VSCO Cam!

01: frozen yogurt.

02: rainy day.

03: painting my room june morn. and it's chalkboard paint!

04: favorite shoes.

05: me and my boys.

06: new art materials are always a good idea.

just some shots from this week so far, taken with VSCO Cam. :)

xoxo | annika

People Tend Not To

 From women's eyes this doctrine I derive //
They sparkle still the right Promethean fire //
They are the books, the arts, the academes //
That show, contain and nourish all the world //
- William Shakespeare

Point-of-view | Wordless

xoxo, i'm not quite dead | annika

A Spot Of Tea

I love tea. It's calming, and a nice alternative to coffee. Some of my favorites are green, black, raspberry and English breakfast. What are yours?

xoxo | annika

Christmas // The Tree

Our tree is a lovely, lopsided fellow. He's always dropping pine needles; and just when you have a sweet tooth he lets a candy cane slide off his branches.

I like him. I like him a lot. I'll be sorry to see him go come next year.

xoxo | annika

'Twas the night

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there;
-- First verse from A Visit From St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston, Jr

It's finally, finally, Christmas Eve. I've managed to get everything in order, even though it took one peppermint mocha and half a tin of cinnamon Altoids. Which seem to have headache reliving properties...

My Christmas shopping--done yesterday  at the last minute--was awkward. Extremely awkward, especially with curious little boys peering into the cart, following me around the store and not-so-subtly pointing out what they wanted. But, thanks to my big sister powers, they still don't know what they're getting. 

As I have all my life, I'm looking forward to the epic endgame of the Holiday Season that is Christmas. To joy, happiness and the birthday of Jesus Christ. And (yes) opening presents; along with the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

xoxo | annika

wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, spacey-wacey

As of today, I view the 2009 movie 2012 as an extremely dark comedy. But I'm not going to lie--I was a little on edge yesterday, waiting for fireballs to rain down from the sky and mountain crushing tsunamis to erase my city clean off the map at any second. Though I do know the date of the world's end is so classified even Jesus doesn't know it, I also know another thing.

It would be mean to kill everybody right before Christmas.

xoxo | annika

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas | Wordless

xoxo | annika

+ i want to host a giveaway sometime soon. if you own an etsy shop with QUALITY items and are interested in sponsoring, message//send fanmail [to] me on tumblr.

This Is...

taken in LA

my favorite poem

my favorite song

my favorite quote 

my favorite hobby

my guilty pleasure

xoxo | annika

In Which Fall Goes Out With a Bang

One thing about Fall is that it goes out gracefully. Winter? It sulks around till nobody likes it anymore. Same with Summer. It ought to be ashamed of itself, trying to broil us alive right up till October 31st. And Spring? It has identity issues--calling itself Spring when it clearly has turned into Summer.

That's why I like Fall. It wears gold and garnet and lets us know it's there. It holds the backs of our bikes, helping us ride from Summer to Winter smoothly before letting us go do our own thing. And it doesn't just go out gracefully.

It goes out with a bang.

xoxo | annika

+this is my 99th post.
+grab a cup of tea and go visit hannah nicole, who left a lovely comment on my last post.

B+W | Wordless

TGIF

clockwise:

01. yarn. 02. blackeyed susans. 03. autumn spice tea. 04. jeans. 05. bokeh. 06. nancy drew.

When I was younger, I really didn't get the infatuation society has with Friday, or the weekend in general. I get it now. It's two days to do the things you really want to. The things you really love doing. Two days set apart from reality, where anything can happen.

So, this weekend, why don't you...

01. Read a book.

02. Take some photos.

03. Write.

04. Make time for friends.

05. Blog.

06. Laugh.

07. Paint a picture.

08. Be yourself.

Thank God it's Friday. 

all images taken and edited with vintage camera. #idontdoinstagram

through the viewfinder

 not my dog. sadly.

Today, I'm going to talk about some of my pet peeves, habits and give a few tips when it comes to photography.

Shoot outside. 

I have an aversion to taking pictures inside and the horror that is--dun dun dun--the flash. If you haven't noticed, nearly all of my pictures are taken outdoors. No joke. Natural light, be it the soft, silvery rays of a sunrise, the golden hues of the afternoon or the high-noon sun on the hottest day of summer, is almost always better. But between you and me, I envy those craft bloggers who always seem to have perfect lighting in their  indoor-taken DIY pics. I want their secret.

Don't over edit. 

If you're new to editing, I know it's neigh impossible to not go all APPLY ALL THE FILTERS on your pics. Look at my archives from around April if you're wondering what I'm talking about. Wait, um, actually, don't do that. Anyways, the most you need is some simple color adjustment, a very mild filter some or B+W. Maybe Sepia, if you're feeling ambitious. I suggest rollip.com.

Watermark like copyright laws don't exist.

I know some people find watermarks ugly and disruptive on pictures, but you know what's even more ugly and disruptive? People stealing other peoples' images. Don't give me such a surprised look--it happens. So stay safe. A picture is better off watermarked than stolen.

Less is more. 

We all fall prey to the post-an-ungodly-amount-of-pictures bug sometimes, especially after a vacation or wedding shoot, but this is one of the main things I can't stand about blogging. They slow down (and sometimes even freeze!) most peoples' internet and browser. I know you have tons of amazing pics to share, but either save them for a later date or pick out your favorite ten or twelve. 

Cut back.

Photography is a gamble. Maybe with the right angle and lighting, you can get that shot. If you mess up but take another right away, you got a shot, but not the shot. While I haven't done this myself--digital photography is too addictive--during your next shoot, limit yourself to 24 shots; as if you were using film. 

Know your partner.

Did you know that on some point-and-shoots you can change your ISO? Zoom? Even switch to black and white, shoot video in full HD or do all of the above underwater? Read your camera's manual or do a Google search--know what it can do.

Thanks for reading! What are your photography tips and tricks? What type of camera do you have? Tell me in the comments section!

xoxo,

annika

Oops, I Bokeh'd. {wordless}

xoxo,
annika