NEW BANDO

Photo by the talented Max Wanger!

Y'all know I love Ban.do. I mention them on here all the time. It's because I love every single aspect of their brand. I really do! I love their branding, their blog, they have one of the best Pinterest accounts, their photo shoots are so dreamy, and of course - all their little accessories are right up my alley! They just released a new line of accessories, just in time for my birthday in November! I am in love with everything. 

Metallic Mini Poms!  Crystal Crush Bobbi! Glitterati Twist Scarf! Double Trouble Headwrap! Big Shot Sparkle Headband! Sparkle & Shine Bobbi Set! I'll have one of each, please and thank you!

As if all that wasn't enough, how cute is their hashtag - #feelpretty. I love that. I love those little things that just make you feel pretty. For me they are mascara, blush, bows, my sequined Ban.do hearts (yes, I have one in every color), getting my bangs trimmed, a good curly hair day, and mini skirts! 

What makes you feel pretty?

FULL

Sometimes life is good. Chicago weather has been awesome. Christopher and I have had some fun, relaxing days off together. My camera lust is currently under control, and I actually feel good about recently unloading some of my SX-70 hoard. Recently my Macbook Pro got sick and had to go to Apple, which terrified me. The worst case scenario happened- they had to data wipe it and I lost 100's of scans that I hadn't published (sad face),  but I feel great about having a clean slate to work from laptop wise and thankfully, it was still under Apple care. My Mom is coming to visit for my birthday in a little over a week. Our bunnies are cute as ever. I'm on a pretty good roll of not drinking Coca Cola (this is huge for me). I've just been feeling grateful for our good health, great friends, wonderful family, and our little home. 

Life is good! 

I hope everyone else is experiencing blissful days as well. 

WORDS TO SHOOT BY // RAINBOW : ORANGE

Words to Shoot By was incredible this week. The word was Rainbow and all the participants were assigned a color to complete the Rainbow. My color was Orange which I know is perfect for Fall but I thought it might be too cliched so I dug around for some of my favorite Orange things and this is what I came up with.

See the awesomeness of the rainbow in it's entirety here!

XO

IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT PEN SET GIVEAWAY WINNNER!

The winner of The Impossible Project Pen Set giveaway is Julius Santiago! Congrats Juls, can't wait to see what you come up with!

The photos above are some of my entries for the Make Your Mark photo drawing contest! There are a lot of great entries so far, so get your pens out and make your mark on your favorite (or least favorite) Impossible images! 

I can't say enough great things about the pen set. We all know by know I am amazed at the cuteness of the case but the pens themselves are wonderful. They dry quickly on the image, don't smear and don't have a weird smell. Get a set here! 

A great big thank you to The Impossible Project for the pens to giveaway and also, for keeping instant film alive for all of us fans and for the folks who will soon fall in love with making instant images! XO

CHIN UP // CHEER UP

How cute is Franny?!

Last week I got the colorful pinwheel of certain computer death. I backed up all my digital files and rushed my MacBook Pro to Apple for some help. They took my baby away, probably data wiped it and now I'm just waiting to hear back from them. I'm thankful it's still under Apple Care but am fretting re-scanning hundreds of instant photos I didn't take the time to back up :(

These things are helping me stay cheery:

- Make your own 8x10 camera...um OKAY! (Cary also made a 4x5 camera out of Legos!)
- I laughed so hard at this blog, #myfriendsaremarried (even though I'm married)
- I'm in love with this super cute and well done blog about hair! She even has Curly hair tips!
- The Impossible Project's PX70 Color Protection film... and their scanning adapter....and their pen set.

Don't forget to enter to win a set of The Impossible Project's awesome/cute pen set on my blog right over here! Then, make sure to enter your masterpieces in the Make Your Mark photo drawing contest!

Now I'm off to get a pumpkin spice latte and forget my (first world) woes.

XO

I HEART BAN.DO

Well the girls at Ban.do have stolen my heart, yet again. How amazing are these pieces? I mean seriously, these jewels need to be nestled into my mess of curly hair! This one is my very favorite!

I love keeping up with current fashion trends and styles, and although I am attracted to all things bright and glittery, I'm not that bold when it comes to what I'll actually buy and wear. For instance, I pin just about every sequined piece of clothing I see on the internet but I'd never have the courage to wear it. I'm more comfortable buying subtle pieces that I can wear over and over and throughout the different seasons. That is were my love for Ban.do products come in. Their shiny hearts, golden poms (have you seen these yet?! They are new!!), and neon bows give me that p o p I'm so into. The gold sequined heart has jazzed up many a t shirt and jeans day!

Their pretties always make me feel done up. That and mascara, duh.

XO

INSTANT PHOTO WALK CHICAGO

Calling all instant photography fans in Chicago and surrounding areas! Let's meet up and shoot some photos Saturday, October 20th from 1pm until..whenever! Let's meet up under the Blue Line Damen L stop in Wicker Park and walk around an area with lots of interesting street art, shops, people, cute pets and great coffee!

Make sure to bring your camera and plenty of film. Have you seen The Impossible Project's newest Color Protection films? You no longer have to shield your instant film as it ejects from the camera! The colors are amazing and everyone I know who has tried the stuff is in love! Take a peek at some of the photos that have been tagged "color protection" on Flickr. Impressive right!?

If you don't have a camera but have been interested in trying to shoot instant film, I have a few cameras I can lend out if you supply your own film. I have a few loaner cameras, please just comment below to reserve one for yourself!

I hope to finally meet some of my internet photo friends and make some new ones! Feel free to keep up with any news about the meet up on the Facebook event page we made!

XO

IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT PEN SET // MAKE YOUR MARK!

The Impossible Project recently came out with this pretty set of pens to write on your Impossible images with. They tested dozens of pens until they found just the right ones that would stay on the shiny surface of their films. The possibilities are endless, you can write a note on an image, draw a picture, color in a scene, recreate your favorite works of art, etc. etc.!  I dug up some "failed" images I've hung onto and drew little notes on them. I plan on using these postcards to send them off to some friends!

As if the pen set wasn't awesome enough on it's own, it comes in this super cute miniature sx-70 case! I LOVE it!

The Impossible Project is hosting an open call for images spiced up with their pen set. 50 favorites will be exhibited in their New York space in the Make Your Mark exhibition in January. What an exciting opportunity! Take a peek at some of the awesome images that have already been uploaded, get inspired and enter your best photos!

To get you started, The Impossible Project has given me a pen set to give away. Aren't they so rad? Of course they are! To enter just leave a comment and an email address, so I can contact you if you win! I'll choose a winner at random next Friday, October 27th. If you can't wait to see if you won, get your own set here.

XO

GABRIEL KELLEY // DIRECTED BY PICKLE

How cool is this video my friend Casey McBride made for our friend and very talented musician, Gabriel Kelley?!

It has inspired me to give making a music video a spin, a goal I made for myself earlier this year.  I mean, I can at least give it a try right?

I need some more inspiration, what are some of your favorite music videos?

ON THE ONA BAGS WEBSITE

Ona used a few photos that I shot for a review of their wonderful Roma Insert on their website (remember this one?)! I am still in love with my insert. I've taken it with me on my two most recent trips and it helped me transition well from my camera bag to my purse without having to reorganize everything while I'm on the go. Totally in love with it's design and functionality - it's so hard to come across both and the Roma Insert is only $59! A steal, if you ask me.

Now I have my eye on The Camps Bay. How gorgeous is that backpack? Doesn't even seem like a camera bag!