smilesfrommel

School Assignment Photos - the Last of Last Semester

2012-02-08T11:28:00.001-05:00

I just realized that I never did show you these shots.
I miss school this semester. Having a class is more fun. Hopefully I can take one in the spring semester.
Anywho - this was my final assignment for Product Photography Part 1. We were to create a small collection of images that were thematically cohesive.

I asked my prof about either shooting beauty products or doing a mini editorial about accessories. He said "Why not both?" Ok then.
Imagine these images in a magazine - with titles and copy. A future class of mine will be design based ;)

This is my take on a Covergirl style ad. Clean, bright, and possibly an ad for lip gloss or foundation.

We tried shooting some images with her holding the lip gloss tube, and wow - new respect for hand models who know how to not look awkward!

These next 3 are my accessory story. The Golden Era or something of the like - about wearing grandma's vintage jewelry/thrifting/vintage inspired accessories for this holiday season.

Which brush is best? Intro to make-up brushes and how to use them.

Winterlicious. This season's hottest lip colours will keep the chill away.

It was tricky to shoot, but a lot of fun to smash old lipsticks and use paintbrushes with them to do this.

Lastly, The Daily Dozen. The top 12 everyday beauty products. Imagine a full magazine page - the white area filled with the article text. I wear most of these everyday.

Hope you enjoyed the peek!
When was the last time you took a class? Do you miss it?

Smiles this week.

2012-02-04T11:23:00.001-05:00

The coolest things on the internet this week.

I challenge you to not smile while watching this silly remix of Yelle. The around the world dance moves are awesome.

How adorable is this vase?! The person who designed this gets an A+.

I've also fallen for the art of Matte Stephens on his blog. He has an etsy shop too.

One more video - a brilliant poem about loving girls who read.

And lastly, a little early February romance. Engagement photos from a photobooth proposal. Blogged over at http://www.angelaandithyle.com.

Oh and p.s.! My friend Barbara is hosting a February photo challenge on her blog. It's not too late to join if you'd like! I'll post my challenge pics at the end of each week.
http://barbarakowalskiphoto.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/the-february-photo-a-day-challenge/

Happy Superbowl Eve!

2012: The year of the Dirty 30.

2012-02-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

It's official. 2012 is the year in which 80% of my friends turn 30.
Everyone I grew up with - friends from elementary school, high school, college. (Me too. )

It's daunting, 30, for some reason. Growing up in the 80's I had a much different picture of where I would be at 30. Not that I dislike where I am now at all, but when I think about my mom turning 30 and already having 3 kids, sometimes that clock gives a little tick ;)

At least the fun part of this year will be a lot of parties. The first of them was this past weekend, a surprise party 3 weeks late for D. Here are a few fave pics.

First off - check out the view from their condo! My city <3

The 'cake' was a pile of persians - which are unique to Thunder Bay, and were flown in as a surprise with D's sister. I should dedicate a post to those desserts soon - I need to crack the recipe.

Think cinnamon bun/donut with raspberry frosting....

If you talk behind the glass no one will know. ;)

Happy Birthday D!

How old are you and your friends turning this year?
Does 30 seem daunting to you?

Vintage Hat Love. Bring Hats Back.

2012-01-25T11:24:00.002-05:00

You may or may not already know how much I love vintage hats.

This morning I had some spare time to browse Etsy's lovely listings and these are my favourites at the moment. If I had to just pick one, I think it's the first green one, in the top left corner.

Which would you choose?

Also, I got my hair done again last week and I've been wearing this green vintage hat a lot this winter. So here's a snap of that.

I saw this picture and was amazed at how the light fixture in our dining room doesn't look half bad. I hate it in person. Ahhh there's nothing that can't look good out of focus ;)
How's your week so far?

The Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

2012-01-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to have found the absolute perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Steve's birthday was last week and instead of a cake he wanted chocolate chip cookies. But chewy ones.
I searched the internet for recipes, and came across the few I had already tried. I had never tried Martha's recipe and decided to do it, but make a few adjustments.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

For one, I don't use an electric mixer.   I might as well burn a few calories stirring, if I'm about to eat a bunch of cookie dough to taste if it's ok.   Also, I hate washing all the extra pieces.   A fork works fine for crushing the butter into the sugar.

Second, add the chocolate chips to the gooey stuff before the flour.   If you overmix flour things get tougher.   If you add the chocolate chips last, you would have stirred the flour twice as much as needed.

Third, I think Martha (or one of her hundreds of employees) missed a step here.   Chill the dough.   It's gotten warm and gooey and sticky while you mixed it, and would melt too fast when placed on the baking pan and into the oven.    Chill it for 15 mins even, and the cookies will be thicker and chewier in the end.

By the time I had the chance to take pictures of the cookies there were only 3 left!

Do you have any perfected recipes for classic foods? I'd love to know.
Happy baking!

52 weeks: my favourites.

2012-01-19T18:00:00.000-05:00

If you read my last post you know that my 52 week project is over.

These are my favourites from the project.

My favourite that you haven't seen; the previously top secret week.

Shot for Mars Clothing in Thunder Bay.

My favourite first shot ;)

My favourite silly one.

My favourite dark one/the one where people ask when I met Johnny Depp.

My favourite day of shooting, with all the crazy tourists and the amazing location.

My favourite family shot.

My favourite lighting/sister.

and lastly, seeing them all in one place on flickr.

Did you set any goals for 2011? Were you able to cross them off? Come close?
I'd love to hear :)

52 weeks: the rest.

2012-01-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

Ahhh my 52 week project of 2011.
Well, 2011 is done. The project - it came close.
I didn't get to 52 and I am ok with that.

It all came crumbling down in late November - around the time that I was working 7 days a week, Christmas shopping, baking, decorating, cleaning, partying, finishing my semester and shooting my assignments for school.
Such is life.

In hindsight, trying to shoot a creative portrait with a new person each week is a really tall order.
Coming up with a new concept 5-6 days after finishing the last, trying to find a willing subject, hoping the idea works with them, and coordinating schedules was never easy. The worst was when people bailed. One weekend I walked to Queen St in Toronto just to find a stranger to photograph.

All in all, I'd say it was a successful project.

I met some great people, made some great photos and had a lot of fun.

Here you are, the last of the 52:

Week 43. Nico, a political scientist. "Even I have my limits."

Week 44. Christina, helping me by modeling for my school assignment as a Covergirl ;)

Week 45. Amy, modeling vintage jewelry - also a double-up school assignment, what can I do?

Week 46. James in Mars, Thunder Bay's newest mens clothing store.

Week 47. Pete and Julie from The Life of A Cupcake. The Bay never looked so festive ;)

And there you have it. 47 weeks out of 52.

I'll come back tomorrow to show off my faves from the year (a retrospective!) and tell you the plan for 2012!

p.s. attempting some blog redesign, bear with me as I'm under construction :)

The story of Smiles from Mel

2012-01-16T10:12:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, when the internet and I were much younger...

I wanted to create a hotmail account.
Now my parents, being protective as they were and perhaps having watched an episode or two of Dateline, said no. Clearly they didn't understand the difference between an email address and chatrooms just yet.
I, a respectful and obedient teenager listened to their wish. For about a week.
Then I went to the library on my lunch and made one.
Unfortunately melanie at hotmail.com was already taken. So was mel, melg (damn Spice Girl trend) and even melanieg. I refused to be known as melanie_g_3457, as hotmail so brilliantly suggested, and had to come up with something truly unique to me.
I thought about how I would often sign my letters to penpals and notes passed in class.
I always put a smiley face and my name.
:) from Mel

Smilesfrommel@hotmail.com.
It was perfect.

And in the years that followed, the email address became part of my identity. Everyone that I ever met at a conference, or new job, or debate club meeting or drama club knew me by that email address.
I am not going to count how many years I've had it. *shudder*

So a few years ago, as I was moving to a new city, starting a new life and a blog, I just went with it.

Do I still love it now?
Oh no.
I do think of changing it, to something less 'teenage-girly' but I haven't come up with a new blog name yet. Suggestions welcome.

While we're strolling down memory lane, I may as well share a photo. Circa the early days of the smilesfrommel account.

I'm second from the right.

The day - Retro Day - as part of one of the Spring Fling/Spirit Week activities that year. In the yellow is my best friend at the time. Behind her, her other best friend/my first boyfriend. She thought it would be genius if we were together. Didn't quite work.

Funny enough, I would wear this outfit on a regular basis, just with a few less accessories.

I rightfully deserved the nickname Austin Powers, but that's another long story for another post.

Do you have a dorky email address from back in the day?
How did you come up with your blog name? Do you still love it?

For the moment

2012-01-08T11:22:00.002-05:00

I don't have the time to write a full blog post. But I must share this song that has me absolutely hooked.

2012 has a theme already.

I hope life is grand! There's some 'back to normal' in the near future, see you soon.

See me at work.

2011-12-15T10:28:00.001-05:00

Here's a time lapse video of me working, last week, for Michael Mahovlich, one of the photographer's that I assist. Every day is different, which I love. This is the first time I've worked on shooting a car. The video was made by Michael and the very talented Digital Artist Esther. You can see me waving near the end. Someday I'll own a studio and a light that big, someday. ;)

The morning after.

2011-12-11T11:01:00.001-05:00

This is what our apartment looks like at the moment.

Last night we hosted a very successful and entertaining Wine & Cheese party.

In short - we invited people over and asked them to bring wine and/or cheese. We provided crackers, meats, things like olives, etc, desserts and snacks.
We had about 10 different types of cheese in the end, and 9+ liters of wine were consumed.

And now, I'm on my way into work. haha. No it's true. But I'll survive.

I had planned to take pictures of the tablescape - with my carefully selected blue, white, turquoise and silver colour scheme. However, when it happens to be one of those days when everything takes longer than it should (an hour to get meats and cheese and baguettes at the grocery store !>#*JF!) and your first guest shows up while you're putting on your makeup, and you stash all things without a home into one room, close the door and hope no one thinks that it might be the bathroom because you worked 60 hours this week- you let things like blog photos slide. Or at least I do.
I suppose we can try again next year.

I hope you're enjoying the holiday season.

~mel

Another school assignment: Glass.

2011-12-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how fast November flew. I've only got 2 weeks left of class and am shooting my final assignment pieces. Here's the most recent one we've critiqued. The assignment: photograph something glass.

