the ice storm cometh

Or so the weather peeps keep saying. Apparently, Central PA is about to get pummeled by snow and ice and snow and ice and snow and ice. In that order. Over the next two days. Don't be jealous.

In honor of the impending ice-over of my city, I thought I'd post some of my favorite snow and ice (and snow and ice) inspired Etsy accessory finds.


{ 1. snow owl steampunk ring by enchanted lockets 2. snow blossom kanzashi flower brooch by petal mix 3. bloom handmade white flower earrings by dreamy vintage 4. white druzy sterling silver ring by andrea bonelli jewelry 5. snow white leaf and vine necklace by fourtyfour0ranges 6. snow garden enamel earrings by star of the east }

fashion beauty friend friday:: blogger mechanics

Welcome to my second Fashion Beauty Friend Friday (FBFF) post! This week we're talking about technology and the tools we use for blogging.

1. What technology do you use in blogging? (computer, camera, video
camera, tripod, etc...)
I use a Dell PC (meh!) to post most of my blog posts. And I use a combination of cameras, depending on how much time I have.

Sadly, I am not fortunate to have a boyfriend/fiance/husband/friend photographer-person who can shoot magazine quality pictures of me, so I'm stuck doing it myself. If I have time and want to take a bunch of photos, I use my Canon Rebel xSi. I have several different lenses for that, plus a tripod and a remote. For quick shots, especially quick shots for What I Wore posts, I use an Olympus Stylus point-and-shoot with a self-timer.

And of course, I do love my little Hipstamatic iPhone app. I use that a lot (obviously not for outfit pictures, but for a ton of other photos). I have over 1000 photos on my phone right now. Clearly, I have some updating and file management to do.

2. What computer and online technology do you use? (blogging system,
photo storage, photo editing tools, etc..)
Right now, I'm running my blog on Blogger, which is okay for now, but eventually I'd like to migrate over to Wordpress. But first, I'd like to actually get back into the blogging rhythm and get a suitable design up on my blog on Blogger before I go tackling Wordpress.

I use Photoshop CS3 for photo editing and an external hard drive for file management. I use Flickr as my online photo tool. To keep track of inspirational photos and things I may want to blog about in the future, I recently started using Pinterest.

3. What is your process for taking pictures?
Right now, since I'm just working out some kinks, I don't have a set process. Generally, I'll set aside a few hours on the weekends (when I have a few hours on the weekends, which happens every 8th weekend or so) to shoot several outfit pictures using my DSLR. Then I load them onto my computer and edit them.

If I don't have time, and I get home from work early enough so there's enough natural light (which only happens when we have a snow day), I'll snap a few quick shots with the point-and-shoot of the outfit I actually wore that day.

And that is why I don't post daily outfit photos.

4. When it comes to backdrops for your photos what do you consider? Do
you scout locations or shoot the same spot daily?
It's been a struggle for me since I haven't had a very good, well lit spot to take pictures and I just don't have to the time to go tromping all over town to find good spots. But, we recently moved in a very bright house and I have a third floor studio space that I can use for pictures in the winter (like yesterday's picture) and a nice backyard that I can use for pictures when it gets warmer (which is happening soon, right?).

5. If you could splurge and get one new piece of equipment what would
you be buying?
A Mac. Okay. Two Macs. A desktop and a laptop. I have a Mac at work and I just love it. It makes me hate my PC even more. I'd also like some more camera lenses and other fun equipment like lights and bounce boards. And I'd like an iPad. And a video recorder. And...oh. Wait, the question was only about splurging on one thing, wasn't it? Okay. Two Macs it is then! (That counts as one thing since it's from the same store, right?)

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Fashion Beauty Friend Friday (FBFF) is the brainchild of Katy over at Modly Chic. Every week, she creates a set of questions and FBFF participants answer them on our blogs. On Friday. See, that's why it's called Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. Visit her blog to find out more or join the fun!

Photo by me

what i wore:: snow day!

{ dress: target | cardigan: j.crew | necklace: madewell | tights: spanx in latte (love this color!) | socks and boots: ? }

Yep. It snowed. Again. I feel like I live in a snow globe that a crazed child keeps shaking and shaking and shaking. And shaking.

The good news is, I got to work from home today and spend some time with Thing 1, Thing 2 and Thing 3 (ie, the dogs). The bad news is, snow days are not good days for dressing up. Or dressing at all really. I'd rather be in sweatpants. But since the office didn't close at the start of the day, I still slogged and skidded and slid my way there. (And without a single snow plow sighting. Where were you PENNDOT?) I wasn't about to slog and skid and slide in heels. So, I wore flat boots with tights and knee socks. And a dress.

I think I'll do this again sometime. I like the look. And I didn't have to worry about falling on my face in the parking lot. Okay. I still had to worry. I can fall on my face in a parking lot while wearing flats in 90 degree weather. But at least had I fallen today, I could have blamed the snow, even though I wore flats. Me? A klutz? Pssht.

Also, what do we think of the stylized image? Since this isn't strictly a daily outfit blog, I thought it might be nice to style my outfit pics (this is the first of the styled pics, which eventually will match/coordinate with the look of my blog). Thoughts?

All photos and layouts by me. Wrinkled paper texture by bittbox.