Fashion Friday Featuring Pollypop Boutique

As many of you like minded ladies know dressing in the pinup rockabilly style can really do a number on your bank account, many of the pinup style dresses require yards of fabric and in turn cost a good deal. I don’t mind spending a little more for these types of dresses because I understand that if I tried to make the dress myself just the fabric costs alone would be double the price of said dress. However when I find a company that sells quality pinup and rockabilly dresses at a bargain you can be certain I will be singing their praises and letting you all in on my find. Pollypop Boutique you are a godsend! Not only are they a one stop shop for all your pinup wardrobe needs: dresses, separates, accessories, and even hair products! But the highest price I could find was $73! Which is amazing considering that is usually the clearance prices of most vintage reproduction type stores.  Oh also if reproduction isn’t your thing Pollypop also sells actual vintage! How amazing is that?Vintage Scarf: Season’s Best in Downtown Salisbury Maryland. I absolutely loved this store! If you’re ever in the area you must check this place out! I could have spent all day there stumbling onto one treasure after the other. From Jewelry to Furniture Seasons Best has is it all!

Dress: Pollypop Boutique Absolutely adore this dress, with it’s classic boatneck neckline, waist cinching belt, and perfectly lively and fresh mint hue make it a year round staple piece. Pair it with sandals for spring and summer, and come fall and winter it is going to look positively darling with a cardigan and stockings!

Wedges: Payless bout them years ago, but I like another pair of payless wedges that are too dissimilar and the newer pair I have are worlds more comfortable.

 

I hope you all check out Pollypop and that you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Friday guys!

 

Maternity Shoot.

So here is the shoot I did with my sister-in-law and eldest brother. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about doing this shoot, I usually get nervous before any shoot, just because I want to make sure I give my client quality pictures. But it was especially important that I give my own family great pictures. This was my first maternity shoot, I have assisted during another, but never did one on my own. But I must say (without bragging) I think I managed to capture some rather nice shots.

Aren’t they sweet?

My sis-in-law is such a stunner.

My big brother is not too shabby either 😉

I must say I really love this shot. I hope my sis-in-law and big brother do too. I’m so looking forward to being an aunt and to doing newborn pics 😉 Hope you all enjoyed this post and that you are having a very happy Monday. Cheers!

Beauty Bashing!

It has been said “That beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I honestly find the statement to be quite true…how else would you explain the art scene, music scene, or even people’s taste in partners? But there seems to be something that occurs during every generation. There is the beauty standard of the day. During the 50’s Marilyn Monroe was the beauty icon, full lips, curly hair, bedroom eyes, and serious curves. Then a mere ten years later and “Twiggy” hit the scene… short pixie cut hair, giant bird like eyes, tall, and very thin. A complete turn around from the years before.

We would like to think that nowadays we have it right, after all we are the generation of understanding (more like apathy if you ask me). But I mean do we really have it right? I am going to have to say no.

How many of you have been on facebook, twitter, or some other social media site and have seen something like this. A young woman with the caption of “No makeup, bragging about how secure in herself she is, and how girls who only posts pictures of themselves in makeup are totally fake! and natural beauty is the only beauty”? Well your self righteous attitude is not only annoying, it is seriously unattractive. The belief that just because someone wears makeup, whether its a little, or if it looks like they were mugged by Sephora does not make them fake. If they wore makeup and lied about it that makes them fake, not the fact that they have pigment on their face. Some of us (myself included) were not born with great skin. Or some of us (still included) enjoy makeup and express ourselves through it, just because it isn’t on canvas does not mean that it isn’t art.

Makeup vs. no makeup is not only place we are getting catty and ridiculous. Body shape is still just as prejudice as ever. How many times have you heard “Real women have curves”? Well I have heard it more than I would care to. I myself am quite curvy, but I am no more woman than my thin best friend or thin little sister! We’re women because God made us that way.

One is not more woman than the other. We come in all shapes and sizes, what is a healthy weight for one person may not be healthy for the next. Being crazy thin is not healthy, and neither is being fat. Take care of yourself and love the figure you have whether it’s a healthy curvy, thin, or even muscular.

Guys I don’t want to be preachy and obnoxious, cause let’s face it preachy people are rather tiresome to be around. But I felt compelled to write this post, after seeing so much catty behavior on facebook. I hope you all enjoyed this post, and if you have anything you would like to add feel free. Hearing from you all is a highlight of my day. May you all have a Happy Healthy Thursday.

15 minutes…

Hey guys I know I have been MIA, and that I had promised to start posting more regularly, isn’t that always the way? You make a promise, promise is impossible to keep because life happens. First I was without internet service for a long while…may actually have this problem again quite soon, internet providers are not the most accommodating of companies, and then my computer would not turn on, oh lovely. So I am currently using my mother’s computer whereas yes technically it serves the same purpose, it is a good deal slower,  I am without photoshop, as well as all of my pictures I had spent hours editing. All of this on top of other life things has been shall I say distracting me from my blogging duties so to speak.  So I thought I might write a post today since things aren’t that crazy.

I believe it was Andy Warhol who said something to the effect that everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame. Which got me to thinking, if this is in fact true are my 15 minutes already over?

Oh no my time is up!!!

