have you seen...

courtney courtney? if you follow my facebook, you've probably noticed some courtney courtney posts recently.  that's because i love and support her product.  i have basically told her that i'll help her any way i can.

i've been wanting to blog about her for a while now and decided that it would be fun if i asked her some questions and let her speak for herself.  so here we go.  introducing the fabulous owner and designer of courtney courtney...

name: Courtney Anne Chu location: Chicago, IL age: 28

have you always loved to design and sew? No, but I have always loved making things.  Especially jewelry when I was little up until high school, then I began experimenting with textiles and silkscreens one summer in high school.  My only experience with sewing was home economics (is it still called that?) in 7th grade.  I got my first sewing machine after my first year of college.  Slowly I began experimenting with knits and got my serger which changed everything!

do you work alone or do you have a staff that assists you? No staff!  My mom and friend help me cut fabric sometimes (but they don’t live here) and my dad also enjoys hitting up the thrift stores :D I guess I’m just fast.  And I guess I’m a quick decision maker.

did you formally study fashion design?  if not, what did you study and where? Another no here, I studied Industrial Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.  I did a summer pre-college program at Rhode Island School of Design, for textile design, so I think most of my interest in dyeing fabrics and silkscreening came from that.

how did you get started in designing upscaled children's clothing? It was more of a reaction to my full-time job.  As a designer you rarely get to see your designs 100% through to production.  My sewing allowed me to do that.  As my friends might know about me, I don’t really like to plan or set goals.  So the sewing at first was just a feeling of, I want to make this and I want to see a complete little dress.  Every little dress I try new things.  With my full-time job also in children’s fashion, I know what else is out there and what I like.  I am able to make what I do not see.

what is your inspiration, in designing your dresses?  what inspires you in general? Everything can be inspiration.  It’s kind of funny to think that when I see boring dresses I am inspired.  I do look at range of fashion, so that surely inspires me.  The fabrics of course play a huge part.  Knits have a little bit of wiggle room but you have to know how they behave.

I like a challenge, it seems lately that I like to see how I can pair fabrics and patterns that no one expects to see together.

I like to think the person who is buying the dress, the child who will wear the dress, will have something no one else will have.  Of course they will be comfortable cause it’s knit and it’s like wearing a tshirt, but they have on a special dress that no one else has, which is ready for any adventure.

have you thought of expanding into a physical or online store? I used to want a physical store, but then when would I sew!

I did the online store thing, but I spent so much time listing items only to be bought up immediately.

have you ever considered doing boy's or adult clothing? The issue here seems to be that I save my ‘boy’ fabrics for the girls.

And women are so picky about their bodies!

what does courtney courtney look like in five years?  in 10 years? Ha!  Someone asked me this before, and my response is the same. Ask me in 5 years, ask me in 10.

how can someone go about purchasing one of your dresses? Right now I offer my dresses through email.  So every other day or so, an email will go out to the sizes offered that day. http://eepurl.com/cgS2P Sign up here and make sure to select your size(s).

please share one thing you want everyone to know about you or you or your work. I never want my work to be anything but one-of-a-kind.

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i've tried to convince courtney that i'm not picky about my body, but she's not buying it and still not making adult clothing.  DARN!!

seriously though, i can't say enough about courtney and the clothing she designs and sews.  sky owns a number of dresses now and i've seriously considered dumping all of sky's clothes and just stocking up on nothing but courtney courtney.

and here are all the links for courtney courtney... mailing list, to view and purchase her dresses: http://eepurl.com/cgS2P blog: http://courtneychu.blogspot.com facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneycourtney.designs

shouting how i feel

it all started when i posted this image a few weeks ago.

and now...... henri cartier-bresson keeps popping into my life. i can't help but think that the universe is sending me a message. and i'm listening!!!

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON - Decisive Moment, The from bt465 on Vimeo.

