follow the yellow brick road

hose of you who are followers on Facebook might have seen my teaser post about this year's Adventures in Oz burlesque show.  We're in the thick of it now, with rehearsals and costume construction, and I'm getting super excited!  Last year I played a poppy (you can spy me in the promo video!), but this year I pitched an Emerald City act and I'll be performing a Rococo Emerald City on the big stage!  I probably jumped in the deep end a bit with this act, as it will be my first real burlesque performance and the costuming is insane (think all-green Marie Antoinette realness), and I'm no pro at choreography, but I'm super excited to take it on!  As per usual, I get a little bit of tunnel vision on this kind of thing, which means I've been wanting all of the green things in my life.  The idea to take on the role of the Emerald City actually came to me because of my green hair, and now I'm like ALLOFTHEGREENTHINGS.  I've been on the lookout for a green dress to wear post-show and this one struck my fancy.  Last year I got a dress covered in poppies after the Adventures in Oz show, which fulfilled all my poppy dreams.  I kind of love that they both have similar silhouettes and I also had an excuse to snag another floofy petticoat, because who doesn't need more floofy petticoats?  Right?

 
dress + petticoat + cardigan(similar)/courtesy of modcloth  shoes(similar)/courtesy of seychelles necklace/thrifted :: shades (similar)/courtesy of lulu's
One of the things I love about burlesque is that it gives me an avenue to explore other sides of myself.  I've always felt like I couldn't fit myself into one box, constantly wanting to bounce from box to box, trying them on, having fun with them, but never wanting to fully commit to any of them.  I'm definitely not a full time pin-up model, dancer, sultry minx, but it's nice to have a venue to explore that side of myself.  I also really enjoy being a part of the burlesque community in general.  There's such an empowered and outspoken group of people in the burlesque community fighting for the rights of marginalized people in such a subversive and bold way.  There's so much body positivity, acceptance of sexuality, whether gay, lesbian, transgender, straight, etc.  It was so cool to go to Burlycon this past October and meet burlesquers from around the globe.  So many different people from so many walks of life and backgrounds.  And so. much. glitter.

 

paleo broccoli bacon salad

'm done with Whole30, but I'm still trying to eat whole30-ish.  It's definitely harder, since we're done and added stuff back in, so the fridge is non-whole30 friendly, and when Dan cooks he cooks whatever, so whole30 type meals are more for my solo culinary adventures.  I'd like to keep eating a more paleo diet.  While I didn't feel very much of a change on Whole30, nor did I really experience any reactions after reintroducing foods, I know that eating whole foods is good for me and it's just laziness and poor planning that causes me to eat other stuff.  Meal planning is still hard for me, but I want to keep trying because it does make it easier to eat well when I'm not shoving a loaf of bread in my face because I'm hangry.  We also felt like we saved a lot of money by not going out all month, which was a definite plus.  Eating out is another symptom of that laziness/poor planning problem, and we started doing it way more frequently than we should.  It was a nice kick in the pants to knock it off and save money while simultaneously eating healthier.  We did a ton of grocery shopping, but it makes more sense to be spending money on whole, raw foods, rather than paying a premium for restaurant meals.  
I still have recipes saved up from when I searched for recipes during our whole30, and this was one that I saw and got excited to try.  I actually like broccoli a lot, but I find that I rarely pick it up at the store.  I like pretty much every preparation of broccoli too: steamed, sautéed, baked in a quiche, raw, baked like fries.  It's such a versatile food that's packed with lots of good stuff for your body!  

(recipe via health bent)

Ingredients

1 lb broccoli, chopped

3/4 cup slivered or chopped almonds

1/2 cup raisins

6 slices bacon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar

salt + pepper

First, crisp your bacon.  Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Place bacon on a baking sheet and bake until brown and crispy, about 25 minutes.

While the bacon is getting crispy, prepare the rest of the salad. Remove the leaves on the base of the broccoli and with a knife, trim off the "skin" of the broccoli stem, so you’re left with the tender, pale green center.  Chop up the stem into tiny, bite-size pieces and do the same with the florets. Complete broccoli utilization–woohoo!

Get out a large bowl and add the chopped broccoli, vinegar, olive oil, almonds, raisins and salt + pepper.

Once the bacon is done, remove from the oven and let it cool. Once cooled, chop or crumble up the bacon and add it to the bowl. Toss everything to combine and serve immediately, or chill and serve later.

death before decaf

his shirt is kind of ironic because I actually drink decaf relatively frequently.  I only work closing shifts at the coffee shop where I barista and so in order to not stay wired until 4am I end up drinking decaf americanos instead of regular coffee.  As a barista in the PNW, though, I felt like the shirt was pretty appropriate and funny.  We are pretty serious about our coffee up here in the upperleft, USA. 
I grabbed these shots right after checking out a potential studio space in Downtown Tacoma.  I've been looking off and on again for studio space for the last few months, and while I think at the moment it might be too big of an expense to justify, I'm super excited to start the search for the perfect space.  These next few months are going to be crazy busy, so I might hold off on seriously looking until summer, but I know I'll still be craigslisting like a crazy person in the meantime.  In a lot of ways this search for a studio feels like my search for the Brave 5 years ago (holy moly I can't believe that was 5 years ago already).  That was definitely the start of a big journey for me personally, and the decision to go full on with photography was another big move that I'm super excited about.  The Brave feels like it will always be my talisman, regardless of whether or not the actual vehicle stays in my possession or not.  A 1973 Winnebago is my life's amulet.  A reminder to be brave and hunt goals with passion, even when people think I'm crazy.  



