Thar she blargs

Happy December!

2010-12-06T08:50:00.000-06:00

It has been in the 70s so far this December until yesterday. A cold front came in and now it's down to around 50. Still not very cold but it's nice. Makes me excited about Christmas! My school semester is almost over. This image reminded me to be happy and peaceful.

Can't wait

2010-11-27T13:12:00.001-06:00

It's almost the end of the semester! Sometimes Thanksgiving break is a little bit of a tease. Bring on Christmas! Here are some 4x5 things I've been working on.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T17:45:00.000-06:00

Here are some pretty neat images I found from Hello Mr Fox.

We had a nice lunch at my mom's house with the three pups. The cold front finally came in.

A New Start

2010-11-24T19:57:00.001-06:00

So about a month ago our house was broken into. Our computers were stolen along with a few cameras and my external hard drives. In that time I have been so busy, and I actually forgot about my blog. I finally got a new computer thanks to renter's insurance (get it!) and I LOVE it! It's a Macbook Pro and it is so sleek and I intend to keep it as nice and clean as possible. A few days before the break-in, the lesson in my yoga class was to welcome guests into your house, even if they are thieves who steal everything you own. In exchange, you may make room for new opportunities. This really helped me after the break-in. While I lost all of my digital image files from the last... six years or so... I now have a new computer and new hard drives.

Anyways, when I set up a new Mac Mail account, the computer automatically transferred every single image I have ever received or sent in an email to a folder. This was really strange because I realized that I think I sometimes overlook attachments in emails, so I had never seen some of the images at all. Here is a look at some pictures from over the years, some that I took and some that were sent to me.

Free Yoga and a bra

2010-09-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

I just got home from a free yoga in honor of Labor Day. It was at Dharma Yoga, and I used to go to the class weekly on Monday nights, but I usually work Mondays now and get home a little bit late to have time to eat and go to yoga. Luckily this week I didn't have to work and the class was excellent. It was a little crowded, but that did not bother me one bit when he turned on Jackson 5's ABC and told us to get downward doggy. Maybe it was just for show, as the class was about thirty people larger than normal, but it really worked for me.

Now I'm home, and I accidently stumbled upon online pretend shopping. Not a very post-yoga activity I know, but man I really want this bra set. Dare to dream.

In other news, look at these tintypes I promised to show you!

I have a "new" old point and shoot 35mm I'm playing around with. I'll update pictures if the roll turns out. I love having weekends off from work!

Remember me?

2010-08-30T21:59:00.001-05:00

Boy did I have a busy summer! So busy that I may have lost the ... three followers who actually read this blog? Oh well, I'm back so you better come back too. I got a new job this summer working at a bookbindery. It's a really great opportunity that I was lucky to get.

I'm currently working on the website at Cloverleaf Studio so you can see some of the books soon!

I also had the good fortune of moving into the cutest house in the whole world. This is actually the reason I have put off posting, because I want to post pictures of this lovely place, but haven't had time between working two jobs, starting school, and moving to even take the pictures!

BUT I did want to share with you the polaroids from the latest photo shoot I was lucky to be a part of with the fabulous Heather Curiel and make up artist Erica Gray. These two lovely ladies were a pleasure to spend my Saturday with, and I am excited to share with you a preview of what is to come. Heather has been working with tintypes, which is very unique! Can't wait to show you the rest of the scans when she shows them to me Friday!

In other news, yesterday was my last day working at American Apparel! I will miss my coworkers dearly, and I have had a great two years there. I also got a lot of fall fair-well clothes before I left!

Oh and p.s. try me out at www.emilyvilmont.com

I'm still here

2010-06-27T09:58:00.000-05:00

Wow it has been a long time since I have updated. I have been busy this summer so far. Nick and I took a trip to London in late May to visit my friend Katie. She just graduated from Richmond! While we were there for two weeks we had a really nice break from everything. We went to markets, fell asleep in parks, ate tons of delicious food. I've never had so much curry in my life! Yum.

Nick cut off all of his hair while we were there also. Now we have a long braid to remember it by. Yikes. We also took some pictures using Katie's camera and came out with some really neat double exposures. Here are some film shots from London.

A couple days after we returned home to Austin, Katie flew to New York to visit her sister. Then about a week later she was in Texas! We went tubing (or "toobing" as people in New Braunfels like to call it) down the Comal river with Katie's friend Jon, sister who lives in Houston, and her son. In other news Nick and I have found a nice house to move into at the beginning of August. It's a small bungalow in Hyde Park with a laundry room and lots of windows! Can't wait to fill it with cheap Ikea furniture! I have also recently gotten a job at Cloverleaf Studio where I'll get acquainted with the world of bookbinding.

More!

2010-04-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

Hannah

Lately

2010-04-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

I've been really lucky this week! I had three photo shoots with three different girls who were really great! I'm working on my portfolio for one of my classes, which is almost over. Here are some of the unedited favorites so far!

Erica

Lindsey

More to come!

My mood

2010-04-15T20:20:00.000-05:00

Forgot where I saw these.

2010-04-01T10:55:00.003-05:00

I'm one of those people that goes to a website to buy something and then after I add it to my shopping cart, I usually just close the website and try to forget about the item. This pattern continues for probably a couple of weeks, and then I forget about the item entirely if I'm lucky. However, after someone brought an issue of LayFlat to my Book Publishing class the other day, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. I check the website every morning to make sure the issue that I want hasn't sold out, and finally today I decided to transfer some money out of my savings to purchase the lovely little thing.

