CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles!

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Jamie

Last weekend was the Grand Opening of CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles.  Since this amazing craft facility opened up in the town I lived in I couldn’t wait to check it out.  CRAFTED is where they refurbished one of the old warehouse buildings, and cleaned it up to bring in different art and craft vendors to showcase their products near the San Pedro waterfront.

It brings convenience to the vendors in the sense that they have one facility to go to each weekend instead of looking for the latest craft fair to attend.  CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles will be open 52 weeks out of the year Friday – Sunday from 11am to 7pm.  The vendors have to be at their booth 75% of the time throughout the year in order to be allowed to exhibit there.   This way, the vendors can still attend other craft fairs when needed to help bring more awareness to their brand.

After work on Friday I headed out after inputting my orders to see what it was all about:

As you drive there, in order to park, know you have to turn on 22nd Street, and not into the parking lot directly behind the warehouse off of Harbor Blvd.  That parking lot is actually for a construction site, and not the actual parking for the CRAFTED facility.  I made that mistake on Friday 😉

And below you will find the things I really loved about my first visit at CRAFTED:

1) How Clean it Was

When you walk into the facility, you will see booths upon booths.  You begin walking, and you begin to notice how clean the floor is, and how clean the booths are.  The booths start out just as a blocked off square, but then each vendor takes that space and truly begins to make it their own.

2) The Signs

Each booth has a sign above their space that signifies the vendor that is showcasing there, and let me tell you, their signs are amazing.  Below you will find a collage of some of the Artist’s signs:

My favorite sign is the top sign created by WoodBrain (Lindsay Zuelich)  Her entire booth is surrounded by items made from wood: necklaces, belt buckles, and much more.  I love her stuff.  Meriebable who shares a booth with Lindsay has amazing purses, and their sign truly draws you into the booth.

The Artistic Rite also has a very beautiful sign available, and I had to showcase it for all of you to see.  She sells very beautiful pieces of jewelry and crafts in her booth that are pretty incredible to look at.  Parchment is a cookie company that she sells for 2.50 a piece.  I tried the chocolate chip and her orange sugar cookies, and they were incredibly moist, and so, so good.

It’s Me, Mary is an artist that sells handmade pot holders, hats, and other fun items throughout her booth.  I also took the picture for my friend at Along Comes Mary.  

The Red Car Market also put a lot of work into their sign, and after talking to one of the ladies in the booth, she told me they were very proud of their sign, and I don’t blame them.  Inside their booth they have a variety of gourmet food options including: sauces, Pop Candy, San Angel Mole, All Spice Cafe, and a few others.  They are definitely worth checking out.

And then Hydrangea Hippo.  I loved her sign, but more importantly, I love her booth.  If you’re an avid scrapbooker, you will also love it.  She has a lot of handmade scrapbooks available for purchase, also some journals, and if you look in one corner, a place destinated for all things Disney =)

3) They’re Going to Expand!

Grand opening for CRAFTED is just the beginning phase.  There are 2 buildings, and their goal is to eventually fill both.  Every 3 months, more space will open up, and more vendors will come in.  In the end, they are hoping to have 500 vendors fill this warehouse, and have fun events happening every weekend throughout the year.  YES, I’m so excited that I live so close to this fun facility.

4) Performances throughout the Day!

Grand opening had a host of events from pony rides outside, food trucks on the side to fill your food needs, and even performances from local artists such as: The Lonely Wild, Alicia Murphy, SilverLake Contemporary Ballet.  And I’m sure every weekend they will have other performers come in to showcase their talent throughout the year.

5) The ART

And just walking around and seeing the amazing talent all over.  There is jewelry, wonderful lotions, apparel, art, illustrations, and photography, home decor and accessories, succulent plants, stationary and paper goods, toys and games, and even booths on events around the area in San Pedro.

And not to mention some of the food that can be found throughout the booths (which I have to admit, are my favorite to buy and browse through.)

They had an incredible grand opening weekend where some vendors were even selling out of their products.   So, I look forward to keeping an eye on CRAFTED and see what vendors will be at the next stage of expansion.  It is definitely worth checking out, and perhaps, next weekend when you hit up BATTLESHIP Iowa, you will also take some time to take a peek at all the wonderful Vendors found at CRAFTED.

 

 

 

 

 


Categories: Art, Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Have you heard of KLUTCHclub? #spon

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Jamie

What is KLUTCHclub?

KLUTCHclub is a monthly subscription box that will load you up with some of the latest products in the health and fitness realm.  For only 18 dollars a month, you will receive a box that has 50 dollars or more worth of products delivered to your door.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of monthly subscription boxes.  By the time you receive the gift at your door, you forget all about it, so it’s a neat surprise every time.

What was in MY KLUTCHclub?

1) thinkTHIN Bars

These bars are wonderful, and when I saw they were in my box, I was ecstatic.  I’ve been a huge fan of the thinkTHIN bars since I first tried them.  These bars focus on weight wellness, are gluten free, and either have protein or low calories involved in their bars, and the best part is how good they taste.

2) Yoga Download

They provided one free download for a free yoga class off of yogadownload.com.  How cool is that?  I haven’t checked out the classes quite yet, but I’ve always wanted to try out yoga, and am far too embarrassed to try it out in a class around others, so the perfect opportunity has come to me.  A chance to try it out at home.

