So today is the big day!

What big day, you ask? And with good reason because I haven't told you yet! I'm doing a photoshoot with the lovely model who emailed me about doing a photoshoot together and then a series of strange but fun coincidences occurred (which you can read about here). SO this is the first time I'm working with a make-up artist/hairstylist which is pretty cool and nerve-wracking, but it'll be fun (i think)! I'm so nervous and anxious because I get nervous and anxious about most things. But nothing went wrong planning this shoot, so nothing will go wrong executing it, I hope.

Anywhoodle here's some comfy coziness for you because I've stumbled across a few cozy looking pictures recently and decided to do a post on it.


It's photos like these that make me want to crawl in bed and go back to sleep. Or else read in bed. Or drink hot chocolate. Or all of the above :)

That kind of describes my state of being these past few weeks ;)

Oh and here's a pretty video just for the sake of it:


(click on photos for sources. double click on video for source).

Lost in midsummer night's dreams

Soo... yesterday I started my art classes at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. They offer a pre-college summer art experience course to all high school students. People (mostly young hipster folk, along with a few well-dressed nerds) come from all over the world to attend, which is pretty cool. Yesterday I had my fashion construction class which is really just a fancy title for sewing. And it's very hard to say the least. Alas, I'm behind the rest of the class already :( All those measurements! All those numbers! But I'm determined to stick it out.

...And today I have my graphic design class. I'm excited about this class in particular because this is what I'm really interested in (or so i think. we'll see after i'm done with the class!) And who knows, maybe there are some photogenic girls that wouldn't mind having their picture taken!

Well I'm off to make some smoke bombs, ya know, totally normal, right? Nothin weird going on here. Just mixing some potassium nitrate and sugar together/cooking it to make a chemical reaction ;)

What are you up to today?

(random roundup of photos i like. click on photos for sources)

J. Crew Fall Ready-to-Wear 2010

J. Crew has only like... the best styling in the world! And their Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear collection is nothing short of brilliant.

I love the juxtaposition of the classic styles paired with eclectic accessories and reworked with a modern twist. Oh yeah and the layering is amazing of course (i do love any sort of layering, really, don't you?)!

(photos via style.com, found via floddertje)

Oh and they have a new short film out, which you can watch on their website. I really do love short films, it's like watching beauty in action :)

P.S. GIVEAWAY WINNER of the Shabby Apple giveaway is comment #152, See Me Everywhere! Congrats! Take a browse around Shabby Apple and pick out what dress you would like, then email me with your choice and your postal address so that we can get your dress out to you :) And we have another giveaway winner for the Abby Try Again giveaway. What's this, you say? But you already picked a winner! Unfortunately, the winner never contacted me, so I have drawn another winner: comment #171, favor lover of Favor Project. Please email me with your postal address so that your prize can be shipped :)

Take me home where the watermelons grow

You know what's really fun (besides stalking people on facebook, which of course is the best thing to do when you have nothing better to do)? Browsing through peoples' homes on the Flickr. I love peeking into people's bedrooms and seeing how they decorate and their personal style. Which makes me want to pretty up my own room which is so blah right now I haven't done anything with it in a while. I'm *hoping* to try to get some things done I've been pushing off for a while now today, perhaps!


Umm... pretty white balloons in a pretty white bedroom? Yes please!


Oh yeah and of course a pretty girl in a pretty room makes the room all the prettier!

Those bookshelves and bookshelves of books! Holy moly. What a room. What a room.

click on photos for sources-last photo source unknown, please comment if you know.

I can't decide if I like plain and simple (mostly white everything) or lots of florals, lace, and color.

P.S. Title comes from a childhood song I used to sing. Can't remember the name of it though...

Walking on a dream

I started writing this post with a million things to tell you. I tried to write a poem, recount yesterday's events, and write about a quote I like. But none of that will do. Because I don't think in words anymore, only photographs. Words used to be my only comfort. When I was 7, I wrote a 100 page story about the adventures of two girls named Maddie and Mandy. I remember myself furiously scribbling down words because my hand never moved as fast as the words flowed through my mind. I wish I could find that story now, but it's tossed in with everything else we don't use, lost amongst boxes and boxes of stuff. Maybe someday words will come back into my life...

