MEM DAY WKND 2014

Happiness is a three day weekend.

xoxo

Photography Friday Link-Up

I'm pretty excited to be participating in my first Photography Friday Blog Hop hosted by Jessica of This Analog Adventure and co-hosted by Sarah of Sarrrahgirl.  I am by no means whatsoever a self-proclaimed "photographer."  I'm just a lady who likes to take pictures occasionally, but Sarah encouraged me to try this out, and I'm glad I did.  I'm always searching for new ways to get to know myself and one of the best ways to do that is to express yourself artistically as much as you can.  I surprise myself on the daily when I let my freak flag truly go wild.

I like to call this series of photographs Procedural Beauty.

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Dreaming Of Winter

I had a great time this past weekend playing host to Miss Emily.  Once again, she beat me to the punch

and posted a sweet little recap over on her blog.  You can read all about our shenanigans here.  

Well, I had a nice three-day break from work, but in approximately two hours, that break is over, and one of the most stressful work weeks of the year will be smothering me.  Buuuut, that hasn't happened yet, so I can still be happy and dreamy and floating around outside of my head.  This morning, as this cold front is blowing in at 30 mph, all I can seem to think about is how much I wish Texas experienced full blown seasons.  The summers are much too long and the winters are nearly nonexistent.  I know people that live in the northeast and other places that have long, treacherous winters despise the snow and want to wish it away at all cost, but I am not one of those people, and I really want some snow down here!  However, I am not a brainless human, so I know my dream will most likely not come true, but I will continue to dream my little beating heart to pieces because that is what I seem to be best at these days.  

Here are some pictures I have been drooling over this morning thanks to Pinterest:

Guest Post from Sarah of One Chance

Today's guest post comes from one of my newest friends, Sarah from One Chance.  I met Sarah through Emily a few years ago, but we've just recently gotten closer through our mutual interest in blogging.  Sarah is an amazing photographer.  I am always in awe of the pictures she takes and shares on her blog.  She truly has an eye for capturing the little everyday moments and making them come to new life through her lens.  I was so happy to see she decided to share some photography resources she utilizes because she is definitely one to learn from!

Hello everyone! I'm Sarah and I blog over at One Chance I can also be found here photographing semi-regular OOTD collaborations. I was thrilled when Kassie asked me to guest post for her while she and Jason are living it up on their trip to the Pacific Northwest. I hope you'll enjoy reading some of my favorite resources for photographers.

My interest in photography really peaked in high school in yearbook class and in college I was fortunate to be able to minor in photography. Learning to shoot film was pivotal in my understanding of the camera. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone, step away from auto and really learn the process for shooting in manual. If you have the opportunity, I can't recommend taking a film photography class enough. A lot of photography classes come with a lengthy list of prerequisites that, unfortunately, may make taking a class unattainable. Luckily, the internet is a great supplement and I am going to link you to some of my favorite photography resources. 

Intro to photography final - July 2010

Jasmine Star
Jasmine is a great resource for photography tips, although she is a wedding photographer, the tips she shares easily transcend a specific genre of photography. If you read any of the tips listed below, I urge you to start with Jasmine's! 1. How to shoot in manual 2. The benefits of using prime lenses  3. How to photograph with wide apertures

Melissa Jill
Melissa is a wedding photographer based out of Arizona and like Jasmine, she loves to share her knowledge of photography. Here is a link to her blog featuring her photographer resources.

July 2013

A Beautiful Mess
I love their photography section because the girls tailor their tips to a non-professional audience. A few of my favorites are photographing with backlight & sunflare, tips for lifestyle photography, tips for outdoor photography.

Delightfully Tacky
Elizabeth is a fast favorite for inspiration and she offers a ton of tips and how to's for those interested in photography. Self Portraits - This resource is one that I keep returning to. It is chock full of tips and how to's, it definitely pushed me to think differently when behind the camera. Camera vs Lens - This post is a great point of reference for those looking to but their first dslr or lens.

Creative Live
This online resource streams live courses online that are taught by top-notch photographers. You can watch live for free or purchase a course after the original air date.  Watch their calendar for topics that might interest you.

August 2013

I hope you enjoyed these links, as they have helped me learn a lot along the way and I continuously look to them for inspiration. Be sure to leave your favorite resources in the comments!

Guest Post from Esther of Today Is My Favorite

Happy Friday!  Today I bring you a beautiful little post from one of my lifelong friends and cousin, Esther of Today Is My Favorite.  I've always been a little envious of Esther's constant optimism, supreme organizational habits and charming way with words.  She is the most graceful of artists and rightfully received her degree in Creative Writing at Stephen F. Austin State University in her hometown of Nacogdoches.  She is one of the most uplifting people I have ever encountered, and I feel so lucky to be able to call her family and even more so, a best friend.