ETA:  oh dear, it's so sad that this video is gone.  i'm so sorry if you missed it.  but i'm so happy i wrote his words that most impacted me.

his work. his thoughts. his words. they take my breath away.

and because i am so in love with his words, i've typed some of them out and posted them to my inspiration board that sits right next to my desk... life is once. forever. good vs mediocre is a question of millimeters...but essential. it's very small moves. sometimes there's no picture and that's alright. a photograph is a story. there's a whole world in it. a photograph that you can look at over and over again...there's not many. the most difficult thing is a portrait. who is it? what is it? you have to be like a cat. and not disturb. a person doesn't react the same way when he's not studied. you see them stripped naked in a photograph. it's an interesting thing having wrinkles. after a certain age, you get the face that you deserve. there's no rule to how many pictures you take. there's lots of great anxiety in this profession. what's going to happen...what, what, what?? you shouldn't over-shoot. it's like over-eating. over-drinking. it's an instinct. you have to be quick, quick, quick, quick. like an animal and it's prey. a question of awareness. photography is a physical pleasure. it doesn't take much brains. it takes sensitivity, a finger and two legs. i never think. i act quick. you have to forget yourself. and be yourself at the same time. an image becomes much stronger -- what you want. what you see. it's about not thinking. don't try to push a point...explain something or prove something. you don't prove anything. it comes by itself. first impression is essential -- the intillectual experiences...fully enriching. photography is the essence of everything -- the spark between two elements. you can't look for it. it's like looking for inspiration. it comes by enriching yourself and living. it comes naturally. it's seldom you make a great picture. there's no new ideas in the world. there's only new arrangement of things. it means re-examining. you can't just photograph everything you see. there's some places where the pulse beats more. anyone can do 10 great photographs. keep on, on, on. what is interesting is consistency. it's always re-examining things, trying to be more lucid and free-er and go deeper and deeper the camera is a weapon. you can't prove anything but at the same time it is a weapon. photography is a way of shouting the way you feel. it can be a machine gun. a warm kiss. a sketch book. ...the camera. i enjoy shooting a picture. being present. photography is like that...yes, yes, yes. there's no maybes. the maybes should go in the trash. it's an enjoyment. an affirmation.

being grateful

i love this womani am grateful for this woman and all she shares with us she reminds me what it means to be good and grateful and not-so-serious in this crazy, mixed up world of ours

while in kansas, i started a grateful 365 project. to be completely honest, something went off course and i never finished. and then we moved. and then i was sent really off course. but seeing hailey's video has me longing to start another one. although i'm taking the daily pressure off and simply calling it my 'grateful project'. can't wait to see what comes of it.

how can anyone ever go wrong with a project that reminds them of all they have to be grateful for...each and every day.

hope you enjoy the video...

please don't forget to check out their 365 grateful site -- 365grateful.com

last but not least, here's a few photos from my 2010 (iphone) grateful project...

lensbaby love

i get asked a lot of questions about my shots like these...

the above images were all taken with the lensbaby composer and double glass optic.  i just can't say enough regarding either product.

and lensbaby recently launched a couple new products, which i'm super stoked about --the sweet 35 optic and the composer pro.

i already have the sweet 35 optic (but haven't had it very long at all). it's awesome. it's different. and i can't wait to play with it more.  below are a few shots that i've taken over the past couple weeks.  i really haven't shot a lot, period, over the past couple months...something i'm hoping to remedy soon. very, very soon!

and i should be getting my composer pro next week.

i just can't wait.

oh yea, one more thing... it's truly an honor to share that the photo below was selected for the packaging of the composer pro.  purchase a composer pro and you'll find this image beautifully wrapped around the box.  thanks lensbaby!!

