GIVEAWAY!

Happy Monday, peeps.  Things are underway for the next collection launch, so I thought- in the meantime- it would be nice to offer a giveaway .  It's kind of been a while. A sparkly and luminous Things Behind the Sun charm of your choice (seen hanging in a bundle of TBS charms on the necklace in the photo above) will be given to one lucky winner. 
Here are the rules: (Deadline is Thursday, July 28th at 11:59 PST)
+ Hop over to the Ciara Obscura Facebook page and share what you love best about wearing hair adornments, jewelry, or scarves: LINK HERE.  If you do not have a FB account, feel free to email me your pick at info[at] CiaraObscura [dot]com (the comment section in this blog has behaved wonky and so I've closed it down, for now.)
+ Extra credit: Invite your friends to join (and yourself, if you haven't already) the Ciara Obscura Facebook page... art, design, collections, giveaways..) LINK HERE
+ More extra credit (Honor system, friends.): Tell someone special that you love them and tell them why.  This stuff makes a difference, don't you think?

Good luck!  The winner will be announced on Friday, July 29th.

(photo by Kiel Rucker)

Into the weekend...

 

One of my brothers made a mixed cd for me a while back and I've been listening to it a lot lately.  It's got Ben Folds, The Decemberists, Elliott Smith, Smoking Popes, Brian Eno, Flight of the Conchords, and some other music that takes me back to this or that time in my life.  It also has REM's Night Swimming.  And, I'll tell ya, holy smokes, this song makes me weepy every single time.  I just want to propel myself back to being a teenager (for this and only this reason...) making out with my boyfriend in the Summer night by the lake. It's dreamy and orchestral and forces nostalgia in your face.  I have no choice but to dive in and feel it all... the possibilities and dreams that sprung from that time in my life.  

I'm happy to report that my life these days has far exceeded my hopes.

Wishing you a dreamy weekend filled with moments you will carry with you for many many years.

Love,

Cath

(Photo via Miss Moss)

SAWEEEEET.

I might have to buy this book, just so I can stare at this photo and others like it. It makes me feel like home.

Behind the design...

 

This is a great styling image from the photoshoot last weekend.  Make up artist, Lauren Pitts.  Hair styling, Kita Macomber .  Model, Emilie Tyler.  They worked especially well together and it'll be a fantastic treat to see the final edits from the range of pieces and looks.  Cannot wait.

More behind the scenes images for your viewing pleasure available on the Facebook page and Flickr.

(photo credit: Erica Urech)

Top Five Tuesday: Go Go Snap

Were I to have the off handed opportunity to recreate parts of our wedding,  I'd most definitely consider having these save the dates, wedding invitations, and correspondences as part of the deal.  Go Go Snap has beautifully captured the vintage inspiration that I get loony over.  Here are five of my picks from their cute shop...

 

Have any suggestions for shops or artists or concepts for a future Top Five Tuesday?  I'd love to hear from you!  Feel free to email me with your ideas: info[at]CiaraObscura.com

Intermission. Again.

 

Photoshoot complete.  Photographer, Erica Urech, was the gal on the job for this collection and I cannot even wait to see the final edits for the collection and website launch in August.  I'll show little bits and tease with behind the scene photos up until then, but do feel free to join the Ciara Obscura fan page here to see more photos and get more updates along the way.

 I thought the photo above (from The Sartorialist ) nicely captured all the elements of the shoot... vintage styling, soft colors, a kick of modern edge and , of course, a camera in hand. 
 Now it's time I take a much needed rest and so today I'm putting aside work to take a nice long walk with the dog and enjoy the summer sunshine.  This will be nice.

Into the Weekend...

 

This weekend will be a packed one.  Lots and lots of prep for the Autumn/Winter photoshoot on Sunday... last minute wardrobe, staging and props, crew details, and collection product readying.  But, and most importantly, it's really about the refreshments like champagne and tasty treats that may just be the vital ingredients to the whole shoot.   On another note, we are,sadly, missing our friends' wedding in LA today - given our work schedules. They are both musicians and she a writer/teacher... both smart cookies.  I'm betting this celebration is going to be a fun one.  So really bummed to be missing it. One of the designs in this upcoming collection is inspired from a piece I made for the bride for this day.  More on that soon...

Happy weekend, friends.

Love,

Cath

(photo source)

Oh!

How sweet!

(photos in Karen Magazine by Amanda Pratt)

Top Five Tuesday: Sapling Press

Those who know me well know that I'm a big fan of the fine art of writing letters and sending cards.  I'm an unexpected mix of very unconventional and oddly traditional and enjoy exploring life maintaining a nice balance of both.  I love the tradition of paper craft and letterpress (and wonder if I can, technically, group the two together in this way- but for today's illustrative purposes, I will.).  A few days ago, I came across this shop on Etsy.  And, holy geez, I think these cards are pretty humorous.  Here are five picks to entice you over to choose your own favorites (CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)...