Right after I finished purchasing the issue, I remembered a story that my mom told me about adding items to an online shopping cart and never intending to buy them. She really loves this linen company called Bella Notte but the sheets are very expensive, so she said she just adds them to the cart and does not complete the purchase so that she feels satisfied without breaking the bank. The only problem is that she later found out that the company was so small that a person literally looked at the computer screen and saw that she added an item to her cart, and that person proceeded to pull that item for her to prepare for the purchase. This went on several times without her even completing the purchase until I'm pretty sure they finally they sent her an email letting her know. I should keep this story in mind. I doubt that the Apple store is quite as personal, at least I hope not, because I've had a new Macbook Pro, an iMac, and the Adobe Creative suite in my online cart for about 6 months so that I can one day have enough money to press buy now.

MagCloud

2010-03-30T18:24:00.001-05:00

This website provides a really easy way to publish an inexpensive publication that you've designed yourself if you're so inclined. We used this website in my Book Publishing class as an introduction to using InDesign to create a pdf document to be published in the form of a magazine. This first edition of my magazine came out with few errors, aside from some slight darkening of the images, but overall I'm pleased with my first attempt.

Check it out, here are some selected images from my magazine:

Abelardo Morell Lovin'

2010-03-08T11:45:00.000-06:00

(Original)

(I took this November 2006)

I saw a print of this photograph a couple of years ago in Seattle. It's one of those pictures you could look at many times and see something new. So when I recently heard about the work of Abelardo Morell I was excited to find out that this photograph was his work! I had always wondered where the image came from, and now I finally know. He has done some amazing camera obscura work, where the room serves as the camera with projections from the outside world.

He also did a really intriguing series on books, and these are from his Alice and Wonderland rendition.

These are all taken with a 4x5 camera, so the small size here hardly does them justice but they are still lovable!

Hi

2010-02-23T22:57:00.000-06:00

So it snowed today. I know some people might mock our little snow days here in Texas, but it was still beautiful and relaxing and exciting. I've been busy with school lately- just published a magazine for my Book Publishing class, so hopefully when I get that in the mail next week I'll be satisfied with it. Here's some stuff to look at.

That last picture is Dolly Parton. Gotta love that.

Can you hear me Oscar? It's me, Emily.

2010-02-16T20:07:00.003-06:00

Please someone help me! Okay so for as long as I can remember, it has been my life long dream to SEE the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. I know this may sound strange, but I think it all started with my mom. She used to sing me this song when I was a wee tot that goes a little something like this:

My man's a weenie man
He runs a hot dog stand
He sells most anything from hot dogs down
Someday I'll join his life, and be his weenie wife
Hot dog, I love my weenie man

(The exact lyrics may vary, but these are the ones I know and love...)
Something about that song just always brought a smile to my face, and apparently a dream to my heart.

SO let me tell you what happened to this girl with a dream.

I'm sitting at a stoplight staring out my window at S. 1st and Barton Springs Dr., when all of the sudden, I hear a great woosh go by. I look up and screamed and gasped and got teary eyed all at once! My day had come, I finally saw the giant yellow and orange whir of a mobile go by me in a matter of seconds.

So what's a girl to do when she sees her dream realized and escaping her? Obviously, she wants to catch up with it. But unfortunately I was very busy that day, and already had somewhere to go besides chasing a car shaped like a hot dog around all afternoon. But don't worry, it doesn't stop there. Today at my internship, before our photo shoot, Davis expresses his hunger to me, so I faithfully take off in search of a sandwich to satisfy his needs. While yielding to turn left at a green light on 45th street, what do I see when I look in my rear view mirror? THE OSCAR MEYER WIENERMOBILE wooshing past me! What!? Sadly for me, I was dutifully required to complete my intern errand without chasing my dreams yet again.

So all this is to say, Please if you hear ANYTHING about the whereabouts of this wonderful mysterious weinermobile, wait not to email me, call me, text me, send me brain messages, whatever it takes to get me to that location. Godspeed!
ALERT: Everyone should probably know that while writing this post, an Oscar Meyer commercial aired on the television in front of me : ) I mean meant to be?!

What a great day!

2010-02-14T21:14:00.000-06:00

Today Nick and I had a very lovely Valentine's Day! Last year was very bad for reasons that will remain unnamed, but this year, we really did it right! We woke up and had chocolate croissants for breakfast, which were amazing!

Then we scooted on over to Milk + Honey Spa for our couple's massage. Nick's never had a massage before, so it was extra special.

After that we walked over to have brunch at a newish restaurant in town, Frank. Normally they are well known for their hot dogs, but we had a nice mix of traditional brunch food and cajun style sausage goodness.

We drove home and drank some mimosa's in the afternoon, followed by a whopper of a good nap! Then we woke up and went to the grocery store to pick out our romantic dinner ingredients. We made salmon with rice pilaf and asparagus. Yum! Now we're settling in for some Big Love and chocolate! Woohoo! I feel so lucky this year.

Thank you iphone for documenting it.

Blarg

2010-02-08T17:26:00.002-06:00

I'd rather be doing this today.

hi mom

2010-02-01T19:02:00.000-06:00

She's great. I used this projection to put her on a beach relaxing.

These are some slides I purchased for $.25 at Room Service Vintage.

February already?

2010-02-01T12:01:00.000-06:00

I just ordered my brother Breathless for his birthday. I hope it gets here before the 2nd. Groundhog's Day. That's cutting it a little close, but it's worth it.

While googling images from the movie, I found this, which is NOT what I ordered him luckily.