I chose this Paris Amour perfume from Bath & Body works for a few reasons, none of which were that I wear perfume.

1. The bottle was cute and I liked the pink.

2. The name Paris Amour was a nice jumping off point for loads of ideas.

3. It was $15 for the set.

4. I needed a perfume that would look nice with the vintage lace I wanted to use.

5. Perfume seemed more exciting than any other glass things I own.

As usual, the first shot is a standard product shot - simple and lit with extreme attention.

Glass is tricky because it's really easy to just make things flat. You have to add black, reflecting in the glass, to be able to get some definition back. I had originally propped a necklace with the bottle, but ultimately it didn't add anything.

The second phase of the assignment was to shoot more conceptually and creatively. I had a lot of fun playing with this. Some times more successfully than others.

I started with the bottle lying on some fabric with a Paris map print. I don't even think I printed this to bring to class.

On my way home from work the next day I grabbed some roses, and tried this.

The roses and bottle are on a piece of glass, which is about a foot above a white dish with rose petals in the water.
At the critique this one was tossed aside because "what you see through the bottle looks like crap."

Live and learn. Next time I should have the bottle even higher than the roses and no clutter near the logo.

This next one was hugely time consuming. I put the bottle on a sheet of sparkly black paper, turned off all the lights, put on black gloves and painted the light into the photo with a flashlight. This one my prof just LOVED. Everyone in class tried to guess how I did it. I'm still not satisfied with the bottom 1/4 of the photo, but in my 200+ attempts at getting the swooshes to land in the right place, this was the best one.

My personal favourite shot is actually this one. The bottle was on the same sparkly black paper, and I used the flashlight to illuminate the area behind the bottle to get the sparkles to shimmer.

It reminds me of Paris at night, all twinkly and magical.

Which one do you think works best? Would any of them make you want to try the perfume?

Childhood Christmas Memories

2011-11-26T09:33:00.001-05:00

I've been busy crafting like Santa's workshop around here.
And I can't show it off, in case the gift getters happen to stop by. Will have to show you in the new year :)
For now though, here are some photos of Christmases long gone.

Painting the windows of our house was an awesome decoration tradition. It's just tempera paint, which you can easily wash off after the holidays.

Evidently I cover my mouth and gasp when I get a gift I like.

I remember this cardboard house being the best thing ever. The windows and doors opened and my name was written on the door and everything. lol.

I was cool with my Papa dressed up as Santa (with shades as a disguise from the older kids!) but strange Santas at the mall could not be trusted.

Hiking in the snow to get our tree and then decorating it at home with all of our handmade ornaments was so much fun. We would take turns every year with who could put the star on top.

The big exciting tradition was always seeing all my family at my Mama and Papa's house on Christmas Eve. I think it's a French tradition to celebrate late on Christmas Eve. We would meet around 10pm, Santa would come around midnight. We'd open and exchange gifts and then eat our giant meal, turkey and all, in the wee hours of the morning.

Proof that I've never been a night owl and turkey makes me even more sleepy.

What made Christmas magical for you as a kid?

52 Weeks - Forty-two.

2011-11-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hello again!

Here we are, catching you up on the 52 weeks project again.

Meet week #42 - Agnes.

I met Agnes ever so slightly before I began this blog. I was working at a scrapbooking store (now closed) and she was to be my replacement. I was headed to Kingston, to move in with Steve before we headed to France. In the short month that Agnes & I worked together, we had a blast.

Agnes is a very talented illustrator. Exhibit A:

We actually even did a little photoshoot in that short month, and they're still some of my fave photos.

From April 2009

Needless to say, it was nice to reunite with her this past week. She's such a sweetheart!
We walked over to this weird phonebooth I see when I ride the streetcar.
The 3 shots all have such different feels - all shot with my 50mm lens and available phonebooth light.

I think she looks like a superhero here.

We worked quickly, so Agnes wouldn't freeze. Which was 20 minutes of photography before deciding we had it and needed to go warm up. Sometimes the pressure of working quickly is a great creative adrenaline rush.

Ahhh and I can't resist - one more that I like!

Which one is your favourite?

52 weeks - Forty-one.

2011-11-22T19:46:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since you've seen one of these, hasn't it?
Yes, I'm behind. Essentially since the moment I started my new job and working on weekends.

It's been really tough to schedule shoots with people. However, I haven't and won't quit.

I will still be shooting 52 portraits for this project!

Week 41.
Meet Pierrette. We met recently through our commercial photography class. (See my assignments 1 & 2. )
She has a fabulous ebullient personality, and has been really fun to shoot beside in the studio.

I couldn't choose a favourite, so I just turned it into a triptych. The one in the middle is how she looks most of the time. To me anyway :)

Canon 5D with 50mm 1.4 lens.

F 1.8, 1/80th of a second, ISO 100.
Natural light, sitting on the stairs of a church.

We had originally gotten together to try to capture scarves in motion.

I wasn't loving it - this is the best shot I got. It's not really impressing me.

But, you live and learn and shoot a portrait ;)
And it was a gorgeous, warm fall Sunday.

Be back tomorrow with week 42!

Smiles This Week

2011-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Things in life this week that were great.

These train tracks actually exist in Ukraine. Photo by Olag Gordienko.

I just want to walk all the way down from one end to the other.

Friday night we went out for dinner with friends to Atlas One on St Clair West. It was phenomenal.

The food, service and atmosphere were perfect. We stayed and enjoyed for hours.

We watched the film Another Earth. It was intense, sometimes uncomfortable, but really well done.

One day the timing worked out to catch the shiny brand new TTC subway on the way to work - and going home :)

I picked these last summer :)

Adding wild blueberries to anything makes it more delicious.

Salads, muffins, pie... this morning it was pancakes. Yes, today is my Sunday.

I'm off to get a haircut. Hope you have a lovely Monday!

What was the best little thing in your week?

Bring Hats Back.

2011-11-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

Over the past couple years I've stumbled upon and fallen for some beautiful vintage hats.

They make me wish 3 things.

1. That people wore hats more often, and generally dressed nicer.

2. That I had a head of perfectly placed 1940's curly hair.
3. That it wasn't so windy outside.

The other day, I was ambitious enough to face these 3 wishes and took a hat down and wore it. haha!

I found this hat while thrifting in my hometown.
I wore it with a simple brown sweater and one of my fave skirts that I bought years ago in NYC.

I always get a kick out of what's written inside the hats. This one says "Finest Imported Velour," which has a nicer ring to it than Made in China, doesn't it?

There is no information about where it was made, but the detail in the shapes is beautiful, and the netting is really delicate.

Have you got hats? Do you wear them? Any interest in seeing more of mine?
Have a great Friday!

~mel

p.s. you can also see the hat in action here

Best Things in Chicago.

2011-11-16T09:43:00.001-05:00

Steve and I went to Chicago about oh, 2 months ago.

Here are some faves, now that I'm heading out to print them & hopefully scrapbook soon.

Fave photo of the whole trip. With family at the Bears game.

Fave Chicago food. Deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno.
Ummm, it's pie crust, whoa.

Fave photo of Steve. Super excited to be at Wrigley Field for a Cubs game.

Most hilarious photo. Us, FROZEN with no cold weather clothes at the Cubs game.
They were selling more hot chocolate than beer. Cold.
All I had were 3 cardigans. Missing: Steve is wearing shorts. Dedication.

Fave moment. Watching so many crazy fans celebrate a touchdown. (We had awesome seats!)

Fave buildings. Flower shaped apartment buildings. Check out the parking near the bottom.

Fave thing bought. A brooch for my collection. From Very Best Vintage.

Best view. From the ferris wheel at Navy Pier.

Thanks Chicago for such a great time!

Have you ever been to Chicago? What's your fave thing?

Smiles this week.

2011-11-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

As a person living in Canada, I hate this time of year.

We had daylight savings change last weekend. All week as I get up and head to work it's dark out. Wouldn't you know it, the sun sets at around 5 and it's pitch black as I head home.

Plus it's getting cold.

Now, things can look up a bit as the holidays approach - when lights are on houses and Christmas trees give a twinkle I do get the warm fuzzy feeling that reminds me of happy times.

But then Christmas and New Years end, and we're left with 3 more months of cold and dark.

I hate winter.

In an effort to not blog like a curmudgeonly old man all winter, I propose a new feature - Smiles this week. A sort of catch-all of cool things in my corner of the world.

Feel free to join in as well - leave a link in the comments if you like.

Here we go. Round one.

-knitting my first scarf and seeing progress slowly being made (it's a gift - can't post pics!)

-learning how to photograph glass (notoriously tricky)

-finding a set of Christmas scented body washes that make showers o so nice!

-Bakerella made Muppet Cake Pops. That's talent. I would feel bad to eat one.

-http://www.lettersofnote.com/ - I could spend hours reading interesting letters from history

-watching the movie Back to the Future 2. It had been so long that I remembered almost nothing.
Such a fun movie.

-tongue-in-cheek observation about girls with bangs.

-hanging out with a friend at the Japanese Paper Place and buying papers for future photo backdrops

-a Diet Coke ad reunites me with this song from 500 Days of Summer

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! How's the winter where you are?

Has anything brought a smile to your face this week?

More school assignment photos

2011-11-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

In case you missed my first post about it, I'm taking a class on product photography right now. The second assignment was to photograph something we use on a regular basis.

I chose nail polish.
The shot I envisioned was dark and dramatic. I also wanted something other than just the bottle in the shot, so I painted some nails from the hardware store with some nail polish from the dollar store. I didn't want to waste my OPI, it's a little pricey.

On a side note - dollar store nail polish seemed to have toxic fumes - I had to use it outside because it stunk so bad. OPI is worth it for me - it's the only polish that can handle a week of work as I lift gear, handle props and tools working as a photo assistant.

The first week at the studio at school, I tried lighting the bottle with studio lights. The kits available at the studio were just too big. There was light everywhere and nothing available to narrow it down. Why don't they have snoots?! It's beyond me.

I fought with the highlights on the glass of the bottle for about 2 hours. It's amazing what gets reflected in glass. I also wasn't really feeling the dark vibe anymore.

So the next week, after missing class because of working late, I just shot at home with natural light.