ETA:  one thing i forgot to mention is that with the sweet 35 optic, the aperture can easily be switched, from f/2.5 - f/22.  the double glass does not offer that.  but the two definitely have their own, unique look and feel (IMHO).  and i will always love my double glass.  which means i'm completely torn on which optic to purchase, if you're purchasing a lensbaby for the first time.

who's bill cunningham?

saw this on cup of jo today.  there's a new documentary coming out (march 16th) about bill cunningham.  so who's bill cunningham? this is bill cunningham!  maybe you knew who he was, but i had no idea. and now...after watching the trailer, i absolutely can't wait to watch his documentary.  i wish we had more bill cunninghams in this world.  he seems pretty darn fabulous.

and darn it. these cool films never come to tampa. click here to see if the film is coming to a city near you.

although the site does say...

If you do not see your town listed please urge friends and family to request the film at your local arthouse venue. Arthouse theater owners/managers really like to know that their local audience is interested in a particular film. Theater managers can contact our theatrical booker Clemence Taillandier at clemence@zeitgeistfilms.com and we can work out a date to open the film.

maybe there's a chance.

you are significant

You were born a daughter.You looked up to your mother. You looked up to your father. You looked up at everyone. You wanted to be a princess. You thought you were a princess. You wanted to own a horse. You wanted to be a horse. You wanted your brother to be a horse. You wanted to wear pink. You never wanted to wear pink. You wanted to be a Veterinarian. You wanted to be President. You wanted to be the President's Veterinarian. You were picked last for the team. You were the best one on the team. You refused to be on the team. You wanted to be good in algebra. You hid during algebra. You wanted the boys to notice you. You were afraid the boys would notice you. You started to get acne. You started to get breasts. You started to get acne that was bigger than your breasts. You wouldn't wear a bra. You couldn't wait to wear a bra. You couldn't fit into a bra. You didn't like the way you looked. You didn't like the way your parents looked. You didn't want to grow up. You had your first best friend. You had your first date. You had your second best friend. You had your second first date. You spent hours on the telephone. You got kissed. You got to kiss back. You went to the prom. You didn't go to the prom. You went to the prom with the wrong person. You spent hours on the telephone. You fell in love. You fell in love. You fell in love. You lost your best friend. You lost your other best friend. You really fell in love. You became a steady girlfriend. You became a significant other. YOU BECAME SIGNIFICANT TO YOURSELF.

Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously. You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest. You know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of. And you know when it's time to take care of yourself, for yourself. To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete.

Because you know it's never too late to have a life. And never too late to change one.

JUST DO IT

- Nike

omg. this has me in tears this morning. the kind of tears that make it hard to breathe. hard to swallow. a lump in my throat, as i read. and re-read.

my friend, tara, shared this nike ad today on facebook. i had never seen it. she said she had it taped to her wall as a teen. today, i will share it with my teen. i will print it for her, with hopes that she will pin it on her inspiration board. with hopes that she will read it and re-read it and embrace the words.

kiele is thirteen. turning fourteen in a month. and as i read the words above, the remaining teen years just flew in front of my eyes. in a blur. i ache knowing that she is growing up so quickly. in a few years, she will be in college. most likely no longer living with us. at the same time, i'm so proud of who she is. the beautiful little lady she has grown to be. i truly couldn't be prouder!!

it took me a long (a VERY long) time to become significant to myself. i hope that i can teach kiele different. i will definitely do my best...to share that she is significant NOW. and will be forever!

thanks tara for sharing. for sharing something so beautiful. that has affected me so deeply.

meant to be

you know how you feel that you're just meant to do something? well that's how i feel about shooting polaroid. i'm not sure i can explain it. but it nags at me. to keep going. to keep shooting. to keep investing. of course, i struggle with my brain and waiver at times but ultimately, i'm always brought back to this darn polaroid camera.

but it's not easy. nor reliable (especially if you purchase 600 film off ebay, which i don't recommend). and it's expensive. and that can be frustrating.

i'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate polaroid into my client session because i think they're magical. and therefore, i think i should. i have some definite ideas.

here's a few shots from yesterday that have now become up there with my all time fav photographs.

