Sponored Post: Maya Brenner Designs

I've had a few opportunities to do jewelry reviews in the past, but I made the decision to decline most of those offers because the thought of me styling diamonds was too far-fetched for me since my style and budget tend to lean on the thriftier side. On top of that I'm rather simple when it comes to jewelry and can't tolerate anything too fussy on my arms and fingers, so I thought it best to just say no.

When the folks at Maya Brenner contacted me about a jewelry review, the same thoughts went through my head: this stuff is going to be way to fancy and there's no way I'm wearing it. But when I got to Maya Brenner's site, I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of pretty and simple 14k gold and sterling silver charm necklaces––which include states, countries, letters, zodiac signs, and more––that I agreed.

The Arkansas charm was an easy pick for me because it's home. I graduate soon and have been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do once I'm done, and the thought of moving keeps coming up time and time again. It's something I've been anticipating for a while, and though I'll miss home a lot, the thought of new experiences keep pushing me forward. I like my Arkansas necklace a whole lot right now, but I think it'll be even more special once I'm gone.

The end.

Model: Katy Tipton
Designer: Lauren Kemp
Photographer & Stylist: Starr Crow

I think this should finish out the collection of photos I shot featuring Lauren Kemp's designs. I hope you liked everything you saw and don't mind that I stretched them out over such a long period of time. I've got more projects lined up, so hopefully I'll have some new work to show you soon!

Nothing that surrounds us is object, all is subject.

This was model Katy's favorite outfit from our shoot with Lauren Kemp's collection. She came in town yesterday for a different shoot with me and another photographer, but we had to cancel last minute because the hair/makeup artist never showed. It was a frustrating situation.

I used to get pretty bummed when stuff like that happened, especially because so much thought and planning goes into every detail of a shoot. Some models have to ask off work, others drive in from nearby cities, and you just have to cross your fingers and hope that everyone follows through and shows up like they promised. Most of the time it works out, but sometimes it doesn't. I just try to keep a positive attitude and reschedule as quickly as possible. Yesterday we cured the blues with pizza.

A weekend of Instax

Bowler Hat & Tights: Target
Blanket: Housewarming gift from Cheyenne

Jake and I went on a small in-state tourist adventure over the weekend. I've been wanting to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art since it opened in the fall, so we planned a mini road trip to northern Arkansas to see it. The museum is about three and a half hours away from us, located in the same city as Wal-Mart's headquarters, and it's a product of Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton's fortune. Though the museum is the big tourist draw, Bentonville's sort of an unlikely place to vacation, so we opted to stay an hour away in Eureka Springs instead.

 We took the scenic route there, straight through the Ozark Mountains, which probably added a ton of time to our trip, but it was fine because our real goal for the day was to have no goal anyway. We packed a picnic of leftovers, but the sky was grey and our stomachs stayed full from breakfast so we never ate it. Jake drove and stopped every time I told him I wanted a picture, which probably happened three or four times along the way. It's the kind of thing I always want to do on a road trip, but their never seems to be any spare time.

We stopped in a small town called Kingston first which consisted of a town square and a strange roundabout which cycled traffic around the square through the middle of the town, and was strange mostly because the square wasn't round, it was square. I read on the gas station door that there was free wi-fi in that square and, in my city ways, thought that was funny for some weird reason. We parked and walked around for a bit, and that's when I photographed the 60s pay phone and the old white building. I had the disguise of a tourist all weekend with my 35mm Canon around my neck and my Instax mini around my wrist.

We spent most of that night drinking in our hotel room, and Sunday morning we woke up bright and early and made our way to the historic district of Eureka Springs. If you haven't been to Eureka Springs, it's definitely a place to add to your list. There's lots of quirky shops there and tons of great history, plus it's nestled up in the hills with spectacular views of purple mountains. Jake bought me a quilt, which I love, and he walked around with me as I took more pictures of Chapel signs and silly sculptures.

That afternoon we drove west to the museum where we saw works by Benjamin West, Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder, to name but a few. Cameras were allowed so long as you didn't use a flash, and so you can imagine my embarrassment when my flash went off as I photographed a Calder mobil. I didn't get in any trouble which was good, but the picture wasn't all that great for such an unintentional renegade moment. Despite that, the trip was great and I was glad that we went.

Catching Up

Sweater & Shoes: Goodwill
Vintage Fedora: Estate Sale
Skirt: American Apparel
Tote: Modcloth
Necklace: Saver's
Nude Heart Tights: Forever 21

Things have been pretty busy around here despite the fact that finals have been over for more than a week now. I still don't have a Christmas tree up or anything remotely festive around the house, and I haven't even thought about buying a single present yet. I'll be scrambling to get all that together this weekend (wish me luck).

The good news is that I have a couple of new outfits to post! I haven't found much time to edit photos until now, so there were a couple of sets just hanging out on my camera waiting for me. This one is pretty recent. Kristi and I met for lunch and a trip to a few local boutiques, and she was sweet enough to take some photos for me. I've been carrying this Moby Dick tote around non-stop for the past month, and the sweater pretty much carried me through the second half of the semester.

