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June 19th, 2009
Before we committed to another summer of 120-degree weather and monsoon showers, we took a mini-vacation to our old stomping ground, Los Angeles, for some R&R, beachcombing, and shoe shopping. While we were there we caught up with old friends who are now parents, and instead of “Let’s meet at El Compadre tonite for margaritas and cigarettes on the patio!” it was an afternoon of play dates with our wild-haired tots. In such a short time, our lives have done a complete 180, our collection of gray hairs is beyond control, and we’re finally Craigslisting our collection of 1,000+ classic rock records. (Anyone interested?) We spent our whole lives waiting for that epic moment of being independent and “grown-up.” Suddenly, here it is… without the drama of our 20s or The Cure playing in the background. Prolific? Only if you call an afternoon in the sandbox with a bunch of Silverlake hipster parents intellectually divine. |
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| Phoenix Picks: | |||
| 1 | Save the Drama for Momma Only a couple of more months before #2 pops out, and we’ve barely prepared. Bedside reading from “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”? Nah. An accumulation of random baby stuff that we’ll never use? Tempting but not this time around! Truth is, we’ve earned our badge of honor and the “old pro” moniker after giving birth au naturale the first time around. We’ve totally mastered this whole pregnancy thing. Unfortunately, we’ve waited until the last minute to get everything in order. Now we’re running around like a headless chicken combing the bargain racks for the essentials and preparing the home for the new addition. Luckily, we recently stumbled across a place that gets it—Hissyfits Kids Consignment boutique totally understands that prepping for baby doesn’t need to be shiny and expensive. As a result, they only carry items the experienced mother needs and wants for a bargain-basement steal! We can stock up on brand-name baby equipment for cheap. We’ve actually become addicted—picking up things not only for new baby, but for the little miss who has her own fashion sense, and some stylish maternity goodies for us. HissyFits Kids Consignment Boutique |
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| 2 | I Don’t Need No Doctor It’s been a long month… and year. We’ve been scraping our piggy bank for too long and now we’re onto maxing out the credit cards with the hope that poolside cocktails and shirtless boy-men on skateboards will shake these recessionista blahs. Bitter and broke, we decided to meet Dad at the local pizzeria shop for some eats, vino, and a good old fashioned byatch-fest. When we finally peeled him away from his Blackberry long enough to listen to our whining, we put in our order for a couple pies. Humble Pie, huh? Is there such a thing when every pizza is 11 to 12 inches; crust not too thick or too thin; free of globs of canned tomato sauce; and toppings like goat cheese, sunny-side up egg and prosciutto? We topped off our mood swing with a chocolate-chip pizza cookie. And, after a few glasses of wine, we truly felt we could survive the rest of the year on ramen and happy-hour drinks. Dad reassured us everything would be fine (suffering is good for the soul); and to boot, we got a savory meal for free—thanks Dad! Humble Pie at Desert Ridge |
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| 3 | Better than a Cactus Prick Every now and then, we fancy ourselves a little spring cleaning by channeling our inner interior designer. Move the bed to the opposite side of the room, cover a wall in black-and-white damask wallpaper, and add a funky lamp. Voila! We can finally muster another summer stuck inside our air-conditioned abode. When we need that pièce de résistance to complete our new look we stop by Prickly Pair Home Décor & Gifts. The quaint home décor boutique has lots of eclectic items to pull together just the right flair and funk. And with 40-percent off of the entire store (excluding jewelry) the third Friday of every month, we actually have extra allowance to save for our dream YSL handbag. Prickly Pair Home Décor & Gifts |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | A Bedside Read We’re always on the hunt for visual eye-candy that steals us away from our day-to-day existence. We’re totally obsessed with the debut issue of All Things Ordinary, a photography ’zine that showcases individuals around the world. Get a glimpse at how others exist in their everyday world and what their bedrooms really look like when no one else is around—unmade beds, clothes bulging out of the drawers, junk everywhere. It makes us think that maybe (just maybe) our boring life is glamorous… and beautiful, too. |
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| 2 | Sock It Up When we saw Chloe Sevigny at Coachella rocking ankle socks with a pair of orthopedic grandma sandals and a frilly dress right out of our senior-class yearbook (circa 1993), we couldn’t resist trying the look for ourselves. Now we’re totally obsessed with Hansel from Basel silk ankle socks—pairing them with our favorite summertime fashion staples. Hansel’s socks have the right amount of sass and coolness to complete Chloe’s look, and they look great paired with thrift-store oxfords, an old boyfriend button-down and denim cut-offs. |
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| 3 | Oh, Snap! |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | She’s Crafty We’re totally intrigued… and we think you should take part in this free workshop that turns your old plastic bags into a reusable tote. Bring in clean plastic bags to recycle into a crochet-able plastic yarn, then learn the pattern to make your own tote bag. Wow them at TJ’s! What: Plastic Totebag Workshop |
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| 2 | Storm the Bastille Grab your beret and corkscrew for the storming of Backstreet Wine Salon for its fourth annual Bastille Day celebration. There is no better excuse to eat a four-course French meal paired with French wines then Fête Nationale—Bastille Day. Come ravenous and thirsty. What: Bastille Day Celebration at Backstreet Wine Salon |
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| 3 | Who You Gonna Call? Nothing screams bonding time with the kiddos like a good old ghost hunt. Turn your family into a pack of Ghostbusters and join the West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society at Monti's La Casa Vieja for a night of ghostly fun. Bustin’ makes me feel good! What: Ghost Hunting for Kids |
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