Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Cute as A Button





Elle Russia 2010
I have blogged part of this same shoot before... but, I just can't get enough of it.
Behati Prinsloo couldn't be any cuter and I love the aesthetic of the shoot. It's fresh, fun, and carefree. And please note the coffee mug in the second picture, I love it! I might need to join a pottery class so I can re-create it!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Be Kind...




Recently I started reading "The Kind Diet", by Alicia Silverstone. I am not one to diet nor am I one to really ever restrict myself in terms of what I eat. I often find the more I focus on my diet, the more I eat.
But "The Kind Diet", I find pretty fascinating. When I went backpacking in the Himalayas, we basically lived off of rice and pasta dishes. Since we were in such high elevation and carrying around 50-55 pounds on our backs, we needed energy. We stuck to very small meals, and I sustained very well on a completely vegetarian, almost vegan diet. I did put a piece of cheese in my mouth every once in a while.

All in all I have to say, during this time, I never felt better. I can't be too sure whether it was the exercise, diet, or just being in the mountains. But, the overall feeling I had was one of safety, being grounded and feeling whole. I didn't really feel like I needed a whole lot of food to sustain me.

In terms of life and happiness, simplicity is often the answer for me.

After the trip, I arrived home and the minute my parents saw me they couldn't believe my glowing skin. I hadn't worn make-up or seen a mirror in 5 and 1/2 weeks. I had been through rain and snow. I had carried a heavy pack, but I was lighter- mind, body, and soul.

Reading, "The Kind Diet" often makes me think of this time. Alicia, makes you aware of how your body processes everything you put in it- from meat, to dairy, to whole grains, even honey!

In the end, it's all about balance. Balance is everything. Stay centered and align with your emotions and most of all be kind to yourself.

Alicia also has a website, The Kind Life. I encourage you to check it out, if you're interested in hearing more about "The Kind Diet," as well as kind living.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Questionable Morals







Peter Lindbergh captures Natalia Vodianova and Ewan McGregor in a 1950's marriage gone wrong. Styled by Grace Coddington, fall collections from Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren and others are included to create the story. To see the full details, click here: Vogue.com.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Tea-Time


Happy Friday!
This photo was taken at the Roebling Tearoom.
One of my favorite childhood memories is having high-tea with my mom. I loved it! The sandwiches, the cookies, and of course I always chose to wear a dress for the occasion.

photo via katie did.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Eat, Pray, Love


Okay, I can not wait to see this book become a movie. At first I was little hesitant, but Julia Roberts is my favorite actress and this book was the best I've read in years. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert is a pro at bringing you into her world. From Italy to Indonesia, the enlightenment that happens throughout this memoir is endearing. It is coming to screen in August, so until then, I will read and re-read Eat, Pray, Love.

If you haven't read it, I suggest you do.

"We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy's fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure--your perfection--is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the buy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart."
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia)

Loving...




I am loving the Louis Vuitton shots from their Fall/Winter 2010/2011 Campaign. Photographer Steven Meisel can do no wrong.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Flushed


Image viaA Cup Of Jo
I love this look.
I don't usually care for wearing leopard print, but everything about this girl is cute. Even down to her flushed cheeks!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes


A southern girl's best friend: Chocolate and Whiskey
To get this recipe from Annie's Eats, Click HERE.

An Apple A Day...


Here are twenty things I give myself permission for:
1. I give myself permission to rest.
2. I give myself permission to laugh.
3. I give myself permission to play.
4. I give myself permission to make mistakes.
5. I give myself permission to say "no" to demands on my time that are simply draining.
6. I give myself permission to say "yes" to what I want.
7. I give myself permission to fulfill lifelong dreams.
8. I give myself permission to ask for what I want.
9. I give myself permission to be who I am.
10. I give myself permission to try again.
11. I give myself permission to have fun.
12. I give myself permission to design my own life.
13. I give myself permission to ignore naysayers.
14. I give myself permission to stay focused on what's important to me.
15. I give myself permission to be whatever body shape I like.
16. I give myself permission to be imperfect.
17. I give myself permission to ask for help.
18. I give myself permission to stop caring what others think of me.
19. I give myself permission to write a lousy first draft.
20. I give myself permission to create.


The photo above was taken by photographer Kat Hardin, who I mentioned on Monday. The best thing about a truly great photographer is capturing the moment, and the feeling within the moment. It took me years to give myself permission...
I kept asking everyone else for it.
And in the meantime I was forgetting to ask the one person who I have to live with for years to come and take care of... and that is myself. When I gave myself permission, I gave myself permission to let go.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Monday Mornings





American Vogue, August 2010
Sometimes I look forward to Monday mornings. I know it sounds crazy, but the beginning of a new week, new day, new month is refreshing to me. It's a chance to get more things done- to make more phone calls, create new ideas, work more, play more... breathe more!

Over the Weekend...


Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to have the privilege of working with photographer, Kat Hardin.
Kat is one of the most talented photographers I have gotten to work with to date. Her shots are inspiring, provoking emotion that usually can not be captured through a single image.
As a new artist, I find her work compelling. She is a great photographer to keep an eye on... she's just getting started and I feel blessed to know her!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Happy, Happy Friday


"I must learn to love the fool in me--the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool." -- Theodore I. Rubin, MD

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Curves Ahead, Louis Vuitton Fall 2010






One thing I'm looking forward to this fall season... embracing curves.
The program for the Louis Vuitton show, titled "And God created Women," set the tone for striking figures. Models, such as Bar Refaeli, Catherine McNeil, Karolina Kurkova, and finally Elle Macpherson, all women whose physical attributes have acted as a disqualification for fashion show participation for so long, were hitting the runway, reminding us all that perhaps women and men weren't created equal.

Bring on the dresses, florals, breasts and hips- The curvy silhouette is back.

Thank God!
All images via Style.com

Tuesday, July 6, 2010