Taking InvenTORI

Our trips to L.A. usually consist of whirlwind tours of our favorite restaurants and visiting dear friends. While catching up with our friends, owners of the famed Mark's Garden, I couldn't help but notice an adorable little shop a few doors down called InvenTORI. It so happened to have just opened on the day before on Valentine's Day and the proprietor was the one and only Tori Spelling. I popped in for a quick lookie loo and vowed to return since hubs and I were already running late for a lunch date on the other side of the Valley.

I returned later that afternoon with BFF in tow. We first grabbed a drink and chitchatted at a new eatery called Sweet Butter Kitchen located right next door to InvenTORI. I was absolutely smitten with the decor. I would describe it as a modern Provencal, the entryway was adorned with all of my favorite garden herbs in rustic baskets and pots. I had to snap a few pics for inspiration. Now I can hardly wait for Spring to get a leg up on my English garden.



After a quick bite we headed over to peruse the antiquities at InvenTORI. Honestly this little store is a gem, regardless of who the owner is. It is a slice of shabby chic heaven. The space was not pretentious in any way. The price points were completely reasonable for chic vintage pieces. There was everything from furniture and wares from Tori's personal collection to new items, including soaps and lotions. I believe most if not all of the items in the store were hand picked by Tori, at least the vintage items anyway. There was a great variety of pieces from various eras, everything from primitive cutting boards to swanky bar-ware.

Tori and a camera crew happened to be filming a spot to promote the store. Um yeah, we weren't expecting to actually see Tori there! She was sweet as can be and even posed for a quick pic.


I ended up buying a lovely tray (I think from her personal collection) for $45, two vintage jelly jars for $7 each, and the cutest little cupcake stands at $12 a piece. Like I said, totally reasonable. I have a few weaknesses when it comes to decor items. For one, I can't resist a beautiful tray, it helps anchor random chachkies or even a stack of books. Another weakness is white dishware. I love that you can mix and match textures and as long as everything is white it will always somehow match.


I graciously thanked Tori for the picture and praised the store. I kinda wish I was better at small talk, I could have mentioned that I helped do the flowers at her first wedding! Maybe, it was better left unsaid, who wants to rehash previous nuptials?

All in all this place is adorable, I highly recommend! I know I'll be returning the next time I'm in town.

Sneaking Away

The fam and I snuck away to Los Angeles for a week to visit my parents. With the Nordies gig I had to bail on out our annual Thanksgiving visit. It was a requirement to work Thanksgiving day (starting at 6am mind you) so I had to make it up to my mom for missing out on a major family get together. I made sure that this trip would be an eventful one.

The little princess got to experience a few "firsts" on this trip. Most memorable had to have been Disneyland and the Santa Monica beach! There really is nothing like experiencing these precious moments through the eyes of little ones. I'm not sure who was more excited, me or her.