We bring the sun...

I feel like I've been gone for ages. Like gone gone. A distinct disconnect from what is usual.

Have you noticed?


I spent some time at wppi in Las Vegas last week. A divine experience!

I had been planning on attending wppi since October. I was dying to hear from one of my favorite photographers Jesh De Rox and seeing as how his workshops are upwards of $2000 I knew this was my chance!

Probably my one and only chance.

I also got to finally meet in person some wonderful girls I have bonded with online. I met them through a workshop we all did in 2009. It was the best $350 I ever spent. I can't tell you how amazingly supportive this group of girls are! Forever blessed to have met them!!!

And maybe it's just that I've been lucky, but I have found the photography community to be of such a loving sort. Love people, love life, love creating, love capturing, are you getting the love vibe here?????

Love your photographer because I guarantee they love you. If they don't, maybe they just haven't realized that photography isn't their calling. All in good time.

I totally went off on a rambling rant. oh well atleast it was a love rant. My intention here was not to tell you all the goings on in Vegas but really just one.

the We Bring the Sun concert we went to at sunrise out in the las Vegas Desert.



I call this one | The One That Got Away

We saw Jesh speak Monday afternoon, and then we got to see him again at sunrise the next day, only this time he was singing to us :) Standing there in the gorgeous morning light, surrounded by beautiful earth, listening to Jesh was such a surreal experience.



more moments like these please :) !!!!!!

I couldn't be more in love with life right now.


I missed my family alot while I was gone. And maybe it was pure lack of sleep Tuesday but I was close to breaking down for all the missing.

I am almost ready to put up some images I've been working on at school. I will talk about some of the things that I found relevant at wppi that reinforce things I've learned through the practical use of film.

yes, film.

I'd like to give some linky love to some of the people that touched me most last week so you can discover them too if you so desire.

First the fab Carly Mitchell. She's always there for me when I need to gchat her up! A tender soul doing great things with her camera!

Roweena Timson, a darling girl with impeccable taste. She shoots both digital and film! Flew in all the way from Australia!

Kati Gross Spunky and full of life, she definitely kept us entertained!

Kristy Milton Beautiful as can be! We got to see each other briefly at brunch Monday morning. She thinks I should start a cooking blog... what do you think? haha someone should tell her I do post some of my recipes on this here blog ;) !!

Jesh De Rox, someone that inspires me greatly. You can see some of his work here, or if you click here you can listen to him singing a duet with Amy Seeley.

Jose Villa, immediately fell in love with his work. He shoots wedding on color film. I am dying to shoot color. I hung onto his every word. What I wouldn't give to have won the workshop he gave away at his seminar! I did win 9 rolls of film though :) not too shabby!

And I can't not mention Jane Kovash! She doesn't have a website to link up to but I had fun chatting and getting to know her better! Plus she won $750 worth of web design from Jose Villa so go Jane!

ah, and now I'm off to Sunday dinner with the fam!

<3 Jill

neither can be bought nor sold.

Please tell me if you can relate to this at all!

you're walking through goodwill. You see possibly the ugliest chair on earth. It is smothered with doggie hairs and the the handles have clearly been gnawed on for years. Not to mention it's just ugly.

You think to yourself... That dog probably died in this chair. I bet thats why someone got rid of it. I mean besides the obvious ugly factor.

But then you buy it.

Thats what happened to me.

I bought the ugliest chair on earth.

and oh how I wish I had taken a photo before I tore it apart. but I didn't.

this chair has been siting bare bones on my back patio for close to a year. or more than a year. I can't really remember.

I'd like to mention that I also failed to get a photo of it's bare boned-ness.

What you're about to lay eyes on is a chair that has been heavily worked on, though is in no way completed.

...


We worked on this till about midnight last night. I LOVE that Chad helps out. Ok he probably does most of the hard labor but we agreed long ago that we need each other for just about every project that goes down over here.

I usually have a pretty clear vision of what it should look like in the end. Chad puts it all together and makes it work. Sometimes I have to explain it to him like 1000 x's and draw a picture, which if you know me very well you know my drawings are barely decipherable. But he somehow gets it :) !!


details, details!

I wanted it to look homespun to some degree, that is why I hand stitched the corners. Also... I have no clue what I'm doing.

The original fabric was wrapped all the way around the bottom of the chair on every side. This being our first attempt at actually reupholstering ( please note: this ain't the first chair I've un-upholstered ;) we decided we should put it back the way it originally was.

butbutbut... I like the wood! Why can't the wood show?

It has staples in it.

I know, I like the staples.

it doesn't meet up nicely with the legs.

I see that and I am very accepting of it.

* best exec. decision ever made on this chair! *


and you know that black stuff under all your chairs and ottomans that your kids rip halfway off so it hangs and looks super dumb?

Do your kids do that?

Mine do. I hate it.

I wondered why it must be black. Wouldn't it be fun if it were surprisingly pretty underneath?

indeed it would.


This is what's going on the bottom. I know it doesn't match. it's not supposed to. Its a splash of unexpected gorgeous that you only get to see if you're lucky.

I know, Quirky huh.

Chad surprised me by admitting he LOVES what I chose for the bottom. Never thought this day would come. All this time I thought he hated fabric, which for a fabric addict like me it came as a huge blow. Turns out no, he just hates fabric stores :) !!!

And what chair would be complete without a pretty pillow to grace it. I have to tell you I am just in love with Anna Maria Horner's 'innocent crush' line. it is so so pretty and it comes in so many fabric types. Home dec, quilting weight, voile, and velveteen!

I opted for the velveteen!


once again Chad LOVED it. I swear it's like I don't even know who he is anymore... but I do so giddily approve!

one problem though...


my chair has no back. I'm not gonna lie. I'm stumped as to what to do.

I need help!

Who can help me?

I have a couple ideas I'm throwing around but I am not for certain what will work best.

We are currently accepting help from anyone who may be willing.

Pretty please :) !!



You don't want to see this baby head toward the dump any more than I do.

Was this blog just a long elaborate plea for help?

Why yes, yes it was :)

<3 Jill