Crawfish, Crick-ettes & Soft Baby Chickens...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are doing well out there as usual! Things here are heating right up. Literally. Maine has had some pretty hot weather lately and I love it. Summers in Maine are kind of the best ever. Where to start?

First, another reminder, I am donating a piece to the Ronald McDonald House's Purses with Purpose Fundraiser. I just dropped it off as a matter of fact! An 8 x 10 print of my Sea Fence photo, matted and framed in a bright white, contemporary 11 x 14 frame. Perfect for that summer home or living room. Plus, do I need to say it's for a good cause again? If you're local, it's Thursday, click the link for details on how you can help!

What else? Oh, my S'mores piece has been featured on Motorland Vintage America's summer brochure at their gallery and car showroom! If you recall, I did a Vacationland shoot for their space last fall and decided to do a couple of conceptual shots there at the end involving... a Yeti. Oh, yes. Well, the owner felt that nothing said Maine Summer like a Yeti attack. Lucky me! Take a look. I will be working with the fine folks at Motorland again this summer on various projects. What a great group of men.

Well, Father's Day is right around the corner, and that's sort of a big deal over at STAG. Needless to say, I have been beefing the shop up with great items just for the special man in your life. Plus, June 12th is STAG's first anniversary! So, I decided a celebration was in order. June 16th, I am having a storewide sale just for you: 15% off when you enter "Father" as the coupon code when you check out. Get Dad the very best: Get STAG Vintage!

Well, it's not all work and no play over here, fear not! Some very good friends decided to throw a "bug party BBQ" this past weekend to kick off summer. What is that, you ask? Well, they ordered Crick-ettes (dried crickets) and made those available for eating(!!!) along with an entire selection of Bloody Mary mixes and of course, normal food. Like those beautiful crawfish. I haven't had crawfish since I moved from Missouri. (Needless to say Mainers eat lobster.) But they were very good. It was such fun. Plus, I got to hold a baby chicken and kiss its soft, fuzzy head which sort of made my night. If this party was any indication, this summer will be a very good one.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

A Whole Lot of Vintage Action...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there and that those of you who live in the U.S. enjoyed your holiday weekends for Memorial Day! I sure did. It was very busy and also very relaxing. (Yes, that's possible - in my life, at least...) Let's jump right in, shall we?

To start, in anticipation of Father's Day, I have added a ton of great items to the STAG store just for the boys out there (or the women who love them). Tons of great ties, manly knick knacks and some great vintage wool sporting shirts including the two below. And let's not forget that nautical side. I think this sea captain hat or anchor wall hanging would do the trick, don't you? Give Dad the very best... Give him STAG Vintage.

What else? Oh. I have begun another major fine art photography project that I am very excited about. I won't reveal what it is until I have 4-5 shots done (so folks understand what it's really about). It's the most serious project I've ever done (it's quite hard for me to not go right over into humor, but I'm trying) and I am very, very excited about it. I shot the second piece in the series over the weekend and I offered this prop shot to my Facebook followers just to whet their appetites... Points if you can guess what I'm doing before I tell you!

The Ronald McDonald House is an organization with a mission in which I believe very strongly. It's very hard on families when a child falls ill and the Ronald McDonald House helps families stay close to their wee patient as they get better. I think this makes all the difference. I always donate a framed print to their Purses with Purpose fundraiser and this year was no exception! My Sea Fence print will be available at the event June 6th at the Woodlands Club in Falmouth. Come out if you're local and want to support a great cause.

And on to other news. I am a photographer, and as such, I believe I fall into the majority when I say I am not very comfortable in front of that lens. Nope. Partly because I am camera shy and partly because I am a control freak. Ha! So, it was with a bit of anxiety that I modeled for Jack Tar, a Maine fashion blog, this past weekend. However, it ended up being very fun and I met some great ladies who made me feel very comfortable. It was a sort of cocktail theme and I always do vintage, so I did it up Veronica Lake style with the help of my wonderful makeup artist/hair people. Like the Jack Tar page to see those shots as they go up (and some great local fashion as well)!

Yesterday was a holiday and it was beautiful for the first time in weeks here in Maine. So, after a morning run, I headed out to the local flea market with a friend to shop for STAG, and just in general. Well, I was delighted to spy a vintage pair of women's bowling shoes in white leather with fun bowling pins heels, in almost perfect condition and in my size! What?! That's right. So, after some cleaning and polishing, I am wearing them today and I am completely in love... take a look! Cute, no?

And let me wrap by saying I saw Gatsby over the weekend and I was completely blown away. Completely. For purists, who adore the book, maybe this isn't the movie for you. But for artists like myself, who adore the 20's, notice the smallest details and pay attention to the soundtrack as well, this was just too much. So good. Those colors? The parties? The costumes? And all with a sexy, bass-laden contemporary score? Whew. See it. Please. For me. :)

Plus, there's Leo and those eyes... sigh.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Warm Weather & Dark Thoughts

Hello Lovelies!

Well, Easter weekend was busy, busy. I spent some time with my Sweetie's family and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. I think I actually broke a sweat for about 2 minutes, which is highly unusual for Maine in April.

I have a lot of fun things coming, but nothing to show yet, except this very nice treasury that my Dark Car print was a part of. Some very beautiful pieces here.

Oh, and I am donating a piece to the Ronald McDonald House of Portland's Purses with Purpose event. Money raised will of course benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Portland. Such a great cause, if you're local and an artist/crafter, you may consider donating a piece!

I found the neatest tutorial over at Go Media Arsenal that I thought I would share for those of you who may draw or paint like I do and want to start using the Wacom Tablet as an additional medium. This is a 2-hour tutorial put together by Go Media's Jeff Finley and it discusses how to create work and then add texture and effects via Photoshop. I mean, check out that rad skull! I love it.

I have found a couple of artists who I want to share with you Lovelies. First, Mark Weaver. Take a look below and at his photo stream and I'm hoping you'll see what I do; very unique, beautiful and elegant collage work with a retro mid-century vibe. Each piece has common color schemes and shapes that bring his body of work together, but each one is also so unique, I personally could own every one. The little boy below is a self portrait and it's my favorite.

Seb Lester is another artist and type designer whose work is amazing. You've probably seen his work around, but on his site, he shows some process shots and it's amazing to think that such elegant type was created by hand. This is where the artistry comes in... lovely work.

Let's wrap up with some crazy news, shall we? Did you read about the 82 year old Michigan woman who arrived at her hair salon and proceeded to crash right through the front window? No one was injured, and here's the crazy part: when the police finished processing the scene... she got her hair done. What?!

And she probably looked like this after the crash.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...