The set up for this shot in the end is almost hilariously simple compared to what I had going on in studio the first night. I had the bottle on my dining room table, its back to the window. It's on a shiny white surface, and I reflected light back to add the highlight with pieces of white cardboard. I needed more sparkle on the nails themselves, so I added a mirror. That's it.

My assignment critique went well. My prof said it was great, that the only thing he'd change was that there needed to be a nail that was clear, standing up and looking like a nail, so that he'd get it.
I don't I agree, I hate when ads assume you're stupid and can't pick up on it. There isn't enough subtlety in advertising.

P.s. open to suggestions if you have a great nail polish that doesn't chip.
So far MAC has miserably failed and Essie is ok :)
Have a great Tuesday!

Featured in Ruche's Handmade Holiday

2011-11-07T18:48:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my perogy recipe was chosen to be part of Ruche's Handmade Holiday magazine!

The issue looks absolutely beautiful, full of all kinds of crafts, recipes and decorations for the holidays.

My favourite page may or may not be #73 ;)

Making my Mom's Birthday gift (Saucer turned necklace)

2011-11-04T09:51:00.004-04:00

Now that my Mom has safely gotten her parcel in the mail, and is enjoying her necklace, I can show you. It all started with a trip to Goodwill. (It usually does.)

I found a really pretty teacup saucer that was chipped.

I wondered if it was possible to save this lovely pattern from a trip to the dumpster.

So yes, I took my cute little chipped plate, put it in a sealed plastic bag & dropped it on my tile floor.

Post-smash I chose my favourite little remain and drilled a hole in it with my rotary tool.

About an hour of cautious drilling later.

I also used the tool to sand down any rough and sharp edges, then added a jumpring and some chain.

And there you have it - the necklace I made my mom for her birthday, which just happened to look perfect with the purple sweater I bought her too.

p.s. I toyed with the idea of adding some beads or little charms, but knowing my mom's taste, I kept it simple. However, I do have a few pieces of pretty plate left, and may make some other variations.

I've also since found some more chipped plates and saucers - score!

Ghosts of Halloween Present

2011-10-31T22:34:00.001-04:00

Here it is - the moment you've been waiting for!
I present our Halloween costumes - 2011.

Steve is Van Gogh self portrait, and mine is Portrait of Madame Metzinger.
Here's the original of mine, as reference:

I'm really happy with how they turned out :)
Our friends are also awesome in the dress-up department, check out some of their costumes!

Little Dragon J - I didn't get a good shot of his parents, but they were a King & Queen.

K & F as 80's rockstars. Love the wigs.

A + D as Popeye and Olive Oil. Note how hilarious D's arms/gloves/hands are - they made for some entertaining moments.

C & K were Harry & Marv from Home Alone. Awesomesauce.

And K made these witch finger cookies. They looked so gross, but were delish!

How was your Halloween? What did you dress up as?
Link to pics in the comments, I'd love to see!

Ghosts of Hallowe'ens Past

2011-10-30T21:45:00.002-04:00

I love Hallowe'en.

Not really because of the scary movies, pumpkins or candy, well ok the candy too.
I love it the most for the costumes.
I did a little bit of digging through the archives, to share some of the costumes I've worn over the past few years. No cat ears allowed.

One of my faves as a kid. Slice o' pizza. Proudly wearing my UNICEF collection box, and trick-or-treating with my bro and sis.

Marie Antoinette was my fave costume of all time. I made the entire outfit myself, in a fit of sewing inspiration. (Ordered the wig online.) My friend A was a beautiful raven.

Steve and I spent one year hopping around potato-sack-style in a duvet, dressed as John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their Bed in For Peace.

Shout outs to Bry (Casey Jones of TMNT fame) who blogs too.

Last year I was a Rockford Peach - any other fans of A League of Their Own?

Steve was a Saturday Night Live character, which I hope you know, if not, I suggest you watch.

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures from this years Hallowe'en party.

What's your favourite costume you've ever worn?
I've got to dig out pictures from the other 24 years of my life!

Lemon cookies are the best thing in the world.

2011-10-25T18:21:00.002-04:00

I love lemon. Lemon cookies are the best thing in the world.

Oh yes, best enough to mention that twice.

I found this recipe a few months ago on the Whisk Kid blog, and made these on a rainy afternoon.

Over on her blog she made them thinner and crispier, but I like nothing more than chewy cookies.

So I made them thicker, and they were lovely.

Especially when served with tea, fresh roses and a good book.

Lemon Cookies

1/2 c (118 g) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c (149 g)sugar
1 egg, room temp
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (I just used the juice of half a lemon)
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest (I used the zest from the whole lemon)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c (156 g) flour

Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg, juice, zest and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop by 1 1/2 tsps onto lined baking sheets and bake 10-12 min until lightly golden around edges. Let cool on sheets one minute before placing on racks to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen.

Lemon Icing
1 c (150 g) icing sugar
4-6 Tbsp lemon juice

Beat together and drizzle over cooled cookies.

Enjoy the deliciousness!

What's your favourite cookie?

Back to School

2011-10-22T09:09:00.002-04:00

This post is a little late I suppose. I did start back at school weeks ago already.
I'm just taking one night class: Introduction to Commercial Photography.
I was enrolled in a Photoshop class, but after learning that the first 3 hour lecture would be about using the pencil and eraser tools (waaaay too simple for my skill level) I dropped it. So I was a little late starting this new course, but it's going well so far.
The class is revolves mostly around shooting in studio and then having our work be evaluated.
I attempted to shoot a new pack of gum.

I really wanted to get the classic shot, with the reflection of the gum in the surface below and I fought with the limited supply of lights for hours. I found out later that the reason I couldn't get it to look clean was that the white surface wasn't shiny enough. Better knowledge for next time, when I'll shoot it completely differently.

Once I stopped trying to get the package shot, I moved on and just played a little bit. Then I ended up taking this photo below, which I really love, and my Prof did as well - saying I "elevated the subject matter to something graceful and humorous at the same time, giving it personality."
Whoo hoo, I'll take that evaluation :)

I really do like this shot.
Have a great weekend! Are you up to anything exciting?

52 weeks - weeks thirty-nine and forty.

2011-10-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

Somehow there are only 12 weeks left in the year. (I think I'm one behind the calendar.)
Time flies.

If you're in the Toronto area and haven't been the subject of a week yet, act now!

#40. Hamish, a friend doing his PhD at the University of Toronto. We wandered around the school and found an impressive amount of stately fireplaces. This one was the favourite.

Note the other fireplace selections.

Week #39 was a walk through the paths near my house with my old friend Katie. We wanted to capture the colours of the fall leaves. They weren't there yet. We found a nicely manicured garden in someone's yard and snapped away in front of the flowers that matched her sweater.

Have a great day!

Lego Love.

2011-10-18T10:26:00.002-04:00

I love Lego. I have been a Legomaniac since I was a kid.

In my opinion, there is no better toy in the world. I still have mine from when I was a younger.

And no, they're not in my mom's basement, they are here, in my apartment in Toronto under the bed.

Here are some of the amazing things online from other people that clearly love Lego too.

Colossal.com featured Albert Seveso's Ink Surfing collection and I love it.

There is a group on Flickr of album covers recreated with Lego. Some of them are really impressive!

I'm trying to think of one that I'd want to recreate...

I created an Etsy treasury of all the coolest Lego inspired things there.

And some more goodies from the web:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2009/11/lego-inspired-digital-watch/

And I would love to do this in my own kitchen, but I don't want to give up the blocks!

http://www.dwell.com/articles/lego-island.html

Any other Legomaniacs out there?

How to Make Perogies

2011-10-15T17:50:00.000-04:00

I hope I don't get in trouble from my family for sharing this recipe ;)
This is a ~~staple~~ crucial item at holiday dinners. I just made them for our (Canadian) Thanksgiving, and decided to document the process.

The dough recipe is really simple.

4 cups of flour

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

about 1 cup of water

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

For the filling you can get creative. The classic is mashed potatoes with a few cups of shredded cheese (to taste) mixed in while the potatoes are hot. I've also had potato and cottage cheese, jalapeno ones, ricotta and spinach and I haven't tried, but I know blueberry dessert ones exist.

Back to the classic. While your cheesey mashed potatoes are cooling, mix your dough. If the dough is too dry, add more water. Too wet? Add some flour.
Knead the dough about a hundred times to get the softest dough you've ever seen.

Roll out the dough onto some parchment paper.

Don't roll too thin, you don't want holes in the dough, but too thick will make tough perogies. If you have a round cookie cutter, congrats. If not, use a drinking glass to cut the dough into circles.

Plunk a spoonful of the cheesey potatoes onto the dough circles.

Fold the dough circle around the filling and pinch the edge closed.

Don't let the potato get in the way of the pinch, it won't stick properly.

Repeat until you've run out of dough! This made 5 dozen perogies for me.

(I used about 8 large potatoes and a half brick of old cheddar for the filling.)

Be careful to never stack the little pouches of deliciousness - they are very sticky.

You're almost done! Fry some onions in butter. Cook the perogies by boiling in water for 3-4 minutes, or until they float to the top. Toss in melted onions and butter and serve!

If you'd like to freeze them you can. Before cooking, place perogies in single layer on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, toss into a container and store.

Leftovers can be microwaved or fried in a pan to be extra unhealthy/crispy on the outside :)

Serve with sour cream, plain yogurt, or even salsa - sooo tasty!

Enjoy! And let me know if you make them!
Does your family have any must-have recipes?

Send me your widgets!

2011-10-11T22:28:00.001-04:00

Hey fellow bloggers!
I am finally working on adding some things to the blog here, including adding a page to feature the blogs that I love. If you'd like to be on the page (maybe somehow I've missed your blog?) let me know in the comments below, or send me an email at melaniegodecki {at} gmail {dot} com.
It never hurts to share blogs you love with other readers, right?

If you'd like I do have a widget in the sidebar ;)

Also - anyone interested in guest posting or sharing in a blog party? I'm thinking maybe a post-holiday one, for when all of us are bored and sick of winter.

I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe that's been in my family forever.

Unrelated, but one of my enamel flower brooches.

Good night!

How to Make a Ribbon Wreath for Fall - DIY

2011-10-10T22:20:00.001-04:00

I was in the mood for something festive for our apartment door, so I put this little wreath together.

