Bucket List Saturday: Vance Creek Bridge

I stumbled upon the Vance Creek Bridge through two Instagram feeds I follow, @withhearts and @bethanyolson, and could not get it out of my head. The bridge is located in the Shokomish Valley in Washington. It is over 800 feet long and stands at about 347 feet...which is good, since I'm enamored with heights. Access points are on the Vance Creek Viaduct Trail, but the trails are unmarked. I. need. to. go. #northwestisbest

Floral Friday: Single Flowers

Like I've said before, my love of flowers extends beyond bouquets. I love when they are used in unique ways, as evidenced here by utilizing each individual petal and leaf to form exquisite pieces of art. I tend to use dried petals, but if you're looking for something a bit more vibrant, just make a quick trip to a craft store for fake flowers. 

Design Thursday: Kitchens

To say I love to cook would be a bit of an overstatement. I do enjoy cooking, and don't get me started on my obsession with food in general, but I've never been one of those people who pines for a huge kitchen with granite countertops and a double oven. Now that I've come across these gorgeous kitchen spaces, however, I may be forced to reconsider.

Wise Wednesday: Guilty Pleasures

Chvrches, a band I adore, was recently quoted as saying "We don't believe in guilty pleasures. Like what you want to like." That struck a huge chord in me. I so admire people who have unique hobbies and interests, things I may not be into, but I think they're so cool for standing by what they love. So why are people so hesitant to do that-and not only hobbies, but opinions too?  We have a right to our own opinions, and possessing different ones doesn't mean you need to revile the person. Chocolate is not a guilty pleasure. ABC Family shows are not guilty pleasures. Knitting is not a guilty pleasure. eat it watch them do it and OWN IT. Own who you are. Be you fully. Don't tailor your opinions for others, and I know I do that. ...I may despise something but if I'm talking to someone I admire who loves it, all of a sudden I hear myself saying "Oh they have some redeeming qualities...yeah they're not so bad". STOP THAT. The right people will respect your opinions, as long as you can back them up.

Some of my "guilty pleasures..."

online shopping

 online shopping for things I can't afford

Fashion Tuesday: Cold Shoulder

I am so in love with the resurgence of off-the-shoulder tops and dresses. We're not talking peasant blouses here. We're talking avant-garde, drama-filled dreams.

Taylor Tomasi Hill in Rosie Assoulin

 Ellery

Miroslava Duma

Christophe Kane

Sienna Miller in Alexander McQueen

Music Monday: Autre Ne Veut

A chart has been floating around the internet recently. It depicts a list of critically acclaimed artists that should be more well known--basically the bands that give you hipster street cred. I skimmed it (I know 9/25...so impressive right), and Autre Ve Neut caught my eye. I knew I had heard the name, but wasn't super familiar with the music, so I gave it a listen. and fell in love. We're talking same three songs on repeat for an hour in love.

skip to 19:21 for "Warning"

or ya know just listen to the whole thing

Art Sunday: Photorealism

I think photorealism is an interesting art form. What are the benefits of drawing or painting a subject to look like a replica of a photograph? Why not just take a photograph? What comes through in the execution of a piece that differentiates it? Is it simply something to gawk at for a bit and move on? It's one thing to sit down and draw a person from memory or from a model, but most photorealists compose their images by basing their work off an already existing photograph that they then enlarge and fit to a grid. An impressive skill, to be sure, and worth experimenting with, but still important questions to think about.

The movement came out of a resistance to minimalism, as the emphasis on minute details brought back an appreciation of complexity. It is important to note that not everything is in focus, just as it would be in an actual photograph.

Chuck Close

 Robert Bechtle

 Diego Fazio

Chuck Close