Unicorns, Bows, and Floral Frills

Yesterday we went out on a stroll just a few blocks from our apartment. I am so thankful that beautiful, scenic spots like this are so accessible in Washington. There is something about being in nature, in the quiet and solitude, that really brings healing joy to me.

I wore one of my all time favorite summer dresses. The frills and pink floral print just scream girly! It's also perfect for the summer weather, with its light material and open back, I am never too hot in this that is for sure. 

My parents gifted me this amazing necklace a few years ago. Another favorite of mine. It's the perfect size for bringing in a too open neckline, and the unicorn and forest critters are too cute for words! 

I bought these wedge bow flip flops last year as a gift to myself to wear during my honeymoon at the beach. Their perfect for wearing with just about any outfit because of their black coloring, but they still add a bit of flair with the bow accents. 

Dress: Wetseal

Shoes: Khols

Necklace: Etsy

Cotton Candy Dreams

 

OH MY GLOB! Can you tell I am ubertastically excited for this pink hair?! I've wanted to do this for years, but haven't had the guts to until now. Living the dream!

If you are curious, I bleach my hair three times to get from black to a light enough blonde for this pink. I took at least a week and a half in between each bleaching and on the last I used a bit of toner to ensure the pink wouldn't be too peachy. I am blessed with very thick, strong hair- I didn't end up with any breakage or loss of hair, with that being said I do NOT recommend doing this if your hair is thin, wispy, and dark. Bleach is harsh and it can really fry the heck out of it, not to mention the risk of losing hair in the process. In between bleaches I also made sure to do a few deep conditioning treatments which also helped insure my hair stayed healthy as possible.

I did a lot of research before deciding to do this, one of the best references I found was on one of my favorite blogger's site, Annika. Click here for the link!

This bodice is perfect for my modest bust. Defined lines and curves, I really want to experiment with this form of bodice on the next dress I sew.

Both the earrings and the necklace I made with resin, stickers, glitter, and sprinkles.

I intensified the levels in this image so you could get a better view of the wonderful detail in the skirt. I absolutely adore the embroidered hem!

Aren't these blue hedgehogs just darling?!

My favorite place in the entire world is a field of flowers where the sun is shining.

Dress: Target

Shoes: Ross
Socks: Target

Hairband: Fuego

Bracelet: Icing

Necklace: Handmade by myself

Earrings: Handmade by myself

Go on an Adventure with Me

My younger brother, Jason, recently has been teaching himself guitar. It is incredible how fast he has caught on to it, and every time I hear him play I am floored! He is so talented! Anyways, he wrote and composed this beautiful song called Ode to Jake. It's about going on an adventure with a loved one, exploring all there is to see and having an awesomely epic time. It also just so happens to be, in part, inspired by the television show Adventure Time (which as you probably noticed from my last post is my ultra favorite show of all time)! 

After listening to Jason's song I was very inspired, and decided to create a painting based off of it! I really wanted to capture the happy, wondrous world he was describing. 

And then I thought: "who could be a better companion than a cat?!"

Go on an Adventure with Me

P.S. Next post will include more pink hair..!

Emmie

This is a portrait of a friend that I did a while back.

When I think about this portrait, it really is the classic image that I enjoy painting. Portrait of a female, gazing out to the viewer with an expression that appears subtly thoughtful.

Everyone experiences life through their own minds, and even though we live day to day with one another our own perceptions of reality may only slightly mirror what others see and experience. Through my artwork I seek to express the space in which I inhabit in my mind, the anxiety, joy, frustration, and enthusiasm that I experience so very often.

It is obvious that my subject matter heavily consists of women. While the figures may not physically resemble me they are used as subtle self-portraits. I place myself in these vessels; I use them as tools to express the states of mind and emotions that I experience. The vivid colors and bold lines echo these emotions, as the emotions are intense almost to the point of overwhelming. My artwork is heavily charged with meaning, but I want the images to be fluid, capable of holding indefinite interpretations and definitions for its viewers. Stories and relations to my pieces can be made that are far from their original intention, and I welcome these with open arms, because as I said before we all experience reality through our own minds, and the more we share these perceptions with one another the more we discover what is truly happening in our existence. 