I wanted something that was small and easy to store in our little apartment. Not much space for big foam wreaths around here. It's so easy and simple that you can do it late at night, while catching up on tv shows, and not miss any jokes or plot points.

Speaking of late at night, please excuse the crummy process photos - it was a night too lazy to pull out the SLR and light things.

1. You will need:
Cardboard
Loads of Ribbon in several colours and widths (I believe I used 9 yards)
Spare fabric (I used an old t-shirt)
Hot glue gun (or a lot of straight pins)

Scissors

Tape

2 round objects to trace

2. Trace round objects and cut out circles in the cardboard. Mine was thin so I doubled up.
Also, cut fabric into strips - 3 or 4 inches wide.

3. Wrap the fabric strips around the cardboard circles until the cardboard is hidden. Secure the ends.

4. Cut ribbon into roughly 4 inch lengths for wide ones, 2.5 inches for the skinnies. Place them evenly around the circle. Fold in half, allowing for a pretty ribbon loop and pin or glue to the wreath. Repeat until your wreath is full and you've run out of ribbon!

voila! A sweet little wreath to decorate your door (or your floor, as seen here).

I hope you had a great weekend, whether you celebrated Thanksgiving like us Canadians, Columbus Day, or just the end of the week :)
I'm so thankful for the phenomenal weather we had!

Happy Friday!

2011-10-07T09:04:00.001-04:00

Have you got plans for the weekend?
Here in Canada we're celebrating Thanksgiving, complete with a holiday on Monday.
We'll be having some friends over for a dinner on Sunday night.

This also means that in the next couple of days I will be:
-Cleaning our apartment

-Finding the perfect recipes for the dinner (anyone have a great one for stuffing? I'm thinking apple cranberry....)
-Grocery shopping for the above mentioned perfect recipes

-Making Perogies with my grandmother's recipe. This will be a day in itself.
-Finishing the wreath I'm making for the front door

-Finding/making an extra little something to put with my mom's birthday present

-Sending my mom's gift in the mail

-Checking out the sale at my local Goodwill

-Going out for birthday drinks with some friends tonight

-Editing photos for a client

And speaking of photos...
I took some pictures of my friend Alex a couple weeks ago to celebrate her 30th birthday.
She is spending a huge chunk of this year traveling the world. She also blogs about it.
Here she is, but stop by her blog and wish her a happy birthday too :)

Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend?
What will you be doing?

new age. new haircut.

2011-10-05T17:04:00.003-04:00

Hello hello.

I hope your Wednesday is going well.

I had a very nice day yesterday, my 29th (gulp!) birthday.

I had the day off, so I started it out by reading lovely facebook messages from friends. Perfect start.

And the sun was out and warm. Amazing.

Then I went and got my haircut. I went for the big change-up, because for some reason I do that on my birthday regularly...(sometimes not by choice)

Voila. My new hair - a classic bob with fringe.

I am not sure how I feel about the bangs, they're taking some time to grow on me. *bad pun - groan.

After the haircut I met up with Cindy for a chocolate milk :) and then met Steve for dinner.

Torontonians - don't be fooled by "Big Daddy's Crabshack & Oyster Bar" - they didn't actually have crab. Which is my fave. I did get crabcakes, and the rest of the food was good, but really - I would have gone to Red Lobster. At least I got crème brûlée.

I got spoiled with birthday gifts!

My mom, bro & sis got me the JoTotes Betsy camera bag, which is great, and the perfect size.

And among other pretty things (for one the t-shirt I'm wearing)

Tegan and Sara : The Con

Steve spoiled me with records.

Radiohead : In Rainbows

Architecture in Helsinki : Moment Bends

The first two are older favourite albums of mine, and the third one is new, I've never heard it before, but love the band.

A solid birthday all around.

When is your birthday? Any fellow Libras reading?

See you soon with some photos, baking and a fall craft!

~mel

missing summer, but fall is ok.

2011-10-03T11:26:00.000-04:00

It seems like on every blog I read, everyone's head over heels for fall.

I think too many of the blogs I read are based in places like Arizona.

missing summer

- no more air drying my hair

-sundresses are boxed up

-lines on my ankles from wearing socks

-windows are closed for the first time in months

-popsicles are no longer a treat. soup is.

-berries grown in local fields taste better

liking fall

-i get to wear my cute coats

-it's ok to turn on the oven and bake

-tv shows are back

-cozy curling up under blankets

-spiced pear body wash

-deciding what to be for Hallowe'en

The biggest difference, in my corner of Canada at least, is what to wear to go out.

Summer:

getting dressed in summer is easy by smilesfrommel featuring sterling silver necklaces

Pink dress
GUESS summer shoes, $35
Mar Y Sol straw tote bag, $88
Aurélie Bidermann sterling silver necklace, $705

Fall, thankfully, still looks good:

getting dressed in fall takes more effort by smilesfrommel featuring knit hats

Oasis sleeveless dress, £35
Cardigan, $23
Coat, $150
Betsey johnson tight, $20
R2 slouchy boots, $60
Kate Spade printed tote, $145
Vintage glove, $15
H M lace shawl, £2.99
Armani Exchange knit hat, $38

What do you miss about summer/like about fall?

The worst thing about fall? It's one step closer to winter.

ABC time killer.

2011-09-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

Good day.

I am not feeling very productive at the moment, and why not put off my to-do list for the day a little longer. Anyone else just hate unpacking suitcases?

I am back in Toronto, my grandpa is moving from the hospital to a different one with rehabilitation. He is no longer in critical condition, and boy oh boy can he prove doctors wrong. (He was given weeks to live after fighting cancer in 1994.) I should write a post about him soon.

In the meantime, a little frivolity. I haven't done a questionnaire in a long time. Unlike the days in high school when I'd get emailed them constantly and be sending them to everyone on MSN.
(Side note: I am so old, that when I got my first email address, my parents didn't want me to have one. They didn't want me 'chatting' with strangers on the internet. I tried to explain - it wasn't ICQ! Eventually I snuck a hotmail one - smilesfrommel.)

A. Age: 28, until Tuesday.

B. Bed Size: Queen

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning bathrooms. (Steve does it, I get laundry)

D. Dogs: Are not my fave. Especially if your dog jumps up on me and scratches me. I secretly want to scream. If I ever (not that I will) got a dog, it would be a dachshund. They can't jump.

E. Essential start to your day:: Lately I'm hooked on warm water & lemon. Then breakfast.

F. Favorite Color: Retro turquoise. Shades of blue and green.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver. Or, white gold.

H. Height: 5'7.

I. Instruments you play: I played violin from grade 3 to 8. Haven't picked it up in years. Not sure if I remember how to read sheet music.

J. Job Title: Freelance photographer/Photography Assistant

K. Kids: Someday. Not anytime too soon.

L. Live: In midtown Toronto. It's pretty great.

M. Mother's Name: Carole.

N. Nicknames: Most of the time just Mel. Sometimes Godecki, Mellie, Annie. In the past: Mel Presidente (high school), Smell (my brother and cousins), Melanie the Melon cutter (elementary school kids are not very witty).

O. Overnight hospital stays: Never.

P. Pet Peeves: See D above.

Q. Quote from a Movie: “At least you'll never be a vegetable - even artichokes have hearts.”- Amelie

R. Right handed or Left handed. I don't know if I would notice if my left hand disappeared.

S. Siblings: 1 brother, 1 sister.

T. Time to wake up: 8:00 am. Unless assisting, then it can be 5:30, ugh.

U. Underwear: Are fun to shop for.

V. Vegetables you hate: Green peppers.

W. What makes you run late: Checking email one last time. Occasionally public transit.

X. X-rays you have: My lungs from when moving to France. And they make you keep it at home.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Cookies. Fancy sandwiches. Breakfast.

Z. Zoo animals: Always look sad. Except for the penguins. I'd be happy to leave Antarctica too.

Snagged the questions from A Tiny Rocket.

And because I feel that I can't post without a picture - here's my new haircolour:

Taken in Photobooth.

Have a lovely day.

52 weeks - week thirty-eight.

2011-09-26T16:17:00.001-04:00

"ba", a photo by melaniegodecki on Flickr.

This is my cousin's little angel. Can you tell what his favourite toy is? All he ever says is "ba." He's the cutest.

And for those of you who read the previous post, we're still waiting, no answers, but I will be heading back to Toronto tomorrow. Thanks for your kind and thoughtful words, and thank goodness for babies that giggle :)

another life hiccup.

2011-09-22T08:08:00.000-04:00

while i had recently picked up momentum with my "new academic year's resolution" to blog and craft more - because i enjoy them and don't take the time enough, i have run into another roadblock.
a family member is ill and i've flown back to my hometown. so i'm here, for a week or so.
such is life, and quite frankly it will always take priority.

take care in your corners of the world, and call someone to tell them how much you love them.

~mel

Wish I could have bought: at Renegade Chicago

2011-09-18T22:49:00.001-04:00

I still have to sort/edit/print/scrapbook/blog the pictures I took in Chicago, but I thought I should at least share something(!) from our trip there.
I was thrilled that the Renegade Craft Fair would be on while we were in town. So of course I headed to Wicker Park to walk around and check it out. It was great !
I spent all of my money I had brought, picked up some Christmas presents as well as goodies for myself, and endless inspiration for future craft projects.

I wanted to buy so many things, but couldn't get them all - so I collected business cards to make this little list of coolness to share.

My etsy treasury of those who had etsy shops.

Mind bending wooden jewelry

Food inspired goodies for your kitchen

The cutie little hat that looked great with my hair

T-shirt shop - featuring the yellow tee I bought

Pretty jewelry made using vintage stamps

Quirky graphic tees - one of which I bought for Steve

Cool graphic design prints

Handmade vinyl wallets & bags

Porcelain necklaces, etc (I bought one)

Enjoy the links, and thanks Renegade crafters for sharing your talent!

52 weeks - week thirty-six.

2011-09-14T20:25:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, while in Chicago, I was lucky enough to meet up with fellow blogger Malori from Sunday Morning Sugar. We met at the Art Institute of Chicago and took a walk around the Modern Art wing. It was great fun. This painting by Frances Picabia was one of my favourites.
Thanks again Mal! It was lovely to meet you :)

Chicago Tomorrow!

