Winter At Our House!

Just wanted to quickly share some photos I've taken around the neighborhood this week. I'm not much of a fan of winter, but I must admit, I do like looking out the windows and seeing this...

The following photos were taken in the field one block from our house... I did my first photo shoot there last weekend and am looking forward to many more throughout upcoming seasons!

At the Market

My love of taking pictures at farmer's markets began several summers ago when I took the above shot of a bunch of berries at a stand at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Since then, the farmer's market has become one of my very favorite places to take pictures. I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a place with more fascinating colors, textures and patterns in one place than in the bins and baskets filled with fresh produce at any market. In the past four years since I started shooting digitally, I've collected quite a catalog of mouth-watering photos of fruits and veggies taken at various markets around the northwest. Since mid-August is peak harvest time, I thought now would be a good time to share some of my favorites!

Like all of my work with non-human subjects, prints of these images are for sale. I've always thought these pictures would be a great addition to the decor of any kitchen and finally got around to putting some up in my own! Besides the shot of the honey bears above, I chose a few pictures of fresh fruit to add some color to my kitchen...

If you are interested in having some of these shots for your own kitchen, please email me at sandi@soulsticeimagery.com!

It's official: I'm addicted to Laura Bee.

I liken it to the phenomenon described by people with multiple tattoos... once you design your first bag at Laura Bee Designs in Seattle, you find yourself either daydreaming about how your next one will look or figuring out ways to justify its purchase. I confess: I knew before I left the shop after designing my first bag that my second was going to be black & white, and mostly likely a Chelsea. I'm pretty sure that means I'm an addict. Thankfully I'm not alone in this... my best friend designed herself a Kate bag at LBD less than two weeks ago and she has confessed that already her thoughts are on "her next bag!" I'm starting to wonder if this was all part of Laura's original business scheme ...errr... "plan"...!

Laura and I are planning another handbag-for-photo-shoot trade and once she gave me the green light to order my bag, the search was on for just the right fabric. I knew I wanted it to be bold & sassy to go with the Chelsea bag's mod lines and I wanted the print to be an equal balance of black & white. I visited every fabric shop in Bellingham and spent a few hours scouring the internet to find the right one. I'm glad I was diligent in my search: this fabric was exactly what I had in mind! I love the sharp contrast of the concentric circles against the glossy fabric of the bag, and the rings on the Chelsea take the circle theme an extra step.
I decided to give this ensemble a sassy twist with a red lining for both the bag and its accessories. Laura again made me a special sized folder for my business postcards (they're perfect!) and this time I had her sew a key hook into the side seam of the bag. I really hate digging for keys so I'm thrilled about this great addition to my bag!
Laura was able to use a strip of my fabric in place of ribbon on my wristlet and card holder so everything would match. I really dig this fabric so this time I opted for a zipper coin purse instead of a mini wallet so I could get a little more use of it! It wasn't until I started the search for the perfect black & white fabric for my second bag that I decided I was just going to go ahead and splurge on my third. I don't get to sew much these days, so it has been years since I've shopped for fabric. I found so many fun, colorful prints that I couldn't help thinking would look really cute on any number of Laura Bee bags! With the dreams already forming, it wasn't long before long I was justifying the purchase: I've been riding my bike a lot this summer and I was continually finding myself wishing I had something simple, safe and comfortable (okay, and cute!) to carry my basic essentials while I pedal. I'd seen the Travel Bag in the shop and it seemed to be just what I had in mind... AND it afforded me the opportunity to utilize one of those fun fabrics I'd found. Perfect!

I've got my basic black & brown bags now, so I decided I was going to have some fun with this one. Laura had recently blogged about her new Sock Monkey Coin Purses and I knew I had to have one (my chinese zodiac sign is the monkey, that's reason enough, isn't it?) So, I decided to pair the two. On my trip back to the fabric store, I zeroed in on prints I thought would fit the playfulness of the sock monkey and came up with this fun orange & brown dotted fabric.

I can't help but feel happy carrying around this bag!Laura included this cool button in my goody bag* and I decided it was the perfect adornment for the strap of my Travel Bag. Thanks Laura! I even got to pick out the Sock Monkey I wanted on my snap coin purse : )I used my new Travel Bag for the first time last night and I quickly learned it is the PERFECT "just the essentials" bag. I really prefer to keep the number of things I carry around with me to a minimum, so this is a great bag for me. I thought it would be fun to share my version of "the essentials"... here's what you'd find in my Travel Bag on an average day...

Click on picture to see in large size.

My two favorite things about this bag (besides it being so cute) are that it is so comfortable I forget I am wearing it and it keeps its great looking shape even when packed with the essentials, as in the photo below.

I can already tell this bag is going to get more wear & tear than I ever anticipated. : )

*In every shipment from Laura Bee you'll find a little goody bag!

Please be sure to check back later this summer to see more collaborative work between Laura & me!