Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays everyone!

Gift ideas #6? Or good idea for architecture students?

As I was doing some Christmas shopping on Etsy (for other people, not for me. I swear. Well, mostly for other people), I found Konokopia's store. Now here is a BRILLIANT architecture student. Instead of trashing models that were slaved over for hours upon hours, this guy is selling them.

Good job Maciek. I wish your store well! 

Gift ideas #5 (Write more thank you cards!)

Not sure why I think I can get anything done in the month of December. After all the work then there's Christmas shopping, decorating, cooking eating - I mean baking, family time and all that other December stuff. So, sorry for the irregularly scheduled postings.

Anyway.

Sort of a gift idea and sort of an advertisement for my Instacanvas gallery.

Greeting cards as gifts. Maybe I'm the only person who still likes to write letters. (Yes, I said 'write', not 'send emails'). But even if you're not a letter writer, you should be a thank you card giver. So. You'll need cards.

There. I said it.

Check out my gallery. :)

Gift Ideas #4 - Architecture randomness but mostly ornaments

Been busy with cards. I promise I'll post links on Sunday morning so you can check them out or buy some if you'd like!

SO here's just a few more ideas for architects. There's a good chance your non-registered architect refers to themselves as a Cad Monkey. Yes. So if they have a sense of humor, maybe they'd like this:

Or this:

Or perhaps they'd like a little ornament

I personally always loved little houses or buildings as ornaments. Even as a kid.

As always, click on the photo to go to the website selling that item. No I don't get any kickbacks from this. I just like to share :)

Gift Ideas #3 - Aspiring Architect Edition

Is there a little one in your life who wants to grow up to be an architect? Don't get them Lincoln Logs or Architect Barbie. Be the cool aunt/uncle/dad/relative/friend and get something more inspiring!

If the youngster is a girl, check out this book.

And if you're trying to shop local, check out your nearest independent book store. I don't buy a lot of children's books, so I'm not sure if this would have to be ordered. Maybe call first before you go out and battle holiday traffic. :)

Does your aspiring architect like Legos? (Who wouldn't!) I'm sure you have seen these awesome famous landmark/building Legos.

Kits available include Big Ben, the White House, Fallingwater and more!

If your young architect wants more creative freedom, then maybe this is a better idea.

This looks pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. I used to use dominoes  to do something like this when I was younger. I'm a bit jealous. The link for this seems to be a cheaper price than I've seen.

Any more ideas please post in the comments! As always, click on the image to see more about the item at their websites.

Gift Ideas #2

Hello all! I hope everyone had nice a Thanksgiving and everyone outside the US had a nice week! I've been busy trying to make this year's Christmas card. I am my own worst client. I gave myself a deadline of Sunday night though. I'll post on Society6, Instagram, Instacanvas and here once I'm all done in case you'd like to order some Christmas cards!

Anyway.. as you probably started your shopping yesterday on Black Friday, hopefully online though because I can't imagine going out there at 3am to save some money on an Xbox. So. Here are some more ideas for your photographer friends!

Pocket sized lens and flash filters. Fun and small! Get some awesome Photoshop free photos!

Does your photographer like to drink? If they are a wedding photographer then I'd think they would have to. ;)

Sterling bracelet.

Here are some fun stocking stuffers for your photographer.

Film roll magnets! And they're recycled so that's pretty awesome too.

I may have put this one up last year. I don't care. They're awesome. Although it makes me want to get another tattoo. Real tattoo....



As always, click on the photos to view the Photojojo website for each item!

Gift Ideas #1 - Geeky photographers edition

It's about time you start your holiday shopping, unless you're one of those people who likes to wait till the day before Christmas to shop.. then you can skip over this post.

This gift idea is geared towards those photographers in your life.

Does your photographer love coffee?

Think Geek has two different camera lens travel mugs that look life-like enough that your photographer friend might be a little TOO excited when they first tear off the wrapping paper. 

Does your photographer like to cook?

