Dance, Dance, Dance

Ever feel so overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation that all you want to do is dance and dance all day long? Exciting news coming soon...!

Lykke Li & Bon Iver doing 'Dance Dance Dance' in L.A from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

Home Sweet Home

I have finally moved in to the beautiful house in Los Feliz. Though my stay here is going to prove to be decidedly abbreviated (We have an affirmative; San Francisco come September 1), I have become obsessive and overtly gleeful about making myself at home. My new room:





Last night I had a few wonderful folks over for the first time...Home at last!

--Dara

Enchanted Royals is featured on Cutique!

We have a few pieces featured on Cutique.com this month, including the Aspen Trees shoes, the Warm Air Telegraph shoes, Robots in Love bag, Keyhole tee and Heart Jewel tee.
Check it out!

Oh-my-OBAMA!

So last week I got a call from my super awesome boyfriend, Mike.  He was one of 200 people out of 36,000 to win two tickets to see President Obama speak at the Town Hall meeting in Los Angeles... and he wanted me to be his date! We both took the day off from work and walked the short distance to the event downtown, as many of the streets were closed off.  When we got to the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, the line wrapped around the block and down the street.  It was Obama-mania!  

We waited patiently in line for over two hours before reaching the entrance. There were whispers in line that only forty more people would be let in as the school gymnasium was almost at capacity.  Then they counted off a few dozen more people, Mike and I included, to pass through security and find a seat amongst the cheering crowd.  We walked in just as Mayor Villaraigosa and Governor Schwarzenegger were welcoming President Obama to the stage! 

President Obama was truly an inspiration to see, handling the tough questions from concerned citizens with the grace and compassion I've always hoped to see in a President of ours.  Despite the challenging times we are facing, Obama continues to give me great hope for our future.  It was by far the most exciting day of my life.  Thank you Mike, with all my heart, for sharing this unforgettable experience with me!

xo Haley

Omg. Omg.

This etsy shop (which, by the by, is CHOCK FULL of amazing vintage pieces of all kinds) has the Warm Air Telegraph phone! Which makes me wish I either a)had a land line that necessitated a home phone or b) had a spare $95 burning a hole in my pocket so I could place it artfully on my dresser or something (nothing like a useless beautiful pink telephone to brighten a room). Sigh.



--Dara

Chance and Circumstance

Tonight, we attended an art opening for our friend Monica at the Silverlake coffee mecca, Intelligentsia. Monica's boyfriend Ryan is an enthusiastic barista there, and they live in what is potentially the world's most covetable LA apartment I've come across thus far. Monica was presenting a series of silk screens on wood and paper filled with "random outpourings of her imagination."
Monica has been quite the inspiration to me without even knowing it, being the graphic design maven that she is. Check out her work here, and enjoy the photos from the evening below!
















(By the by, please excuse the obvious graininess of most of these photos...I'm extra super amateur in the photography realm and will hopefully soon figure out how to do justice to the kinds of photos my new canon powershot G10 is capable of taking.)
love,
Dara

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains

Last night, at a listening party for the band Dios (for which Pat, the drummer for Chris's band Son Ark, also drums), I was waiting for the listening to start, when I noticed the movie playing behind the bar. It was called "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains."


I was drawn in by all that amazing red, but became pretty much transfixed by 15 year old Diane Lane!


Wikipedia tells me several former Sex Pistols (including Steve Jones...oh, Jones's Jukebox, how little I miss ye) and also Laura Dern (apparently Diane Lane's cousin??) starred in this little 1981 gem. I can't wait to watch it from the beginning! And, you know, with sound. I'll let you know how it measures up.
---Dara

Left Handed

Our friend Penny has self-published a novel, and it's more than worth a look at a mere $12. The cover, designed by Jennifer Lim, is pretty great, too. Available here.

