FabSugar

eBay Find of the Week

FabSugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:12:22 PDT

Have you heard? American Apparel brought its California Vintage concept online. Now, non-LA dwellers can shop the vintage boutique via eBay. I think you'll like this Vintage Colorblock Plaid Tent Top, size small/medium, because it's colorful and airy. Throw it on over your gorgeous new swimsuit and get thyself to the beach.

The current bidding price is at $20.50 and the auction ends on Tuesday, June 24. Good luck and happy bidding!

On Our Radar: American Apparel Does Vintage

FabSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:00:22 PST

Fab loves vintage, eBay loves vintage, and now American Apparel loves it, too. The LA-based company opened its first vintage store, California Vintage, on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. It sells hand-picked clothing from the 1950s through the 1990s, along with American Apparel pieces that may not be available at the regular stores. So why vintage and why now? Employees came up with the idea after seeing the company's basement, which was brimming with vintage items. Still, there wasn't enough for an entire store so professional vintage buyers were hired to bulk up the goods.

For those of you who are against American Apparel's vulgar and sexually-charged ads, California Vintage is slated to be more tame. If you're in LA, check out the store and give us the scoop!

Source

Link Time: Spring Bedroom Makeovers, Affordable Investment Pieces, and Tricks For Becoming a Flea Market Pro

Angela Swinderman Elias — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:34:22 PDT

14 ways to bring Spring into your bedroom. – House Beautiful
Learn the tricks to spotting major flea market scores. – Houzz
Incorporate vintage suitcases in a surprising new way. – Stylelist Home
Invest in quality classics with these sofa, table, and bed picks under $1,000. – Real Simple
See which seaworthy nautical finds we're loving right now. – California Home + Design
Discover the seven hottest Summer annuals to plant now. – Bob Vila
Love the look of antique card file drawers? Fake it with this genius Ikea hack! – Craft

7 Perks of Joining a Wine Club

Anna Monette Roberts — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:12:34 PDT

In the past few years, American wineries have popped up everywhere, on both coasts. You can find them in the New York Finger Lakes region, Texas, and, of course, all over California.

While you can always buy your favorite wines at the grocery, joining a wine club has plenty of perks, especially if you find yourself purchasing three or more bottles per month. Take a look at these seven benefits that wine club members typically receive to help you decide if membership is right for you.

Great discounts: Most wine clubs offer deliveries of three bottles of wine quarterly or every other month at a discounted rate of 20 to 30 percent per bottle. For moderately priced bottles, that can add up to $20 to $30 in savings with each delivery.
Special reserves: Wineries store special reserves, wine club exclusives, estate-grown wines, and vintage wines (grapes that were all grown and harvested in a single year) for their wine club members. Expect your deliveries to be sprinkled with a few of these ultraspecial bottles.
VIP space: If you've ever been to Napa during the Summer, you've experienced the exhausting, crowded, and crazy tasting bars. Several wineries rope off a VIP section of the bar for wine club members, so you'll receive immediate attention from a bartender and have space to breathe and sip your wine leisurely.
Free tastings: It's pretty standard to receive free tastings and even free glasses of wine when you visit the winery. Bring your friends too! Typically wineries will also give your guest (or even parties up to four) a free tasting as well.
VIP winery tours: Wineries provide tours of the grounds, and wine club members usually receive free and/or private tours that may cover parts of the winery that aren't open to the public.
Harvest dinner: Especially during the Summer and Fall, wineries send out invites for special events like pool parties, movie nights, and seasonal dinners that are exclusive to wine club members.
Discounted food: Some wineries have restaurants attached to them and will give 20 to 30 percent off the price of snacks or meals so you can enjoy the oysters or chocolate-covered strawberries at a more reasonable rate.

Are you a member of any wine clubs? Which wineries' clubs would you consider joining?

Link Time: Industrial Vintage Home Decor, Backyard Makeovers, and Masculine Homes

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:00:36 PDT

Take a tour of this industrial-vintage Ohio home - Houzz
This backyard makeover is so chic! - House Beautiful
Do you think these homes qualify as the most manly? - Stylelist Home
These five tips will help you create a cozy home - Real Simple
Tour Madeline Weinrib's new salon - Elle Decor
Planting a garden? You'll want to try these seed sources - Country Living
These 10 cities might just improve your health and happiness - EcoSalon
The Tea House is an unbelievable modern home - Bob Vila
These home libraries are absolutely gorgeous - California Home + Design

Link Time: Tour Beautiful Homes in Omaha and Pacific Palisades

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:01:59 PST

I'd like to live in this feminine ranch home, please! - Apartment Therapy
This rustic pencil holder is just the thing for organizing your desk. - Stylelist Home
Answer all of your curtain questions with this guide. - Real Simple
This Omaha home is full of vintage charm. - Houzz
Are you obsessing over Moroccan souk rugs? - Shelterrific
Get these Anthropologie jute loop curtains for less than half price. - Copy Cat Chic
Add Danish style to your outdoor living spaces. - Garden Design
Lila Jang's furniture at Lux Art Institute is absolute eye candy. - California Home + Design