2011-09-06T14:35:00.002-04:00

Well, the title really says it all. Steve and I are heading to Chicago tomorrow morning, for a long weekend vacation before school starts next week.

On the agenda:
Cubs game at Wrigley Field
Fashion's Night Out - shopping night

I think I'm meeting up with Mal, a blogland friend
Renegade craft fair
Checking out how much tickets are for the Bears vs Falcons (we may watch from a pub/check out tailgates only)

and probably - the aquarium, some amazing architecture, a giant bean and a Marilyn :)

Anything we're missing?
Let me know!

52 weeks - weeks thirty-one to thirty-five

2011-09-05T20:23:00.000-04:00

I got a little behind on posting my 52 week project. I blame summer vacation. Thankfully, the weather over the long weekend wasn't great, and it was easy enough to sort and edit photos.

Good news for you, more photos in one post. This one's all over the place.

Week #31.

"Don't worry Daddy, I'll catch you!" Adorable.

Week #32.

My apologies that you can't see this one totally yet.

It is for a friend who is opening a men's clothing store - and he wants it kept secret until he launches. (soon enough though - and exciting - my first shoot with a male model. )

Week #33.

I met Anna through our photography class last year. We had a great day of shooting out at a stunning park just outside of Guelph, ON.

Week #34.

A photo of Rachel for Delight Bags, my aunt started a small business designing reusable shopping bags. They are extremely durable, have cushy handles and cute designs.

Visit on facebook and say hi!

Week #35.

Jenn is a musician and all around super fun gal.

I did some headshots and fun stuff with her over the weekend.

As always, if you'd like to see more pictures, check out my flickr.
Did you have a nice long weekend?

Must watch.

2011-09-03T19:19:00.002-04:00

We interrupt this long weekend to bring you this.
So many beautiful outfits! No idea what the Sept 13th thing means, but after this, it must be cool.

I think the 40's and black 60's dress are my faves.
What's your favourite era?

My Summer Vacation - Part Two

2011-09-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

My Dad, Jen & Sequoia and Carter.

The reason to travel to Thunder Bay this August was for my Dad's 50th birthday. He and his wife & 2 big dogs drove from Calgary and stayed at his brother's (my uncle's) cottage for a couple weeks. I spent a few days out there, enjoying the lake and the pristine 70's decor :)

Check out this retro inspiration:

The carrot salt and pepper shakers above the stove!

The patterned orange and purple shag carpet is huge - maybe 12x20 feet. I love it.

There were plastic strip curtains, stacks of patterned chair cushions, fabric as cabinet doors, mushroom dishes and placemats that remind me of the Dainty Squid blog, and this outdoor table.

I took advantage of the cute kitchen and made my dad a big stack of birthday pancakes.

Then spent a lot of time hanging out near the dock, watching them fish, enjoying the sound of water splashing against rocks, and doing crosswords.

Very peaceful.

Happy Birthday Lisa.

2011-08-30T14:11:00.000-04:00

Today's my sister's birthday. Both of these photos are from last summer.
Her birthday always reminds me of this scene from the simpsons:

We used to sing that song when we were kids. And somehow we knew it, even though we weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons. Anyone else not allowed to watch?

My Summer Vacation - part one.

2011-08-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

I've been away from the blog for a couple of weeks, enjoying some summer vacation time.

I went back to my hometown - Thunder Bay - and spent a lot of time visiting family and friends. I took loads of photos, so this will have to be broken into a few posts.

First stop was actually a mini road trip/shopping adventure with my mom to Duluth, MN. Mostly for Target (still not in Canada for a few more months) and Charlotte Russe (please come to Canada!)

I snapped a quick picture of the sun rising as we drove toward the US border, and then left the camera packed away and shopped instead. haha.


View from the car window as the roadtrip began.

fave things bought from charlotte russe by smilesfrommel featuring charlotte russe boots

That is about all I can offer for the first 2 days. lol.
A summer tradition is photographing the flowers in my grandma's garden. (Mama is what we call her.) She has an album of my photos from each year. My visit back was a bit late in the summer this time, and sadly a lot of the flowers looked like this:

But there were still some survivors, waiting for me, looking gorgeous.

Visiting my grandparents is my fave.

More summer vacation to come, what is your fave moment from this summer?

Guest Blogging

2011-08-23T17:18:00.001-04:00

Hello friends!

If you head on over to Atlantic Atlantis today, you can see my guest post: my fave summer tradition - light painting photography.

Let me know if you have any questions, or to show me your pics too!

I am back in Toronto, safe and sound - although curiously I did feel my first earthquake this afternoon when the 5.9 hit Virginia.

Loads of photos to edit and show off - including my first shoot with a male model - whoop whoop!
See you soon!
Mel

Away for a bit.

2011-08-15T11:50:00.002-04:00

I am popping in for a moment to say to let you know I'm on vacation. Gone to a land far away from Toronto (Thunder Bay) to visit family, celebrate my Dad's milestone birthday and see some old friends.
So I will have lots to share when I get back next week but until then enjoy what's left of summer!

My fave bookshelf & Vintage Enamel Flower Brooches

2011-08-06T11:20:00.003-04:00

Welcome to my favourite (so far) part of our apartment.

This little bookshelf is home to some of the prettiest things I own.

The painting was from my mom, who thrifted it. (go mom!)

On the bottom shelf are my scrapbooks, vintage fashion magazines and boxes of photos.

2nd shelf has photo albums, data discs storing photobackups, an old Pentaz SLR and an ice cream cone that is actually a bubble blower.
Above that we have my 2 polaroid cameras (post about them to come) and the typewriter in my favourite color that I found at a yard sale for $7.

Then we've got a vintage globe, (the first of a hopeful collection - I love inaccurate geography.) my lomography camera, the camera from my grandpa (story here) and my vintage flower pins.

They were a little dusty yesterday, so I cleaned them up and then did a little photoshoot :)

They've all been thrifted over the past 6-7 years, never bought online, only found surprises at yard sales and good will shops. I find it more exciting of a collection that way, they're all found treasures.

Tonight my friends are hosting an outdoor movie night in their backyard E.T. & Jaws under the stars. What are you up to this weekend? I hope it's a good one!

Crafty links & things.

2011-08-05T13:01:00.000-04:00

I browse online a lot. And I make a lot of bookmarks.

I really make too many bookmarks.
And so, in what's finally a brilliant idea - I will share the links here. I'll still be able to find them, and you can share in the fun of cool things online.

I am also on Pinterest - where I save pictures of pretty things.

Arigami - the art of making things out of balloons. Incredible things - like ballgowns, clones of yourself and this giant octopus.

Inkodye - a crafty paint that activates in sunlight - they have a few cool DIY projects worth checking out, I'd love to try this.

Did you know that Sharpie has fabric markers!?! I haven't seen these in Canada yet, but will be going State-side soon and will hunt for these!

Another reason for me to have an iphone. Because when I don't have an iphone, I can't use the Instagram app, which means I can't order this mini book of my photos from Printstagram.

I don't have an iphone.

( I hate those commercials rubbing it in my face, btw)

Over at the Design Dazzle blog you can make your own bubble wand kit - for making gigantic bubbles!
This was my fave thing ever as a kid, my grandpa would make the best ones, my brother would always pop them.

And for those who are less crafty, and more shop-crafty, did you know about this tool ? You can browse Etsy (or ebay) listings with loads of photos at once - making the hunt much quicker. This is what I found when I searched for my favourite vintage enamel flower brooches.

Alas, that's it for this week, I'm sure I'll have more soon!

52 weeks: weeks twenty-eight to thirty.

2011-08-03T17:17:00.001-04:00

It's been a while. How are you?

Here's a little bit of what I've been up to, photographically speaking.

week #28 of 52.
The first time I've ever approached a complete stranger to take a portrait.

I was a little nervous!
I met Sujan at his place of work - a fabulous button and textile shop on Queen west. He let me snap 2 frames, then the shop owner came over and was confused about why I'd want to take his picture. I offered to take the owner's as well, but he just laughed it off. All in all, a unique & pleasant experience I suppose I'll try talking to strangers again.
If you ever see me in Toronto, wave me over!

week #29 of 52.
Spending some time in the pool with a friend is never a bad thing, although wow. After trying to get a decent shot with my point and shoot, I have a new respect for underwater photographers but also want to get a housing for my SLR! Have you ever seen the work of Elena Kalis? I love her work.

week #30 of 52. (a) is above (b) is below.

My friend Bry was in Toronto visiting this weekend, which meant - photo of the week!

We headed to the darkest place we could find in my neighbourhood - a field in a schoolyard.

We experimented with a few different compositions and styles and I have 2 favourites.

The fight against himself (#30a) was fine-tuned over about 20 attempts at spacing, lighting, speed and whew! we had a winner. The second photo (#30b) was one shot to test lighting and then the winner.

We finally packed up, both tired and sweaty, then headed to meet Steve for ice cream.

Good times.

But while we were out there with the shot set up...

I hope your summer is loads of fun so far!

See you soon!

52 weeks - week twenty-seven.

2011-07-17T21:42:00.028-04:00

sjd, a photo by melaniegodecki on Flickr.

This is SJ, a former coworker of mine. The plan for the photo this week was to have her playing volleyball on a beach at sunset. However, I had never been to said beach before and didn't realize there would be 20 000 people there. And so, we moved away from the crowd to get some relaxed shots under a tree while the sun set.
Funny story, SJ was wearing workout gear, but as we started shooting, things had more of a pretty feel and we changed clothes. This is the dress I was wearing, which I happily purchased at a Target last week.
As for edits, clearly I did combine 2 photos, then didn't do much. Here's the original:

I did play with colour a bit. I added a Solid Colour Fill Layer which was golden - at 5% opacity. I also used my lasso tool at 120px feather, drew around her face, selected inverse and then darkened the background slightly to draw more attention to her face. I think I played with the Hue & Saturation a little bit as well, though I can't remember how exactly.

Overall the shoot was nothing that we expected, but I really like these shots of her. (Next time I'll scout the beach.)

CPTOTITW.

2011-07-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

Cool Photography Things On The Internet This Week.

I found this photography cheat sheet the other day - it's such a pretty visual representation of how to manually use your camera. Check it out at Living in the Stills.

