re: stacks

To tell you a story:

I was looking forward to possibly being in the school musical so much,I more than anything else this year. I picked up the audition music and practiced it at home until it was perfected, and I'll be honest, I think I did a pretty good job. I even hit the high notes I was afraid of.

But then, the day before my audition, I came down with laryngitis. 

My voice was raspy and weak and my range was totally gone. I could barely talk, let alone sing. I rested my voice and tried all kinds of teas and odd things and still tried to power through the audition, but my voice was still so weak and went silent on the high notes. I mentioned beforehand that I was recovering from laryngitis, but when I sang, I still saw the director make a face. And that really really hurt.

I hoped like mad that I'd get a callback simply as a second chance in hopes that I'd be recovered by then. 

But even though I nailed the song at home, since I was sick and couldn't sing with a strong voice, I didn't. And all my friends did. 

I was so angry at the way the whole thing played out, how the one day I got laryngitis of all things was during my audition. I went home and couldn't stop crying for an hour and a half. 

And sometimes, only Bon Iver and taking pictures can make me feel better.

Today's playlist: re: Stacks by Bon Iver. On replay.

GIMP Curve Pack #1 Download

      Now, I know I gave a little curve lesson just recently, but I have something a little more exciting than that. Some free curve presets for GIMP users!

Lately//

Lately I've been..

Thinking// about changing my blog header (and really the name as well). I like them, but they're temporary. My content is all over the place and I always have trouble finding something to fit my style, so it might be a while before I come up with something official.
Reading// My AP Human Geography textbook (begrudgingly so). Hopefully I'll be able to balance schoolwork and fun this year!
Photographing// the outfits I wore this week for a new post! I need to get back into fine-art photography again soon.
Listening// to The Shins, Alt-J, and Kishi Bashi, but don't tell the boy I used to have a crush on. He'll think it's only because I liked him.
Eating// bagels and toast with peanut butter and chia seeds. Seriously, try it.
Drinking// lots of mint tea. I switched over from chai lattes every morning because I overloaded those with sugar. Plus, they remind me of last year, and, well, it's this year now. 
Shopping// (well, not really buying anything yet) on modcloth.com. Now that I can shop online I get really happy when I find a store with stuff my style, and they have the cutest shoes too!
Hoping// that I'll make it into the school musical! My audition is on Wednesday and I'm so incredibly nervous!
Wishing// that overseas subscriptions to Frankie and Yen didn't cost hundreds of dollars! There aren't any magazines like them in the US as far as I know and I'd love to be able to read them! BUT my grandma is going to New York soon and said she might be able to find a copy of one for me, I'm pretty excited!
Planning// to get some pots for my new succulent plants and give them an official home on my windowsill!

Chilled Out Mix

      With school having recently started (for most of us in the northern hemisphere anyway),  I'm still having a little trouble getting back in the swing of all the homework. (yuck). This playlist isn't necessarily meant to induce concentration, but it might be a good addition to an afternoon where you need a little pick-me-up without your music being so upbeat that you get up and dance. It's just a few songs I love, meant to chill you out and cheer you up. 

     What's your go-to homework music?

End-of-Summer

      Well, today is my last day of summer. School starts tomorrow. Wonderful, am I right? Just kidding.I used to look forward to school starting but now that I get such an insane amount of homework I can't help but dread it. It swallows up most of the time I'd otherwise have to take pictutres, blog, style outfits, make cute food and hang out with friends. This summer was a bit drab compared to other years, to be honest, but here's a last hurrah in photo form.

// photoshoots with my cousin at the old farmhouse
\\ farmers' market tomatoes
// a blueberry mint ice pop from the farmers' market
\\ my friend insisted the lighting was nice, so I obliged and let her take pictures of me

What's In My Pencil Case?

I got this wonderful little post idea from Chloe and Zali!

       I don't have much time for drawing and art in my school life, so I try to incorporate some artsiness into the everyday. I tend to do my homework in colored fineliner with doodles of poppies in the margins. So, I've got lots of nice pens and things to make the school day that much more palatable.

 Plus, I've got this cute little pencil case I got a few years ago at Barnes & Noble and it still works great! It's not quite my style anymore and I'm in the market for a new one, but I do still really like it. 

     mechanical pencils & lead // I almost never use wooden pencils since I need to do so much writing for school. I fully endorse all mechanical pencil use. Most kinds are sufficient, but as a rule of thumb, the less that come in a pack, the better quality they tend to be.

      stabilo colored fineliners // I use these all the time, sometimes for doodles but mostly for schoolwork, since they'll add a little pop to my day. These are really great and pretty cheap for nice pens/markers ($1 USD) and I would recommend getting a handful since they're simply fun to have around!

      saukra pigma micron pens // these are a bit pricier ($2-3 USD) but they're worth it. I have these in three different colors and sizes and they work wonderfully!

      highlighters, ruler, and eraser // It's good to have all these around for any projects or assignments I might need them for. Plus, I love the designs on these highlighters. (I think they're Jonathan Adler. I received them as a gift from my hipster cousin, who got them in Chicago). 

