Seaside Chic -- Halsea Opens 1st Shop






Newport Beach, CA -- After celebrating over two years of online and wholesale success, Sally Bartz of Halsea, the beach-chic travel accessories company, is proud to announce the opening of her first Halsea store.

“People love the Halsea prints and the shop allows me to both showcase the travel products, and experiment with fun new home items – from colorful pillows with pom-poms to fabric-framed mirrors.” says Sally. “The space is completely Halsea with the crab-print fabric wall covering and the framed vintage photos – I’m totally inspired to create. Halsea is developing into a lifestyle brand, and the time has come to visually tell the story”.


True to her brand, the store’s tone is largely influenced by its location on “The Peninsula” in Newport Beach. The Peninsula is a perfect mixture of old-school surf culture and classic seaside elegance, attracting a burgeoning crowd of artisans, craftsmen and designers.




The Halsea Shop, which doubles as Halsea corporate headquarters, has an all-encompassing beach-chic feel created by Domino Magazine interior design darling and Angeleno’s hot, young designer to watch, Krista Ewart, who happens also to be a childhood friend of Sally’s.




After spending the last decade designing accessories for surf apparel giants such as Roxy, Volcom, Modern Amusement and Paul Frank, Sally Bartz started Halsea for gals who want sophisticated, casual beach style. Having created the line based on the laid-back California style of the 1970’s, her days growing up across the street from the beach is often the inspiration behind Halsea products.

The Halsea Shop is located at 409 31st Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663 and can be reached by calling 949.673.7743. http://www.halsea.com/

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bettershelter + 12@Elden = green living at its best


12 @ ELDEN
SMART DESIGN SUSTAINS

Costa Mesa, CA –- bettershelter development, the cutting edge design team behind 1.7 Ocean, the highly- touted Westside Costa Mesa enclave, are pushing the limits of design inspired by going green while interpreting their coastal modern aesthetic with their latest effort – 12 @ Elden.

Located in Eastside Costa Mesa, 12 @ Elden is a prime example of smart design coupled with green building techniques and materials, resulting in a home that is timeless in both design and philosophy. For the 12 California bungalows on the property, every detail from the building process to the interiors and the grounds were thought of to give home buyers the total green experience including two community organic gardens.

“What we have with 12@Elden are great homes in an ideal community context,” comments Steve Jones, bettershelter partner. “We like working with what is already existing and enhancing it by applying our design aesthetic. It is the ultimate in “green building” – re-using and recycling have less of an impact on the environment than any type of new construction.”

In an effort to encourage the sense of community living within Costa Mesa and minimize the environmental impact of their development, bettershelter is maintaining the original footprint of the Elden bungalows built in 1963, with each home undergoing a frame-off redevelopment to be rebuilt using environmentally friendly materials such as recycled flooring, low VOC paint, energy efficient windows, doors and electrical wiring systems, options for solar energy and more.

bettershelter principals Steve Jones and Pete Zehnder believe that the preservation and renewal of existing buildings is an affirmation of the enhancement of neighborhoods and communities. This philosophy serves as the framework for every project they undertake and is most evident in 12@Elden.

For the design savvy buyer, the two-bedroom bungalows at 12@Elden will incorporate such features as a fireplace, custom kitchens and bathrooms, dutch doors and open floor plans. With lot sizes ranging up to 2000 square feet, each of the homes also boast a private patio area perfect for entertaining year round.

Scheduled to be completed in Spring 2008, the models for this new development are scheduled to open May 15 with the first phase of homes being released for sale shortly thereafter.

Bettershelter is a full service development company that focuses on providing unique and affordable housing for those who appreciate architectural design in Orange County. To learn more about the company, which is located in Newport Beach, log on to the website at www.bettershelter.com or call 949-777-5643.
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I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Everyone needs a little help now and then. Nothing is better than having good people watching your back. Here are some of our favorites that consistently do good work and always pull through when you need a helping hand --

Copywriter
Cynthia Rupe
http://mediabistro.com/cynthiarupe

Photographers
Anthony Robertson
http://www.robertsonexposure.com/

Geoff Ragatz
http://www.geoffreyragatz.com/

Website + Logo Design
Lisa Sommer at Venturesom
http://www.venturesom.com/

Pixie Dust Decor Introduces Jardin Secret Collection




The latest textile collection from Pixie Dust Décor, purveyor of distinctive children’s bedding, custom textiles and décor, is sure to inspire creativity in any child or bring out the girl in any of us.

Inspired by her own well-worn copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s timeless novel “The Secret Garden,” and Versaille’s Petite Trianon, Pixie Dust Décor designer Stacy McCallum developed her latest collection to reflect a child’s desire to have a little hideaway all their own where their imaginations can take root and blossom. “These fabrics are a fresh take on traditional architectural and garden design elements,” says Stacy. “They are designed to satisfy Mom’s discriminating eye, while capturing a child’s imagination.”


