WHAT TO PACK // WHAT TO DO

This beautiful photo used with permission from Emilie Lefellic- one of my favorite Polaroid photographers!

Next month my mom and I are going to be cat sitting.....IN PARIS! I am SO excited! I have wanted to go to Paris for so long and I can't think of a better Mother / Daughter destination than the City of Light! When our friend posted on Facebook that she needed someone to stay in their apartment to watch over their cat my Mom and I jumped at the opportunity for an awesome adventure together!

I. can't. wait.

Much like any trip I go on, I have to make the difficult choice of what cameras / films to bring. I'm thinking I'll bring my future Polaroid 195 (so excited to receive this camera from Rare Medium), Polaroid 680, LC-A + and possibly the Horizon. And all those special edition Impossible Project films, Polaroid 669 / Chocolate / Blue film I've been hoarding- it's all been for this very trip!!

Now comes the planning! We welcome any and all recommendations! Food, shopping, sights to see, what shouldn't be missed, what to pack, what not to pack. Help me pass the time between now and August 19th! We will need a place to stay for one night, so any recommendations on hotels or at least areas to look in are also welcome! 

What are you favorite things to do / see in Paris?!

XO

WORDS TO SHOOT BY // INK

Last week's Words To Shoot By word was Ink. The first thing that came to mind was tattoos so Christopher and I showed off a few of ours! I have the bunny and polar bear Christopher drew for our wedding invitations tattooed on my right arm. It's simple but so cute. Our friend Nic Tse drew a beautiful portrait of two of our bunnies, Franny + Zooey on the inside of Christopher's arm. Lastly, several years ago one of my best friends and I got spur of the moment "sweet tea" tattoos in the inside of our lips together!

Tattoos are a funny thing, sometimes I feel like I've grown out of a few pieces that I've gotten but they will always remain as a wonderful reminder of that time in my life. I love that. What do you think about tattoos? Do you guys have any?

XO

EMULSION L I F T S

Earlier this year I tried Polaroid emulsion lifts for the first time. I've always thought they would be hard to do and was surprised at how easy and fun it was, so I thought I'd put together a little step by step guide to making instant film lifts! 

The Impossible Project sells a really rad kit to help you get started. The materials used in this tutorial all come in the Creative Kit. 

Pretty easy right?! Here are a few things to keep in mind, make sure the water isn't too hot. The Creative Kit comes with a thermometer to help you keep track. Once the film is out of the hot water it is very delicate so handle it with care from there on it. I loved the film holder! It made transferring the lift to the paper so easy.

The awesome folks at The Impossible Project gave me a Creative Kit & a set of Creative Cards to give away to one lucky person looking to try something different with their instant images! Enter to win by reblogging this if you're on Tumblr or leaving a comment with your email address! I'll pick a winner at random Monday, July 22nd. 

Happy Polaroid Week! 

XO

TO FLICKR OR NOT TO FLICKR

Flickr has recently undergone a lot of changes, both in services offered and aesthetics. I have that gut wrenching feeling when you know it's time to move on and feel like a break up with Flickr is on the horizon for me, which makes me really sad. I've been posting my images on that website since 2005 and have met some really cool people because of the community fostered there in the past. That all seems to have changed now and shifted over to Instagram & Twitter, as far as I can tell.

I've been posting more and more images on my Tumblr and may eventually phase out of using Flickr all together. What are your thoughts on the new Flickr?! Does Flickr still have a place? A lot of people are talking about Ipernity, "the new Flickr", thoughts?  I'm interested in hearing some opinions!

XO

SNAP IT SEE IT // FEATURE

A little while ago the nice folks at Snap It See It featured me in an artist spotlight on my instant photography. If you're not familiar, Snap It See It is a website dedicated to everything associated with instant photography. They have cool features (a hem), helpful tutorials and the website is really easy to navigate. Check 'em out! Thanks for the love, Snap It See It!

XO

WORDS TO SHOOT BY // SOLSTICE

This week's word for Words To Shoot By was Solstice. What a wonderful word to represent the beginning of Summer!! 

XO

INSTANT L A B

I am so excited about The Impossible Project Instant Lab. Have you seen this? It's a little lab that let's you create instant photos with images you've taken on your smart phone. BRILLIANT! There have been countless times I've seen a photo opportunity but did not have one of my instant film cameras with me and had to use my cell phone. I'm so excited to have the chance to have instant prints of these moments! I'm very excited about the integration of film and digital this way.

The photos posted are images I shot with my cell phone that were printed by the folks at The Impossible Project using the instant lab. They were kind enough to send me the prints and I am really impressed and can not wait to get my hands on my own lab!

I backed this project when it first came out on Kickstarter but you'll be able to get your hands on one soon too! I can't wait to see all the creative uses of this lab.

XO