Friday, May 17, 2013
Lovely Friends
This month I have some super awesome sponsors to share with y'all! I just love Sarah's balloon-themed photoshoot, and ModCloth's newest road trip lookbook is making me wish I had a pickup and could go driving off right now! ♥
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Mother's Day // Daily Outfit + Little Adventures
On Mother's Day my family has a tradition of making my mom brunch, and then going antiquing in some of the little towns out west of us. This year was no exception, except that it was bitterly cold! (Ok, "bitterly" might be a bit of an exageration, but low fifties in the middle of May is pretty stinkin' cold for Chicago land!) There's an ice cream stand that offers free ice cream to mothers on Mother's Day out in one of the little towns, so we always go there for ice cream, and this year we got hot dogs and fries as well - it was delicious!
The night before I had a mini-fit because I had no idea what to wear (sometimes I take things like clothes a little too seriously) but I ended up deciding on my little shop-printed dress, since it seemed apropriate. *winks* I even added my Gettin' Hot Rod in Here necklace from ModCloth, so there's a car to drive on the roads! I know, I know, I'm really lame, but I don't care.
Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays. We get to spend a lot of good, family time together, and show my mom how special she is to us. It's been an especially special holiday to me the last couple years, since I've realised just how much I owe to her. I honestly wouldn't be the person I am today without my mom. I love you, mom!
P.S. Check out my FaceBook page to see what my littlest sister did while my mom was taking my outfit photos!
xo,
Katie
Monday, May 13, 2013
Experimenting with Freelensing // Photography Post
These definately aren't the best freelensing shots known to mankind, but considering that this was my first attempt and I didn't even do any research on it before hand, it could have turned out worst. *winks*
Have any of you ever tried freelensing or select focus lens like the Lensbaby Spark? Do you have any tips? I really love this style and want to experiment with it more in the future!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I Hope Your Dreams Stay Big // Daily Outfit
Well if you plan to motor west
Just take my way it's the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
~ Route 66 by Chuck Berry
Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope your work week is going well so far! It's nice to be home and settling back into the norm after a drama-filled weekend with the fam.
While I was out of town this weekend Molly and I had a great talk about finding the balance between being practical, and yet not giving up on our dreams at this delicate time of our lives, and it made me realize something. I want to travel. I've wanted to for years, but lately I've been trying to stuff the idea down because it seemed so impossible. But now... now I have a plan.
I'm currently saving up for a pickup truck that I hope to get by the end of the year (prayers much appreciated!) after that I'm going to dive head first into saving up for a vintage trailer - another of my teenage-long dreams, and after I get that, I hope to have it in working order and have enough money saved up for a trip along the course Route 66 took: all the way from Chicago out to L.A.. It's been a dream of mine for years and I don't want to get married and settle down without being able to say that I at least tried to make that trip happen. How sad would that be?
So that's my plan, and I'm really excited! I know it's kind of a long shot, but I'm going to do my best to make it happen! Life's no fun if we can't dream, right?
♥ ♥ ♥
dress: Dahl Clothes
Converse: the Forest Bootery
denim jacket: Old Navy via Ebay
title: My Wish by Rascal Flats
Friday, May 3, 2013
More Beautifull than You Believe // Daily Outfit
It feels like I haven't written in forever and a day. I've been in a weird place, emotionally, but I feel like I finally have a sense of clarity about what I want to do with my life.
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to help girls. Every single time one of my friends was going though a hard time I wanted to be the one to help her. I've learned so much about eating disorders, sexual abuse, and the like in trying to be there for my friends.
I used to feel guilty because I had never been through anything like that. I guess you would call what I was feeling "survivor's guilt." I wondered why God had given me such an "easy" life. It wasn't fair while my friends were going through so much, but it makes sense to me, now. Those issues just aren't who I am - not that someone is less than me for having them, those just aren't my battles to face.
I used to want to be a councilor, but then I thought that I got too emotionally invested to do something like that. I had to take a big step back to realize that I think that's what I'm supposed to do.
I love girls. I love being around little girls, I love hanging out with girls younger than myself. I love feeling like I'm making a difference in someone's life. Because even though I'm not the wisest person in the world, I have been around the block once or twice, and I do have some knowledge I can pass on to girls younger than myself.
I used to be so scared, nervous and so insecure, but I've come a long way. I'm doing things now that I still can't believe. Things I know I wouldn't have had the nerve to do two years ago. I don't think that coincidence. I don't think it's an accident. I think that God has a plan for it. I want to teach
♥ ♥ ♥
shorts: Top Shop via the Buffalo Exchange
blouse: Maurice's
cardigan: c/o Conversation Pieces
necklace: flea market
stockings: Forever 21
shoes: c/o Blowfish Shoes
shoes: c/o Blowfish Shoes
necklace: flea market
title: More Beautiful than You Believe by Summertime's End
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Photography Wish List
1. A lens hood for ever lens I have! I don't need them often, but when I do, it'd be nice to have!
2. White balance lens cap. This would save hours of editing!!
3. A pretty cover for my camera strap. I'd love to not have the "Canon 60D" in big red letters on my camera strap (in other words: "I'm a good camera, steal me!") This one from Etsy is gorgeous.
4. A remote for my camera. IFB recommends this one.
5. 50mm f/1.8 camera lens. I used to have one, but it brook a couple weeks ago. Time to replace it!
6. Another Jo Totes bag! I already have the Rose in teal, but I really want the Missy in pink! They don't make it anymore, but I'm still hoping to find it on Ebay or something, sometime!
7. The 40mm f/2.8 "pancake" lens. This is very similar to the 50mm, lens, but a bit wider with a lower f-stop. I kinda love it, though, after seeing the review on Our City Lights!
8. The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens from Canon. I didn't get it with my camera since I bought the body + 50mm lens separately, and it's certainly not the best lens out there, but I really love the wide angle look of it for certain pictures, and a lens that wide is hard to find for a reasonable price.
One of my Nineteen Before Twenty goals is to practice more photography, and I really want to try experimenting with more gadgets instead of just sticking to the same old lens day in and day out. These are just a few of the things I would love to have in my camera bag by the end of the year!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Taxi Down the Street // Daily Outfit + Small Adventures
One of the biggest reasons I decided to drive all the way up to Wicker Park was so I could stop by the Buffalo Exchange, which is basically a really nice, upper-end resale shop. They sell gently used clothing along with vintage clothing. I've only been there a few times, but I usually find at least one nice piece. This time it was this adorable pair of shorts. They fit great (a rarity for me when it comes to shorts!) and are the prettiest color of brown leather. I was a little unsure of them at first, to be honest, because of the leather, but after texting Lauren, Amber, Sarah and Emily for advice, and getting back a bunch of "yes!" texts (Amber's wins best text: "Life without those shorts is an abomination." Lol!) I took the plunge. Twenty-seven dollars for a pair of Top Shops shorts!? Yes please!
Afterward I picked up a couple other small pieces + a soap cupcake from Mojo Spa for Maddie, I grabbed a thing of green tea froyo from iCream (not the best flavor out there, but it wasn't bad), took some outfit photos in front of this gorgeous flowering tree, and headed home. All in all it was a great, albeit tiring day!
Did any of you do anything interesting with your day off this past week?
♥ ♥ ♥
dress: Francesca's Collections
jacket: Old Navy via Ebay
shoes: Xhilaration via thrift store
shoes: Xhilaration via thrift store
necklace: flea market
bag: Jo Totes
lipstick: Kat Von D Foiled Love in Valentine
title: Metropolis by Owl City
title: Metropolis by Owl City
