ombre

There is a trend overtaking the internet currently for "Ombre hair" - which is that style which is usually darker on top/roots and slightly lighter (or multi) coloured at the ends. I'm a fan. If you're still not sure - Ombre-ala-pinterest:

and

FYI, I was rocking the ombre look way before it was cool. 

I call it "re-growth"

(also, rocking a giant bowl-glass of wine.)

Anywhoo, contrary to popular belief "ombre" doesn't mean "cool hair" it is actually a french word which is used to describe a variation in colour tone - mainly shaded or graduated. So jumping on the ombre band-wagon I've been playing around with a few different gradient fill techniques in photoshop:




If you'd like to give them a go - there is a very quick and easy tutorial up on Pugly Pixel. Otherwise you can just wing it - new fill layer > gradient fill layer and then smash up some different colours to replace the default black gradient until you get something you fancy. Easy? Easy.

The pics I used -
1. From our recent backpacking trip through Cambodia - some of the temples at Angkor Watt.
2. A model shoot I did for a Korean photographer. A whole bunch of lols. Read here.
3. From a market in uBud, Bali taken about two years ago.

The lyrics in the pics come from Milo Greene - 1957.

your house that sits behind me 
is covered in ivy green 
the windows that we watch from 
are old and chipping at the beam 

it takes me away 
takes me away 
takes me away 

the scent you wear moves in lines 
from your apartment into mine 
you act like you don't know me 
my god you tempt my anxious mind 

it takes me away 
takes me away 
takes me away 

Would it be much better if I knew nothing about you 
Would it be much better if I knew nothing about you 

I'll go, I'll go, I'll go I... 
I'll go, I'll go, I'll go I... 

it takes me away 
takes me away 
takes me away

bag lady

Last week or so Natalie Roos posted a blog post titled "what's in your bag?" and tagged some people on twitter to get involved mainly to have a nosy little peek into other girls bags...

I decided to do a triple whammy of bags -

1. the everyday lady bag.

2. the laptop bag.

3. the camera bag. 

I bought this bag in Ilsan, South Korea - I also bought the two similar bags as gifts for my Mom and Aunt in South Africa. This bag is the perfect size for me and the colour goes with everything. During the purchasing of this bag - Me and two friends were asked to be filmed for some Korean TV show about being a foreigner in Korea. (It's not an unusual occurrence.)

The Contents:

1. Notebook - sent in a package from my friend Angie from Canada
2. Korean bank card
3. Big heart ring
4. Gum. (essential.)
5. Book - What is the what? - by Dave Eggars
6. Disposable travel cards that I keep meaning to refund. But then i forget.
7. T-money card - used for all buses and subways around Seoul.
8. Leather and gold chain wrist-wrap bracelet.
9. Labello lip-ice and Lancome juicy tube. (I always lose lip-ice)
10. Coffee sachet. (funny story... we actually bought coffee sachets from a 24 hour convenience store in Seoul because we wanted the paper cups that they come with. Just so that we could drink the "fancy" bottle of "Family Mart" red wine whilst sitting on the plastic chairs and tables outside the store. yip.)
11. Gorgeous leather pen holder from my friend Laura - stocked with multiple pens and pencils.
12. Turquoise headband.
13. Eggshell shimmer stick from Skinfood. Works so beautifully as a highlighter and as a bronzy/creamy eyeshadow.
14. Hairband. (not too good with wearing my hair down. [in the literal sense i mean. Figuratively - i'm ok. see #10] )
15. Pair of black sunglasses that I bought on the streets of Seoul. (purchase may or may not have had something to do with aforementioned bottle of wine.)
16. Pair of sunglasses I was previously wearing that day.
17. Receipts and Korean money
18. Camera keychain I bought
19. Mini bottle of perfume
20. Tomatoes and almonds. For snacking purposes.
21. Mini Polaroid pic of the girls out for lunch.
22. Travel stickers and stationery I bought
23. Starbucks cup holder - which I hoard collect to use when I make "up-cycled" books and things.
24. Random spoon. (?)
25. Emirates flight menu. (used as a bookmark)
26. Cereal hand moisturising cream.
27. Starbucks card.
28. Nintendo Game boy. Just kidding, that's my iPhone. i know.

