END OF SEASON SALE

It's that time again! I can't believe it - while it still feels like summer is stretched out before us - in the world of fashion it is time for Fall arrivals so that means:

END OF SEASON BLOW OUT SALE

30% - 75% OFF

Clothing for men and Women

50% off Purses

by Anya Hindmarch, Billy Bag and Orla Kiely

Come down soon before it all gets snatched up!

Cheers luvs

X's

Amanda

Surf Goddess Retreat - Bali

I have been home and back to work for almost a month now, the glow of the vacation high has sadly faded and all I have left is the pictures and my day dreams of the beautiful Bali water. I wanted to share a little bit about the vacation I so enjoyed last month at Surf Goddess Retreats. Surf Goddess Retreats is located in Bali and getting to Bali is no easy feat from Los Angeles! Of course I DID say I needed to get away from my life for a spell and going half way around the world was about as far as I could get. The flight from LAX was 16 1/2 Hours to Singapore, then a layover at Singapore Airport, definitely one of the coolest airports in the world to have time to kill in! Then 2 1/2 hours to Denespar. At this point my friend Dawn and I, bleary eyed and dazed from a day plus of travel were greeted by a driver with a sign who was dispatched to bring us to the retreat! Easy as that we exited the airport into the bright sunshine, were whisked away and found ourselves driving through an amazingly colorful, tropical and foreign land.

We were the first guests to arrive at the villa and were greeted by Chelsea, the retreat founder and owner. She was so warm and hospitable - showing us around the beautiful villa compound we were to call home for the next 8 days. Afterwards I immediately jumped into the pool right outside our bedroom door took a deep breath and knew I had made the right decision to come here!

The first evening we met our other retreat companions who came from San Francisco, Maine, Tokyo and Scotland. Then we sat down for what was easily one of the most amazing meals I had eaten in a long while. Of course - every single evening we were treated to an incredible and diverse array of dishes that were fresh and healthy. The food was so phenomenal we became quite spoiled and I wish they had a cook book - although we did get to eat some things that I don't think you can find quite so easily here in the states. One of my favorites at breakfast was this odd looking thing called "Jack Fruit" that tasted like bubblegum! Sounds crazy but was amazing!

The next day we began our surf lessons with the great crew at Rip Curl Surf School where we spent a few hours every day for the rest of the week. The water was warm and most importantly shark free! One other girl and I had a bit more experience so we got to have our own instructor the first day and then the second day our Surf Leader Melinda worked with us. They really catered to every ones unique skills. After that the rest of the girls had mastered standing and paddling so we all spent the rest of the next week together. The instructors were great and I don't know how they do it all day, I mean it is a rough job being out in the sun and surf teaching class after class of women huh! :-)

The school has photographers on hand to take pictures of the lessons so at the end of the week you can purchase a disc with your surfing photos. Thanks to that I was able to show my friends and family my surfing moves as well as a few of my spectacular falls and wipe-outs!

I am not really quite sure why I kept doing this whole "Airplane Arm" thing. One of the things about the photos is you could see what you looked like and what mistakes you you were making.

I just thought I would put this one in to show how graceful I am at falling. Yeah right!

In addition to surfing everyday - we also got private yoga at our villa. Quite a different and wonderful experience to enjoy yoga on a patio outside your bedroom door, overlooking your pool and garden while hearing the sounds of birds and other wild life all around you. Our instructor Susan was wonderful and patient with those of us who were not as adept. I am happy to say that through her I have re-discovered yoga and have been committed to practicing it daily since my return and am really feeling the benefits both physically and mentally. Thanks Susan!

In the middle of the week we took a day off from our surf lessons and Susan accompanied us to the town of Ubud. For anyone who has read the book, Eat, Pray, Love - the town of Ubud is featured in the last part of the book, and the people the author encountered and be-friended are real, including Wyan , the woman who owns Traditional Balinese Healing Center.

Our first stop was to the sacred Money Forrest. An amazing place with more monkeys then you can imagine just living among the trees - hanging out with tourists and getting fed and generally Monkey-ing around. (Oh yes terrible pun I know)

This "little" guy was the official greeter as we entered

Just chatting with my new friend about his days in the Monkey Forrest.

A family with a newborn Monkey.

As it turns out - the day we traveled to Ubud was an "Auspicious Day" in the calender for doing all kinds of ceremonies. During the drive Susan educated us on the religion and culture in Bali. Balinese give multiple offerings to the Gods every day. There are shrines and temples everywhere the eye can see as this is a very spiritual culture. The rest of the day we were able to peruse an open air market, have a delicious lunch and then visit Wyan at her Traditional Balinese Healing Center. This is her daughter (also featured in the book) Tutti and her pet rabbit.

The drive home we passed some of the beautiful rice fields that Bali is known for.

The rest of the week was spent doing more surfing and yoga, spending time with and getting to know all the amazing women on the trip, more exploration of this beautiful island and of course more spa treatments!

