Baby, it's soo cold outside!

Michigan is officially in full blown winter mode. The painfully cold temperature, dry skin, excessively chapped lips, and the onset of non-stop runny nose is in full effect. I find that I curse a whole lot more in the winter months. Every time I walk outside, or I'm sitting in the my car (dreadfully waiting for it to heat up), the bad words are just pouring out of my mouth. I'm sure any unlucky bystander might think I have Turrets syndrome or I need to put a bar of soap in my mouth. I try very hard to keep my voice level low, but when I step foot into that awful Michigan cold, I can't help it. Not sure how I developed this nasty habit, but I really feel like throwing curses and spiting the cold temperature abates it (both mentally and physically).

So here's some images I've been looking at this past few days that's been helping me cope with my winter blues.

These pictures are just a few of the thousands of pictures I took when I was in Boracay.

Looking at these images give me that warm, relaxing feeling, hope it works for you too (if not then take a hot bath...that always makes anyone feel better).

Stay warm friends and don't mind loud cursing during these cold months ;0)

Peace, Love & lots of chapstick!

Still here!!!

I'm a little ashamed that it's been a little over a month since my last post...actually I'm VERY ashamed :0/ I started this blog for a couple of reasons, one, to help me get through the mundane days by giving me a reason to show that my life is not as boring as it seems (my form of self imposed therapy). Two, have a creative outlet that will allow me to express all the ideas I conjure up in my daily and/or weekly life (because I have a lot and my internal file cabinet is completely unorganized and I'm starting to lose very important files, possibly million/billion dollar idea files!!!).

My expectations were simple, write small blurbs here and there about cool things I've done, seen, thought of, etc. and then add 'tons' of pictures (cuz let's face it, it's all about the visuals). Well...here I am, a little over a month later with a giant FAIL across my blogger report card :0( I apologize to all my followers...all 2 or 3 of them...if there are more, please make yourself known ;0) you might give me more incentive to update lol).

This is the part where I would list excuses as to why I was momentarily derailed, but I'm better than that. Instead of listing all the reasons(which may take up a few paragraphs), I'll just Give you one...

RuFiO

I put all the blame on this tiny, cute, angel-faced, semi-innocent creature.

Bet it's hard to get mad at him huh? I figured by blaming the cute puppy, you (whom ever 'you' may be) can't be too upset over my temporary negligence *winks* and I feel less guilty.

This is why the world has puppies after all, to make things all better!!!

...and here's another puppy pic just to seal the deal :)

Peace, Love & puppy forgiveness <3

Maria's Shoot

Had my first styling gig this past weekend. Maria, for those of you who don't know her, is my former roommate and partner in crime...also the other half of the MARisty entity. She's an aspiring model, teacher, artist, chef, energizer bunny....and the list goes on. So this shoot was one for her portfolio and her new photographer friend who thought she had a 'cute face' and needed to shoot it (in a non-creepy way of course..he was very professional and brought along his assistants...wife and daughter). Anyways he was kind enough to allow me to tag along and assist. It was  location shoot done on the outskirts of the MSU campus.

He said MSU held off on plowing down a section of the cornfields so that he can have it for that day to shoot in, and he along with his family came out the night before to clear out a patch inside the field. So they can shoot in an area completely surrounded by the corn stalks.

 It felt really cool and the real deal when they busted out the giant light reflectors (obviously I'm an amateur at this...excited over equipment ha ha).

Maria asked me to style her for the shoot, so I made sure to set out enough options to choose from..if it were possible I would've packed up my whole closet to have maximized the options possible.

I chose to focus on two pallets...above were the flirty pastels...

...and to contrast I picked pieces to be the dark sexy/edgy choices. I brought along some other neutral pieces that would work in between the two pallets, but I forgot to document those ;0)

Deciding which looks to choose from was a lot of fun with Maria, she was like my very own life size Barbie!!

We did a few test shots in the apartment before heading out to remember which pieces we were for sure going to use on site. I'm glad I did take some photos beforehand because once we started the shoot, I never really got a chance to take my own pictures because I was so busy dressing her and ensuring that each outfit had all the essential pieces (along with cleaning off mud from her shoes...they kept sinking in wet soil).

Here's a few stolen shots of our make-shift dressing room and Maria working it for the camera ;0)

After the shoot was done Maria and I decided we wanted to play some more and take our own pictures...since we were already on site and the field was free (plus we had a trunk full of clothes that needed to be shot. So here's a few results of what came to be our silly, impromptu and super fun post-photo shoot...shoot??

Seen lots of capes this season, so I figured I'd dig out my 2 year old cape and give it another go ;0)

Had to bust out my personal fave...the fur vest (sorry PETA) it's so soft!!! [Notice: Maria attempting to eat the corn on that last shot...it was a long shoot]

 

I was convinced that this red sweater was going to make the shoot, but alas there wasn't enough time, so I made sure I shot some before the days end. Just LOVE having that color in the field...just pops! [Notice: Maria trying to eat the corn...again].

Last shots of the day for Ms. Maria, seen here rockin' her fave white pea coat and the last photo just to show what's underneath ;0)

If we weren't so hungry and just tired from all the dressing and undressing, we would've shot more outfits, but our fuel levels were running extra low and having a meal at the new and improved Brody cafeteria was deeply clouding our thoughts. So we packed up our things (more like threw everything in the trunk) and headed home. The day didn't end there, but I'll save that for a later post and another story along with it ;0) 

I lied...Maria wasn't the last shots of the day...it was yours truly!!! I just wanted to separate my images from Maria's gorgeous ones ;0P

I don't think the pictures I took with my camera would even remotely compare to those taken by the professional photographer (mine are better...jk), but it SUPER fun trying my hand at it. I still need a whole lot of practice and read the rest of the manual for the Canon. As for styling, it's definitely something I would love to continue doing. I really do love clothes and the infinite amount of ways to put them together.

