bits of life // november

1 // My birthday was a few weeks ago, and to treat myself before a night out with friends, I asked my dear makeup artist friend Danielle to pretty up my hair and makeup, and oh my god, she did not disappoint! It was my first time ever having my makeup professionally done, and I felt so so fancy. Also, she's the only woman I trust with a pair of scissors, since she cuts and colors my hair regularly, so if you're in San Diego and in need of a  new 'do (or a rad makeup job), go to Say Lula Salon in Mission Hills and ask for Danielle!

2 // More birthday treats at Starlite! And the best damn Moscow Mule I've ever had.

3 // Walking around Little Italy in downtown and stopping at charming little shops like this one. I will never tire of vertical hanging plants, nope, not ever.

4 // An impromptu day trip to nearby Julian was so much fun! (photos to come soon). We were too late for apple picking, but it was still so dang pretty there.

portrait // let's get cloudy

A friend of mine recently commissioned a portrait of himself for his professional website, and I was so stoked to help him with it. Dan wanted something playful and fun, and he was particularly inspired by my pet cloud photo that I made in 2011 as part of my 52 weeks project.

We decided to emulate the look and feel for his own portrait, right down to the stick-on/faux wallpaper and cloud element.

When I shot my original photo, the wallpaper was actually on the wall behind me (a diy project that my husband helped me with, and it was NOT fun times), but for Dan's shoot, we wanted to keep things much simpler and just temporarily rig it. So we taped a bunch of vertical sheets of the paper together, and then attached the whole piece to the top of my seamless backdrop set.

A quickie behind-the-scenes shot!

I made our cloud pretty much the same way I made it the first time: with pillow stuffing. The material was slightly different this time (the former being more cotton candy-esque), but I think I actually prefer the newer one.....it had more texture and looked more like....cumulus clouds? If you're a meteorologist and happen to be reading this, please correct me if I'm using the wrong cloud terminology :)

It was pretty simple after that! A few quick shots using the same lighting setup from the original, then the post-processing stage where I also kept it as close to the original as I could, and BAM. It was done. Not too shabby if I say so myself :)

You can also check out an additional image from the shoot on Dan's website!

a message from the resident cat

My cat hates a lot of things, but having this on top of her head surely makes the top of the list.

The hardest part of taking this photo? Getting her ears through the holes. Sometimes there's nothing more unmovable than flattened cat ears.

it's a gif party!

Oh hey, it's me and the creative team I recently worked with on a rad fashion shoot! In gif form, because gif's are fun :)

From left to right: Zynada Aurelio, Badri Kermani, Mio White, yours truly, Jaqeuline Banting, and Annalynn Luu. Danielle Henry and Kristina Moto were also part of the team, but they had to leave before I could take these photos.

I'm about to post some behind-the-scenes on my facebook page, so take a gander if you'd like :)

bits of home // september

1// The new house is such a score. Especially when this is just a small taste of the backyard. It's all Fern Gully back there, and I love it.

2// Fat Cat Yoga, aka lots of naps. I learned a long time ago that she will never sleep on any kind of pre-ordained "cat bed" like the ones you get at pet stores. Rugs and carpets suit her just fine. Oh, and wrinkled up packing paper on a carpet, which is what she's sleeping on right now as I type this.

3// morning tea and a miniature sugar skull.

4// Oh, air plants, you make me so happy. Especially when you're nestled in a hanging glass orb in front of a great big window.

Happy weekend :)

how to write the bio for your lifestyle blog

I found this illustrated gem here, and it was too perfect/funny/a-little-depressing not to share :)

a tuesday music mix // it's a hot, hot summer

Heat waves are the worst. And the one we just had here in San Diego for the past two weeks was especially insufferable with the crazy, Florida-esque humidity levels. DO NOT WANT. 

But it's starting to cool off this week, and I am gonna savor every last iota of below-90-degrees-weather. Starting with a new music mix over on 8tracks. Please enjoy with your favorite cold adult beverage.

1. Julie's Haircut // Summer Babe

2. Unknown Mortal Orchestra // So Good at Being In Trouble

3. Ivan & Alyosha // Be Your Man

4. The Flaming Lips // It's Summertime

5. Sonny and the Sunsets // She Plays Yo Yo With My Mind

6. Pomplamoose // Beat It

7. The Peach Kings // Thieves & Kings

8. Smashing Pumpkins // 1979

9. Beach Day // Walking on the Streets

10. Musetta // Underneath the Mango Tree

11. Shannon and The Clams // Rip Van Winkle

12. Brenton Wood // Oogum Boogum

13. The Flaming Lips // Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1