This Side of the Blue

Outfit of the Day: 02-27-2011

2011-03-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

Dress: Some Shop in San Francisco I can't remember the name of
Jewelry: Ebay
Hat: Good Will

Outfit of the Day: 02-18-2011

2011-03-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

My "Vegas Skank" outfit!

Dress: Crossroads Trading Company
Shoes: Forever21
Jewelry: Forever21 & Ebay

Outfit of the Day: 02-17-2011

2011-03-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

Taken in Vegas.

Dress: Thrifted
Boots: Amazon.com
Cardigan: Thrifted
Hat: Clothing Swap
Belt: Thrifted

Outfit of the Day: 02-04-2011

2011-03-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

I have been really bad about updating my outfits. I will try to keep more on top of things!

Dress: Vintage
Jacket: F21
Scarf: Knitted by Mother's Friend
Boots: Thrifted
Bag: H&M

KITTIES!

2011-03-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

When I was home in Idaho for Thanksgiving last year, my mother dragged me (hahaha, "dragged" me) to the Sandpoint Animal Shelter, which is one of the nicest animal shelters I have ever been to. It's a no kill shelter, and all of the animals are incredibly happy... especially the kitties! There are about seven cat rooms where they all live together and play, and you can go into each room and pet the cats and get to know them.

Despite being terribly allergic to cats, I still spent way too much time there and photographed lots of meow meows.

And we ended up bringing this little darling, who is now named Zipper and spends a lot of time sleeping in front of my parent's fireplace:

Outfits in Paris

2011-03-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

I am long overdue for blog posts about my trips last year to Spain and France. I actually haven't even edited all of my France photographs yet; I am SO behind on editing that there's still cosplay shoots from Aki-con sitting untouched on my harddrive. Eventually I'll have enough time to chill out for two seconds and accomplish such things, but right now is not the time.

Regardless, here's some photos of some outfits I wore in Paris. I got that scarf at H&M whilst I was there and even though it sheds all over me it's still one of my favourites. My outfits were pretty similar since I only brought two pairs of boots and it was FREEZING, so I was constantly wrapped up in sweaters and too-thin jackets.

The Louvre:

Inspire Me: Birds of a Feather

2011-02-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

Navy Bird Dress: Here

Camel Blazer: Here

Turquoise Scarf: Here

Leather Satchel: Here

Betsey Johnson Bird Earrings: Here

Chloe Sevigny Platforms: Here

Juicy Couture Bird Ring: Here

What a Crazy Random Happenstance!

2011-02-19T00:10:00.000-08:00

Before I could walk, or crawl, or form words bigger than my tongue could wrap itself around. Before I could sing or dance or do much more than gurgle and drool all over myself. Before I dyed my hair and adorned myself with tattoos and cared about the way my dresses looked. Before I could play video games or collected action figures or cuddled my dog to sleep every night. Before I had long hair. Before I was potty trained. Before ALL of this... that's when I "met" Lacy.

I am the oldest of my rather humble and small family - it's just my brother and myself. My mother was an exceptional example of parenting throughout the entirety of my existence (and continues to this day), and therefore when I was born she quit her job and fastened me to her side, always. One day, in a desperate attempt for some human contact, she took me with her to McDonald's playland to watch the other children play while she chowed down on a bad for her burger that didn't affect her delicate frame. There, she met Kris, a big boned blonde woman with a midwestern accent and a similar squirmy little parasite attached to her. My mother hails from a small polish town in Wisconsin, and therefore hit it off immediately with Kris, over shared backgrounds and the fact that their daughters were so close in age.

Lacy and I were friends before we knew what friends were.