As for the formal elements of this particular piece, I started it with the intention of just playing around and experimenting with my paints by using looser strokes than what I've been typical of. It ended up being quite a successful technique and I look forward to using it in future projects. I used pink as her skin tone because I wanted to focus more on portraying her form rather than expressing accurate facial tones. That and I really like pink. 

Center of my Heart

I've searched for a heat cut-out dress for a long while, but never seemed to find one that fit what I was looking for. I wanted something flirty, cute, and affordable. That's when I decided to make my own. 

Being that I wanted to make it without any pattern, I started with a sketch.

At first I couldn't decide whether or not to have the heart in the back or the front. Then, I had the epiphany of a lifetime... I could do BOTH!

This is only the third project that I have done on the sewing machine. The hardest part was putting in the zipper and connecting the skirt. The dress was intended to be a bit more fuller at the bottom, and just a tad bit longer, but hey with experience I now have I know what to do next time around!

Accessories don't always have to match exactly. Both the shoes and tights here do not match perfectly to the accent colors on the dress.

All in all it was a really fun project! It was exciting to experiment with a medium I am not as familiar with. I would say that in general it was a success! 

Dress: Hand-made

Tights: Forever 21

Shoes: Target

Earrings: Fuego 

Three States of Mind

This is a three piece series I created for a final in my drawing class last year. I wanted to illustrate three distinct emotions and states of mind. 

Overwhelmed

I have already dealt with a decent amount of anxiety and depression throughout my life. It's merely a chemical imbalance, I try to be aware of that and be kind to myself when it gets bad. In very rare occasions though, it does get the best of me. In those times I get overwhelmed, over taken, and somewhat helpless. That is this image. The feeling of being overtaken, washed over, almost drowning in the troubles of life. She looks out, in a plea for help, all the while knowing it is too late.

At Peace

When I think of a place of peace, I think of home. Somewhere where you feel safest to be yourself . Where you can relax and be revitalized. The trees loom in longingly. The home sits welcoming and warm. Here I reference the "yellow brick road", for there is no place like home. When I feel overwhelmed, this is where I long to be.

Enthralled in Joy

One of my absolute favorite places to be is in a field of flowers during a warm summer evening. In my mind, this is the eternal place of summer. I associate summer with joy because I have so many wonderful memories attached to the summertime. Growing up I lived across the street from a park, and during the summertime all of the children would come out to play. I remember countless evenings catching butterflies, searching for four leaf clovers, and weaving daisy and dandelion crowns with my friends. We stayed there til the sun set.

Summertime was also when I fell in love with John. We had so much fun together spending days bike riding throughout the city, adventuring about the town, enjoying each other's company. Summertime has always been my little piece of heaven.

To My Valentine

Today I thought it would be fun to devote an outfit to valentines day! So I grabbed my cup-cake dress and heart tights and went to town. 

Aren't these shoes just fantastic?! This fall I was looking for Mary-Jane T-straps, and I couldn't believe it when I came across these. To top it off they were only 8 dollars!

I wore my pink bow to balance the colors a bit, without it the tights took too much focus away from the ensemble as a whole. Gotta love bows!

Also I would like to take a moment to thank my husband John, he's the sweetie who puts up with taking photos of me for this blog. Thank you handsome!

Detail shot! With how detailed the dress is I chose to wear just a simple heart pendant as not to overwhelm my neckline. The lattice like laced pattern that hems the top and bottom of the dress is just precious. Not to mention what a lovely color palette and pattern! This dress won over my heart at first glance!

Dress: ModCloth

Tights: Charlotte Russe

Shoes: Goodwill

Bow: Handmade