     

      Thank you for reading! What's your favorite thing in your pencil case?

State Fair Photo Diary (Day 1)

      As much as sometimes I wish I could live in Europe (It's so beautiful! And don't get me started on the food...) There is something America sure knows how to do right: State Fairs. 

      If you're not from the United States or you're confused, you probably still get the idea of what it's all about from the pictures. (Except that there are also farm animals, which I didn't care much to hang around, honestly). 

      Basically it's just a bunch of people and fried food and little exhibits and things with a bunch of carnival rides to boot, not to mention Minnesota's fair has a stand with the most delicious chocolate chip cookies around. (really). It comes every year and here it lasts for twelve days. I love this event shamelessly and am releasing all inhibitions about whether I might be deemed a stereotypical American because it is F U N. (albeit expensive, if you want to try lots of food.). 

      I always have a wonderful time and this was the first year that I brought my camera, which made it even better!

// The Ferris Wheel before sunset

\\ Corn Roast- They literally dip the corn in butter.

// Views from the Skyflyer (and that's just a little piece of the fairgrounds. They're much larger). 

\\ Walking & photographing with my friends

// A candid of a stranger

\\ The famous cookie stand

// Late-night snacks

     

      Hopefully I'll be back again before it's over. What's your favorite thing to do at a fair?

Sunny // Cloudy

      I knew an outfit post was long overdue. They tend to be some of the hardest posts for me since the photos are so hard to get right. But I thought maybe I'd throw together one of my go-to nicer outfits and take some photos in it before the summer was over to get back in the swing of it.

       Aren't these shorts the cutest? I got them with an Anthropologie gift card and I couldn't be happier. Plus, I scored the cardigan for just $15 at J. Crew. This might be among my favorite outfits simply because it includes stuff from nice stores.

Wearing:
shirt // Macy's (old)
shorts // Anthropologie
sweater // J. Crew
shoes // DSW

Post-Processing: Intro to RGB Curves

   

      I'm definitely not one of those elitists who believes that photoshop is ruining the true art of photography. The opportunities we have for digital photo manipulation in this day and age are really cool. Enhancing highlights, shadows, and colors using the RGB curves tool is one of my favorite ways to post-process photos, and now I'll show you how to do it too!

Birthday Photo Diary

      Well, aren't I the queen of late-night blogging. I better not continue like this once school starts. 

      After sleeping in late, I figured I'd do something with my sixteenth. I did sit around and did a lot of photo editing, but beforehand, I had a little fun with my mom and my sister.

      // out to lunch with lemon water and a roasted veggie sandwich (the ciabatta bread was to die for!)
      \\ a beautiful foreclosed house I ought to take some pictures near sometime
      // browsing accessories at a local boutique

     I edited all the pictures in this post with a curve preset that I worked on today which will be available for download, along with two others, in the near future!

How To Get The Perfect Self-Portraits

      They're not vain, they're because nobody wanted to model for you.

     Whether you're into fine-art photography or just need a new picture for an online profile, being able to take your own photos is a useful skill to have, and many people comment on my instagram photos asking for self-portrait tips since they don't know where to start. I decided to compile a list of tips and tricks to help you get the best pictures of yourself for whatever you might need!

Note: I'm no pro and I'm just speaking from my own experience!

Back-To-School Wishlist

DIY Halter Top

     With my sewing machine fixed, I was inspired to try my hand at sewing some clothing. As much as this barely qualifies as a shirt, it's the first garment I've ever sewn that wasn't an utter piece of crap, so I'm pretty proud of it. I don't have a very comprehensive tutorial because it was enough work teaching myself to do this let alone other people, but this awesome youtube video was super helpful to me for getting down the basics. Here goes!

     I modified her design a bit and thickened the back ties in hopes of being able to wear it with a  strapless bra. (I was somewhat successful in that endeavor). These are the patterns I made. (no need for pattern-making paper here- I just used construction paper). I modeled the front off of a fitted t-shirt and cut the fabric on a fold, and did the strap pattern freehand based off of the front piece.  

Cut:

-1 front piece using a t-shirt as a pattern

-2 back strap pieces (make sure to flip over your stencil for the second one if your fabric isn't        reversible!)

-1 1-inch thick neck strap piece of your desired length

     

     Since I don't have a serger and wanted clean edges, I folded the edges over twice before sewing edges. (This is, of course, totally optional, and a huge pain in the ass to pin). 

Sew:

-Hem the bottom

-Sew the edges of the "armholes" (above)

-Sew the edges of the back ties

-1/2-inch wide loop at the top (for neck strap)

-Sew the back ties to the sides of the front/bodice

-Fold the inch-thick strap and sew into a 1/2-inch tube.

Finish Up:
-turn the neck strap inside out (the video is really helpful with this), and sew the edges if you wish.
-Stick the neck strap through the tube at the top of the shirt.
-Put on your shirt and tie the top and back. You've got a halter top!