We grew up together, much like sisters, and some of my first memories are of acting completely absurd with her: playing with horses, laying on the swingsets on our bellies and pretending we could fly, eating sand in the sandbox, wearing matching dresses at our joint birthday parties. We were stuck together as close as two little girls could be, until my parents decided they needed to relocate to Soldotna, Alaska. This move was only a three hour drive away from Wasilla, but to Lacy and I it seemed a catastrophic distance. We wrote each other shaky letters plastered in horse stickers, sent each other birthday cards we made on dinosaur computers with tacky clip art, and when we were old enough we took terrifyingly tiny planes across mountains to see one another. We watched Grease for the first time together, learned about boys, went through awkward puberty, ate too much sugar and spazzed out, covered our faces with glitter, learned the macarena, listened to terrible music. Then, suddenly, when we were both fourteen our parents decided to leave Alaska for good: She to Wisconsin and I to Idaho. Our friendship was already strained due to the tragedy of "growing up", and therefore it did not necessarily prevail once we switched states. We both made new friends and were only a distant memory in one another's minds. Myspace and then Facebook appeared, and we sought one another out - out of obligation, or a need to connect with our childhood, or merely to reminisce. I tagged photos of us together as children I found in a giant trunk at my parent's. Once in awhile we would comment on a post, or I would hear something about Lacy from my mother, but we very rarely talked.

This last weekend I went to Las Vegas for the first time, and, as is in my nature, I publicized this fact. Suddenly, I had an email in my inbox from Lacy, informing me that she had moved to Vegas in December and we should meet up.

Ten years after I had seen her as an awkward pre-teen, Lacy and I were reunited. And it was as if we had never been apart. We still were as silly as always, blabbing on and on to one another, dancing together and commenting on other people on the dance floor. She brought out the midwestern accent I've inherited from my mother and we shared similar stories of how we had come to the point we are in adulthood.

It was a perfect, surreal experience. Someone I have known since literally before I could remember, and our bond is still tangible and real. Friendship, and people, and LIFE are truly incredible things.

Inspire Me: Wonder Woman

2011-02-16T04:33:00.000-08:00

Gold Trench Coat: Here
Blue Ruffle Dress: Here
Wonder Woman Two Finger Ring: Here
Mutli Strand Gold Necklace: Here
Red Suede Shoes: Here
Gold Box Purse: Here

Inspire Me: Girly Equestrian

2011-02-16T04:11:00.000-08:00

Pale Pink Blazer: Here
Horse Tanktop: Here
Black Bandage Skirt: Here
Black Suede Wedges: Here
Betseyville Heart Bag: Here
"Love" Ring: Here
Rose Charm Bracelet: Here

Om Nom Nom: Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-02-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, this post is a little late for V-day. But who says it has to be some corporate holiday to enjoy delicious miniature red velvet cupcakes that melt in your mouth and are super easy and non messy to eat? NO ONE SAYS THAT. There is never a BAD time for cupcakes, in my humble opinion.

These cupcake photographs are actually about a year old... exactly! They are from a HUGE batch of red velvet cupcakes I made with a friend for her Anti Valentine Day party. These little bites of heaven were snatched up and devoured pretty early on in the night, and they certainly helped the people getting wasted on absinthe not to get sick.

Without further ado, here is my favourite recipe for red velvet cupcakes:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 (1 ounce) bottle Red Food Color
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Tada!

Cosplay: Ravenclaw

2011-02-10T01:29:00.000-08:00

I've been a huge Harry Potter geek since I was really small. I think I was seven or eight when my mother read the first book to me, and I was absolutely hooked by the second chapter. I was so enthralled with the wonder and how easily I could believe; when an owl didn't come on my 11th birthday I think I cried for three hours. I waited, secretly, until I was 13, believing that Hogwarts didn't find my magical abilities because I was all the way in Alaska. I nearly convinced myself that JK Rowling had gone to Hogwarts herself.

I've always craved such a magical and fantastic existence.

I grew with the characters. They were dear friends, hated enemies, professors I felt much too fondly of. Their triumphs were my triumphs, their downfalls floored me. I celebrated and wept with them... and then the books were over.

