etsy: thief & bandit

Thief & Bandit houses some absolutely beautiful articles of clothing and pieces of jewelry, all of which are hand printed. the bold geometric designs are gorgeously funky and rather pleasing to look at. i've always been a fan of things that seem to have Native American inspiration behind them, and i get a little taste of that when i peruse through the merchandise. the different colors and patterns are put together so perfectly...they're eye catching and have a modern yet rustic feel. simple yet intricate. homey yet striking. i guess to sum up the brand, all i would really have to say is that Thief & Bandit is a bundle of the most wonderful contradictions.

mermaid girl

i'm so sorry i've been such an awful blogger lately, but i've just been so busy visiting family and getting some much needed sunshine on my super pale self. also, some exciting news...i got to take photos for my uncle's tie dye business, Eye Dye. my cousins and i went to a water park for the shoot and the photographer canceled at the last minute so i got to take over and some of my photos will be featured in the catalog! kind of random news to all of you but i'm really starting to think about becoming a professional photographer one day...and all these little steps are adding up nicely.

back to the actual subject of this post. i played around with my tripod and remote for the first time on my trip a couple of days ago, and these pictures are the result. it was exhausting, i must've jumped up and down the dock (that i had set my tripod up on, second photo down) a million times. but i'm quite pleased with how they turned out!

ps- i'm leaving for New Orleans on Monday and then i'll be home on Wednesday! so by Thursday i'll be back to my normal blogger self. i forget how much i enjoy blogging. it's nice to take a break from it every now and then, but you all provide so much support for me and so much breathtaking inspiration, it really is food for my soul. thank you! =]

a heron hello

i was reading on the couch in the beach house i'm staying at. a heron came and perched on a tree branch outside the window so i rushed to get my camera and took a bunch of photos. i think i started to annoy her though...because she spread her wings and left after about ten minutes. what a beauty!

gray room

by Wallace Stevens

Although you sit in a room that is gray,
Except for the silver
Of the straw-paper,
And pick
At your pale white gown;
Or lift one of the green beads
Of your necklace,
To let it fall;
Or gaze at your green fan
Printed with the red branches of a red willow;
Or, with one finger,
Move the leaf in the bowl--
The leaf that has fallen from the branches of the forsythia
Beside you...
What is all this?
I know how furiously your heart is beating.

photo source unknown.

new orleans

i spent yesterday in New Orleans and it was amazing! i'll be back there before i fly home, and i really hope i can get around and sightsee a bit more since we had to drive to Pensacola yesterday as well. my posting is going to be sporadic at best due to lack of easy wi-fi access, and i won't be able to peruse all of your lovely blogs (which makes me sincerely sad, because it's one of my favorite pastimes) for about a week. sigh.
okay, that's enough whining/complaining for me. back to New Orleans! my mum and i stayed at a hotel that is super posh but i was far from pleased with the room we were in...so i broke their little stresser ball in half (heh, revenge is so sweet, even in small doses).

the next morning (yesterday) we went to Cafe du Monde and had amaaaazing beignets and coffee. i'd had beignets when i was younger, but man, i'd forgotten just how perfect they are.

believe me when i say it pays to have a mother who lived in New Orleans for part of her life and super close to it for an even bigger chunk of her life. even though i felt like a total tourist stopping and taking photos every two seconds, my mum navigated me around the city quite nicely and proved to be an excellent tour guide. we stopped in gift shops...

and walked around while i took photos of all the beautiful buildings and sights i saw.

i also got a few shots of the Joan of Arc statue, given to New Orleans by the people of France. she's called the Maid of New Orleans (or something along those lines).

so there you go, that was my 1/2 day in New Orleans. i miss it already, although i'm hoping to have some fun in Florida, too. i'll blog as much as i can, and it will probably be mostly (if not all) posts about my trip, so i'm sorry about that. 

i hope you all are having a wonderful week! =]

xoxo

toms

i am not a big sandal girl. i mean, i like them and i'll wear them, but i am practically attached at the hip to my low top converse and doc martens. needless to say i kind of came across a dilemma while packing (okay, so i'm stiiiill packing...) for a trip to Florida that i'm taking tomorrow. sandals! i'm gonna need sandals! and the cute kind, not my ugly (but oh so comfortable) brown slaps. so i searched and searched for a cute pair of sandals but couldn't find any. i'm way too picky for my own good, by the way. then i just happened to be in Whole Foods and i saw a rack of TOMS. they were canvas (breathable) and they were awesome. it helped that i already knew the story behind the brand, how for every pair of TOMS you purchase, TOMS will donate a brand new pair to a child in need. so now i'm happy with my new "sandals" and i got them in bright red to match my hair, so that makes me twice as happy. looking on the TOMS website, you can buy the classic kind (like i have) or a different style. they're really branching out! i think it's amazing. here are some of my favorite styles/colors. you should check them out if you haven't already ;]

ps- because i'll be traveling tomorrow and packing today i don't know how much time i'll have to blog. hopefully i'll be able to squeeze some time in, but it might end up being me just spamming you lovely folk with photos from my vacation. i guess we'll see. hehe

ruby red

i got my hair dyed yesterday and did a little impromptu photo shoot when i got home. i just got a remote for my camera, so i'm super happy about that (it makes self portraits a million times easier)!

ps- i know that blue-ish picture doesn't really go with the set, but my best friend said she liked it so i thought i'd throw it in here.