featured artist: heather benjamin

our featured jewelry designer for the month of may could not be a more perfect match for the aura and location of our may catalog.  heather benjamin’s special pieces are handcrafted using fossils, minerals and gemstones reminiscent of the sea, and silver and gold worked into unexpected, organic shapes. inspired by coastal cultures, rituals and symbols, her one-of-a-kind rings are like pieces of treasure washed up on an island shore, carrying with them the beauty and mystery of the ocean and earth’s basic elements. the use of natural stones and gems ensures that no two pieces of jewelry are exactly alike.

here are some beautiful photos taken in bali where she has a design studio and hand-crafts all of her jewelry:

her inspiration photos, also from bali, beautifully illustrate what her jewelry is meant to symbolize.

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a ceremony making offerings to and honoring the sea.

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the fuscite glitter ring, cratered amethyst ring, quartz crater ring and sea glass garnet ring adorn the hands of models tallulah morton and elsa hosk throughout our may catalog. i love the idea of wearing one as a statement piece with a pretty summer dress and little other jewelry, or piling on with lots of jewelry to dress up a casual look.

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view our heather benjamin pieces here.

the may catalog is here!

take a peek behind the scenes of our may catalog shoot in honolulu, hawaii

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the may catalog was shot by frédéric lagrange and features models tallulah morton and elsa hosk. these magical behind the scenes photos were taken by thomas northcut. shop the catalog online here, and stay tuned for much more behind the scenes to come!

Mother’s Day Waffles

Here’s a delish breakfast for those of you in search of a good way to surprise your mom for mothers day. If you missed breakfast, well, who doesn’t like brupper (breakfast for supper)? Either way, she’ll think you’re the best kid in the entire world.

Ingredients (makes 8 six inch waffles):

2 cups almond milk (vanilla or plain), or any non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all purpose works, too)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sliced bananas
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups greek yogurt (can leave out the yogurt or use non-dairy yogurt if you want to leave the breakfast entirely vegan)

Instructions:

  1. Combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar, set aside to curdle.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Add the flax seeds to milk mixture and mix vigorously until frothy (approx. 30sec-1min)
  4. Add milk mixture, water, olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and half of the bananas to flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until mostly combined then fold in half of the almonds until all ingredients are moistened.
  5. Preheat waffle iron and let the batter rest. Cook according to waffle iron directions. Be sure to spray waffle iron with oil or cooking spray between each waffle.
  6. Garnish with extra bananas, almonds, and a spoonful of yogurt. (as an idea, drizzle the whole thing with honey instead of maple syrup, it’s so good!)

an interview with maggie lochtenberg

in the time that i’ve been blogging here, i’ve posted a lot – and i mean a lot – of beautiful photography that i find around the web. one of the first photographers i “discovered” was maggie lochtenberg, and to this day she remains a personal favorite – one of her photos has been my computer desktop for months now. her photography seems to capture the elements of freedom, youth, dreaminess and magic that i always tend to love, and in a way i have never seen before. her work is so unique and recognizable, and also has such a nostalgic, vintage quality that leads me to think she must be wise beyond her years – an old soul that, without even knowing, i felt i could relate to. read on for an interview with maggie and to see some of her incredible work!

When and why did you first get into photography?

I had always drawn and painted, and for so long I never considered photography a fine art, but that was a long time ago and my existence was callow beyond my own understanding. I took photos to preserve memories, and to look cool on Myspace…you know how it was. It wasn’t until ancient photo albums belonging to my parents and grandparents resurfaced in the process of moving into a new home. The aesthetic of the vintage photos, and the time period they represented moved me to begin collecting vintage cameras and shooting on expired film. From then on I was hooked, and my photographic style continues to develop every day (pun intended).

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Is your goal to be a professional photographer? If not, what is your dream job?

I do hope to be a professional photographer someday, but my happiness is not confined to a single art form, and I’m open to any career that allows me time to work on a personal portfolio of both paintings and photographs. As long as I can exercise my creativity and get my artistic “fix”, I will be content. My dream job is probably to be the director of photography for a magazine or company whose vision is parallel to my own.

Do you carry a camera with you at all times?  What’s your favorite type of camera to shoot with?

My favorite camera to shoot with is my Mamiya RB67 with a Polaroid back. It weighs nearly 10lbs so I rarely carry it around with me, but I almost always have a disposable camera or a 35mm waiting to emerge from my purse in order to capture fun, beautiful, or just plain silly moments.

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If you had a time machine, where would you go?

I would go to prehistoric times. I want to see the earth before it was diseased by buildings and freeways and businessmen, and I have a secret crush on long neck dinosaurs.

Where do you draw inspiration for your work? Who are some of your personal favorite photographers/artists?

I draw inspiration from all around me. My brain and body seem to be in constant motion…  so it’s difficult to pinpoint any divine source of inspiration, but if I find a river, I drink from it. My personal favorite photographers are all females; I adore Sally Mann’s work, I worship Francesca Woodman. Amalia Chimera and Alison Scarpulla are amazing artists as well- they are so young and fresh, and their photographs, enchanting.

