A few weeks ago I was contracted to do some freelance work for a potential client in Malibu.  It was supposed to be a one-off job and the day I went to meet them I didn’t bring a camera to document the drive.  Fast forward to the present and I was invited back to Malibu but this time with the intention of working with these lovely folks for a a few glorious months.  I am thrilled (and relieved) that they hired my firm (me) to take over their new branding project. I have always wanted to be able to work with a brand that took my sage advice and thought that all my ideas were fabulous.  Bonus, when I visit them I will be driving down a highway with coastal views that are so breathtakingly beautiful that I have to pinch myself that it’s not a scene from a movie. I am feeling rather fortunate. Get ready for a lot more ocean photo’s in the coming months because unlike the first trip I will not be forgetting my camera.

I know it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday in the states but I want to wish all the Mother’s (fur baby ‘mom’s’ included) the greatest day ever this weekend!

I came across this perfect package of what looked like my Bella, whilst looking for something totally unrelated, which I would tell you what it was if I could remember but like so many of my futile internet searches I got easily sidetracked, saw something shiny and that was that.  The photo’s that I found of the Laduree truffle package were a little too small for my blog so I decided to try my hand at rendering a digital oil painting. I am not great with the Wacom tablet which is what I use when I am trying to ‘paint’ in Photoshop (or clean up some of my photo mishaps.) The Fancy didn’t think it looked like a painting at all so I added the canvas texture in hopes that it would look more realistic. Painting in Photoshop beats cleaning up a mess of oil-based paints any day, bonus I didn’t kill any of my already rapidly depleting brain cells!  Truth be told when I was done I felt very Janet Hill-esque minus the enormous talent of course.

 I have been wanting to get a shot of clouds like this, for like forever, I am glad I was finally able to. If you are reading this on Wednesday morning I am on a plane headed back to San Francisco.  This trip I won’t be able to play tourist, I looked at the schedule and I am booked solid from the time I land until the time I leave.  Last trip I had to stay an impromptu evening in the city because my photographer never showed up. I had no change of clothes, or other sundries and had to procure sub-supplies at the local Walgreen’s–yes, I did buy an ‘I love SF’ t-shirt, it was $3.99 and clearly in my budget.  I couldn’t go to the shoot the following morning without makeup (scare the clients), so I had to make ‘if you were stuck on deserted island’ cosmetic buying decisions.  I bought foundation (with SPF), mascara (of course, I never leave the house without it), and blush. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a complete disaster but as fortune would have it the foundation is my new most favorite ever, a drop goes a long way, it’s light but covers everything, just fabulous!  I love it and want to marry it.  At $12.99 I hope it says yes. The blush was also the greatest color, very light. It was a powder and I am more a cream blush girl but I got compliments all day.  L’oreal always makes the best mascara, you really can’t go wrong with any of their formulas but I bought their new natural.  Just like that I have new budget make-up that I adore and will be happy to use as long as they make it (or I fall out of love with it, whichever comes first).

I do believe Spring is here in full bloom!  The milky white jasmine petals have popped up out of nowhere in our courtyard to fragrance my entire living room.  I have lavender colored blooms where I once only had chives (who knew?) and the best part is the wholesale flower mart has flowers that I covet such as California poppies in my favorite blush tones.  I am over the moon.  I have never seen cut poppies before, I thought because they are so fragile that cutting them was not an option but it seems that the florist adds a little wax at the bottom of each stem and you can enjoy these beauties for  a few beautiful days.  I knew I wanted to get some photo’s up in my office and the color scheme I was considering for the images so the poppies were perfect timing.  I shot them high-key but softened them in post processing to have a ballerina like quality, soft, floaty, dream-like.  I used my kit lens because I seem to have broken my 50mm (it won’t focus), to get the high-key I had to shoot manual, it is at times like these that I am happy that I figured that little photography ‘secret’ out.

I am not sure if these will be going up in the office, the hallway, or the foyer. Should I print one extra large with a glossy white lacquer frame or do a series of tiny squares in unfinished blond wood frames?  When it comes to decisions….What do you think?  Large? Tiny? Lacquer? Natural?

Monday’s should always start with a smooch, wouldn’t it make them so much more inviting?  This is a mother and baby kiss, not all kissing needs to be amorous to be delightful.  I say, why not kiss someone you love this morning? It may make Monday sweeter. Happy May everyone!