Like Kassie, I work in hospitality, and frequently my “Mondays” and “Fridays” are not the same as everyone else’s.  I work at a Summer Camp and Retreat center, and, in the Summer especially, I don’t even pay attention to what day of the week it is, it’s just Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc.  I always know when it’s Friday, though, because, every Friday at 9:45 am, my phone sends me a reminder that says “Chickens!”

Just three minutes down the road from Camp Tejas, where I work, is a charming little farm complete with Chickens.  The owner of this farm is only there on weekends and holidays, so he’s asked a few of us at camp to take care of his chickens on the days when he’s not there.  In exhange for cleaning out the coop and feeding the 17 chickens, we get to gather the eggs.

Friday morning is my time to take care of the chickens, my happy time, the one thing in my week that is truly consistent:  I show up, the chickens greet me at one side of their run, follow me along the fenceline, and rush into their coop as I open the door.  I really think they actually miss me when I’m not there.

Okay, maybe they just want their food…

I grew up in the country.  My family moved around a lot, but most of the time, we were at addresses that didn’t even exist according to most GPS systems.  Despite living in the country, though, I don’t have much of the practical knowledge that you would expect someone to gain from country life.  I sure do know the value of garden vegetables that come out of your backyard, and farm fresh eggs, but if you asked me to produce those garden vegetables or take good care of the chickens who produce the eggs, I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to do that.  My parents and little sister were the true country folks.

Stepping out on a limb and offering to take care of the chickens down the road was exactly what I needed .  Just the little actions of gathering the eggs, scraping and washing the coop’s concrete floor, and feeding the chickens have taught me so much about what I am capable of.

When my parents had chickens, I was terrified to go into the coop.

Last Friday, I successfully coaxed a “broody” hen out of her nesting box, and retrieved the 10 or so eggs that were underneath her.

I may have been a little afraid that she would fly in my face in her fury, and she may have, in reality, gone calmly to eat with the other chickens, but, regardless of whether my fear was grounded or not, I conquered it!

I’m a big-picture person - I see things in terms of years, future possibilities, and eventual outcomes.  Sometimes it’s hard for me to sit back and just participate in a moment without analyzing it.  But, when I’m taking care of the chickens, that’s all I’m doing - spending a slice of my Friday morning taking care of the chickens.  There is no big picture for me to look at while I’m adjusting the spray strength on the hose to wash out the coop, or filling the feeders.  There are no far-reaching outcomes of my small actions on Friday morning, and I’ll be performing those same small actions next Friday morning, also with no far-reaching outcome.  The chickens' lives will not develop new future possibilities because I fed them and cleaned their coop on a Friday morning.

I so often fail to see the big picture going on in my own life because I‘m hyper-aware of the one going on all around me.  While I’m performing these seemingly trivial tasks, though, there is a big-picture change happening in me, and I can see it.

For that, I am grateful.

Where I Come From

Blogtember Day 1: Describe where or what you come from.  The people, the places and/or the factors that make up who you are.

I come from a home with open arms, a kitchen that welcomed anyone and everyone, a house that carried sounds of constant chatter, laughter and the aroma of chicken spaghetti baking in the oven.

A place where the dress-up possibilities are endless and historically documented in photo albums.

I come from a family of love, support and exciting games of skill and chance (Yahtzee!)

A home where music was encouraged and celebrated.

Parents that have never let me down, but have always built me up.

A carefree sailor with a heart of gold who just so happened to be my Pop for 11 years before he became one with the sea.

A mother and close friend.

When I think about some of the happiest moments in my life, my mind always wanders back to this magical little house on Nightbird Trail.  This is where I come from.

xoxo

Fall Fashion Favorites

It's that magical time of year again when everyone starts chatting about fall fashion over coffee at their local coffee shops because they're pretending the outside temperature is actually beginning to cool off.  Well, maybe it's cooling off in certain parts of the country, but not here in Texas.  Actually, as I say that, I remember that we've actually had a slight cool front these past couple of days in Austin due to some light rain.  And by "cool front" I mean the high today was 99 degrees instead of 108, but there has been a lovely breeze which really makes all the difference.

I've never been one to actively follow a seasonal "code" of what and what not to wear at different times of the year.  I've always just worn whatever I felt comfortable in.  It's amazing that specific colors are assigned to each of the seasons.  If I want to wear a neon, floral dress in the winter, I am going to do that.  Who cares if I offend someone by my questionable sense of style?  Not me.  That being said, I have been dutifully studying my Vogue and InStyle Fall Fashion textbooks that arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and I'm realizing that it's actually kind of fun to see what trends have been popping up on high fashion runways.  Oh, and I'm pretty much obsessed with the thought that grunge is back.  Nothing makes me giddy like the '90s!

