evolution

The first self portrait I ever uploaded to flickr. FIVE YEARS AGO. This was the day of registration for my senior year of high school. I cut my bangs in the bathroom mirror, and applied and took off and reapplied red lipstick a thousand times trying to see if I could work up the guts to wear it in my school ID picture. 

It's amazing, looking back, how far I've come with my self portraits. I owe a lot of that to my first 365. Sometimes I still think it's unbelievable that I took a photo of myself every day for an entire year. I learned so much about my camera and photography and myself in those 365 days. Thinking about it makes me anxious to get back in front of the camera again because I feel like I have more searching to do within myself, and my preferred medium is through self portraits. I've been contemplating another 365 lately, after I finish up my 52 weeks project for the year maybe, or on my birthday. I miss forcing myself to take pictures every day.

I'm so in love with photography. I love taking pictures. I love that I started out on flickr and made so many great friendships there. I love Instagram and documenting my every day life. I love blogging and having a space to write out my feelings and have a space for all the photos I take. I love having an opportunity to be able to share my life with friends and family that I don't get to see very often, and with people from all around the world. I love being able to tell stories, through pictures and words.

My love for my craft is never ending.

on my walk: fall

The leaves are changing! And falling! Everything is so pretty! I love exclamation points and places with cool antiques and art!

I found a tripod at the thrift store for $5. Now all I need is a remote and my style posts will be back in action. I also picked up some yarn to try arm knitting. I'll keep you updated.

Happy end of September!

Week 39/52

around here

Snapshots from around the apartment. That last one is my favourite. I think it'd be cool to do a series of peephole images, either from all the places we end up living or of the same view during all four seasons.

Happy weekend!

abstracts

I'm in love with abstracts and 7:15 window light.

This week was hard but worth the struggle. My one little word is testing me a lot lately, and I've been facing my fears head on. It feels so good.

Week 38/52

magic in the making

Since the beginning of the month, I've been taking a few moments to write down what I'm thankful for every day. Buying this $4 journal from Kmart recently has been a saviour to my sanity.

I'm thankful for... coffee, red lipstick, photography, pretty sunsets, sweater weather, the ability to do what I love, quiet time, golden hour, Justin, naps, kitty cuddles, wine coloured nail polish, good books, my memory, Justin's family, my family, my best friends, honey whiskey, thick blankets on cold nights, apple cinnamon tea, blogging, my ugly sweater collection, candle light, belly laughs, thoughtful coworkers, independence, good books, painting, bright colours, cooler weather, long phone calls, bubble baths, self confidence, gold glitter, black and white stripes, summer, caramel apple sundaes from Adrian's, Netflix, social media, good opportunities, a creative vision, worn in boots, statement jewelry, winged eyeliner, eskimo kisses, (almost) never going to bed angry, white walls, easy dinners, inside jokes, and the ability to start each day with a fresh start.

currently, september edition

watching orange is the new black (I know, I'm a million years late to the party)

drinking pumpkin spice hot cocoa

planning a hot cocoa post since I never got around to it last year

loving having my closet organized for the first time since I moved to Waupaca

craving a caramel apple sundae from Adrian's

missing my pup, who turned 12 this month!

celebrating good emails & future collaborations

writing in a $4 journal from kmart, one of my better investments this month

reading before i go to sleep by s.j. watson

redesigning the blog, almost from scratch (i'm excited)

saving for a tripod & remote, and a macbook

getting excited about fall

30 minutes

                  6:07 am                                   6:39 am                                   6:21 pm                             6:58 pm 

It's amazing what a difference a half an hour can make.

Week 37/52

sunflower sighting

Driving home from playing with the cats on Saturday, I spotted this little patch of sunflowers on the highway. The last time I shot with sunflowers was summer 2011. It was so nice to get a little sun on my face and to go on a solo adventure for what felt like the first time all summer.

I love sunflowers. When I was little, the house next door to mine burnt down on Christmas Eve. I remember hearing the pop of the windows shattering because of the heat and my dad getting the step ladder from our garage and helping one of our neighbors off the roof. After the fire was put out and they tore down the house, that summer a field of sunflowers appeared in the empty lot. They've been one of my favourite flowers ever since.

Hope you guys had an awesome weekend. Happy Monday.

you've gotta be kitten me right meow

I got to spend two hours on Saturday photographing kittens that are up for adoption at The Lost Companion in Wild Rose, WI. I have tons more pictures to look through, but these were some that jumped out at me on the first run through. I'm sure I'll have more to share once I get more in depth into my editing process.

sweater weather

Sweater: Thrifted, T-shirt: Printed Palette (similar), Jeans & Flip Flops: Old Navy

Our first September cold front has settled in. I've missed my sweaters so much. It's pretty cool to see them all hanging up in my closet again after being in storage all summer. I'd be 100% okay with it being in the sixties and breezy all year long.

*photos taken with timercam for iPhone and processed with the VSCO app

around here

September started off on a weird foot. We're in a transitional period. Cool weather one day, warm weather the next. I'm getting back into painting again, and I busted out all my candles the other day. This week I organized my closet, packed most of my summer clothes away, and took four boxes of stuff to Good Will. I have a little over a month to find us another place to live because our lease is up in mid-October. Life feels a little rough around the edges lately, but overall it feels good.

Week 36/52

bad vs. good

"You are not defined by the bad things that happen to you."

Yesterday was hard. Like you got punched in the stomach and kicked in the face and knocked down on your ass hard. All day yesterday, I kept repeating that line to myself. I posted it on every social media network. I am not defined by the bad things that happen to me.

So today I woke up early. I drank my coffee and read blogs. I did my makeup and put together a really cute outfit. I feel good because I look good. It's amazing what 24 hours and some red lipstick can do to improve your mood.

*images taken with my iPhone & processed with the VSCO app