Melissa Jill Photography has a great series on Flash for wedding photographers.
I am guilty of not using flash creatively enough, but I'm working on it. Thanks Melissa for the tips!

Slightly less 'photography' related, but check out photos of carvings made from Oreos, and needlepoint through Chex at Judith G Klausner's site.

I'm thinking about getting another JoTotes bag, a smaller one to use like a purse for everyday outings. Anyone own the Millie? Do you like it? Apparently there's a Betsy coming soon.

and lastly - my fave photo I've seen this week.
by Steven Sites on flickr.

What's your fave thing you've seen this week? Please share!

52 weeks - weeks twenty-five & twenty-six.

2011-07-12T09:49:00.001-04:00

week twenty-five. During Toronto's Pride Parade. I love how much genuine happiness is in his face.
I don't know who this is :)

week twenty-six. NASA Astronaut Kay Hire. I met her at the Kennedy Space Center the day before the Atlantis Shuttle launch.

I asked her if the pictures of being in space do it justice. (We were in the Hubble gallery.) She said no, the images are just two dimensional and as much as you try to capture the beauty of it, it is still just like looking through a straw.
Can you imagine!? I think pictures of the earth and outer space are incredible, but compared to seeing them first-hand they're like "looking through a straw." So cool.

It would be amazing to be an astronaut, but I can say I never will.

I blame motion sickness, mild fear of heights and a distaste for math.

Would you ever go into space if you could?

Catch All Catch Up

2011-07-03T09:16:00.003-04:00

This week was busy, editing wedding photos of K+A.

Here's another sneak, I'll do a full post of the wedding after they've seen all the pictures :)

On Wednesday night my lovely friend Esther came over for dinner and we made Strawberry Rhubarb pies in mini mason jars. They were as delicious as they were cute, and baking the pies in the jars was no problem. Snap on the lid and take them on a picnic.

Friday was Canada Day, which meant hanging out with friends on the balcony of their penthouse apartment.
(We live in the same building, but have a less impressive view from floor 6.)
I'm sure the fireworks above Lake Ontario were more fabulous closer up, but we could see about 20 firing locations all around the city. It was sweet.

Speaking of sweet - I got a little festive with the fruit platter in honour of Pride Week here in Toronto. I'm heading to the parade in a couple hours and will post my photo of the week later.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

One week from today:

2011-07-01T14:24:00.001-04:00

I will be in Titusville Florida, watching the Atlantis space shuttle take off.

I am really excited!
I'm a last minute addition to a team that is making a documentary about it, which you can read more about at Chasing Atlantis. They even have interviews lined up to meet astronauts. Yes!
I haven't been to Florida since I was 6. Am packing loads of sunscreen because I burn like toast.

Photo credit: NASA

Have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? Any words of advice?

What should I wear? ;)

Daily dose of adorable.

2011-06-28T17:59:00.001-04:00

If you haven't seen this yet, check out this proposal from Green Wedding Shoes.

via The Swede Records

The couple had their first date in a Starbucks, so he recreated a Starbucks in the woods!

His attention to detail is incredible. Loads more pictures if you follow the link :)

52 weeks - week twenty-four.

2011-06-26T20:20:00.002-04:00

k+a0537b, a photo by melaniegodecki on Flickr.

My favourite so far of the 2464 images my assistant and I shot on Friday at a lovely wedding on a steamboat in Gravenhurst, ON. Long day, but a lot of fun.

I love this moment.

Yes, I was lying on the dock to get the shot,

but it felt better than the 4 hours of mild seasickness I had while on the boat.

Lots more pictures to share in the coming week or so as I sift through them all.

What did you get up to this weekend?

52 weeks - week twenty-three.

2011-06-21T11:27:00.002-04:00

graci8441, a photo by melaniegodecki on Flickr.

This weeks portrait is of the crafty gal Christina, of www.getcraftee.com.
We were paired together as Happy Mail partners back last summer, and we met for the first time this weekend.
Hilarious how much we both enjoyed threading all the needles - it's so soothing!

Not as soothing - having dozens of needles dangling in your face and trying to look good :)

Help me plan ~ Chicago ~

2011-06-15T16:58:00.000-04:00


from http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/illinois/chicago

Have you ever been to Chicago? Live there?
Steve and I are planning to go this summer, and I'd love your advice!
We will likely stay 3-4 nights, and see a Cubs game.
What are the must-see attractions? Cool neighbourhoods to explore?

I can't wait to hear what you've for to share!

someday her prince will come...

2011-06-12T22:03:00.002-04:00

someday her prince will come..., a photo by melaniegodecki on Flickr.

So i finally got to hang out with my sister in toronto.

She was here for a concert. (NKOTBSB, lol) We had dinner at my place, then walked to my friendly neighbourhood castle, she changed into this princess dress, and we raced the sunset.

It was a really fun night :)

learn the science of photography

2011-06-07T20:04:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if you've come across this already, but Camera Sim is a website/online tool to help you grasp the basics of photography.

Not sure what difference it makes when you shoot at F 2.8 vs F 22? You can see it happen before your eyes. Click the photo to be taken to their site.

p.s. This isn't an ad for them - just the most helpful thing for beginners that I've seen in a while.

I had to share!

52 weeks - week twenty-one.

2011-06-06T21:48:00.002-04:00

lovliest little family ever. , a photo by melaniegodecki on Flickr.

I don't know if you remember my friends' wedding I photographed 2 years ago, a + b.
Well, now they're three :)
Such a wonderful family, so full of love and joy.
I'm looking forward to taking more pics of this handsome little man as he grows up!
I had trouble picking a favourite, let me know which one you like best!

hope you had a great weekend~

52 weeks - week twenty.

2011-05-29T21:46:00.003-04:00

Devan7904, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

Today's shoot was an absolute blast.
Lets add the factors:
1. Meeting the hilarious Devan for the first time when she came to my house and we picked outfits.
2. Devan owns this dress! isn't it awesome? (from French Connection)
3. Doors Open Toronto meant that the Spadina House Museum was free today - location shoot!

4. Other tourists thought Devan was part of the museum, and took sooo many pictures of her. At one point she burst out laughing because a crowd of about 20 was behind me as I shot.
5. One of the ladies working let us sneak behind the roped off room to get this shot. (As long as we didn't touch or sit on anything - everything is authentic and 150 years old...)

I'll try to post some more pics from the museum later this week, it's a beautiful place, and I have loads of great shots of Devan.
Annnnnd I'm going to my hometown on Tuesday, so I'll be busy seeing family and friends :)

thrift shopping - things i did buy :)

2011-05-26T21:29:00.001-04:00

I realized this evening that it has been eons since I've posted any vintage love. I haven't stopped hunting. There was a period of time when I tried not to buy anything just before moving - but now we have an apartment with nothing in it, and I get to slowly fill it up :)
First - the cabinet. I saw this at the goodwill and couldn't pass it up. Steve doesn't really like it, but I think I'll paint the legs and handles and it'll be fine. It was $15 and fits our records perfectly.
Speaking of which, we've started collecting records.

My first purchase on vinyl was meant to be - my favourite Bowie song. (insane 80's video btw)

Little trinkets. The "London Bus" is a piggy bank. Does anyone else still use them? I love them, and rolling coins is a guilty pleasure, oddly enough. The lamp I scored at a yard sale down the street from our new place. It was $5. It had a hideous dusty rose shade on it that smelled like 1000 cartons of cigarettes, I told the woman she could have it back. Looking for the perfect shade - maybe white or teal?

And my fave items - 2 super cute glasses with pink flowers, and a vintage enamel flower brooch to add to my collection :)

Hope you enjoyed a tiny peek at our new apt. I will have to show you more as we get more settled.
Have a great weekend!

52 weeks - week nineteen.

2011-05-23T21:20:00.003-04:00

mattcimone7645, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

This is my old friend Matt.

We went to different high schools, but met through a student organization ages ago.

He has always been a bit of a role model for me. We are the same age, yes, but Matt is just all around a great, upstanding human being.

He has started a project called Esther's Echo - a website which connects donors to projects around the world that need funding. I love the idea.

It's not just giving money to a charity to build a school - it's connecting you to the teacher who runs a girls school on $2 a day.

Have a peek if you have a minute :)

52 weeks - weeks seventeen and eighteen.

2011-05-21T17:58:00.001-04:00

The past two weeks photos have been more photoshop oriented... which is something that i need to practice - learning new techniques is fun, but sometimes tricky to achieve perfection.

this is the most recent shot - week eighteen. cynthia, crashing a tea party :)

we photographed the tea scene first, then shot cynthia on a plain background after - so i could 'cut' her out and place her in the scene. i kept the lights in the same spot so the angles of shadows would be the same, but it was tricky getting the angle of view (looking downward) to match - as well as where her hands would be placed, etc. overall, i think it's cute.

week seventeen was during all the madness of moving into the new apartment. actually, i did it a week late, but will make up for that with 2 shots in one week soon.

the photo represents how things felt for a little while - all jumbled around, nothing in the right place, a bit chaotic. here's hoping we don't move again anytime too soon.

i am about 50% satisfied with the shot. i didn't give myself a ton of time to edit, and would have liked to fix things like shadows - and when i look at it now i hate the box in front. i will re-edit this one in the future. it was fun to shoot, a little tricky, but i love having a remote control for the camera for stuff like this :)

it's a long weekend here! i'm shooting some portraits tomorrow, then hoping to do a few DIY projects around the new apartment. we had brunch on the balcony in the sunshine this morning, it was lovely.

to my mom...

2011-05-08T10:05:00.006-04:00

happy mothers day.

thank you for putting up with sleepless nights, wailing cries, puke, a messy house, tantrums, "what's for dinner?," fights with siblings, scraped knees, last minute homework assignments, awkward and loud teenage years....

thank you for tucking me into bed, making cookies, sewing doll clothes, making snow sculptures, painting Christmas windows, telling stories, making up games, picking me up from school or the movies, listening to me talk about boys, buying me clothes, letting me choose the colour of my bedroom, and always saying love you....

thank you for teaching me how to read & write, cook, sew, create, and always work hard.

thank you for teaching me how to be strong through adverse times.

thank you for teaching me how to be the best person that i can.

i love you very much mom.
i wish i could be at your house today to give you a big hug, make you waffles and give you flowers.
thinking of you lots,

love mel

flowers6445, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

52 weeks - week sixteen.

