Favorites of 2012

Here they are! My favorite outfits of 2012. 

Looking at all these outfits in a grid makes me feel like this silly hobby of mine isn't that silly. I've learned a lot about how to dress myself through all this documentation. And by other fashion bloggers, of course. I've found loads of inspiration and some pretty neat gals that I feel comfortable calling my friends :) I hope to expand this blog come 2013! I guess you can call it a new year's resolution of mine.  So I'm open to guest posting and receiving guest posts! I'd also like to do more "Double Style" posts, where I feature my friends! I've done a few posts like this, and it has been super fun taking photos for the blog with friends. 

There's one more outfit left for 2012, and I'll be sure to make it count! 

So, Christmas.

Ah! This post is pretty dang late~

But yeah, Christmas! 

I want to begin though by thanking all of you that commented on my last blog post. All of your opinions are appreciated! I guess I don't really have to worry about the whole Santa ordeal until I have kids, but you can say that I might have new thoughts about the subject. Anyway. We spent the holiday with my sister and her husband up in Albuquerque. The above photo is of the gift I made them. It was a pretty chill Christmas. I didn't take too many pictures, but here they are: 

My aunt sent me this apron. A few days before Christmas I was complaining to Ryan that I didn't have an apron. How did she know?? 

The day after we drove home and spent time with Ryan's family. We all went to see Les Miserables, which. was. awesome. A lot of people have complaints about certain things within the movie, but I really enjoyed it. AND HOLY CRAP ANNE HATHAWAY. So many feels!!!! I cried all throughout "I Dreamed a Dream." Sobbing. Seriously. 

Also, I received an external flash for my camera! It's beautiful. I'm excited to use it at a wedding I'm photographing next month. Ryan's mother also made us a beautiful quilt. The woman has talent. I can't wait to use it in our new apartment. Oh yeah, Ryan and I are moving to a much more spacious apartment next month :) I could not be more excited to move out of this cramped shoebox of an apartment. 

And, well, that's what has happened since I last blogged :) How was your Christmas?

Thoughts on Santa

Do you have kids? Do they believe in Santa? When will you plan on telling your children the truth about Santa? Ryan and I were talking about the whole Santa situation during church today. See, I don't know if I could just lie to my kids about Santa Claus. I have known some kids that have cried when they found out there was no Santa Claus, like they felt that their parents had betrayed them. I had stopped believing in Santa by the second grade. No one "told me", I just figured that the idea of Santa was super impractical and duh, all the movies and TV kinda gave it away. But I know this isn't the case for some kids. 

Okay, I don't look down on parents for letting their children believe in Santa. That would be ridiculous. I just don't know how I'll respond if my child asks if Santa is real or not. Ryan thinks it wouldn't be terrible if we were straight up honest with our future kids about Santa, but will Christmas lose its magic if we decide to be honest? 

So I realize that all these thoughts may be kind of silly, but I want some other opinions!  How did you find out about Santa? Was it tragic? Do you think you would have had a sad childhood without believing in Santa? Or maybe you don't even celebrate Christmas! 

Anyway, I hope you all have a splendid holiday. 

Merry Christmas in advance! And have happy and safe travels! I'll be heading up to Albuquerque tomorrow morning :) 

P.S.!!!! are you a fan of Eisley? Or maybe you just want some FREE Christmas music? If both, then head on over here to download some awesome/dreamy holiday tunes. 

Final Projects + I'm on Break!

I'd like to share my final large format photography project with you all... because, really, I am quite proud of it :) I made a photo album of some important people in my life. 

I had a conversation with one of my fellow photo students a few weeks ago. I was kind of complaining to her that most of the time I could care less about the concept behind my photos, and I just want to create flattering portraits. As an art student, I found that you are looked down on if you don't have a kick-butt concept to back up your photos/artwork. In some ways I agree that concept is important, but sometimes I don't think it should matter. Especially with portraits. Anyway, the conversation I had with my friend (I think it's safe to call her that) resulted in this: I should just focus on what I'm passionate about, which is portraiture, because that's what I'll ultimately be doing as a career once I graduate. It's MY education, after all. 

So I'm excited for what this next semester brings! I'll be taking a photography workshop class in which I personally will be focusing on portraiture and lighting. 

Here are my favorite photos from the album: 

Ryan's photo turned out really blurry :/ But it was okay. 

