Thursday, January 28, 2010

How We're Helping for Haiti

Let me start by saying that if you haven't yet helped out Haiti in anyway- you need to. NOW. Whether you help by sending some money or saying a prayer, it truly is important for everyone to make some kind of a contribution (even if it does mean that you go Starbucks free for a day... i'm sure you'll survive). In addition to texting 'HAITI' to 90999 last week, I just purchased my tickets to see the Real Medicine for Haiti show which includes live acoustic performances at the House of Blues in LA. Have I mentioned how much I love it here in LA?!

Who am I most excited to see perform? BRETT DENNEN. Ever since I layed ears on his songs I have been simply smitten- if you haven't become a fan of his, become one! :)

Alright, well have a good weekend everyone. No work tomorrow= no post tomorrow. Adios chica/os!

xoxox,

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What I'm Wishing for this Wednesday

3 Things I want... desperately.

A lifetime supply of Sauvignon Blanc wine- it’s like a large dose of happiness in each glass! Full of citrus and berry flavors it’s bound to cheer anyone up from the mid-week blues we all encounter. Check out the ever-accurate wikipedia for a description of what exactly I am raving about.

A manicure with taupe colored nail polish. This unexpected color goes with nearly any outfit and has a cool factor even when chipped!

A cognac colored handbag- an unexpected neutral goes with practically any outfit I can put together in my head. The particular one I have my eye on? Go ahead, drool a little- I surely did!


























xoxox,

DEAR READERS:

Hello! While I hope that I have drawn at least a small crowd of viewers I am wondering: WHERE ARE YOU??

It would be my greatest wish to have a few (or all) of you post comments. After all, that is how blogging popularity is measured... or so it seems to be in my eyes. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. I'm not requesting that you comment each and everytime you read, just every so often. I would be ETERNALLY grateful!

In exchange, I will make a greater effort to post things that are more interactive- possibly post questions and pictures? Also, if anyone has suggestions- feel free to let me know!

Thanks again.
xoxox,

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

In lieu of the non-stop rain here in LA, I have listed a handful of things that I am currently loving-- all water related! I have highlighted the words that relate to water for your reading ease. Enjoy =D

Joe Purdy and his song: I love the rain



Click the album cover to go directly to itunes to preview the song!



Sea of Shoes. This blog is written by a shoe obsessed girl in high school who posts photos of her INCREDIBLE outfits and details about her life. She is so popular and has such a great eye for fashion Urban Outfitters asked her to create her own line of shoes through them!



Wavy hair is so California chic.. ladies with the naturally flowing locks- consider yourselves lucky!



okay, okay so in addition to envying her beachy waves we envy...well, everthing else.







My fish, Shellie! (no pics currently but this sapphire blue beta is a distant ancestor)






xoxox,

PICS OF OUR SPRING COLLECTION NOW ON OUR SITE!


We just posted pics of our spring collection on the site!
Check 'em out here, we hope that you're as excited as we are.

Remember: if you're in the LA area check out our stores section of the site to scope out the pieces in person at local retailers!


xoxox,

Friday, January 22, 2010

CHECK OUT SELF MAG- FEBRUARY ISSUE!

WE JUST PICKED UP THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF SELF MAGAZINE and to our surprise ITSOLA was featured on Nina Dobrev of The Vampire Diaries.
Who are we kidding?? we were waiting for the issue to hit stands for weeks! Check it out for yourself since the February issue of SELF Magazine is now on newsstands (ITSOLA dress on pg. 114)!
And don’t forget to check back in stores and on our website for the full spring collection!






























xoxox,

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

My latest obsessions..

Lately, I can't get enough of:

Modern Family (with some popcorn or wine, or both)

--This trio makes for a great Wednesday night!

Vampire Weekend, I originally downloaded then on my iPod for a little extra motivation to workout, this band has literally blown my mind since day one and I can’t stop listening to it!

Finding vintage items for WAYY cheap. Or anything way cheap, for that matter.

Getting mail! Weird as it sounds, living in a new place is way more fun when you get things in the mail. Even bills are fun, although care packages and cute cards are preferred =)


xoxox,



Tuesday, January 19, 2010

HAPPY NATIONAL POPCORN DAY!

Yes, today is one of my new favorite days of the year.

