Sarah Sherman Samuel is a freelance designer/art director and lifestyle blogger at Smitten Studio, where she shares her stories and findings on living with design. Sarah lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two dogs. 

What Clare Vivier bag is currently in your wardrobe rotation? The black and white snake fold over clutch is my go-to bag for a night out.

What’s inside? Inside you’ll find my sunglasses, iPhone, lipgloss, ginger chews, business cards, and a coin purse containing my ID & Credit Cards

What is the one item we will always find in your bag? My iphone, so I can instagram at a moments notice, of course.

What is your favorite thing about your job? Creating special things and seeing them out in the world for people to enjoy 

Where is your favorite place in Venice to grab a drink/bite? It’s a toss up between Tasting Kitchen and Gjelina. They both have amazing food and Gjelina wins for atmosphere but Tasting Kitchen for drinks.

What are your top three favorite stores in Los Angeles to shop? I can usually always find something to wear at Principessa, to gift at General Store, and for the home at Empiric.

If you could hop on a plane tomorrow and go anywhere, where would you go? I would head straight to our cabin in Michigan. It is a peaceful retreat from the city and I wish we could get over there more often.

If you could tell your 22-year-old self one thing it would be…. Don’t worry your skin will clear up after all. (well mostly)

What is your ultimate guilty pleasure? Movie theatre popcorn drenched in that liquid “butter” with peanut M&M’s and a few packs of salt mixed in. I usually eat very healthy so when I don’t, I like to go all the way. 

What book or television show can’t you to tear yourself away from?  Um, Duck Dynasty. Seriously… Uncle Si holds a special place in my heart.

What do you do to unwind when you are not working? Read and take naps in the sun.

What song is currently your jam? Another Girl by Wild Belle

What is one blog you can’t stop reading?  I love checking into Weekday Carnival. She has beautiful photography and it gives me a good hit of Nordic design that my Finnish roots crave.

Sweet or savory?  Always a mix of the two. See my guilty pleasure

Elizabeth has worked as an art director for many years (brands include Coach, Apple, and J Brand Jeans) and is always on the hunt for beautiful design whether in a vintage children’s book, a café in Nicaragua or a seaside town in Sardinia. She authors the blog The Littlest where she documents life with her family and the things that inspire her as a person. She also contributes to the international children’s blog, Babyccino Kids.

What Clare Vivier bag is currently in your wardrobe rotation? I constantly carry my overnighter these days. I have a six month old daughter and having a (great looking) bag that zips is necessary. I still need to get it monogrammed!

What’s inside? iPhone, a little Venetian coin purse that holds a lucky figurine I picked up in Bali and an instax of two of my favorite people in the world, sunglasses, sunscreen, a notebook and pen, Nars manhunt, Lip Jao lip balm, Shu Uemera eyelash curler, a Baggu with baby provisions, matches, my Stumptown travel mug filled with water or coffee (so far it’s never opened!) - now you know why I need the overnighter!

What is the one item we will always find in your bag? A little vial of Coqui Coqui’s coco oil. I find having a scent in my bag is more important for a touch up than makeup.

What is your favorite thing about your job? I am always in new and unexpected situations plus i get to write off everything that i love!

Where is your favorite place in LA to grab a drink/bite? For the daytime, I ove Fioré market cafe in South Pasadena. It’s super charming with a lovely outdoor garden. Little Dom’s is our favorite place for early dinner with the kids.

What are your top three favorite stores in LA to shop? Creatures of comfort, tomboy kids, lost and found

If you could hop on a plane tomorrow and go anywhere, where would you go? Corsica or Antipaxos (Greece) with friends (and kids)

If you could tell your 22-year-old self one thing it would be…. When I was 22 I was living in Aix-en-Provence. I would tell myself, you’re on the right track. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Always be yourself.

What is your ultimate guilty pleasure? A weekday matinée…with popcorn.

What book or television show can’t you to tear yourself away from? Game of thrones. I can’t believe i’m admitting that.

What do you do to unwind when you are not working? I just started practicing transcendental meditation. It’s kind of the best thing ever.  

What song is currently your jam? Tie between Phosphorescent - Song for Zula and Santigold/Karen O - GO!

What is one blog you can’t stop reading? la buena vida - I really like her food photography…

Sweet or savory? Most days it’s savory but every once in a while there is Mozza’s budino.

