Grab your friends and head on down to the new Regal Beagle in Silver Lake this Friday, May 14 when Sock Puppet Sitcom Theater presents “Three’s Company.”

Sock Puppet Sitcom Theater is the brainchild of Mark Hayward (pawubu), whose unmatched master sock puppetry skills have been thrilling audiences for generations. Check out this link for a preview of what you can expect to see Friday night: www.youtube.com/user/pawubu.

The puppet show begins at 8:00 PM and will be followed by three bands, The Edges at 9:00 PM, Irradio at 10:00 PM and Ray Argyle’s “Saving Grace” EP CD release show at 11:00 PM.

Admission is $5 ($20 including open bar).

wheremmm.com

Walking down Sunset Blvd. from Intelligentsia to Malo, I spotted this delightfully inappropriate combination. The sign belongs to an ice cream truck that has long been abandoned to rot behind a chain link fence. Oh and the truck is for sale if you’re interested.

Formerly every Saturday at Micheltorena Elementary School, the “Silver Lake Art, Craft & Vintage” flea market will now take place the last weekend of every month, both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.

While I don’t know the specific reasons for the change, I have visited this flea market on several occasions and always found it lacking in vendors. The space is large enough and the vendors that are there have a decent selection, but to draw a crowd, I think they simply need more. Perhaps moving the fair from every Saturday to just one weekend a month will encourage more vendors to participate. I also think it would be more appealing if they offered a broader selection of “arts” and “crafts” vendors, as it is mostly just vintage clothing. I love shopping for vintage clothing, but if you’re going to bill something as “Art, Craft & Vintage,” you might want to strive to carry an equal selection of those things.

For more information on the fair, visit their web site at silverlakeartcraftvintage.com.

If you drink Diet Coke, here is a deal you will want to take advantage of fast. The 99 Cents Only Store on Sunset and Maltman in Silver Lake is selling Diet Coke, four cans for only 99 cents. Get on that!

As the temperature soared near 80 degrees today, I took a stroll around my neighborhood and snapped some pictures (more after the jump) of this perfectly amazing February day. Man, I love LA.

Read the rest of this entry →

Stop by Home Ec. in Silver Lake this Sunday, January 24 for a bake sale to benefit Doctors Without Borders and their efforts to help the scores of devastated earthquake victims in Haiti. The bake sale will run from from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM, or until they sell out.

I contacted the ultra sweet and talented owner of Home Ec., Jenny Ryan about Sunday’s event and she said,  “Prices will probably vary from $1.00 to $5.00, depending on the treat, and we’ll have beverages on hand too.”

There will also be vegan friendly baked goods available from Vegan Bake Sale.

100% of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. For more details on the bake sale, go here or click on the pretty pink flyer to your right.

Speaking of baked things, if you want to ensure that your craving for cupcakes is operating at peak performance, may I suggest Mr. Greens medical marijuana collective just around the corner from Home Ec.?

Natural Mind's Vertical Garden in Silver Lake

An update on Natural Mind, the new salon that is moving into the former Video Market space at 3607 Sunset Blvd in Silver Lake. As you can see in the photos here, a vertical garden has begun to sprout all over the walls of the building. This project has been in the works for months and months and months. Living nearly on top of this building, my neighbors and I have been watching and waiting patiently for this perpetual mess to transform into the oasis that owner, Arnaud Ozharun claims it will be. Now that the garden is beginning to take shape, I am hopeful.

Slated to open in September last year, the salon finally appears to be coming together. When I walked by yesterday, I could see product on the shelves and furniture in place. However, the salon still looks to be at least a few weeks from opening. I for one am very much looking forward to living next to a lush, vertical garden rather than the piles of construction waste and dust filled air that we’ve had to tolerate for so many months.

