Getting back to Health..

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind for me.  In November and December I had so many events both in and outside the store, that it was near impossible to keep up with my normal health and workout regime. It felt much like being on a Ferris wheel that never let you off.  When it all eventually came to an end I took a week off to spend time with my family and re-coup from all the chaos of December.  I spent the first part of the week in Colorado visiting family and eating a ton of home cooked big Italian meals full of cheese and pasta.  Then I went to Carmel to spend New Years with more family where we went wine tasting and proceeded to eat many more delicious meals and desserts. When I got home I realized that there was a nice little extra layer around my mid section that seriously needed to go! I decided to make a plan to get my health back; and here is my goal for the month of January!

Three day Juice Cleanse
5 days a week at The Bar method
Vegan for the entire month of January

Progress so far:
Did two days of the juice cleanse- had to move to solid veggies the third day
Did 4 days this week, going for 5 days next week.
Ate vegan everyday this week. Not nearly as hard as I thought, considering cheese is one of my all time favorite foods. 

If any of you are looking for new fresh ways to get your body back into shape here are some of my favorite ways to stay healthy:

Exercise:The Bar Method is the best work out I have ever done.  It gives you all over tone without making you bulky and best of all you see almost immediate results.  They have incredible instructors, great music, and beautiful studios!  I go to the Newport Beach studio but you can visit their main website for more locations.

Dining: One of my favorite vegan places to eat is Native Foods.
They have several locations in Southern California and there food is amazing.  I highly recommend the Azteca Salad, Sweet potato fries, and the Scorpion burger.  I have taken many meat eaters here and if you don't tell them they aren't eating real meat they generally can't even tell the difference:)

Cooking healthy at home:  2 great cookbooks that I own and use all the time!

Native Foods Cookbook

The Vegan Table

What are your goals for 2012?

I Heart...

A few weeks when I did the Thread Show in LA I met the designer of Nolan Jewelry.  She was the sweetest young women.  Her designs are simple but elegant with a playful flare.  Everything is handmade in her down town Los Angeles studio.  I was particularly taken by her heart rings.  I bought the black and gold one and have not taken off since.  I am now carrying some of her her wonderful pieces in my store. Today I received some of the heart rings in blue, red, black, and white.  If you are looking for a fun gift for someone special I highly suggest one of these adorable rings!

Black enamel ring $66

Blue enamel ring $66

Red Enamel Ring $66

White enamel ring $66

Thread Show LA Recap...

Last Sunday Danni and I went down to the Cooper Design Space for the Thread Show.  I have been to the Cooper building many times to do a lot of my buying for the store, but never have I had the pleasure of being on the 11th floor!  It's a huge open space surrounded by windows. You can see all the tall beautiful buildings outside in down town LA.  We happened to be next to Tatum the designer of Love Tatum for the second time which was really fun.  Her designs are incredible and she works with a lot of unique stones.

We met a ton of amazing people and sold a lot of wrap bracelets!  The new Freedom collection made with leather, chain, and fringe was also a big hit.  This next weekend I will be packing up the line again and heading up to San Francisco for the Thread Show at The Metreon on Sunday Nov. 20th.  If you missed us in LA then stop by and see us while we are in SF or at our boutique in Costa Mesa.

Dannie gearing up for the day :)

View from our booth 

New Freedom Collection

Danni and I 

Love affair with Bows!!

So several years ago my sister, mother and I made an interesting discovery... We all doodle bow ties on our down time.  We were all sitting around the table having lunch together and one of us brought up the fact that they draw bow ties while talking on the phone.  We all laughed as we realized that we ALL draw them!  So today's post is dedicated to my lovely Mother Debbie and sister Dani.  Love you ladies with all my heart!

Little Rooms double finger ring $50.  I need own this asap!

Little Rooms bow ring $36

Maison Scotch Shirt $90

Mod Cloth Dress $47.99

Tycoon bow tie $52 

Calling all Jewelry Lovers!

Sunday Nov. 13th Thread show will be coming to the Cooper Design Space in downtown LA.  Indie designers from all over will be showcasing their handmade products. We at Briana Rene will be there with our new collections.  Our Freedom Collection will be viewed for the first time and we are hoping you love it as much as we do!  Here is a sneak peak of some of the items you can expect to see at our booth.  For more information head over to Thread Show.

Fringe Necklace $65

14k gold filled earrings $70

Gold Wing Earrings $18

Taste of Boudoir: Girls Night out

Looking for something fun to do tomorrow night?  Then grab a few girl friends and head on over to B. Bride style lounge at South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa.  The event will take place from 6:30-9:00pm.  Owner Summer Giaquinta has a very fun evening planned.  Filled with speciality cocktails, tasty treats, trunks shows by local bridal and boudoir designers, along with your chance to win a private boudoir photo shoot that incudes full hair and make-up services.  Amongst many other giveaways we will be offering up one of our very own hand-made bloomers!  RSVP to bri@brianarenedesigns.com.  Hope to see you all there:)

Girl Crush: Kristen Stuart

In November's issue of Italian Vogue Kristen Stuart did the most amazing shoot. While others may disagree I think there is a lot to love about this young actress.  She is is anti-fame, slightly weird in public interviews, rebellious, and did I mention beautiful!  I loved her role as Joan Jett in "The Runway's" as well as her rebellious role as Mallory in "Welcome to the Riley's where she plays a young misguided teenager. And then there was her role as Bella Swan in the Twilight Series.  While I should be way past the age of liking these vampire movies I have to say I am more than looking forward to "Breaking Dawn" part 1 on November 18th!