Sample Sale Friday - 11.30.2012

'Tis the season! Holiday Sample Sales are here, and will take place every Friday from now until the Friday before Christmas. All of our showroom buildings are participating. Please check out our events page to stay up to date on the latest sales. Below are some of our favorites but please note there are TONS more sales going on today (and over the next few weeks!). You can find a full list of sample sales at The New Mart building here. Happy Shopping!

P.S. Don't forget sample sale shoppers get $6 parking at the California Market Center.












LPF Gift Guide for: the Trendsetter

I'm back with another gift guide of favorite ideas for everyone on your list. This one is a gift guide for the trendsetter. We all know that girl that's not afraid to stand out in the crowd (okay, maybe it's even a few of you readers- myself included). 

Well all of these gifts are perfectly colorful, sparkly, and bold.- sure to make a stylish statement!
LPF Gift Guide for: the Trendsetter

the gift guide:


Enter below to win a pair of SOL Republic Headphones from our Gift Guide for the Trendsetter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Do you know any trendy girls that would love a gift on this list?

xoxo, lauren

Try this Trend: Faux Fur

One of the trends I've been spotting lately is faux fur- whether its a trim on a coat, infinity scarf form, or even a pop color earmuff. Now that I'm living in the frozen north, I like it for the warmth factor as well! I am especially loving how fresh the colorful faux fur is!

I've picked out a few key pieces for you to try out the trend yourself!

Try this Trend: Faux Fur


I had the chance to try out a pair of Hugrz boot wraps and they are my new favorite way to get more wear out of my boots this winter. Pair w/ a pair of high heeled or cushioned boots for a chic aspen snow bunny look!


I also have pulled together some of my favorite examples from the blogosphere of the faux fur trend for a little bit of inspiration on how to wear it! They can pull off the heavy faux fur coat and still make it look feminine and stylish.


via Mr. Newton 

 via pinterest


 via Impossibly Blonde


Would you try out the faux fur trend? If it's a little intimidating for you try it in small doses w/ a cozy pair of earmuffs or fur trimmed cardigan first! Personally, I'm on the hunt for a huge faux fur coat to keep me warm when we hit negative temperatures!

xoxo, lauren

Newcomers




After a long wait, I had finnally received my new obsessions: super chic sandals and my desirable oversized coat. The sandals are comfier than I have expected and I'm looking forward to take them for a spin when the weather is right. As for the coat, it is just a perfect oversized coat of which I dreamed. Promise to make some outfit photos as soon as I get the possibility.

Kisses,
B
 

 

Free Export Workshop for Fashion & Apparel


The Port of Los Angeles, along with the LA Chamber of Commerce, California Market Center, and Fashion Business Incorporated, is hosting an "Export Workshop" on Thursday Dec. 6th from 1:30 - 5 p.m. at the California Market Center. The workshop is designed to train business owners on how to export, with a focus on fashion and apparel.

If you're interested in attending, please RSVP to jcoronel@portofla.org or register here. The workshop is FREE.

A Sweet Afternoon Treat!

Today I have a sweet treat for you, the winner of our Shopbop giveaway.. congrats Maggie of Cheap & Chic! Can't wait to see what you get with your $100 gift card! I also have a selection of some dessert cookbooks; is is weird that all I really want for Christmas this year is books? Thanks a lot for fueling my addiction to hardcover design & cookbooks Anthro!

I don't know when it happened, but sometime after college when I was living alone and through my first Wisconsin winter, all I wanted to do was bake!  Luckily there are lots of willing taste testers. I've rounded up some of the sweetest of cookbooks for you. 
latest lust: sweet cookbooks

get the books: Whoopie Pies // Desserts in Jars // Babycakes Covers the Classics // Meringue //  Mini Pies //  What Katie Ate // Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free// Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Cookbook  // Miette 

Any of these cookbooks would be the perfect gift for the baker / sweet tooth in your life! Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and for your support of LPF Mag!

xoxo, lauren

DIY Engagement Gift: Chalkboard Wine Glasses

When my best friend, Jocelyn facetimed me last weekend with her long-time boyfriend at her side I just knew that he had popped the question! We have been besties since elementary school and grew up looking at bridal magazines and gossiping about boys so I couldn't be more excited for her engagement!

I wanted to DIY her and her fiancee a gift to help celebrate, even though I'm hundreds of miles away. So, I made a pair of chalkboard stem wine glasses and a couple of mini-bottles of celebratory wine!





I love the idea of being able to change up what's written on the wine glasses, from pet names to wedding dates. It's such a simple & fun DIY, perfect for engagement gifts, wedding gifts, or birthdays! Pick out a couple of mini bottles or champagne to accompany the gift (i found a ton at World Market!).