I’ll be sure to keep you posted as the project progresses. More pictures after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

12/26 Will Be Kicks' Last Day in Silver Lake

Strolling by Kicks on the way home from work this evening I noticed a banner advertising a huge moving sale. I didn’t realize that the store is relocating so I stopped in to see what is up. Apparently, Kicks will be moving out of the neighborhood altogether to join forces with their other store located at 141 N. Larchmont. This is sad news indeed for Silver Lake, but happy news for your wallet! To prepare for the move they have slashed prices up to 70% off clothes, shoes and accessories. Their last day at the Silver Lake location will be December 26, so go on and get your kicks while you can still trot on over there from Intelligentsia, kiddies.

Inside Home Ec.'s Beautifully Organized Space (Photo courtesy of Jenny Ryan. Some rights reserved).

This post is a bit tardy, but I’ve been in detention like all year.

One of my favorite local DIY mavens recently opened Home Ec., an adorable retail space located in the heart of Sunset Junction in Silver Lake.

Just standing on the sidewalk, peering into Home Ec.’s warm, holiday decorated window, my fingers start to twitch as I spy a studious row of sewing machines, colorful bolts of fabric, neatly organized cubbies filled with yarns and spacious work tables inside. Home Ec. is not just a sewing and craft workshop, it’s a dream workshop that I hope to replicate in my own home some day.

The store offers fabrics and yarns, sewing patterns, books, craft kits and even some exclusive products that you will only find in the store. They also host classes ranging from sewing and fiber arts to paper crafting and glasswork.

Home Ec. owner Jenny Ryan is the creator of the hugely popular Felt Club. She’s also an occasional blogger for CRAFT and Apartment Therapy LA, and the author of Sew Darn Cute: 30 Sweet & Simple Projects to Sew & Embellish. Read the rest of this entry →

Remember last week when I posted that rant about the garbage piling up next door? Well thanks to my friend Jonathan’s intel, I was able to track down the owner of the business and they hauled away all of the trash today! This renews my belief in the notion that one person (with the help of some well connected friends) can make a difference. I’d like to thank the owner of Natural Mind, Arnaud Ozharun for taking my complaint seriously, but above all, for taking action. Drinks are on me!

Trash Pile No Longer Clutters Natural Mind's Parking Lot

Pile of garbage in the NaturalMind parking lot, as seen from an apartment complex driveway next door

It wasn’t easy for me to find any information on the business that is moving into this space. A Google search didn’t reveal much, but I eventually found a post on SilverLakeNews.com announcing the grand opening of “NaturalMind” in September 2009 (with September almost over I assume they have fallen behind, as the building remains vacant).

From what I can tell, NaturalMind is going to be some kind of beauty salon, owned by a guy named Arnaud Ozharun. I found his e-mail address on the SilverLakeNews.com post, which I assume he wrote. Unfortunately, the e-mails I sent him were returned with this message, “Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently: arnaud@naturalmind.com.”

On SilverLakeNews.com, Ozharun posted a rather lengthy description of his business and also of himself, describing NaturalMind as, “A utopian take on beauty.” Which made me laugh out loud when you consider the pile of garbage he has been forcing his neighbors to look at for months now.

“Natural Mind is a place to contemplate things other than oneself, yet change.” - Arnaud Ozharun

Whatever dude. I’m a reasonable person when it comes to things like this and I understand that, from time-to-time, it is necessary to deal with certain urban inconveniences, such as construction. I’m totally fine with that. What really bothers me is the garbage. Aside from the fact that it is likely harboring vermin, it’s Read the rest of this entry →

Guerrilla Garden snapped with my craptacular phone cam, bigger with a click.

In a nearby cul-de-sac in my Silver Lake neighborhood, a neighbor with an affinity for gardening has undertaken a beautification project atop a small, neglected patch of earth.

The green-thumbed gal in question works only under cover of darkness, thus this garden popped up seemingly overnight. Up until a few weeks ago, this derelict corner was just sad, dry dirt. Now, a variety of plants and flowers have been cultivated there.

Alas, there is trouble in this guerrilla garden. Some leafy residents have gone missing! It would seem an interloper covets the life on this land and has stolen some of the plants.

