Road Trip 2012: The First Day

I thought I'd share some photos from the first day of our trip.  We left Edmonton at 6 am in the middle of a blizzard...in April.  Because that's what it's like living in Alberta.  SIGH.

We made excellent time and ended up staying in a motel in Hope, BC.  I love that little town, it's someplace I'd consider retiring to when I'm older (yeah, I think that far ahead into the future.)

I'll post more photos through out the week.  We took a few hundred...or thousand, so I have quite the task of sorting through them.

Later gators!

~E

Country Sundays

Most Sundays we spend out of town visiting family.  I guess Raimund and I are lucky that we grew up in neighbouring small towns not too far from Edmonton.  This is the only time I get to see my mom and grandparents, so it's pretty damn important to me to make it out there once a week for family lunch.  Also, Ben starts demanding to see his grandma and great grandparents whenever we're in my car going somewhere, so there's that factor too ;)

Dress- Vero Moda // Belt- Thrifted // Tights- Winners // Cardigan- Gift // Shoes- Thrifted

I went on a bit of a spree on Friday during my lunch break and picked up a couple of dresses.  I received super good news from work so I wanted to celebrate it a bit.  Maybe I'll share it on here?

Ben really didn't want his photo taken, and normally he's a complete ham for the camera.  A year ago I had no problem taking photos of him, but now...not so much.

Raimund wanted to get in on the outfit photo taking action, so here's what he wore.  Tweed jackets are his staple, he found this one while we were thrifting on Vancouver Island (I still have to share my haul with you guys.)

It's hard to believe 9 months ago I was completely heart broken and lost.  Now I'm happier than ever and with someone who completely gets me.  

That was our weekend, how was yours?

Later gators!

~E

Vancouver Island w/Film Grain

On our trip to the west coast, I brought along my Canon AE-1 camera.  I love this film camera, and it was a steal at $25 off Kijiji.  It's fantastic, but mistakes are bound to be made while shooting analogue...I took 3 rolls of film, and about one and a half turned out. 

You have got to be kidding me.

Why?  It was the simplest damn mistake one could make -- not checking the shutter speed.  SONOFABITCH.

So, instead of vibrant photos, half of them turned out like this:

Not too shabby, but not what I had in mind.  Oh well, win some lose some.

The following photos are from lovely Ladysmith, BC!  It was our first real experience with finding crabs on the beach and all that good stuff.  Too damn fun.

Erin fun fact: I love crabs and lobsters.  For some reason they fascinate me, and these guys were the perfect size to play around with.  No pinching was had, although the little boy in Raimund wanted to provoke it.  

So, to any of you who live by the sea...I envy you. So. Damn. Hard.

Later gators,

~E

Instagram Holiday

Guess who rolled their butts back to snowy Edmonton on Sunday?  I'll let you take a wild guess.  I was so bloody sad to say goodbye to Vancouver Island, I think deep down I'm a Northwest Pacific girl.  The landscape was amazing and being right on the ocean was dreamy.

I uploaded a ton of photos to Instagram on my trip (I'm erindisaster), and I'm sure my phone bill is gonna suck because of it.  Here's a peek at my holidays through a Hipstamatic lens.

(I have to mention the top right photo...I met my penpal Stephanie! You should go check out her blog if you're into make up and stuff.)

I'll post my "for real" photos later.  There's hundreds, so I guess I should probably narrow it down, huh?  I also have rolls of film too, long live the Canon AE-1!


Later gators!


~E

Loving Spring

By now, Raimund and I are making our way back slowly to Alberta (le sigh).  But in the mean time, the super adorable MaDonna has some spring fashion ideas for you.  I love her style, and if you love kawaii I'm sure you will too.

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30 Tips & Inspiration to Get you Excited for Spring

Spring is sprung! Here in Minnesota though, it’s felt pretty much like summer for the past few weeks; temperatures hit 80 degrees, the grass seemed to turn green over night, the effects of daylight savings time made driving home after work a lot more fun, and people’s attitudes were wildly different. It’s NICE out! The drab, dreary, days of a Midwest winter were over. Now, I love a gloomy day (I guess, you know, like the Garbage song, I, too, am only happy when it rains), but I admit – the first bright and sunny day after months of frozen days is pretty exciting, even to me. Here are some style and lifestyle tips that has kept me smiling in this change of season:

Cherry blossoms are definitely spring-centric! And sakura-flavored macarons are something I can get behind!

