much adoo

I was sitting around staring at a blank page, wondering, what haven't I written about? Then it hit me. Camera RAW. Why should you shoot in it? Better yet - WHEN should you shoot in it.

Camera RAW is an amazing thing, and I highly recommend you shoot in RAW format. The image sizes will be larger and less compressed because what camera RAW does is saves all the information the sensor (the thing that 'sees' your image) has, not just a fraction of the information which is what happens when you shoot in JPG. The best analogy I can give is let's say you are making a dress for your best friend. You can either get a pattern that allows you to use multiple sizes and adjust well, or you can guess a size and try to adjust later. The pattern is going to work much better, but take a little more time and care. This would be shooting in camera RAW. Buying a dress and hoping it fits or that you can make minor, tiny adjustments later is much easier, but can have bad results. This would be shooting in JPG. The other way to think of Camera RAW is like a digital negative. Back in the day, you would manually expose the negatives in machines. The negative captured all the information, and you could do a lot with that.

If you are starting out, try mastering some of the other techniques first. Editing your photos should come after you start understanding some basic terms and ideas. Once you have some things down, and you want to be able to have control over your images while sitting at home, switch over to RAW.

Even on the warmer days, which is anything above 32 right now, the snow is still prevailing. I recently took a few of my dresses into the tailor for some fixing - and this being one of them, I was so excited to get it back! This is one of my favorite dresses, but after about 2 years of wear, the hem broke in our washer (which spins really, really, probably way too fast). Most cleaners have a tailor that can make these fixes for you for only about 8 dollars, which makes the life of clothing even longer!

coat :: modcloth

sweater :: nordstrom

dress :: leah reena goren for anthropologie

tights :: target

oxfords :: born

necklace :: c/o pretty pany

belt :: target

For the next few months, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite places we have traveled - specifically around food, but also any other experiences I've felt were big moments of our lives. I'm an avid Yelper and have always loved writing about the good places we go. I actually have a lot of guilt about my lower reviews to be honest! Anyhow, in trying to find my inspiration again for this blog, I thought writing about the places I find most inspiring (and often where my outfit photos are taking place) would be fun.

The first is The Grit, a vegetarian restaurant in the adorable Athens, Georgia, a small college town about an hour outside of Atlanta. I first visited in 2009 when my friend was staying there as a college lab assistant for the summer. The restaurant is a gem that is fairly well known amongs vegans and vegetarians, but really is just a delicious place for anyone.Their signature tofu is unlike any other - crusted with nutritional yeast, which is one of the best things on the planet. You can read my full Yelp review here.

I
've been a total of three times - once during that trip and twice during a trip with Jason in 2012 that was on the blog. It's definitely worth the trip - especially if you are in or around Atlanta for any given period of time, try and make the trek over to Athens and enjoy some delicious vegetarian fare here. There are some other cute places as well - and Terrapin Brewery is based here, so you can stop in and get yourself a beer as well!

One of our favorite places in Pennsylvania has got to be Troegs. It's been near impossible to get a decent photo outside these days as the snow piles are taller than I am, so we have been trying to get a bit more creative about shots. I love the interior of Troegs - it's in an warm, industrial (contradictory, but true) setting with some yummy food (the pretzel, the fondue, and the popcorn) plus has really good beer. It's worth the trip if you all are ever out this way - it's always packed though! This was towards the end of the night and on a snowy evening and it was still buzzing constantly!

coat :: dear creatures remixed

cardigan :: c/o joules remixed

dress :: modcloth remixed

belt :: target remixed

loafers :: gh bass remixed

bag :: kate spade remixed

necklace :: target remixed

Downtown Lancaster has a feel unlike other cities - it's very quaint and friendly. I have loved the feeling of the little city with the brick streets and row houses. We stopped into a wine bar downtown that we have visited before for a quick drink before dinner with family. Most of my photos lately have been taken quickly inbetween the car and places we are going because it's far too cold to spend time searching out somewhere to take photos - especially when these are the only kind of snow appropriate shoes I own! The snow is higher than them!

PS. Happy Valentine's Day lovebirds! We're heading to New York next weekend as a romantic getaway and I can't wait to share the photos!

scarf :: gift (similar) remixed

dress :: urban outfitters

belt :: target remixed

tights :: old navy remixed

bag :: my own design remixed

boots :: diba via dsw remixed

ring :: c/o born pretty remixed

coat :: modcloth remixed

Lately, I feel like I have hit a creative block with my blog, and I feel like it's showing. My outfit photos have been hard to take with 6-8 inches of snow and a busy life. I've felt less inspired in writing, as well. And avoiding addressing it just makes it worse. So let's address it.

How do I overcome a large block in my path?

Well, I'm taking a step back. I'm seeing what really makes me happy about this blog - which is the photography, pups, design, and cocktails. I love sharing my life and style, and at some point, I decided to add too much in. I'm trying to organize myself again and refocus to get back on the right track, so all I can ask is that you stay with me over the next couple of months. If you have any helpful suggestions - favorite posts, things you have loved from the past, random things to share, what you'd like to name your baby, whatever really - send me an e-mail or tweet at me. Let's chat!

Sometimes, you need a drink that carries you through the winter and reminds you that warmer times are coming. I drowning in snow and ice, and I wanted to create a cocktail that reminded me of the south. So here is a yummy bourbon peach cocktail with a peach cotton candy finish from Fluff It Up.

What You'll Need
2 Ounces Kentucky Bourbon (Makers Mark, Four Roses, Etc)
1/3 Cup Peaches
1.5 Cups Soda Water
Peach Cotton Candy from Fluff It Up

In a blender or something similar to a Magic Bullet (what I am using), combine the bourbon and peaches until well blended. Add in soda water, then pour into glasses. Add ice if necessary to chill. Garnish with cotton candy.

It's been too cold lately - and I'm not even really sure how I got these photos. Of course, I do look a little cold, but I had to show off my new Joules cardigan! I love the bird and all the little details - like the pink top button - and the fact that is is super warm. I had to change my outfit completely from what I had wanted - this cardigan is perfect for bright yellow - but when I woke up, we had a lot more snow than when I went to sleep. I thought that grey on grey was appropriate for my backdrops lately. I really wish I was a bird, I have said before I relate to them, but I really would love to fly south for the winter. Or forever. I'm over this snow.