Let me just state the obvious and say that this bag is awesome. It has some kind of giant alien lumo green eye and the words say "DON'T GLARE AT MY LAPTOP BAG." (Definitely made in Korea).

The Contents:

1. Portable hard-drive
2. Hard drive cover.
3. Apple care box
4. Employee leave form. (I'm planning on being "sick" soon. ahem.)
5. Pretty writing paper
6. Adapter plug
7. Scribbles and layout ideas for a Wedding Stationery Set I am currently working on.
8. Lonely planet book on Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos - busy planning an epic trip there for 5 weeks in December/January. (WOOPLA!)
9. The account details and money amounts that I had to transfer to the travel agent and Airlines. (UN-WOOPLA!)
10. Laptop bag. Did you miss it?
11. Earrings given to me by a co-teacher.
12. Purse - so that I can buy snacks when i have to take my laptop with me to the office.
13. Pens. (always gotta have them pens.)
14. Bracelets. (I can't draw my cartoons with my bracelets on. It messes with my mojo.)
15. Wacom drawing tablet and pen that I use to make my cartoons.
16. My precious.

This bag is amazeballs. But really. I got mine for my birthday from my lovely mom and dad.
And now you can get them in South Africa from Camera Couture.  They stock a range of beautiful ladies (and men's) designer handbags that are actually camera bags with padding and support for expensive camera equipment. And you can adjust the padding inside to fit your needs. They are awesome because instead of packing your big ugly black camera bag and lugging it around with you - you can pack it all into a really pretty "handbag" and not look like the Italian Mafia every time you want to take your camera's out for a ride.

(pic taken with iPhone -because the real camera is in the picture.)

Contents

1. 50mm f/1.8 Canon Lens
2. Lomography film 400 ISO
3. Korean wons
4. Random camera instructions
5. Instax mini polaroid refills
6. Lomography bag with Diana F+ adapter pieces
7. Small sketchbook
8. Canon 60D Camera
9. Diana F+ flash
10. Spool
11. SD card in case
12. OH LABELLO! THERE YOU ARE!! TWO OF YOU!!!
13.  Diana F+ adapter back (to convert 120mm film to 35mm film)
14. Diana F+
15. Super Slim Wide Angle Film Camera given to me by Dominique
16. Silica gel -DO NOT EAT.
17. Matches from Zebrano - a bar/club in London
18. Camera Case
19. Instax camera case
20. indieBerries business cards that i had printed from Moo cards
21. Instax instant camera
22. Battery
23. Action Sampler Camera. (Takes four pictures in one)
24. Canvas bag with cellophane papers to put over the Diana Flash to give it a colour pop.
    

Wow and that all fits in that lovely turquoise joy! haha Seriously though - really awesome for anyone who has camera equipment and there are a whole bunch of styles and colours too.

You can check more of the bags at Camera Couture.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far and for poking around in my bags. haha. (today I have bags under my EYES for staying up to finish this post. lol i crack myself up.)

(labels and graphic elements from Pugly Pixel.)

i (heart) shoes

just my new shoes. they are lovely.

spoil yourself.

(Sneak Peak)

Just a sneak peak of something I'm working on for Bobby at Bobby's Blah Blog. Stay tuned...

Watch this

My watch is pretty fabulous. Just thought I'd share it.

Also note: awesome anchor chain. I made it. That's all.

Take a 5 minute time-out today. 

Heads Up

I've been really into headbands lately. I love the vintage style of them. I especially love the leopard print one! (Images found via We heart it)

Me and my headband:

Get head-banded.