Check out the complete line at http://www.pixiedustdecor.com/

Halsea's Beach Chic Luggage In Self Magazine



Halsea's beach-chic luggage and travel accessories is popping up everywhere! Self Magazine just included the seaside inspired line in a photo shoot in their March issue. If you are like us and love what you see in Self, go to http://www.halsea.com/ and check out the China Cove Roller Suitcase and the China Cove Weekend Bag. Congratulations to Halsea!

Playboy Surf By Wallin on The Girls Next Door



Congratulations to Wallin Surfboards! The "Surf's Up" espisode on The Girls Next Door couldn't have been a better launch for the first ever signature line of Playboy surfboards called Playboy Surf by Wallin.


Tons of Playboy Bunnies on the beach + tons of hot, new Playboy surfboards to choose from - what could be better!? Plus did you see how excited Bridgette got about the boards? So great!


Wallin Debuts Playboy Surfboards on The Girls Next Door


Playboy Surf by Wallin Makes Its Television Debut Sunday, March 2 (9:00 p.m. ET)
On a Special Episode of E!’s “The Girls Next Door” featuring a Guest Appearance by Kelly Slater

Wallin Surfboards will launch the first-ever line of signature Playboy surfboards in March 2008.

“The line was inspired by custom boards we created for Holly, Bridget and Kendra for an episode of The Girls Next Door and we didn’t want to stop there,” said John Levandoski, president of Wallin Surfboards. “We are pleased to be introducing a collection of 30 styles of long and short boards for both men and women.”

Look Like A Star --- Arianne Zucker of Lowd Suga' Takes on Soapdom.com's Fashion Column

From Soap Star to Jewelry Designer to Fashion Columnist - Arianne Zucker does it all!
Lowd Suga's designer Arianne Zucker is joining the Soapdom.com team as a contributing columnist writing the popular Look Like a Soap Star fashion column each month. Soapdom.com, a popular webportal and community destination for soap opera fans, is the perfect fit since Zucker starred as the devilish and manipulative Nicole Walker Kiriakis onthe NBC soap opera "Days of our Lives" from 1998 to 2007.

In addition to a recent guest appearance on "CSI" and a starring role in the independent feature film, "The Last Resort," one of Zucker's prime focuses of late is Lowd Suga' Jewelry, a handcrafted jewelrydesign company she co-founded with business partner, Heidi Mages.

Zucker's column will run monthly, with previous columns available onlineat any time. She will cover fashion trends, dos and don'ts, and respond to questions. Check out some of her past columns at http://www.soapdom.com/content/category/5/1/52/

Lowd Suga In New Movie...Weather Girl!


Lowd Suga’ Boutique Jewelry Design has signed on as the premiere jewelry designer for upcoming feature film “Weather Girl” starring Tricia O’Kelley (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”), Patrick Adams (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”) and Mark Harmon (“NCIS”) from Secret Identity Productions.

“Weather Girl” is the story of a local morning weather girl (O’Kelley) who freaks out on her boyfriend, who also happens to be the news anchor, on TV and is fired. Suddenly alone and unemployed, she must deal with being 35, single and having to crash with her brother, all while everyone thinks of her as the “sassy” weather girl that went nuts on TV. Upon completion, Weather Girl will be released to festivals for consideration later this year.

With the film currently shooting in Los Angeles, Lowd Suga’ design partners Heidi Mages and Arianne Zucker are working directly with the film’s producers and costume designers to design and create ten exclusive pieces for the film to be worn by Tricia O’Kelley and her co-stars. Each piece will be hand made by Mages and Zucker and will incorporate their signature “supermarket to red carpet” casual elegance. http://www.lowdsuga.com/

Attention all sweet tooths...

Have we got a special treat for you! You can sweeten your look at a price that will keep you on a Suga' high with handmade necklaces, earrings and bracelets from Lowd Suga' Jewelry Designs. Every piece in their catalog is priced under $100, making them great gifts for the friends and fashionistas on your list. Their designs will take you from the supermarket to the red carpet and everywhere in between. They even have cool jewels for the men in your life.

Check out their entire collection as well as their custom design options at http://www.lowdsuga.com/.

Its In The Bag! Halsea Chic

We love everything about this line from its super cute designer Sally Bartz to the beach-chic luggage she designs! Her seaside inspired luggage makes us feel like we are on vacation even if we are just traveling for work. Two of our favorite picks from Halsea's latest collection - a crab print called Boat Canyon - is the fab wallet clutch and the huge roller duffle.


Halsea Wallet Clutch - The perfect 2-in-1 piece so you don’t have to pack an extra handbag for evenings, the wallet clutch looks like a clutch but acts like a wallet. It is perfect because it can fit all your essentials so you never leave your valuable information in the hotel room again!

Halsea Roller Duffle – Great for longer trips or for when you ABSOLUTELY NEED to pack all those shoes. It opens like a doctor’s bag so you can see everything inside and features a retractable pull and plenty of pockets.

Check out the rest of Haslea's luggage and travel accessories -- www.halsea.com