrate on the things you do know. There’s a whole wealth of people that enjoy your tips and advice, and look forward to them on Mondays.

In February, one of your articles begins to take off, and you begin to realize the possibilities, and how people are noticing your blog, and are starting to recognize you in person at blogging events. How awesome is that?

Although you’re not a food blogger, months down the road, you’re going to find how fun food can be. You will start to explore the possibilities of food photography, and the possibilities of how fun it can be to create new things and recipes. Some things work out, and you share, others you keep hidden to yourself, but you’re beginning to put yourself out there.

You’re also going to find out how much you truly enjoy promoting other people’s endeavors, and how much you want to see the success of something you believe in. When that happens, there’s no stopping you in getting the word out.

And the most important thing is to stay true to yourself. Only promote items that you would utilize yourself, and only promote movies that you would actually go see on your own accord. You may get pitched movies that you have no interest in so why would you take the time to write about it? Again, it’s about staying true to yourself.

PS: You’ve become a full on wino. Enjoy the ride, and keep exploring wineries. 😉

You may get pitched on a product that you don’t love, or aren’t feeling. When that happens, just send an email back and let them know your thoughts. They will appreciate you for your honesty, and again, you’re staying true to yourself.

In the end, don’t ever lose that “Minnesota Girl.” Minnesota is known for “Minnesota Nice.” Keep that going, and yes, there may be times when things get hard, and life throws you a curve ball, but you will have your blog to look upon, and realize you did something right.

Oh, and yea, this letter is a bit on the mushy side, but it only makes you human 😉


Categories: blogging, Life | Tags: , , , , | 8 Comments