yes, i believe it's meant to be. and well...that's good enough for me.

and of course, i have the 'remember who you are' polaroid, which i will forever treasure. and is now hanging as a framed 20x20 print right above my desk. maybe i'll enlarge and frame a few others and have a wall of polaroids.

a remarkable story...

a remarkable newly discovered collection of photographs. if you haven't seen, heard or read about vivian maier's story, please take some time to view the chicago tonight news clip (attached below) or you can read the story here, on chicago magazine. talking about the right person being in the right place at the right time.

self-portrait of vivian maier, from the john maloof collection

to think vivian maier's talent and photographic work is just now being discovered is crazy. her eye as a street photographer was amazing, in my humble opinion.  i can't wait to see how this all continues to unfold. and i hope one day to attend one of her exhibitions.

also, kickstarter has been collecting money to fund a feature length documentary film on vivian maier.  while it's already been fully funded, they're continuing to collect for another 70 days.  if you pledge a certain amount, you will receive a copy of the completed film and | or a copy of the book.  i pledged.  :-)

truly amazing!

pay it forward

i'm seeing pay if forward all over facebook and twitter today.  what a cool thing to go viral.  i hope it does. i have no idea who david mundo is but apparently, he started this annual pay it forward day on december 1st.  so i googled "pay it forward day' and found that there's an official pay it forward day on april 28th...but who cares.  i'm in for paying it forward on december 1st and doing my part to help it go viral.

this is what it's all about...

Pay It Forward Day December 1st, 2010

‘Tis the Season! A random act of kindness goes a long way so…

PAY IT FORWARD!!

What can you do? On December 1st... • Pay for someone’s cup of coffee… • Buy someone some groceries… • Get the next person’s gas… • Help someone out… • Donate something… • Be creative!

When you do something for someone there’s a good chance they’ll do something for someone else. If not, at least you’ve done a good deed for someone.

So on December 1st share some kindness and spread some joy! It can be as little as a few dollars or as much as you want. No one needs to know!

are you in? hope so!!

if you do participate, i'd love to know what your random act of kindness was; please share in the comments.  i'll ETA mine later today.  hmmm...maybe i'll go through the starbucks drive-thru simply to purchase the next person's cup of coffee.

ETA: after my workout this morning, i stopped at xtreme juice for a shot of wheat grass and a smoothie.  got my stuff. walked out. and then back in...thinking it was the perfect place to pay it forward.  purchased the next person's smoothie and asked the girl to just tell the person that it was simply a random act of kindness.  :-))

auction projects

i get asked a lot of questions regarding the school auction projects i've done over the years, so i thought it would be good to just share here... every year, i offer my photography services for my kids' school auction projects. some years it's been framed portraits of each child. other years a book. and sometimes both.

and through the years, i've learned a ton!!  typically, it goes something like this...

i take a few photos of each student in the class. i do this somewhere on the school grounds. somewhere with great light. and a good background.  i try to get the child as comfortable (and natural) as possible. for me, this is an extremely important step.  i usually only have a minute or two with each child, so i have to work fast.

while i'm taking photos, the students are doing something nearby (reading books, being read a story, etc.).  i take the children one by one and do my best so it's just me and the child, with no others watching.

i also take a few photos of the group of students together. sitting. standing. whatever works with the location.

last year, i also took some photos of the children within the classroom but it doesn't always happen that way.  but, last year wasn't an auction book; it was an end of year gift from me.

after the photos, i work with the teacher in getting the children to write about a topic or a question and draw a picture. this varies from year to year, depending on the school, the teacher, the child's age, etc. for me, it has greatly varied because the past three years have been three completely different schools (in three different states). one year, at a lutheran preschool, the children drew a picture of what they thought Heaven looked like and then the teachers asked them the question, "what does Heaven look like and what do they think is in Heaven?" this year, the question is, "what do you want to be when you grow up and why?" with the younger kids, it's necessary to transcribe what they say. if this is the case, i stress the importance of capturing every single word because it adds as much of the child's personality as possible to the project.