Speaking of the sax, did anyone happen to see this SNL clip with Jon Hamm?

lately

2010-01-31T10:36:00.001-06:00

Originally uploaded by davisayer

I've been doing some internship work with a local photographer, Davis Ayer. I do slide sorting, assist on shoots, errands, and sometimes agree to have my picture taken. It's pretty enjoyable to hear another person's ideas and get to see how they execute them. Here is a picture from the other night when we were experimenting with a slide projector.

some new/old

2010-01-20T19:04:00.000-06:00

This is my old buddy Charlie. I had to give him away when I moved. That fish was a minimalist, I swear.

look see

2010-01-15T20:42:00.000-06:00

Wow

2010-01-10T18:28:00.000-06:00

I just showed my mom (aw) the project I did for my Video Production class because it used a lot of old home video footage we had. I basically just spliced the footage and then added some interviews. But all the talk about video got me thinking about how much I appreciate people's hard work in stop animation.

What comes to my mind when I think about the impressive things people can do with patience and planning is the work of Sean Pecknold. He's a Seattle based artist that I found through socialghost's livejournal, that I found through ghostparty, who went to my high school... in a nutshell I love people who have livejournals still. I really used to love back in the day when New Years rolled around and everyone's resolution was to update livejournal more... but I digress. SO Sean does a lot of stop animation work, including music videos for Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, etc.

Here's an interview.

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Speaking of...

2010-01-09T22:43:00.000-06:00

... other versions of older songs, at work Lauren showed me this live version of Heartbeats that was interesting. She didn't like the Wake Up cover, understandably. I go through phases of hating covers, but sometimes when you're tired of music in general they work for you.

Ok fine a real update

2010-01-08T13:09:00.003-06:00

Since I've been sitting in this chair for some time now, as it's the most comfortable chair in the world, I decided I should update about other things. I was browsing a few blogs I haven't checked in a while, Bleach Black, and Ain't No Good Thing Ever Dies, and I found some things of interest.

Firstly, an almost embarrassing discovery that I like J Crew. Here is what's up:

And also, a cover of Arcade Fire's Wake Up by Paolo Nutini. I admit that Arcade Fire is not the newest most exciting thing in the world these days, but it is what I used to listen to every morning in my old 91' Honda Accord on the way to 11th grade, because I only had one cd in the car, and no other music available since my stereo and all of my cds got stolen twice... so it brings back some memories for me. Also, after seeing the Where the Wild Things Are preview multiple times where they used this specific song, it always makes me feel a particular way, and it's a way that I like to feel. One more thing! Usually covers are annoying, and so are songs with a lot of vocals without a lot of backup because they make you kind of uncomfortable to watch someone opening their mouth a lot and feeling a lot (is that just me?) and sometimes their voice sounds kind of loud and rough at the climax of the song, so I recommend putting this on and then opening a new tab and browsing the nets while listening.

Here geez.

Also, I got my allowance at work (it's like work is my parent... and twice a year they give me $180 worth of American Apparel) yesterday which was actually more fun than I thought it would be because I realized how many striped items we now carry. Needless to say I picked as many as I could.

... None of which looks anything like that on my... and I especially do not choose to wear the bodysuit with just tights : )

Update

2010-01-08T12:40:00.001-06:00

This chair is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Comfortmonger

2010-01-05T10:31:00.000-06:00

I finally broke down and got myself this office chair for the new year. Since last July when we moved in and got our desks set up, I've been dreaming of office chairs daily. Right now I'm in an old fashioned wooden dinner chair, that beats up my bones every time I sit in it because it doesn't have a solid back. Not to mention my butt has probably been permanently flattened by the uncomfortable wood... So after checking the Ikea website on a weekly basis only to discover they never update their selection of cheaply made semi-expensive office chairs, I got this one from Office Max.

It's cuter than most but office chairs are just so darn bizarre looking aren't they? All I really cared about was the 4.5 star reviews that kept saying "get this if you have back problems!"

You win some you lose some

2010-01-04T12:13:00.000-06:00

When I first started this blog I felt sure that I only wanted to have very good quality images in my posts. As a photography major, I should be holding true to this. The problem is... while I don't always have a good camera around I do have my phone with me all the time! So I keep snapping pictures on my phone to post because at least they give some idea of what I'm up to. So sorry that all these pictures aren't very good quality, but it's better that than nothing?

Oh, also, Happy New Year!

Nick and I spent Sunday at my mom's house making soup and s'mores because I had to work New Years Day. It was really nice to relax and spend some time with family, plus I love food and puppies.

In other news I'm doing an internship for a local photographer who lives in Hyde Park. I'm really excited! More on that later.

Rob Ryan's studio and other dreamy stuff

2009-12-27T20:45:00.000-06:00

Still growing out hair, Christmas update, presents, etc.

2009-12-26T21:45:00.001-06:00

So I'm updating from Keller, Texas (where Nick's family lives) on my computer with my new battery that Nick got me for Christmas!! My laptop is about three years old, and I haven't been able to take it off the charger to use practically since I got it. Right now, however, I'm sitting here on the couch while my computer chugs away without even having to be plugged in! I keep waiting for the second that it suddenly decides to shut down, but so far it's be almost an hour and it's still going strong. Gee I love Christmas presents! Speaking of, Nick also made me a website for my photography, but we're still in the editing stages so I'll post it as soon as it's finished.

My mom got me an incredibly generous present- a Hasselblad 503 cx! I've taken one roll of film with it and it seems to be pretty much the most perfect thing I've ever owned. Here are a few of the pictures I took of my coworker Lauren-

Christmas day was really great actually. Nick and I spent the night at my mom's house and woke up early to walk the dogs and open our stockings! We decided that stockings are the most fun part of Christmas, so Nick, my brother Travis, my mom and I got each other stocking stuffers. I also got my mom this pillow, which her dog Bentley obviously approves of!

Then after we ate a delicious brunch at the Four Seasons, Nick and I drove to Keller to see his side of the family. Today we tried to go to North Park Mall in Dallas to use our gift cards, but that place is so scary! We waited in traffic for probably a good 45 minutes, then parked a million miles away, then went inside the mall, where I heard a girl behind me in line say that the mall reminded her of "New York City in a bubble." Pretty good description!

