5 things I love Wednesday.

1. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins.

image from last.fm.

image from last.fm.

I think I first started listening to Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins' album "Rabbit Fur Coat" in high school or early college. Relatively recently, one of the songs off the album came up on my iPod while it was on shuffle and I decided to listen to the whole album again. I find it just as amazing as I used to. Jenny Lewis's voice is so unique and so sincere. If you're into singer-songwriter, folksy kind of stuff, you should definitely check this album out! Some of my favorite tracks are "Rise Up With Fists!," "You Are What You Love," and "The Big Guns."

2. leopard flats from Target!

I actually bought two pairs of these shoes, the leopard pair and also a black pair. It was love at first sight when I saw the studs on the back. When looking for shoes that I can wear casually as well as to work, I like comfortable flats with a little classiness to them. While I definitely would not wear the leopard pair of shoes to work, I would and have worn the black pair. Also, because there is black and brown in the leopard pattern, they go with almost anything!

3. Status Updates on Hulu

screenshot of Status Updates on Hulu.

Brigitte Dale, the creator of Status Updates is one of my favorite Youtubers. She is hilarious and adorable and quirky. She was MIA for a while and then turned back up on Youtube with a video explaining that she collaborated with MTV to create Status Updates, a web series on Hulu. The show is so light-hearted and very funny. I don't usually laugh out loud at TV shows or movies, but I found myself giggling a lot while marathoning through the first season of this show. The thing is, the episodes are only about seven minutes long, so you can really go through a season quite quickly. I am really hoping they'll come out with a second season!

4. Root: 1 red wine!

Okay, so maybe this should be more like a favorite for 2012! Root: 1 is probably my favorite red wine at the moment, although I recently tasted Sharecropper's red wine from Oregon at the Charles Lucas Confectionery and it may become a new favorite. One of the greatest aspects about Root: 1 is that we can find it around here at wine shops for about 8 bucks! I also love the graphic design on the bottle.

5. the VSCO CAM iPhone app.

Okay, so I have a new favorite photography iPhone app! VSCO CAM blows just about every other photography app I've used out of the water, other than Snapseed. Somehow, VSCO CAM makes your iPhone photos look like they are better quality than they really are. I also love the fact that they give your photos the look of film. The graininess adjustment really lends to this.

I hope you enjoyed this week's rendition of 5 Thing I Love!

xoxo

Cara

my 5 favorite instagrammers!

Alice Gao

Instagram name: alice_gao

images from Alice Gao's Instagram page.

I've written about Alice Gao's blog and photography in a previous post. I love the simplicity and clean lines of her photos. I'm also a sucker for breakfast and coffee/tea photography. She is probably my #1 favorite Instagrammer.

Gabriel Flores

Instagram name: gabrielflores

images from Gabriel Flores's Instagram page.

I began following Gabriel Flores recently. He has some of the most photographically exquisite images on Instagram. I love his use of shadow and reflection. A majority of his photos are taken in New York City.

Bonnie Tsang

Instagram name: bonnietsang

images from Bonnie Tsang's Instagram page.

Bonnie Tsang's Instagram is a true combination of fun and skill. Many of her photos bring a little smile to my face. She frequently posts images of her adorable daughter. She also posts many cafe images, which I love.

Sandra Juto

Instagram name: sandra juto

images from Sandra Juto's Instagram page.

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Sandra Juto's Instagram, but I'm so glad that I did. Her photos make me long for Europe and most of them seem to have a vintage quality which is very aesthetically pleasing.

Steph Goralnick

Instagram name: sgoralnick

images from Steph Goralnick's Instagram page.

Steph Goralnick's Instagram photos are breathtaking. She posts many photos of New York City, but she also travels around a fair bit. Recently, she's even posted some photos that are taken from the airplane looking down over the earth.

