Diana on Diana

Hello, my name is Diana, curator of our.city.lights, and very grateful to give Rebekah any help needed, even if it's a blog post to let her relax- she's one of the hardest working women I know.

Unlike most women I know, one of my favorite things to buy are shiny new toys and this guest post is a perfect example of it. My love for toy cameras has expanded beyond analog- I have the chance to customize it with digital, the two different worlds coming together is elating for me, and very excited to test out my Diana lenses.




There's an overexposed charm to them, very much like the original Diana camera. Since it's digital, there is no grain to it, but a very whimsical light leak.


With the original Diana camera, work must be done, and unfortunately, sometimes money is wasted on the film not developing properly. With a digital Diana lens (used on a Canon), I played with manual settings, and each shot was like Christmas- I had no idea how it would come out, despite my meter.



The fashion district in LA was the perfect setting- bright colors, natural lighting, and what has become one of my favorite photos


Thank you Rebekah, for allowing me to babysit your blog. xo

Road Trip

I have recently had the pleasure of getting to know Kenzie of Secret Pocket, and living vicariously through her road trips, summer drinks and candy making adventures. Her blog is full of such colour and inspiration, and her wee magnets are such a favourite of mine. Thanks for stopping in, Kenzie!

This summer I've been enjoying the classic American road trip. We already live in a small town in the middle of Pennsylvania, so our trips mean driving through mountains, farms and tiny towns. We love to stop old diners and ice cream parlors to take a break. The custard at The Meadows, in Duncansville was my favorite, I got a mix of chocolate and coconut. We got vanilla soft serve mixed with "reesie cup" at Mini Freeze in Orbisonia, and potato donuts at Spudnuts in Charlottesville. We add hours to our trips stopping at yard sales, thrift stores, and scenic pull-offs.

I think I was so used to driving as fast as you can on freeways to get to a destination, that this way of traveling is so much more enjoyable. I find that I enjoy road trips infinitely more, it's an adventure! Have you had any expeditions this summer?

Summer Goals

Please join me in welcoming Alison of TeenAngster for our next guest post. You might know her from Etsy's 'News From the Craft + Style Blogosphere' where she curates the most amazing finds from around the web. I never cease to be inspired by what she digs up, and now that she's started her own personal blog I'm constantly over there to get my fix of witchy women, talking dogs, leather and lace. Thanks, Alison!


 

Summer is here and it's sweltering. While I'm usually an "inside kid" (pale as the day is long), the oh-so-excellent blog Summer Goals has inspired me to cultivate my own list of summer aspirations, many of them not do-able in my apartment. Here's to not sitting like a stone in front of the air conditioning. 

 

1. Make a campfire and sleep in an ancient tent, like I did when I was younger. In fact, I so loved my orange pup tent that I attached it to my waterbed and slept in it for about six months, long past summer's end.

 

2. Visit Dead Horse Bay and search for hidden treasure.

 

3. Take a class at Flower School. I want to make my own arrangement!

 

4. Watch the sunset from my rooftop.

5. Learn to make vintage cocktails from The Savoy Cocktail Book. (Slings and smashes and fizzes and flips!)

Here's to summer, friends!

images: gordon_iowa, gears, cosmic dust, curious expeditions, saipua, teenangster, susan/the well seasoned cook.

Summer in Chicago

Please join me in welcoming our next guest blogger, the very talented Jen from Grainline and Hound Design. I met Jen on Flickr earlier this year, where we were both attempting (and sadly failing, ha) a 365 project. She is definitely one of those people who you just instantly click with, and I'm crossing my fingers that we'll be able to hang out and chat over a plate of poutine, and go antiquing when she comes out this way later in the year! Thanks for the joining us Jen, and for the beautiful photos!

Summer in Chicago is a pretty great time. I don't know if you've been here, but for about two thirds of the year Chicago punishes you with cold weather, biting winds, one warm day in spring followed by 2 weeks of snowstorms...you get the idea, so when summer actually rolls around for good we know we have to take full advantage. A few of our favorite summer activities: walking on the lakefront, checking out one of the many parks and exhibits with free guided tours (in this case it was the Alfred Caldwell Lilly Pond in Lincoln Park), lounging on our rooftop in the evenings, Chicago style dogs + fries and the beaches. Chicago has so many beaches and they're so easy to get to, we take the water taxi down the Chicago river and get off at Michigan, there you're just steps from the beach, which is where I'm off to right now...happy summer all!