In other news, I'm still desperately trying to make my hair grow faster, and I just found these lovely pictures from socialghost that make me very happy!

Did I miss it?

2009-12-20T21:06:00.000-06:00

Between Nick's birthday, shopping for Nick's birthday, and shopping for Christmas presents, I almost feel like Christmas passed without me knowing. Hopefully this feeling will go away on Christmas when I get millions of amazing presents that I need/want/didn't even know I needed/ didn't even know I wanted! Kidding, I like the big day for giving and hanging out with family, but we'll see what happens! In the mean time, to hold on to the feeling that the greatness is yet to come, I've been doing pretend online shopping. You know, where you get all the items in your "shopping bag" and then instead of pressing "Purchase Now" you hit Apple W (which completely closes the window in a matter of milliseconds for you Windows users)? Then, if you're lucky, you completely forget about all of the things you wanted because the act of pretend purchasing them made you feel almost as good.

Jeffrey Campbell

Aldo

Star Ling

In other news... they're still making SIMS games?! I just saw a commercial for one. Whaaaat??? This is why the holidays are nice. You find out about all the things you're not missing out on, and it feels great.

I finished most of my Christmas shopping!

2009-12-15T13:55:00.000-06:00

And wrapping presents is more fun than I remembered!

Disturbing, intriguing, stare at it for long enough and you won't know either...

2009-12-13T19:57:00.007-06:00

At work, at least on Saturdays when I am around more of my lady coworkers, we all try to keep each other up to date on all the crazy bloggers out there and all of the strange/ fantastic/ unbelievable/ expensive/ precocious things they seem to be doing these days! My coworker Frances opened my eyes to Sea of Shoes, who is a fellow Texas blogger who has recently gained much praise for her sense of fashion. She has designed a line of shoes for Urban Outfitters (you can read about the other things she's all about in this article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574404681883885344.html

It was only a few months ago that I was stunned by the maturity of The Style Rookie, Tavi, a young blogger from Chicago. The more I see these youngsters the more confused I become! I'm not sure if I'm more boggled by the amount of money some of them seem to spend on shoes clothes etc. OR by the amount of time they spend traveling, blogging, photographing, OR just the height of their shoes. Either way, I commend these people in there terrific ability to discover and translate what they see back to us in awe-form but at the same time things like this make me very nervous! Call me old fashioned but I'm not sure I would want my child (I don't have one but still...) on the internet playing dress up for all the world to see!

In light of all the blog chat, my friend Lauren of Hipstercrite recently told me of her blogging success. She was asked to be the blogger for a clothing company because of her lovely writing she has been doing for our California Select blog for work, as well as her own personal blog that has grown greatly over the last few months.

Everyone probably needs one...

2009-12-09T11:23:00.000-06:00

This is an amazing creation by my best friend Katie. She's finishing her last year of school as an Art, Design & Media major.

A house boat bed!

mind candy for the procrastinator

2009-12-08T22:47:00.002-06:00

I've been busy lately, but stuff like this makes for a nice distraction! My friend Laura showed me these:

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food/Cool-Cappuccino-Foam-Art.html

Even though I don't drink coffee any more, it almost makes me wish I did!

Here we go again!

2009-12-06T09:34:00.000-06:00

Here is my goal

2009-12-02T11:27:00.000-06:00

How in the world does hair start to look like this? Well however it is, I'm going to find out!

It was

2009-11-29T19:04:00.001-06:00

the ultimate!

I love you Hasselblad

2009-11-28T19:37:00.000-06:00

This is kind of a nice thought

2009-11-19T19:53:00.004-06:00

http://myparentswereawesome.tumblr.com

Photography

2009-11-17T14:37:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been paying a lot of attention to a couple photographers, particularly Duane Michals and Harry Callahan. I have found Duane Michals' narratives to be helpful for constructing my own like the one pictured below. Callahan's use of form has inspired me to take a more conscious look at what images I choose to take. He also made the transition to color photography after teaching at the New Bauhaus in Chicago, and I go back and forth experimenting with black and white and color.

Both of these guys were/are obviously very thoughtful and patient. I'd like to be more like that! I think that listening to Monsters of Folk is putting me in a better mood. I've been down lately, and have had some run-ins with unhappy people who have not helped.

Duane Michals:

Harry Callahan:

Me:

Shmalloween

2009-11-01T09:35:00.001-06:00

Well yesterday at work, while I was in the midst of helping a girl try on every piece of red clothing we have in the store (a lot) because she wanted be to a devil, where she proceeded to buy a 90 dollar pair of disco pants and 30 dollar gold bathing suit never to be worn again, I realized how fitting her costume was for this "holiday."

Not to sound bitter but I think that 8 hours straight (+ the probably four week build up (because some people like to get their costumes together starting in September...) of cleaning up after hopeful workout girls, devils, lady gaga's and the like really sucked the life, and whatever holiday spirit I had left right out of me.

But after waking up after a night of Madmen, french fries, a couple of tall boys, and candy with Nick, I felt ultimately refreshed, a feeling which was furthered by lovely posts by fellow bloggers who have cheerfully survived this holiday, maintaining their dignity. Here are some examples:

http://www.wikstenmade.blogspot.com/

Does that not sound lovely?

http://katiedid.squarespace.com/

http://ringohaveabanana.blogspot.com/

And I'm sure there are many more. I'll explore later. But first, I must return to work and survey the damage from last night! Good job fellow employees, it was hard to leave you in that state.

Oh, and as for finally having that fantasy-best-night-of-my-life-never-had-a-better-costume-Halloween that seems to be going around, maybe next year!