I hope you enjoyed viewing these talented Instagrammers' beautiful images. If you'd like to follow me on Instagram, my username is amourbrillant!

xoxo

Cara

5 Things I love Tuesday (Thursday)?

1. Breaking Bad.

I have been borderline unhealthily obsessed with Breaking Bad. I watched my first episode a couple weeks ago and have since completed two seasons. After watching the first few episodes, I was so emotionally and intellectually challenged that I didn't know if I could handle continuing to watch the show, but I persevered and now I am a full-on addict. It's been getting in the way of cleaning my room... Whoopsy!

2. Light Witch's Blog/Tumblr.

Image from Light Witch's Tumblr.

Image from Light Witch's Tumblr.

I had been familiar with Light Witch because I follow her on Instagram. Her username is light_witch if you are interested in checking her out. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon her blog, but I'm so glad I did. I love the whimsical and ethereal quality of her photography. When I look at her images, I feel transported.

3. My social work friends!

I am so grateful to have met so many amazing people during my social work studies. It really is true that if you pursue your genuine interests, you will likely find friends who have similar mentalities as yourself. Thursday social work happy hours were one of my favorite memories from last semester!

4. Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks.

Image from TBE Blog.

Recently, I've been getting really into wearing bright colored lipsticks again. I had heard about the Kate Moss lipsticks on YouTube, so I decided to pick one up while at CVS one day. I bought a deep reddish-fuchsia color and I was so surprised by both the color pay-off and lasting power, especially considering the price point of about $5.00. I was so impressed that I recently went back and bought a more true red shade. So excited to rock a bold lip!

5. Afterglow Photography App for iPhone.

I've really been enjoying the Afterglow photo editing app for iPhone. I mainly use it for its light leak options. There are different light leak overlays you can place on top of your photos. You can control the intensity and orientation of the leaks, as well. I like the lomography-esque effect these leaks give to an image. They just add so much character! The app also allows you to tweak your images in more standard ways, like by playing with contrast, brightness, etc.

Thanks so much for reading!

xoxo

Cara

5 Things I love Tuesday.

1. the artwork of Julia Pott.

"Woolly Bear," by Julia Pott.

"Here With Me," by Julia Pott.

The artwork of Julia Pott is totally up my alley. I love how her pieces have a hand-made illustrative quality, while still being very graphic as well. Her etsy shop is currently under construction, but is said to be up and running again as of January 23rd.

2. greek yogurt!

Although I've definitely gone through a phase of trying to eat low-carb, I've recently been reading about how you mainly need to be focusing on refined sugars. Naturally occurring sugars, like those found in dairy and especially fruit, are less of a concern. I also love that greek yogurt has lots of protein which fills you up!

3. light DIY projects.

image from Splash of Something.

source unknown.

images compiled from Dos Family.

A delicate light fixture can really complete a room. I love how these DIY ideas also have a rustic kind of quality to them.Links to two of these DIY projects can be found in the image captions.

4. Lauren Conrad's 30 minute workout.

I thought this was a pretty manageable workout when I saw it on Lauren's blog (which is actually full of really helpful and inspirational health and fitness posts). After trying it the other night and only getting through two-thirds of it, I realize LC is a bawss. I was soooo sore the next day! You can find her 30 minute work-out here.

5. the photography of Alice Gao.

image from lingered upon.

image from lingered upon.

I first found out about Alice Gao and her photography through Instagram. She is one of my favorite photographers on the app. After months of iPhone admiring, I finally sought out Alice's blog, lingered upon. I have been following it along with her Instagram ever since!

instagram favorites - august.

Some of these photos may look similar to some of you if you follow me on Instagram. Even though I am not quite as obsessed with this app as I have been in the past, I still have an appreciation for it. I still look at it almost every day, although I don't post quite as frequently.

I figured I'd share some of my favorite photos that I've posted on Instagram this August. It's fun to look back on a period of time as represented in photographs. I've been thinking how quickly this month went by, but when I look back at these photographs I at least feel like I've experienced a lot of fun and beauty during August.

