Just a couple of kittens out on the town

Happy Halloween!! This year I'm going as Angela Martin from The Office! I love putting together costumes from things I already have... the only thing I needed to buy was the wig. I already had the clothes and the ream of Dunder Mifflin paper (you can get it here) and the Dwight bobble head in the background ;)

oh, and Sprinkles!


Is anyone doing anything fun to celebrate today? Every year I throw a little costume party with my family. I'm making pumpkin bean soup (I guest-posted the recipe here!) and vegetarian mummy hot dogs (recipe here, I just substitute regular hot dogs for Morningstar ones.) And of course I have oodles of candy on hand! ;)

Cardigan and braided headband - h&m | Skirt - vintage | Shoes - modcloth*

Wig - ebay | Dunder Mifflin paper - NBC store

*Today is the last day (unless they extend it again) to get $20 off your first Modcloth order of $50 or more! Just use this link to get the discount :)

some scary movie suggestions

I hope everyone on the east coast is doing okay this week! I'm typing this up and scheduling it now (Monday night) since our power has been browning out and I'm sure we're going to lose it pretty soon. I'm actually surprised it's held up this long, since it's been rainy and SUPER windy for almost 24 hours now.

If you DO have power, this is kind of a good time to watch scary movies, yes? Me and my family have been watching our favorites for the last two days while the wind is howling outside. Here are some eerie flicks I highly recommend:

+ Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and Doctor X (1932) - Both of these movies were filmed in a two-strip technicolor that looks really, really creepy. The subject matter is spooky enough, but the murky greenish tint really adds so much scary oomph! Both star Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill and if you like classic horror (as opposed to blood-and-guts horror) they'll definitely scare your pants off!

+ The Vampire Bat (1933) - Another Lionel Atwill movie (he was in some really scary films!) that spooks me every time. I think this one is more unsettling than Dracula (even though I do love that one, too!)

+ Scream of Fear (1961) - I wrote a blog post about this one on my film blog last year, here. It's a Hammer film, so I was a little wary about watching it (I'm really not big on gore, and in my experience Hammer films usually come with buckets of it) but it's more of a psychological twisted sort of horror. Not gory but DEFINITELY scary!

+ The Innocents (1961) - Just the opening credits of this movie creeped me out so much that I had to make my brother keep me company for the rest. It's a gothic, atmospheric thriller based on The Turn of the Screw. It's one of those movies where what you *don't* see is scarier than what you do!

+ The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947) - This is more of a murder mystery than a horror film, but it definitely has the feeling of a scary movie! And I have goosebumps just thinking about the painting they show in the film (you'll know it when you see it!) eek! Also, it has Barbara Stanwyck (my favorite actress) so that's always a plus!

+ The Body Snatcher (1945) - Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without at least one Val Lewton film, and my favorite is The Body Snatcher. This movie also proves that Boris Karloff could be pretty scary even without the Frankenstein makeup ;) Maybe even scarier.



ps. A little snapshot of me and Hypatia <3

pumpkin pie

I lost this sweater last winter and was SO excited when I found it again a couple weeks ago. It's seriously the coziest sweater on the planet! A soft, nutmeg-colored, over-sized blanket of warmth and comfort. I couldn't help but pair it with this pretty orange polka-dotted frock and my favorite platform loafers. The outfit just screams "pumpkin pie" to me... it looks a bit like it, plus when I was wearing it I wanted to eat an entire pie by myself.*Wanted to*... I didn't actually do it. Okay, I ate half. But that's not as bad as the whole thing, right? :)

Dress - c/o le bomb shop | Sweater - h&m | Tights - old navy | Shoes - francescas

Taking decent product photos with no fancy equipment whatsoever

As a shop owner, I often have to take photos of my products to list online. I like to do this without any fancy equipment whatsoever -- I don't even have a camera. Seriously. 

I thought I'd share how I do it, in case anyone else is interested, or intimidated by suggestions that say you need super expensive DSLR cameras and lightboxes and reflectors, etc. Now obviously my photos aren't quite as amazing as the ones taken by people who DO have all those things. But I think I manage pretty well with what I have, and I'm usually pleased with the results of my photo shoots.

To take my pictures I use: an iphone, two 20x30 pieces of foam board from the dollar store, masking tape, 1/4 yard of fabric from JoAnn's, and mid-morning sunlight. Optional: tin foil.



1. Score the back of the foam board so that you can bend it in half. You don't want to go all the way through and cut it, just score it so that it folds evenly. 2. Prop the foam board on a table that's facing a window. Don't use any artificial lighting. I usually take pictures somewhere between 10am-12pm. In the summer the good light lasts a little longer but at this time of year the shadows start getting very harsh not long after noon. 3. Tape your fabric to the top of the board, and pull it to the end so that it creates a seamless background. You don't want it to fall into the crease in the foam board. 4. Prop up another piece of white foam board next to the backdrop, facing your light source. This will help bounce the light back and reflect any shadows on the other side of your product.

In my home we have a giant window on the other side of the house, so light comes into my room from both sides. But if you don't have any light source on the other side, you might want to try covering the foam board with tin foil to better reflect the light. When it's positioned at the perfect angle (adjusting it will help you figure out what angle is best) it really works wonders at softening up harsh shadows!



Here's an example of a photo I took with this backdrop, lightened a tad in Photoshop. Like I said, the results obviously aren't as good as they'd be if you *do* have lots of fancy equipment, but I think they're not too shabby either :)

ps. The dinosaur brooch is available in my shop!