i then design the book, however i see fit for the photographs, drawing, writing, etc. i do this through blurb because it would be too expensive to use the book company i use for my photography business.

the auction itself can be run in many different ways.  i'm sure there are other ideas out there but these are how the auctions, which i have been involved with in the past years, have run: - you can print one or two books and auction off the books. this year, i am adding an 11x14 print to the auction so the highest bidder will get the book and a print. - you can have the books available via a blurb store. with the store, you can set the price so the book price can be set for xx dollars over the printing cost and then all the profit can be donated to the school. - you can auction off one book. and then you could ask the parent winner if they would be okay with selling the book to other parents for the same auction price. again, all the money (after paying printing cost) is donated to the school. - i even worked with a school, where the teacher loved the book so much, she just wanted every parent possible to have it and so we sold the book at cost.

one of the tricky parts is getting reimbursed by the school.  this year, the room parent is getting pre-auction donations from the parents, which will cover the cost of printing.  this is a huge treat because in the previous years, i've donated my time and the printing of the book | prints.  just something to think about.

with the framed portraits, a parent or parents donated the frames. the framed prints were then auctioned for a set price (in my case, $50 each). so the parents didn't really bid on one item; they bid the set price for their child's framed portrait.  if there are 20 children in the class, this style of auction makes the school $1000.

all my time and prints (when offered) are donated. i absolutely love doing the books and being able to give back to the school.  and the parents and teachers have always loved the books too.  i have my (coffee table) books proudly displayed on my entryway credenza.  and i cherish them so.

i hope this helps. if there's any questions, feel free to ask in the comment section and i will edit the post and answer.

ETA: What was your price point (or profit) per book? the price point (profit) all depends on how high the auction goes, for the standard style auction. i've never sold my books (via a blurb store) to the parents for profit. i think it's best to talk to the teacher, room parent and possibly other parents, to see how many might be interested in purchasing the book. then you can decide how much profit you'd like to make off of each book.

our auction happens very early in the year - is this the case for you? this year, the auction is october 23rd (way early, in my opinion). and with my teaching a workshop oct 1-3 and shooting in san diego oct 13-18, i'm trying really hard to have the book completed by sep 29th.

also, do you advertise your business at all in the books themselves? logo or link to site? i have a page where i have a photograph and then under the photograph, i have -- all photographs taken by deb schwedhelm photography www.debsphotographs.com

for the framed prints of each child...our auction provides a tiny table space for your donated item. did you display all 20 or so prints for bidding? also, what happened to the ones that were not bid on? : / (or were they all bid on?) yes, all the framed 5x7 prints were displayed. and all have been purchased in the previous years, except maybe one and it wasn't at my children's school. i'm not sure what they did with the portrait that didn't sell.

Do you have suggestions for tips on the artwork of students you are going to scan, in terms of size and what they use to draw? i just have them draw on white copy paper and i prefer the kids draw with markers but colored pencils and crayons work too. it's just that the marker shows better, when the papers are scanned. a few other tips -- i like to have the kids sign their artwork or their writing and include their age. also, have them stay away from writing / drawing close to the edge of the paper. don't let them draw on the other side of the paper, as it will show through when scanned.

here's a few screen captures of auction book page spreads (of my kids) that i've done in the past years.

it's a sad day

...when you go to ebay and you see that polaroid 600 film is $5-plus per PICTURE.  in other words, one pack of polaroid 600 film is $50+ plus shipping. when i first started shooting polaroid with my SX70 camera, it was $1.50 per picture and that wasn't all that long ago. when i left kansas (in june), it was $3 per picture.

one can purchase 600 film from the impossible project WHEN they have it; it's out of stock most of the time.  and my last pack from there was terrible -- very yellow and almost every photo was...well...very yellow and not so great.  so i'm not that confident in 600 film from the impossible project at the moment.  although i've had my fair share of bad polaroid film from ebay too.

