Beautiful flakes

I have a confession, until I saw these amazing macro shots by Russian photographer Andrew Osokin I had no idea each individual snowflake was this detailed. Don't get me wrong, I knew no two were alike but boy I had no idea they were this intricate! I always wondered why we used to cut up those darling snowflakes as kids into odd shapes but now I get it. One of my buddies shared this photographer on Facebook a while back and I can't stop but think of them every time there is a chill in the air. They are just such beautiful images. Can you imagine how hard it was to catch these before they melted! Being a native California girl that has only seen snow a handful of times these shots just blow my mind and make me want to go play in a few beautiful flakes. Be sure to check out the rest of Andrew's amazing photography, he will make your mouth drop with such stunning beauty.

found by jemappelle j rad and peta pixel, images by andrew osokin

An engagement session

A month or so ago I ventured out to Rio Vista CA to do a little engagement photo shoot for my adorable cousin and her charming fiance and since I am about to go get my bridesmaid dress for their big day I figured I should finally share these fun shots. The husband and I spend the afternoon driving around their city snapping away and I must say, I am pretty please with what I was able to get...mind you professional I am not! But the most important thing was they are happy with the results too. He is in the Coast Guard and she is all things glamour so we opted for a more vintage-y look along with a few casual shots. Even their dog Daisy got in on the photo fun... she was tied up to Uli for a bit and somehow ended up tangling the lovely couple- a great photo moment if you ask me. Now, I'm off to go squeeze myself into a dress and hope I can lose this baby bump in time for their big day, I will have 6 months to get myself back into tip top shape. No pressure.

photos by our designed life

Kari Herer photography

I've mentioned artist and photographer Kari Herer here before and while perusing her shop again noticed all her new and beautiful images. I like to visit shops frequently since you never know when they will be updated  and I was not disappointed with Kari's newest and greatest. With a mix of soft colors, fresh florals and simple illustrations, these would be perfect to add a little pizzazz to any wall. We have been collecting unique animal findings for our growing girl and one of these might just have to be purchased for her little area. They are just so colorful and detailed, perfect for growing eyes.

images via kari herer

Alexandra Valenti

These painted images from Alexandra Valenti are simply stunning don't you think? Being constantly surrounded with fog and clouds the grey mixed with bright colors just keep me staring wishing I could forever live my life hand painting people as I walk along my neighborhood. Years ago the husband had wanted to try his hand at painting over another painting but never got around to it and after seeing this I hope he feels inspired to give it a whirl again. Its such an interesting effect to manipulate the view and feeling of each photo.

found via design sponge; images via alexandra valenti 

Stitched

I've been a fan of stitching on paper for a while now, my Valentine cards this past holiday were a huge hit and ever since I've been aching to get my hands on a bit of thread...I even picked up the Complete guide to Needlework at a garage sale for a whopping 50 cents! And when I came across this charming stitched DIY photo art project from A beautiful mess it was a total 'of course!' moment. Taking a favorite photo and adding a few threaded embellishments is such a fun way to make one of a kind photo for any wall. Be sure to check out the full tutorial, I sure can't wait to find that perfect pic and get started stat.

image via a beautiful mess

Lomography fun

Last week the husband and I made it downtown to the Lomography gallery store for a few margaritas and to welcome that brightly colored beauty into the world of fun photography. I've been wanting to get my hands on a fun analog piece and thanks to a good buddy who gets to work and play with these all day I got to snap a few shots around the store...can't wait to see how they turn out! There are so many fun options to choose from when it comes to film cameras I simply can't decided which one I want, though I think I'm leaning more towards something instant. Not in the area? You can get your hands on all kinds of film related fun over in the online shop too!

images via ocondesign and lomography 

Wildflower Photography

I simply adore engagement photos, they can be incredibly detailed or simple and clean yet still ooze love and this engagement session from Wildflower Photography is pretty amazing. Brilliant photographer Joy creates one of a kind scenes for her shoots and this boat filled with wildflowers and hand crafted quilted flag is the perfect setting for a couple in love. Based out of Southern California, Joy captures beautiful moments of life's happiness and gives them an almost whimsical and fantasy like feel. Head on over to Green wedding shoes and Wildflower Photography for more amazing moments.

