One of my favorite things about traveling is that you get to explore things unique to that country. Food, museums, architecture, the SHOPPING! Some of you know that I visited South Africa in November and had the BEST time. (Don’t forget to check out my articles The Single (And Not So Single) Girls Guide to Exploring Cape Town Solo and The Single (And Not So Single) Girls Guide to THE BEST Instagram Photo Spots in Cape Town) There just wasn’t enough time though to see everything I wanted in that country let alone all of the places I wanted to visit in Africa in general. Sooo, when I heard about WER in Venice, California I was very excited.

WER is a clothing and lifestyle boutique store in Venice, California that sells products from Africa. AND let me tell you, all of the products are VERY unique and well curated. From clothes you can wear to products you can put on your face to FABULOUS accessories you can incorporate in your daily life everyone will find something unique in this store to fall in love with. 

Some of my favorite products in this store were their purses, they had SOO many unique ones with different stories. These two below are my favorites.

The above purse is made by a designer named Ndozi who lives in the Congo. At this time he’s the only one in his village who can make this purse that takes about to 2 days to craft! Ndozi is currently teaching these skills to other in his village so that the craft can be kept alive and more of these beautiful purses can be made.

The above bag is made by a designer named Otinguema, a Gabonese brand made in Morocco. Fun Fact, this purse is called the LouLou and is named for Loulou de le Falaise, a close friend to Yves Saint Laurent and well known for her originality, style, attitude, and joy. All of which is showcased in this ADORABLE bag. It just has the best attitude to it!

Have I convinced you to want to step inside Africa but in WER  in Venice, California yet?

If not, maybe their SUPER CUTE and INSTAGRAMMABLE wall will help you out.

Oh, and they’re a FEMALE OWNED Business. 

So, if you can’t make it to Africa anytime soon, definitely make it to WER a clothing and lifestyle boutique store in Venice, California. You’ll feel like you took a flight to Africa (minus the actual over 24 Hr flight it could actually take! lol) through all of the pieces that tell a story about a different part in Africa. And just like visiting Africa, you’ll leave wanting to go back again and again because of all the beauty the store has to offer and the people who tell you the stories about all of the beautiful pieces.

You can find WER on instagram here and visit them at this address: 1915 Lincoln Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90291 .

Which purse was your favorite? Or are you going for the wall?

Xoxo, @kellithinks

It’s been exactly one week since celebrating Galentine’s Day at Cattle & Claw in The Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills. And since that day, I’ve been on a lets do whatever we can to support and celebrate and lift up other females high!  Here’s a little insight into the Galentine’s Day Party that was not to be missed featuring five steps so that you can throw an event that will truly celebrate other fabulous women in your life. 

#1 Pick a Great Setting/Location

The tone for this evening was already set to be a good one as the venue could not have been anymore magical that night. The patio area of Cattle & Claw at The Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills is probably a place where fairies live. In fact, I’m almost positive that one or two might’ve been in our midst spreading a sparkle that was contagious throughout every guest there that evening. 

#2 Make Sure You have a Good Mindset and Invite Other Positive Women

Now that you have an AMAZING venue make sure you remember why you want to put on an event that lifts up other women. One of the main reasons I wanted to host a Galentine’s Day Event is because I was tired of seeing negative branding around  Valentine’s Day for single women. I definitely am not about celebrating Single’s Awareness Day as I am not S.A.D about being single. BUT I am all about empowering other women around me as I feel that in order for women to truly get ahead in life we have to support each other! AND I didn’t want to just hang out with my single friends as I have lots of friendships with people who are in relationships with who I wanted to celebrate with as well.

I also knew that I wanted this to be an empowering environment where women felt comfortable and could truly be themselves. Which is why it was important to me to invite someone who could help set that tone. For me that was Sarah Pendrick of GirlTalk Network. Sarah has been featured on the Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Rockstars, E! and has also been awarded the WEF and United Nation's "Iconic Woman award for Creating A Better World For All." Umm yeah, I truly couldn’t have had a better woman there to help me set the tone for my first event. She set an environment where everyone felt comfortable sharing and connecting with others. I can’t wait until I’m able to do something like that as flawlessly as she did!

#3 Have Some Fun Activities

It was important to me that everyone had an activity to participate in as well. Sometimes when you’re in a room to just “network” it makes things so awkward. We naturally network when we’re in a fun environment.

I had some help with this from my friends over at Social Sparkling Wine to do a cute wine glass craft. Everyone got to take home a little plant terrarium, which will also serve as a reminder of the event for a long time after!

There was also a mini manicure bar where the ladies in attendance could get a touch up for their nails and add some XO’s embellishments. Perfect for this season of LOVE and the PERFECT girly activity. Thank You Elisa Valentina Agency for helping with this part of the evening.

Bonus: Do a gift bag! Everyone likes to be gifted during this time of year, and I thought it would be fun to give back. Thank You to Social Sparkling for donating wine to gift, and My Nail Makeover for donating mini nail files (The most perfect item to keep in your purse for times of nail emergencies!).

#4 Ask a Powerful Question (Get’s Everyone Thinking)

The Single Girl Life’s Mission Statement Word are Fearless, Empowered, Stronger and I wanted to incorporate this in the evening in some sort of way. I decided to do this by asking the below question…

“ As a Woman I Feel Fearless, Empowered, and/or Stronger When…”

I had everyone answer this question and put it into a box where they could keep their answer anonymous or state who they are. Let me tell you, some of the answers are soo powerful and I can’t wait to share this with you soon in a series that’ll truly blow you away.

#5 Wear an Amazing Outfit!

Yes, this is most definitely a step when putting together an event to celebrate women because when “We look good we feel good!” Galentine’s Day was a pretty easy theme, most came in pink, red, or black because those are just the colors you wear in February right?! 

I had the opportunity to wear this pictured outfit which consisted of an AMAZING top from Eva Franco and a VERY SEXY pencil skirt from LAMade. 

If you haven’t heard of Eva Franco you should’ve! I first found out about her designs when I was shopping in Anthropologie and ever since then I’ve been a fan. She designs whimsical truly feminine pieces that are unlike any other item of clothing I’ve ever seen or owned. I mean how GREAT is this top?! I love the pink and red 80’s vibe to this top. I felt like such a BADASS GIRL BOSS in this outfit. AND I didn’t have to worry about anyone having anything just like it. Make sure to check out Eva Franco you’ll become a fan. And insider tip, if you live in Los Angeles she does sample sales every know and again so make sure you sign up for her mailing list so you stay in the know.

And LAMade is just as great!! They have AMAZING everyday pieces which pair well with almost anything. But these everyday pieces aren’t boring, they are slightly unique which is important because everyone likes basics but we definitely don’t want to be basic. My skirt had a double slit and ruching that truly elevated the classic pencil skirt!

And those are the five steps (And a quick look into my Galentine’s Day Evening) for how you can throw your very own “Galentine’s Day” party any day of the year. It really doesn’t take much to put together an event that will truly celebrate and bring together all of the AMAZING women in our lives. I hope that we can do this not just on Galentine’s Day but any time of the year. I know I will continue to host events like this one so that many more women can feel Fearless, Empowered, and Stronger and can’t wait to see the ripple effect this brings.

What did you think? Is this something you plan on doing? What do you like to do to celebrate the other fabulous women in your life? Comment below, I’d love to hear.

Xoxo, @kellithinks

P.S. HUGE THANK YOU to Ographr for capturing all of the AMAZING photos at this event. Use code 'brand20' for 20 off your first session.