photoshooting 1

I wanted to show potential customers ways to wear my handmade accessories as they looked at things in my craft booth, so I had a few people help me out with photoshoots. Brittany modeled the bridal button pin since she's getting married ..on Saturday! It could be worn best at bridal showers, luncheons, or teas. The pin has a blingin' antique button from my grandma's era. I love it. I saved some of those to be incorporated in my future wedding dress. The polka dot pin is so classic and fun. Dress up a pashmina or black sweater. The necklace is made from camel colored leather and antique turquoise buttons. Those buttons were one of a kind. I actually sold this necklace at the festival, but could make others with different button beauties. The ring is gold wire wrapped with a green aventurine cut stone. I figured I'd try the black and white effect on my pictures to show off the items! Effective?

ole parí

Double tune day because I couldn't decide:
Joe Purdy - Paris in the Morning
Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit

I wanted to add some more photos from the Eurotrip on the bloggle. We didn't have a lot of time to spend in Paris, so we hit the big spots and took a river boat tour at night. Main things I will always remember from Paris: 

• Intricacy of the Eiffel Tower
• Most annoying street peddlers I've ever encountered
• The never-ending Louvre
• The Mona Lisa was a lot smaller than I imagined
• Cheap pashmina heaven
• Listening to a harpist play while overlooking the city at the Sacre Coeur
• Mom's attempt at ordering/eating a crepe

Paris was on the last leg of the Eurotrip and by then, mom and I were in serious need of the English language. You can only travel around feeling like an uneducated idiot for so long. When all else failed, we went to McDonald's. True Americans. Here are some of the pictures I took at the most famous landmark in Paris..

We could have spent months at the Louvre. It was impossible to see everything in one visit, and we found ourselves lost frequently. I love the modern meets ancient aspect of the Louvre Pyramid as the entrance/exit to the museum. 

Ancient Egyptians used to worship cats...

pre.painting

Regina Spector - Us puts me in an artsy, painting mood. And reminds me of 500 Days of Summer. Great movie.

For Christmas, I wanted a huge canvas to paint something abstract on that I could eventually see going above my couch in my contemporary|eclectic|whimsy someday apartment. I've never painted anything that was extremely abstract minus doodles and small studies for architorture class. I have only begun painting on this bad boy, and it's pretty difficult. Putting the first line of oil paint on made me super nervous. The more layers of paint the better, so I'm hoping it will turn out the way it should eventually! But for now, I'm only going to show you the pre-painting, my little feline artist assistant, and my inspiration for colors, shapes, and proportions via photographs I took in Italy [Cinque Terre, Italy coastal town + Sorrento, Italy lemon tree seascape]. 

Look closely, and you can see the outline of Mt. Vesuvius in the background of the lemon tree picture! One of my fave shots of the entire trip!

Check back later to see the finished product: post.painting.

raise the roof

I took thousands of pictures on the Eurotrip that Mom and I took after my graduation. One stop was in Luzern, Switzerland. It is a gorgeous city surrounded by the Swiss Alps and right on the lake. Right when we got there [by train] I see this massive modern building with a roof that cantilevered farther out than anything I've ever seen in person. It was amazing! After we took a ferry that made stops at different ports on Lake Luzern, I had to get up close and personal with this thing. Check out some of the pictures of the KKL [culture and convention centre by Jean Nouvel] along with other shots I took from Luzern. 

Swans were all over this lake! They made my photos so much better. To see more of Jean Nouvel's architecture click here.

a collection of doors

Today's tune: Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons.

While flipping through my Real Simple magazine, I came across the section "decorate your doorway." It has three front door examples and how to accompany them with the right outdoor accessories - "bringing polish to any style of house." Sprucing up your front door can be an easy makeover and can create better first impressions. I'm so glad I came across this article because it reminded me of some interesting pictures I took of doors while I was studying abroad in Italy. After having a bad week, looking through all these pictures made me happy. Every single door was unique with so much character. I thought I could one day get these pictures developed and hang them on a wall in a large series: a collection of doors. It would be like reliving my abroad experience every day. If I could only get my own place!!! I have so many ideas and can't wait to one day decorate my own house. Taking artistic themed pictures is a great way to create your own art on a wall. I like the organization of the series shots. Take a look at the treasures I found while exploring different parts of Italy...

Now, here's the Real Simple article guide that breaks down architectural door styles [modern, traditional, and cottage] and shows how to give off the best first impression when decorating your doorway.

Click here to see the article online.

a southern spring

A song about HOME - The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert

There are some things that define the start of spring in the South that I always look forward to like, the bright white blossoms of the bradford pear tree and pretty pink cherry blossom petals. Then there are the things that I will not look forward to like, pollen allergies and dust in my contacts stirred up by the lawnmower. I guess it's the price we pay to observe some of God's beautiful spring creations. Whether lining the Dyer's driveway in my old neighborhood in Milledgeville, South Donahue Drive in Auburn, or randomly but perfectly placed in my Newnan neighborhood, bradford pear trees remind me of home. I spent a little while this afternoon photographing the blooming trees in our hood. And I got a few good pictures of the Toomer's Corner oaks while I was in Auburn yesterday. I hope to make some creative wall art out of these photos sometime. Enjoy.



goin' to the chapel

...or maybe my revised version: "goin' to the Sonnet House and .. Keri's gettin' ma-a-ar-ied." But for a more romantic song of the day [I guess this is starting to be my thing.. song + blog], I fell in love with a beautiful version of To Make You Feel My Love  that is by Mick McAuley & Winifred Horan. It's kind-of hard to mess this song up, but I think this is my favorite remake.

I was in a beautiful wedding in December, and I feel it necessary to show you followers [I'm working on coming up with a new name for this.. something similar to Gaga's "little monsters," but I haven't quite broken ground yet] a sample of the gorgeous engagement and wedding photos by scbphotography of Birmingham [under my blogalicious category]. I think it would be imperative to have a creative and trustworthy photographer for your wedding, and Camille did a wonderful job for Keri and Josh. They were all so great- and the clear blue sky and sunshine didn't hurt! Photos are a great way to portray and relive a meaningful experience, so choose an artistic photographer!

Congratulations Ker-bear!