Sunday, October 25, 2009

Sunday Shots: Week 28

Hello there!

Can you believe it? It's Sunday and I'm here writing a blog entry for the Sunday Shots! It's been quite a while since I managed to write on a Sunday, and it's been quite even longer since both G and me had our self-portraits done by Saturday!

I'm guessing that the gorgeous fall weather has been pretty inspiring for us both!


So here they go!:





Hopefully next week I'll post a pair of new blog entries (aside from the photography ones).

Enjoy your Sunday!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

My Funky Camera

Happy gloomy Tuesday!


Surprised that I'm writing a new blog entry today while being on holiday?


Today is a gloomy, cloudy Tuesday and though I got my Riona cardigan in the mail from Argentina today (which cheered me up considerably), it's one of those days that don't really make you feel like going out anywhere, and since almost everyone over here is napping, I'm gonna use my time to catch up on at least a blog entry.


Since I got my new camera, and with it the neck strap, I've been thinking that I'm really not a neck strap person, and even less a regular (read as boring) Olympus strap... I obviously have nothing against Olympus (I do love my E-620 and lenses) but I guess I don't like having their name written in HUGE letters around my neck... And besides, I don't find neck straps to give me the kind of flexibility for shooting that I want.


That's how the quest for a wrist strap began. As usual I started by looking on Etsy, and I found that though not very numerous, there were a few shops that made camera straps, but unfortunately most of them only made neck straps, or strap covers (which I have considered to hide the huge Olympus letters on my neck strap), and the wrist straps that were available were so for point & shoot cameras, not DSLRs.


So, I was again left with a neck strap option... until my photography all-knowing bf came upon My Funky Camera's website that offered wrist straps in very fun and quirky fabrics, exactly just what I was looking for! After looking around and loving a lot of the cute fabrics she uses on her straps, I decided that the one I loved the most was the Andalucia Blue Birds fabric (which as it happens, has a Spanish name!) and that's the one Gaurav got me as one of my b-day presents!






Once I arrived here in WI, I got to get the neck strap out and instead start using the wristlet from My Funky Camera, and I have to say that not only I think the size is perfect and the strap is very well made, but also, THIS is how I love to play around with my camera, making sure I won't drop it by accident (it'll always be hanging from my wrist, so I only have to avoid banging it against walls & the like) but not having a limiting strap either!






And also, my camera looks so cool with her new accessory!




I will now return to my Apple Cinnamon Green Tea and wait for the bf to get up... If there's a general nap time tomorrow, I might write another blog entry! Till then... Ciao!

Sunday Shots: Week 27 (Monday Edition)

Hey there!


No, I haven't been snowed in without an internet connection, but I have been very entertained (a good mix of busy and lazy) and truth be told, I only managed to take my own self-shot Sunday at 11:50 pm.


This past week we went onto a pair of shootings around, G, his bro-in-law and me, since we three are huge photography fans, we went to Wollersheim Winery for some picture taking & wine buying (and tasting, they had this new Iced Wine that is lovely!).


And also, which made me very happy... I got my NEW Olympus 50mm f2 macro lens! And that was the lens that both me and G used to take our shots for the week, and here they go!:






Hopefully, I'll be able to write a pair of new blog entries more this week, even more since I already have the photos edited for one of them!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sunday Shots: Weeks 25 & 26 (Monday Edition)

Hey there everyone!


Yeah, yeah, I know... I'm a day late again... and this time my excuse is life, the universe and everything... mainly jet lag!


I'm not adapting too bad to the 7 hour difference between Wisconsin and Spain, but still with spending time with the bf and family, and running around after the girls, we have barely spent time online or even editing pics...


But, here they are, both Gaurav's and mine from the previous week (we cheated a bit, and they are actually pics taken by the other one of each other, and then the shot for last week, that it's just one shot of the two of us together!


So here they go!:








And with that I leave you till next time, which I can't promise when will it be! Hopefully before next Sunday, or at the very least, next Sunday!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Oktak!

Wednesday is here!


And with this blog post I will be saying "See ya later!" at least till Sunday, since tomorrow I will be flying to Chicago (and then taking a bus to Madison).


Today I'm succeeding in posting the three blog entries I had planned before leaving, and today's entry is gonna be dedicated to Oktak and her shop filled with frame purses, pouches and eco-friendly shopping bags!


Oktak's shop has been in my favourites list for so long, I don't even remember when I added it there! I've been looking at her items for a long time, and I had been wanting to get something from Aki's shop since then!


I featured one of Oktak's eco-friendly shopping bags in my Shopping Handmade entry about my mum's b-day, and I loved it SO much, that I decided to get myself two!





Since over here in Spain a few of the bigger market chains have decided to stop using plastic bags, I found that Oktak's shopping bags are the perfect option! They're as big as the regular plastic bags, and as roomy as they are, and they do fit a lot of stuff! Here I grabbed some random stuff from the fridge, so I could show you how much you can fit, and there was still plenty of room for more!