IT'S OFFICIAL

2009-10-29T20:48:00.000-05:00

I've become the worst blogger in the world. I've been less attentive than someone who doesn't even have a blog... or so it seems. School has been cookoocachoo lately and I have had no time to have any creative thoughts (besides of course the "creative" thoughts I'm forced to churn out for assignments). The sad part is that I really have little motivation to update right now but I have been guilt tripped by a fellow coworker and blogger who has gotten "at least four new followers every day" and I started to realize what a slacker I seem like. But for now I will at least give you some interesting images and a few sentences verifying my existence.

And this is just the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Who could be sad after seeing this?

We just picked up one of these

2009-10-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

Meet the newest member of our family. He doesn't have a name yet. Any suggestions?

If I had a thousand dollars...

2009-09-28T22:25:00.003-05:00

I'd buy myself a cloak. I've been sick for the last few days... the flu? I laughed when they put in hand sanitizer dispensers inside every single classroom on campus, but who's laughing now? So when you're sick you think about all of the reasons you're uncomfortable, and all of the cures- pillows, orange juice, hugs, movies, kisses (no one wants to give you those when you're sick), blankets, CLOAKS!!

These Cloaks by Lindsay Thornburg are probably the greatest things I've ever seen. They're kind of like Snuggies, expect not totally unattractive and absurd. My favorite are the mid-length cloaks. Something about these images reminds me of witches, which I used to be very interested in as a child. Looking back, it seems kind of creepy, but I used to watch Witches on repeat, and even had a thing for Hocus Pocus (oops). I guess most girls go through that seance Ouija board phase. Luckily these cloaks come in a variety of patterns to keep them from being too witch-like.

tgif

2009-09-25T23:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in a little bit because I have been pretty busy with schooly stuff. I've been taking a lot of pictures, but haven't been posting them because they're mostly film and I haven't had time to do any scanning, but hopefully that will come soon. Also, I did some nice diptychs and triptychs for a class that I might try to post someday. Better yet I would like to have a portfolio online to post that stuff!! Dare to dream.

Today in my Video Production class we took a semi-unofficial "field trip" (also to be noted were the elementary school children on the same "field trip") to the bowling alley. Supposedly we were supposed to capture footage, which I did (of all three American flags hanging inside the place), but mostly I think everyone just needed a little break. I got a 97. Snazzy?

On another note, I found these really great rooms full of clean white things that are making me very happy to look at as I sit in bed on a Friday night. Oops. These pictures are of illustrator Kat Heyes' home found on this lovely blog via Lily. Yes I've been browsing all night, what are you going to do about it?

Where in the world did that chair in the background come from? That's what I need to fix my back and break the bank!

One year on my birthday my old roommate Holly brought me a whole box of these from Paul bakery! I had never tried them, and forgot what they taste like, but I do remember there was a pistachio green one that was super.

For the people who just love things, maybe looking at these will help you get your fix so you don't have to buy random crap that fills up your house like I've been accustomed to doing. If you live in a house or a mansion, disregard that comment and fill away! Remember that game MASH where you ended up living in a mansion, apartment, shack, or house? Anyway...

And this is what I would like to do more of! And what I will do when I'm done with this as usual!

This is prettier than Flickr

2009-09-18T21:22:00.004-05:00

hey.

Are we there yet?

2009-09-15T23:12:00.001-05:00

I've been feeling uninspired the last few days, but little did I know that browsing this design blog would send me into a blogging frenzy. First of all, I just wanted to explain where all of this is coming from. Since the beginning of September I have been dreaming of Christmas. I'm not sure what's causing it, because most people (or at least major grocery stores) have got the Halloween bug, but I've been dreaming about presents and hot chocolate and fires for a few weeks now. This might explain my interest in the small gift ideas I found on the site.

If anyone ever needs a gift for a guy I would recommend this compact wallet called the Jimi. It's so unique! It keeps the pockets clear of those fat wallets some men seem to be sporting, but takes away the pretension of the conservative money clip alternative. It also hints at travel, which I happen to love.

Designer Magdalena Czarnecki has created this half toy and half package design that would be a really thoughtful interactive gift.

This is just something I found I really liked. British designer Debbie Smyth created Pins and Threads:

In other news, I finally broke down after months of admiring my friend Lauren's complexion, and decided to try Bare Escentuals foundation. It's a little more expensive than the usual make-up I buy at Walgreens, but you can use just one product as concealer, foundation, and powder. I'm looking forward to minimizing. You can get the starter kit, which I'd recommend for first timers (there's a dvd included, it's fool proof). However, I must admit I didn't have the funds so I stuck to just one container to start with.

My glorious day off

2009-09-12T12:33:00.003-05:00

Well I did not sleep that well last night because the rain pounded all night! Something about the acoustics in our bedroom make the rain sound like someone is throwing water balloons at our window. Today is a nice day though, still raining, so I've been getting a lot of online browsing done. That's my favorite indoor activity besides watching movies (which might put me to sleep because it's awfully dark in here). Here are some inspiring photographs I've collected over the last few days to share with you. These images make me feel great.

A type film I've been eyeing, Fuji npc 160...

“This was a very typical time. I was single. All you needed was a cup of tea, a light, and your stereo, you know, and that’s what I had.”
—Steve Jobs, at home in 1982.

It just started raining again. Nice! No school no work just rain!
Also, as a strange side note, you can now see me on chictopia.com. I'm mostly just browsing because I love street style photography, and it's fun to see what kind of creative fashionable things people come up with. I'm not the biggest fashion fanatic, but I do want to get my fix sometimes. Hopefully this will make me feel more creative!