2011-04-25T20:54:00.002-04:00

kyle7367-83, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

Meet The Deliverer.
Wannabe superhero, real-life postal employee.

Actually, this is Kyle. We went to film school together ages ago.

This is the roof of my house, where I will no longer be living come Saturday.

This is the day after a huge "last weekend at our giant party house" party.

I really wanted to get someone dressed as a superhero, fingers crossed as attempting to fly for the first time. As if he discovered he had accidentally eaten half of a butterfly & wonders if he might finally have the super powers of his dreams.

In reality, the roof is really scary, and Kyle had some legitimate fears as he hopped on one foot.

Canon 5d, Sigma 28-200 lens, 1/125 sec, waiting for the wind to pick up the cape.

Photoshop: Selective colour adjustment layer to desaturate the orange-y houses, high pass filter on a layer at 40% for punch.

Wishing I had shot it at night, with city lights in the background, but Kyle was only in for a few hours.

Single Question Survey, Please click :)

2011-04-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

Hey blog friends.

I just realized that the 2 year anniversary of my blog has come and gone. I have not been very attentive.

I could list excuses - new job, apt hunt, now moving.... but I do miss blogging and want to find a better focus. Let me know what you think is most exciting in the survey below, because I'm quite curious :)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

52 weeks - week fifteen.

2011-04-24T10:21:00.002-04:00

katy7299, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

This is my good friend and fellow Mad Men fan katy.

we had a great time drinking girlie martini's and trying to get the perfect egg crack & fall on this shot. at the end of the day though, we couldn't bring ourselves to open the can of spam that's back there. really didn't want to smell it. who would spend 5 bucks on that?! aside from our exception "for the art"

oh, and the cigarette is a plastic prop from a halloween store. neither of us wanted to smell hideous smoke either. (or to die a slow and painful death, you know)

52 weeks - week thirteen and fourteen.

2011-04-16T10:12:00.002-04:00

week 13 - this is my classmate Caitlin. So, the original idea for this in my head was awesome. but executing it wasn't as easy as planned. not the shooting of course, that was quite simple, but the photoshopping the pieces of about 30 different photos together, that was tricky to get it right.

i'm still not entirely sure if i love it. i like it... maybe it will grow on me.

kim7106, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

week 14 - this is my friend kim.

the plan, for last saturday, when it was pouring rain and supposed to stay miserable all day, was to have kim in a car, in the rain, looking out the window with that kind of melancholic look you would have when stuck in a car in the rain, looking at a cemetary, or your ex's house, or an ice cream cone that fell on the ground.

however, the rain cleared up within 10 minutes of us starting the shoot, and the day turned warm and sunny. awesome weather - not the intended shot. so, we tossed on the sunglasses and made her look like she was being driven around in a limo. voila.

I am happy to report that after a month of absolute madness and stress, steve and

i have found a new apartment for may. i honestly think apartment hunting was more stressful than job hunting. glad that its over.

and speaking of over, i just had my last class of the semester, which feels good too.

after packing and moving, i will have some free time!

really looking forward to decorating ;)

52 weeks - week twelve.

2011-03-27T21:33:00.002-04:00

steve7082, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

i had made this hat for steve for halloween when he was SNL Jeopardy Burt Reynolds.
It needed to be used again. It was time.

so cold tonight! end winter, end!

extra extra.

2011-03-23T22:08:00.002-04:00

bre6747, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

another image from the hair shoot. pre-fan-blowing-her-hair-everywhere :)

52 weeks - week eleven.

2011-03-20T20:24:00.002-04:00

ting6994, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

Spring is finally here!
I can shoot outside again! It was still a little chilly, but I had a great afternoon out with my former classmate Ting, who biked to get around Toronto this winter. Brave soul :)

We are across the street from Casa Loma - I had a hard time deciding on the best shot, so can post a couple extras soon.

52 weeks - week eight, nine, ten + bonus :)

2011-03-15T20:23:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I've missed posting about so many!

This past month has been really busy. I'm working full-time, still have classes at school (ace-ing them, which is great) shooting the portrait a week, and am hunting for an apartment, which is killer time consuming and isn't as much fun a few weeks in as it was at the beginning.

It's amazing how some people decorate their homes....

Anyway, I owe you all of these, enjoy :)

week 8 - Alex

Week 9 - Amanda Cordero, stylist

Week 10 - Shannon at the Frangipane Bakery

This last photo is a bonus - My friend Amy is a hairstylist and she needed some pics for her book - this is her friend/model Bre.

Hope that you're having a good month of March! I am so happy to feel spring coming :)

52 weeks - week seven.

2011-02-21T16:38:00.002-05:00

cindy6483, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.
This week's photo isn't as elaborate or challenging as I would have liked, but I'm sick with a terrible cold and had to cancel on my participant of the week. Cindy, my housemate was a last-minute stand in. Plus she made cookies, so that's amazing.
In other news, I have started working as a photography assistant for a photographer here in Toronto, which is interesting and fun so far.
Other than that, I'm looking forward to going to see Yann Tiersen in concert tomorrow night and looking forward to working weekdays only for the next while! Whoo hoo!

52 weeks - week six.

2011-02-13T20:16:00.002-05:00

jaspreet6340, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

we watched the little mermaid twice while setting up and photographing this week.
thank you cindy for doing makeup :)

30 days of getting to know me. day thirteen.

2011-02-09T20:37:00.000-05:00

day 13 - a picture of your favorite band or artist.

I go through phases with music, right now I'm in a music-less phase.

I haven't been searching and discovering artists, going to concerts or buying cds.

There's been nothing new added to my itunes in months.

Eventually the pendulum will swing in the other direction & I will be as obsessed as I was when I was in 4th grade. I would listen to the top 40 on my local radio station each Saturday and graph the songs in chart form - only leaving the radio's side for mere minutes in a 4 hour span. (I think I still have some of those kicking around at my mom's house with the old art scrapbooks)

Steve and I bonded over a love of music while working a music store together.

His love of music never falters.

I have to say, the one musician I can never get tired of is

Yann Tiersen - He composed the soundtrack to Amelie, one of my favourite films.

Oh, and if you haven't seen the film Amelie, I highly recommend it!

Here's a pic from Amelie - Yann isn't as photogenic ;)

Fave song here.

And how great is this - I googled Yann Tiersen to look for a picture, and he's playing here in Toronto in 2 weeks. Love it.

52 weeks - week five.

2011-02-06T21:26:00.003-05:00

benjamin6256, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

this is my cousin's little benjamin.
i painted the backdrop on some muslin, so i can use it again.

i'm in calgary this weekend, hanging out with my family and watching the superbowl.

isn't he the cutest?!?!

30 days of getting to know me. day eleven & twelve.

2011-02-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

sorry friends, i took a pause on these because i got stumped on #11.

day 11 - a picture of something you hate.
day 12 - a picture of something you love.

I have no idea what I hate. I mean, aside from things like noisy neighbours at 3am on weeknights, or overage charges for internet use, or my feet feeling claustrophobic in socks that are too tight... none of those seem entirely picture worthy. Pass.

as for day #12. i just got my haircut and love it!

here's a quick shot from photobooth. i will try to take a good picture soon, before i unlearn how to style it or something ;)

checking out my new haircut.

52 weeks - week four.

2011-01-30T22:11:00.002-05:00

jesse5856, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

this week's photo is a slight departure from the hearts and vintage dresses you might be used to seeing from me, but this is my friend jesse, a writer, in my housemate's bathroom...
trying to add a little bit of variety to the mix :)

30 days of getting to know me. day eight, nine & ten.

2011-01-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

day 8 - a picture that makes you laugh.
day 9 - a picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.
day 10 - a picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

i am going to say this picture is the answer to all of the above. this picture of steve makes me laugh. it's from the day that we made our christmas card in cannes.

it's funny because he looks like a little munchkin or something. so sneaky, and trying to avoid getting sand on his jeans. hopefully he won't kill me if he sees this here ;)

he's also the person i do the "most messed up" whatever that means things with. like crazy travel adventures, exploring new cities, or making silly faces.

and out of anyone in my life in the past few years, he's gotten me through the most.

3 in 1. go steve go.

52 weeks - week three.

2011-01-23T18:00:00.002-05:00

jenmurray, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

this is week #3 of my 52 week portrait challenge.
jen as the queen (or princess) of hearts.

30 days of getting to know me. day six & seven.

2011-01-19T21:34:00.001-05:00

is it terrible that i'm already a little bored of these questions? haha.

i think i'll post them every couple days instead, and bunch them together.

day 6 - a picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

i don't have any photos of annie liebovitz's photo assistant.

i would ask so many questions!

day 7 - a picture of your most treasured item.

this was my grandpa's camera when he moved to canada in the 1940's.

he gave it to me a couple of years ago when i was moving away from my hometown.

he taught me my love for photography.

it's bittersweet.

just as i was finally old enough and would have loved to go on photo expeditions with him

his parkinson's disease had taken over his body so much that he could no longer operate a camera. i would load his camera with film for him, but he'd struggle so too much to be able to focus and push the shutter. it would break my heart.

he still appreciates photography, and i know he's proud of my work, but i would give almost anything to be able to go on a photo walk with him.

30 days of getting to know me. day five.

2011-01-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

day 5 - a picture of your favorite memory.

this picture is one of my favourite ever. it captures a truly great evening perfectly. the event was the wedding of our friends ryan and jasmine.
we were in Toronto for the last time before moving to France for the year, some friends were in from out of town, and we had an incredible send-off with these hilarious and ridiculously good looking people.
and a great hair day ;)

and! i have so many favourite memories that are not photographed.

sitting on my grandma's lap at her sewing machine, as we turned peach baskets into beds for my dolls.

screaming "go lisa go!" at my sister in the one second of silence before her dance performance and getting to see her whole body laugh from my view in the balcony.

playing lego with my brother. flying kites with my dad. baking cookies with my mom. watching the magical model trains of my grandpa. and that's just before i turned 5.
the list could go on and on - i am blessed with wonderful people in my life!

30 days of getting to know me. day four.

