strawberry bourbon julep

ummer seems like it might be starting to wind down, though it pains me to say.  Still, I'm not giving up without a fight, and a fruity cocktail sounds like the perfect way to ignore the impending season change.  I'm a firm believer that we shouldn't start thinking about fall until September at the earliest, and that's over two weeks away, so I'll be over here in summerland until then.
Still, September is still pretty summery in my mind.  I've been wanting to take a little road trip lately and my options are south or east (I still haven't updated my passport to my new married last name, so Canada is off the table), and south seems most interesting to me.  I haven't been down 101 since I drove down in the Winne and, while 101 is gorgeous, some of those twisty roads just aren't ideal in a 20 ft long 1973 Winnebago.  Little roadsters trying to zip along those roads were not my biggest fan.  Ever since I stopped in Mendocino in the Brave I've wanted to go back because the day I spent there it was totally socked in and rainy.  It'd be fun to be able to give it another try with (hopefully) better weather.  We'll see, though.  I feel like I booked myself solid until November, so it might be challenging to get out of town.  I've decided that I'm not booking anything in November, November is going to be my month.  Hopefully there'll be some fun for our third wedding anniversary and family time for Thanksgiving!


INGREDIENTS
4 hulled strawberries
2 tbsp mint leaves
1/4 oz simple syrup
2 oz bourbon
crushed ice
mint sprig

Muddle the strawberries and mint leaves in your glass and add the simple syrup.  Top with the bourbon and crushed ice and garnish with the mint sprig!  Enjoy!

my favorite lip colors

ost days I'm not a lipstick girl, I stick with swiping on some lipliner that matches my natural lip color and I'm good to go.  Over the years, though, I've come to really enjoy playing with the different looks I can achieve with fun lip colors.  I used to think that lipstick was super high maintenance, but it was just because I was using really low quality lipsticks and wasn't applying liner beforehand to help the lipstick last.  While I don't think I'll ever be a daily lipstick kind of girl, I really love how putting on lipstick can totally amp up my look and make me feel sexy, bad ass, or quirky.
Have you ever tried unnatural lip colors?  I don't remember what it was that made me obsessed with the idea of unnatural colored lips, but I ran out to the MAC counter and bought a stick of purple lipstick.  Since then I've added orange, florescent pink, and black to my repertoire and it's really fun to have crazy options for those days I need a little kick in the pants.

Tips for great lip color:
Start with a base.  Make sure your lips are moisturized.  I usually rub on some avocado oil with lavender essential oil a few minutes before I put on my lips, it helps them stay soft and moisturized under the lipstick.
Line your entire lips, not just the edges.  This will help your lipstick stay on and keep from wearing off when you eat/drink.
Apply your lipstick.  I swipe on the color using the tube to get the centers and then I use a small brush to get the edges so they're crisp and precise.  Some girls seem to have the skill to flawlessly apply lipstick straight from the tube but I am not one of them.  I have to carefully paint the edges on so I don't look like a 6 year old just coming from raiding her mom's makeup case.
If I know I'll be out and about for a long time with my lips on, or if I'm going out to eat or drink and think I might need to touch up my lips I'll bring my lip color and brush in my purse so I can duck into the bathroom and reapply if needed.  All of the lip colors I'm sharing here wear really well and I typically only have my lipstick with me for insurance, though I rarely find that I need to reapply.  

MOTIVES' GO RED
This is my absolute favorite red.  Bright, saturated, pure red.  This is a great pin-up red.  Motives was the first lipstick I really liked and felt good wearing all day.  Before that I'd dabbled in drugstore brands but they always felt gross and dry and didn't last.  I figured I just didn't like lipstick, but after trying the Motives stuff I realized that I probably just needed to start exploring some better makeup brands.  This stuff doesn't dry out my lips and feels creamy and rich.
 
RADIANT DAPHNE / LIME CRIME CENTRIFUSCHIA
I'm not a big pink girl, but I do like a saturated pink/fuchsia on the occasion.  This color from Radiant is perfect, and Lime Crime does a similar color, Centrifuschia, which I also like.  It looks like Radiant is no longer around (which is a bummer because part of their business was fighting sex trafficking!), but Lime Crime's color and texture is pretty much a match for this one.
 