Rain rain come my way

2009-09-10T23:32:00.000-05:00

Today was so lovely! The morning started out very quiet and muted. The gray sky had just the right amount of clouds in it, and when I got out of class (three hours in the dark room!) in the early part of the day I was excited to see the darker clouds moving closer. I went home and set up my video camera to shoot the beginning of the rain for my abstract project, and reflected on the 34 work prints I just made for my black & white class. I got some nice footage of the storm, and spent the afternoon writing my five page paper on the Chuck Close exhibition at the Austin Museum of Art. I'm very sleepy now! The weather made me want to curl up in our newly revamped bed but I had to fight that urge. Here are some pictures of our continued apartment settling.

Finally a place to hang the cameras. That's certainly not all of them. The less cute ones are hanging in the closet of our studio. Poor little guys.

In other news, we're having all of my old family video tapes converted to dvd, and this makes me very happy. My family has always placed great emphasis on documenting, and looking back on these old tapes makes me remember where I came from, and I get very relaxed when I watch the way things used to be.

Goodnight!

Amateur hour

2009-09-09T00:46:00.005-05:00

So even though I'm slowly crawling to the end of my higher educational escapades, and I am racking up credits like crazy, I've been placed against my will and against my transfer credits in a Photography II class that is taking me back to the "good" old days of 35mm. I was never a huge fan of shooting black and white photography, and I haven't used 35mm film in years because I have no patience for processing a looong reel of film in complete darkness and then trying to work with tiny images in the darkroom.

I'm also more about experimentation and chance than precision and accuracy (which is really emphasized in intro type classes) so I'm mostly just learning patience at the moment. On the upside, the class is slow paced so it's giving me a chance to rediscover film speeds and all that jazz, as well as giving me time to develop a running list of interesting photographers to influence my body of work. I've been reminded of photographers that have struck my interest over the years such as William Eggleston...

Lee Friedlander...

and Alec Soth...

Book worm

2009-09-03T19:01:00.000-05:00

I've been looking through some of my best friend Katie's old blog posts because she always does a good job of mentioning current artists. I found her mention of Talia Bromstad, and took a little tour of her website/portfolio. Her intricate handmade books were very interesting, and reminded me that I never mentioned my interest (hopefully not fading due to time) in bookbinding. I took a very nice class at the Austin Museum of Art during my semester off from school in Fall 2008, and made several books during the course of the class.

The first we started with the Longstitch book. This little book is great because if you are out traveling and you don't have any adhesive (as one often forgets to pack...) this book can be made just by folding paper and using string.

The Strap Book reminded me of something you might see at a Renaissance Fair because it is leatherbound with a long strap that wraps around the outside to keep it closed.

The Coptic Stitch book would be a great photo album because you can open the book and it will stay completely flat against a surface for viewing purposes.

The final book, Flatspine, is probably the most recognized form, but has a very lengthy process. In fact, since I took the class almost a year ago, I'm not sure I could repeat this type. Maybe I need to try again though!

Northwest goodness

2009-09-01T22:24:00.014-05:00

The last few mornings and evenings have played a little trick on me. When I walk out to my car before 10am there is the slightest hint of Fall in the air, and boy does it feel good! The evenings have also been beautiful enough, that from the inside of my car looking out the windows as I drive, it even appears that the temperature may be dropping by the way the leaves are slowly beginning to fall off the trees with slight cool breezes.

The temperature has not, despite the outside appearance, caught up yet and continues to be in the mid nineties. I'll enjoy the view for now until I can enjoy the sensation. I find myself trying to expedite the transition by looking back at old pictures from three years ago in Seattle, when the cold and overcast days were impossible to ignore. I find comfort in some of my old photographs from that time, because then I had nothing to do but enjoy the seasons.

I took this picture on a night walk around Capitol Hill, a neighborhood with lots of historic type houses. The neighborhood is beautiful, although this picture makes it look a little eerie.

This picture was taken on Thanksgiving day in 2006 in Portland, Oregon. I stayed in a really great eclectic house with some friends, old and new. I was quiet that day, not knowing my place in the kitchen, so I mostly documented the happenings and laughed at stories about strange police encounters.

Every day in November I wore tights, leggings, socks, and leg warmers. Burr.

This is a picture of my "farewell dinner" as I like to call it. On one of my last nights in Seattle, I had the pleasure of being the guest of the best host I've ever seen! She is the legit hostess with the mostest as far as I'm concerned. Her name is Jewels, and I would say she is probably the most naturally creative person I have ever met. Her apartment in Ballard is full of amazing artifacts, as well as light installations that she creates from recycled materials. I'll never forget that night, not only due to the Patron with orange and cinnamon instead of lime and salt (!?) but that did play a huge part.

Rachel is on the left, and she provided all of the homemade Vegan deliciousness. Wow. Jewels is on the right, with her handmade necklace! She gave me one that she made that night, and it's the coolest thing I've seen anyone make out of old wallpaper.

I have been meaning to use an antique strainer like this ever since I saw hers!

Here's the living room.

So all this is really just to say, Fall and Winter, I am ready!

P.S.- I am updating from the comfort of my bed! Better hit the hay (don't make fun of me, I know it's early)!

New set of wheels

2009-08-28T14:13:00.007-05:00

I have recently added this lovely bike to the family. It's from Republic where you get to choose from a small selection of nice colors and they build you a basic but practical bike at a cheap price. It's a good option for the non-pretentious cyclist, which may be no longer in existence in Austin (or any other big city). But this little white thang has treated me right since the day I got her- we've been zooming around on night rides and recently took a sundown ride through hidden trails of winding foresty-goodness underneath the highways and beyond!

My instincts tell me to sell my old faithful bike to make up for some of the cost of the new one, but the two are so drastically different that I'm tempted to hold on to both. At least, that is, until I have to move again, and everything I own seems like a huge inconvenience. For now, I'll just look forward to hanging all three of our family bikes in our storage unit with some nifty hooks I've been eyeing from the Container Store (I actually want the horizontal version).

