this is the beginning of something new

last week was my last week at my graphic design position at my job. this week is the first week doing photography full-time! being self-employed is both scary and exciting. i find myself so much more productive now that i know that every hour i waste matters.

it's such a relief being able to focus on my photography and only my photography. working two full-time jobs was way too much for me. i even find myself more inspired and motivated to do other things i enjoy, like painting! i painted that little chipboard girl last night :).

here's to new beginnings. contact me if you need a portrait session or even photography for your wedding day!

something's hiding in here

vintage wallpaper music boxes by Something's Hiding In Here (creator of Forage Bowties) for BHLDN!

(via designworklife)

grady mcferrin

i really admire grady mcferrin's lettering and illustrative work. there's a gritty folk feel to each of his works that i absolutely adore.

check out his work here.

glósóli

(1, 2-4)

guess where i want to go for my honeymoon? not hawaii, not cancun, nope, not paris or even a cruise. i don't want to lay out on the beach or drink out of coconuts.

i want to go to iceland.

it is absolutely beautiful, hauntingly breathtaking. i've been burning a hole into my screen just staring at iceland photos like a mad woman. i even put on some sigur rós to admire these photos. i know, i'm weird.

have any of you ever been to iceland? is it expensive? any tips?

quiet wednesday

(1, 2)

it's a quiet wednesday around here, nothing really to be done at work...but tons to be done back home. wish i could sit at a coffee shop, drink a hot cup of hot chocolate or coffee and edit away. since i can't do any of that right now, i'll share some links i like today:

- i'd love my wedding to feel like this birthday party.

- really cute lingerie from anthropologie.

- fun matchbook illustrations from tom frost.

- this amazing forest/nature/wood-themed wedding invitation.

- this quote:

“Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no whenever you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. " eve ensler

- ONA camera bags.

- braided hairstyles tutorials

bond glam

(watch, heels, ring, lipstick, swimsuit, tub.)

today's inspiration board is a (james) bond girl, classic glam kind of board. isn't that swimsuit to die for?

emedemarta

i've been sifting the interwebs lately for geometric necklaces and came across these....loving these necklaces and the use of triangles from emedemarta.

13 Wives

loving this project seen on designworklife:

"13Wives is the story of 13 ladies and their man behind the bar. This tucked-away spe­cial­ist lit­tle cock­tail bar mixes up one of a kind potent con­coc­tions inspired by each of the femme fatale pro­tag­o­nist. These cock­tails can be selected from The Little Black Book pre­sented by the mixol­o­gist – the man behind the bar. This is his secret rolodex tucked in his back pocket, com­plete with first dates sto­ries, jot notes of the ladies and men­tions of their favorite cocktails."

hello naomi

I'm in love with these sweet, delicate cakes from Hello Naomi! Too bad she's located in Australia...or maybe that's a good thing. She makes cakes, cupcakes and cookies, all with an eye for detail and design!

bhldn.. on your feet!

i've started looking at shoes for my wedding.... i feel like i'm voluntarily torturing myself when i look at attire for my wedding.

looking at the bhldn shoe collection is like eating a pint of ice cream after dinner. you think you're satisfied until you start eating that pint... which tastes so good while you're eating it. when it's over, all you're left with is the extra weight and feeling not so good! not sure if that made any sense...but in any case, the bhldn shoe collection makes me so so sad. especially those versailles booties on the top left. $535! so beautiful. too expensive :(.

seen anything similar for cheaper ladies?

07.23.11

posted the proposal story over on my photography blog!

our wedding (palette)

(left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7)

Believe it or not, my fiance has taken a very active role in the life of our wedding colors. He has been bugging me all week to give him a selection of colors I'd like for our wedding. So, I had some free time today and decided to whip something up and give the man what he wants!

Here's a very basic idea of what I want our colors to be (I know, it looks like I want all the colors in the world). Lots of subtle hues (ivory, beige, muted blues and pinks, peach, sage green, etc.) with pepperings of coral, mint, gold and silver. The last block represents wooden textures I'd like to have in our wedding. :) This is all happening in my head though, who knows how it will turn out.

I realized today that a very exciting part of planning your wedding and working on a tight budget is being given motivation to learn new skills!

Some things I'm planning to learn or improve on for wedding projects:

- calligraphy
- woodworking (ha-ha)
- sewing
- painting

- floral arrangement

- dancing (this is for day-of. probably the toughest thing on here, seeing as i have no rhythm at all.)

Hopefully I'm not being too ambitious....

sweet firsts

I know you all are still waiting to hear the details on the proposal and see how wedding planning is coming along, but it's just been too busy! I'm really just letting it all soak in.

This saturday T and I attended a lovely outdoor wedding at an equestrian center in walnut. I experienced two firsts: being a flower girl (yes, a flower girl in her 20's) and going to a wedding as a fiancee. Aside from the initial embarrassment of wearing a yellow dress obviously designed for a little girl, it was so much fun just relaxing with T & old friends and simply being a guest (and not behind the camera). (the above photo was of their cute cupcake table, put together by some of the bride and grooms' lady friends)

I'll try getting on with the proposal photos asap and boarding the wedding planning-blogging train (or, as much as I can without giving away everything!).