We found ourselves in Ojai again - land of orange groves, friendly folks, farmer's markets, creativity, calm breezes, and positivity. Our good friend's band put on an amazing show that night deep in an Ojai forest - and it was such a refreshing experience dancing under the stars with some cool people ^_^
While planning for this shoot, Darren and I were thinking 'hmm, what's a good, nearby, late-60s style location?' Oh yeah, our own house der ^_^ So here it is folks, the house that Darren and I reside in and call 'home'. All of you guys see us traveling around the world, but never really get the chance to see behind the scenes, where we sleep most days of the week (ha!)
Well, it's time to reveal the *secret* location... Rainbow Basin! It was insane getting out there in our little sedan - aka not meant for off-roading whatsoever. We were holding our breaths while driving in and trying so hard to avoid those 'we'll be stuck here forever' thoughts. Well, we made it through and (woah!) I am so glad we did. Look at those colors in the mountains ~ would you believe me if I told you that was all natural? Well, I assure you it is. Although, I'd like to believe a giant had a craft day and decided to paint them into rainbows. While exploring the area, feeling like I was walking in a dream, I was wearing this amazing lil' get up from Karen Kane. The poncho and pants are both made out of the softest-and-comfiest feaux suede - and I love me some comfort, especially when it looks amazing on as well.
I love waking up in Big Sur, yall. They are such refreshing and enchanting mornings that make you never want to leave. You see that light bursting through the trees onto the shimmering river? That's what mornings look like at Riverside Campground. Oh, and if you're lucky enough, you can score a camping spot right on the river like we did. Nothing compares to the sound of the streaming water at night - hypnotizing you and leaving you with the sweetest dreams and a perfect night of sleep. If you find yourself making way to Big Sur, I highly recommend camping here. I hope you guys are enjoying your weekend. Right now it's about 100 degrees outside in LA and I'm hiding away indoors! ^_^ I cannot hang in this heat, yall.
All any girl needs - flowers, the sunset, and an ocean breeze! ^_^
On this day, Darren and I were headed back home from a magical stay in Big Sur and chose to stop at one of our favorite locations, the San Simeon Pier. While walking down that pier, it's hard not to feel like Harry from Requiem for a Dream during his freaky dream sequences (ha!) I love the lines of this location and that eye-catching vanishing point. We always find ourselves taking advantage of locations that have vanishing points such as this. It's that perfect amount of symmetry that ads so much geometric charm. I'm all for it. Although this location is a bit eerie, I decided to give it a softer, more adventurous vibe with this outfit - while also contrasting the blue and white with red. If you ever find yourself in San Simeon, this place is definitely worth the stop.
Four swell days spent drifting through the coast of Big Sur ~ my go-to place to experience the unplugged life that many of us forget. Big Sur is a place where not having cell-phone service is a plus, so we can relax and cleans our sweet souls with those vibrant views. Cliffs, forest, ocean as far as the eye can see, and best of all, that smell of campfire filling the air. I can never get enough, and I guess that's why I always find myself making the trek out there. Soaking up that golden hour and sunset, with the best views a girl could eva want - all while feeling like a big sur princess in that dress by Raga.
Here's the Astro Bandit tour of one of my favorite places to stay in Ojai. I don't really think these pictures do it justice, but it's one of those places you gotta explore for yourself to really feel that peaceful vibe. Some good friends of mine were living on this property, managing the place, until their newly purchased yoga studio took off! Which it did, and now they moved off of the property into their own place. This was our one last stay here, so we made it a good one ^_^ The showers are outdoors and so is the kitchen - and I'm an outdoors kinda girl (as I'm sure you already know) so this was just perfect. The greenery everywhere makes you feel like you are walking through an Ojai jungle, and there is constant creativity just roaming through the air. It's one of those places that you can truly let go and forget about your "real life" for a lil' bit. Not only at this charming house, but at Ojai in general. The people there seem so relaxed and satisfied - which isn't a common thing you'd find in LA that's for sure!
To match those vintage vibes, I put together this boho yet western get up, which paired nicely with some gold accents. All of the pieces I'm wearing are super affordable (linked below), especially the matching set! I also included some similar looks, as well. If you have any getaways coming up, these items will be perfect!
I'm Big Sur bound tomorrow, so I'm taking a few days away from the blog - but prepare yourself for some forest, cliffside, and ocean photos very very soon! Magic is surely present there!