LIME CRIME COUNTESSA FLOURESCENT 
If I'm feeling a little more playful, I'll go full on pink.  I don't much care for more pastel shades of pink but this bright, solid pink is just right.  Lime Crime's lipsticks are super opaque, so they're great for achieving bright colors
 
MAC UP THE AMP + LIME CRIME AIRBORNE UNICORN
For purple lips, I like to do a bit of an ombre from darker edges, to lighter insides.  I'll put on a darker purple first, like MAC's Up the Amp and then apply something lighter like Lime Crime's D'Lilac or Airborne Unicorn and then blend them a bit.  I don't do purple too often but it's super fun to play with!

LIME CRIME MY BEAUTIFUL ROCKET + MOTIVES TOMATO RED
Lime Crime's colors can be too intense sometimes, for what I want, so I like to blend them with other colors to get the look I want.  I like an orange lip, but Lime Crime's My Beautiful Rocket is like crazy orange, so to get it a bit more natural I top it with Motive's Tomato Red which is more of a regular slightly orange red.  The combo gives me just the right amount of orange which not being too unnatural.  Motives doesn't make that exact shade anymore, but their Red Coral is a similar color.
 
MOTIVES VAMP
This is one that Motives no longer carries, but I think their Berry Sexy looks closest to this color.  I like this one for those times when I'm feeling a little darker and moody, but don't want to go full on black.  Sometimes I'll ombre black and Vamp to darken it up a little bit more.
 
IMPULSE COSMETICS APOCALYPTIC
I secretly love black lipstick.  It's just so bold and graphic and it makes me feel a bit like a super villain bad ass.  Black lips are definitely for those more bold days, but I still love having the option in my makeup bag.  My first time doing black lips I used MAC's Blacktrack eyeliner to get the look, but upon liking it I decided I should invest in some real lipstick.  I knew Lime Crime had a black, but I asked readers to share their favorite black lipsticks and I went with one that was recommended, Impulse Cosmetics' Apocalyptic.  It's nice and opaque, but still feels creamy and light.

variations on a theme

I always fall in love with brights again in the summer.  I do enjoy the more muted tones, especially because I have a soft spot for more bohemian, natural looks, but for some reason summer just begs for bright, graphic patterns.  Consequently, I've been obliging.  I've also been exploring some of Tacoma's more bright, graphic spots for photo adventures.  One of my friends let me know about this wall and though I've driven past it plenty of times before, I never thought about it when trying to figure out a fun photo spot.  We've got a great organization, Spaceworks Tacoma, which connects vacant walls and storefronts with local artists in order to create public art and this is one of those spaces.   This particular mural is scheduled from April to August, so it'll probably be replaced with something new soon, though I'm pretty fond of this one!  I love seeing people in a community taking spaces that are vacant and/or run-down and empowering creative, entrepreneurial people to come in and let those spaces flourish.  I've seen so many Spaceworks businesses become thriving parts of the community and the color and art they bring with their public art spaces is always inspiring.  

 
dress (worn as skirt) :: courtesy of evermicrush :: top/courtesy of modcloth sandals/thrifted :: bag/courtesy of rouge & whimsy :: shades/courtesy of bonlook necklace/francesca's
Right now I'm covered in scrapes, flecks of varnish, bandaids, and dirt.  Despite enjoying cute outfits and getting "fancified" on the occasion, I think I'll always feel most at home with dirty feet, paint caked on my hands, and messy hair.  I like to clean up, but I feel most powerful when I'm in the throes of making things with my hands.  Growing up I spent so much time in the garage with my dad, learning from him and working on projects together.  Both of our love languages are quality time so we filled our love tanks beneath the hoods of cars and with sawdust at our feet.  It's not surprising I married someone who also loves working on projects.  The past two years working on our house has been so much fun, even if it is hard work at times.  I'll be sad to sell this house whenever that day comes.  It's been so fulfilling to take a run-down house that no one would look twice at and turn it into a beautiful home.

