I’m one of those people who is pretty clean and organized for the most part, but I also have a lot of stuff.  Or at least I used to have a lot of stuff, I kind of still have a lot of stuff? I don’t know, I’m working on it. Over the last few years, I’ve made a big effort to purge the things in my home that are not beautiful or useful. I’ve whittled down my closet tremendously, and I’ve tackled nearly every drawer and cabinet in my house. I’ve swapped out a lot of functional but ugly/loud items with better quality and more attractive replacements. Anything that is distracting from the level of calmness I’m trying to achieve is on the chopping block. Like the 30 cheap plastic mismatched spatulas & serving utensils crammed into a drawer that I have to dig through every time I need the bottle opener? Gone. I donated them all and replaced them with 2-3 simple wooden utensils that are pretty enough to display in a glass vessel on my counter. The 25 random cords & remote controls from electronics we don’t own anymore? Gone. Do we need 4 mop buckets? NO! 37 mismatched coffee mugs? BYE, FELICIA. That kind of purging is easy because I’m not emotionally attached to utilitarian items like spatulas or mop buckets. Throwing out an ugly bright green plastic broom that’s taped together and replacing it with a pretty wooden one that actually gets me excited about sweeping is fun. That kind of purging just takes a little bit of time and money.

But then there is the other kind of purging. The purging of the things that hold memories and feelings. Books, records, clothes, mementos. It’s tough to part with that stuff. And CAMERAS. You guys, I have a lot of cameras. Probably 20 Polaroids alone. I’ve avoided going through the cameras for months. I know I need to let some of them go.  It’s time. I’d like to see them go to someone who will have fun with them, because even with the best intentions, I simply don’t have the time to use them all. Below are four cameras I plan to post on Craigslist soon. I thought I’d post them here first since y’all are my frands and I want to give you first crack at them. They are great cameras, so once I put them up on Craigslist, they’ll probably go quick. *cries*

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC LX-5  UPDATE: SOLD!
$160 (includes U.S. Shipping)

This is an amazing little digital camera. I’ve taken this camera on every trip with me. It’s tiny and easily slides into a pocket. I recently replaced it with the Leica version because I needed the wifi, but for your money, you can’t get a better digital point & shoot than this. You can read about it on Amazon, but here are some quick points:

• 10 megapixels allows you to print poster size prints at great clarity.
• Shoots HD video
• Leica lens: 24mm (extremely wide viewing space) to 90mm (zoom)
• Maximum aperture of 2.0 (shallow depth of field) to give you those pretty soft focused backgrounds known as bokeh effect.
• Manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, or fully automatic settings.
• It’s white! It’s tiny! It’s cute!

The camera is in great condition, and everything functions perfectly. No dents or scratches. It comes with the original box, battery charger, battery pack, USB cable, shoulder strap, CD-ROM, lens cap, lens cap string, owners manual. Requires an SD card. Paid $400, asking $160.

2. The Impossible Project Pinhole 100 Camera. UPDATE: SOLD!
$110 (includes U.S. shipping)

I’m kind of regretting posting this camera for sale. EEK. This camera was produced in a very limited stock by The Impossible Project and is very unique. You can read about it here. This camera takes instant peel-apart film which is my favorite kind of instant/Polaroid film. It is a pinhole camera so it produces very soft images with an infinite depth of field. Objects are in focus from right in front of the camera to infinity. Requires long exposures and a tripod. It’s in like-new condition. Functions perfectly, no scratches or flaws. You can easily find the film for this camera in local camera stores and on amazon. It works with all Type 100 pack films in B&W and color. Asking $110 though they’re going for much more on Ebay.

3. Holga 120 Wide Pinhole Camera.
$40 (includes U.S. shipping)

You can read about this camera here. I love Holgas! This Holga camera combines several methods of photography in one. It’s a wide-angle panorama camera, pinhole camera, and medium format camera all rolled into one. Uses 120 size B&W or color film that can easily be found at local camera stores or on amazon here. This camera is in like-new condition. No scratches or dents. Functions perfectly. Asking $40.

