Soft Snow & Sweet Gingerbread...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there! We've gotten a break up here in Maine from the cold and the snow for long enough, and it appears that winter is finally upon us. We've had some snow and it's snowing as we speak (or rather, as I type this). I love true winter in Maine. So pretty. And this time of year, it gets me in the holiday spirit!

Speaking of holiday spirit, one of my favorite little ones asked me to help her make a gingerbread village this past weekend. I couldn't say anything but yes (and I'm glad I did!) we had laughs, got icing all over the place and then... she spilled the sprinkles. Ha! So fun... I made this little collage with the photos from that day. (And that's her in her tights... she said they "help her decorate better..." I'll take her word for it.) :)

What else? Oh! I mentioned a couple of posts back that I'm creating a portrait family tree for a holiday gift this year. I will post those final shots next week, but until then, here are more candids from the most recent session for that project because I can't resist! Those faces... goodness, so cute. (This is what happens when you eat crackers at a portrait session and/or are really, really shy. Brilliant, no?)

I have also recently added a ton of new items to Stag with gift-giving in mind! Some vintage holiday decor, special small gifts for the stocking, things for pampering and things for the hobby-loving man in your life! Oh, and immediately below is just a small selection of some of the wonderful new ties going in the shop very soon! Wintery, warm, wooly (and in some cases, wide) ties!

In one of my recent junking trips to find items for Stag, I happened upon an entire unopened package of ribbon from the 70's. You know the stuff; shiny, plastic, bright colors, perfect for tying. I had to have it for my own gift-giving! Not a day later, I came across this amazing post from one of my favorite blogs: And Everything Else Too that gave a ton of creative and beautiful vintage gift-wrapping ideas! (Kind of perfect timing, don't you think?)

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Mint Green Suits & Coral Lipstick...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there. Things here are busy, busy as usual! So many new things to share. To start, I just wrapped up a project that I'm very excited to share with you. I was approached to shoot an Audrey Hepburn inspired shoot for a client. She wanted to really channel some of the Breakfast at Tiffany's vibe, as well as just the playful, coy feel for Ms. Hepburn herself. So, I set to work, and created the following! (I think the mint green suit was a good choice, don't you?) You may view the rest of the shots from that series over at my Behance site! (A huge thank you to my model Caroline and my makeup artist Brenda for making it so beautiful!)

I have several other projects in various states of readiness and I can't wait to share those too! But until then, here are some candids from a recent portrait session I did. (No, they did not wear those masks in the portraits themselves, but I've found that nothing loosens kids up in front of the camera like playing beforehand! Those cameras aren't so scary then...) I should have that project ready to show in the coming weeks!

Oh! And some exciting news for my STAG shop! I have just reached 100+ sales! I can't believe I reached that goal so quickly. Thank you to all of my customers and followers. Many great things yet to come. I am always hunting up neat things, just for you!

On a totally unrelated note, I have been looking for a good watch for years now. I always used to wear one, and then the one I loved broke and with that, I stopped wearing one. I searched all over place, because I knew I wanted something vintage and high quality. Well, I finally found a watch from Russia that I am absolutely in love with and it just came in the mail this past weekend! (I am a bit embarrassed to admit how excited I was to receive it.) But you know how it is, finding the perfect thing, right? Take a look. The red face and those numerals are amazing...

I am going to wrap up by sharing promos from two of my favorite design studios. They have prints perfect for stuffing stockings or serving yourself some san serifed spoils! Ha!

The first is from Lab Partners. Visit their site HERE.

And Invisible Creature is having a giveaway with purchase HERE.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Seances, Squids & Soldiers

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season. Mine was hectic and fun and over too fast! I have a lot to share with you this week. In the photography arena, I am done with Red Army #2. Only 2 left to go! I also played around with some new filters and techniques to create a sort of wood grain portrait of the same model. I love the moodiness of it. What do you think?

And, I just did some holiday portraits for a client I wanted to share. These wee ones were so cute and so photogenic, it was a pleasure. She was very happy with how these came out. See the rest here.

I have listed a print in the shop for the squid lovers out there. You may remember my Last One Standing portrait series for that competition that I showed you recently. Well, due to positive feedback, I've decided to offer the below shot as an archival print HERE.

Enough business, I want to share with you the best gift I received this holiday season! I am so excited about it. I have admired the work of Liza Corbett for a long time. Her softly executed portraits of women, and surreal landscapes are just spellbinding. Well, she had a show this month in California of some original work and I got one of the pieces for Christmas! The piece is seance-inspired and it's called Sweetheart Come. Take a look. (The hands and her veil are my two favorite things about this piece...)

I also took a spin through my local thrift store to take a look through their records (this is how I get all of my albums, they're so much cheaper there than at a record store). I was not disappointed. I found this classic Herb Alpert album I've wanted for awhile and a great Frank Sinatra and Friends Christmas album! Good stuff.

I would like to wrap up with a movie recommendation I recently re-watched and enjoyed immensely: Bell, Book & Candle. A campy classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, the movie follows some witches as they get up to mischief and Kim Novak's character eventually gets Jimmy Stewart to fall in love with her. Pretty pedestrian fare, but the outfits, the sets, the Zodiac Club, and the whole witch angle were wonderful. Take a gander if you need a movie to curl up to some night.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Tiny Satyr...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there. I have been super busy lately on many things (some of which I can't share at the moment), but this is the one I am most excited about: my latest shot! This piece is entitled Sam the Satyr and I just want to squeeze him (and yes, he's that cute in real life). Mythology + Babies = Adorable. You can see a bigger version here. More exciting projects are just around the bend, Kiddies, stay tuned!

And my Green Canoe shot was featured on the front page of Etsy this week! (A very sweet Facebook follower said she didn't mention seeing it because it probably happens to me all the time. I informed her that it rarely ever happens, but thanked her for the compliment. I love my followers!)

Do you have a mobile device that needs prettying up? Have you heard of Gelaskins? Well, it's time you did. They have artist-designed skins for over 100 devices from laptops to cell phones and they're really nice. The hard part will be picking just one. Here are a few I like a lot:

Have you guys heard of Public School? It's a great art site that features a mix of all mediums and topics and they really keep it fresh. They had a whole post featuring ventriloquist dummies the other day that creeped me right out. I thought I'd share (so I can sleep tonight)...

And speaking of ventriloquist dummies, I must be a glutton for punishment because that Public School post made me remember that I still need to watch Magic, starring Anthony Hopkins. Everything about this movie looks terrifying; it stars Hannibal Lecter, the dummy appears to be an alter ego, they dress alike(?!?!) and there is all possible murdering involved. I probably won't be able to sleep for weeks, but alas, I'll watch it anyway. I'll let you know how it goes...

Dear God, what is going on in this scene?!

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...