I also have to share this adorable shot from her engagement!

photo from: looking glass photography

Her future hubby hired a photographer to capture the moment (brownie points Paul!). Everyone be sure to congratulate Jocelyn on her engagement and visit her cooking blog, Saucy Jocey's Kitchen!

xoxo, lauren

Raspberry




First of all I want to apologize for the lack of posts lately, but with all these semestrial tests I couldn't manage to make any photos. So, now back to my look. I have this fur jacket for a really long time but have never shown it to you, I was just expecting to combine it with something special. My greatest obsessionof this year, my burgundy hat and this amazing emerald top turn out to be the perfect addition for this jacket. This week I would finally receive a package with some new items. Promise to show them as soon as I got the package! Stay tuned!

Kisses,
B

Working out in Style

After a weekend of spending time with family and eating delicious food and drinks non-stop, let's just say I'm ready for some detox. With my trip home to Florida in less than a month, I need to kick up fitness + nutrition for the holidays. 

When it comes to workouts, I feel much more productive when I'm wearing cute workout clothes. I think any fellow FSU girls can probably relate, after spending a few semesters at our campus gym full of beautiful people! I have a groupon for a local yoga studio I'm excited to try out.

get the look: working out in style

get the look:  new balance running shoe // lululemon groove pant // blue sports bra// mint sports bra// tie dye hair ties // tie-dye yoga mat carrier // chevron stripe yoga mat//  purple nike running shorts// lime nike running shorts // camelbak water bottle // keep calm dance on bottle // vitamix blender// mint nike running shoes //  luna bar // hand weights // 

I love my luna bars to start the day, but I'd love to splurge on a vitamix for daily smoothies. I'm also loving brightly colored running shoes and reusable water bottles. I've also heard nothing but good things about the lululemon pants (anyone know how these would be on a petite girl?) 

 I personally like classes to keep me motivated, but I also love Karena + Katrina -the girls from Tone It Up- and the fitness routines and inspiration they provide. I also think the key to a great workout is a good playlist.  The 8tracks + Songza apps are pretty much on constant rotation on my iphone. 

How do you stay motivated to keep up fitness and nutrition routines?

xoxo, lauren

Give Thanks!

I can hardly believe that it's already Thanksgiving! I am spending the day with my parents who are flying up from Florida & boyfriends family. I am looking forward to good food, good drinks & good company

I'm sharing some of my favorite thank you cards, for anyone you need to give thanks to! There is seriously few things more gratifying in this digital age than a handwritten note, and even as a social media buff I can admit that!

thank you very much


I love the cards from independent paper companies & DIY-ers , to the cute prints Target has had in their collections.  Thank you to all my wonderful readers for your endless support over the last five years of La Petite Fashionista!

xoxo, lauren

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece DIY


We took cue from our Pinterest board this weekend and used this arrangement as inspiration for our own DIY Thanksgiving table centerpiece. After a quick trip to the California Flower Mall (located in the LA Flower District) and $12 spent on flowers and supplies, we got started on our little project.

What you'll need:
  • A pumpkin: We used a leftover Halloween pumpkin that was laying around the office.
  • Flowers: Any type of flower will work, fresh or silk. We used fresh flowers for this arrangement in red, orange, and yellow hues. Three different flower bunches cost $11.
  • Floral foam: There are different types of floral foam. The absorbent type is for fresh flowers, and the Styrofoam or plastic types are for silk and dried flowers. Make sure you purchase the correct type for the kind of flower you are using. Floral foam cost $1.


Step 1: Cut the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the insides as if creating a jack-o-lantern. Cut a piece of the floral foam to fit inside the pumpkin. We played around with ours, trying different sizes to see which would work best.

Step 2: If you are using fresh flowers, you'll want to soak your floral foam before you begin making your arrangement. Learn how to prepare floral foam here.

Step 3: Cut the flowers so they are slightly taller than your pumpkin. The actual size of the stem will vary depending on the size of your pumpkin.

Step 4: Insert the flowers into the foam. We began by inserting our red sunflowers into the floral foam first. You'll want to create somewhat of a symmetrical look with the larger flowers, so that the arrangement looks balanced. Once you have your "anchors" in place, begin arranging the rest of the flowers into the foam. We tried to have an equal amount of each flower type on all sides of the arrangement.




Voila! Our very own Thanksgiving arrangement! In the end, our pumpkin looked at little too small to be the main table centerpiece so we added a smaller pumpkin to make it stand out more. We definitely suggest using a larger pumpkin if you have a large Thanksgiving spread.


For hours and admission information for LA Flower District flower marts click here.
Four California Flower Mall hours click here. Admission to the California Flower Mall is free.