I spent the weekend in San Diego and (finally!) had the chance to visit Queen Califia's Magical Circle ~ It was even more magical than I was expecting! For so long, the installation was under maintenance and closed to the public. However, as of late, the garden opens the second Saturday of every month from 9am-11am. So if you happen to be in the area during that time, you must see this location! The garden eerily resembles the sets in Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.' All of the black and white accents called for a bright, cobalt blue maxi dress from one of my new favorite stores, Raga. If you click that link, you can get 25% off your first order with the code: RAGAFAM. ^_^
All aboard the California Western! Darren and I had so much fun creating these photos, even though it struck 102 degrees outside right in the middle of the shoot. So surely, hidden behind that smile, there was a slight fear of me melting like the wicked witch of the east. I moved to California from Texas expecting the best weather - so this whole global warming thing needs to chill out (ha!). I hope everyone is enjoying their week thus far, and is able to get back into the swing of things after that long and joyous 3-day weekend! Keep it cool, yall ^_^ fallsacomin!
Here's another set from our journey through Sedona ~ I've decided that later in life I'd love to retire in this magical little town ^_^ There's so much to explore here. I wish we had a few more days to check it all out, but that just means I gotta return soon! At this given moment, we were driving on that scenic road and both of us happened to check our rear-view mirrors at the same time and said 'we gotta stop'. It appeared as if the road was headed straight for those beautiful red canyon walls. Don't worry, we looked both ways when we were shooting on the road.
On the way to the Grand Canyon from Sedona, we drove by these fields coated with the most stunningly beautiful yellow flowers - seemingly going on for forever. So, of course, we pulled over and shot some photos. I had to highlight those yellow tones with a touch of gold and black ^_^ I loved this get up so much - perfect for festivals or even a night out on the town for those gypsy babes! I hope everyone is enjoying their week! I just returned from Ojai visiting some friends. So I assure you that there are some 70s style photos coming soon that we shot while staying at the most vintage-inspired Ojai pad.
Oh my, oh my -- Sedona is b e a u t i f u l and the vibe of the town is just perfect. One of Sedona's most treasured features are the vortexes throughout the area. These vortexes are 'spiritual powerful centers' that 'produce some of the most remarkable energy on the planet.' Sure it may be a New Age belief, but I coulda sworn I felt that energy while taking in those red-rock butte views and I carried that energy along with me while traveling to the Grand Canyon ^_^ I chose to match those red hues with red details in the skirt pictured above, paired with all black. I must say, this was the perfect desert get up! Oh, and below is one of my favorite tracks by Houndmouth called Sedona. Hope you guys had an adventurous weekend!
So.. I fell off the face of the bloggin' earth a little bit this past week.. but it was for good reason ^_^ I spent the week traveling through Sedona and the Grand Canyon with my parents and Darren. I've been to AZ many times in my life because a lot of my family lives there, but I've never really explored the state and all of its many exciting locations. I visited the Grand Canyon many many moons ago, when I was about 4, so I gotta say that doesn't really count. I definitely didn't remember that mesmerized feeling you get while staring into the (what appears to be) infinite layers of canyon. We saw the canyon at many different hours of the day - a few times when it was raining (those clouds looked crazy!), during a sunny afternoon, and - of course - my favorite, sunset. I now know why they call this place a 'wonder of the world' - I was surely left wonderin' ^_^
Shot by Kelly Lee
I always enjoy a good adventure with Kelly Lee (@kellee_lee on IG) ~ my psychedelic sista sista! She has such an incredible vision, and I love being a part of it! These particular photos were shot in Big Sur at Pfeiffer Beach. If you haven't been before, I recommend it!
I made a little pit stop in Bishop, CA to shoot at this scenic lil' spot called the Thunderbird Motel. After swooning over the name painted on the white tiling and that retro sign of theirs, I knew it would be a rad location for those golden, sequin pants. I'm only imagining myself staying there in the late 60's - most likely prime time for the ol' Thunderbird. If you notice the clouds thickening in that last photo, that's because seconds later we experienced a flash flood!
I just returned from a trip to Denver, visiting my best friend from college and exploring the city in all it's beauty! First stop, Mt. Evans (as pictured above). Woah, this was an insane drive. This is the highest paved road in north america - aka you feel like you are driving into the heavenly sky. Which fortunately enough, the sun was setting as we drove up and the sky began exploding into millions of hues, lighting the mountains with magic. Those views from the top left me wanting to move to CO. ^_^
Welcome to Convict Lake, ladies and gents --- named this way because (way back in the day) a group of convicts escaped from prison and came here to hide out. Well, it's not a bad place to hide out I must say ^_^ and fortunately, I didn't cross pass with any convicts on the run. Now it's a popular spot for fishermen and photographers! Loved the way that Tobi dress looked with the reflected water!