4. 1954 Bolex C-8 8mm camera.
$60 (includes U.S. shipping)

This is a video camera, and it’s the only camera on this list I haven’t personally used. You can read about it here. This Bolex camera uses double standard 8mm film which you can find here. How fun would it be to shoot an old-timey video with this thing? Comes with a nice leather case and strap. I haven’t film-tested the camera, but it looks to be in good shape.

If you’re interested in any of these cameras, leave a comment with your email address and I’ll send you a Paypal invoice. Once it’s paid, I’ll ship the camera out within 24 hours. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy Friday!

xoxo

Remember when I started a blog series called Instant Detroit back in January of 2013 and then never wrote another post in that series until now? Me neither.

I’m a terrible blogger. Anyway, post number two, COMIN’ ATCHA.

I’ve been a longtime supporter of The Heidelberg Project, an outdoor art installation located in a residential community on Detroit’s east side. Tyree Guyton, founder and artistic director, started the project in the 1980’s as a creative response to the poverty, decay, and crime that had taken over his childhood neighborhood. He, along with the help of family and neighbors, boarded up abandoned houses, mowed the overgrown lawns, and cleared out the trash. They gathered up discarded tires, shoes, dolls, and other everyday objects and nailed them to the houses. They painted the concrete with colorful polka dots and turned a two block area into a living art gallery. Tyree didn’t attempt to cover up the truth of the neighborhood, nay, he amplified it, calling attention to the desperate area by turning it into a tourist attraction. And it worked. Over 275,000 people visit The Heidelberg Project annually. A bevy of celebrities have publicly discussed their visits to The Heidelberg Project as well,  including Anthony Bourdain, Kate Moss, Beyonce, Bruce Weber, and Ryan Gosling to name a few.

Of course, there’s the never ending debate – is it art or is it junk? Many people say The Heidelberg Project wouldn’t last a second in the suburbs, and that’s true. But the suburbs don’t need a Heidelberg Project, and that is Tyree’s point. After the riots in the late 1960’s, thousands of businesses and residents fled the city for the suburbs. The tax loss led to cutbacks and non-repair of basic services. It became clear to the remaining residents of Heidelberg Street that they had been forgotten, and help was not coming. This is a situation (somewhat) familiar to me. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, my family lived near the Michigan State Fairgrounds, a similarly blighted section of Detroit. We watched our neighborhood fall to ruin as our previous neighbors’ homes turned into crack houses. Our house had been burglarized and all our windows shot out, twice. I was robbed before I was even three years old. My parents never once called the police, for a simple reason – they wouldn’t come. It’s a terrifying feeling that many of us living in the suburbs will never experience, and thankfully, we got out while I was quite young. To the cynics who pose the question – Would YOU have wanted to live next to The Heidelberg Project? I answer that question with an emphatic YES. With its constant flow of tourists, neighbors, and volunteers welcoming visitors and maintaining the grounds, Heidelberg Street is the safest street on the block.

Tyree created an eccentric dreamworld, that despite it’s controversy, shifted the way people interact with this neighborhood. He collected the trash and created a visually assaulting work of art, that, just like the neighborhood itself, isn’t always pretty to look at. But people are coming. In droves. People who would be too scared to visit this area otherwise. The Heidelberg Project reminds us that this neighborhood, and the people who inhabit it, are still alive, and they need our help. It’s rumored that the national attention drawn to the neighborhoods surrounding The Heidelberg Project and the recently shuttered Theatre Bizarre grounds aided in calling the city into action. Detroit’s emergency manager recently proposed to spend half a billion dollars to demolish 400-500 abandoned and unsafe residential structures per week. As Detroit begins its revitalization efforts, many fear that the end is nigh for The Heidelberg Project. But isn’t that the whole point?

Despite its adversity, despite its dissidence, The Heidelberg Project is a part of Detroit’s history and this cake still isn’t done. I imagine there will be a day when the street lights come on at dusk, and the kids are safe to play. Maybe the windows are no longer barred and the eight foot chain-link fences are gone. I like to imagine that a few polka dots remain, too.

It’s a real nice dream.