 This August, I took a style cue from the lovely Kater of All This Happiness in the form of hair bow/ribbon hair accessories! She is also an amazing partner in thrifting crime.

 This August, along with seemingly every other month of my "adult" life, I ventured into new yummy and adorable cafes and diners.

This August, I started running outside. So much more challenging and a fair amount more entertaining. 

 This August, Kater had a beautiful birthday party in her backyard with red wine, buttermilk cupcakes, and candlelight.

This August my sweet Christophe returned to me. Such an event called for daytrips and gallivanting.

I hope that you all enjoyed your August as much as I did. As excited as I am for fall, I am grateful for the fact that I really feel as though I made a lot of my month of August. My drive for life seems mostly to be based upon a "light at the end of the tunnel" frame of mind. I'm always rushing through the present in order to reach this "better" place in the future. Slowly but surely, I feel like I'm developing a greater appreciation for the present and I am so thankful for that.

And I'm thankful for any of you who take the time to read what I write on this blog. It means more to me than you may know.

xoxo

5 things I love Tuesday!

1. Vitamin D

As summer is coming so quickly to an end, I find myself trying to soak up as much of the sun and its precious energy as possible. Having studied in Montreal, I know how much a lack of vitamin D can affect one's mood. And as much as I love fashion trends associated with fall and summer (warm and cozy cardigans, layers galore), I am fighting against myself in order to take off my sweater and let my bare arms soak in as much of summer as is left. I definitely notice a difference in my mood when I've gotten a sufficient amount of sunlight for the day, so I always try to fit it in.

2. Gouache painting!

As I've mentioned previously, I entered my few weeks of unemployment with specific goals is mind. While some of them have yet to be pursued, I have accomplished a few, one of which was to make more artwork. I decided to try gouache as a new medium and although I found it very difficult to get used to for the first hour, eventually I ended up really liking it.

The beauty of gouache is that it's a nice cross between acrylics and watercolor. Its most advantageous watercolor attribute, in my opinion, is the fact that it can be reactivated with water after it dries. Acrylics are basically irreversible once they've dried. In terms of its likeness to acrylics, I look most to the opacity of gouache. This is also what makes gouache a great medium if you are trying to achieve a more graphic look to your paintings.

Below is the photograph off which I based my first gouache painting. I switched out the eggs for a cinnamon bun because I didn't find there to be enough contrast between the color of the eggs and the color of the plate on which they rest. I still have to finish up a bit of the painting.

3. Green, high-waisted shorts from the Salvation Army

I posted about these shorts a while back, but I haven't really had the courage to wear them out until recently. I think I've worn them three times in the past week!

 Also, the above photograph was taken in the bathroom of a bar called Footsie's in Troy. This women's bathroom was amazing. A photo of the bathroom's wallpaper is below.

4. Searching for a new lens.

My camera lens has been broken for quite some time now and I had been neglecting to bring it to the shop for fear of the cost to fix it. I finally sucked it up and brought my camera into the shop and the gentleman told me he could not fix the lens because Nikon no longer sells parts. Therefore, I would have to send the lens into Nikon and risk being totally ripped off.

I decided that the smartest option would be just to buy a new lens. I considered getting a 50 mm fixed focal length lens, but found that I could get this zoom lens for about the same price. I had assumed that the 50 mm would be less expensive, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I've placed the order and now all I have to do is wait. I can't wait to be able to take higher quality images for this blog! (:

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 AF DC OS HSM Zoom Lens

5. Scramble

Since downloading Scramble Sunday night, I've been absolutely addicted. What's worst about this game is that you have to wait 20 minutes for every token you receive and it takes five coins per game if you want to use as many power-ups as possible. I feel that in this way Scramble is trying to keep me from making Scramble my entire life and I don't know how I feel about that.

I hope you enjoyed!

Happy Tuesday!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo