Ruta Puuc

My favorite moments in Mexico were definitely the times that our tour guide took a detour from the touristy places and allowed us to see and experience the culture there. When we left Uxmal we had a long drive back down the Ruta Puuc (or the Puuc Route) on our way back to Mérida. The Ruta Puuc is a beautiful scenic road that passes through several ancient Maya sites. It led us to the home of the locals I talked about in the last post and to the Ecomuseo del Cacao where I saw fresh cacao plants and banana trees and tasted some of the best dark chocolate I've ever had. It also led us to a ceramic workshop where two locals spent their time creating the most beautiful pieces of Maya art. The gentlemen crafted the ceramics while the lady painted on them. She referred to a reprint of one of the few surviving ancient Maya codices throughout the painting process so that her characters would look exactly like the ones found in Maya art, before the codices were destroyed during the Spanish conquest. I really enjoyed seeing them work and getting a peek into their workshop.

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!

Christmas Card Giveaway

I know I have a bad habit of saying that every single giveaway is my favorite – and I genuinely like everything that I agree to giveaway – but this giveaway more than any other takes the cake! It's not just because they're adorable Christmas cards that any girl would love to receive, but it's because they were created by my super amazing, beautiful, and talented sister, Kristi.

I'm so thrilled to see that she's using her artistic talents again. She just opened a new etsy store for her greeting cards called The Flight of Thought and she's decided to keep making cards for all kinds of occasions throughout the year!

To win this set of cards, all you have to do is add Kristi's shop to your favorites on Etsy! Be sure to leave a comment with your email address. I'll draw a winner at the end of the week. Keep in mind that the more cards you buy, the more Christmas presents I'll get. ;) Just kidding. xo!

Congratulations to Talluah! You're the winner of the Five and Two giveaway.

Hetterson

 

I don't know how Stephanie from Dores does it, but she always manages to uncover some of the best collections around. I particularity like this group of photos from Hetterson. I remember reading about the handmade brand a while back on Anja's blog, Clever Nettle, and it was so nice to find it again! The fabrics, the shapes, and most of all, the colors, are just perfection. It's a brand I think everyone should know about.

On a side note, it seems this tumblr reawakening is having a serious affect on my postings. Would you all like to see more of the things that are inspiring me on this blog too (along with my outfits and thrift finds, of course), or should I keep all that stuff on tumblr?

A Critter Giveaway!

My friend Paden has been making 'Critters' for a few years now. He's a machine when it comes to putting the little guys together and he's got a knack for making each character seem very unique and one of a kind by giving each Critter their own personal story!

Meet Francine!

I'm so happy to announce that Paden has finally added more Critters to his etsy shop, along with the option to custom design your very own critter too and he wants to do a giveaway!! This is probably the most fun giveaway for me, simply because I got to design Francine myself. I couldn't resist using that green velvet and giving her a very girlie lace collar! I thought it would be cute to shoot her outfit photos just like we shoot mine too.

If you'd like to get to know Francine a little better –her story is hilarious– you can read about her at the bottom of the post! If you'd like to enter for a chance to win Francine, all you have to do is leave a comment mentioning your favorite item from Paden's Critter shop!

Paden and I talked about it, and we sure are going to miss Francine when she's gone!

All about Francine. . .

“Hi there, sugar – my name's Francine. Well, at least that's the name I go by around here. You remember the Roswell landing in '49? That wasn't me. I landed the same day, way out in rural Indiana, and hiked my way to the suburbs. Now, the wreckage they found at Roswell was just a diversion: I jettisoned my ex-husband's body and a weather balloon to distract the US military from what was really going on. I don't think they ever found the ex-husband.

“Well, it was hard going for a while, I'm not gonna lie – I've eaten my share of lard sandwiches and potted meat – but eventually, I got a break. See, I came here to be a star. The concept of a celebrity doesn't exist on my planet. We are what we are. But you folks know how to admire talent. I took up with a down-on-her luck dancer, gal named Tammy Gillespie, and together, we were a ventriloquist act that couldn't be beat. She wasn't a very bright bulb, Tammy, but with me writing all the material, she didn't have to be. We were like George and Gracie, the two of us, every night bringing down whatever that week's house happened to be. We toured with Milton Berle for a few years, before he really started doing television. I was the one, by the way, that told him he could get a lot of laughs in a dress. And whataya know, he did. Even if 'Aunt Mildred' did have skinny legs.

“After a while, though, the FBI caught on to us, and they tapped me for a job I just couldn't pass up: Special Secretary of Internal/external Xenobiological Affairs. It sounds impressive, but the really important part of that title is 'secretary'. That's right: they hired an alien to work in a department on extra-terrestrial affairs, and they made her type. And that's where I've been for forty years. Directors come and go, but there's Francine, little green old lady, working away at her computer.

“So whataya say we go out and have a drink or two? If you're lucky, I'll sing you a couple of old Betelgeusian battle hymns – get your blood going. Come on, I'm buyin'.”