Confirmation

2009-08-24T20:59:00.007-05:00

I really adore the blog katie did. I'm a new follower, and while the posts seem far and few between due to the crazy life of raising children in New York (I imagine), I usually find myself delighted by the sight of the two blonde daughters featured in handmaid clothing and smirky smiles. The latest post in particular makes me feel young again! Here are a few pictures from the blog, and a couple of me I found from my birthday. It seems I have the same fashion sense as a toddler, but a very stylish toddler at that.

Transition

2009-08-21T12:02:00.007-05:00

So I'm starting school again in less than a week, so naturally I have been longing to travel and get away! I have been feeling somewhat bored with Austin lately, and I'm guessing the only cure is at LEAST a month long journey. I'd like to do a big US road trip soon, but I've also been seeing so many beautiful pictures of Europe that make me miss my time in London, and also regret that I never travelled enough while I was there. I'm a big "grass is always greener" girl.

I can't read a word of this blog, but the images are always so peaceful, so it's one of my favorites. I believe it's two girls that have a joint blog, which is nice.

It also appears that one of the girls owns a Hassleblad, which is yet another dream camera! Oh to have an extra $2,000.

In other news, I got my old external hard drive repaired (for a not so small price of $99) after putting it off and hoping it would fix itself for free. But now that I decided to go through with it I'm very excited to look at all my old photographs and see what old music I had. I was kind of in shock when it broke, because it had my entire photography portfolio, but I've gotten used to technology beating me up after my replacement hard drive crashed, and my only remaining joy, a USB stick, decided to break adding insult to injury.

So today we are having Nick's white Ikea desk station delivered (it was actually delivered last week but his had two big holes on the top) so we'll finally have our "studio" put together. I'll update with pictures later, because it's going to be the most exciting thing since sliced bread.

Oldies but goodies

2009-08-13T15:44:00.006-05:00

Yet another confession: Sometimes I wish I was a much older woman. Why? Well, not only do older women have a shot with great talent such as Bill Murray, Steve Martin, David Byrne, etc... but they can also look as fabulous as Sheila Scotter. She's one of the first editors of Australian Vogue, and the Satorialist's Scott Shuman shot this amazing photograph of her for a magazine feature.

So while I'm not currently fortunate enough to pull off a sequin jumpsuit or get preferred seating on public transportation, I am however hopeful that one day I too will be as poised as Sheila. Oh to be 88.

For the time being... Here are some pictures of our young and "able" bodies from the underwater camera extravaganza.

Shout out

2009-08-10T20:16:00.012-05:00

Here is a confession...I'm a huge Flickr Stalkr. I made that name up for myself after I realized I have a bad habit of finding contacts through other people's contacts and then adding them as if they were my own friends! But I can't help it, because lately I have stumbled upon such beautiful images by people that appear to be within my age group, and some even live in the same area (represent Tejas!). I rely on these as daily doses of inspiration that keep me interested in photography. It's been hard to stay creative after taking countless photography courses (where I learned I'm not very good at photography courses) in college, but I have rediscovered the excitement that I used to have, especially since I've gotten back into film. My latest realization is that I have got to get my hands on a Yashica (mat 124g and t4 please!), and here is how I came to that conclusion:

Siri, of Ringo, have a banana!

Sam Coldy, a kid I used to work with at American Apparel in London

Jackie Young, who I have recently been very impressed by due to the variety of road trip pictures

Back to reality

2009-08-09T09:34:00.005-05:00

It's our first real day back to Austin after a two day car drive... and I'm having a hard time believing that in about an hour I have to leave to go to work again! In the meantime, while I day dream about road trips and crafting, I'm looking at a blog I have recently rediscovered. This girl reminds me that not only do I want to take advantage of lazy Sundays and romantic afternoons, but also that I have to make more of an effort in my free time to craft. These little intricate packages are so inspiring, and it makes me not only want to make use of all the old paper and fabric I have collected over the years, but also to be more thoughtful as far as gifting. Until I get all my film from the trip developed (!) I'll share what I've been oggling this morning.

This is livin'

2009-08-04T13:49:00.030-05:00

So we're here in Clinton, Iowa. The trip has been really nice so far, if you can believe that. The drive up here was a piece of cake because I practically slept the entire time. I haven't really had a real summer break yet, what with summer school and working, so this has been a great chance for Nick and I to spend some time together just going to movies, taking three hour walks (my legs are sore!), eating unhealthy foods from the Midwest, and taking pictures with all of our many cameras.

So far all I have are some digital shots because we're still in the process of finishing some film rolls, so those will have to wait until we get back. I'm excited about the underwater photography we whipped out on Monday at the pool. I am not, however, equally excited about the massive chest sunburn (complete with purse strap) I got on the epic walk we took yesterday.

It has been so nice having Nick here as a buffer because he gets me off the hook in a lot of conversations. I have only met this side of my family recently (about three years ago) and I find myself getting overwhelmed by large family gatherings and answering a lot of strangers' questions, but he seems to have a real knack for it!

Iowasis?

2009-07-27T15:53:00.009-05:00

I'll be taking a little road trip to Iowa in a few days. I've been every summer for three years because we have a big family reunion there. Naturally I think it's the strangest place on the planet, but I'm looking forward to a lot of good picture opportunities on the drive up. Plus, it's my life goal (I am dead serious) to see an Oscar Mayer Weiner truck and if this does not happen on a road trip to Iowa then when the heck will it?

