Co-living during the pandemic

The pandemic has been a scary unknown, but one thing we do know is that we’re supposed to stay away from other people in order to stop the spread of the virus. This becomes a bit more difficult when you live in a home with 19 roommates.

LifestyleJulia O TestJune 16, 2020community, communal living, co-living, communal, apartment, home, los angeles, los angeles blogger, california living, covid, covid-19, quarantine, quarantine living, pandemic, living, householdComment

Motorcycle protest in support of BLM

Last weekend my friend Ash and I organized a peaceful protest for the motorcycle community of Los Angeles in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We didn’t know what to expect, or how many people would even show up, but I made a flyer and we spread the word as much as we could.

My room tour + shopping links

I moved into Starcity’s Penmar location last October. It’s an airy, bright, brand new building in Venice, California, and I fell completely in love with it! I’m linking all of my decor and furniture below.

LifestyleJulia O TestMay 21, 2020wall decor, room decor, interior design, interior decor, lifestyle, lifestyle blogger, design, home, home improvement, room tourComment

Gluten-free vegan pancakes recipe

I was recently missing pancakes, but hadn’t made them since I became vegan and gluten-free, so I had no idea what to do. I also find that most pancake recipes are filled with sweeteners and unnecessary ingredients. So I decided to develop my own super simple, sweetener-free, vegan and gluten-free recipe! I also added on a delicious, clean, 2-ingredient sauce.

FoodJulia O TestApril 30, 2020food, recipe, easy recipe, vegan recipe, at-home recipe, vegan, vegan eating, gluten-free, sugar-free, clean eating, breakfast, breakfast recipe, diy, made at home Comment

Sugar-free vegan tea latte recipe

The one thing I miss most about the outside world (other than seeing friends of course) is my daily outing to grab a tea latte.

Being single in the time of quarantine

I already suck at being single. But add a global pandemic into the mix?? This felt doomed from the start…

New veggie snack alert: Dirt Kitchen Snacks

You guuuuys. You know that I eat super clean, but yo girl also loves SNACKS. I’m so excited to introduce you to Dirt Kitchen Snacks! They air dry veggies, some of which are rescued from being thrown out and wasted (total win for Planet Earth!), spice them up, and package them so they’re super portable and super delicious.

Unpopular opinion: Men need the chase

When I was younger, in my teens and 20s, I was a tomboy and stark feminist. No man was allowed to open the door for me or carry my luggage or pay for my dinner. What, you think I can’t do it myself! Of course I can! I had a lot to prove.

LifestyleJulia O TestFebruary 27, 2020relationships, dating, dating apps, dating 2020, relationship, romance, man, gender roles, what men need Comments

A photographer's guide to sexy selfies

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and you know what that means… it’s time to take some sexy selfies! Whether you have a romantic partner or not, taking sexy selfies can be a fun, subversive, body-positive, vulnerable, authentic, self-loving act, especially when you’re sending it off to someone!

I just got cheated on, and I'm ok

Tonight I found out that the guy I’ve been seeing for a few months was cheating on me and lying about it the entire time we were together. So, why do I feel ok?

A weekend in Austin

Just spent a girls’ weekend in Austin, Texas! It was my first time in Austin, and really in Texas (I was in Waco for a few hours in 2006, but I don’t really count that). We didn’t have any major plans for the weekend other than exploring Austin. And explore we did!! Here’s a little guide to the places we ate and explored.

City Guide, TravelJulia O TestJanuary 28, 2020travel blogger, travel guide, travel and leisure, travel, travel texas, travel austin, austin, austin texas, texas, city guide, austin city guideComment

Things to do in Los Angeles: Museum of Illusions

Had such a fun time today exploring the Museum of Illusions in Hollywood, Los Angeles. There are multiple rooms with all kinds of crazy illusions that you can pose inside of. Ever wanted to fall off a cliff? You can! Scale a building? Yes! Fight a huge octopus? Mhmm!

Los Angeles, TravelJulia O TestJanuary 16, 2020travel blogger, travel guide, travel and leisure, travel, los angeles, los angeles things to do, things to do in los angeles, things to do in hollywood, california, illusions, 3d, museum, museum of illusions, hollywood Comments

Holiday shopping guide: support local women-owned small businesses

If you’re going to shop this Black Friday weekend, might as well support small women-owned businesses! Here are my top picks.

The hardest thing about divorce

Divorce is such a nasty word. People run away from it. People going through divorces are shunned, like lepers, because no one knows what to say, because no one wants to be around that kind of negativity, because divorce is a failure of love, it’s broken promises, it’s broken hearts. I used to say marriage is forever, that I’d never get a divorce.

LifestyleJulia O TestNovember 19, 2019divorce, real talk, real life, marriage, inspirational, inspiration, lifestyle, lifestyle blog, lifestyle blogger, mental health, emotional, wedding, life Comments

I lost my voice as a content creator

Those that are close to me know that I’ve been struggling for the past year to define who I am. I’m divorced. In my marriage, I lost who I was. I gave it up. I took everything I loved and believed and put it aside to be the right person for my ex-husband.

LifestyleJulia O TestAugust 22, 2019content creator, inspirational, find yourself, blogger Comment

Girls' Weekend in Reno

This weekend I had the pleasure of staying at The Row in Reno, Nevada. I’d been to Reno a few times post-Burning-Man, but never really explored the city or the resort casinos.

City Guide, TravelJulia O TestNovember 12, 2018city guide, reno, reno nevada, nevada, travel blogger, travel guide, travel, roadtrip, girls weekend, getaway, travel and leisure Comment

Hotel Review: Kimpton La Peer, Los Angeles

Another day, another hotel review! Obviously I love collaborating with hotels, and LA is one of my favorite places to visit, so here’s another gorgeous LA property for you.

City Guide, Los Angeles, TravelJulia O TestOctober 29, 2018los angeles hotel, los angeles, los angeles city guide, los angeles travel, los angeles blogger, Los Angeles recommendations, travel, travel blogger, travel guide, hotel, hotel review, hotel guide, kimpton hotel, la peer hotel Comment

Hotel Review: Kimpton Everly, Los Angeles

By now you guys know how much I love the Kimpton Hotels brand, so of course I was super excited to stay at one of their LA properties that I’d never been to: The Everly Hollywood.

Los Angeles, Travel, City GuideJulia O TestOctober 26, 2018hotel guide, hotel review, hotel, kimpton hotel, Los Angeles recommendations, los angeles city guide, los angeles photographer, los angeles, los angeles blogger, los angeles hotel, travel blogger, travel guide, los angeles travel, where to stayComment

San Francisco's 7 best peaks for Instagram photos

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m a professional photographer and a San Francisco local. So what does that mean? That I know all the best places to shoot!

Julia O TestOctober 25, 2018san francisco blogger, san francisco, san francisco views, san francisco guide, travel blogger, city guide, photographyComment

Easy smoothie bowl recipe

I’ve been a huge fan of smoothie bowls ever since they became a thing (how did we ever live without them?!). But I’ve noticed that oftentimes, acai bowl bases in cafes are mixed with apple juice and other super sweet juices that I normally wouldn’t drink (plus they cost a fortune!).

FoodJulia O TestOctober 17, 2018recipe, smoothie bowl, smoothie, healthy food, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, eat healthy, healthy eats, healthy living, wellness, recipe blogger, food bloggerComment