shirt + blazer(similar)/courtesy of modcloth :: jeans/courtesy of for elyse boots/thrifted :: bag/courtesy of rouge & whimsy

WED // snow goddess alaskan bridal shoot

ou guys just saw some of my favorite shots from Emilee and Matt's Alaskan New Year's wedding, but I also put together a super fun styled shoot while I was up in Anchorage, so I could take full advantage of the gorgeous, snowy landscape.  Here are some of my favorites from that shoot!  I partnered with an amazing bridal shop in Anchorage, Fabulous Frocks, which happens to be owned by a gal I went to high school with!  I didn't know it when I emailed her and when I walked into the shop to meet up, I was like, "Whaaat?! Hey!!"  Going home to Anchorage always feels like I'm in such a small town, despite it being the largest city in Alaska.  Anyway,  Tara from Fabulous Frocks set us up with our amazing accessories.  Jewelry, veils, headbands, she blinged us out.  BHLDN provided two incredible gowns and I'm a little over the moon in love with their penelope gown.  I may or may not have tried it on and flounced around in the mirror, because holy gorgeous.  


My models are the amazing Corina and Molli.  I'm actually shooting Molli's real wedding in August and it was so much fun to do a "dry run" bridal shoot with her!  Another friend from high school, Tess Weaver, did makeup and I love the berry lip and eyeshadow she gave Molli.  Aren't Molli's eyes killer?  For Corina, we went with a brighter look with pink lids and fresh face.  Andrea Moss was our hair gal and she rocked it out with their loose updos!
Molli rocked a more vintage inspired old-hollywood glam bridal look, and I found a perfect vintage jacket in my mom's closet that happened to be my grandma's old coat!  I had never seen it before!  It actually turned out to be great because, like Matt and Emilee's shoot, temperatures were still hovering around 8ºF for this shoot.  Molli wore the Francine gown from BHLDN.
Corina's dress was definitely a bit more frothy and ethereal and I loved how the low sun filtered through the layers of soft tulle.  I think if I got married again I'd definitely have to consider the Penelope gown as an option because it's just so magical.  Floaty and effortlessly pretty!  Definitely a twirl-worthy gown.


 


 

I made both the girls' bouquets from flowers at Alaska Wholesale Flower Market, which was really fun.  I'm a little obsessed with big, lush, overflowing bouquets at the moment.  Lots of greenery and texture.  Sometimes I think people forget about using greenery and go for more flowers, but I think greenery is such a great way to add fullness without spending a ton of money on fancy flowers.  

We shot on the Hillside in Anchorage, and then drove out the road down to Beluga Point for some more expansive landscape shots and on our way back we had to pull over for the most incredible sunset.  I couldn't believe the pastel colors in the sky as the sun hovered right at the horizon.  There were tons of photographers and tourists snapping away at the same location and we actually got paparazzi'd by the local newspaper and were in the paper the next day!  So funny!

I've been loving doing styled shoots lately, they're so great for inspiration, exploring creativity, and expanding skills.  I'm doing a styled shoot this Saturday with a great local wedding + event planner which I think is going to be a blast!  It's so inspiring to team up with talented local folks and put together something really fun and exciting.  

rosemary gimlet

ife goals: be a full time cocktail photographer.  I'm sort of joking, but I don't know what it is about shooting cocktails, they're just one of my most favorite things to photograph!  Maybe I just need to publish a cocktail recipe book so I have an excuse to shoot a ton of cocktails, eh?  Yup.  Sounds like a plan.  At this point, though, this hypothetical cocktail book will have to wait a few months because I've got tons of stuff happening in the next couple months, ack!  
I'm super excited about everything planned, though, well, except taxes.  Taxes can suck it.  But other than that, the next couple months are full of some crazy amazing stuff!  I've got a bunch of styled shoots coming up that are going to be so much fun.  Our Adventures in Oz burlesque show is on stage again in April and this time we're doing two shows!  The next two months are going to be full of tons of practice, choreography, and costuming.  I'm doing a new part in the show this time and I'm giddy about it!  I'll give you a hint: my hair color is very apropos.  This march I'm going to California for a big website rebrand and launch, and it's the first time I'll have had outside help doing my website, I've always DIY'ed everything but I'm ready for a change and super excited about getting a fresh space that feels "me."  Then, the day after that, I fly to Texas to speak at TxSC Camp!  Holy whoa!  "Spring," March especially, is usually rough here in the PNW.  I always think it should be warming up and starting to feel more like, well, spring, but it's typically the most wet and grey part of the year, and drags on for far too long.  It'll be nice to have all this busyness to keep me preoccupied.  
Oh right, back to cocktails.  I've been having a gin moment lately.  I had one briefly in college, but haven't had much in the way of gin in the last five years.  I got a bottle a few months ago, though, and am appreciating the flavor quite a bit these days!  It's such an interesting spirit with a very distinct flavor that makes it pretty cool to pair with other flavor profiles.  I'm loving it with citrus, especially.  I've always been more drawn to smokier flavors, but gin is just so bright and fresh!  It's a nice change of pace.  



Rosemary Gimlet (recipe via savor home)
4 oz rosemary honey simple syrup
4 oz gin
3 oz fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sugar, for sugar rim
1 rosemary sprig, for garnish

First, get your glasses ready. Add sugar to a plate, run a lime over the rim of each glass and dip the rim in sugar to coat.

Fill your cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add simple syrup, gin, and lime juice.

Shake the cocktail for about 30 seconds, or until the shaker gets frosty and freezing cold.

Pour the cocktail into your rimmed glasses, and add a sprig of rosemary to garnish.  Recipe makes two cocktails.