Fairy Tale

"It seems obvious to say that fairy tales have a fantastical element- in other words, magic. This important ingredient often comes in thanks to magical beings like fairies." -Ken Mondschein, PhD

I absolutely love fairy tales! Growing up my grandmother always read classic nursery rhymes and fairy tales to me.  To this very day I still remember a lot of them, as I hold them close to my heart. I have always wanted to do a shoot inspired by them but I still have yet to do so. I did however, do a shoot recently that reminded me of them and I was very pleased with the end result. The idea actually started with an orchid print lingerie piece I picked up on sale at work (Victoria's Secret). One of my all time favorite flowers is an orchid so as soon as I saw this print I wanted it. But of course I waited for it to be marked down in price first, luckily we still had my size :) it was meant to be at that point! It sat in my closet for quite some time but I decided I wanted to use it for fairy concept so I crafted a matching floral crown and did just that.

Makeup inspiration I found via google image search...

I started chatting with Steve Rydgren of ImaginEssance and he was very interested in this concept. He said he had a green screen that we could shoot on and he would then edit the photo up all magical-like. This sounded like a grand idea to me because it is still very cold outside this time of year in Seattle, so we went forth with our planning and he told me about his friends basement he really wanted to shoot in. He described it to me and I decided to throw together another look that would fit better in a creepy basement setting. I even made a neat little pair of gloves to go with it!

The Gloves! Made from ripped up lace & watch parts...

"In English, we tend to get 'fairies' mixed up with the other world of Celtic mythology and with elves, brownies, and other spirits and picture them as tiny, harmless winged beings. However, this is far too narrow of a reading: fairies could also be terrible and scary." -Ken Mondschein, PhD

All the makeup, hair, and wardrobe styling was done by myself, photos taken and edited by Steve. This was our very first time shooting together and I had a blast. He's an amazing photographer to collaborate with and I plan to do it all again very soon! Hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do <3

Magic*

The necklace I'm wearing was a gift from my best friend Sarah <3

Dirty little feets!

Cheap lace skirt I cut up...

My spiked crown is actually a necklace ;)

I will be raffling off a print from this set of photos on my page so please 'like' me on FACEBOOK for your chance to win!

XOXO

Shake That Ashh

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Frugal Finds

First photo shoot with the new hair in the new year, Cheers to 2013! Hair cut & colored by the talented Ava at Tiger Lily Salon

Like most people who are really into the lovely world of fashion, I tend to be a bit of a shopaholic. I will spend hours, if not days shopping if you allow me. I tend to spend most of the time just browsing though, I really love digging through the rough and finding the hidden treasures you may have never noticed if you wouldn't have taken that extra bit of time. It's all about the right price as well. I have no problem paying full price for my favorite independent designers to keep them in business and making magical creations but you will NEVER catch me paying full price for 'fast fashion' retail. BARF! (side note: in case you do not know, fast fashion is when retailers take unique or high-end designs and make cheaper/factory made versions of them) I do work in a mall so I tend to stop in and dig through clearance racks in some retailers like Forever21 and H&M. From time to time I get lucky and discover something that's just the right price. If it's not exactly how I like it, I try to recreate it and make it into something more appealing. That's the main reason I love going to thrift stores or buying items waaay marked down from the original price, I don't feel so bad totally destroying it and recreating my own design with it.

Before & After Photos of Buttons

I found this jacket on clearance at Forever 21 for $12 but the buttons on it were atrocious plastic gold. So I went to the local fabric store and they were having a sale on buttons, it worked out perfectly. I was able to purchase 22 buttons for $11, which means I spent a total of $23 on a brand new jacket! So happy I decided to purchase it, even if the original buttons weren't great... easy fix!

NEW BUTTONS!

 
Tan Jacket- Forever21
Bottle Necklace- Handmade by Myself
Cowl Neck Sweatshirt- Farinaz Taghavi
Brown Leather Boot- Thrift Store
New Buttons- Fabric Store

'Watch Maker's Spare Parts'
Close up of the necklace I'm wearing in the previous photo, made by myself... Out of a mini bottle, watch parts, and wire.

I was very self conscious about my right eye during this shoot cause it was super swollen and gross. But Sarah did an amazing job shooting and you could not even tell at all! Thank you Sarah!! Plugs from UK Custom Plugs

 You will notice that a good chunk of the photo's on my blog will be taken by Sarah Trickler from Sarah Trickler Photography. She is a very dear friend of mine and we work on tons of projects together. We make a fabulous team because we have very similar interests and ideas. When shooting together we are constantly throwing ideas back and forth and usually something epic comes from it!

Sarah & I being silly at the craft store in between sets

After a day of shooting and adventuring in the cold and fog we decided it was time to bring it inside and play with some lights for a project Sarah has been working on. This ties in with her photos 'Hidden Powers' and 'Hidden Sight', check them out! She titled one of the photos below 'Magica Occulta Lux' which means 'Magic of Hidden Light'. Her friend Jason came up with this title and the series of photos using the 'fairy berry' lights and giant fire balls are dedicated to him, you rock Jason!

The flower was something Sarah picked up at the craft store and the feathers in my hair were purchased off etsy. This gorgeous dress was created by Discerpo Necto Decrepitus. The necklace was made by Sarah herself, you can purchase her creations on her etsy page by clicking here.

 To stay current with my upcoming creations and shoots please 'like' me on facebook<--Click link to view page.

XOXO

Shake That Ashh

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