House Tour: Courtney Lake's Oakland Oasis


Updated 11/13/11 8:45 PM · Posted by · 7 comments

Photos of Modern Oakland Loft Home

CasaSugar Community member CourtneyOutLoud has created some of my favorite Lovely Little Vignettes in the community group. When I first saw some of his designs, I thought, I have to learn more about this man! So, ever the snoop that I am, I did some poking around and discovered his wonderful blog, Living Life Out Loud. It turns out that Courtney is pursuing a career in design and event planning Read more

California Governor Allows Warrantless Searching of Cell Phones


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Warrantless Cell Phone Searches Allowed in California

Here's another reason to password-protect your mobile phone: California's governor just recently vetoed a bill that requires a court-ordered warrant in order to search mobile phones upon arrest. This means that if you get arrested in the state of California, the arresting officer can search your smartphone — which gives him access to emails, call logs, texts, location data, banking apps, and Read more

Can You Match the San Francisco Chef to the Restaurant?


Updated 08/10/11 2:29 PM · Posted by · 2 comments

San Francisco Celebrity Chefs and Their Restaurants

What are you up to for the rest of this week? We'll be busy attending the third annual SF Chefs, a gathering of chefs, restaurateurs, and other individuals respected in the food industry. To get you excited for our upcoming coverage of the festival, I thought I'd quiz your knowledge of Fog City's top chefs and dining establishments. I'll name the celebrated chef, and I want you to try to guess Read more

Kate Middleton and Prince William's North American Tour: The Lookbook


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Kate Middleton and Prince William In Canada

Kate Middleton and Prince William's first royal visit to North America is underway in California, with their most recent event being the BAFTA awards. Donning Alexander McQueen, Kate looked subtly glamourous hanging with Jennifer Garner, Blake Lively, and Nicole Kidman. Our favorite part of her outfit? Sparkly Jimmy Choo platform heels! Style highlights of Catherine's trip so far: she paid homage Read more

California Wants to Require LGBT History in the Classroom


Updated 07/07/11 7:01 AM · Posted by · 5 comments

California to Require Gay History in Public Schools

Adding to laws requiring schools to teach historical contributions of women and various racial and ethnic groups, California's state assembly passed a bill this week that would make lessons on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people mandatory in public schools. If California's governor does not veto the bill, the state will become the first in the US to require LGBT curriculum in social Read more

5 California Cheeses to Try


Updated 04/19/11 9:30 PM · Posted by · 2 comments

Best California Cheeses

At a recent seminar hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board, I tasted a lot of amazing cheese. The class was taught by the wonderfully passionate and knowledgeable Juliana Uruburu. She selected the cheese and paired each one with different food items. While I enjoyed everything I ate, there are five cheeses that I'm on the lookout for. The next time I see them at the grocery store, I'm Read more

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's Hip Designer Home Hits the Market


Updated 03/30/11 2:01 PM · Posted by · 1 comment

Photos of Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's Roman and William's Designed Los Angeles Home

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor relocated to a building on the Upper West Side where Stiller's parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, still live, and now they're finally saying goodbye to their Los Angeles roots. The couple has put their 10-bedroom, 11-bath Spanish-style home in the Hollywood Hills on the market for $11.5 million. The estate features a one-bedroom guest house, a magnificent Read more

Take a Mini California Vacation With Trina Turk's Home Collection


Updated 03/24/11 6:05 AM · Posted by · 0 comments

Trina Turk Home Collection at Layla Grayce

Want to add some California cool to your home, even if you live on the East Coast? Then check out the Trina Turk home collection. With sassy, vibrant colors and graphic prints, fans of her iconic contemporary clothing should be pleased to add pillows, rugs, and other accents to their casas. So even if you're only dreaming about a visit to the West Coast, pretend that you're in Palm Springs with Read more

Santa Rita Hills: A New Wine Region to Try


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Wines From Santa Rita Hills

One of my favorite things about wine is that there's so much to learn about it! There's always a new varietal to taste or an exciting region to try. Recently I went to a tasting that featured wines from the Santa Rita Hills. This small, relatively young wine region is located in Central California and was named an official appellation in 2001. Thanks to its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Read more

Would You Be Happier If You Never Had to Take Out the Garbage?


Updated 03/10/11 12:38 PM · Posted by · 1 comment

Video of Zero-Waste Family From Sunset Magazine

Sunset recently profiled a family in Mill Valley, CA, who chose to downsize to a smaller home as well as live a zero-waste lifestyle. You should definitely read the article on Sunset. Take a look at this video as well to get a snapshot of the family's practices, and a pretty surreal image of how much garbage they produce in four months. Would you be happier if you had this little clutter Read more