one for one

'm not an early adopter.  I like to hold on to old things until I'm forced to update.  When I was in high school I refused to read Harry Potter simply because everyone was doing it.  Ditto for watching The Simpsons.  I had my Nokia 6010 brick phone until 2012 and only gave it up because it got drenched in a downpour and the buttons eventually stopped working.  Instead of upgrading to an iPhone 6, I fixed the cracked screen on my old iPhone 4.  I got on instagram, pinterest, and twitter way too late in the game.  I'm still not sure what snapchat is.  But, I will say, that I'm trying to change.  When I was younger I thought I was being an individual and "going against the grain" by not being into what everyone else was.  Now, I'd like to be less of a stick in the mud and try things when they're new, not just when it's so late in the game that I'd be dumb not to join in.  
All of this is to preface the fact that I used to be super not into TOMS.  Like, up until two weeks ago.  Everyone I knew had a pair of those little floppy canvas TOMS shoes, and while I felt like (based on what I noticed from my friends' shoes) they fell apart a bit too quickly for my taste, my main turn off was just how ubiquitous they were.  I was all eye-roll-y about it all.  Yeah, TOMS, whatever.  What's the big deal?  So I brushed them off and slipped on my moccasins which had lasted me 4 years and still weren't close to falling apart.  But then, at TxSC CAMP I learned more, a lot more, about TOMS and felt a little stupid for not wising up sooner.  For someone who loves supporting clothing companies that are actively trying to do good in the world, I kind of totally missed out on this company who is kicking ass and taking names in this department.  After chatting with Bethany Joy Clark, the Marketing Director for TOMS at TxSC, I'm so excited about what TOMS is doing.  Her beautiful positive outlook and magnetizing joy and passion for changing the world through her work is so inspiring.  Seriously, you guys, my stone heart melted and I cried during her keynote speech at TxSC.

 
top(similar)/thrifted :: cardigan/courtesy of ruche :: boots(similar)/lulu e. bebe leggings(similar)/courtesy of modcloth :: bag/toms

I'll stop fangirling in a sec, but I was most captivated by learning about their new bag line.  True to their one-for-one model, for each TOMS bag purchase, they're helping support safe births around the world by giving safe birth kits and training to birth attendants in areas of the world where infection due to unsanitary birth conditions causes death of mothers and newborns.  Those of you who have been around the blog might know why this particular cause is meaningful for me.  My grandmother was a nurse midwife in the 40's and 50's, doing exactly what TOMS is doing.  She started as a nurse midwife with the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky, where nurse midwives would visit patients on horseback, which was the only way to access those folks living in the hundreds of square miles of backwoods country (if you've watched "Call The Midwife," just picture that, except instead of bikes, they rode horses, and instead of London streets, they covered hundreds of miles of woods).  Because of her experience in Kentucky and her public health degree, she was hired by the Territory of Alaska to construct a plan to combat the high rate of mother and infant mortality that was occurring during birth in the Alaska native villages.  She trained native women all across Alaska on safe birth practices, taking small planes, boats, and dog sleds to get to them, and she wrote and illustrate dozens of guides which were published by the Alaska State Health Department which were distributed to villages across Alaska, outlining safe practices for birthing babies.  

Alaska and Kentucky now have access to 1st world medical facilities, but TOMS is helping do exactly what my grandma did, in areas of the world which still desperately need clean and educated birthing, for the health of both the mothers and babies.  I think my grandma would be stoked (can grandparents be "stoked"?) to hear about the work TOMS is doing for women around the world.   Also, it just happens to be my Grandma's birthday today!  Happy 94th birthday, Grandma!

At TxSC, TOMS generously gifted every attendee one of their new waxed canvas backpacks, and now I'm giving one away to one of you!  Stay tuned for the giveaway later today!  And the winners of the ModCloth, ONA, and Blog(Design)Love 2.0 giveaways are below! Congrats ladies!