3) KLUTCHclub Water Bottle

It was nice to see the box came with a water bottle.  I know I’m running low on them at home, and it will make it convenient to bring with me while working throughout the day, and this will only encourage me to drink more water, just what I need.

4) O.N.E Coconut Water

It seems like everyone’s coming out with coconut water these days.  The first company I ever ran across with coconut water was the O.N.E brand, so it was nice to see an old, familiar face in my box.  It’ll go perfectly with my thinkTHIN bars.

5) Hydroxatone

They provided me with a sample of Hydroxatone’s Instant Effect wrinkle reducer.  We all age, we all get wrinkles eventually, but this is to help reduce them to keep us looking like a younger, healthier self.  They say it’s a healthy alternative to BOTOX 😉

6) Moving Comfort

They provided me with 2 “Moving Comfort” gift cards.  One to keep for myself, and one to give to a friend.  Moving Comfort has a variety of different workout outfits to choose from, and will help to get you motivated for the summer by working out and staying in shape.

Every month KLUTCHclub chooses an organization to sponsor and help bring awareness to.  This month’s organization was “Bright Pink.” This organization focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women.  They provide support for high-risk individuals.  10% of all purposes used in a 2 month period went to help this organization out.

In the end KLUTCHclub is the perfect motivator for anyone looking to stay healthy and fit.  They provide you with great snacks, the reminder of water, and opportunities to work out.

 

 

 


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8 Reasons WHY You should go see “People Like Us” This weekend!

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Jamie

Summer has officially arrived.  Schedules are busy, and your weekends are filling up.  Summer movies are coming out, and it’s a race to the finish, who will have the best summer movie.

But Sometimes a movie comes out that has total heart, makes you stop for a minute to look at your own family, and appreciate them even more, and sometimes, a movie makes you CRY like a baby.

Let me introduce you to the movie, “People Like Us” that officially opened up in theaters today: June 29th, 2012.

Movie Synapis pulled from Dreamworks Pictures: 

Sam (Chris Pine), a twenty something, fast-talking salesman, finds his latest deal collapsing on the same day he learns that his father has suddenly died.  Against his wishes, Sam is called home, where he must put his father’s estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family.  In the course of fulfilling his father’s last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside-down: He has a 30-year-old sister Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) whom he never knew about.  As their relationship develops, Sam is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about his family-and reexamine his own life choices in the process. 

And now let me tell you my 8 reasons for going to see this movie:

1) The story is based on real life events.

Writer/Director Alex Kurtzman, when young, knew his father was married before and had two other children.  Separated by distance and 15 years, the other family led their lives and Kurtzman led his.  They never met one another.

One day, Kurtzman, began to think about the other family, and this was the beginning of “People Like Us.”  What if, when he was young, he had actually met his half-brother or sister and never realized it? Ironically, on the same day of these thoughts, literally, three hours later, at a party he attended, a woman walked up to him and said, “I am your sister.”  Kurtzman had the personal connection when working on “People Like Us,” and is a huge reason as to why this film has so much heart.

Kurtzman eventually collaborated with Roberto Orci, his writing and business partner for over 20 years.  When collaborating, Orci also shared a personal account about his aunt, in which she discovered her father had a secret family she knew absolutely nothing about.  In which, they then combined the stories.

2) Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks Working Together! 

Let me tell you, these two have spark, they have chemistry, and wow, they shined on screen together.  One of my favorite parts of the movie was when they were having tacos together, and they were bantering back and forth with one another.  It was just fun watching these two.

3) The Writing

Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jody Lambert were the three writers behind “People Like Us.”  Through their screenplay, they were clever, witty, and heartfelt.  They also put in clues along the way that all made sense as you reached the end of the movie.  Very well thought out, and even had you laughing during the movie.  Each writer brought something different to the table, and in the end, remained friends at the end of it 😉

4) The Music

Music was a huge component in this movie.  The father of Sam (Chris Pine) dies in the beginning of the movie, but one thing they made his father was a man in the music industry.  Music was a very critical part of tying the characters together throughout the movie, and a way to bring the past to the present.

Another great scene in the movie was when Sam (Chris Pine) first meets Josh (Michael Hall D’Addario) in a record store!  The jokes during this interaction were very present to modern day era, and makes you laugh when you look back on it.

5) Michelle Pfeiffer

I love this woman, so the fact of seeing her acting again makes me all giddy inside.

6) Los Angeles

Okay, for a lot of you, this may not be reason enough to go see this film, but for me, now that I reside in LA, it’s great to watch a film that was filmed here.  In the past I had no idea of these iconic places nor would I recognize them.  However, now that I am familiar with this huge, beautiful city it’s great to recognize the locations within the movie, and say, “hey, I’ve been there,” or “I know where that place is.” *ahem*  Yes, I’ve been to The Standard Hotel Bar 😉

7) The Ending

I don’t want to give it away, but the ending is what pulled the movie all together for me.   And the ending was what made me gush over with tears.  So prepare yourself, but enjoy the moment when it happens.

8) This movie has Heart

It makes you think family, it makes you think “what if,”  it makes you think “love,” and so much more.  This movie pulls at your heart strings, and in the end it has it all.  Good writing, good acting, and it pieces all together quite nicely.

And this folks, is exactly why YOU should go see “People Like Us” sometime this weekend!

Disclosure:  I was provided with a free screening of “People Like Us.”  I loved the movie, and all opinions are my own.  Information shared in this post was pulled from a packet of information given to me at the screening.

 

 

 


Categories: Art, Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments