Sweet Summer

Summer is so great.  I almost can't remember the grey, rainy days that stretch on for months.  I'm not looking forward to going back to that.  But for now it's heaven on earth!  Dan is probably going back to school in the fall, so we're cherishing this summer break time before life gets super busy again in a couple months.  I'm excited for fall, but I could honestly go for a few more months of this glorious weather.  Lately I've been feeling pretty creative and productive.  Maybe it's the weather.  I'm just feeling a lot more energized and less sluggish than I used to.  I'm really enjoying cooking up tasty things in the kitchen, doing my design work, working out, and taking photos.  Dan and I are coming to realize that spending time in the kitchen is pretty damn awesome.  Cooking, making drinks,  eating delicious things, collaborating, spending time together.  I love spending time in the kitchen, and I love how in any house, the kitchen is where people tend to congregate.  We're making sure that the next place we live has a kitchen that's much bigger (okay, well, everything much bigger, but most importantly: kitchen).

dress + shoes/courtesy of modcloth :: jacket/courtesy of lulu's

bag/courtesy of handbag heaven :: necklace/courtesy of jewelmint :: photos of me by Dan

Despite not wanting fall to come at all, I feel like I'm subconsciously planning for it.  I'm already keeping my eye out for the perfect winter coat.  My favorite go-to has been so for a few years and I'd hate to run it into the ground with another winter, so I want to find a perfect winter coat before things start getting super chilly.  My brain has also decided to start thinking about making homemade Christmas presents.  ALREADY.  Well, that's probably a good thing because by the time I actually start doing it I'm sure it'll be down to the wire.  Even though I'm sad thinking about summer leaving, the end of the year really is an exciting time.  Halloween, our 1st anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years... it's a busy time of year!  Hopefully it'll keep my mind off the grey, wet weather.

AsianiCandy Giveaway!

Hello all!  Happy Monday t'ya.  Today I'm partnering up with Asian iCandy to give away a $30 gift card and you've got three chances to win this one!

To Enter: 

1. Follow Asian iCandy on Pinterest.
2. Follow Asian iCandy's blog. 
3. For a bonus entry and the chance to win another $100 to Asian iCandy, you can enter their Pinterest contest. Its open to international entrants too!

For every one of the above that you do, come back here and leave a comment letting me know how you entered.  Make sure to leave a separate comment for each way you enter.  On at least one of your comments, make sure to leave me a way to get ahold of you, in case you win!  The giveaway will be open for entries until Saturday, August 18th at 9pm PST.

They've still got the dress and similar tights to the ones I'm wearing in the photo, plus you can get 10% off by using the code "delightful10"

Spicy Firecracker Shrimp!

You guys.  Make these.  They are SO good.  The other day I found this recipe on Pinterest and had the recipe open in my browser for a week to remind myself that I had to make them.  I'd never fried anything before, so I was excited to give it a go and it was really simple!  You marinate the shrimp in a zingy, spicy sauce for about a half hour, wrap 'em in egg roll wrappers, fry them up and BAM.  Deliciousness in your mouth.  We thought some friends were going to come over so I made twice as many as I should've (tragic, I know) and by the time we were done we were sitting motionless on the couch, full to the brim with happy stomachs.  She gives you the recipe for the dipping sauce too, which is divine.  Dan liked them, if you can't tell...

Low Tuck Up-Do

A while ago I saw this technique used as a way to get big, curly hair without using any heat products.  I don't really need to do that, as my hair is naturally big and curly so I never did it and never thought that it could be a cute hair style rather than a technique to curl your hair.  Lately I've seen some people wearing their hair in low up-dos like this, and thought I'd give it a go!  So fast.  So easy.  So cute and chic.  Plus, it works on short hair!  I've been struggling to figure out how to style shorter hair since I've been working with mega-long hair most of my life.  This style is perfect for summer to get your hair off your neck on those hot days without resorting to a ponytail.  Plus, I feel like it has a little edwardian, Lady Mary feel to it!

How do you do it?

1. Get an elastic headband about the same color as your hair, or you can use one that has a cute embellishment that will show in the front.

2. Pull the headband down over the top of your hair.  If you have bangs, pull it on behind your bangs, so it comes across the front right where your bangs start.

3. Start on one side, taking sections of hair up and over the headband and tucking the hair back under the headband.

4. Repeat this process until you reach the back of your head and then start over on the other side at the front, working your way to the back.

5. Tuck, tuck, tuck...

6. I found that the back tended to be less secure and would fall out sometimes, so I threw a couple bobby pins back there to keep everything ship shape.  You can do this anywhere you find that the hair has a tendency to fall out.

My hair is naturally big and curly, so it has volume to lend to the style on it's own, but if you want more volume and have straight or thin hair, throw in some hairspray and give it a bit of a curl before you start the style.  If your hair is thin or slippery and doesn't want to stay tucked, maybe give it some texture by spritzing in some dry shampoo or hairspray before doing the style.  For a little flair, tuck in a fresh flower or two near the front!

Different Angles

A couple days ago I ran across this photography method where you essentially create a wide angle photo by using a bunch of photos stitched together, which essentially means you can get a shallow depth of field that you couldn't get if you tried taking the same photo with a wide angle lens.  The photo above and the one right before the outfit details were done using this method.  Both are composed of about 20 photos stitched together.  It was my first time trying it out, but it's pretty fun!  Sometimes photoshop still blows my mind at what it's capable of.  It's basically modern day magic.  

This is my favorite place to go for photos.  It gets beautiful lighting in the evening and it's a little wild and overgrown nook in the middle of the city.  It makes me feel like I'm in the woods even though just 50 feet away is a major arterial, and 50 feet in the other direction is a huge elementary school.  This park is slated for some major renovations which includes putting paths in around the area I take photos. I'm afraid it will result in the area looking more domesticated and like a typical park, but hopefully it will retain some of its natural beauty.  It's nice to have a natural little refuge in the middle of a bustling city.

dress/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/courtesy of seychelles :: bag/courtesy of handbag heaven

shades/vintage :: necklace/courtesy of a lost feather :: some photos by Dan

This is one of the sundresses I told myself I had to wear as an actual sundress before autumn settles in again.  I wore this dress last September to the wooden boat festival in Port Townsend, which was a really fun trip. My parents were in town and it was the first time hanging out with them in person since we got engaged, so it was kind of a celebratory trip.  I love putting on a dress and remembering all the other occasions it was worn for.  I think that's what's most fun about remixing.  Not only are you making the most of what's in your closet, you get to pull out a dress and remember the other times it was worn.  It's like slipping into memories and wearing them around.