Laika Animating Life - Portland Art Museum

When I was in middle school I fell in love with Neil Gaiman’s story about a cool girl with blue hair who lived in a pink house and refused to sew buttons into her eyes. Years later, right before graduating high school I was able to see one of my favorite stories come to life thanks to the highly imaginative minds at Laika Studios.

Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum

I finally had the opportunity to check out the glass museum last month! I had always heard great things and seen amazing pictures but these works by Washington native, Dave Chihuly is unlike anything I've ever seen. My absolute favorite section was the outdoor garden and the juxtaposition of the sculptures with the natural landscaping (I even caught some cool reflections of the needle). When I was there the Glasshouse was closed for a private event which was a bummer, so I would reccomend calling ahead to make sure everything will be open the day of your visit.

For more information, check out their website at www.chihulygardenandglass.com

Chateau de Gudanes

Yesterday I stumbled upon this blog which documents the renovation of a 17th century French Chateau located in a small village in the south of France. The once grand estate was designed by Parisian architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel and was purchased by a family from Australia in 2013. As I further investigated their blog entrees, I become enthralled with all the amazing details in every one of the 94 rooms. I have always been an admiring fan of old buildings, and this estate is a prime example of a period piece. With it's elaborate wall paper, painted murals, crown moldings, fireplaces, and rod iron details it's easy to fathom the multitude of dinner parties, balls, and fancy affairs that took place within these walls. The family plans on keeping as much of that old world charm as possible and would like to eventually open the Chateau to the public. I look forward to watching their journey and I hope to one day pay this magnificent structure a visit.

To read more about Chateau de Gudanes, check out their website HERE

This marble heart carving was discovered on one of the many fireplace mantles, just a small sample of the many hidden gems the family has found among the rubble.

Let's Talk About Scrapbooking...

I know I haven't really talked about this before on the blog but I just couldn't resist sharing some of the scrapbook pages of our wedding. It seems like the majority of people now a days order photo books online, which is perfectly fine but I must admit I have always been a sucker for a good scrapbook session. I can remember back to when I was ten years old I would attend scrapbook meetings with my mom and we would scrap until midnight (what can I say, I was always a bit of a photography nerd). A scrapbook seems so much more personal and unique to your style in that point in time. Below are a couple of tips and tricks I've learned along the way.

Tips and Tricks

-Make sure you dedicate a large space for this project, it's gonna get messy! Try to keep every picture organized and in chronological order, also make sure to have a trash bag on hand so the paper trimmings don't get everywhere.

-Don't just include pictures but anything that ties you to a memory. I used wedding cards from friends and family, programs, napkins, my bachelorette sash, favor stamp, and our invitations for decoration.

-Always experiment and move pictures around before committing to the glue, make sure your spacing is where you want it to be, if anything needs to be trimmed, etc.

-Be open to writing/drawing on pictures. I like doing this because I feel it gives it a more 'journalistic' touch.

-Look around and compare photo prices. I find it more expensive to print at home with the price of photo paper and ink, so I went to Walmart, you can order your pictures online and if you buy 100 they are only 9 cents a print.

Prints by Sandra Dieckmann

I love the whimsy and geometric influences of artist Sandra Dieckmann's work, you can check out her store on Society 6 by clicking HERE

Photos By Elle Moss

I fell in love with these prints by Elle Moss, which somehow encompass beauty and slight creepiness (the good kind) all into one. Check out her shop on Society6.com!

Locked Illusions - Photographic Artistry

In the spirit of Halloween I ran across these amazing photos taken by Locked Illusions. Locked Illusions breaks the typical child photography norm by focusing on alternative parents/kids, recreating historical characters along with fictional characters, and has embracing an overall gothic style of shooting. What amazed me the most is how expressive these kids are. Normally when viewing kid photography you see the typical spotlessly dressed kid (yeah, like when does that ever happen in real life?) with the backdrop of a beach or spelling something out with blocks, blah, blah,blah, if I were I kid I know I would have a lot more fun dressing up in a crazy costume and smearing fake blood all over my face. Side note: Make sure you pay attention to the second to last girl's eyes!

Illustrations by David Fleck

I love it when artists use different mediums on the same piece, like ink and watercolor. To me it adds to the texture and color of the work and makes it more visually interesting. You can buy any of these works in David Fleck's online shop, just click HERE

Beverly LeFevre Photography

I love the soft exposures and almost dream like qualities of Beverly's photographs. I love it when people are able to capture everyday objects and make you appreciate them or look at them in a different way. Beverly sells her prints on Society6, you can find the link to her shop HERE