The above images were shot with black and white instant film in my old Polaroid Land Camera back in October.

PS: The Heidelberg Project recently selected 34 Instagram photos from the hashtag #snaphp to be displayed in the Number House Gallery. Three of my photos are on display and available to purchase for $10 each until the end of October. 100% of the sales are donated to The Heidelberg Project. The Number House Gallery and gift shop is open on Thursdays from 11am to 5pm and Friday through Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.

xoxo

The above photographs were taken with my 50 year old Polaroid Land Camera and the incomparable Fuji 3000B instant pack film. I’ve worked with more breeds of instant film than you can shake a stick at – color, black & white, sepia, high speed, low speed, Polaroid, Impossible Project, but the Fuji 3000B film is by far my favorite. The contrast and grain is absolutely lovely, and the images always turn out the perfect amount of dreamy. The high speed of the film lends itself well to a multitude of lighting conditions and the 15 second development time is particularly handy when shooting on the move, as I most often am.

On 11/14/13, Fujifilm announced the following via email from a USA rep:

“Please be advised that FP-3000B is being discontinued, as a result of decreases in world-wide global demand. We know that the discontinuation of a well-loved and long established product can be difficult to adjust to. We appreciate your interest in this product, and will be reporting your comments.”

I’m devastated. This film is the meat and potatoes to the instant photography world. It’s the Adobe Suite to graphic designers. It’s the cast iron skillet to chefs. It’s the Zildjian china trash to drummers (thanks Mike D!).  I won’t let it go without a fight. So please, if you have a moment,  sign this petition to save this instant film and spread the word. Will it do anything? I don’t know, but it certainly can’t hurt.

xoxo

Back in August, I received an email from my good friend and old roommate Melinda inviting me to participate in the Detroit leg of the World Wide Photo Walk. After doing some poking around and reading about the walk (it’s an annual social photography event where photographers all over the world gather in urban areas to walk around and shoot photos on the same day), I was all “Yes! Of course! How fun!” and then I saw it started at 7am on a Saturday and I was all “Aw hell no, I ain’t doing that.” and then she was all “Stop being a baby.” and I was all “Stay out of my life!” and she was all “You’re being ridiculous.” and I was all “Fine, I’ll do it.”.  Perhaps this is a bit of dramatization, but you’ve come to expect that from me by now.

And so I got my sorry ass up at 5:30am on October 5th to meet Melinda and a bunch of strangers at Eastern Market, and you guys! It turned out to be a really amazing day.

Our group was led by Chita Hunter, a technology trainer of Adobe Software and an instructor at Schoolcraft College. We joined forces with Shawn Lee, the leader of the I See Detroit bus tour, and together, we made for a pretty diverse group of photographers, tourists, and Detroiters of all ages. Chita (below, in the front row with a white shirt) & Shawn (not pictured) made the day really enjoyable and did a great job of keeping our group together and engaged.

Photo by Chita Hunter

Photo by Chita Hunter

We spent a few hours shooting throughout Eastern Market and The Heidelberg Project, which sadly had been victim to arson early that morning, and then headed to Historic Indian Village where we were given two private home tours (whaaaaat!). We ended with lunch at Milano Bakery in Eastern Market and the entire thing was done by like noon. Noon! Most Saturdays, I’m barely out of bed and onto my third bloody mary before 2pm.  Getting up early, man. You all should try it.

Tangential aside – This event was sponsored by Canon and Adobe, and was founded by Scott Kelby who is a well-known Photoshop instructor. As you can imagine, it attracts super techy (and uber talented) photographers with big fancy cameras who talk about FPS rates and AF exposure ranges and other high-tech terminology that makes me yawny. Don’t get me wrong, I totally respect that method of photography, it’s just not my thing. Although the above photos were shot with my digital SLR (and iphone), the majority of the photos I shot that day were from my 50 year old Polaroid land camera, which I’ll be sharing soon as part of my Instant Detroit series.  I thought for sure I’d get many an eye roll walking around with my wonky old Polaroid, but most people were really interested in it, praised me for keeping film alive, and asked a bunch of questions. Photographer solidarity! Fist bumps!