The end of the retreat and saying goodbye to our new friends was sad - but of course in today's digital age - we are all already connected through Facebook. Chelsea has also set up a Surf Goddess network for us to all be able to stay in touch with our new surf goddess friends. I can't say enough good things about the retreat. The accommodations are top notch, beautiful, safe and comfortable. The food - no matter how much of an appetite you have worked up there is more then enough delicious food to go around. Included in the retreat was a decadent several hour long spa treatment on our first day as well as a Life coaching session which was an eye opener for me. All in all it was an incredible experience in every way.

Dawn and I stayed a few extra days to continue with the rigorous routine of spa treatments, beach, sun, surf and eating. After which we had our last evening of sunset cocktails and prepared for the long journey home.

So for anyone who has ever dreamed of a surf adventure or a trip to Bali, I suggest you check out Surf Goddess Retreats!

Cheers Luvs

X's
Amanda

More Anya Hindmarch

I can hardly keep up with the press hits the company sends me. Now even friends of mine have started taking to ripping pages out of magazines when they see celebrities with Anya Hindmarch Bags! (Thank you girls) The fact that they can now spot them even when not credited is a testament to their fashion eyes - or that they read US Weekly and magazines like that much more then I do!

(The color on this photo is so off - don't know why - the bag is actually a beautiful gold-ish basket.)

Cheers Luvs

X's

Amanda

It's time for MUCH LOVE!

What could be a better feeling then adopting or rescuing an animal and giving them a home? As the owner of 2 animals who were abandoned (as a puppy and a kitten no less) I have to tell you they were the best impulsive decisions I have ever made! Yes - even the cat - which I had NO desire for and was against the idea until I held him. Anyone who has a rescued pet will tell you that the love and adoration they bestow upon you is the best kind of unconditional love in existence! Somehow they know you saved them from a fate of death.

Much Love Animal Rescue is my favorite animal organization out there! Not just because they are local, or many of the volunteers are friends and customers of mine - but because the organization of Much Love Animal Rescue is a 100% nonprofit, no-kill organization dedicated to reducing overpopulation, abuse and neglect of domestic animals. Much Love is run entirely by like-minded professionals who volunteer their time and resources to help save the lives of these animals. Since 2000, they have successfully placed over 2,000 animals in loving homes!!

So why do these busy professional animal lovers with limited free time do it?

Sadly, 12 million animals are euthanized each year in the United States.

That is 1 million a month!!

1,388 animals an hour!!

Much Love works tirelessly to decrease this statistic. Run completely by volunteer staff and supported by animal loving celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Jake Gyllenhaal, Katie Heigl, Tea Leoni and Patrick Dempsey to name a few, they host adoptions and events all over the West Side of Los Angeles and Bricklane is very excited to host an adoption event here in the front yard this Friday July 11th from 6:30Pm - 10PM.

This is the "First Friday" of July (due to the holiday falling on last Friday). Bricklane will have Much Love organization here on site with information, merchandise and some wonderful animals searching for their new home and owner to love! Even if you are not in the market for an animal right now - please take a moment to stop by and learn more about this organization and what we can all do to help them continue to save animals from death all over Los Angeles!

I personally became acquainted with Much Love in a rather odd way that I like to think of as fate. I opened my store on March 17th 2005. Less then a month later on April 12th I had the heart wrenching job of taking my 13 1/2 year old Labrador Ben to the vet for the last time. He had a massive tumour, had suffered minor strokes and his quality of life went from wonderful to terrible in a matter of weeks. Not able to watch him suffer I knew it was time to be put to sleep. Ben was my family dog who was shipped out to me via US Airways back when he was 7. He had lived a good long life split between coasts and was a favorite of many of my friends. Let's just say I was not the only one who cried when he passed.

Not even 2 weeks later, a volunteer of Much Love, and East Coast transplant / new Venice resident was walking a dog he was fostering around the neighborhood and ran into my friend Christy. The resemblance of this beautiful Labrador was so uncanny to my Ben, it made her cry while she demanded that he walk to the other end of Abbot Kinney to my store and introduce the dog to me. When Joe walked up with Daisy - I burst into tears and wanted to take her home! Fortunately, her loving demeanor, as well as the insistence of everyone he met who knew my Ben made the decision for him quite simple and Daisy is now one of our local Venice "Dogtown" dogs, in a loving home!

Much Love Animal Rescue will ALWAYS be my animal rescue organization of choice, and I am happy to get to help them in any way I can!

I hope you can stop by!

Cheers Luvs
X's
Amanda

George Clooney and Potential Actors Strike

A pressing concern of many Angeleno's these days, besides rising gas costs and falling house values is the possibility of another strike that would in effect take the entertainment industry to a grinding halt......yet again!

I don't work in the entertainment industry - but my business only survives because of my regular customers - and a good portion of them - well over half - are employed in one way or another by it. Not to mention countless close friends and neighbors all of whom were unemployed during the 100 day writer's strike. That strike effected so many people in my neighborhood, and frankly most of the small businesses in this area are still trying to recover from it economically - so with the possible Actors strike set to begin at the expiration of the contracts this Monday, I sit here in fear and trepidation we will see a repeat of what we went through this fall, and personally I can tell you many small businesses in this area (myself included) would have trouble surviving another.

