Darphynia's Diary

Image courtesy of socalvegfest.org Who is excited for SoCal VegFest?  We are!  It is annual, and there are so many vendors, speakers, and food samplings.  SoCal VegFest seeks to inspire others towards healthful, conscious, compassionate, eco-friendly living.  You can read more about them in their About Us section.  If you are interested in attending, you can purchase tickets here .  Early bird tickets start at $5.00.  Military/Veterans (ID required), Kids (12 years and under), Seniors (65+ years), and Handicapped/Disabled individuals can attend for free, with no fees.  The VIP ticket is $40.00 plus $2.99 fee and is good for both days.  The VIP ticket also includes a goody bag valued at $100.00+!  Tickets will also be available at the door for $10.00.  See if your favorite vendor is attending by clicking here .  There will be Halloween fun, activities for kids, and so much more!  And no, this event isn't just for the...

My best friend and I now have annual things we go to.  One of them is Renegade Craft Fair in LA.  This past weekend was the summer show, so we went on Saturday.  After having brunch at Crossroads Kitchen (it was pricey, but really good!), we grabbed some tea at Alfred's  and headed over. Renegade is a neat spot where local, small businesses can showcase their wares.  They have everything from home decor to food, jewelry, clothes, etc.  Most everything is handmade, or at least partly handmade.  I love supporting local, small businesses, so I got a couple of things.  I bought a deodorant spray and solid from Cee Cee & Bee , a cold brew bottled coffee from Knight Owl Coffee ,  washable face pads from Facekins  (you can read my review  here ), and some Health-Ade kombucha because I like the taste.  It was hot (of course it was; it's SoCal in July), but not as bad as last year.  The prices for the products can be a bit...

Very few things in life get me excited.  Artisanal LA is one of those things.  It is a really fun event with local, small business vendors selling their wares.  My best friend and I went to their holiday show (read more about that here ), and it was a blast!  We are going again in April, so this post will be updated with all the happenings at the show.  I will have to remember to take an ice chest with me.  You never know what you're going to find!  What are you most looking forward to seeing?

The top of my CES badge. We are back at CES, and this time it's (supposedly) bigger than ever, with even more drones & 3D printing areas.  Not that we really need more, but why not?  I am looking forward to seeing everything that will be coming out in the next year.  Over the week, I will try to post updates on what we experience.  I am especially looking forward to seeing what new products Razer and iHealth will be producing over the course of the next year or so.  Virtual Reality (VR) is another thing I am quite excited for, and not just for the gaming aspect.  With VR, you can be just about any place at any time.  Last year, we were chased by a T-Rex, we attacked a giant robot destroying the city, and watched two cute cranes play ball.  Oh, the future... Stay beautiful!      

This weekend my friend and I attended Artisanal LA (thank you, Connie!!).  It was so much fun. Artisanal LA was held at the LA Mart, now called The Reef.  The Reef combines the LA Mart, Maker City LA, and Magic Box.  It was over 100 degrees, so we were wuite happy to find that the event was being held indoors.  The second floor housed the various vendors, and I purchased more than I anticipated.  But, then again, doesn't that always happen that these things?  We also ended up spending nearly the entire time there.  It was open from 11am-6pm, and we arrived at around 12pm.   We decided the best thing to do would be to wait to purchase anything until we walked the who show.  Here is some of what we experienced: Califia provides almond milk, juices, coffee, and other non-dairy beverages.  In all honesty, I am not a fan of their almond milk.  It reminds me of colored water.  That being said, I really li...

The final day of CES, which is a shortened day, was spent between the Sands and the LVCC, saying our “goodbyes” to everyone. We also learned that Android had a pin event . Various booths were giving out limited Android pins, and it reminded me of when I used to trade at Disneyland (now, I'm just a collector. . . and no, I'm not ashamed to admit that). Had we known about the trading, we would have paid more attention. There was an app associated that allowed the user to mark which pins were obtained and where others could be found. There were 45 pins in total, and we only got about 4 or 5. . . it, literally, would have taken an entire day just to collect them all. I feel like I need to complete the collection...hopefully they have it again next year. Were you able to get any? If you were, which ones? We also saw a kiosk called SAMPLEit , which allows consumers to purchase sample-sized bath, beauty, fragrance, snack, detergent, and hair products for around $1.00-$2.0...