I fell in love because it reminded me of a combination of two shirts I wanted from Urban Outfitters in 2007 or 2008. I never bought either one of them, but I did cut them out of the catalog and glue them into my sketchbook. I was ecstatic when I finally found something similar at Goodwill, and it's cropped too which is perfect because I can wear it over most of my dresses.

Three For A Dime

A few weeks ago I got a Formspring question asking about my favorite local fashion blogs. Since I don't know too many fashion blogs written out of Little Rock, I responded with a small list of my friends blogs and I told her that my favorite local blog wasn't about fashion, rather about history. It's called the Encyclopedia of Arkansas and it's a brilliant documentation of Arkansas' history and culture.

It wasn't long after I responded that I got a comment on twitter letting me know that the Encyclopedia of Arkansas was, coincidentally, the company that she worked for! We held hands and sang "it's a small world after all" and then she told me about the latest exhibit at the Butler Center downtown.

The exhibit (by Maxine Payne) is called"Making Pictures: Three for a Dime" and it documents the lives of Jim and Mancy Massingills family as they traveled across Arkansas taking pictures from 1937-1941.

There were three homemade trailers in all, one for Jim and Mancy, one for their son Lance and his wife, Evelyn, and one for their youngest son Lawrence and his wife, Thelma. They weren't specialists in photography, but with a little time and a lot of work, they managed to build a homemade camera and photo booth inside the trailer. They would go from town to town taking pictures of the locals and selling them three for a dime. Both the men and the women took the pictures, but the women also specialized in hand tinting them for an extra nickel.

They were geniuses if you ask me. They figured out a way to make a little bit of money while raising a family in the rural south. I loved every single photograph that I saw! It was interesting to see the different ways the women would shade the repeating backgrounds and all the different fun and vibrant colors they would use.

The journal entries were also quite interesting to read, though I think the most routine and mundane ones were my favorite:

"Lawrence went to Bald Knob and I ironed. It rained again today."

 There were shots of young kids dressed as cowboys, best friends posed back to back, and couples leaning head to head. There were all kinds of different personalities and outfits too. I think the above photos were my favorites.

It's unbelievable to think that Maxine Payne – a professor at one of the local colleges – acquired this story along with 700 of the photographs! I thought their was a book for sell, but I can't seem to find anything about it now. If your interested in learning more about Maxine or want to see more of the Massingill family work, you can find it at her website.

Local Designer Spotlight: Lauren Roark

On Saturday night I went to an event called HarvestFest in a well-known and very well-liked neighborhood, Hillcrest, here in Little Rock. HarvestFest is pretty much a massive block party, except for the fact that they have a yearly fashion show! It's put on by a great little boutique called Box Turtle which carries a lot of great independent designer pieces. I've always loved the shop because there's a room upstairs that's dedicated to nothing but local designers!

I think in all there were something like six or seven designers who showed, all very creative and unique with their own different styles and influences, but my favorite designer had to be Lauren Roark. I had a feeling that would happen since she loves vintage as much, if not more than me. She's got a pretty vintage shop in one of the local flea markets and I know she sells a few things online too!

Her background in vintage radiated through the silhouettes in her collection, though the vibrant prints and inventive headpieces rounded it out with a much more modern element. I could see myself wearing the first dress more than anything, but I know it's a one-of-a-kind design and there's no way that model is the same size as me!

If I had a fancy flash for my camera like the guy beside me, I'd definitely have more photos to show you. I wish I would've gotten more of Lauren's line and of the line that went right before her, but my camera doesn't do so well at night. I just ordered a Canon Speedlite 580ex on Ebay today, mostly because I have my first paying photo gigs coming up in a few weeks and I want to be prepared, but it'll be nice to have it for nighttime events like this too.

If you're interested in learning more about Lauren or want to get your hands on one of her pieces, just let me know and I'll try to get you in contact with her.

Biking to the Clinton Library

It's been a bit of a delay getting to my Labor Day photos, but between listing clothes, styling outfits, printing tickets, making lists and Wal-mart trips, and still going to school and birthday parties, I haven't had much time to devote to pictures.

I wish I could say these photos were taken during a Labor Day picnic at a serene location with my honey, but that would be a big fat lie. Jake spent the holiday playing video games at a friends house, and I did a lot of the things listed above, along with riding my bike to the Clinton Library for some outfit shots. The clouds were real pesky that day, and every time I'd have the perfect shot setup, the sun would hide behind the clouds again. It was annoying, and I spent half the time sitting and waiting for the sun to get out and do it's business.

I love the steep heels on the lawn of the president's library though. I love that they make me look like I'm in a vast place—assuming you don't see that helicopter in the background, of course—and I love that they shield me from any tourists passing by. It's just me surrounded by three walls of grass!