So here's how I feel in photographs:




click on photos for sources

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Mini adventures with Mom, dog, and me

On Tuesday, my mom and I (and dog Aubrey) went to Lands End, a trail that leads to the ocean in San Francisco. I needed to scout out a nice location for a photoshoot next week, so we went to the ocean and walked around a bit down there. It is so cold by the water there, I hope the model doesn't hate me after I make her stand in the freezing water ;)

Here's my outfit. Nothing special-I was going to wear one of my favorite skirts with the lace top, but the trail is so rugged, you absolutely have to be practical with what you wear.

Lace top: Thifted, Buffalo Exchange (from this thrifting trip)
Shorts: Ann Taylor
Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Coach satchel: Vintage, thrifted

We saw a coyote on the trail and I got lots of pictures except I had my camera on the wrong setting the entire time and everything came out really light. alsjdklafklafkjlf so frustrating but maybe next time I go I'll see another one since they're pretty common there.

After our walk, we went to Chinatown (Aubrey too!) to get smoke bombs for the shoot. I cleared out an entire store of their supply of smoke bombs haha. Btw, has anyone used smoke bombs (or smoke balls is what they called them in the store) before? How long does the smoke last? Does it smell bad or anything?

I'm really excited for this photoshoot, I hope it turns out nice and my concepts look good. It's definitely different than my usual style (and the first time I'm working with a full team-makeup artist, hairstylist, etc.) and I'm a bit nervous branching out like this, but hopefully it will go just as well :)

I feel like I should post more pictures, so here's a collection of photos that have caught my eye recently.



click on photos for sources

Morning ballet

This photoshoot by Colleen Durkin is definitely a favorite of mine. I really like the color palette and the way she incorporated the ballet shoes into the shoot-makes everything look all so graceful and light. Doesn't it remind you of something you'd find in an Urban Outfitters catalog? I'm also madly in love with the model's look. I wonder who she is...

GIVEAWAY: Shabby Apple

I like pretty dresses, don't you? Well that's a good thing because today's giveaway is any dress of your choice from Shabby Apple.

2 WAYS TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post.

Get an extra entry if you tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to leave a 2nd comment saying you tweeted.

**Open to all readers, international included**

I will draw a winner Tuesday, June 29th via random.org.

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED-THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!

Shaina Mote Autumn Winter 2010 Lookbook

Shaina Mote's Autumn Winter 2010 lookbook is so so gorgeous, I think I like it even better than her spring collection.


All the colors are so rich and vibrant and pretty pretty pretty!

"The Autumn collection was heavily inspired by the detailing of the 1930's and 40's and menswear from that time. Hearty flannel, tough cotton twill, corduroy and sturdy cottons are some of the fabrics used; as well as silks and knits to add a necessary delicacy to the collection."


I love the trousers and the dresses and the model's expression and the styling, and well, everything about this collection, really! What are your favorites?

Photographer: Samantha West
Styling: Shaina Mote
Model: Milena Iliena @ Wilhemina NYC

Oh happy, happy day!

This is the most beautiful picture I've ever seen in a long time. The focus and colors are so amazing I am in love :)
(by colleenann29 found via a little yellow button.)

Isn't it funny how life can be getting you down one minute and the next thing you know life throws you a whopper of something amazing?

Just when I was going around moping about how I need models, today I was contacted by a model in Denmark who's going to be taking art classes at the same art school as me this summer in San Francisco (small world, isn't it?) and she wants to do a photoshoot with me! As soon as I looked at her portfolio, I recognized her from a picture I blogged about in my early blogging days (this picture). I tell you, sometimes our world is an English village!

I am lksdlfkasjklfsa so excited I can't even explain. Good coincidences are fun, aren't they? Have you had any fun coincidences lately?

Guess who's coming to dinner

Hello friends! How was your weekend? Mine was swell, although I seemed to have caught somewhat of a cold (or maybe it's just allergies or sinuses but something is making my eyes water and nose all stuffy).