We've got a little crew- my brother, his girlfriend, Nick, and myself. I figure if we have an extended buddy system we can't get too lost amongst the corn. On the way home we're stopping by Emily's (my brother's girlfriend, who happens to have the same name as me...) parent's home in Hot Springs, AK. I'm no stranger to Arkansas because the other half of my family sprouted from a little town called Malvern, so I've also taken many a road trip to that strange place. Here is a picture of my dad and his new wife, Cheryl, just to give you a little taste of Iowa.

Little baby's all grown up

2009-07-23T20:26:00.005-05:00

I'm so proud of Lauren! She's progressed from the California Select blog to the American Apparel daily update blog. At work we take these moments of celebrity very seriously I guess. It makes life more interesting anyway. Guess we better keep on posing for silly pictures and getting paid for it!

Here's my lady Vanessa (Cha Cha) rockin' it as well. Just spreading the TX2 love, because without these lovely ladies I would be cryin' at work.

Where you been all my life?

2009-07-22T17:57:00.006-05:00

No posts lately because we just moved into our new apartment, which is very spacious! Woohoo! We got internet today (I've had some withdrawal symptoms I hate to say). Nick and I have a bedroom, bathroom, closet, and "studio" which is what I have been looking forward to for a while now. No more work where I play! Although I'm a big fan of playing just about anywhere, so we'll see what happens. Not to mention (as I mention...) a really nice big kitchen, storage closet connected to the big ol' porch where I hopefully one day will strum a ukulele to the sound of trees rustling...

It's so different from the old apartment that Nick said the other day, "Maybe we should leave a little early because we don't know how long it takes to get there from our new place..." before he stopped and realized it's only about 3 apartments down from our old place! Silly silly.

I think at the moment I am actually hearing a bit of rain out the window, but I don't want to type about it too quickly because it might stop!

Moving to the beat

2009-07-14T17:31:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to do some packing today, and I find Arthur Russell gives me a little pep in my step. Right now I'm listening to 'Arm Around You' off of Calling Out of Context. It's the jam!

What's your damage?

2009-07-13T20:04:00.004-05:00

I forgot to mention that I saw a girl walking down the street eating a cookie for breakfast! She knows what is up. It reminded me of the movie Heathers (1988), but rather than a brain tumor for breakfast... well you get the point.

Feelin' good, feelin' great!

2009-07-13T15:25:00.006-05:00

I love waking up before 10am. It feels really nice to be out and about before a lot of other people wake up, and before it goes from 98 degrees (not as cool as the band) to 105 degrees.

Today I drove Nick to his first day of work at his new job, and on the way home I couldn't help but feel really energized, even knowing I had to go to work too. Then I realized my energetic mood might have something to do with the KVRX streaming in the background as I drove. Apparently the whole way home I listened to an intense Irish dance song without even noticing. Maybe next time I'll make that more intentional so I can have more good days. Now I'm home from work, and our bedroom looks like a donation drop-off site at a Goodwill. Can't wait to move! The only real place to sit comfortably in this room is at the computer (aka the reason I'm posting) or on the bed, so I'll just show the continuation of the light project.

Work has been entertaining lately. I guess we're really trying to push the California Select clothing, so Sunday we got to do a little photo shoot for the CS blog.

nitelite

2009-07-09T11:51:00.003-05:00

He got pretty annoyed with the flash.

I need one

2009-07-07T12:18:00.002-05:00

Had a good 4th of July!

2009-07-05T21:59:00.000-05:00

Mustache mornings

2009-07-04T09:22:00.009-05:00

Nick has a little idea these days to enhance his facial hair. I guess that's what guys are into these days. Apparently the longer you grow it out without shaving the more full it appears the week after the last shave... super fun for me and my sensitive skin! Once recently during a sweet peck I got jabbed in the nose with just one of the hairs and boy let me tell you my eyes watered for a good five minutes.

So I've decided to document the progress so I can get on board somehow. It's actually a very mysterious pattern. It starts off very slowly then suddenly one day he comes home and I hardly recognize the guy. Here it is at day 7, looking extra seedy.

When 8am is oversleeping...

2009-07-03T08:53:00.007-05:00

I can't help feeling like I missed out on Glastonbury this year. I've never been, and have been sitting on the fence about whether I'm actually too feeble for a good festival, but a few of the pictures I've seen are pretty darn mystical. Looking at the line-up tells me that I didn't miss much in terms of big name bands (sorry to the Boss) but I still saw quite a few smaller bands on the list that would have been entertaining if I had a nice pair of rain boots to hide in. Maybe next year will be my year, that is if summer school doesn't come-a-knockin'.

As a side note I'm doing a project on light, and since I have been spending most of my time in the apartment doing school work (and a bit of crafting) all the pictures I have so far are of Nick in our bedroom.

It finally feels like summer

2009-07-02T10:46:00.010-05:00

I've been doing a little sewing because it's so hot outside, and because I am keeping my buddy company while he writes silly papers and manuals so he can finish college (yay). Only a week left before Nick is completely done with his Undergraduate degree in math. I'm jealous, minus the math part. So I made a couple little pouches for us to take with us on walks and bike rides. Mine is the little striped one, and his is the hopefully more masculine blue checked one. This is my first solo sewing project, so it's not THAT adventurous. Don't worry though, for my next trick I'll whip up a masterpiece...

On another important note, we made tacos last night!

Today

2009-07-01T11:39:00.006-05:00

It's only 11:40 am and I already have a little cabin fever. Probably because I'm trying to write an essay while Nick reads about math. I'm really just thinking about escaping to the woods and playing outside, but until that can actually happen I'll just look at other peoples pictures. Hello July. I want to get some sparklers. We're about to move into a new apartment (next week) and I'm really excited! But until then there's a lot of furniture everywhere, and it's hard to be motivated to get out anything crafty to play with.