PHOTOBOMB! become your own pro photographer!

ver my 6 years of blogging, I've learned the ins and outs of great blog photography.  Some of my most frequently asked questions have to to with photography, outfit photos, photo gear, and more, so I figured it was high time to finally put together an all encompassing guide covering everything from DSLR basics, to the ins and outs of food photography, shooting your own outfits, and more.  I had originally started this guide out as an e-course, but I wanted to make something easy to download and keep with you without having to get online and log on, so with this guide, once you purchase, you automatically get the link to download the guide right in your inbox! 

I wanted to focus this guide on photography for bloggers, since that's who I most often receive photography questions from, but it's really a lifestyle photography guide for anyone looking to learn more about your DSLR, how to manipulate your settings, tips for finding great light, and shooting various subject matter with ease.  

This guide isn't going to make you a pro overnight.  Like anything, photography is a skill that is honed over time with practice.  Sure some people have a natural talent, but everyone has to learn how to use the camera, figure out how to change settings to achieve the right exposure, and develop their personal photography style and skill as they practice, natural talent or none.  It might take a year of practice to feel confident, or maybe just a month or two, but, as they say, that time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well be honing your craft, right?  In my guide I include photography assignments and prompts after every section to help you keep shooting and practicing on the daily, because you can read as many photography guides as you can, but if you aren't actually practicing on a regular basis, you're not going to see much improvement!  Having a blog and shooting every single day for it was what helped me grow as a photographer more than anything else!

PHOTOBOMB! includes 90+ pages covering:

• How to get started using your DSLR on Manual Mode

• Create phone and instagram photos that POP!

• Learn how to take self portraits so awesome people will ask you "Who is your photographer?!"

• Find poses which flatter your body, and take your own headshots for social media accounts and more!

• Take your recipe posts to the next level with scrumptious food photography and styling.

• Learn the ins and outs of photographing your home and interior decor

• Capture your life in an engaging way with inspiring lifestyle photography

• Take your readers with you to your fun events by photographing events like a pro.

...and tons of photography prompts to help you keep shooting, learning, and honing your craft!

For people looking for more targeted help, I've also split the guide up and have a couple sections from the guide offered separately: Self Portrait Photography, Food Photography, and Intro to your DSLR are all offered on their own for those who are interested in just those specific topics. I know there are lots of bloggers out there who wish for a pro photographer bff/boyfriend/mom (sometimes even I fall into this category, haha!), but instead of wishing for your magical photographer fairy godmother to drop into your life, you could spend that time working to become your own pro photographer.  Being my own photographer for my blog has been super empowering.  I don't feel like I'm depending on someone else to be able to do shoots for my posts, I don't have to explain my vision to someone else, I don't have to feel bad for wasting someone's time when I want to take forever to get just the right shot, and as an unexpected bonus, I'm actually working as a professional photographer shooting for other people now!   Being your own pro photographer can be frustrating sometimes, but the benefits have far outweighed any frustration I've experienced! Kick the self doubt to the curb.  You can take amazing photos for your life, family, and blog.  It'll take a little time and a lot of practice, but you can do it! Head over to the shop and get the guide now!  I've extended my discount code, so you now have till April 10th to get 10% off using the code "NewDT" at checkout!  I've got a special hashtag in there so you can share your progress and the photos from your assignments, so I can't wait to see you guys start getting to work, learning and growing! If you have any questions you can email me, or leave a comment on this post and I'll reply!  

