Old Things & A Raccoon on a Leash...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there! Things here have been so busy, I'm not blogging until Thursday! I have a ton to share as usual.

To start, I have a ton of photo shoots coming up that I can't wait to share with you. Client work, personal projects. It's turned into a very busy summer. Over the weekend, I was invited to a "Man Camp Carnival." What is that? Oh, it's a thing put on by an awesome friend of mine complete with a popcorn machine, cotton candy, fries and a ton of bouncy houses! He does it all just for fun and it was amazing. Here are some shots from that day. He even had temporary tattoos made!

I also recently went to the Brimfield Antique Show as I mentioned in my last post. I love going. The great finds, the people watching, the fair food, all add up to a very good time and this year was no exception. I saw a woman with a baby pet raccoon on a leash. That was an unexpected moment. And I found some things for STAG as well as myself, including some old board games (which I've never really collected, but now I might), great pieces of paper ephemera, suspenders, ties, coats, and even an old Boy Scout sleeping bag in fairly good condition. I've actually never seen one intact before, so I'll be offering that for sale to the BSA collectors out there. It has a great liner with Boy Scouts doing all sorts of camping things like building fires, pitching tents, tying knots... etc. Good stuff. Here are some pictures from the trip!

That shrunken head decal was pretty much amazing...

I found a complete 1949 game of CLUE for $1! Amazing.

Vintage wool men's bathing suit...

I found an amazing photo series recently that I wanted to share with you. Anthony Kurtz does some amazing work just in general, but his No Man's Job series is just stunning. The colors, the lighting the angles, all perfect. I really love it all. Take a look at a couple examples below and visit the link above to see more!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

It's a Wrap!

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there. A lot to share as usual. To start, I have finished and posted my entire Clue series (including some fun candids) on Flickr and of course, Facebook. All of the shots are now available as fine art prints in my shop as well. More importantly, I am in the process of designing a small fine art book of the entire series that I plan to make available via Blurb when it's complete if you're interested in the entire set plus some history and candids. I will announce that when it's up and ready. I have gotten very positive feedback on this series so far. Thank you again to everyone who helped.

As I mentioned last post, I made my annual trek to the Brimfield Antique Show this past weekend. It was a blast as always. The weather was perfect and I found some great items both for the house and for future shoots. I am also planning a new little venture in the coming months, and you may see some of these items there soon! The rest of the haul can be seen here.

This was actually a late birthday gift from my parents. They know I love Shriner stuff. All hand-lettered and amazing...

This beautiful, strange and sultry painting was $12! I love her.

Some beautiful vintage formal vests and a tie. These will be used in shoots. They're coming back into vogue and you can't find them anywhere anymore.

Swim trunks, also for a shoot.

Speaking of vintage goodness, have you heard of Nadine Boughton? She calls herself a photographer, but her most recent work is actually collage. She combines pulp adventure covers with Better Homes and Gardens and various other idyllic living magazines to create funny and fresh imagery. Each one makes me laugh a little on the inside. Check them out!

I'd like to wrap up by showing off two photos I found at Brimfield. This first one reminded me so much of Alfred Hitchcock standing among cherry blossoms I had to look twice. Yes, it's somewhat out of focus, but I still adore it.

The second photo has a funny story behind it. My Sweetie and I were looking through a booth, and she picked up a mirror with a nude girl on the back of it. The man running the booth said: "Oh, you girls like interesting stuff, huh? Check this pile out." He handed us a stack of great vintage pin-ups and risque items (all harmless and quite funny by today's standards). My eyes lit up when I saw this snapshot taken of a canvas sign on a tent for a carnival burlesque show! I scored it for $1 and a little piece of history is mine.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Clues for the Clueless...

Hello Lovelies~

So much to share, and it's all good stuff! To start, I am posting the big Clue project bit by bit this week on all my sites starting with the characters today on Facebook. The murder scenes will come out as the week goes on, so follow Facebook or my Flickr feed for those. Below are some of my favorite shots. I made them sort of look like game cards with a 50's twist. I had a blast shooting this series, and I want to send a huge thank you out to my models, my hair/makeup people, my costumer, my assistants, Blue Elephant Catering for allowing me access to the space, and of course the Masonic Lodge for also allowing us to get into mischief in their space.

What else? Oh! The huge Brimfield Antique Show is this week in Massachusetts and I will of course be going at the end of this week. You may remember some of these past scores if you've followed the blog for awhile. You never know what you'll find and it's a blast digging through junk, people watching and enjoying the spring weather outdoors. This time, I am on the prowl for specific items for upcoming shoots, including: Vintage men's swim trunks, women's cat eye sunglasses and rare costumes. Wish me luck, you guys!

Any of you out there have hip little kids who love temporary tattoos? Or do you yourself like temporary tattoos? Well, say goodbye to those cheap convenience store snakes and fairies and hello to Tattly! Designed by artists, Tattly temporary tattoos make you look hip and cool without a permanent commitment! There are tons of different designs from which to choose and of course, if you don't like it, you can scrub it off... These are some of my favorites:

I want to wrap up with a great shot I found recently on Pinterest. (Yep, I'm on there too: HERE.) I don't know why this photo is so captivating to me, but it is. This shot is by Henri Cartier Bresson, a master French photographer who took lifestyle shots much like Diane Arbus. But what I love about his work are the compositions, the eye for where things are in the frame, the light and the selective focus. Do you know his work? Do you have a favorite?

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...

Things That Go BUMP in the Night...

Hello Lovelies~

I have so much to share this week, so I'll just jump right in. First, I am done with that Addams Family portrait commission I told you about last week! They came out just great, I think. Here are a couple and the rest can be seen on my Flickr stream. Such fun!

I also have some exciting news, a piece from my Everything's Alright Here series was selected by Society6 to be sold in their store as a fine art print! Very flattering and exciting.

And, while we're on business news, the big secret project drops in exactly 2 weeks and it's time for Clue #4 in the contest. It is pictured below, Lovelies. And as some of you know, if you collect all 5 clues and are the FIRST PERSON to post them in order on the Stapelia wall October 3rd (release day), you will win a secret prize! (Descriptions are okay.) So, keep a list going faithful readers, you'll be happy you did.

Recently, I went to the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts as I do twice a year and it was a great one. I found so many neat things I can't even share them all; old Halloween decorations, dime store toys, nude shotglasses, the works. But here are a few of my fun finds and some more pictures here. What's the best thing you've ever found junking?

I've wanted horse ribbons for years, and I found a whole group of them this time!

Oh! And the other day a friend gave me a great gift that I just have to share with you Kiddies. I opened the box, and there inside, were a whole family of dollies, two of which had multiple faces and one was missing a head, all covered in plastic spiders. Weird, yes. But it made me laugh. She knows me too well! Perfect gift for the fall season I think.

It's time for these dollies to meet their new friend: Creepy Clown... hehehe

And speaking of fall season, check out these beautiful pumpkins I found over the weekend! I can't wait to get carving, Folks. This is my favorite time of year.

Let's wrap up with a story, shall we? So, near my house there is a piece of land that has a ton of old junk and railroad stations and signs and mannequins just spread all over. It's a strange place and I've been curious about it for years. Well, Saturday, I went there with a friend and got the grand tour! I took the pics below of some of the sites... but really, they don't do the place justice. It's surreal. Maybe I'll ask the owner if I can do a shoot out there. Hmmm...

Yeah, that's a jail cell. Just sitting there. A jail cell, Folks.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...