i've also tried TZ artistic and PX polaroid film and i'm just not a fan.

i'm sad as i seriously long to shoot 600 film with my SX70.

it all makes the polaroids that i have that much more amazing. and it makes me adore my instant recall gallery that much more.  i might just have to frame a polaroid or two in our new house (aka the mini-castle).

in closing and with a tear in my eye, i share a few of my polaroid favorites...

p.s. okay, maybe no tears but i really am sad.

p.s.s. on a most-incredible-happy note, we're officially closing on the mini-castle tomorrow.  walk-thru in 15 minutes.  :-)))

a most superb workflow

i might just have to own this fabulous poster.   i mean really...how awesome is this?!

copyright frank chimero when viewing his inspirational design posters, click next image to see them all

making it work

i remember reading about the novogratz family a while back, thinking that i really needed to DVR their new show, 9 by design.  which i totally forgot about until now and just ended up programming the show five minutes ago. their story -- they're a husband and wife team (now with SEVEN kids), who through the renovation of a rundown town house in new york city, realized they had a knack and love for interior design. soon after (1995ish), they founded sixx design, now a crazy successful real estate renovation company, specializing in turning funky into fabulous, as they say.

below are a few home decor | design concepts i love.  photos courtesy of sixx design.

check out this awesome garage door wall (we hope to have one someday) and the huge photograph -- LOVE! now dreaming of a huge print or two, for our tampa house.

another garage door wall and cool kitchen...

and this ground level trampoline. how awesome is that?!

there is no pool at the  house in tampa, that we put an offer on, but i dream of having one. and i love this simple, stunning design...

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being a military family and moving every few years, we kind of just make it work, from house to house.  sometimes it's a military house, where we get what we get and we don't throw a fit. other times, we buy.  but it's never totally our style, nor the house of our dreams.  and of course, schools are a priority in finding a house, with every move.

here's some photos of our current house, here in KS.  although it doesn't really look quite like this anymore -- i have sky and ryder's room almost entirely packed in boxes, all frames are off the walls, a huge purge pile sitting in the middle of my bedroom, etc.  we're packing slowly, box by box, over the next few weeks, with a departure date around june 27th.).

with this next move, we'll be packing and moving ourselves because there's money to be made if you do it yourself versus letting the military (outsourced) folks do it all.  and so i will be looking at every item in our house with a critical eye, asking do we use this? does someone in the house really love it, play with it, etc.? is there significant sentimental value?

thankfully, we don't have a lot of clutter to begin with, but i want everything to be used or loved and have it's place, preferably in a drawer or closet.

maybe someday, after the military and sailing around the americas, steve and i can renovate our own funky to fabulous living space. i know steve would absolutely LOVE that!!

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some design blogs i love: apartment therapy dos family decor8

a new site i just learned about -- living etc.  i'd love to get their magazine but it's a bit pricey.

we've been getting dwell for years. i'm in the process of going through hundreds of magazines and tearing out the pages i'm inspired by. my plan is to them create a binder of home inspiration, categorized by rooms.

and i can't wait to get my hands on the novogratz's book, downtown chic.

do you have a design blog you love?  please comment and share.  i'd love to know!!

p.s.  how great would it be to photograph the novogratz family. oh my!

places in america

i love this print and love the idea of pinning the locations we've lived and visited (places we've lived in one color and places we've visited in another).  but i'm not sure how i feel about putting pins into a $120 signed print, especially when we have to remove the pins and pack up the print every three years, with each move.

i've actually wanted a map in my house for a long time, but i want a cool, different, artsy map.  seeing this map at you and me the royal we, has me thinking about creating an america print ourselves.  together as a family, we could draw and paint a map.  and how special would it be to have the states written by the kids.

yes -- this might just be one of our summer projects once we are settled in tampa!

busy as a bee

yep, busy as a bee... i've been photographing and designing books for my little ones' classes (preschool and first grade) the past couple weeks.  along with paying taxes, book keeping, calling accountant, working on workshop, ordering and shipping prints, working on a new website, etc...i've been crazy busy.  i absolutely love giving this gift to the teachers and parents every year!!

this year for sky's class, i took photos at the beginning of first grade and then the end of the year. it was rather mind-blowing how much some of the kids changed in one year.

for their book, i used both sets of pictures and the kids drew and wrote what they wanted to be when they grow up. reading their writings was one of the cutest things ever. here's a few of my favorites...