life lately

Wanting to: Get back on the fitness/health train.  I haven't worked out regularly in about 6 months, and the last month or two I've gone climbing maybe twice and haven't even done any yoga.  Honestly, the heat has completely zapped any desire to get my sweat on, and I haven't felt like my body has changed too much, other than feeling like I'm probably a lot weaker than I was in January.  I have a feeling that birth control was causing my body to hold on to weight more easily because I've been pretty lazy since I went off the pill and my body has maintained itself pretty well despite not watching what I eat and not working out.  Once the temperature cools off a bit I want to figure out a workout and healthy eating routine again, but for now I'm enjoying feeling lazy.
Watching: Guardians of the Galaxy.  Seriously so good.  Dan's been waiting months for this movie to come out.  Like, once a week I'd catch him watching the trailer.  I was hoping it would be awesome and it was SO good.  Hilarious, action packed, and really fun.  Dan and I have been reading the Guardians of the Galaxy comics, so it was cool to see the characters come to life on the big screen.  Can't wait for the sequel!
Excited about: redoing our downstairs office.  It's technically Dan's office, but my desktop computer is in there because we have our printer hooked up to it, so I use it when I'm photo editing and doing other work that needs to be done on the desktop.  It's been a hard space to figure out because it's pretty small and until now it's just been haphazardly put together.  The past few days I've been building a standing height desk and brainstorming how the rest of the space can come together to make more sense, and it already looks better!  
Opening: my blog shop again!  I guess it wasn't ever officially closed but the link hasn't been on the blog in a while (it's now in the top nav bar).  I've listed screen prints, weavings, flower crowns, e-courses, and there are some shop-my-closet items available too!
Missing: Lazy mornings with my love.  Dan's new job starts at 7am, which means I usually don't even see him in the mornings anymore.  By the time this night owl crawls out of bed he's already been gone for a couple hours.  Now we're cherishing our weekend mornings together even more because it's the only morning times we have to relax and slowly get ready for the day.  
Dreaming of:  Traveling.  I'd like to take one bigger trip before the end of the year, whether it's a road trip, a flight to Hawai'i, or some other adventure that takes us out of the PNW.  I'd like to get a breath of fresh air in some other part of the globe before the year is over.  Just a change of perspective, something to get out of the doldrums of daily life and see the world with new eyes.
What are you guys up to lately?




 

ENGAGED // jackson + jessica's rattlesnake ridge engagement shoot

 couple weekends ago I had the pleasure of getting to photograph these lovely folks for their engagement photos!  Jackson and Jessica are actually getting married in just four short weeks and I'll be shooting their wedding down in Oregon as well, which I'm super stoked about.   I was really excited for this shoot because I had mentioned wanting to do a more outdoorsy shoot and they totally jumped at the idea.  We picked a hike that had an amazing view at the summit, Rattlesnake Ridge, and met up out at the trailhead in the evening to make the hike.  None of us had ever hiked Rattlesnake Ridge before, so it was fun getting to not only make some amazing photos for them, but also get to go on an amazing hike in the process!  I would love to do more hike shoots.  It's combining two of my favorite activities, so what could be better?   The hike turned out to be the perfect time to chat about wedding details and catch up, too!
The hike itself was pretty easy, two miles in, two miles out.  It's a very popular hike and the lake below also draws a crowd, especially during the summer, so it was pretty busy.  When we got to the lookout at the ridge we actually had to wait a good ten minutes to be able to shoot at the spot we wanted to because there was a group of high school kids there with a bong and a veritable cornucopia of munchies taking in the scenery.  Luckily they didn't linger too long and we were able to do our shoot. 

 

The next few months are going to be a whirlwind of photo shoots and weddings. I have three weddings within about a month, plus a bunch of portrait and family sessions, so I'll be shooting up a storm.  It'll be good.  Keep me busy.  Tomorrow I'll be shooting Tacoma's craft beer and blues festival, Brew Five Three, here in town, which should be a blast.  Great music and great local brews?  Sounds like a recipe for awesome.  

In other news, I'm not thrilled with how everyone is talking about fall's immanent arrival.  Also, the back to school stuff can go away please.  Don't remind me that the fall is coming!  I'm sure once all the fun holiday stuff starts getting into full swing I'll be ready for it, but I'm just so in love with how many hours of sunlight there are and how much I can get done before it starts getting dark.  We did this shoot around 7 pm and in just a couple months it will have been dark for hours by that time.  I sure do love these summer days that drag on till well into the evenings.  I wish I could do like five more shoots like this before the summer evenings are gone till next year.