A week before the 7th book came out, my two best friends and I went to get our first tattoos. Mine was a golden snitch tattoo, and I have not and will not ever regret it. Harry Potter is a dear friend, and I will miss him so much after the final movie.

But I'll still dress up like a Ravenclaw whenever I damn well please.

(Photos are by the amazing Al, who is uber talented and makes me look way prettier than I am. I didn't do 2 pictures as one of this post because these photos are too awesome to be resized that tiny.)

Outfit of the day: 01-23-2011

2011-01-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

Discovered my car was broken into today. I feel utterly helpless and violated. It's the second time this has happened in the year I've lived in Seattle, but the first time they didn't take anything I cared about. This time, my car was full of things due to the move, and they took my xbox 360 harddrive, a whole bunch of vintage clothes, and worst of all, my Rolleiflex Twin Lens Reflex medium format camera. That thing was my father's since the 70s, and he just entrusted it to me over the holidays. I feel sick. It's not the material value of the objects, it's the sentimental. Sigh.

Floral Dress: Thrifted. (It's way too big on me and I cut it much shorter)
Boots: amazon.com
Jacket: Thrifted
Belt: Thrifted
Rings: H&M
Scarf: Thrifted

Outfit of the day: 01-22-2011

2011-01-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

Dress: H&M
Jacket: H&M (But thrifted)
Undershirt: Sylvie Lewis "band" t-shirt her publicist sent me years ago when I was "big on Myspace"
Lace Vest, Flannel Shirt: Thrifted
Furry Hat: H&M
Owl Earrings: eBay
Deer Ring: H&M
Octopus Necklace: Gift from Veronica

Outfit of the day: 01-20-2011

2011-01-22T21:12:00.001-08:00

A lot of people were commenting on this photo on facebook, saying things about "goth". True, I definitely went through a phase in high school (though it was more Japanese Visual Kei than goth, methinks) and the majority of my wardrobe IS black... but I have never thought of myself as goth. Some days I feel like wearing florals and nudes; other days I feel like blacks and greys. Labeling my fashion style is challenging and pointless, because my moods change every time I walk into my closet. I am an odd mashup of geeky, gothic, romantic, boho, and hipster. Don't question it; I don't. And isn't that what fashion is about? Expressing yourself? I do not dress to adhere to standards or cliches. And although this is sounding very much like a highschooler arguing with a parent about why they can't wear "that", a lot of it still rings true. I know how to dress to look like an adult and still be quirky and silly. I accentuate simple pieces with odd jewelry or interesting makeup. Nothing I wear would ever have me shunned from society, but at the same time it is very much ME.

That's why I love fashion. It's a physical manifestation of the way I feel and think on that day. I can tell certain strangers so much about me with one dress or a single carefully chosen ring. Fashion is my art form.

What I'm wearing:

Long Black Dress: H&M
Black Cowboy Boots: Thrifted
Both Cardigans: Thrifted
Black Faux Leather Jacket: Forever21
Scarf: Made for me by my mother's friend Emily
Bag: H&M
All jewelry except the long silver chain: ebay
Long silver chain: My grandmother's

Cosplay: Death Note

2010-12-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

You know, as I was collecting these images together it struck me that I don't think I edited them all... because we had a Light and a Ryuk and I cannot seem to find those photographs. I will search for them later; regardless, these crazy talented cosplayers are the Boise based cosplay group Ichidan. I used to be their official photographer before I moved to Seattle.

I did this photoshoot at Aki-Con 2009.

Misa: Smidge
L: Christian
Mello: Sonja
B: Krystal

Cosplay: Kyoko (Dark Moon Mio) from Skip Beat

2010-12-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

Yet another photoshoot of my bff Natalie; this time she is cosplaying Kyoko (Dark Moon Mio) from Skip Beat. Admittedly, I have never read this manga, but judging from comments from other people she was spot on. I love her ability to get completely in character; Nat is not a snotty, arrogant bitch "IRL". I shot these photos at Anime Banzai 2009, back with my little Canon Rebel EOS. Aww.

