Thunderbird

andrew and i went car shopping last weekend, but i found this for myself. i think i need a summer only car, yes?

today i get to train my friend kate at work! so it should be a little more exciting than usual. did anyone get to see the solar eclipse last night?

Beach Comber

this weekend has been gorgeous, so andrew and i decided to get our base tans started for croatia at the beach! we drove to saugatuck, a really pretty town (that i had never been to!) about 40 minutes away on lake michigan. we went to the state park and it was great, way nicer than grand haven (crowded and often dirty) or holland (also super crowded). i think we have finally found a beach for us on the west side! it was about a mile walk from the parking lot to the water, but it was really beautiful!

then we made it to the sun!

 rocking my film camera and new john lennon tank from h&m <3

yes, andrew is on my nsync towel : ) i vividly remember finding this at a meijer in my youth for like $7 and making my parents buy it for me.

then as i started taking some pictures of andrew, a nice woman said she would take the photos of both of us, and didn't mind taking multiple, some in the sand, some in the water. i still have some faith in people!

well i guess they are a little blurry, but still fun. i don't have an action setting on my digital. so anyway, after we left the beach we checked out downtown and had an oberon and some food at the butler restaurant out on the deck. great end to the afternoon!

now that we are home, i know i got the sun i wanted. major tan lines! if you wondered, andrew and my swimsuits are both splurges from j crew.

part of our beach playlist today (on the drive, andrew as dj):

architecture in helsinki "do the whirlwind"

b52s "rock lobster"

belle and sebastian "sukie in the graveyard"

ben keller "how it should be"

beyonce "countdown"

best coast "boyfriend"

billy bragg and wilco "ingrid bergman"

cat stevens "on the road to find out"

conor oberst "nikorette"

the faint "southern belles in london sing"

fanfarlo "luna"

rodrigo y gabriela "tamacun"

today's beach reads:

andrew - "the hunger games" by suzanne collins

angela - "the city of falling angels" by john berendt - it's about venice, italy!

i hope you all had a relaxing weekend! what did you do to enjoy the weather?

p.s. don't forget to enter my first giveaway, tomorrow is the last day to enter!

In the Morning

it's going to be a beautiful and exciting day! i just know it. i'm getting ready right now and then hopefully the day will go a little like this: farmer's market, gluten free food fair, seeing my friend josh who just moved here, weeding a little bit outside, having some beers on our front porch with our friends brad and kate, and who knows what else! for now i'll leave you with some film photos of one of my cats (who lives with my parents, not me), ellie! she's such a pretty girl.

and now it's coffee time! hope you enjoy your saturday: )

B&W Portraits

i haven't shot much film lately, so while i catch up, i think i'll share some of my old favorites. these three are black and white portraits of a few of my friends.

 kristyn; big rapids, mi

 nick; big rapids, mi

roger; detroit, mi

wow, i just love film so much! i can't wait to take several rolls in croatia. i need to find some black and white film asap for shots like these as well. i used my dad's pentax k1000 to take these.

happy thursday!

First Giveaway // Lollipops and Roses

i am so excited to announce my first giveaway! hopefully there will be many more to come, but i think this will get us off on the right foot. 

stephanie hendren is a very talented graphic designer from our neighbor to the north (really to the east, me being from port huron and all), canada! stephanie has a great blog, Lollipops and Roses that i urge you to check out! her latest post has some summer fashion inspiration for all those bbqs we'll all surely be attending. she also has a great etsy print shop, which is where you can find more prints like the one we're giving away. i am also really pleased to be working with stephanie because she is going to make me a fancy blog header! i can't wait; i need a makeover on here for sure. check out her other etsy shop if you need a great blog header at an affordable price. onto the giveaway!

what: this lovely 8x10 is what is up for grabs. i love the quote because i think we should all focus more on the little joys in life, and this is a healthy reminder to do that. i also love the colors and font and really everything about it!

how to enter: visit stephanie's blog and come back here to comment with which dress you would wear (or for the fellas, that you'd like your date to wear) to a summer bbq!

optional bonus entries: (please leave separate comment for each entry):
-tweet about the giveaway; example: enter to win a #kurtvonnegut print from @lollisandroses on the http://eickyeicky.blogspot.com/ blog!
-follow stephanie on twitter
-follow stephanie's super cute blog
-favorite stephanie's etsy shop!

*additional extra special entry if you follow me! http://eickyeicky.blogspot.com/


when: enter by midnight standard eastern time on may 21st. winner will be announced may 22nd.

good luck!

Tuesday Treasures #1

treasures i absolutely love and need! buy them for me? here they are:

this shirt from etsy to show my michigan pride.

i always knew i liked kate spade's bags as opposed to other designer bags, but i have a new unhealthy obsession with her stuff, since i can barely afford a deck of her playing cards. she is amazing. i want it all.

this journal from chronicle books. they seriously have the cutest things ever. and it's all quite affordable. i looked at some of these when i was in schuler books the other day and even the pages on the inside are filled with pretty details. want!

this pretty dress from lovenell. i don't usually wear white, but i wantttt this! (i found lovenell through cakies giveaway).

this colorful, geometric locket from etsy. she has a lot of great stuff! 

this glow-in-the-dark pineapple dress from urban outfitters! so fun.

these minty shoes from b.a.i.t. footwear that make me want to attend a hoe down. (i found out about b.a.i.t. through the dainty squid giveaway).

Now You're On the Trolley!

last night we went to our friend annamarie's amazing birthday party! she rented a space in an old building in grand rapids called the herkimer hotel. the theme was 20s/30s, and although i have almost purchased a fringy dress in the past, i had to make do with my wardrobe. i think the headband pulled it together although it definitely made it difficult to think, so tight! there were so many great outfits last night, i was really impressed! anyway, everyone contributed to the bar, so there were some fun drinks to try (mint julep like the kentucky derby!!) and classic tunes from the decades. there was also a photobooth! i love love those! wouldn't it be great if this was a real bar? and if we lived in the 1920s? ever seen midnight in paris? man, that would be an amazing time to live in.
the below photos are of the bar area. it just looked so fantastic! annamarie is a visionary, she throws such great events.

the next photos are behind-the-scenes photobooth fun! the birthday girl, annamarie is the one in the great long peach dress.

a huge thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, andrew, for taking the amazing photos of me! i don't have more of him because i don't have steady enough hands and i wasn't feelin' the flash look. i did take most of the other photos that i am not in though!

what decade do you like to celebrate? i'm thinking of expanding my wardrobe to be ready for all these themed events! it's so fun to dress up!