 

Neat, huh?

Straws

Pal Meaghan suggested this really fun site recently... OneWord.  Once you click on, a random word is presented and you are free to write anything that comes to mind for sixty seconds, then you can publish it on their site.  I published only one word and noticed that there is another "Cath" on there so I stopped publishing because I thought two Cath's would only confuse matters.  So I just type for sixty seconds and move along.  I love it.  It's almost therapeutic, like automatic writing, and always gets the brain unstuck.  You should totally try it out.  My first word was, "Fail" which was interesting.  Then my second word was, "Lust"- which was awesome.  Today's word: Straw.  Here's my submission:
"Bendy. But mostly any straw will do, especially...ESPECIALLY in the summertime when an iced vanilla latte requires such things.  Sometimes I need that fix and it does me some good and so I continue finding great joy and calm in biting and sucking on straws. It sounds sort of perverse, but I'm just fine with that."

I'm a slow typist with multiple typos ( I make myself go back and correct things), comparatively, so that's all I wrote in the 60 seconds.  Not particularly exciting, but it does make me want a straw right now. 

(photo from Dear Machine)

Into the Weekend...

I've been craving the notion of throwing another dinner party... it's been for-freakin'-ever since our last one.  This time around I'd like to really work with the dreamy summer nights and deck our cozy home and yard (read: small) with pretty lights to set the mood.  Here's some inspiration...

 

Happy weekend, friends.

Love,

Cath

{photo sources (1), (2) unknown, (3)}

Wow. 10th Street, New York

 

This red skirt and long sleeve ivory silk blouse is a stunning outfit, don't you think?  Top it with that cute hair bun and those hoops... wow... such elegant simplicity.  And charming as heck.  

But the ice cream seals the deal.

(Image source at The Sartorialist)

Nostalgia

This time of year, I find myself missing Cape Cod.  My experiences there with childhood friends and family make for some of my very fondest memories.  The cottage, running down the dunes, the sea glass hunting, high tide, low tide, fishing, late night parties on the beach, candy store treats, lazying around in the beautiful sunshine.  I long for The Cape more than I would have ever expected to, now, living along the California coast.  But the Atlantic and the sheer nature of it all stands still in its unique glory. 

East Coast pals, enjoy every single perfect Summer moment for me.

(Photos by Jillian Audrey Photography)

Top Five Tuesday

Summer is well underway, especially after these past 4th of July festivities.. people are still in heat stroked, sunburned, firecracker poppin' deaf mode.  All of this, combined, makes for a good old fashioned lazy days of Summer mood; more so due to the delicious iced drinks and seaside/lakeside/porchside reveries.  I do love a good Summer.  I came across these beautiful illustration from Melbourne's Luci Everett recently.  They remind me of cotton candy, carefree adventures, simple pleasures, dreamy parties, and hot thunderstormy nights. 

Love.

Into the weekend...

 

I ordered a vintage style bathing suit a long while ago and hope hope hope it arrives today so that I can hit the beach (under my umbrella) this weekend (if I can brave the holiday crowd).  All else fails, I'll wear my other one... a black 50's suit that I scored at a flea market in LA the first weekend I moved out to California years ago.  It was $11 and it fits me like a glove. That was a treat of a find and I hope this new one makes me just as happy.  I suspect it will. 

Here's to a coupling of days ahead drenched in sunshine and laughter that makes your belly and cheeks a little of that good kind of sore.

Love,

Cath

(photo)

Fresh start.

Time for the mind to be cleared- which means less blowing through time on facebook, less cluttered to-do lists, less of all of this and that so I can better focus on the moment at hand.  You are the River is a lovely blog, one that I go to just so my brain can recharge without too much stimulation.  It's sometimes sparse, always clean and airy.  Exactly what I'm yearning for now.  And, in turn, this better suits my work and designs.  Thankfully.  Want to see some of my favorites from this site?  Here you go...

 and then I'm pretty sure I've posted this one here before, but it's totally worth a second coming...

Happy clarity...

The perfect Summer outfit.

 

Too sweet for any of my words to muddle up.

That is all.

(Photo source here)

Top Five Tuesday: Briefcases

Lately, I've been having to pile more stuff in my bag for meetings with the various crew for the upcoming Fall/Winter photoshoot and have come to appreciate the notion of a good old fashioned briefcase for such times.  I'm loving these:

The fifth choice is my very own briefcase.  It's bright red patent vinyl circa 1968 and I had a picture here with me and my briefcase, but a friend told me I looked bleached out in it and that I should take it down.  So it's down.  I'll get another photo to replace it soon.

Photos: (1) Bottega Veneta  (2) Unknown (3) Street Peepers (4) We Good Looking

Word for the week...

You choose your word for the week ::  Rock. Paper. Scissors.

 CLICK TO ENLARGE

(image source here)