unfold......

i've been missing FlickR....

and i know i've been SERIOUSLY delinquent on bringing you good jams! but i have one today:)
there aren't many songs that you can listen to on repeat for hours and not get completely sick of them. this song is one of those gems. i've never been, and still am not, a huge jason mraz fan but this song is pretty incredible.

hope this post makes your ears and/or your eyes happy:)
(photo source)
xox, rachel

FlickR Fantastical

sources
(1st)  (2nd)  (3rd)  (4th)  (5th)

the amount of talent on FlickR NEVER ceases to blow my mind.

i get so inspired when i get lost in there:)

and it makes me want to learn more about how to use my camera.

ALL GOOD THINGS!
xox, rachel

Welcome Home

(photo source)
currently blasting this song on repeat this morning.
it's fueling my fire!!!!

{song: Welcome Home artist: Radical Face}

"Ships are launching from my chest
Some have names but most do not
If you find one, please let me know what piece I've lost
Heal the scars from off my back
I don't need them anymore
You can throw them out or keep them in your mason jars
I've come home"

max plays 16/365

Day 16/365 on Flickr
max plays
on annie's keyboard.
(the child was pretty much the most adorable little guy ever. and lots of his shirts are from ETSY! couldn't be cooler)

swingin 11/365

Day 11/365 on Flickr
swingin
[i spent a chunk of the day over at rebecca's trying to get my mind off my mind. outside with her 2nd youngest was a trip! cutest voice and the best phrases came out of his little mouth. he was showing me his swing-pumping skills. remember those days??? permanent dirty feet and all....]

part 2 of 11/365
mid airrrrr
[i LOVED this shot and was originally going to use it for day 11. i still don't know if i made the right choice.]
xox, rachel

playgarism 9/365

DAY 9/365 on Flickr
playgarism
[a broken typewriter- i pushed down the G,R,S and the V for GetReadySetGo Vintage. i have sparkles in my coffee cup! this photo makes me feel cozy. maybe i should dive into this book for the 20th time. it's Elizabeth Wurtzel's MORE, NOW, AGAIN]

back in a bit with other news
xox, rachel

Flickr Favorites MELT ME

1. My Turntable is Happy
2. Arsonphobia
3. The Final Dove
4. retro colour

this weeks Flickr Mosaic challenge from ARTMIND was played by theme:
"what touches your senses, gives you goosebumps, makes you all gooey inside..."

this was super hard for me because the 1st photo was one i DESPERATELY wanted to include but it didn't blend in with my other 3......i need things to FLOW!
i decided to go against all of what i believe in (yes, i am being overly dramatic....a little bit) and play by theme, therefore keeping the mosaic FULL of all things that i adore.
at this point of the post i am always tempted to explain why i like each photograph, but then i realize that i'd rather let the photos speak for themselves.

come join in! i say it every week and every week i mean it!

Dinner on our driveway 7/365

DAY 7/365 on Flickr
dinner on our driveway
[shame on me for this one..... i had a busy day and it started with me fully intending to take a quality photo for day 7. all of the sudden the sun was setting. we were eating dinner and the light went off in my head. i grabbed our empty edamame shells, my camera and a fork. if we ate dinner on our driveway it would've looked like this. (the fork was for the pasta, not the edamame, in case you were wondering "how the heck does this girl eat her soybeans?!")]

on another note, i got bangs. i know, like you care;) but i think i made up for this fizzle of a post by the movie trailer i posted earlier that is MAGICAL!
xox, rachel

365 days on FLICKR....

i will first get you up to speed

then i will be adding my "photo of the day" to the daily blog

(is this the part where i lose followers?)

there are descriptions below if you want some background info. on the shots. i tried doing 365 days of self- portraits on Flickr and it was TORTURE! wayyyy too much of "me" for me to handle. i give major props to those of you who have completed this challenge, or even made it past the 30-day mark. i did NOT.
we'll start at the very beginning... 'cause it's a very good place to start;)looking up a locker 1/365
i cannot handle the amount of love i have for my red locker. it is covered head to toe and filled to the brim. i love the color of my walls of my office, the vinyl records hanging on them and the white globe lights all strung out at the ceiling. here's to 365 photos of WHATEVER i want! xox, rachel

not welcomed 2/365
taken at a house that has been abandoned and locked up for over 2 years. lately people have been trying to clean it up, i assume in an attempt to sell it. truth be told, i hope nobody bites. i liked it better when nature had it's way with it.

nail.fail 3/365
these poor nails are all kinds of chipped. this is real life. and though the subject has such pretty hands i love the rusty screw a top them. like a present:)

i can't believe we lived here 4/365
this is the house where i shot the cover of Annie Stela's "Little House EP". it used to have a roof, it used to be dark, the cabinets used to be firmly attached to the walls.

TheSecretHistory 5/365
today i am tired and excited and tired and worn out from being so excited but i WILL be doing a photo a day, even if i post 2 on the same day- no.4 was shot yesterday but i didn't edit it til today- see this nonsenseical ramble of a tired girl. so here is my shot! my globe lights, pretty colors and a magnified view. the end.