Down but Not Out: Tori Spelling Shares Her Friend's Perspective on Raising a Child With Down Syndrome

Tori Spelling — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:02:22 PST

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week, we're bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, which is Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week, Tori shares a letter from her friend about her baby who was diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Today, I’m sharing a guest blog by my friend Lisa, owner of Evolution Vintage. Her son was born with Down syndrome, and in honor of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st, she has offered to share her story. When I read this, I had tears streaming down my face - not because I felt sorry for Lisa’s son Blake, but because she inspires me as a mom. I hope you are as touched by her story as I was:

Down But Not Out
By Lisa Graystone

Friday the 13th turned out to be the luckiest day of my life . . . in hindsight. I gave birth for the second time to my son Blake under very traumatic circumstances. He was born blue, lifeless and his first sounds resembled a watery gurgle, not a cry. His birth was fast and as a result he had lungs full of water and had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice. I was unable to hold him before they rushed him to the special care nursery for respiratory therapy and monitoring. We spent six days in the hospital. During this time, due to the shape of his eyes, the doctors suspected Blake had Trisomy 21; also known as Down Syndrome (DS). He fought to live and to be here, only now to be faced with a prospective hurdle he would continue to jump for the rest of his life. The postpartum hormones were swirling as I sat down the hall from my new son who was fighting for his life; quietly smelling the receiving blanket from his NICU nest and pumping my breasts alone in tears. Nine agonizing days later, the test results confirmed the doctor’s suspicions. The joy and relief that my son was alive was immediately shrouded in darkness, sadness, despair and shock. I am under 35 and was not given the option of amniocenteses (the test that can conclusively tell you if your baby has DS). The blood test that was available I opted not to do because of the high false positive rate and the fact that there were no "risk factors" - my first child was healthy and my ultrasounds were normal and we were reassured that everything was "fine." I was surrounded by fear and unknowns, questions with no answers and a baby boy to care for.

Related: Children With Swag

I have no time to be on the "why me" program being the ambitious mompreneur that I am. I had to force myself to say: "WHY NOT" and bring it on to my already full plate. There seemed to be no other alternative than to take it head on and realize that the only thing I can control is my attitude, approach and perspective. I feel very lucky to have been given this boy and with him the opportunity for personal growth, education and evolution.

I introduced Blake to my family and friends (many who live 3,000 miles away in Canada) via this letter written from his perspective:

Keep reading to see Blake's letter and for more facts about Down Syndrome.

See 10 Ultra-Pretty Snaps From the Latest Urban Outfitters Lookbook - and the Pieces We Have to Have

Hannah Weil — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:56 PST

Urban Outfitters debuted a cool February lookbook with models and real-life BFFs Bambi Norwood-Blyth and Hannah Holman taking to the Northern California hills in a set of '70s-inspired looks. Every shot is a glimpse into our warmer-weather fantasies - and the clothes we want to be wearing. The looks are a mix of girlie and tomboy, with a vintage feel via concert tees, washed jeans and cutoffs, floppy hats, and colorblocked platforms. Now, we're zeroing in on our favorite shots and making a list of the pieces we have to have. Click through for a glimpse of the California-dreamy lookbook, then shop the key pieces for every look we love.

New Year's Resolution: Journal More!

Elka Karl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:41:29 PST

How are your New Year's resolutions going? One of my resolutions was to carry a journal everywhere I go to jot down notes and ideas. Sadly, I still have to buy a journal! If you've resolved to keep a journal as well, I've rounded up some fun choices.

Keep track of your adventures (both naughty and nice) with the Shenanigans Letterpress Journal ($10). It would be perfect for party planning or keeping track of great new cocktail recipes - or however you choose to participate in your own personal shenanigans.

For the guy in your life, give him the Pelle California Handmade Leather Travel Journal ($40). Handmade in California, these journals are made with FSC-certified, eco-friendly linen and paper and US-sourced oil tanned leather. Each journal comes with a stringed book marker, a protective cloth travel bag, and an extra elastic band.

Looking for a lovely feminine option? The Rifle Paper Co. Botanicals Notebooks ($13) from Chronicle Books are a perfect choice. These colorful notebooks feature oil-stamped covers and vintage-inspired interiors. I love the gorgeous colors and dreamy blooms that decorate the cover.

Have your eye on another choice? Click on the image to shop!

Joshua and Diane Travel in Style in Their Vintage Convertible

Lindsay Miller — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:25:31 PST

Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger were your pick for 2011's most stylish couple, and today, they lived up to their title as they tooled around LA in a vintage Karmann Ghia convertible! The jet-setting pair spend much of their downtime in Southern California when Josh isn't busy taping Fringe in Vancouver and Diane isn't traveling to fashion shows and European premieres. The duo took advantage of the extra-warm weather in the City of Angels this afternoon as they rode around town in their eye-catching ride. It wasn't the first time Joshua has taken his classic vehicle out for a spin, since he and Diane were also spotted driving around Beverly Hills in the brightly colored convertible over the Summer.