Sakura-Con: Belle from Beauty and the Beast

2010-12-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

A Disney Princess brought to life! I shot this lovely Belle at Sakura-con 2010.

NYCC: Ramona Flowers

2010-12-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

As I was wandering around the (extremely crowded) New York Comic-Con this year, I was overwhelmed with the number of Ramona Flowers I was encountering. I literally could not walk for more than three minutes without seeing one. So although I photograph most cosplayers anyway, I made a point of "collecting" all of the Ramona Flowers that I saw. I missed some: I couldn't get their attention or was in a hurry to get somewhere. But here is my humble Ramona collection.

Sakura-Con: Kuroshitsuji

2010-12-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

I shot so many incredible cosplays at Sakura-con 2010 that I'm still running into photos I forgot to edit. This group of cosplayers from Portland, OR were especially impressive, and some of the most meticulous and in character Kuroshitsuji representations I have ever had the honor to shoot.

Cosplay: Ciel Phantomhive

2010-12-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

I have a whole plethora of serial offenders: cosplayers who I constantly shoot and are always in front of my lens. I have no qualms with this, because usually these camera hogs are insanely talented, adorable, and a great pleasure to work with. Emily is one of those cosplayers: she doesn't understand how utterly adorable is, and she's great fun to work with. Here she is cosplaying Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji at a local "Gasukan" (a cosplay meet-up here in Seattle)

Falalalalala, lalalalalalaaaa.

2010-12-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

These were my Christmas cards last year, drawn by my old roommate and bff Natalie. They picture herself, me, and my doggie Sushi. Happy Holidays!

Emerald City Comic-Con: Red Shirt

2010-12-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

Egads, I can't believe another ECCC is coming up so soon. So much to do, so little time. Aaaaugh.

Anyway, I took these photos of the adorable Alli (remember her?) at Emerald City Comic-Con 2010. She was EXTRA EXPENDABLE, as you can see. Also, I think this may have been my first official photoshoot with my Canon 5D Mark II.

Outtakes, per usual:

...And then I joined in the fun.

Cosplay: Slytherin Student

2010-12-17T00:11:00.000-08:00

I love Harry Potter. A lot. I mean, a LOT. I have a golden snitch tattoo on my wrist... and incidentally, I got that particular tattoo with this Slytherin Student pictured here: her name is Natalie, and she has TWO Harry Potter tattoos - a Deathly Hallows symbol and the inscription from the Mirror of Erised.

Anyway, Natalie and I have been bffs since we were teenagers, and our shared Harry Potter obsession has of course led to use cosplaying random students from our respective houses (she is Slytherin, I am Ravenclaw). Natalie and I used to live together, so I would haul her out for photoshoots quite frequently. This one was conducted at a local park, whilst onlookers stared on in bewilderment.

You can visit Natalie's twitter here.

NYCC: Dr. Horrible-ette & Captain Hammer-ette

2010-12-16T23:52:00.000-08:00

Since the moment I first saw Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, I have been hopelessly and madly in love with it. I've memorized every song a hundred times over, know every line, but yet I STILL cry at the end. It's true that I get a little bit fanatical over a lot of different fandoms, but Dr. Horrible has never faded or lost its interest for me.

So for about a year now I've been playing with the idea of being a female Dr. Horrible. Naturally, however, I could not do it without a female Captain Hammer and IDEALLY a mousey red-headed boy to swoon over. The gender reversal Penny did not come about, but I did manage to convince my friend Genevieve into dressing as Captain Hammer-ette for me at New York Comic-Con 2010.

I bought a "mad scientist" jacket off of amazon.com and altered it INTENSELY with the help of my dear friend Alli, bought some welding goggles and gloves, and I was set. Despite some setbacks: like the paint on my goggles remaining tacky and sticking to my hair - it was still a super fun cosplay to wear and I'd love a repeat performance. Next time I'd like to sing a lady's version of a "A Man's Gotta Do" for cosplay competition or something.

