Major Art!!

Holy Hell - If this talented artist does not convey the EPITOME of Major Baggage style.  Well, I'm totally smitten and need to covet one of my very own "Audrey's" -somehow... someway!!!!!!
SARAH ASHLEY LONGSHORE!!!!!!

Weekly Must Have!

Could she be an angel in this Trina Turk MUST HAVE!?  Makes me want to sip a champagne cocktail with Tom Ford, Julianne Moore and Colin Firth on the set of A Single Man (P.S. - the soundtrack is a must have, too). 

I might change up the shoes...

Christian Louboutin - Watersnake

And add a few accessories...

Kate Spade - Lawn Party clutch

Portia cocktail ring

Keep the earring simple with classic gold knot studs

Finish off with a pretty coral lip and Voi-la!

Happy Father's Day to all the men out there with Major Baggage!

Major Display

I have a jewelry box full of earrings that I forget I even have.  Every once in a while I'll take the time to go through them all and discover a favorite pair I bought last summer that left my memory, so I thought it's time to figure out a way to display my favorites of the season in a way that won't take up space and looks pretty.  A couple of my special little boutiques I frequent has them pinned up in really pretty glass display cases... I love the idea, but without that much space I thought of another alternative - Turning a keepsake box (like the one below I found at Aaron Brothers) into a case I can hang in my new, lovely bathroom. Take a peek below:

I just love the way it came out - easiest project ever.  I may now need another matching smaller box for all my bracelets.  And talk about an awesome gift!  I gave one to a BFF for the Holidays and added a few fun treasures from Forever 21 - This way she could see the way it would look and get right on hanging it to display any forgotten favorites she may have had tucked in a dark drawer.

The Major Baggage Basic's

Major Buzz

I love coffee - the stronger, the better to kick start each day!  I have no problem spending ridiculous amount of cash weekly for my morning caffiiene fix and now that the weather is trying to warm up in LA for the summer, I am switching my normal hot moca's for sweet, smooth iced coffee.  A while back I was perusing an issue of Food & Wine Magazine and they had great shot of a irresistable glass of vietmese style iced coffee.  After reading the needed ingredients it actually looked simple enough, so I made it at home and on the first try it came out perfect!! 
Here's the basic steps & What you'll need to make a batch of your own:

Start with a super dark, whole bean coffee (I like the Ultra-Dark Sumatra form Trader Joe's) and if you don't have a coffee grinder, you can grind the beans at the store.

You will need about 1 - 2 cups of really coarsely ground - almost chunky beans.

Pour the ground coffee in a french press (I found this 8 cup Bodum press at Homegoods for only $16.99).  And then fill the press to almost the top with cold water (NOT hot water).

Give the coffee & water a good 20 - 30 second stir so all of the grounds get wet.  It will look a bit think and muddy - which is good.  Place the lid on the press (do NOT push down the plunger) and set aside to "marinate" for 24 hrs at room temperature.

24 hours later, push the plunger down and behold your perfect cold brew coffee syrup!

 

Next - In a tall glass add ice, 6 shots of coffee, 1 shot of sweetened condensed milk, 4 shots of milk and give it a good stir so the condensed milk mixes in rather than sitting at the bottom.  Give it a taste and add more coffee if needed :-)

For a bit more flavor add a dash of vanilla coffee syrup (careful not too much or it will be too sweet).

 Perfecting this recipe is simple & so delicious!  Sorry to all my friends at Starbucks - I will miss you this summer!!

Latest Outdoor Obsession

So, I THINK I have a pretty green thumb when in fact I have experimented with lots of different types of plants that are supposed to be able handle the full, hot sun we have & not many have made it (just ask the nice man at my nursery who sees me on a weekly basis).  I've been patrolling the neighborhood looking for ideas and find that I am drawn to the native plants and succulents.  Watering is only needed weekly, the colors are just amazing and the look is so clean & architectural!  Here's a little sampling of what I have going on right now...

Next purchase will be a big, bright colored pot that I will layer with all of the above for a colorful cluster near the front door entrance.  If I can do it YOU can do it!

Auto-matic Must Have!

Years ago I read a little snipit in the Los Angeles mag (kinda my local bible) about old cigarette machines scattered around the U.S. that dispense original art pieces for purchase as easy as buying a Snickers. I am an amateur art collector at best, so this seemed a perfect opportunity to start a collection. It's called Art-O-Mat and I finally found myself in a location where they had one... well, actually 3 located in the new Cosmopolitan in Vegas (you MUST have a glass of champagne at their Chandelier bar if you ever get the chance).
After feeding in $5 for each (who can beat that!?) below are my random selections that popped out:

I must have more - There are 2 locations currently in LA - The Geffen Contemporary @ MOCA and Reform School (I always find something I HAVE TO HAVE here). 

Major Crush

Dream-cicle!!  I am so loving this color for summer.  Click on the pic for info. on where to make a purchase if indeed you NEED any of these pieces as much as I do :-)

Major Enhancement

Nine Years in the making and I finally got it together to upgrade my bathroom and I love it.  I must say that I wasn't expecting it to be the process it was -  sanding and painting and more sanding and painting... Thankfully I was able to borrow a friend's talented handyman to help get the work done in what seemed like an eternity... I am truly an instant gratification sort of gal and the 5 days it took to finish drove me crazy.  Check out the before and much better's... 

 

1st Day...

Seriously, this is the 3rd day...  And I was beginning to think it would never be done.

And done!  Cabinets (painted in Thorny Bush by Valspar) had a tinge of purple and that was NOT part of the plan so a brilliant BFF of mine brought in the element of greens to tone that color down and so on the search I went and found this perfect quatrafoil rug in sage (amazing deal at HomeDecorators).

So excited to display my vintage, Parisian cafe matchstick holder - which now holds a stack of glittery bangles!

 Homegoods people!!  I pick up this perfect white lattice nightlight for $20 buck on the clearance aisle. 

And so it begins!

Welcome to Major Baggage!!  Today is my 1st official post - Whew, I said it - feels good!
Kicking around the idea of Major Baggage all these years and trying to figure out what I wanted it to be - I finally came to the conclusion that I simply just enjoy sharing all my favorite finds in fashion, food and gracious living.  I look forward to working through the baggage and seeing what will take shape.  
 

"Life is actually really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." -Confuciusion