As a popcorn connoisseur, it’s only natural for me to be ecstatic to celebrate this day! Given this wonderful holiday I have listed some of my favorite varieties and brands of popcorn J

Also, popcorn pairs perfectly with this rainy LA weather.

*Favorite popcorn company: Garrett's in Chicago

Here I am in heaven, even after waiting in line for 45 minutes to try this famous company's kernels:













*Favorite flavor of microwaveable popcorn:
Pop Secret, Homestyle flavor (the big bag, no 100 calorie stuff!)







*Favorite popcorn recipe as a sweet snack:
White-chocolate popcorn, this recipe is TO DIE FOR!
My suggestion? Add crystal sprinkles before cooling- adds a perfect last touch!



xoxox,


Monday, January 18, 2010

HAPPY MLK DAY!

We loved our weekend off. Spending free time shopping and at the beach make working our tush off all work completely worth it!

Watching the Golden Globes was an incredible way to top off the weekend, speaking of who was our favorite dressed celeb?

#1 CHOICE

Who: Sandra Bullock for sure.

Wear: Not only was she ravishing on the runway...

Why: Who couldn't love her speech for The Blind Side?

#2 Pick

Jennifer Garner

Why? She reportedly was shopping with her daughter earlier that day (thanks, Just Jared).

How can you not love a woman who is domestic at day and dashing at night?!










xoxox,



p.s. Happy Martin Luther King Day =)

Friday, January 15, 2010

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Okay, so this is what we are simply thrilled about this weekend:

  1. SLEEPING IN: everyone could use a few extra zzzz's (including me).
  2. Attending a sample sale in Hollywood- who doesn't love great clothes with a MAJOR discount?!
  3. A night out on the town. We suggest maybe even wearing that great dress that you just bought for upber cheap!!!!
  4. THE 67th GOLDEN GLOBES! I can't wait to tune in on Sunday to check out what everyone is wearing. But until then, we are loving the post by Fashionista on what they want to see and what they will see. Their predictions look great to us!
  5. Martin Luther King Jr. day. For those of you who get the day off- enjoy. If you're the one that will be in the office come Monday morning, we feel your pain.
Have a great weekend everyone!
xoxox,

Thursday, January 14, 2010

SINK YOUR TEETH INTO THIS!!

This just in: ITSOLA will be featured on Nina Dobrev, Vampire Diaries actress.

She will be appearing in the February issue of Self Magazine! Thanks to Just Jared, we were able to snag this photo from the shoot :)



















The good news is you can look just as good as Nina, check for this dress in stores at the beginning of February!

xoxox,

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

WE DON’T REALLY HAVE BRAGGING RIGHTS, BUT COULD WE EARN A FEW FOR THIS?!

Sunday’s New York Times style section published the article, A Look That’s On The Bright Side.

In the article, author Karin Nelson covered a trend for 2010: mixing and matching prints, patterns, and everything in between. She discusses how neutral looks have been nixed, the new way to match is to mis-match. Seems a little crazy, right?

Hmmm.. did anyone see this trend mentioned a few days ago, somewhere else?

If you’re drawing a blank, please refer back to our blog post on January 6, 2010: top ten things we’re most excited about this year ((HINT: #6)).

In addition to being excited about the mixing all things printed, patterned, and pretty trend, add to the list the fact that the

we blogged about something that the NYT covered just days later. Are we allowed to gloat, or what?


xoxox,




p.s. i am SO HAPPY to have finally gotten my car!! Finally the adventures of Los Angeles and Kristin may begin (my giddy version of Lewis and Clark)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

DON'T GIVE THOSE AWAY, simply update them!

Love those old boots in the back of your closet but feel like they need an update?

DON’T GET RID OF THEM! We have a solution J

We encourage you to never throw out a thing. With so many DIY options and company’s with all kinds of accessories, there is always a way to update your out of trend or boring items. Check out The 2 Bandits and hopefully you’ll like it just as much as we do.

They carry a wide selection of add-on’s to update any old boot that needs to be freshened up!

Our favorites?

The The Rider line (to add a little spunk to a basic boot) and Fleetwood















xoxox,

Monday, January 11, 2010

Do It Yourself, and here is how!

Just to stress how much we l-o-v-e DIY projects, we’ve found a great tool to help channel everyone’s inner fashionista. Feel like you have great design ideas but lack the skills to draw them? Worry no more, Hokey Croquis sells a sketchpad where the silhouette lines disappear when you make a copy. What this means for you: you trace your design over the pre-printed silhouette. Next, copy or scan your sketches and the original silhouette disappear! Problem solved, and you have your very own sketches in a jif.