All photos were shot with a large format camera and developed in a darkroom, a place I have learned to love. 

And now my final for drawing workshop: screen prints. 

For this final project, we had to choose a previous project we did for that class and improve it. These screen prints are "ads" for an "all natural gas mask." We had to create an object that would be used in a future society. If you couldn't tell, mine is commenting on how ridiculous some "go green!" products are packaged and advertised.  

So now I'm on winter break. I've been feeling REALLY lazy, but now that the weekend is over, I'm a little more determined to get stuff done! Cleaning this apartment, getting some laundry done, and shopping for some things to make gifts are on the agenda today. 

Only eight days until Christmas?? 

Check it out!

Guess what?? I'm guest posting over here today, talkin' 'bout my favorite outfits of last winter. 

Make sure to pay a visit! 

Awful / Awesome

Last week. Oh, last week.... 

I'm a little frustrated with this past week. 

Awful:

-I did not attend my institute class

-I had terrible dreams about being fired from my job. They made me feel a little worthless.

-I gave myself a "personal day" and ignored all of my many responsibilities. It did more harm than good... I was an emotional wreck.

-The car got a flat tire. It actually looks like someone slashed it??

-The holiday shake at Sonic ain't that great... 

-Money. 

Awesome:

-I had a crazy fun birthday! 

-I held the cutest, sleepy puppy. 

-THIS VIDEO.

-The weather. Well, I'm actually a little torn on the weather. We're still in the 70s and it will continue this way for this week as well. Definitely not as cold as last year. So yeah, I don't know how to feel about it. 

-This dress: 

dress: custom made for sister's wedding, cardigan & tights: Target, shoes: thrifted, necklace: F21

Here's to this week! I have no choice but to be productive, with final projects, a paper, and an exam to worry about. Winter break is just around the corner.... 

My 23rd Birthday

My birthday was last Tuesday and it was a swell day! I slept in, had chocolate chip waffles, went on a little picnic with my sister, and had sushi with husby and some friends.

The weather was really nice too, which made me super happy. It was an ideal autumn day. 

This year, Ryan requested that I come with him to shop for my birthday present. He knew that he wanted to buy me a black cardigan (I've been complaining that I needed a plain black cardigan for some time now...), but he also knows how particular I am with clothing and he didn't want to pick out the wrong thing. So we went shopping on Monday night and I picked up this cardigan at Target. I also got new pajama pants from Old Navy. (They're so warm and comfy!) I think we should make it a tradition go together to pick out my birthday presents from now on. It's so much easier on the both of us: Ryan doesn't have to stress out about what to get me and I don't have to be nervous about what he decides to pick out! haha. 

Dinner: 

So. The funniest thing happened at the sushi restaurant. We had all finished eating and were just chatting for a bit. Our friends, Tara and Matt, have a really cute baby. I mean look at her!

Actually, this gif doesn't really show how adorable she is. If you want to see her true cuteness, check out these photos. I DIGRESS. Anyway, Matt was sitting with Kyra on his lap when the sushi chef decides to come over to talk to us. (To give you a good picture of the chef, he's on the older side and I belief that english if his second language.) He asks Matt how old their baby is, and before he can answer, the chef snatches Kyra out of Matt's arms. 

And then he just hugged her.

For like, two minutes straight. 

I could see the panic in Tara's face...

 ...and how she was ready to run after the chef if he had decided to kidnap that ball of cuteness. 

But seriously. He couldn't resist holding her. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time too, so that was pretty adorable. He was holding her for a long time, but not long enough for me to take a photo! Tara and I both grabbed our cameras at the same time, but that's when the chef had decided that he had had his baby fix and he handed her back to Matt. Bummer! 

After dinner we went to get frozen custard. Then my sister-in-law came to visit for a bit. Then I went over to Holly's to watch Moonrise Kingdom. So yes, it was a great day. 

I only wish that I would have gotten a photo of Ryan and I. He had really spoiled me that day :) 

Thanks, Sugar. 

Partyin' Partyin' Yeah

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Happy Birthday to meeeeee.

I've been meaning to have a button swap, and today seems like the perfect day for it! Now is the time. So! If you grab my blog button (to the left, there!), I'll grab yours to display here. Just leave a comment saying you've done so. It's a party for everyone!