I wont to be a farmer becuaes I wont to help peaple eat hulfee.

I wont to be a vet to help animals. And I wont to be a fotogerfer to take beautiful pickshers.

When I grow up I will be a Dr. and a hair stilitst because I'd help pepl and kids. I will be a hair stilitst because I cut hair and do dipheret hair stils.

I what to be a army man becus my Dad was in Irack. I think it is a good job to help the world.

Wen I grow up I want to be a vetcherereen becuse I want to help anamals.

I want to be a arme man becas it is cool. and I like camaflog. I like to get trained.

and this is the preschool book layout (they also drew what they wanted to be when they grow up and then i asked them some questions)...

and speaking of busy, gotta run...having a friend over for dinner and need to grocery shop and clean.  i'll have to make sure i buy something hulfee :-)

photo wall gallery inspiration

i loved this recent post on the creative mama blog, sharing thoughts and ideas on photography wall displays.  whether your wall space is large or small, i think many of these display ideas can be applied (some of them on a smaller scale). moving to a new house every two-to-three years, i go through the wall display decision making process quite often. i'm now excited to take some of these inspirational ideas with me to our tampa house, this july.

also, i wanted to share this not-so-formal wall display idea, from my own house.  we purchased these chalk- and pin-boards years ago from pottery barn kids and they have moved with us to three different houses now.

i just found this tacktile message board and this takboard from CB2, which would also work really well for this type of wall display.

have another photograph display inspiration?  please share, i'd love to hear about it.

for the love of...

film. i've been talking about it for years now--shooting film; however, that's all i've been doing. talking about it. for some reason, i feel like i need someone to hold my hand. not sure why. what am i scared of? what is holding me back? nothing more than myself. and that frustrates me.

i have two film cameras (a canon and a bronica) sitting on the shelf right above my computer...collecting dust. i seriously look at them all day. every day. cheryl jacobs tried to help me get my bronica to work, when we visited her in colorado, but something seemed to be wrong with the back. so yesterday, i ordered a new back and i'm determined to use it. as for the canon, it's fine. i've just had a bunch of lame excuses and haven't had the courage to pick it up.

damn it! this is the year--i am picking up those cameras and shooting film. i am! no more excuses. no one needs to hold my hand.

speaking of film and polaroid, here's some of my favorite polaroids from over the years.

change

i actually had this post written a couple days ago and saved it as a draft.  well, how fitting for me to publish it today, since i spent a great portion of today slaving over the revamping of my blog.  okay, maybe i wasn't quite slaving but there were definitely some frustrating parts of the process (especially that part where i wrote some CSS code that made my entire blog and dashboard disappear). it's a never-ending cycle, you know--learn. grow. work. improve. evaluate. tweak. repeat... +++

on to the original post...

i'm so loving gap's new utility collection.  have you seen it? i hope they fit as good as they look.

also, i find it fascinating that gap is now incorporating video into their online advertising.  it was only a matter of time. soon enough video clips will be a part of every online site.

makes me think of this, which i recently read on seth godin's blog on an upcoming frustrating decade of change--

change: the infrastructure of massive connection is now real.  people around the world have cell phones. the first internet generation is old enough to spend money, go to work and build companies. industries are being built every day (and old ones fading). the revolution is in full swing, and an entire generation is eager to change everything because of it. hint: it won't look like the last one with a few bells and whistles.

change.  yes, change is good.