an aversion to uniformity

his is technically a bonus outfit from my last remixology post!  It's always fun to see how many ways just a few pieces can be paired together.  I've been thinking about doing another wardrobe purge, or at least putting together a capsule wardrobe for the Brave trip (though I suppose my wardrobe will be a capsule wardrobe for the trip no matter what, since my closet in the Winne is capsule-sized).  I've never been a capsule wardrobe type person, I find my style varies too much from day to day and a capsule wardrobe is much easier for someone who has a very defined style.  I've also always been extremely averse to the idea of uniforms.  I was in Brownies for like two days and then quit, for various reasons, but the uniform was one, I never wanted to wear my Awana vest (though I was a fan of putting the patches on it),  and anytime anyone mentioned wanting to make our school have a uniform, I threatened to leave immediately.  Something inside me has a visceral reaction to uniformity.  Like, I sometimes get angry talking about uniforms.  It's a little ridiculous.  Anyone else hate uniforms?  I can't be the only one.
Perhaps it's just my desire for visual expression.  I've always been artistic, and always very stubborn when it comes to my personal style, even if that "style" is sweatpants and baggy t-shirts.  Uniforms just tend to butt up against both of those very strong, ingrained personality traits, I suppose!  I know there are plenty of great reasons for uniforms, but I will just never be the type of person to like them.  Are you a uniform person?  I know some people love the simplicity of it!



top + jacket(similar) + shoes(similar)/thrifted  :: shorts(similar)/courtesy of modcoth necklace/francesca's collection :: tights/h+m :: photos by Dan

$50 lulu's giveaway!

've still got some more juicy giveaways for you guys to celebrate this new space!  If you haven't entered the ONA, ModCloth, or Blog (Design) Love 2.0 giveaways, they're still open, so head over and enter those before they close!  Today I'm giving away $50 to Lulu's!  A couple weeks ago I did a Remixology post featuring a few of my favorite pieces from Lulu's, I love how colorful, bright, and graphic their clothes are.  The perfect place to look when I'm wanting a pop of something bold.   Thanks to all of you who left comments and emailed about my last post!  I'm super excited to bring a new dream to life, and I'm especially excited to give the Brave some much needed TLC in the next few months.  Yay for exciting things!  Okay, well we've got plenty of time to wax on about the Brave later, but for now, get to entering to win this giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE BRAVE // a new dream hatching

 sent a letter out to my VIP list folks last night talking about fear and how I'm learning to rewire my response to fear (sidenote: calling it my "VIP" list feels weird since I consider all of you VIP's, so you guys should come up with a better name for it.  I hate the word newsletter, so boring.  Ideas? The Brave Report?)  I'm excited to lean into fear, rather than recoil.  Well, maybe not excited about the fear part, but I'm excited to see where living into fear takes me.  I need to do a recap of TxSC because I was so inspired to go for some new dreams that I hadn't even considered, but there are various fears attached with going for new dreams, and I'm not going to let those fears keep me from hunting them down.

One of my big fears is failure, or trying something that ends up not working out (which feels like failure, too).  Over the past few years I've hesitated to mention any of my new dreams here on the blog for fear of it not working out or people being disappointed if I don't end up following through.  I've been going back through my archives pulling favorite outfits for my #flashbackfriday posts and I was reminded how recklessly open I was about so many dreams, the Brave in particular.  So here goes nothing: I'm planning another Brave trip (once you say it, you have to do it right?! Ahhh!).  I have weddings to shoot this summer and so I'm tied to Tacoma for the next 6-ish months, but I'm not going to take on any fall/winter weddings after the last one I have booked in October, and I'll have a similar timeline for leaving in the fall like I did 5 years ago.  On my first trip I left on Sept 20th and returned Dec 20th, and I'm not sure what the duration of this one will be, but it's definitely planned to be cross-country again, and since it's in the winter (again) I'll be heading south on a similar-ish route as last time to keep warm, though I would like to make it further up the east coast on this trip (maybe hitting NY if it's not too cold?).

 



Can we all take a moment to appreciate this needle + thread parking job?  I'm standing against the house on the opposite side of the alley from the winne to take this photo.  I'm pretty sure if the Brave was 2 ft longer it wouldn't have made the turn.  There's about 2.5 feet on either side (closer, if you count the eaves/gutters).  This is the Winne's current home.  Kristi lived here for about 6 months and I have another friend moving in for the next couple months.  

