eye candy!

http://www.yunaleonard.com/

Movie inspiration: Water for Elephants

I read the book "Water for Elephants" a few years ago .. so it wasn't recent enough in my head to make me want to watch the movie with any real excitement.

BUT -- watching the movie made me remember what a good book it was! The movie definitely does it justice, but the best part was the 1930's wardrobes and costumes!

It's basically a romance set in a traveling circus in the 30's ... super glamorous.

LOVE the headpieces!!!

There's also some fab evening gowns ... definitely worth a watch if you come across it.

Awesome sauce!

Today me and Kate (other friend named Kate!) made homemade apple sauce!! Kate is a canning professional and this was my "introduction"to the wide world of food preservation.

FIRST, get a lot of apples. Wash with a produce wash if available. The main thing about canning is cleanliness. Anything you can do to keep things sanitary is good.

NEXT, peel and core your apples. We had this fancy apple peeler from Pampered Chef. It didn't always work though ... but it sure helps with hand cramping from the regular peeler.

Put your apple pieces in a big pot with about 2 inches of water. Cook until soft (about 20 minutes or so.) 

Drain your apples and puree in a food processor (things are starting to shape up --- and smell AMAZING.) 

Re-heat your pureed applesauce in a pot until it gets to 200 degrees F. In the meantime, boil your lids and gather your jars. The jars should be freshly washed and sanitized with heat in the dishwasher.

Fill your jars with a funnel to about the bottom of the lid (do not over-fill.) Return them to a boiling water bath with the lids on and cook another 20 minutes to seal and pressurize.

Allow jars to cool and you will hear them "popping" as they contract and seal up nice and good :)

NOTE: You can certainly add sugar, cinnamon ... what have you. We kept them simple since the apple variety was pretty sweet on its own.

ENJOY! :) 

Photo shoot with Kate in the mountains!

I know I said I was going to make this blog a 'wedding planning blog' a few months ago. I guess I was still in the panic stages of a newly engaged person. 

But, I've realized that life does goes on! (With more interesting pursuits.)

SUCH AS: Photo shoot session with model Kate!

(As an ironic note, we went to the place where I will be getting married — Gambrill State Park in Frederick).

I don't consider myself that good of a photographer. I rely way too much on post-shoot editing, and sometimes that gets me in trouble! But, all in all, I think Kate does a great job at modeling, and it's hard to take a bad photo of the gal! 

Enjoy! 

I loved that pomegranate! Never been more excited about fruit.

Favorite I think. ^^

Dreamy lighting ...

Love hands!

These two look so renaissance to me for some reason.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! :) 

What I'm looking forward to (entertainment-wise)

First, two British dramas that I LOVE and cry after each episode!

 1.) "Call the Midwife" 

If you haven't heard of this yet ... definitely check it out! I'm sure Season 1 is available on Netflix, and if you are at all into heart-warming historical drama, than this is your ticket!  No idea when Season 2 will make it over to the States. I hear they are just shooting it in the UK now .. :( 

2.) "Downton Abbey"

It's just so romantical ... and it makes me SWOON!!! Sigh. It's like a soap opera with amazing costumes, scenery, and good acting. Season 3 starts in January ... and I believe PBS is re-playing Season 2 beforehand.  

3.) "Les Miserables" -- The movie!!

Super excited for this movie!!!! I'm a pretty devout fan of the musical .. seen it twice! And Richard says he might maybe possibly want to see it, too. HA! SUCCESS!! 

4.)  "World War Z" -- (though I haven't read the book ... and though it supposedly has nothing to do with the book). But I still love a good zombie movie.

Have I missed anything?

Holiday gear-up time

Does anyone else start feeling weird this time of year? Maybe it's the time change ... or the weather. I feel like I can't get anything done! I've had a load of laundry sitting in the dryer for 2 days now. No real reason. 

I also feel super restless (in a contradictory way.) I can't just sit and watch a movie. I HAVE to be doing something else. 

It's like the time is ticking away for the year.

And there's gift shopping ... and the car insurance payment ... and TAXES. Oh taxes.

I guess it's a normal "holiday craziness" that can't be avoided.

ANYWAYS.

Here are some new vintage ornaments that are sparkly and good. 

Pine cone ornament 

Butterfly ornament

Scary movies for the slightly wussy

When I was really little, my favorite movie was "King Kong" --- like, the one from the 50's with the claymation. I've always been a fan of the slightly scary flick. I got away from it in my teenage/college years where I fancied myself a brooding poet and was more into foreign dramas and period romances.