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and today i am grateful for the necklace that the kids made and gave to me for christmas.  i adore it so and will treasure it forever.

prudent advice

found this blog today, through another blog through another and another.  it often works that way. i really love jaime's bits of wisdom shared.  can't wait to buy the book:  500 pieces of prudent advice for my baby daughter.  can't wait to read it with my kids.  and highlight my favorites.  and discuss why these things are important.  and add my own bits of advice, that may be different than jaime's.  maybe i'll use the book as a journal of sorts.  adding notes here and there.  something that could be passed down to my kids.  that will evolve over time.  can't wait!!

a few of my favorites...

1.  always send a thank you note.

2.  try to know what is bubbling around your heart.

10.  offer your seat to elderly and pregnant people.

95.  have a firm handshake.

98.  if you haven't worn it in a year, give it away.

99.  you are bound to experience disappointment.

116.  at the close of each day, fill your head with thoughts of how lucky you are.

181.  be where you are.

203. return your shopping cart.

213.  create a sense of family no matter where you are.

214. try not to wait eagerly for people to finish their stories just so you can tell your own versions that more directly involve you.

my mother-in-law is so awesome with handwritten notes.  i treasure each and every handwritten note i receive, as it's a rarity these days.  in 2010, i'm going to try and be better with writing handwritten notes.  and remembering birthdays.  i used to remember each and every birthday...meticulously.  photography consumed my life and sadly i've forgotten to acknowledge most birthdays these past couple years.

years ago, i heard the statement be the one to put your shopping cart back, on the radio.  i literally think of it each and every time i go shopping and...i have done it ever since.  no matter what the weather. or the circumstances.  i love jaime's added note on this topic: abandoning your shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot implies a sense of entitlement.  someone has to put it away.  that someone should be you.

on december 31st, i'm going through my closet and giving away everything i haven't worn in a year.  i have a few special things that i keep saying i'm going to wear.  but i don't.  they're going too.

my advice for today: love your life. smile often. and just be happy.

five favs

i always love reading others' favorite things posted on their blogs, so i thought i'd start occasionally positing five of my favorite things. so, here we go... i recently read about elizabeth arden's prevage in a magazine and decided to check it out.  while at the counter, i discovered this lip protectant stick. it has SPF, which i love and it feels so good on my lips. it actually even smells good. i ended up going with their darkest color, which isn't really dark at all because it's a tint, rather than a lipstick.  and alba's terra tints.  i don't leave home without one.  a cheap, awesome lip moisturizer with SPF.

i (and everyone i've given them to) love these barefoot dreams adult throw blankets.  they're so soft and snuggly.  i'm wrapped in one almost the entire time, when in the living room...sitting in my computer chair or on the couch.

a few birthdays ago, steve surprised me with a harvey bag and i've used it ever since.  i get so many compliments on it.  the greatest thing is that it's crazy durable and will never really go out of style.  and how cool is it that they now have fancy harvey bags. i think i'm going to have to get one of these fab lola satchels.  love!  my current bag is grey and looks like this.

etsy.  if you don't know etsy, you must check it out--all things handmade.  i've purchased clothes, hats, headbands, prints, paintings, jewelry and more.  such a magical, inspirational place for christmas gift shopping.  i have this owl clock from etsy and love it.  i love giving handmade.  i love supporting handmade.

oooooh, i love dexter.  after steve got home from deployment, he got me hooked on dexter and yes, i am so hooked. i know this season just ended and i have heard it's awesome.  waiting patiently until season four comes out on netflix.  i miss him.

ETA:  how could i forget my beloved hunter boots?  i love, love them.  i have the originals in black, but am seriously longing for a yellow or green pair.  i wear them with casual.  i wear them with dressy.  you can see mine here in our family pic.  but, i've quickly learned that they're not exactly the warmest and require a good pair (or two) of socks on those really cold days.