Friday, May 27, 2011

namibia

(namib-naukluft park sparkling here)

isn't this painting photo amazing! yeah that's right--it's a photograph! isn't it insane?!? it looks like it could be a children's book illustration. but no, it's just this namibian sand dune and some photographic play with light and perspective. and did i mention the colors?! awesome.

this is how the nat geo photographer, Frans Lanting, explained the painting-like appearance:

"[the photo was taken] at dawn when the warm light of the morning sun was illuminating a huge red sand dune dotted with white grasses while the white floor of the clay pan was still in shade. It looks blue because it reflects the color of the sky above. ... The perfect moment came when the sun reached all the way down to the bottom of the sand dune just before it reached the desert floor. I used a long telephoto lens and stopped it all the way down to compress the perspective."

i don't completely understand it, but i do completely like it. i wish i was capable of doing something, or anything like this.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

olive and cocoa edibles

you guys. check out these awesome food packages from olive and cocoa. after seeing a couple of their images on birthday girl, i had to investigate for myself. and let me tell you--they are straight up foodie gourmet deliciousness and i want one so bad. just imagine the intense feelings of happiness, surprise and hunger that would hit you upon receiving one of these bad boys. prices range from $48 to nearly $200 depending on snack type and size, but i think for the right person (say, me) this could be a totally legitimate and reasonable gift. consider your hint dropped, people.

who doesn't like a nice rustic snack...


or pinkalicious sweetness...


or colorful birthday candies...


or my personal #1 favorite food--fudge...


or a little bit of everything...?!?! holy yum!


... all contained in this gorgeous wooden box.

seriously, some one get this for me. it would be slightly pathetic (though not entirely out of the question) to buy it for myself, don't you think?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

words of encouragement

i don't know about all y'all, but i am in need of some encouragement re. life right now. and i believe this cutie is just what the doctor ordered:


(sparkling here)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

balloons

have you guessed yet?!? well, the weekend has long been over, so i guess it's about time i tell y'all where the heck i was at 6 am on friday...

i was at the 37th annual walla walla balloon stampede!! it's the biggest hot air balloon rally in washington state and it is just plain awesome. i helped a balloon take off this year, but for some reason my pictures are not uploading correctly, so i've posted pictures from last year instead. take a look...



(air being blown into the balloon by a fan)


(and some hot air post-liftoff)


(triangular balloon-made by hand)


(my absolute fave.)


(a peek through the trees)


(the best part is when they all liftoff and are in the air flying around together--there they go!)


(total magic.)

**all photos my own

Friday, May 13, 2011

breakfast

today i made breakfast!

(beautiful brunch sparkling here)

this, unfortunately, was not it.

but
i am still ecstatic because even though breakfast is bar none my favorite meal of the day, i hardly ever have enough time to make anything besides toast or carnation instant breakfast. (this is usually because by the time i've decided to give the snooze button a break, i'm already 20 minutes late...)

today, however, i had plenty of time.

wanna know why? i'll bet you do. but you're just gonna have to wait until this weekend to find out. muahahaha

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

april showers...

... bring may flowers! or so it seems. the last few days have been proof that spring is finally here and summer is close behind. no better way to celebrate than with some passion ice tea, am i right, des?

(ranunculus sparkling here via here)


(peonies and poppies sparkling here via here)

(tulips and roses sparkling here)

Monday, May 9, 2011

have your cake...

... and veggies too!


i couldn't resist sharing this amaaaaaazing cake. what a disguise!

(asparagus cake sparkling here)

wedding week: the main event

(official--and creepy--family photo sparkling here)

SO through an alarm clock snafu i somehow slept through most of the wedding, which was disappointing to say the least. i woke up around 4, in time to see the procession and the balcony kiss in real time though, which was somewhat rewarding. and, since i went to bed at the ungodly hour of 9:30, i was able to stay awake until 7 to watch all of the recordings, which means i still watched it before most people. so hah! (and yes, the gloating really was half the point of watching it in real-time anyway.)

in any case, i loved it. the only disappointment to me was the lack of romanticism in the actual wedding. i appreciate the traditionalism of the ceremony and everything, but with two people as in love as kate and wills seem to be, i just kept wishing they were allowed to speak to each other, to touch each other... all of the things we typically think of as paramount in weddings. that said, it was still an amazing affair.

kate looked beautiful as ever, if not exceptionally so. both of her mcqueen dresses were amazing:

(kate's ceremony mcqueen sparkling here)

(kate's reception mcqueen sparkling here)

pippa looked beautiful as well. i'm sure bridesmaids everywhere were green with envy (no pun intended):

(pippa in mcqueen sparkling here)

(pippa in temperley sparkling here)

i especially loved how happy william and harry looked. you could tell they definitely have that strong, brotherly bond:

(brothers and chums sparkling here)

westminster abbey looked so pretty with those trees lining the aisle:

(a lovely venue sparkling here)

some of the royal cousins looked hilarious in their outfits and matching hats:

(a royal misstep sparkling here)

and i just love these two photos:

(kids being kids sparkling here)

(little miss grumpy pants sparkling here)

i know it wasn't a big deal to everyone in the world, and rightly so, but for me it sure was a fun escape from the real world. now i just have to sit here and wait for harry's turn.

p.s. details on the delicious reception (including why kate and i are the same person)
p.p.s. pippa's ridiculous job offer

**yes, this post is exceedingly tardy and quasi-irrelevant, seeing as the wedding was over a week ago. but still, i had to deliver.