Happy Friday! To end the week, I'm taking you to one of my favorite new plant shops in the Frog Town area of Los Angeles called Sanso. It's a plant AND design studio that has lots of lush greenery and beautiful planters and vases. It's pretty much a garden oasis dream come true. Come see...
After the success of Museum of Ice Cream and Color Factory, it's been cool to see more "experience museums" pop up in Los Angeles. We recently took an Oh Joy Field Trip to...the Happy Place! The space is all about things that give you instant joy...candy, rainbows, cake, flowers...you know, all the GOOD stuff...
I first heard about Yayoi Kusama's work from a recent show she had in New York of an all white room that would change over time as each person who entered would place a colorful circular sticker wherever they wanted. "How cool is that?" I thought. Art that changes over time. Art that isn't always only created by the artist but the viewers, too. I became intrigued and needed to know more.
I learned that Kusama has played with concept of infinity over many decades and through a range of media. The traveling exhibition marks the North American debut of numerous new works by the 88-year-old artist, who is still actively creating in her Tokyo studio. When I found out that the exhibit was traveling to LA, it was a must for an Oh Joy team Field Trip to The Broad museum to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibition...
We love being out and about in the city discovering new shops and seeing beautiful items in real life. I do so much online shopping (instead of real life) these days, that I find it to be a nice dose of inspiration to see how things are merchandised and to be inspired by a beautifully curated shop. For a recent field trip, we visited Bonjour Fete, a party boutique in Studio City, Los Angeles, that also offers event styling...
To celebrate Oh Joy’s 12th Anniversary, we took a day trip earlier this week to San Francisco to visit two spots that make us very happy...Color Factory and the Museum of Ice Cream! We had a blast spending a work day having some extra fun, and I loved getting to celebrate with my amazing, hard-working, loyal, and talented team. Here's a look at our day...
One of my favorite chocolate brands, Compartés, just opened a beautiful new shop! So we went on an Oh Joy Field Trip to the new Compartés store in Century City! It was designed by Kelly Wearstler and is STUNNING. Come take a look...
A couple years ago, I met Ellen Bennett of Hedley & Bennett after we were searching for a local maker to feature for this post. After seeing her insatiable love of life, her business mentality, and her amazing way with kids, she and I became friends in real life. She has been an incredible friend, mentor to my kids, and is one of the hardest working people I know...and she's only 28 years old. So for our newest career day, I took Ruby to visit "Auntie Ellen's" apron factory to design her own apron and learn what it's all about. Ruby even got to bring her little sister to tag along when she came back to see the final product...
Everyone in Los Angeles who loves art is all a buzz about The Broad museum which opened recently in Downtown LA. It's an incredible architectural space filled with amazing, cool, and kooky modern art built by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. To celebrate our designer, Angie's, last week before she goes on maternity leave, we took an Oh Joy team field trip to get some colorful inspiration.
It was filled with work by some of my favorite modern artists including Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Keith Haring, Barbara Kruger, Jeff Koons, and more. And, of course, the breath-taking piece that is Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room. If you're in LA or plan to be in LA soon, you have to go. Tickets are free through the end of this year, but it books up fast so reserve in advance.
Also, wishing our talented designer, Angie, a safe and happy delivery to her second babe coming soon! We'll miss you!
{Photos by Casey Brodley for Oh Joy}
It's been a while since we've shared some of our favorite places for retail therapy here in Los Angeles. And I'm excited to share this little treasure with you. Pygmy Hippo is like a modern day curiosity shop located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. They've got lots of tiny, kitschy, and quirky gifts, books, jewelry, and other various things to ooooh and ahhhh over...
It's such a fun, little shop to explore and find something for that person who already has everything. And now, I suddenly want a ton of crazy cool pins, an eye necklace, and a mean girls nesting doll set!
If you're in LA, you can visit them at the address below. If you're not in LA, they have a smaller selection online right here!
Pygmy Hippo | 306 N. Stanley Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036 | 323.501.6187
{Photos by Casey Brodley for Oh Joy}
When you're a new mom, sometimes you can feel stuck inside bound by nap schedules and baby feedings. But one thing I've learned after two kids is that you just have to get out and do things to recharge your brain and find your own sanity. You don't have to be stuck at home all day, and you can take your little one along while you explore. I'll often time my outings with Coco's active awake time or with the beginning of a nap so that she's happy and comfortable. Then, I can wear her in my Ergo Baby 360 carrier so that she's close by me while I'm soaking up our surroundings.
Here are a few of my favorite types of places to go (with babe in tow) when I need a change of scenery...
1 / Explore Your Neighborhood - It seems so simple to get out and explore where you live. But sometimes you find unexpected things even in familiar surroundings. For me, it's not always about going somewhere grand but just taking a walk near by. In Silver Lake (the area of Los Angeles that I live in), there are tons of hidden stair cases (like the one above) that people use as short cuts through the hills. And window shopping is one of my favorite things to do—I get so inspired by the ways people make a retail space come to life (those balloons)!
2 / Get inspired by nature - As I kid, I loved exploring plants, flowers, and butterflies. So we visited the Butterfly Pavilion at the Natural History Museum where you can walk among all the beautiful, fluttering butterflies and learn about all the different types that exist. After Coco woke up from her nap, she wanted to check out the butterflies, too!
3 / Find an unexpected source of inspiration - I might not have a need for a piñata anytime soon. But when there's a whole Piñata District in downtown LA dedicated to piñatas of all kinds, there's something so inspiring about seeing all the crazy types of pieces that can be made. Not only did I feel refreshed after some new outings, but Coco loved it, too! It's never too early to show your babe all the cool things that exist out there in the world.
Where do you guys go when you need some new-found inspiration?
This post is brought to you in collaboration with Ergo—a brand I've been using and loving for years. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and original content like this for Oh Joy.
{Photos by Casey Brodley. My outfits: Rainbow stairs, top by Ace & Jig (past season); Butterfly Pavilion, dress by Loyal Hana; Piñata District, skirt by Zara; shoes worn in all, by Toms. I'm wearing this Ergo Baby 360 carrier.}