If you have about 5 million hours to spare, you can see ALL the photos (nearly 10,000!) taken on October 5th,  from all over the world during the 2013 World Wide Photo Walk here. Turns out, playing tourist in your own city is a really fun thing to do.

Stay tuned friends! The parade of Polaroids is coming, and she can’t be stopped.

xoxo.

Dear People of my Blog,

Tonight is the closing reception of my latest art show and you’re all invited! I shot approximately one billion Polaroids and this is your final chance to see them before they come down forever.  It’s at Majestic Cafe in Detroit from 8pm to 11pm and it’s free to attend.

And so! Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to see from The Wayward Hussies Closing Reception.

Over the course of the summer I shot all my favorite spots inside the city of Detroit. This heart shaped Polaroid collage is mounted on an old salvaged door from Eastern Market and it’s one of my favorite pieces in the history of the world. I kind of want to see it go to a good home, but I’m also very selfish and want to keep it. But no, I should definitely sell it. But then again, it would look really nice in my living room. No. Yes. No.  Please help.

It was even spotted & approved by The Heidelberg Project!

I also did several Polaroid emulsion lifts mounted onto reclaimed wood from Eastern Market.

Some have already sold, but there are still a few more available! Come buy one and then you can stare at it inside your house and think of me every day. Forever and ever. Until the day you die. Just kidding, you’ll never die.

In addition to my work, there are also paintings from Lisa Marie Krug, Mixed Media pieces from Jessica Brown, and a portrait series by Kim Hoxworth. Below is the photograph Kim took of Mike D and I. It’s a social commentary piece in which we are expressing our feelings about Syria. Or was it Miley Cyrus? I don’t know, pick one.

So come on out and party with me, and maybe pick up a little something to bedazzle your walls. Or don’t, and then regret your life.  YOUR CALL.

Majestic Cafe
4140 Woodward, Detroit

xoxo

Last weekend I took a road trip with 17 (seventeen!) of my friends to a beach resort in Oscoda Michigan, about three hours north of Detroit. We rented cottages on Lake Huron and the weather was absolutely perfect.

We sunbathed, swam, played volleyball, canoed, drank cocktails, grilled food, and made a camp fire on the beach every night. It’s times like these that remind me how lucky I am to have an amazing group of funny, creative, smart, and supportive friends. We go on this trip every year and I hope we continue to do so forever!

I shot a bunch of footage with my iphone, and crammed it all into a little video. This song pretty accurately sums up how I feel about these people.

I shot a few photos with some very expired Polaroid sepia film…

We created a unique hashtag (#fauxtiki) for Instagram and Vine to document our photos and videos of the trip. Have you ever done that for a vacation or special event like a wedding or birthday? I’m into it.

The antique shopping in Oscoda was straight. up. fatal. I got all of this crap for like, I don’t know, $5? It was bonkers. This mid-century swag light fixture is so pretty, and although I have no idea where I’m going to put it, I’m totally in love. I want to do mommy & me yoga with it. And a Huey Lewis album for $1? Dude. Yes.

If I know a good time, and I think I do, this weekend was tops.

xoxo

 via

Beginning at the Detroit River and exiting the city at 8 mile is a road synonymous with Detroit.  Woodward Avenue serves as the divider of the East and West sides, and if you were born anywhere near Detroit, you know your side and you REPRESENT.

[cue to me making the East-side hand sign]

Within a 27 mile stretch,  Woodward Avenue runs the gamut of wealth, painting a picture of poverty that will sear your heart and of riches that will spoil your insides with envy.

For many years I’ve made the trek down Woodward from the suburbs into the belly of the city. It’s not the quickest way in, but the view never disappoints. 19th century Victorian homes, breathtaking churches, street art, steaming sewer grates, and other straight up gangsta shit greet me on my way in.

On this particular trip I pulled my car over six times leading into that seedy, struggling stretch south of 8 Mile.  One day these places will be gone, and such is the nature of life.  As these images passed through my camera’s rollers that day, I reveled in my (small) attempt to freeze time.