Anyway, back to my movie list. 

These are movies that ARE scary. But I think they are still good for the "slightly wussy" viewer, like myself.

I will post in order of least scariness first ... in case you need to stop ;) 

1.) "The Village" --- I KNOW!! I know. People hate this movie. Poor M. Night. He started off so strong with "The Sixth Sense," and this one was a general bomb with critics. I, for one, really liked it. I know people say the "big reveal" or "surprise" at the end is lame. But I really think it works for the movie. It's all about believing in a scary story to keep the village cut off from the world, but really the world is much more violent and terrifying than any scary story. I like it as a social commentary. And I LOVE the violin solo soundtrack. 

2.) "Psycho" --- this movie was SUCH a shocker when it first came out ...Rich told me recently is was the first movie where a woman was shown in a bathroom ... and flushing a toilet!! There's also something else that happens in the shower. This movie has so many great things going for it. The plot is amazing .. especially if you've never seen it. And since it's older and not super violent and gory, you can definitely handle it if you're not big into scary movies :) 

3.) "The Shining" --- This is another classic flick, but it's definitely a bit higher up on the scare level. I love the creepiness of this one. It's such a mental thriller .. and it really ramps up as the movie goes on. And if you've never seen it, you will get to know about such classic catchphrases as "Herrrre's Johnny!!" and "RED RUM RED RUM."  

4.) "Dawn of the Dead" --- OK. I know I have the 2004 version here. But I'm counting this entry for the original Romero version as well. I think they're both great, but I have to say that the newer one is pretty cool. I was pretty freaked out the first time I saw this, but it's really a fun scary movie ... You feel really connected to the characters and feel like you're running from zombies when they are.

5.) "28 Days Later" ---  I love the first part of this "outbreak" movie so so much. But it definitely goes down from there. But even so, this is definitely my all-time favorite scary movie. The first few scenes of the deserted London and then the first encounter with "the infected" are frightening. 

Any additions???? :) a

The head piece conundrum

It seems obvious.

A no-brainer.

I spend my life making hair accessories for brides, so naturally, I would make a hair piece for my own wedding. Right?

My mom said this:

"No matter what you wear, everyone will ask, "Did you make your hair thing?" 

Would saying "No, actually," be some sort of artistic/DIY failure on my part?

Here's the thing: I've always liked the idea of a wedding veil. Are you shocked?

I don't sell them simply because I'm not that good at making them,
 and other people are better-suited for that job!

SO.

I've been playing around with some tulle yardage for the past week.
Mostly, it's gone into the trash in a fluffy heap.

I did come up with this one:

I like how it doesn't cover my face and get all annoying. But it's a bit too simple for me.

And now this one:

I like the flower detail .. and the veil is still out of the face. But it's maybe a bit bold for me.

I know there's the whole "birdcage veil" trend. But ....eh .....

I've got to be different.

What should I do? The expected crown? A vintage piece? A veil of my own making (or someone else!)

*Veil photos from BHLDN.com

Save the dates!

OOhhh it's official now!

Check out my the super cute "save-the-date" cards I got from Etsy!

Here's the seller: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PinwheelStudio

She's super nice and easy to work with! 

Now, I just have to stop myself from sending them out waaayy too soon :) 

Pretty Petal Studio shoot -- the SEQUEL!

A major MAJOR thanks to Susan O'Connor of Pretty Petal Studio for an amazingly fun shoot and all the great editing work later on!

Also big thanks to the lovely models, Kate and Lalania. Kate has been my long-time model/friend and we always have a blast! Lalania is actually Susan's photography assistant, but she's also a hottie!!

Susan is seriously the best photographer to work with. If you live in the Frederick area ... or even just the Maryland/Pennsylvania area, you've got to check her out!

She also does great wedding photography. But not on June 8, because she's shooting MY wedding then! HA! :) 

Here's her site:

www.prettypetalstudio.com/

She also on Etsy!! You can buy super pretty prints for your home or office ;)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettypetalstudio

Here's Kate being 'the artiste' with her Whichgoose painting :) 

LOVE this one of Lalania ... she is such a cool hippie gal, and the autumn-themed pieces worked so well on her.

This abandoned house is a Frederick County historical landmark ... the Beatty-Cramer house.

Kate was such a trooper with the mosquitos ... and so worth it! Love the light on the water in this one.

Lalania's long hair is SO FUN to make up-dos with!! 

I think this one above is a favorite.

SO PRETTY!! 

You can find them here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/whichgoose

THE END :)