Promise Tangeman Creative Photo Shoot

So, I'm really excited to reveal a photo shoot that I was actually in this time. I had the privilege of being photographed for Promise Tangeman Creative by our TALENTED friend Melissa Jill. Promise and I had a blast doing her photo shoot for her website and promo photos at the end of last year, and so of course, we needed to have another girl PARTY (a.k.a. photo shoot) to kick off 2011.

As I mentioned awhile back, I've been helping out Promise Tangeman with some project management, and I'm LOVING it! She is incredibly energizing, brilliant and SO encouraging. Seriously, follow along on her blog and you'll see what I mean.

I had a blast helping to put this shoot together. It took place in downtown Phoenix - the BEST place for locations in my opinion. Color, hair and makeup were the focal points of this shoot. So, of course Promise and I had our good friend and hairstylist Kim Cornwell help us in the hair department. AND...Jack of all trades, Tina Burnham, joined us to do makeup even though she has told me she isn't a makeup artist. Well, I'm sure you guys can tell from these photos that she is UBER talented as a makeup artist in addition to being a talented photographer and hair stylist. RIGHT?!!

So, as always, we collected hair, makeup and clothing inspiration for this shoot. Promise had been wanting to do a bright eye, and I have been in love with bright lips all season long, so we went our own ways with the one condition that COLOR had to be incorporated. We even painted our nails a really bright color as shown below.

As for hair...Well, as you can tell Miss Promise has hair that is unrivaled. I mean, there is NO chance I could ever do what she does with hers. This girl gets SOOO many questions about her hair and every girl in the work wishes she could get that kind of volume. I have accepted the sad truth that I'll never have "promified" hair, so Kim and I decided we would work with what I have that is unique to me - CURLS!!!

Kim did a FANTASTIC job, no? I felt like I had just stepped off the spring runway. Remember my post on fuzzy curls? Well, she nailed it!!

As for clothes, well, with color being the requirement there was no question that my red, GAP skinny jeans would be used for this shoot. They definitely make a statement. And of course, I played up my love for retro style with my gingham oxford shirt tucked in. We had a second look for which I was struggling to find something until I did a little shopping at Buffalo Exchange and found this cute magenta skirt for $7.00!!!

Promise on the other hand, had these amazing jeans that reminded her of clouds, this sweet neon green/yellow bandeaux top, a teal shirt and this AWESOME pair Zara shoes she got in Europe. I think we nailed the color requirement. haha!

In her second look she incorporated some colored denim and played up the black and white stripes trend. It looked awesome against the blue wall!

Here are some more fun photos. I hope you love them as much as we do!

Bicycle Fashion

Lately, I have really been wanting a cute beach cruiser with a basket on the front. I want to ride to my local coffee shops, stuff some yummy treats in my basket and ride home in the sunshine and crisp air. Granted, it's hard to do that in Phoenix without getting hit by a car, but I like the idea of it. haha!

Plus, it seems that bikes have become the latest fashion accessory. Although, I think I'm going to need some lessons on how to ride a bike in a dress. I just don't see how it's possible without showing the whole world your underpants. I'm thinking shorts and flats to start.

Anyone else want a bike after seeing this fashion inspiration???

CB2 - Contemporary Furniture

Even before I began working with architects I have loved contemporary interior design. Like mother, like daughter they say...Growing up my mom has always incorporated contemporary furniture into our living spaces. When Ryan and I got married we got a load of amazing furniture from my parents because they couldn't fit it all in their new place, so naturally we have decorated our apartment accordingly. I wish CB2 had been around when we got married because we are in love with this store! Crate & Barrel started CB2 - a line of furnishings that's affordable and contemporary - two years ago. It's not as affordable as Ikea on some things, but the quality is definitely better and it's comparable to West Elm.

Make sure to sign up for their free catalogs if you like this style. Their sale prices are pretty good and we haven't had an issue with anything we've ordered (there isn't a CB2 in Phoenix). Here are some photos from their recent catalog and some items I love.