found on green wedding shoes, images by wildflowers photography

PDC beauty

Remember years ago when digital cameras were all the rage and those old film cameras were shoved to the back of closets? Well my friends they are making a huge comeback and I couldn't be more excited for all the amazing photography. I absolutely adore this image from Toby Hancock of the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. Oh how I miss that place, although I've never seen it in such beauty...there is just such a raw feeling from film don't you think?

image via toby hancock

Color punch

I simply love love love self taught Berlin photographer Matthias Heiderich's work, don't you? I've been following him for a while now on Facebook and after his colorful post this morning I knew I had to share on such a grey day {its grey here anyway!}. There is just something so soothing about his work, with such harsh lines and striking color composition, definitely go and give his pages a bit of love you will not regret it...Matthias is seriously talented. And if you would like one of his pieces for your walls you can find a few selected works available here and here.

photos via matthias heiderich

Surrounded by talent

I am always blown away by the art that comes out of my friends though I shouldn't be, they are all incredible in their own ways. And thanks to the many ways of documentation and online sharing, I have got to share my dearest buddy's work. We've been friends for nearly forever... high school that is, and after years of living in different cities and states we are finally within 30 minutes of hanging out and I am so stoked. With cameras in hand {he's been known to travel with a backpack filled with cameras and loads of film} Jared is able to capture life's moments at any given time. After perusing his Flickr account I just had to share this shot from the Oakland occupy movement, such wonderful color and contrast. There is just something about film that makes me smile just a little bigger, compared to digital it just feels more 'artsy'. So go check out his work, a few of my favorites are Worlds largest pillow fight, Unintentional MX and Small city.

And, I had no idea these even existed, so glad I scrolled through all Jared's photos because its my husband! The three of us took a morning trip out to ocean beach and had fun shooting the scenery. I love love love these images. The grain is due to the film being underexposed but I think it gives it a very raw and gritty feeling. It somehow captures the morning cold perfectly. Thanks Jared for being such an inspiration, now all I want to do is snap away in my neighborhood. 

photo via jared elizares

Hi guys

As a bit of a new year resolution I'm trying to keep more flowers around to make things just a little bit nicer and from the looks of it, its time for a few new bouquets. Though I do rather like the curled and browned edges. Have you decided to try anything new this year? I've done pretty good at keeping up with my good ol' standby goal to shed a few extra pounds and have somehow managed to get 10-15 miles of walking in every week! Thankfully I'm 22 pounds down and drowning in my jeans, yay! I've got big plans for this year but first, I'm stopping to smell the roses. How about you?

photo for our designed life

Happy 2012

Happy new year friends, hope you all had a nice and relaxing weekend while ringing in a brand new year. Though we planned to go out, the husband and I ended up falling asleep on the couch and woke up just in time to watch the ball drop and then go to bed. Though we made up for it the following night by going on an 'adventure' and walked around the city...5 miles to be exact! The rest of the days were spent with the dog in the park and digging in dirt at our garden, and if you follow me on twitter you may have heard of our peculiar thefts too. Woke up to 1 hubcap missing on the car new years day and when we went to the garden discovered entire plants had vanished. Completely gone! A little digging proved a giant gopher hole under our veggie bed, seems a little critter had the munchies for some red cabbage, stole 3 entire plants!
And with the weekend spent in nature, I thought I would continue it along with these amazing photographs from Qi Wei, a brilliant artist out of Singapore. I've always had a love for nature photography, there are always details you miss in real life, but have never tried deconstructing my focal point. Don't you just love these? You can find his entire exploded flower collection here and can purchase prints here as well as read a great interview with the artist and his artistic process. I just love his philosophies behind photography and how it has a beginning and end and I too agree, a photo isn't a true photo till its printed out.

