Last week, the kids and I headed down to LA to visit a dear friend.  Over the years we’ve tried for annual reunions, alternating trips down or up the coast, even after the first of our collective four kids were born.  It’s gotten harder juggling schedules, but this year we finally managed to get our act together.  I love when it’s my turn to head south because I can totally relax — no planning, no driving, just enjoying the company.  My friend has superb taste and always takes us to the best places.  One of our favorite things to do is simply take in an interesting neighborhood or street, like Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.  After a delicious al fresco lunch at Gjelina, we enjoyed a little shopping, ice cream and photo ops on our stroll down this street.

Burro: there is something for everyone at this super cute gift shop.  We picked up some paper — designed with whimsical unicorns and shibori-effect — to use for the DIY journals we made at home afterwards.

Baby Burro: the kids version packed just as much cuteness into a smaller storefront.

Salt & Straw:  the hot weather demanded ice cream on a daily basis.  Salt & Straw had the best flavors and homemade waffle cones.

Aviator Nation: their colorful sweats are super soft, and the ping pong table and golden lab were a big hit with the kids.

Tortoise General Store: Japanese housewares filled with patterns and color.  We love the threaded designs on these colorful balls, but at $35 each, decided to give DIY a try.

Murals: nearly everywhere we went, we saw murals and teenage girls posing in front of them.  These two are particularly good and naturally, we stopped for selfies.

Thank you, Shelton Family, for another great visit!

All photos original to RevolvingDecor.com.