1, 2, 3, 4, Dance

I was dancing in the driver's seat to this song on the radio and I didn't even mind getting caught by a nearby driver while we waited for a light to change. Unbelievably catchy.

Roadside Photo: Honey

Photo taken on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA. One of these days I'm going to stop for some.

Tuesday Tip: Green Sunscreen

I don't like to leave the house without sunscreen but hate the feeling of thick or slimy sunscreen products on my face. I found Josie Maran's new line of eco-friendly beauty products at Vert in Venice and picked up the tinted moisturizer, which protects with an SPF of 30 and goes on creamy (not sticky). Best of all: it does not contain nasty parabens, petrochemicals or fragrances. Hoorah.

Happy Birthday, America!

Here I am appreciating American history in Philadelphia, where I recently went for the wedding of my lovely and amazing friend Leah. We tried to see the Liberty Bell but the line was too long, so we peaked through the window instead. Statues to historic figures were on just about every street corner; a marble Ben Franklin even presided over the dance floor at the wedding reception (that's him, above). In the other photo, I'm standing before a statue of "The Signer" but I had a dyslexic moment when I read the plaque and saw it as "The Singer" (doesn't the bill in his hand resemble a microphone?). For actual singing, watch and listen to the "School House Rock" clip of the lesson on the Fourth of July.

Mermaid Art: Venice Graffiti Wall

Photos taken in Venice, CA, at the Venice Graffiti wall. (Notice the surfer girl on the far right.)

Mermaids: Venice Storefront

Photo taken in Venice, CA.

Friend Art: Wendy's Jewelry

Wendy B's art is jewelry. As a kid, I loved trying on my grandmother's baubles--and I got my first piece of diamond jewelry on my sixteenth birthday, when my grandparents gave me a dainty ring. As an adult, I went to Wendy for advice on where to take that ring to be re-set (this was before she became a jewelry designer). Since then, I've purchased a few pieces from her (and drooled over many others). Of course I am drawn by the metals and gems, but I especially love how many pieces in her line are inspired by historic women--so in addition to the pieces being beautiful, they've got bitchin’ stories behind them (you can read about them on her e-commerce site and her blog). I have the Mignonette flower necklace (popular Victorian flower; above left) and am panting heavily over the Boleyn necklace (named for one of Henry VIII's beheaded wives; above right) and the Isabella Wolf-Fang necklace (above, center). (Photos courtesy of Wendy Brandes, wendybrandes.com)