Big Bear

This past weekend I traveled to Big Bear, CA for a friend's wedding. The drive up the mountain to get to our adorable little rustic hotel near Big Bear Lake was both breathtaking and terrifying but it was completely worth it just for the scenery (see above).

 On our first full day we set off for the Snow Summit Sky Chair. We rode up to an elevation of 8,200 feet (white-knuckling it most of the way up) and hiked the mile long loop. After, we sat out on the observation deck and had some absurdly overpriced PBRs, but the scene was so amazing we hardly minded. The ride back down was more relaxed thanks to a mixture of beer and a beautiful view of Big Bear Lake, of which I snapped copious amounts of Instagram photos (latergrams for dayyysss, you guys).

The wedding took place that afternoon in an adorable converted barn. We sat outside and drank wine and ate too much mac & cheese (ok, maybe just me) in the perfect California climate. Then we danced it off to Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson.

The last day, we emerged from our wine hangovers and went to Grizzly Manor Cafe where we ate the biggest pancakes I've ever seen. After that we spent the day being lazy, lounging around Big Bear Lake and then exploring a little further before the treacherous (not really) ride back to LA to catch our red-eyes.

I am now back in Miami nursing a sunburn and a head cold plus trying to catch up on orders and edit photos for the upcoming Heist F/W Lookbook. Totally worth it!

PS-I had a small part in the wedding, making the bridesmaid gifts. I'll be sure to share the really cute outcome in a future post.

Heist x ScoutMob

We are so excited to announce that Heist now has a storefront on ScoutMob! I worked with them to create a collection of items that we wanted to feature and a lot of our most popular items on Etsy ended up on the ScoutMob page instead. So if you're looking for one of our one-of-a-kind Army Totes, Clutches or 'Change is Good' pouches, you can now find them in the ScoutMob shop.

The good news is that the prices featured there are even lower than in the Etsy shop, and they offer free shipping for orders over $75! So if you've had your eye on something, now's the time to get it. And I recommend heading over soon because just 2 days after going live, the Army Tent Tote featured on the left above, is already sold out.

F/W Preview

Today we shot the photos for our Fall/Winter 2013 collection. It was a long, hot day in the Miami summer sun but everything turned out pretty amazing and I can't wait to share.

I'll be introducing the new collection soon enough, but first I'm skipping town for the weekend! All orders placed will be shipped next week once I return. Have a great weekend!

Tiny Messes

Tiny messes seem to occupy every corner of the Heist studio. Here's a peek:

1) What the studio rarely looks like
2) Zero inspects a new stock of leather coats before they're cut and bundled
3) Prototypes for a new style of tote bag (coming soon!)
4) Prepping vintage fabrics for 'Change is Good' pouches
5) Messy fabric piles
6) Strips of leather for Key Chain tassels
7) Bundled leather

Travel Light

File this under genius-ideas-I-wish-I'd-thought-of: A carry-all beach towel AKA a plush, cotton terry cloth beach towel with two zippered pockets to hold your sunscreen, keys, money, etc. Whoa.

ArteMare

Around Here: Summer So Far

Sunset walks in the neighborhood

Using up the last of the garden veggies and moving on to Miami's bountiful summer fruit 

Performing with ANR at Bardot

Tie Dye Party!

Swimming and sun worship

Lots of love for my favorite guy

4th

Have a happy and safe 4th of July, everyone! 

Today we're going to be barbecuing and rehearsing for the next ANR show which is happening tomorrow July 5th. If you're in Miami, we're playing at Bardot at 11:00 PM so stop by if you're nearby!

Superfood Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I've made it twice already, with plans to make it many more times before summer is over. It's light and refreshing, high in protein and all around delicious.

Although the picture for the recipe shows shrimp, there is no shrimp used in the original recipe, so I added it below. Also, I used raspberries instead of pomegranate arils. Which I personally think makes it even better. 

Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

(via)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa - *I used red quinoa and closer to 3/4 cup
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 orange, peeled and segments chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pomegranate arils - *I used raspberries, sliced in half
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 pound shrimp (or more if desired)
salt & pepper

For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
2 lemons, juiced (need 1/4 cup juice)
2 garlic cloves, microplaned or finely minced
dash of sweetener (agave nectar, stevia or white sugar)
salt & pepper
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - *I used slightly less, which makes it more lemon-y

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2. For the Lemon Vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake to combine. Or, add lemon juice, garlic, sweetener, salt and pepper into a small bowl and whisk in oil.
3. Sauté medium sized shrimp in olive oil adding garlic, salt & pepper (plus whatever other spices you might want to add) until pink and opaque. 
4. Combine cooled quinoa with red onion, orange segments, avocado, beans, pomegranate arils, corn, cilantro, salt and pepper. Spoon shrimp over top and pour Lemon Vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Heist-Designed Geode Fabric!

I am so happy to share with you one of the exciting new things I've been working on. Introducing Heist's new Geode fabrics - designed in-house by yours truly! I'm in love.

 Amethyst Geode Foldover Clutch

Agate Geode Foldover Clutch

The two clutches above are now available in the Webstore and Etsy Shop and I'm planning to use this fabric on several other bag designs. Stay tuned!

PS-Thanks to everyone who came out to El Mini Market yesterday at Wood Tavern. We sipped some 'Boogie Lemonade' and met tons of cool new friends. We won't be able to make it this month but we hope to be back in August!