Things To Do in L.A. The Renaissance Faire!!

Goodness gracious, the Renaissance Faire... I just went on Sunday and I had a blast! There is so much to do, see, and experience. Located at The Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale, it feels remote once you are inside, but you will be surprised how much "civilization" is around as you drive up. Tickets are readily available online at the gate or even at select Walgreens stores.  This weekend 5/18, 19, 20 is the FINAL weekend and it is their 50 year anniversary this year so if you have been wondering what's up with the Renaissance Faire, I'd encourage you to get going!

Although you don't have to spend a lot of money I would suggest taking as much as you can muster for this event because there is plenty of food, drinks, activities, and LOTS of cool stuff available for purchase.  This time I engaged in the food and drink and when I go again I plan on making it a little more of a shopping trip. ;)

As far as dress is concerned, you are more than welcome to dress up in Renaissance gear which is another thing I will engage in the next time I go. If not, that is perfectly fine too. When we went, we saw the opening ceremony, a joust, the Queen's court, tons of cool costumes and outfits, loads of food, activities, a lake, ducks, lots of goodies I wanted to buy, a "naughty" show with sexy jokes, and much more. I also saw fairies, strapping men, and quite a few bosoms... Hello corsets!!!

Click here to find out about tickets, location, hours, etc. 

And now, for some pictures!!

So many things I wanted to buy

Will you find these?

The Queen is coming!

The most delicious ale ;)

I almost thought she was a statue until she moved!

Beautiful and entrancing, this one...

Ah bring on the mischief indeed.

Getting my Model on for Comcast. Join me on set!

Hey there, ever wonder what some of these model shoots are like? I still get excited and intrigued when I'm on one and this last time, I thought of you! I figured it would be fun. A "take your friends to work" day... :D Hope you like it. Here's how it went down.

Call time had me getting there at 2pm. Parking was available for us which was great since the location was in Downtown L.A. Getting there, I turned the corner and walked right into a lovely trailer complete with comfortable surroundings and a chef at the stove making lunch! Is that an awesome greeting or what??? ;) That day Comcast was shooting three ads and it just so happened I was scheduled to be the last. So, I enjoyed some delicious food, read a magazine I had brought, filled out some paperwork, and then waited to be called to get ready.

Upon being called I walked over to wardrobe. A magical place filled with clothes, shoes, accessories, YAY! For those of us that love fashion, this is a wonderful experience. People pulling clothes to make you look your best for the project. I have yet to do a high fashion spread but I still feel fancy every time I go through this process. Even if I were being dressed up in overalls it would be 10 different sets all in my size. :) Believe me, it rocks.

Once that was done, it was back to waiting. I got to meet some people, talk. I even ate again. Got my hair and makeup done, and of course, took some pictures:

My view rounding the corner on way to set.

I've arrived!!

Is it night already?!

Our trailer. Complete with chef!

Production trucks...

A glimpse at wardrobe.

On set for Comcast.

Comcast set pic #2. 

Comcast set pic #3. 

Now, the final product! The Comcast ad. 

AND NOW FOR SOME TIPS for aspiring Models/Actors:

**Make sure you always have your exact and correct measurements and sizes available and posted because you will be put into clothes for these shoots and you do not want to cost production time and money by not being spot on with this information. Even after you've been hired, you could lose a job if this information is not correct.

**Taking pictures is usually forbidden on set. Doing so can is considered a major no no. If you are allowed to take pictures (meaning you have been cleared to do so by an authority on set) you must NEVER release anything about the job until it is wrapped and legitimately released to the public.

Hope that helps! &

I hope you enjoyed coming to work with me. Cheers to fun and flashes!!

Chinese New Year in L.A.

This past Sunday, I got to continue my year of firsts by going to Chinatown (located in Downtown L.A) to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Although I missed the parade (boo) I did still have a great time walking around the busy streets and taking in the sights and sounds. There was so much action and I spotted quite a few Dragons which totally made my day. :D If you would like to visit Chinatown in Los Angeles, click HERE they have all kinds of things to enjoy throughout the year. The rest of this post is in pictures. Hope you like them, enjoy!

We're ready!

These students were so festive. I got my Dragon parade after all...

Got Tony this cool hat for only 3 bucks!

The most beautiful Asian flute sound.... she was great.

Celebratory dance with romance and fight scenes!! 

A most elaborate and lovely shrine. Beautiful...

A great day, a fun time. It doesn't matter how much money you have. Chinatown can be done your way at any time of the year. Hope you enjoyed coming with me to some of the Chinese Year of the Dragon New Year festivities. Until the next adventure..... BIG hugs.

Museum fun. L.A. Culture.

In my last L.A. Culture post, I told you about some great things you could do, and had expressed there were a couple more things I would write about once I'd visited them. Well here they are! During this holiday season, you may be concerned about spending extra money to go out or you may find yourself overwhelmed by the holiday to-do's. Hopefully neither of those is the case for you, but if so, you can rest assured that outings to these locations will not only be easy on your wallet but they will be easy on your time schedule as well.

The first is The Skirball Center:
What attracted my attention was their "Women hold Up Half The Sky" exhibit. I had passed by Skirball many times but finally had my first visit recently when this exhibit peaked my interest. I really loved the whole museum especially their method of creating the exhibits. So fun! I loved being taken away to the times and places depicted. For those interested and able, you can visit the entire museum for FREE on Thursdays. It's a lovely space perfect for all ages. There is also a cafe and gift shop along with a fabulous range of exhibits all made incredibly interesting by allowing you to interact with and / or enjoy the information with their signage, displays, and media. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy:

My badge for the day! I love free access. :D

The second recommendation is The Getty Villa:
This spectacular museum is located in Malibu, which will provide a delight on the way there and back as you will be greeted by delicious views of the ocean. Admission is always FREE (you print out your timed entry ticket online & pay $15 for parking.) This space is filled with antiquities dating back as far as 200 BC. They have gorgeous grounds, dazzling statues, and media along with exhibits and interactive tours for you to enjoy. There is a cafe that serves organic foods, a coffee stand, and you can even order a glass of wine or beer if you'd like. My favorite thing was the ability to touch a gorgeous marble statue of Venus. I had never experienced anything like it. Imagine the feel of a human body made out of marble! She felt so real... Here are some pictures. I hope you like them!

Her body feels so real! 

I hope you have enjoyed these glimpses of the Skirball Center and Getty Villa. Tell me, are there any museums you like? Which are your favorite and why? If you find yourself going to either of these, I would love to hear what you thought. Thanks for reading, until the next time, BIG hugs.