Good luck with your designs!

Sincerely,



p.s. we love this documentary- all about DIY discoveries throughout the U.S.
Check it out for yourself and be inspired, just like we were!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Wait, the Rose Bowl is used for football games too?

Sorry about your luck, Texas.

For most non-Californian’s the Rose Bowl stadium is commonly known for hosting football games throughout the year, but what most don’t realize is that it’s also the home to one of the largest flea markets in the world.

The Rose Bowl Flea Market hosts over 2,500 vendors and attracts anywhere between 15 and 20 thousand buyers every month! Known to sell unusual things and attract various stars, this is definitely worth checking out.

Visit the website @ http://www.rgcshows.com/ to view the schedule of events as it is only open select weekends.

Considering I am new to this area, this is one place that I am DYING to visit especially considering I am more of a shopper than a football watcher. Can’t blame me for that, right?


xoxox,




p.s. Happy 75th birthday ELVIS!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

GET CASH FOR YOUR GIFT CARDS

Don't know what to do with the gift card your great aunt bought you?

Here at ITSOLA we have the answer! We love www.plasticjungle.com where you can send in your unwanted gift cards for cash or trade them for other gift cards!

Reasons why we love this site:
-Buy gift cards at a discount- various retailers offer gift cards up to 10% off the total value of the card!
-Trade in unwanted gift cards to a store you would really like to shop
-Get cash for your gift cards

Our suggestion? Sell your gift cards for cash and spend it at ITSOLA.com :)
Don't forget to check back for our Spring collection hitting stores this February.

xoxox,

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

10 things we're happy about in 2010

In celebration of ringing in the New Year we’ve chosen ten things that ITSOLA is most excited about! We hope you’re just as pumped about them as we are… and don’t forget to check out our spring collection when it arrives- we might even have some of the 2010 trends incorporated into our line (hint, hint)!

1. The use of bold prints to brighten up your 2010 year

2. Vintage details (bring in the old and ring in the new), with a modern twist to spice up any outfit

3. Pairing colorful pieces with big accessories- to make a jaw dropping statement, of course



ITSOLA loves this cute floral statement piece necklace. Perfect with a silk top- printed, striped, or solid!

Found from http://www.bluebellwholesale.com



4. Living casually in comfort. Who says you can’t be comfortable, casual, AND cute? Here at ITSOLA we love to give you guys comfortable, cute pieces to mix into your closet.

5. Pairing feminine pieces with masculine touches... there’s a reason boyfriend blazers and dresses are a great combination



ITSOLA loves this look from shoestringchic.wordpress.com/



6. Dare to be bold, feel free to mix patterns and prints. We love the idea of a floral dress with a striped cardigan or try a striped shirt with a patterned scarf!

7. DIY projects. Channel your inner creativity by making something on your own! Check out http://psimadethis.com/ for new and fresh DIY ideas.

8. Monogrammed items are all the rage. Who doesn’t love their initial stamped on something cute to wear around?



We love these necklaces with your initials from www.personalizedboutique.com




9. Going green and staying that way! It’s easy for everyone to be involved. Here are a few easy ways: bringing totes to the grocery store, carrying a reusable water bottle, or packing your lunch in Tupperware instead of using Ziploc bags. And you might as well look cute while doing it!



These reusable bags are so chic from www.newdream.org




10. CHECKING OUT OUR SPRING COLLECTION IN STORES @ THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY!

xoxox

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

New to the ITSOLA scene: Me!


Hello followers! My name is Kristin, the new ITSOLA intern.
Here are a few bits about myself: I am from Ohio studying retail merchandising, I LOVE warm weather (hello?!? why else am I working in LA), and I can't wait to explore the city.

If anyone has any suggestions on where to go or what to do, please tell me!! Hints: I love to shop at under the radar places, I like to try different foods, and I am crazy about new and exciting musicians.

In addition, I'll do my best to fill you in on what's going here at ITSOLA as well as include a list of my favorite places and things in LA- as I discover them.

Feel free to tell your friends about our blog and don't forget to check out our site: http://www.itsola.com/


-Kristin

p.s. this is me, to put a face with my name =)