I went to the Birth of Impressionism museum exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. I've been wanting to go for ages and now that I've gone it was everything that I imagined it to be and more. On the tour, they were saying how lighting was so important to impressionists and how they positioned their subjects so that the lighting would reflect nicely on their clothing. Which is what a lot of photographers (including me) do. The impressionism of photography perhaps...?

I was all set to take pictures of the exhibit, but we weren't allowed. I was going to try to sneak a few shots in, but the guards were everywhere! Outside I took lots of pictures but the lighting was all junky (stupid high noon lighting) and the shadows and highlights were really harsh.

SO here are a bunch of pictures I've had saved on my computer for a while now. Not sure if I like the ones of Kelcie or not, but here they are out in the open anyway.




Sorry for all the old pictures. I AM going to do some new photoshoots soonish. I am itching to take real pictures.

P.S. Title has nothing to do with this post; it was just a movie I watched last night. If you haven't seen it, watch it! Katharine Hepburn is in it-'nough said. And gah, Katharine Hepburn is such a beautiful creature.

Sweet pea

Blue lips are all the rage now guysss

Oh yeah and so are diapers:


These clothes are actually really REALLY amazing, diapers and all.

click on photos for sources

Meandering thoughts (including an I HEART Project update!)

click on photo for source

Sometimes accidents turn out the best. There's a certain naturalness to them, a certain in-the-moment feel. This photo? Accident. And you would never know...

Last night I watched a whole season of I Love Lucy. It was glorious. It's my new favorite show. I'm tired of what's on TV right now all I do is watch old stuff.

I've started sewing my first skirt and it is coming along quite nicely. I made pockets yesterday. I have to sew a zipper on it today, then add a belt thing.

AND PLEASE NOTE (because this is important!!) The deadline for the I HEART Project is Saturday, July 31st. This means I must receive your package in the mail by July 31st. If you are shipping internationally, take this into consideration as shipping takes longer. If you do not think you can get it to me by then, please contact me personally and we can try to figure something out. Also, some people have told me they never received their package. I sent them all out in January, so please email me and we can work it out-don't worry, you'll still be able to take part in the project! After I get everyone's work, I will reveal the final plans I have for the project :)

Alice, take me to wonderland

Aren't these designs by Chatham Girl so delightfully quirky and fun? Reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, even the model looks a bit Alice-y!

I've been desperately searching for some big bows for future photoshoots and think I've stumbled upon the right shop :)

**note: not all items pictured here are currently for sale**

Take me to the lake

On Monday I had a little photoshoot/photo adventure with Emma and Melissa (who I both met on flickr-yay for the interwebs!). Emma was kind enough to model for us and go in a nasty muddy lake (thank you, emma!)

I shot both b&w film and digital, but since I haven't developed the film yet, here's a little sneak peak with the digital stuff I shot. Nothing real extravagant, no props or anything.


Just chillin' in a lake with mud in her hands ya know how it goes...


We probably walked 3-4 miles, taking pictures at whatever places had the best lighting. I like these, but want to redo the lake shoot, with props next time. I'm curious to see, what's your favorite? Mine would probably be the first and last...

Neopolitan dreams

Can I just say how much I love this photo?

This is by Emma Cherry (model is melissa), who I did a photoshoot with earlier this week. (photos from that coming next post!)

So long story short how we met:
Was browsing through Flickr and stumbled upon her photostream, saw she was from the San Francisco area, emailed her, found out she lived less than 7 minutes away from me, asked her if she wanted to go on a photo adventure, she said yes.

Oh interwebs, I love you so.

Sing me to sleep

click on photos for sources

Just some photos I had saved on my computer from a long time ago aka early blogging days. It's interesting to see how your style changes, evolves, and as time goes on, even goes back to the original style somehow. I find these photos beautiful, but I also find myself looking at more and more fashion-y photography these days and I'm not sure which I like best.

P.S. The winner of the Abby Try Again giveaway is comment #53, Lynda of be simply happy. Congrats, Lynda! Please email me with your postal address so we can get your prize out to you :)

EDIT: If you didn't win the giveaway, fear not! Abby is offering a discount of 20% off in her Big Cartel shop until June 30, 2010, just type in "gypsy" at the checkout :)