• Switch from hot tea to deliciously fruity iced versions (mango iced tea, anyone?) • Break out the shorts! If it’s still a little chilly, cute leggings still look great underneath • Start researching for the perfect summer weekend vacations (Is there a beach close by? A boat rental?) • Switch out your crafts from heavy crochet to lightweight activities, like friendship bracelets or little felt dolls • Load your iPod up with cute, springy songs like "Mushaboom" by Feist and "Us" by Regina Spektor • On the other hand, load up your iPod with loud punk songs to get you ready for the summer like "Linoleum" by NoFX and "Radio" by Rancid • Treat yourself to a new pair of cross-trainers to make that first jog of the nice weather all that much sweeter • Wait for an exceptionally warm day and go for a picnic! • Take advantage of the last days of layer and really experiment with your wardrobe before it gets too warm • Window shop at Zappos for the best new sandals •

Celebrate bright colors & pastels in any shape or form. Wink!

• Rethink your makeup palatte: say goodbye to dark golds and plums of winter and say hello to bright greens and lavenders of spring • Bust out the bike! • Start work on the garden, even if it is a little tiny thing (I have to start small!) • Put together a kickball league with your friends • My favorite: stoop sitting! Sit on your front stairs, crack open a beverage, and chat while you watch the world walk by • If you want to keep crocheting or knitting, try to work with thin yarn and make a little doily • Switch up your fragrance by finding a light, airy spring essential oil • Basil Mint Lemonade! • Take notice of the smallest things, like tiny little buds sprouting or birds nests popping up all over • Welcome the geese back home as their V flies overheard •

Show some skin any way you can. See my knees? That's a vast difference between what I wore during a Minnesota January!

• Stop for a second in the morning to admire the fresh, green grass • Run outside during the first rain of the season; it'll feel so good! • Sit on the patio next time you go out to eat • Use all the pastels polish for your nails, like 10 little Easter eggs • Do some furniture painting outside • Invest in some moisturizing lip balm and foundation with sunscreen • Pick a jewelry theme for the season -- Crystals? Leaves? Little trees? Pick something that you love from nature • Open the windows! • Be inspired by the boho look - a flowy, comfy skirt is timeless and I don't care what anyone says • Tackle that huge book you've avoided due to cabin fever when it's just too blustery and rainy out to play outside •

There's my list! I'm off to put together the perfect outfits for the perfect weather and drink some delicious iced tea while I do it Thanks for reading! If you have any other "MUST-DOs" for spring, leave a comment; I'd love to hear them.

My name is MaDonna and I blog at Me! MaDonna! and tweet at @maddysaurus. Send me a note, because I'd love to hear from you. <3

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Thanks for much MaDonna!  I'm super curious about these sakura flavoured macarons, doesn't that look delicious?!!!

Later gators!

~E 

A Love For 110

Hey gang!  Scott's back with another film related post...this one pertaining to 110 film!  I have never used this format before, but wouldn't mind giving it a whirl one day.  Anyone else out there ever try it?  Do tell!

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A love affair with tiny!

Tiny - extremely small; minute. That’s what 110 format film is. Tiny. It’s about a little less than a quarter of a 35mm negative. But, that challenge is what I find so fascinating about this discontinued film format. How can I get BIG images of a something so tiny? I carry my Rollei A110 around with me. It’s my favorite of the 110 cameras in the fatcatimages collection. It is the Cadillac of 110 cameras and a piece of German engineering excellence! That camera is tiny as well. And so very solid, you hold it a marvel at its sturdiness and build. So small in fact, I took it to a customer meeting without question. See, I always want a camera on me. Taking the DSLR to a customer meeting is a no-no. But a pocket 110 camera? Hey, it hides in my pocket! So customer meeting in France – of course I would want a camera with me…

 

The Rollei A110, stealth masterpiece

So, when it’s the only camera you have. Or you simply like have sub-miniature photography fun, this is the camera I take with me. It’s been to Paris and Budapest. It’s been taken into places where photography is not permitted. It’s so small. It’s so tiny! And that is part of its charm. And these BIG images were from this little gem. I love trying to get BIG images out of something so small, so… well… TINY!

Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, April 2011 – shot on 110 film with Rollei A110

Wedding in Budapest, August 2011 – shot on 110 with Rollei A110

Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts, January 2012 – shot on 110 film with Rollei A110

 Ship on Siene River in Poissy, France; April, 2011 – shot on 110 film with Rollei A110

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Thanks again Scott!  I love the film grain in these images.  I remember the first time I was handed a 110 cartridge when I worked at a photolab in college.  I had no idea what the hell it was.  Now I wouldn't mind a little Rollei of my own. 

Later gators!

~E