In addition to my Fall Fashion magazine manuals, I have been soaking up tips and tricks from a few of my favorite fashion bloggers, as well as a website or two.  Joanna of Keep Austin Stylish mentions beanies, emerald hues, knee-high lamb socks, leopard print, leather and slouchy pants.  I've never been fond of myself in hats, but something tells me I could rock a beanie into the ground, and I've always loved emerald. 

ModCloth

American Apparel via ASOS

Personally, I think knee-high socks are super hot.  I guess I should invest in some cute boots I can wear them with.  As for leopard print, I don't think it'll ever be not classy and sophisticated.  It's way too timeless. 

Minnetonka

Kate Spade

Leather, however, is a different story for me.  This is a trend I don't think I'll ever be into.  I have never liked leather on me or on other people.  I just think it looks tacky.  And slouchy pants are definitely not the cutest piece of clothing out there, but they sure look comfy.

Urban Outfitters

Aside from these trends, I am also really into these styles for the upcoming Fall season:

Spanx skinny jeans (just released!)

Hunter boots

Tulle ballerina skirt dresses

Printed blazers

Colorblock totes

Suede Lace-Ups

Lacy Blouses

Corduroy Skinny Jeans

Boyfriend Jeans

My First (Not To Be My Last) Blogging Conference

Remember when I mentioned that I was going to the Texas Style Council conference a couple of weeks ago?  Well, it was this past weekend, and it was so much more than I had ever dreamed it would be.  When I think about all of things I learned and experienced, I am excited, overjoyed, enthusiastic, inspired and, most of all, overwhelmed (in a good way).  It's like my eyes were opened to this whole new beautiful world of women that are just like me.  I know it sounds so cheesy, but I've always felt a little strange compared to other members of the female population, sort of off balance or something.  It was just really nice to be surrounded by people who have very similar interests and ideas, but still each individual has their own identity and specialty.  I probably sound like a weirdo who isn't making any sense, but I swear it makes sense in my head.  Here's a quick rundown of my weekend:

On Saturday I attended five sessions:

Life Blogging 101 with Jenni of Story Of My Life, a fellow Austinite
Monetization 101 with Bethany of The Glamorous Housewife
Self-Photography 101 with Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky
Personal Budgeting 101 with Kelsey and Eric of Words of Williams
Create Your Media Kit with Tieka of Selective Potential

On Saturday night, all of the TxSC sponsors gathered in the Texas Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency for the ultimate Prom Party complete with 80s #1 hits, a rowdy dance floor, free schtuff, photobooths galore and a cash bar.  'Twas loads of fun.

And on Sunday I attended four more sessions and had the pleasure of hearing Elsie and Emma speak about what they've learned from blogging.

Children on the Blog & Social Media with Katie of Skunkboy (This will be relevant when I have kids because I do plan to continue blogging into motherhood.)
Do Your Dreams Now with Jessica of Noonday Collection
Handling Your Critics with Jen of Jen Loves Kev
From Blog to Book with Becky of Chipper Things and Megan of Greetings From Texas

(Top: Q&A Sunday Afternoon, Left: Elsie & Emma, Right: Katie from Skunkboy)

Every single session I went to was super entertaining and informative, and all of the speakers managed to hold my attention the entire time which is just astonishing.  Well done, ladies!

Shop Dreaming

Happy Friday, little lovers. 

One day, I will have a room in my house dedicated to the art of carnivals.

Now, here's a list of things I want, but cannot afford at the moment:

Free People Marina Embroidered Dress

                                                                                            

Kate Spade Mug

                         

Westward Leaning 7.2 Sleeping Beauty Sunnies

Kate Spade NY Shawna Shades in Pale Mint

KitchenAid Stand-Up Mixer

Marc Jacobs Classic Q Izzy Handbag

Anthropologie Oxfords

Apple iMac

To round out this super random post, I present you with my current favorite song, "Sinful Nature" by Bear In Heaven.  The video for the song is basically a weird, David Lynch-esque interpretation of Pretty Woman.  I could take or leave the video, but the song is absolute gold.  Enjoy :)

xoxo

Wednesday Summer Inspiration

I don't know about you guys, but I am beach-dreaming like MAD!  Grooving to the Beach Boys, craving pina coladas, pining for a new pair of oversized sunnies, inhaling the summer air and wishing I could go swimming in the sea...

XOXO