Welcome to my new series, Instant Detroit. Words and pictures about the city I first called home. The city that keeps chasing me out, and keeps calling me back.  The city that gave me my grit.  The only real city I know.

PS:  Here’s a great pictorial from Detroit News, chronicling Woodward Avenue throughout the years.  Enjoy.

All images shot with an antique Polaroid land camera and expired black & white instant film.

Ello there.  Remember me?

I’m back!  With a new blog!  And you can leave comments again!  Yay!  So please, leave as many comments as you would like.  Really knock yourself out.  Tell me about your day if you like.

Also, be sure to hit subscribe on that little RSS button on the left since this is a new feed.  Or if Bloglovin is your thang, you can subscribe here.

I have SO MUCH to blog about you guys.  In the past month or two, I have decorated, DIY’d, shot Polaroids, thrown a party, gone on a couple roads trips, and attended the Renegade Indie Craft Fair.  It’s been a time.  I can’t wait to share it all.

So put on your party hats and let’s kick things off with a Polaroid Heart Collage How-To.

Inspired by this photo I found on Pinterest (and this one and this one) I decided to grab a stack of Polaroids and turn them into a heart shaped collage for our dining room.

via

It’s the cutest.

By the way, I realize you may look at this collage and think that a tutorial is not necessary and that sticking a bunch of Polaroids to the wall in the shape of a heart doesn’t exactly seem like rocket science.  You would be wrong in thinking that.   Ok, so maybe it’s not as difficult as ROCKET SCIENCE, however this project took a lot of tweaking, and a fair amount of trial and error to get it to look like a symmetrical heart and not a giant blob, so trust me on this.   Lucky for you, I’ve written a handy tutorial so you can bang this project out in no time.  It’ll be a breeze.

Supplies Needed:

• 53 Polaroids or printed photos approximately 3.5 inches by 4.5 inches.  Because I use a variety of instant film, my Polaroids were not all the exact same size but it still worked out fine.  I also used two instax minis in place of one regular sized Polaroid for an entire row.
• A roll of painters/masking tape or command poster strips
• Measuring tape
• A long ruler (optional)

Keep in mind,  you don’t have to use actual Polaroids for this.  You can print out your own digital photos at home, or use a service like Printstagram to print out  instragram photos from your phone.  Be creative with it.  Maybe pick a theme.  You could do an entire collage of just your pets.  Or kids.  They could be all travel or wedding photos.  You could use all black and white photos, or if you want one big pop of color,  run all your photos through a colored filter before printing them.  Maybe you’re a weirdo and you want to use all naked photos of yourself because you’re very happy with how you look naked.  In which case, congratulations to you.  But I’m not here to judge.

I first constructed my collage on the floor so I could easily make tweaks and perfect it before sticking everything to the wall.  You should do this too.

Start from the bottom, laying your Polaroids out on the floor, and build your rows up.

Because I love you, I created this handy little diagram to help you lay out all 53 photos.

Once you have the collage constructed on the floor, feel free to swap the Polaroids around as you see fit.  You can group colors together, or just randomly mix them up until they look good.  That’s what I did.

After you have everything set up exactly the way you want it on the floor, snap a photo of the collage with your phone or a digital camera so you can reference the pattern and exact placement as you transfer each Polaroid to the wall.  This is very important!  I probably referenced my photo 532 times.

Next, mark onto your wall where you want the bottom Polaroid of the heart to sit.  I recommend measuring the entire collage first, so you can decide exactly where to place it.  My collage turned out to be 36 inches tall by 32 inches wide.

Then, simply take the very bottom Polaroid, add tape or a command strip to the back, and stick it to the spot you just marked on your wall.  Work your way up, one by one, row by row, from the bottom.  Use a ruler (if necessary) to keep a straight line.

Now go forth, people of my blog, and create Polaroid collages on every wall of every home.

Seriously, wouldn’t this be adorable in a little girl’s room?  Or a nursery?  Or your kitchen?  Every time I walk into our dining room it makes me smile.

I heart it.

ba-dum-dum-CHING!