I know this based upon the sign in the garden. Join me beyond the jump for a close-up of the sign and an opportunity to help…

Read the rest of this entry →

Sandwiched between a specialty cake shop and a run-down convenience store on Sunset you will find Stark Waxing Studio, an upscale-ish “waxing only” salon that boasts the “Best Brazilian Wax in Los Angeles” (as deemed by Los Angeles Magazine’s “Best of LA” issue). Lucky Magazine also listed Stark as one of the top waxing salons in Los Angeles.

I don’t know the particular qualifications a salon must surpass to win the title of “Best Brazilian,” but after hearing this claim I knew I had to find out. Keep in mind, this is not this dancer’s first glide across a freshly buffed dance floor. I have endured many professional waxing services before my visit to Stark, but nothing I could ever describe as “the best.”

Before Stark (see After Stark below)

So in pursuit of the “Best Brazilian” and other hair removal endeavors, I began my preparations a little over two weeks ago, growing out all of the hair below my waist, a rather easy feat to accomplish when you are sans boyfriend like me, by-the-way. For best results, you are supposed to allow about four weeks of growth before waxing. Otherwise, the hair grows back faster, it might not as easily grip the wax, and your esthetician is going to have go back and do a lot more tweezing after. However, living in jeans, leggings and opaque tights is not a great way to kick off the summer. Almost every day this week I have attempted to put on a dress or skirt only to look down in horror at my Sasquatch legs. I could wait no longer.

After more than two grueling weeks in the Leg and Bikini Hair Hall of Shame, and just in time for the long 4th of July weekend, the day of my appointment finally arrived. A few days before, I called Stark and booked the “Lower Leg” and the “Partial Brazilian.” I chose these two services because: 1. I don’t actually grow visible hair above my knees, and 2. I fear the kind of deep intimacy required for a “Full Brazilian.” Read the rest of this entry →

The scarcity of late night dining options has been a sore spot for me since I moved to Los Angeles in 2003 from Atlanta, “where parties don’t stop ’til 8:00 in the morning.” So, naturally I am enthusiastic when I find a restaurant that serves food late, like Silver Lake’s newest taquería, Tarascos.

Silver Lake's Newest Taquería

Tarascos is a very pleasing, minimalist taquería. No obnoxious sombreros hanging from the ceiling or mariachi crooners hovering over your guacamole. You walk into a small foyer and order at the counter. The menu is handwritten on chalkboards on the walls – and the prices are minimalist too! $1.50 for tacos, $5.50 for burritos and quesadillas – your choice of charbroiled steak, charbroiled chicken, cochinita pibil, or carnitas. For a smaller taquería, they have an unusually generous vegetarian selection and salads too. They also have some rather delicious flautas, which are not on the online menu right now, but very tasty and not too greasy. Read the rest of this entry →

There are at least three decent outdoor flea markets in Silver Lake, central to Sunset Junction and conveniently located near quite a few delicious brunch options, allowing for the perfect afternoon of mimosas and thrifty shopping.

Saturday is really the only day you can hit all of these, since two of the three are not there on Sundays. Just park your bike or car around Sunset and Maltman and you will be central to all three of these outdoor shopping options:

1. Silver Lake Farmer’s Market (produce, jewelery, clothing, vintage, etc.)

2. Silver Lake Art Craft and Vintage

3. Don’t know the name, but it’s next to the Jiffy Lube and Kelly Green (Santa Monica at Sunset)

As seen on YouTube, I found this great lampshade yesterday at the smaller of the three flea markets, located behind Kelly Green on Santa Monica Blvd. This vintage lampshade also doubles as a fancy hat that I later wore to The Eagle for afternoon cocktails with some leather-lovin’ (and now lampshade lovin’) gays.

(video courtesy of Mark Hayward)

Silver Lake Farmer’s Market is located at 3700 Sunset Blvd, between Edgecliffe and Maltman (at the intersection of Griffith Park Blvd), 90026. Read the rest of this entry →