CHARLEE

My brother was born today, 29 years ago. I wish he were still here to celebrate it together. Life is so unpredictable. Grab the ones you love, hold them tight and tell them you love them.

I love you, Charlee. 

XO

MINNEAPOLIS

It's no secret that I love my Mom. I admire here, I look up to her, I think she's pretty much the raddest lady on the planet. One of the many reasons I love her is her totally spontaneous spirit! She's always up for an adventure and is often the one scheming ideas on how to make something dull exciting. 

She recently visited me around my birthday here in Chicago. I had taken a few days off of work to spend with her, doing a little bit of shopping, eating good food and relaxing around the house. My Mom saw those days as an opportunity for an adventure so she booked a last minute quick trip to Minneapolis so we could have a little adventure together! It was so much fun. We went to the Mall of America, in which we indulged in all of our suburban pleasures (Hello, Auntie Aunies Pretzels, Panda Express, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc. etc.) and of course a little bit of shopping. 

We also headed out to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit which was really amazing to see in real life. If there's an exhibit near you I would highly recommend it. The sculptures were so life like and the story behind them is just incredible. At the museum, I also saw prints of two really inspiring photographs, one of them was this iconic image by Dorothea Lange (PS- the mother in that photo was 32 when that was taken, just ONE year older than me!) and the other, one of my favorite of Henri Cartier-Bresson's images which I couldn't help but steal my own version of! I took a shot of the print with my Polaroid 680 camera and some of the Holden Edition Impossible Project film (I love the borders on this film!). 

Going to museums always makes my heart race. It's so inspiring to see prints from photographers that inspire you in person. Large! I love seeing the grain or guessing the printing method! I saw a Chuck Close print that was as large as an entire wall! I've seen so much of his work online it's just really impressive to see in real life. 

But, I'm a dork like that. I love museums. They make me feel alive. You can see a few more of the photos from our trip to Minneapolis here! 

XO

NOVEMBER INSTANT PHOTOWALK

Last month's instant photo walk was so much fun that I thought I'd try to get another one going before the holidays get too frantic and before it's simply too cold for one!

Bust out your favorite instant camera, buy some film and a cold clip and let's go exploring together! Sunday, November 25th. Last time we explored Wicker Park, this time I say we give Lincoln Park Zoo a whirl or an industrial part of the town off the Green Line.

Chime in on the conversation over here. If Facebook is more your way to keep up with what's going on, I made an event here.

Let me know if you have any questions and make sure to order some of Impossible Project's latest (and super awesome) Color Protection films! 

XO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I turned 31 years old today. It's official you guys, I'm in my thirties. If I didn't intensely love birthdays so much I might feel kind of sad.

But luckily for me, I LOVE BIRTHDAYS! All of them. I love your birthday, my husband's birthday, my Mom's birthday, my own birthday. The idea of treats, gifts, confetti, balloons, and a reason to get together with family and friends really excites me. Plus there's the surprise element. Man alive, I LOVE surprises.

So far everyone tells me their 30's were their best years, so I'm kind of excited about this one!

PS
How ridiculous is this picture Christopher took of me last year on my birthday?!

OCTOBER // GONE

October was a fantastic month!

- I went to Florida to shoot a wonderful wedding
- My Macbook Pro had to go to Apple to get fixed and they wiped everything off of it, including unsaved scans but I'm excited at a new beginning with my computer!
- Finally got an LC-Wide camera! I've wanted an LC-A for almost ten years!
- It started to really feel like Fall here in Chicago, which I love
- Went on a fun Impossible Project photo walk. I hope to go on at least one more before it's too cold!
- I begun to make a better stride at not drinking Coca Cola as much as I do (a real vice for me!)
- A pair of gold glitter shoes made their way into my life and I'm a little obsessed with them
- An Impossible Project image that I shot showed alongside of some very talented photographers at The Holden / Impossible Project exhibit in NYC. This was such an honor.
- Christopher & I had a few wonderful relaxing days off together which is always so nice
- I fixed up my Supersampler camera all by myself, which has been broken for over a year and is one of  my favorite little fun cameras to play with. I felt so accomplished.
- I drew some bunnies on dud instant photos for The Impossible Project's Make Your Mark photo contest! I used their super awesome pen set, which are perfect for writing on your Impossible images! I made a little blog post about them here. The contest is running until the end of November- everyone should enter!
- I dressed up like Misfits era Glenn Danzig for Halloween (!!)

The Holidays are afoot. I have mixed feelings about this time of the year. I like the idea of spending time with family but I hate all the pressure and consumerism built up around the Holidays...or perhaps that the Holidays are built upon! I suspect I'll enjoy them just the same....if I don't think about it too much.

XO

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.