Peace, Love & lots of style friends!!!

Happy Birthday MoM!!!

All women become like their mothers.  That is their tragedy.  No man does.  That's his.  ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

Because I am my mother's daughter in so many ways, it's a little scary, for her special day I've decided to dedicate a post of all things ELNORA!!! Since she is an extension of myself...or I'm the extension of her (I'm sure she'll argue it to be the latter) it's only fitting that I honor her. Because lets face it....without her glorious delivery to this world *ty-9 years ago.....one, you wouldn't be reading this blog; two, you would know one less Filipina in this world (technically three, but I don't know if you've met my siblings), and tres...can't think of a third, but know there should be one here ;0]

So here's a picture montage of all things Elnora 'MoM' Cano:

Once upon a time...Clara and Terencio fell in love...then got married...then had kids...five of them.

She was one of four girls, the middle child (like me!) of the five.

An honor student and performer, partaking in local pageants to dance competitions, an all around star...she made her parents proud.

The social butterfly that she is, making friends required little effort on her part.

Growing up to become a loving wife...

...a hot/stylish momma...

...and most importantly, the stabilizer in our family, the glue that holds us together.

 

So on you're special day, I want to make it known to all and say it LOUD and PROUD how blessed I am that God presented you to this world for all of us to share mom!

You're the kindest person I know, and you along with dad have made this life, so far, one I wouldn't trade for anything else.

 

 

 

 

 Thanks for sharing everything you have...especially you're shoe size and wardrobe with me ;0)

 

.LoVe YoU.

Peace, Love & kisses to all the 'cool' mamas out there!!!

 

Comfortably In Between.

The best thing about the impending cold, make that freezing cold season, mother nature provides us a buffer to prevent us from experiencing the shock of shifting temperatures of hot summer days to the biting cold of winter. Fall or autumn...which ever you prefer, is here to ease the pain and give us that warm fuzzy feeling (and holds as a warning that we need to winterize our closets). The warm-enough days and cool nights is the perfect time to bust out those cliched plaid shirts and light boots, along with the cardigans that work perfectly well, especially if worn over those ever so thin summer tanks. I find this season, like spring, a time where my closet/wardrobe goes through an identity crisis. Where hot and cold appropriate apparels are thrown together, sometimes the outcomes are good...for me they're fun!






 My sister and I rockin' our best Fall garb @ Frankenmuth







boots, long sweater, and a hat to top it all off







Love mixing my summer shorts with tights and lace-up boots (which I found in my mom's archives...a few sizes bigger, but nothing a pair of thick socks couldn't fix).





My plaid inspiration, this guy knows whats up ;0)

So far this fall season has been a lot of fun for me, the stresses of school and work are not there for once and I can truly appreciate the wonders of the changing season. I have so many more autumn pictures to share, but I'm trying not to spend too much time uploading images (my laptop is a little sick and can't handle the strenuous activity of photo uploading unfortunately). Hope all of you are enjoying the changing season as much as I am!! Peace, love & crunchy leaves!!!



Shabby chic

Shabby chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.<sup>[1][wikipedia]

For me shabby chic is all about the idea of being vintage. I often think that I was born in the wrong era, always fantasizing about living life in the times where elegant corset gowns were worn and days where Facebook stalking didn't exist, instead you had 'gentleman callers' paying you visits in hopes of getting to know you. The Victorian era is one of my favorite, I can't get enough of movies and books about that epoch. Something about the pastels and soft feminine designs connected to that time is just so appealing to me. Maybe it's the hopeless romantic hiding in me that attracts me to that particular time and also the simplicity of life; where days were spent outside enjoying the fresh air, not cooped inside the house, wasting time texting, web surfing, and updating statuses. Like all fantasies, they only last for that minute or second you have to enjoy them, then you are sucked back into reality which is much harder to ignore. So in my own way of living in my fantasy, I've decided to surround myself with all things vintage. As a self-proclaimed thrift store connoisseur, finding greatest value in things in the most unlikely places, I set out on a  mission to collect as much Victorian-esque items I can find. The plan was to turn my bedroom, my place of solace, into my very own fantasy! Here's what I came up with...</sup>

 I wanted to create a collage of all things I considered 'shabby chic'

 I've had this old tarnished candelabra for years, and now it found its perfect place in my room again.

 I spent two days going to resale shops (mostly Value World) to find old frames I could repaint. Not sure who the little boy is, but it came in one of the frames I bought.

 Everyone loves to see before and after shots....so BEFORE...

 ..and AFTER!!!

 I consider this to  be the centerpiece of my room.

 No chic room is complete without one of Ms. Hepburn's classics.

I think I came pretty close to my initial sketches of how I wanted it all to turn out.

 My very own fantasy world, I decided to keep my bed area and desk to myself, it really is a personal space for me and this is all I'm willing to share for now (plus they're not looking as neat as I wish them to be ;0P ).

There's nothing wrong living in a fantasy world, just as long as you can walk out of it at will.

Peace, love & chic-ness!!