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Tell me five music artists you love right now.

1)      Iron & Wine
2)      Avi Buffalo
3)      Band of Horses
4)      The Velvet Underground
5)      The Tallest Man on Earth

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

So far, the best advice I’ve ever been given was to embrace human experience, good and bad, not just chase pleasures in life, and never accept numbness. Robert Frost told me that in a poem or two.

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If your life was a movie what would the theme song be?

Over the Hills & Far Away by Led Zeppelin

Tell me something most people don’t know about you.

I never ever play any sports, in fact I’m hardly active, but I used to play on an all-boys rugby team. My father is a big Australian guy, he used to play, and he somehow managed to get me to join. I was a tough kid; I used to get in fights every so often and beat up all the boys before they passed through puberty.  When adolescence rudely interrupted our innocent fun, I discovered that I wasn’t stronger than boys anymore, and my pre-pubescent tough-kid days were through. People who know me now may find that difficult to believe.

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Do you have a personal favorite photo that you’ve taken?

It’s very difficult to chose a favorite photo, because they all have deep emotional attachments to me, but I think the one of my two friends and I, fully naked, and about to leap into a little lake we found, is quite lovely and magical for me. We were swimming, to our fearful delight, with large catfish and surrounded by huge redwood trees, spied on only by spiders and squirrels. Lining the modest lake was a marshy shore teeming with the most beautiful red and blue dragonflies, and there wasn’t a house or human to be seen around us. In the bottom right corner of the Polaroid (near the rightmost girl’s calves), you can make out a blurry red mark… little do most people know that it’s one of the dragonflies gracefully passing by just in time to become my most precious and miraculous accident. (view photo here).

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go check out her flickr page and be prepared to be blown away! thank you so much maggie.

Australia Guest Blogger: Lauren Brooks

My love letter to Cafe Bouquineste

I love this coffee shop so much so I get on my bike, Ida Flower, and cycle a 30 minute bike ride along the Brisbane river just so I can hide myself away in the hub of this beautiful cafe.
Coffee that comes out so pretty with love hearts in the milk, home made cup cakes and the most scrumptious eggs you could ever ask for. Borrow a book and settle in. Perfect place for people watching and making new friends.
People flock here why? Because Meridith the owner gives you a little taste of home, a place that is kooky and cosy and makes you want to keep popping back in for more.
My favorite place to just waste time and day dream the hours away x

Her blog Baumbach

Australia Fashion Week

As you’re most probably aware, we are pretty smitten with Australia lately (our guest blog series), and what’s more, we are pretty smitten with its fashion week that kicked off monday for Spring/Summer 2012.

There’s something about Australian fashion that brings sunshine to mind. One of the most exciting Fashion/Beach cities of the world ‘Sydney’ showcased it’s talented designers and yep… they didn’t disappoint.

I have always been a huge fan of Zimmermann. Their swimwear rocks, and now their clothing is taking another step up the ladder to greatness. Water coloured poppy field prints, laser cut art work, and contrasting fabrication – all make for clothes that contribute to that “perfect summer” outfit for day, night and the beach.

Gotta love Australia!!

Photos taken from Style bubble read her reviews on Australia Fashion Week here.

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Office Style

The Style…

(Our beach designer)

Is Caribbean Coastal – I never wear blazers but this linen blazer was a nice alternative to a cardigan or denim jacket and this outfit and was kind of tropical and 90’s all at once. I like clothes that can come out of a backpack all swooshed and still works all together. Vintage Levi’s Denim cut offs and the vintage Indian embroidered leather belt kind of offset the cleanness of the blouse and the linen jacket. It’s the same when the fringe suede back pack off set the French leather ballet flats.

 Oh and of a course a smile makes every outfit work.

The style…

(Designer)

There’s nothing better than finding the perfect vintage dress, something you don’t have to cut, crop, cinch or mess with in any way… this is one of those rare finds… it’s a perfect day-to-night… dining, dancing, strolling in the park, easy 60’s style mini dress.. a little too mini for me so I added the crochet bloomers for safety, the bowler is my favorite outfit completer for spring.

The style…

(Our creative director)

 My dress is an old Jessica McClintock that I have had forever. I always almost get rid of it but then decide not to. The Jean jacket is from the 70’s  I cut the sleeves off and the bottom hem. I just bought this little leather bag in Austin from the lovercraft. The bird necklace is a favorite keepsake. I bought it on the way to Joshua tree. The square turquoise necklace is my boyfriend’s grandmothers. And the airplane I made with my friend Carrie we like to dabble in metal sometimes.

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thursday poll – edition 133

we have a cool new page on our website right now where you can shop by girl! so if you’re a ginger, meadow, sandy, candy or lou you can click on them and go to a selection of items just your style.  i thought it would be fun for today’s poll to pick an outfit from each shop and see which one you like best, without telling you which girl it is :) so vote for your favorite below and then you can click on each image to go to that girl’s shop!

girl #1:

girl #2:
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girl #3:
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girl #4:
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girl #5:
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view the whole shop by girl section here!