HELLO office 6/365
i realize this photo is simple in all ways. but when i passed by my office this morning and saw my HELLO vinyl decal, my pile of luggage, train cases peeking out from my bookshelf, the way that the light hit my cheap door..... well, it was pretty to me. it invited me in. so i shot it. and it makes me happy. take or leave it.

thanks for viewing.
happy sunday
and if ANYONE knows how i can make my own my OWN playlist from MY SONGS on ITUNES pretty please let me know. i will pay you for this!
xox, rachel

not welcomed 2/365

DAY 2/365 on Flickr

not welcomed
[taken at a house that has been abandoned and locked up for over 2 years. lately people have been trying to clean it up, i assume in an attempt to sell it. truth be told, i hope nobody bites. i liked it better when nature had it's way with it.]

Hat Tangent

(image source)

fall is for hats, unless you live in florida like me, sad! BUT if you were going to take a road trip through the midwest and east coast (who me?..... maybe) you would be doing your lid a favor by keeping a hat close by. i don't know about you but my ears get COLD in the evenings. so i'm officially on the hunt.
these 2 hats from Parvana are ADORRRALABLE
i was really seeking out an animal hat with earflaps which led me to these 2 hats. i don't think i could pull them off for everyday use but they were too much fun NOT to share!
found the moose HERE and the racoon hat HERE

of course i searched Flickr and found some TERRIFIC photos of hats, kids in hats, unique designs of hats, you get the idea.

1. like a peasant, 2. Leave me alone!, 3. Untitled, 4. Victorian Hawk Fish
in conclusion
I NEED A HAT and i NEED it NOW! i also NEED to get out of this Florida heat.
i will share as more info. comes in. crossing fingers & checking flights, though the crossing fingers never works and just ends up hurting my phalanges (ode to Phoebe as Regina Phalange)
xox, rachel

Flickr Favorites PORTRAIT

1. Untitled
2. Untitled
3. some exciting news....
4. lost in translation

i just can't get enough of these portraits.
they are semi-candid, the lighting makes me cry in the first one, the second photo- there is something about it, the child with his fingers covering his mouth is beyond words, the backward glance in photo 4 is harrowing.
i am moved.
please photograph it all.
come over to ARTMIND to see other mosaics and join in on the inspirational goodness.

inspired Flickr Favorites mosaic

1. Jeremy Enigk,
2. streamlined dreams.,
3. boys (don't) cry,
4. Lonely heart...
it's saturday night. i'm tired and drained so i popped into one of my favorite places to get some happy inspiration energy from.... FLICKR!

1. i have seen Jeremy Enigk play live over 15 times and i can say that without a doubt he evokes the most unbelievable emotions ever. this photo captures his intensity. he looks as though he might just bite the mike right off. i don't know if it was hot on the day he played this outdoor festival but it wouldn't matter because he would still be sweating profusely. he sings with a passion that puts me in utter shock. sometimes at live shows your legs get sore for all that standing. when you are watching this guy perform you do not feel your legs. i believe i've made and perhaps OVER-made my point. but it is my blog right?

2. these underwater heart bubbles are MAGICAL. the colors & composition speak for themselves. this photo reminds me of a loud exasperated screaming sigh. the release of frustration.

3. i know this boy is crying and that is sad BUT crying is beautiful. it cleanses our body of toxins, it evokes and conveys emotion. it's REALITY. life is full of pleasure and pain.

4. i desperately miss passing people on the street. i miss living in a city full of people with stories. i long for a building this unique in this town that i live in that is oh so cookie-cutter, boring and sheltered.

***Join in on Flickr Favorites with Artmind.***
i'm super thankful for so many things, even when my emotions tell me otherwise. i need to make a consious decision to focus on the good. every day. EVERY minute. i've got a whole lot of life to be living and tasting and feeling.
xox, rachel

impromptu christmas tree?

impromptu christmas tree?
Originally uploaded by zebra.paperclip

happy monday:)
i have a photoshoot today, completely unrelated to the shop, and i'm looking forward to it. abandoned houses watch out... here we come! before i get on with everything i thought i would share with you one of my Flickr Favorites. it's Pretty Pure Magical Sweetness. christmas lights are my best friend.
hope everyone had a great weekend. i believe my blog's first GIVEAWAY is about to drop THIS THURSDAY..... stay tuned.
XO, rachel
p.s.- click the photo to see it up close and perfectfull

Happy Bench Monday

Happy Bench Monday
Originally uploaded by Theresa Thompson

okay, okay, i know it's friday but it's the title of the photo so it's not my place to change it:)
there are SO many things to love about this snapshot.
the red chair,
the red chucks,
the rainbow striped socks,
the jeans folded up,
the radiator,
the texture of the wall
and the body is in mid-air!
i LOVE LOVE LOVE me some flickr finds:)
xo,
rachel
(click on the photo to see the original size)