You can also roll them and put them in your handbag, taking less space than any of your usual make up bags or cell phone bags!




After getting myself those two bags and trying them out shopping (and getting lots of interesting looks and a bunch of compliments), I decided to get myself one of her pouches for general purposes, I've been using it to keep some essentials in my purse, and right now it's my chargers holder in my hand luggage Dolly bag!




What I love the most about this pouch is the fact that it's lined and very sturdy, flexible but not losing its shape, and it's very roomy! And it also matches one of my shopping bags! ;)


If you love Oktak's bags as much as I do, go check her SALE section for some awesome steals with her usual quality!


And with this, I'm off to go look into the online check-in, check and re-check my suitcases and make sure I don't forget anything important! ;)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Shopping Handmade: Pilu's Birthday

Hello there!


Going back to work today was such a release! I had a MUCH better shift which means I arrived home earlier, I could park better and I'm not as tired, which in turn allows me to blog before going to sleep early, since tomorrow I work morning shift (my last day at work before my holidays, yay!).


Today's morning I met up with one of my best friends since Nursing School. for a coffee and some b-day presents swapping! We hadn't seen each other since before my b-day and I wanted to make sure that even if I'm gonna miss her b-day, cause I'll be in the US, she didn't have to wait till November to get them!


Pilu and me were nicknamed "Siamese sisters" during nursing school by our friends, cause we have sooooo many things in common, and we both are dark haired, dark eyes and we both have curls, and also share our two first names!


As with many things, we started reading and getting hooked to Twilight without telling each other about it, or even recommending it, but when we found we had both got hooked to the books, we started talking about them and planning going to see New Moon together!


One of the many times we met, for lunch & a movie, or for window (and real) shopping & coffee, I was wearing a pair of my Noriane's Bijoux pieces, and she fell in love with my Midnight Sun pendant, so I quickly made a mental note to get her one for her b-day, and I also got the idea of getting her a custom (and unique) matching bracelet. Noriane not only was happy to oblige but also managed to make such a fantastic piece that Pilu is very lucky that I like her as much as I do and I decided to give to her and not keep for myself!








I also knew that she would totally love the very cute Kukubee Twilight pouches, and I decided to get her the Lion & Lamb set of mini pouches, so I would put each of the jewellery pieces in each one of the pouches! It would serve as a sort of gift wrapping within the gift wrapping!








So, this morning during coffee we did the gift swapping, and she absolutely LOVED both the very cute pouches, and was absolutely thrilled by the fact that she got a pendant like mine and even more about the unique custom bracelet that matched it!





Wondering what I got? An awesome green leather (or pleather, I'm no sure) jacket we both had seen (and loved) on one of out previous shopping trips! ;)

Monday, October 5, 2009

Isla New York Designs!

Monday OFF!!


It's been such a loooong week this past one... Since I started working on Tuesday, I've barely been doing anything other than work and sleep, since things at work have been pretty crazy!


But I'm now getting ready to finish my packing and get ready to fly next Thursday to the US, again! So, between the crazy work times and the packing I've been completely lacking on inspiration. That has pushed the Sunday Shots into a combined entry for both past week and this current week, that will hopefully be posted this Sunday!


So, after feeling terribly guilty about how often my fellow blogger Brooke at Brooke Van Gory updates her blog and after reading about Amber from RockerByeBaby setting up herself to update more regularly her own blog, so I decided that I should tackle at least a pair of blog entries!


I'm gonna start the week with my entry about Isla New York Clothing line and her amazing designer and creator, Regina!


For a change, I didn't find her shop, but it was my boyfriend who linked me to her Maria top, and told me that I needed to get it, not only cause we have the same name, but also cause he was sure it'll look great on me (are you thinking I'm such a lucky one cause I have a bf that looks around Etsy and finds clothing for me to buy? I sure am, and you don't know half of it!) ;)


I added the Maria top to my favourites on Etsy, and found that were other lovely tops in her shop, so not only I got myself the lovely Maria top in yellow (even if I've never been a yellow fan) but I also bought an Oly top in coral for my sis-in-law's b-day!




Regina kept me up to date via twitter and Etsy convo on the progress on both orders, and made sure that I would be getting the top in time for my sis-in-law's b-day! Communication is huge on her list, as is making sure every and each one of her creations is made with love and attention to detail.


My sis-in-law loved her Oly top, and has been wearing it a lot all the summer, too bad I have no pics to show you, but I do have some shots of my trip to Wisconsin this summer wearing my Maria top, that both Divya and Deeksha (Gaurav's sisters) loved to bits! (There might be a Isla New York top on their future, hmmm).


We went on a trip to Madison and spent most of the afternoon by the lake, and it was absolutely gorgeous and it was a great time to take some pics and show off my lovely new summer top!