Photo of Elizabeth by Jennifer Emerling.

Sarah Yates is a lifestyle blogger at A House in the Hills and founder of a rad collective of wedding photgographers called Birds of a Feather.  She recently moved from Los Angeles to Palm Springs where she lives with her husband and their two dogs.

What Clare Vivier bag is currently in your wardrobe rotation? The tropezienne is always in my rotation, and most especially when I’m traveling.  But my new leopard clutch is also about to see a lot of action.

What’s inside?  My karen walker sunnies, the iphone i can’t live without, a hair-tie, lipgloss, earphones, a pen, a contax film camera, and a gold wallet CV clutch that holds my two favorite lipsticks

What is the one item we will always find in your bag?  You’ll always find a hair tie.  It makes me crazy if I can’t get my hair out of my face at a moments notice.

What is your favorite thing about your job? Hands down it’s the people I meet along the way!

Where is your favorite place in (your city/hood) to grab a drink/bite? I love Jiao for it’s laid back atmosphere and tasty small plates!

What are your top three favorite stores in (insert your city) to shop? Shopping in Palm Springs is all about vintage, so I love The Fine Art of Design,  The Estate Sale Company and Revivals for some good old fashioned thrifting.

If you could hop on a plane tomorrow and go anywhere, where would you go? The Maldives for a couple weeks of sun, sleep and snorkeling.

If you could tell your 22-year-old self one thing it would be…. Just relax, it’s all going to work itself out. 

What is your ultimate guilty pleasure  My ultimate guilty pleasure is an over the top luxury hotel room just about anywhere.  It’s my happy place.

What book or television show can’t you to tear yourself away from? The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Pure shame.And also It’s a Brad Brad World.  Bravo TV gets me.

What do you do to unwind when you are not working?  My favorite thing to do is hang out by our pool listening to music and sipping sugary cocktails.  But I also love bike rides and taking our pups for neighborhood strolls.

What song is currently your jam? “The High Road” by  Broken Bells

What is one blog you can’t stop reading?  I can’t get enough of Vanessa Jackman’s street style blog, ever.

Sweet or savory?   A happy balance in the form of Salted Peanut Butter Cups.  

Simone Shubuck received her BFA from the San Francisco Art institute in 1993. She is one of a number of artists who is devoted to drawing and works on paper almost exclusively. She has had solo exhibitions in New York at Alleged Gallery and LFL ( Zach Feuer) as well as Jack Hanley Gallery in San Francisco and Kantor Feuer , Los Angeles. Her work is in the Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawing Collection at The Museum of Modern Art  and The New York Public library. She works and lives in Chelsea, NYC with her husband and son. From April 27 to June 1 Simone’s work will be featured in a solo exhibition, Do You Like Old Things, Or New Things That Look Old?, at Taylor De Cordoba gallery in Culver City. You don’t want to miss it!

What Clare Vivier bag is currently in your wardrobe rotation?  Navy big duff monogrammed- of course- red white and blue stripe clutch

What’s inside?  iPhone. iPad, headphones, Smythson calendar , baby wipes, FRESH tinted lips balms, kleenex. An unsavory tangle of receipts, a pencil sharpener and flower clipper- it’s pretty much a mini crime scene in there.

What is the one item we will always find in your bag? Snacks

What is your favorite thing about your job?  No co-workers, no rules.

Where is your favorite place in NYC to grab a drink/bite? Buvette

What are your top three favorite stores in NYC to shop? A Detacher, John Derian, and Donut Plant.

If you could hop on a plane tomorrow and go anywhere, where would you go? Utah, and stay at the Amangiri.

If you could tell your 22-year-old self one thing it would be…You might want to stop stealing stuff all the time.

What is your ultimate guilty pleasure? Picking the white bread when there are other choices.

What book or television show can’t you to tear yourself away from?  I just devoured ‘Where’d you go Bernadette’- it was so funny and smart and fresh feeling.

What do you do to unwind when you are not working?  cook and entertain friends in my garden.

What song is currently your jam?  ’What goes on’- Velvet Underground always and forever.

What is one blog you can’t stop reading?  DINNER A LOVE STORY— trying to solve the endless, what should we make tonight question.

Sweet or savory?  Both! Salty caramel.