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

The first week in February, I took a much needed week off from work to visit my family in my hometown Basalt, Colorado. This visit was a special one as my boyfriend, Mike, flew out from LA for the last half of the week to join us on a hut trip! Whenever I am able to get back home for enough time, a hut trip is always on the agenda. Something my Dad and sister, March, do once a month if possible, it is a unique and challenging way to enjoy the Colorado back country year round. There's a great article that was recently in the New York Times on the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, that covers one writer's experience going up in a blizzard. Last year, Dara, as well as our pals Josh and Carol, joined my family and I on trip up to Margy's Hut. This year, however, my Dad picked the Harry Gate's Hut, which is located at a lower altitude with a slightly shorter hike. Below is a shot I took from the airplane of the great Rocky Mountains, not the view from the hut... Oh what a sight!

A lot of times, while on a hut trip with my family, it feels as if we're a walking advertisement for Victorinox Swiss Army Apparel, thanks entirely to my fabulous Mom who designs technical outerwear for them. This is beyond awesome because their clothing is gorgeous, well made, and always under the tree for us at Christmas... Thanks Ma!

We usually split up all the food for the two nights stay amongst everyone going up to carry in their packs. This time however, in an effort to keep things light for us LA kids, my Dad took on most of the weight by pulling it up on a saucer sled, hitched to his waist by a harness! On the hike up we passed another traveler who was heading down that had his own unique sled set up. I'm definitely trying this method next time.

This is the view at the last 1/4 mile of the 6.9 mile hike, which is at the base of the final incline before you reach the hut. If you look closely in the second picture, you can barely make out the rooftop of the hut. What a beautiful sight that was when we finally reached the top!

Our first night there was all about warming up after the long, cold hike. We drank hot orange Gatorade (helps to calm any feelings of altitude sickness) and made yummy pizzas on pre-made flat bread. The next morning, March and Dad took off for a 10 mile round trip ski out to a possible location for the next hut they plan to build. My Mom, Mike and I stayed behind at the hut, to relax on the front deck and enjoy the day of rest.

I got antsy for some snow fun before the sun went down and noticed there was a seemingly excellent sled run just east of the hut that was covered in about a foot of snow. After a few hours of snow stomping and test runs, I had carved out a stellar jump for sledding! The video below says it all...


Gates Hut Sled Run from Haley Thompson on Vimeo.

One of my favorite things about hut trips is the time I get to spend with my family. I am constantly in awe of their athletic abilities, and the passion they have for the great outdoors. March, for example, is currently training for the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse, which is a 40 mile overnight cross country ski race that is only for the most hard core of athletes. Yeah, I'm pretty darned proud of my baby sis.

In the morning, after filling up on hearty breakfast burritos and hot cocoa, it was time to start the long hike down. Because Mike and I were both on snow shoes, I wanted to carry the inflatable sled down with us for the steeper hills. Or rather, Mike carried it down (always the gentleman) and we took turns reaping the benefits of the exhausting hike up two days earlier. It was such a blast!

Some inspiration I caught on the hike/sled down for our aspen tree shoes and tote bags!

After our adventure in the back country, we had a very special evening to prepare for. A dear family friend, Klaus Obermeyer, was to have dinner with us the last night Mike and I were in town. Much to my delight, Klaus brought the lovely Nome Obermeyer as his date, whom I hadn't seen since I was probably eight years old. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures with her, but it was like a dream to reconnect with she and Klaus after almost twenty years!




Klaus is responsible for my parents move to Colorado over 30 years ago when he hired my mother to design for his ski wear company, Sport Obermeyer. Klaus's story is a truly remarkable one.

After dinner, March and I had fun playing dress-ups in some vintage Sport Obermeyer hats my Mom dug up for Klaus to see. When we posed with him to take the picture, he told my Mom to take her time while trying to get the shot! Such a charmer he is!



We took some family photos that last night (since it's rare we're all together, and dressed up for that matter) which ended up in our annual Valentines family newsletter. The cover my Dad designed is below. Many thanks to my amazing family for everything. Best time ever!


xo Haley