I will preface this reprint of the Associated Press article of the statement made by George Clooney with - I do not know all the issues on the table for sure - but I am very impressed with Clooney at standing up and calling out his fellow actors - pleading for everyone to get along for the sake of the thousands of people the strike would negatively impact. George - just one more reason why I adore you!

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer Fri Jun 27, 9:27 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - George Clooney just wants actors to get along instead of choosing between sparring unions

In a two-page letter released Thursday, Clooney adopted a neutral stance in the dispute between the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild.

"What we can't do is pit artist against artist," he wrote.
AFTRA has already reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios. SAG wants AFTRA members to vote against the deal, saying its approval will handcuff SAG at the bargaining table.

Both unions' current contracts are set to expire Monday, leaving Hollywood on edge about a possible replay of the 100-day writers strike that ended in February. Results of the AFTRA vote are expected July 8.

Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and others have joined hundreds of actors in signing an online petition urging actors to ratify the AFTRA pact.
Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen and Holly Hunter have endorsed a SAG ad calling for AFTRA to return to the negotiating table to get a better deal.

Clooney called the fight counterproductive.

"Because the one thing you can be sure of is that stories about Jack Nicholson vs. Tom Hanks only strengthens the negotiating power" of the studios, he said.

Clooney also called on higher-paid actors to chip in a greater share of union dues and for 10 A-listers — "people that the studio heads don't often say 'no' to," he suggested, listing only Nicholson and Hanks by name — to sit down with studio heads once a year to "adjust the pay for actors."

SAG deputy executive director Pamm Fair called Clooney's letter valuable input. AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers declined comment.

Cheers George!

X's

Amanda

Summer Travels and Vacation Time

Ok, first off I apologize for the 2 month break in updating the blog here - but during the "down season" which is the lull between fashion buying seasons and when all the new merchandise is coming in and getting press and stirring excitement - it's that time in the fashion world where things settle down to a slow crawl with very little exciting or newsworthy to report. It is a bit equivalent to the calm before the next storm.

So with that said - we will take a short deviation in mostly fashion and retail based blog entries, and instead speak about travel - most specificlly MY TRAVEL.



Over the years in business here (going on 4) I have watched other people in my world (designers, showroom reps, industry execs etc) use this time to go on "Holiday" as the Brits say. For years I just sat and stewed in jealousy every time an auto response to an email would return with the "Out of Office, On Holiday until..." notification and think to myself..."Why don't they say what they really mean....I'm off having a fabulous time so Piss Off and don't bother me with work you Tosser", and go about my business. That is however....until now.



I have been trying to recover for the past week from a glorious 2 week break - my first in many years if you didn't pick up on that - and am now a complete convert to the European way of Holiday Thinking - that Holidays are a necessity and that the American "work ethic" of working ourselves into total exhaustion and using the very little vacation time doled out to us small piece-meal ways or when complete mental breakdown has ensued - in the form of "Mental health" days. The Europeans have it right - work hard, ok, now take off for a bit will you and come back tanned, relaxed and a wee bit happier.



So I FINALLY did just that - and the reason I have had to "recover" is I found it quite difficult to get back into my real world after having such a wonderful vacation. 12 days just wasn't enough and I had a total moment where I was sadly packing my case for the return home when I started trying to figure out how exactly to stay on longer - as in forever! Obviously when one goes on a vacation and starts entertaining serious thoughts such as "I wonder who I could enlist to bring my dog over here for me" and " I wonder exactly how much trouble I could get in for bribing a customs official to extend my visa"...well obviously the vacation was very much needed and it is pretty obvious that 3 plus years should not pass before the next one!



Owning a small business is supposed to give you the pleasure of your own time, not having to answer to anyone else, being able to create your own vacation rules...etc. Well anyone who owns a small business knows - that you have far less free time, the last person to get paid is now you and as for vacation? Well there is NEVER a good time to leave - which may not be true but certainly FEELS true!



SO at the urging of friends and family I finally decided to jump on a plane and get away - far away. About as far away as I possibly could. And where did I go, you ask on the edge of your seat? Well I'll tell you - I flew to Indonesia and more specifically Bali!



Surfing and Yoga and Sun and Relaxation at the Surf Goddess Retreat. AMAZING! To read more about my trip to Bali and learn more about the retreat - stay tuned for the next post!

Sunset in front of Ku De Ta - Legian Beach - Bali, Indonesia

SUMMER and HOLIDAY SALES

Well the sun has been creeping out - the temperature has been rising and people are feeling the buzz...the buzz of early season SALES!

Everywhere you look it seems you can find early season Sales and Specials and Brick Lane is on board!

Offering specials to help beat the heat come down for steep discounts of summer frocks and duds!

Also ABBOT KINNEY FIRST FRIDAY in July has been moved to FRIDAY JULY 11th due to the holiday falling on Friday and stores being closed.

FRIDAY July 11th - Brick Lane will be co-hosting an adoption event with MUCH LOVE DOG RESCUE! Check back soon for more details.

We also have something REALLY special in the works for August First Friday - so stay tuned!

Head down to Abbot Kinney either pre or post beach visit, check out what is happening and stop in for great Summer Savings!

Cheers Luvs
X's
Amanda