Sakura-con: Neku from The World Ends with You

2010-12-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

Another photoshoot I did at Sakura-con 2010, with cosplayer Frankie. She is cosplaying Neku from the DS Game The World Ends with You.

Meet Molly's Animals: Anakin and Pepper

2010-12-16T23:23:00.000-08:00

My mother used to say that when I was born, I whinnied instead of cried.

Basically, I've been horse crazy since I can remember. I started riding when I was only three years old, and was so rabidly obsessed with horses that I finally got my first one when I was ten. Over the years since then we have had a steady stream of equines, but the two that have always stuck around are Anakin and Pepper. They are miniature horses, 36 inches tall each, with personalities that all but make up for their size. They live on my parent's farm in Idaho, happily living out their days being fat and sassy.

(Anakin is the black one, and Pepper is the blue roan)

Holiday Cheer. Or something.

2010-12-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

Last week I found myself at the Baltic Room in Seattle with my friend Bevin, drinking cheap beer and dancing my robust behind off. Then we uh... sat on double Santa laps. And there was a man in a bear suit. And I had no idea what was going on but it was AWESOME.

Regardless, happy holidays.

Sakura-Con: Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII

2010-12-16T21:33:00.000-08:00

Alli is another one of those crazy talented cosplayers that I am lucky to have in my life... not only as a photo victim but also as a great friend (who helps me with my cosplay endlessly and deals with me staring at the sewing machine like it's going to eat me). She is tiny and Asian, which definitely helps her cause for being one of the OH MY GOD SO CUTE cosplayers, but she's surprisingly multi faceted and I've seen her pull off some great cosplay.

We did this photoshoot at Sakura-con 2010. She is Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII.

Outtakes:
(As you can see, Alli and I have a lot of fun when we shoot)

You can visit Alli's DeviantART here.

Sakura-Con: Mitsuhide Akechi from Sengoku BASARA

2010-12-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

I'm surrounded by way too many talented cosplayers, all of who are entirely willing to get in front of my lens. This means most conventions I am filling up my memory card and rushing around lugging lots of camera equipment, but I have absolutely no problem with that.

David is one of my favourite cosplayers in the Seattle community. He always delivers insanely complex costumes, and he's incredibly good looking... a regular "bishounen". This is his Mitsuhide Akechi (From awesome video game Sengoku Basara) cosplay that I shot at Sakura-con 2010.

The Internet is Fun: Polyvore.com

2010-12-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of us (well, of the fairer persuasion) remember playing with paper dolls once or twice as a child. I was never into any of that "girly stuff", but I did always like clothes. I never had Barbie dolls, but I did put Barbie dresses on GI Joes and Power Rangers!

Polyvore.com is a fantastic website that lets grown ups "play" with paper dolls... without the creepy doll part. It's a powerful image tool and a great resource for fashion as well, and I have been playing with it for years. Basically, you can "clip" images from different websites... and then make "sets" with them! I tend to "fashionably re-create" comic book and anime characters (as seen below). It's also a great place to get inspiration for your own outfits.

It's certainly a little hard to explain, so check out Polyvore.com and see for yourself!

Outfit of the Day: 12-16-2010

2010-12-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Spent the majority of the day thrifting and shopping for groceries for Christmas dinner with me madre.

Like Sushi's Christmas collar?

Boots: Amazon.com

Cardigan: Clothing Swap

Everything Else: Thrifted

Adventure Time: San Diego Zoo

2010-12-16T00:38:00.000-08:00

This summer I went back to the San Diego Zoo for the first time since I was about three years old. I had a great time despite the heat, and the sunshine trying to eat my translucent skin... unfortunately I didn't bring a zoom lens with on the trip so I didn't take that many photos, but I was too mesmerized by the animals to really be arsed, anyway.

