Sneak Peek

 I just found this blog again after not hopping on here for years. And loe and behold, I was still signed in?? So though I don't think anyone will see this, if there's a loyal blog reader out there who cares to see-- here's an unreleased photo of a shoot I've had in the works for years. Will be sharing on my instagram in the coming days. But until then... 🥰

(also, should I come back to the AG photo blogging world?? Blogger is 100% more user friendly than it was when I started this thing. I'm kinda thinking this could be fun. Like a private journal that is technically public but has no reach, so in theory, still private 😂)

Bucket List Update 10 years later

Red marked by me as of today (Feb 9, 2023). I have new bucket lists now, but I didn't really want to adulterate this relic by messing with the actual Bucket List page. That would feel sacrilegious at this point. So in red is what I've been able to cross off this list in the last five years since I last logged on here. I still have plans to go camping (hopefully this June/July), and galloping on a horse should be #1 on the list. Maybe I can kick out two of these in one go and take horse riding lessons this summer, learn to gallop, and cross out "take a class I've always wanted..." That counts. 

I think I wrote this list when I was 15. I wish I could hug her. I was so damn lonely. Things get better, little Syd. Promise. And hey, look! I'm still into dolls! 

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Bucket List

1. Fly in a plane
2. Ride a trolley
3. Visit some European country
4. Sing with a Big Band (This should be #1)
5. Take Swing Dance lessons (and then have a boy ask me to dance with him)
6. Knit a doll sweater
7. Knit mittens
8. Knit a chicken sweater (seriously)
9. Meet a famous actor (preferably one I like)
10. Bake good gluten free bread (emphasis on good)
11. Camp in the woods (...)
12. Gallop on a horse (hair flowing back into the wind)
13. Read Pride and Prejudice (because, you know, you should)
14. Attend a ball (and not step on my partner's toes)
15. Finish NaNoWriMo
16. Make a cape
17. Ride in a horse-drawn sleigh
18. Have a snowball fight
19. Sleep in a tree
20. Take pictures of a squirrel in another state
21. Have a perfectly clean room...
22. Read 50 books in a year
23. Bake peanut butter cookies
24. Do something worth noticing (this is the most pretentious thing I've ever seen, but I know I wrote it when I was 15 and super lonely, so I'm cutting a girl some slack)
25. Visit a castle
26. Jump off a dock into a lake (voluntarily)
27. Collect postcards from around the world
28. Own a hedgehog at some point in my life
29. Attend a bonfire
30. Host a 40s Party
31. Finish college without dying first
32. Make a scrapbook with my favorite quotes
33. Meet some people who like dolls as much as I do
34. Attend a photography workshop
35. Take a class I've always wanted to take, but haven't had the time for
36. Find someone who loves me for all of my weirdities and idiosyncracies 
37. See Hamilton on Broadway
38. Visit Prince Edward Island

Labor Day Weekend

It's crazy to think that school is starting for so many people tomorrow and that summer has reached its end.  I took these photos of the girls at the beach a few weeks ago and wanted to post them up while they're still relevant to the weather!  Today my family took down our pool, and though nice, hot days are predicted in the coming week, I know that cool breezes are just around the corner.  I love this time of year, though.  Now that I'm not longer in school, the scholastic pressure has lifted and I feel that I can truly enjoy our transition into autumn.  

Cozi (my Caroline doll) is relaxing in Kit's retired beach chair by a river near our house.  It was quite the ordeal to lug all of my dolls and props to this location, actually!  And just as I began taking photos, a group of people showed up for a party...

So many people ask how I got the rocks to balance, and it was actually my mom who stacked them!  She propped them against a metal skewer that was stuck into the ground.  Otherwise, they would have tumbled over with the first breath of wind!

How are you spending the holiday?  Having any last-hoorah summer barbecues?  Leave a comment telling me about it!

Summer Camping

It's been far too long since I posted on this blog!  I'm hoping to put more photos on here every week as a way to show off all the ones I take per photoshoot.  So often I'm only able to share 2-3 pictures on my Instagram account, and I'm left with many that are never seen!

I shot these photos a few weeks ago in the midst of our very uncommon Washington heat wave, and my goodness, it was a bit of a difficult shoot.  So. Much. Heat.  But I love how the pictures turned out, and I hope you enjoy them too.  Let me know how your summer has been going in the comments!  Has it been a warm one for you?

This particular picture was inspired by American Girl's July, 2018 catalog (I tried to find a photo of it on Google, but it evaded me).  I kind of planned the entire shoot around it, actually!  

I'm hoping this photoshoot gave you a little bit of the happy summer feelings of a final camping trip before school starts.  I've actually never been camping myself, so it's something I have a lot of fun setting up for my vinyl pals!  Also, all of the furniture and most of the accessories I used in this shoot were from The Queen's Treasures, an absolutely FABULOUS company that creates gorgeous, high quality, unique pieces for 18" dolls.  They have an entire collection devoted to Little House on the Prairie (a shoot I plan to post shortly!), and just looking at it makes me super giddy!!  If only I had had the covered wagon when I was six....(fun fact, my mom made my brother and me a covered wagon of our very own out of an old Radio Flyer.  I used to ride around in that thing ALL the time in my homemade pioneer dresses and lace-up boots!)

Luciana Goes Stargazing

I am completely head over heels in love with Luciana's collection.  I couldn't wait to take the telescope out of its box and have Luci and her friend go stargazing.

What do you think of Luci's collection?  Do you love it as much as I do?

Meet Me at the Fair

This summer was the busiest I have ever been, and the fall seems to have the same thing in mind.  The happy thing about that is that I'm constantly asked to do what I love.  This last year, my doll photography has become second nature for me.  I almost never leave for an adventure without one of my dolls and a camera.  I'm now working for Liberty Jane/PixieFaire, and I'm always trying to figure out new, fun ways to photograph their clothing.  Our state fair began just a couple weeks ago, and I decided to sneak in a couple of "models" and a few props.  I was hoping to enter before the crowds hit, but unfortunately there were people looming in every direction (on a Thursday morning....?  Really?).  My boyfriend and mom were there to help me though, and we cornered off a few areas were there seemed to be fewer onlookers.  It's so amusing to me how much I used to fear taking my dolls out in public and photographing them.  Now it's just the thing I happen to do.

Sperry and her cousin always go straight to the cotton candy stand before there's any line.  It's best at the start of the day anyway! (Or so they insist...)

My mom actually went up to the stand and asked the employee if she could make my dolls two miniture sticks of blue cotton candy.  She was incredibly sweet to provide my vinyl girls with their hearts' desires. 

How wonderfully marvelous is that popcorn?  My mom created both the bag and the kernels inside.

And of course my mother also brilliantly created them caramel apples...

I think they had a very successful day at the fair, wouldn't you agree?  Do you enjoy checking out your local fair?  I'm actually going back tonight, though this time without my dolls.  I'm very excited to catch a ride on a rollercoaster...

Sydney

1770s Summer Ride

It's been a long time since that summer I spent horseback riding with a buddy of mine.  I was 12, she was 9, and it was the most wonderful time of my life.  Her 20 acres of woods were a complete dream for me, as were her two darling ponies.  There was no point in getting saddles out (far too cumbersome).  We decided to simply put blankets over the horses' backs and go exploring.
I was certainly reminiscent of that time when I took these photos of Jaikey, though she looks as if she's on more a mission than a joy-ride.  What do you think her adventure might be?  She certainly has a fondness for animals!  Especially her calf, Garnet.

How has your summer been so far?  Have you ridden a horse yet? 

Sydney