2011-01-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

day 4 - a picture of a habit you wish you didn't have.

this is a tough one for me.

i don't have any bad habits that i can recall.

i suppose i have a habit of not-going-to-the-gym-enough, but that's tricky to photograph.

so my habit -which i certainly enjoy - but probably should grow out of - is bargain shopping.

i can often get caught in the trap of buying something just because it's on sale.

i don't need it. i wouldn't buy it if it was regular price, but tell me it's 75% off and i'm all over it! lol

i am trying to get better at this. the goal is to buy more 'perfect pieces' for my wardrobe.

quality over quantity.

but who am i kidding - how can i turn down the navy blue silk/cashmere v-neck sweater at banana republic that is now $12?!!

it's a tough habit to crack :)

52 weeks - week two.

2011-01-15T20:57:00.002-05:00

claire5463, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

Claire, an actress and co-worker of mine.

H&M dress, hat and gloves from my collection ;)

30 days of getting to know me. day three.

2011-01-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

day 3 - a picture of the cast from your favorite show.

it is totally and completely, hands down a win for mad men.

i am telling all of my toronto friends to catch up already so i can throw a party for the next season premiere in july.

oh joan is my favourite.

this makes for a short post. so here are other shows i am watching.

glee i like to stream online. that way i can skip through the ballads. hate the ballads.

i also *gasp* hope it ends soon, it's already losing its coolness.

bored to death from hbo. this trio of actors is hilarious together.

pushing daisies is already long dead and canceled, but sometimes it's nice to watch a show where you don't have to wait a week for a new episode. the styling on this show is divine.

very inspired by amelie.

and our canadian contender - being erica.

she's a 30 year old gal feeling lost in life, but she gets to go back in time and relive all those moments she regrets, in the hopes of change. (via a strange therapist)

hmmm my description sounds sappy, but i can identify all too well with her sometimes, so its worth the watch for sure.

30 days of getting to know me. day two.

2011-01-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

day 2 - a picture of you and the person you have been close with for awhile.

Meet my great, kind, wonderful, talented friend Cindy.

Here's a pic of what facebook has to say about us.

We have been friends for over a decade. We first met at our elementary school, she was in class with my brother, I was in class with hers. We re-met later through a mutual friend Meg, at a murder mystery birthday party, I believe. We were acquaintances for a while, and then laughed to find out that we were in the same film production program in college. From there, it's only gotten better.

After graduation, Cindy moved to Toronto, and I took about 4 more years to follow. I moved into a shared house with her brother, then a room opened and I moved in with Cindy.

We've had, bake-a-thons, Sex and the City marathons, dance-offs in the kitchen, Christmas decorating parties and loads and loads of laughs. She is truly like a sister to me.

In the newest development, Cindy and her boyfriend Francesco got engaged, and asked me to be in the wedding party. Whoo hoo! I get to help my best friend plan a beautiful day.

oh! and Cindy's dad also figured out that we are, on far-reaching branches of the family tree, related. She is family after all.

30 days of getting to know me. day one.

2011-01-12T21:43:00.004-05:00

I am going to join Minnesota Girl in her 30 days quiz.
Day 1. A picture of you and 15 random facts about yourself.

C'est moi:

me0509, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

and the randomness:
1. My most favourite colour hair dye has been discontinued.
I am constantly on the search for a great red.
2. My favourite food is pineapple, the fresher the better.
3. I am amassing a collection of vintage hats that I love.
4. Dresses with pockets are the best invention ever.
5. I have a younger brother and younger sister.
6. I find it hard to buy books. I am a library gal through and through.
7. Yesterday I bought a book on food styling for photographers.
8. I recently won first place in a football pool. $282 in winnings. All flukes!
9. I could eat breakfast foods for dinner for the rest of my life. yum.
10. I am a little bit messy. Especially with laundry.
11. I will never get tired of the smell of coconut.
12. I wish I lived near the beach again.
13. My dream job is to be the on staff photographer for a magazine.
14. My 2011 calendar is black and whites of Paris.
15. I procrastinate but am never late.
Take right now, when I should be in the shower getting ready for work. lol.

Let me know if you do this silly quiz too - it'd be nice to get to know you better :)

tweet tweet.

2011-01-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

i have just joined twitter.

my name is: melaniegodecki

if you are on it, let me know :)

oh and because i hate posting without a pic - here's an outtake from the shoot last week, as steve hopped in before i took the set apart.

silly guy. love him.

his birthday is on wednesday.

tomorrow i'll be baking chocolate chip cookies, he wants them instead of cake.

52 weeks - week one.

2011-01-06T09:33:00.002-05:00

amy5356, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

it is really difficult to find b&w newspapers...

my fave way to arrange flowers. cheap, inexpensive, recycled arrangement.

2011-01-04T12:49:00.002-05:00

The weather in toronto last week was strangely warm.

All of the snow melted, and it felt like spring was here.

It's still the first week of January, and we have new snow now, but mentally i have moved on.

So i treated myself to a $4 bouquet of white chrysanthemums. (mums for short)

I rummaged around my apartment for all of the glass containers I could find. They include a wine carafe, pop bottle, homemade pickle jar, spice jars and vintage vases & perfume bottles.

After filling all the jars with water, I began by placing flowers into the smaller jars first. I wasn't sure if I would use all of the vases, so I started with my favourites.

After making sure all the vases had flowers, I set them on the table - beginning with the largest ones, then fanning out with the smaller ones.

Play with the arrangement of vases until you are pleased with it.

And voila! your table looks pretty and ready for spring.

Random tips:

Mums like to be broken with a tear, rather than slicing the bottom like you would a rose.

If your florist doesn't give you any "flower food" you can add a little sugar to the water in the vase.

Remove any leaves that would be below the surface of the water - they will rot very quickly.

Bunch flowers together with an elastic near the bottom - they will spread more evenly.

Variations:

Different sizes of tin cans

Wrapping coloured ribbon on the vases

Mixing different types of flowers would be really pretty

Add food colouring to the water - the jars will have more colour, and eventually the white flowers will drink the coloured water and change the flower heads. Beautiful and fun for kids to learn about plants.

Have fun!

2010 portfolio & 2011 plan

2011-01-01T17:50:00.001-05:00

my new years resolution/goal this year is to make a photo a week.

ideally they will be creatively and technically challenging - no snapshots allowed.

sometimes portraits, sometimes still life, but once a week i have to produce something that i'm proud of. (my standards are getting higher for myself)

i'm excited for how much it will help me grow as a photographer.

if there's anything you'd like to see, or if you have a challenge for me, please share.

and hey - it means you'll get at least a blog post a week from me! ;)

here are the best of 2010:

do you have any goals this year?

happy 2011!

in 2010 I...

2011-01-01T17:07:00.001-05:00

had my own english class in france

attended the cannes film festival

wore the "wardrobe hat" on a historical film

visited Berlin

met and shopped with a penpal in london

was inspired by a fashion design high school

got a lot of vitamin d on the beach ;)

saw snow fall on palm trees

reunited with great friends to party at a wedding

danced with my cousins in rotterdam

went for gelato with my family - in Italy :)

shopped too much...

experiments in the studio

2010-12-13T23:06:00.002-05:00

annabw4925, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

this is one of my favourite shots from the studio time i've had this semester. i don't know what it is specifically that i like so much - maybe the fact that the image doesn't look like my friend, but like a character of some sort. we had a lot of fun playing with my different vintage hats and how they cast shadows. this one worked perfectly because it still let some light through.

i've finally finished editing and printing all of my assignments, ready to be evaluated in tomorrow's class. and because it's night school we get to have a mini christmas party. sweet.
if you'd like to see more of the portraits, check out my flickr set here.

photography makes me happy.

Music to love. Florence and the Machine.

2010-12-01T19:24:00.016-05:00

I realize i'm not entirely ahead of the curve on this one, considering one of her songs was just covered on Glee, but i've rediscovered Florence this week after her SNL appearance. If you take a listen to her tracks, new and older, you will probably recognize them. They are infectious. But, maybe like me, you haven't watched the videos, and that's where I've become hooked. This video for Cosmic Love makes me want to rebuild that kaleidoscope set and make it my bedroom. Beautiful!

I will be dancing along to her albums exclusively for the next few days.

I am still alive...

2010-11-29T22:18:00.001-05:00

I've been busy and not...

working a fair bit (at a Gap Kids store downtown part-time) and busy shopping. haha. I've finished my Christmas gift buying except for the hardest two - my brother and my grandpa.

Mostly because my brother has interests in things I know nothing about - cars. And my grandpa has everything you could ever think to buy him. Suggestions accepted if you know of anything!

Otherwise, in life:

Steve and I finally had a little book club. He's been so busy with school that it ended up being a book he had to read to teach from, but that was ok by me.

We read: The Visit a play by Friedrich Durrenmatt

It was really interesting and thought provoking. As I suppose texts that are studied my philosophy majors would and should be. A brief synopsis without spoiling it: A woman returns to her hometown 50 years after being forced to leave in shame. The town has fallen into dire economic times. She offers $500 000 to the town, and $500 000 to the residents (a lot in 1955) if they kill one man.

Obviously this raises many social and ethical issues, which the play deals with in a thoughtful and "non-preachy" way. The book is under 100 pages, but Steve and I had a lengthy discussion afterwards.

I have also spent my time on schoolwork, we've done some studio photography sessions now, and I am having great fun with them. My coworker Cynthia came to be a model last week - we had a blast.

annnnnddd, my friends and I had a cookie swap this past weekend. I spent 4 hours making triple batches of what turned out to be the most amazing cookie I have ever made. Time well spent. And then on Saturday we partied, I made homemade apple cider and we all traded our baking efforts. (Sorry, I didn't take pictures!) Now I have 2 giant tupperware containers of cookies and sort of feel a bit sick from all the sugar. hah.

my boyfriend has started blogging.

2010-11-17T18:07:00.001-05:00

hello hello!

just stopping in with a quick note to tell you some exciting news.

(i have already spilled the beans in the blog post title. i realize this.)

steve has started a blog, which is very academic and is focused on political theory and philosophy, which he studies. in case you or anyone you know has an interest in it, check out:

nonideal theory

cheers!

p.s. i should have some real posts soon, i have just finished a 9 day stretch of no days off, and am fully looking forward to having the next 2 days to do what i want.

(but sadly groceries, laundry and cleaning too)

A new take on the flash mob

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None of this is in English, but you will understand what happens.
Awesome that this man's boss organized it for him for his birthday :)