Halloween 2010

2010-12-16T00:08:00.000-08:00

(Yes, yes, I'm aware this is a bit late... but considering that my website has been down I have a massive backlog of things to post!)

Halloween is my favourite holiday EVER. It's the day where it's acceptable to cosplay in public, and one can rot their livers with booze and their teeth with candy. This year though, unfortunately, I fell ill in the middle of the holiday so I didn't get to experience it to its full extent... but I still had a good time.

A few days before I went to Nuemo's in Seattle and danced it up... and on Saturday night I assisted my friend Sven in DJing at the Whisky Bar in downtown Seattle. I was lady Han Solo (which unfortunately only exists in cruddy iphone photographs) and zombie Wonder Woman. Ben was the Tenth Doctor, which was absolutely hot since he's a dead ringer for Tennant without his beard, but unfortunately not many people understood who he was.

All in all though, it was a good Halloween... and I'm already planning my costumes for 2011.

People pictured: Max, Jonathan Bell, Ben Templesmith, Veronica, Sven's Hand w/ Sonic Screwdriver

Meet Molly's Animals: Deer & Elk

2010-12-15T23:36:00.000-08:00

My rather fantastic mother runs a non profit wildlife rescue in Idaho called Mystic Farm. She takes in ungulates (moose, deer, elk, antelope, etc) and eventually soft releases them back into the wild. They are usually orphans or injured babies, and she has had a 100% success rate. In the summertime she is usually overrun with babies, and this gives me plenty of photo fodder. Here are some of her charges I have photographed over the years.

The lovely lady pictured in these photographs is my wonderful mother.

Seattle Excursions: The Seattle Aquarium

2010-12-15T22:56:00.000-08:00

January of 2010, I packed up my Subaru and my dog and escaped Idaho for the rainy and lovely city of Seattle, Washington. Though I'm constantly traveling, I'm finally starting to settle in and find my "place" among its eccentric individuals, beautiful architecture, and climbing vines. Whenever I am actually at home I go out of my way to explore the place where I live, and one of my favourite excursions is the Seattle aquarium.

For years I wanted to be a Marine Biologist, but I never wanted to do enough math to actually get a degree in it. So I settle my itch for the things in the ocean by perusing the many exhibits here.

Outfit of the Day: 12-14-2010

2010-12-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

I generally do everything in my power to record what I wear on a daily basis, due to an obsessive need to document my evolving fashion tastes and the bizarre experiments I sometimes partake in. However, it's a little difficult as right now I live alone and I can't unload my camera on my dog. I always feel a fool toting my tripod and remote out onto the sidewalk in front of my apartment, so my outfit documentation suffers because of that.

Right now I'm home at my parent's in Idaho for the Christmas holidays (that explains the snow!), so I am making my mother photograph me... when I actually change out of my pajamas.

Skirt: Thrifted

Hoodie: Thrifted

Jacket: Forever21

Floral Shirt: H&M

Belt: Forever21

Boots: Steve Madden

Meet Molly's Animals: Sushi the Pomeranian

2010-12-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

The entirety of my life, I have been surrounded by animals. I was born into a family of a mother, father, and two labradors. They were basically like my separate parents: Duke and Daisy, my constant furry protectors.

Over the years the "menagerie" at my parent's house built up to include horses, chickens, a goat, cats, and even some deer, moose, and elk (my mother rehabilitates wildlife). My love for animals was nurtured by this and never waned, so when I was about to move out I was pretty depressed about not being able to take my giant black labrador Tidus with me. I began thinking perhaps I should get a small dog, and thus began my epic search for the "perfect" tiny fluff... and that brought me to Sushi.

Sushi is five years old and weighs four pounds. She's a purebred Pomeranian and the absolute four legged love of my life. Her mannerisms are adorable and strange and she brings me infinite smiles.