Granted I am not gracing the covers of magazines, nor am I the topic of gossip columns. But I have been freshly pressed, and wow was that something else. I couldn’t believe my stats! Never had I imagined my blog post would be read by thousands from all over the world! I also never could have anticipated the loving words I would receive, or even the down right rude ones too, you know who you are ;)! I honestly couldn’t believe it! I like to think I handled it well, without any diva entitlement attitude.

“All right Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up”

Then another blog post of mine was read by thousands, no not because I was freshly pressed again, but because Keith Harkin retweeted my blog post on twitter, yet another reason for me to adore him hahaha. Keith has some rather serious fans I must say, because almost as soon as he retweeted it my stats sky rocketed, and his fans started sharing my blog via social networking sites. I was stunned yet again! Could people really be this interested in what I have to say and the pictures that I take?

 

One of the pictures I took of Keith.

Or did I just get lucky with the freshly pressed post, and were people only interested in the pictures of Keith Harkin because well…It’s Keith Harkin? Then I realized I was placing too much interest in the number of people reading my blog. My thought pattern had gone from “what do I want to write about?” to “what do I think will get me the most views?” Of course every blogger wants their blog to be read…it’s kinda the whole point. But you shouldn’t lose who you are as a writer or worse as a person. Defining your value through the number of readers you are getting is very dangerous idea, why do you think so many writers end up killing themselves? Sorry that was a wee bit morbid. But honestly, measuring yourself through someone else’s eyes will always leave you with a distorted image of yourself. This ties back into my other post about knowing your own value. It’s something I have been working on during this season of my life so that’s probably why it keeps manifesting in all my posts, sorry if it’s getting a bit old for all of you. I just feel like it’s something I should write about. So regardless if my 15 minutes of fame have come and gone I will continue to enjoy my life, work hard, and even work on the occasional blog. Because whether I make it big or not, I want this one life I get here on earth to be a great one, even if I am the only one who knows it. I hope you all enjoyed this post and if you didn’t I don’t really care 😉 hahaha just kidding… sort of. If any of you have had similar experiences or anything to add please feel free to share. I really love hearing from you all. Happy Happy Tuesday.

You Might Be An Artist If…

The fabulous comedian Jeff Foxworthy has made a whole routine about “You might be a redneck if…” Funny and ashamedly enough I have found instances where I was indeed a redneck. One of the jokes goes something like “You might be a redneck if you have several cars in your driveway but the only thing mobile is your home” this was in fact true for the first few years of my life. I have managed to accept some my Texas redneck ways, but one thing I sort of struggled with was identifying myself as an artist, I mean artists are painters, sketch artists, musicians, certain types of photographers, and writers, I am none of these. But friends and family have told me that being  the photographer that I am did indeed make me an artist. This last week I realized how much of an artist I am…No this is not me bragging on how gorgeous my latest portrait is, in fact it is me making light of the silly habits I have. So here is my spin on a classic comedy set up.

You might be an artist if…

You sometimes entertain the idea of being homeless.

No not the have to sleep in cardboard box kind of hobo, but the kind that jumps on trains and takes up odd jobs so you can travel and see the world…even if it isn’t so glamorous.

You constantly worry that you are just a hack, and anyone with half a brain could do what you.

What if I’m just not original enough???

The idea of packing it all in and getting yourself a “proper” career crosses your mind daily.

Consisent pay and benefits are quite tempting.

If you keep a notepad full of artistic ideas, but honestly it’s mostly gibberish.

What the heck did I write???

A nervous breakdown is commonplace for you.

 A little sobbing is therapeutic right?

You understand why artist are often drunks.

It’ll help my art right? I’ll drink to that.

After all the horrible insecurities manifest you realize you have unique point of view, and decide to stick it out like a beast, because nothing makes you happier than your art!

So whether you are a worldwide success or merely accomplished by your own standards, understand that you worked hard to get where you are, or that you are working to get somewhere. Know your worth and keep your head high because it’s so worth it!

I hope you all enjoyed this post, and if you have any similar feelings please feel free to share. I love feedback! Happy Friday and an equally happy weekend to you all!

I Just Don’t Get It.

As most of you know “fitting in” is not one of my goals in life, I am by no means a hipster who refuses to like something just because everyone else does too, I mean if something is great more than just one person is bound to like it right? But there are a few things I just can’t get on board with and here they are.

1. Channing Tatum

I’m sorry I just don’t know why almost all my girl friends think he is so gorgeous! Does he have a good physique yes…but just about anyone who works out hard enough does too, so thats not enough reason for me to like him. The matter of fact is I just don’t find him attractive.

2. Tiney Tiny shorts *insert eye roll here*

Wow I didn’t know they made denim underwear! Why just the other night my family and I went out to dinner, and there was this girl wearing the shortest shorts I had ever seen, I kid you not about 1/4 of her backside was hanging out of her shorts! It was repulsive! I understand that its hotter than Hades but that is no excuse to run around half naked!

3. Manners are no longer practiced!

Manners are for sissies, and everyone wants to be some hardcore biker rebel. I understand how you would want to be regarded as some sort of Bad Ass cause let’s face it Tattoos, Motorcycles, and being tough are just plain cool! But you’re not being a rebel you’re being a jerk. Use some manners…afterall standing out is what rebels do, manners are memorable and stand out! 

 What are some of the more popular things you guys just can’t get on board with? I would love some feedback! I hope everyone is having a Happy Friday and will have an equally happy weekend! Lots of love!