photos via qi wei

Beautiful inspiration

Oh do I have an amazing photographer to share with you today! I came across Nicole Hill Gerulat's photography over on Creature comforts' post on a DIY Halloween floral arraingments and fell in love with Nicole's stunning images. Do stop by her beautiful portfolio for a little inspiration, the color alone was enough to pull me out of the gloom lurking outside. From weddings, food and flowers to vibrant homes with fantastically detailed spaces and adorable faces, Nicole has done it all. And she likes to share too! Nicole has a number of classes both online and in person workshops all about photography and editing, how awesome is that! You can keep up to date on classes with her on her blog A little sussy, a space filled with even more of Nicole's work as well as what inspires her. This San Francisco local has one fancy eye for photography don't you think?

photos via nicole hill gerulat

Lovely colors

I came across Turkish artist Fatma Gultekin on Flickr and fell in love with her style of photography. I found this great interview of the lovely Fatma, describing her process and inspiration that goes into her images.  Each shot has a vintage feel and the colors are incredible, no doubt thanks to expired film. Here I go again with my subdued color combos, what can I say at least I'm consistent with my color love. Makes me want to pull out my old film cameras and get snapping.

photos via fatma gultekin

Bye bye summer

Today is officially the last day of summer but I'm just not done with all the beautiful and colorful summer inspiration out there, how about you? Thankfully it went out with a bang around here, we finally got a few consecutive days of sunshine - something I'm learning does not happen often. Perhaps that is why I find myself drawn to the more washed out or greyed hues, I'm surrounded by it all the time. But just before fall gets here, a few more summery shots.

 photos via david zimmerman and our designed life

 photos via fly with me, pink parsley and mkl photography

photos via bee hives and baggu

Happy Weekend

Happy Friday friends. I've had quite a week- filled with lots of driving, bus riding, a trip to the dentist and even a secret mission thrown in for good measure. Whew, good thing I can multitask. But now the weekend is here and I am ready to relax with the husband, how about you? One of my younger cousins is moving into her dorm room tomorrow so I may have a house full afterward since its only a mile away. Suppose my cleaning gloves will be my best friend today.
And don't you just love this photo!? There may be no funner thing then to put on a pretty dress and spin, every girly girl knows what I'm talking about. I tried my hardest to find a link to an actual source, perhaps one of the only downfalls to Pinterest, but came up with zero.

photo via 

Support those in need

Thanks to Twitter and the Moggit girls, I came across photographer and all around good person Angela Auclair's page for a little fundraiser she is hosting for those struck by devastation in Africa. With a largely growing famine crisis, many are going hungry everyday and that's where you come in.  Angela has a collection of 8"x10" prints all for sale with proceeds going directly to UNICEF Somalia to try and get food in bellies and provide a little love and care for those desperately needing help. Angela has a goal of selling 50 prints {at only $20!} so be sure to stop by the gallery to show a little support.  You can also read much more information on the crisis here.

photos via angela auclair for the horn of Africa famine fundraiser

Sebastiaan Bremer

Do you ever come across photos that just ooze summer?  I just fell in love with these images from The Netherlands artist Sebastiaan Bremer who creates amazing one of a kind C prints {chromogenic printing using traditional chemicals and processing} and infuses them with ink to create these beautifully textured images. Back in school I couldn't get enough of these types of drawings and used to create hundreds of lines using scratch board.  And aren't those 'bubble' shots just too cool?  Mixing ink into the images really creates a unique look and just makes me smile.

photos via sebastiaan bremer

Dear photograph

I recently discovered Dear Photograph, a blog dedicated to posting photos of pictures of pictures past in the present.  Its so fun to see the two together, you can bet I'm going to go through my old shots to see if anything would work.  Be sure to check out the rest over on dear photograph and if you have a photo that would work, be sure to submit it!

photos via dear photograph

Light and airy

Now that its officially summer, all I can think about is warm weather, sandy beaches and lounging around.  Unfortunately its back to grey and gloomy around here, these last two days have been shockingly warm, such a tease.  So I am left to dream, and these brightly lit interior shots from photographer Kim Cornelison just oozes light and airy.  I was drawn into Kim's beautiful portfolio by this amazing hanging bed, it just screams luxurious.  Although I wonder how practical it actually could be.  Be sure to check out the rest of her wonderfully composed portfolio here, there are so many lovely shots.

photos via kim cornelison