Last time my trip was very much an inward journey.  It was a healing journey for me and something I needed to do for myself.  I needed the trip to fill myself back up after going through my breakup, feeling a bit lost after graduating from college, and wanting to fulfill a lifelong dream.  This time, I feel like I want to fill others.  I want this trip to give back to people, so I'll be starting a podcast/vlogcast (or both?!  I haven't decided!) called The Brave (I'm very clever) and on my journeys I'll be visiting rad chicks who are kicking ass and taking names, inviting them into The Brave studio (i.e. the kitchen table) and chatting with them about life, dreams, confidence, feminism, creativity, and more.

The Brave needs some TLC, she hasn't seen a lot of action in the last few years, so I'm wanting to semi-gut her and give her some new life with a renovation, which I really would love to document here on the blog as well!  Last year I ripped out the old brown carpet (it was ugly and not even original) and installed this new flooring, and I also installed a new butcher block countertop, but I'm noticing that it's already warping (anyone else have this problem??), so I might have to re-do that, but hopefully I can salvage it.  The windows in the back are pretty leaky and have completely destroyed the wood veneer walls, so I'll probably be gutting the walls and giving it some kind of new treatment.  It'd be nice (for both time and money reasons) to not have to completely gut her, but we'll see how far I have to go once I see the extent of the damage and what I can work with.  

I'm actually kind of excited about giving her a fresh interior.  When I first went on my search for the perfect Brave I was hot and heavy into vintage surfaces and textures.  I was a dyed in the wool maximalist in my visual preferences and had a pretty strong penchant for faux wood.  I found a winne that was pretty close to original, with a few exceptions, like the carpet and upholstery.  Being forced to give her a new look due to water damage gives me a chance to give her a new look that fits my current personal style and I'm excited to see how she ends up looking by the end of the summer!  As of now, I know I'll be painting her, reupholstering the rear benches, and making new curtains.  The bathroom will probably need new walls, and I definitely need to figure out a way to seal the windows so they don't ruin the walls again.

I don't know if Dan will come with me, I think he was excited about it being another solo journey for me.  I may or may not take Dusty.  She's an amazing car dog, so I think she'd had a blast.  On my original trip I'd wanted to take a dog of my own, but the thought of bringing a puppy on the road seemed like not a great idea, which is why Little Bit came with me as my travel companion.  Those are all details which will be worked out much closer when I leave, though.   One large part of prep will be figuring out the financial aspect.  Needless to say, driving a 1973 Winnebago across the country isn't the cheapest way to travel.  Last time I went on a Winne trip I was living at home in my parents' basement rent free (and eating free too), saving all of my money to pay for my trip.  This time I've got a husband, utilities, insurance, mortgage, etc., which means I'll be hustling a lot more to be able to pull this trip off, but I believe in it and I know I can make it happen.   I'm launching my new photography guide, PHOTOBOMB!, this week, and all of the proceeds from my shop will be going directly into my Brave fund to get that girl both in tip-top shape for the road and also go to gas and lodging, though hopefully this time around I can park in more blog friends' driveways to save on RV parks!  If you want to head over to the shop and snag PHOTOBOMB! for 10% off, use the code "NewDT" at checkout* to get a discount!  It's sort of like a Kickstarter, except you don't have to wait to get your thank-you gift for supporting!  I'm planning on launching a couple more new courses and guides, and so all of those will also be in support of the Brave. *expires 4/6/15 I'm really excited, and a little nervous, to bring this all to life.  Truth be told, I had thought about selling the Winne just over a month ago, to help alleviate financial strain (and to reclaim my backyard).  I couldn't bring myself to do it, though, feeling like the Brave had more to teach me and share with others, I just didn't know what.  The Brave gave to me in so many ways and I want her to give to you guys now.  I'm trusting that in some crazy way I'll be able to facilitate that.  So get ready, ya'll.  The Brave is ready to come cruising on into your life this year, so you'd better make room!  (appx. 22ft x 8ft, so you can plan accordingly.)