Think Geek has a kitchen timer disguised as a lens. Once again your photographer may get really excited about this present. Hopefully the packaging for all of these lens-look-alikes clearly states what it is before they assume you got them a brand new lens. :)

Does your photographer like old-school cameras? 

It is a DIY kit that is a bit tedious to put together, but it's awesome. It takes film. (Yes, film. It's still being made.)

Please comment with more photographer gift ideas if you have any! 

Busy!

Here is some work from last week! A poster and a postcard for the Chapman Gallery of Doylestown, PA.

Click on the images to visit the Chapman Gallery website. Comments and critiques are always welcomed!

Sink snob.

I have this odd fascination of sinks. Maybe fascination isn't the right word... maybe let's just say I'm very picky about good sinks. I can't stand it if the faucet is too close to the basin, or if the handles are not conducive to easy hand washing. Or if the basin isn't properly shaped and you get splash marks all over your pants. :|

So here's a sink I don't know what to think about unless I try it out.

Obviously this isn't a sink you'd have in your master bathroom. Seems nice for a tiny little powder room. You better have a back splash for it though.

There's a sushi place near me that has this amazing inverted sink. You would think it'd end up being Splash Central, but it isn't. I found a photo of something similar from Concrete Network.

Once again, it's good for hand washing but what about face washing?

Then there's sinks shaped like someone carved it with an ax.

They're actually called Wedge sinks. They seem like good hand washing sinks and good face washing sinks.


And then there's this sink.

I've seen this sink on Pintrest but sadly no clue who actually makes it. If anyone knows I'll make sure to add a link to the photo.

Support local artists!

Have you started your holiday shopping? (Eek. Sorry. Don't hate me for even asking.)

As you know I like to support local and small businesses, and I also like to promote my friends when I know they're awesome at whatever they do. If you live in the Philadelphia Suburbs, specifically near Doylestown, PA, I urge you to check out the work of Jay McPhillips who has his work displayed at The James McPhillips Museum & Gift Shop across from the courthouse. Check it out, as Sunday the 11th from 1-4pm is your only chance as of now.

 

Or, go to his website, JayMcPhillips.com to see some of what you'll miss!

Damn that Sandy

Hello readers. It's going to be a little silent for a while, as Hurricane Sandy knocked out my power up until today and I have a boat load of things to catch up on. Not to mention a lighting seminar tomorrow and piles of laundry to do and refrigerated food to replace. Busy busy. While you're not reading my blog, you can donate time or money to those who need the most help with the Sandy aftermath.

Instacanvas sent an email saying they're donating 20% of all proceeds now until November 4th to the Hurricane Sandy Relief. Click on the photo to shop for a cause.

You can also donate via iTunes.

Check out this link to abc news to see a list of how to help!

Please post with other places/ways to donate!

Recycled... water tower?

A water tower isn't exactly something I thought I'd ever see recycled into a house.  Mauro Brigham has done just that however.

Click the link to learn more about it and see plenty more photos. The exterior is quite hideous, but I guess it's better than a big 'ol blue piece of metal. The interior isn't soft and cozy, but I'm thinking if you have the urge to live in a water tower you're not the soft and cozy type person. Just my guess. I do love the sleek interior...but I'd like it with some plants and color.

The photography is interesting. Check it out.

Life of an Architect.

A friend introduced me to this website the other day. It's an interesting blog for those wondering what being an architect is really like, those that can relate or sympathize. I've only managed to watch a minute or two of How I Met Your Mother, and from the little I saw, I know the one character does not correctly portray someone who works at an architectural firm. Or perhaps he was off that day and that's how he had so much free time.... ;)

I particularly enjoyed "What's an architects day like". Read. Enjoy!


http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/

PDN PhotoPlus Conference + Expo

It's that time again! Unfortunately I have too much going on to get away, but if you have a free day or half day, GO! It's from the 24-27th at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. Last year I got a ton of freebies, ideas and had a blast. The best free handout item I got was something at first I thought was a waste of plastic, but now I find myself using all the time.

I usually don't have pockets at my photoshoots, and my camera bag isn't always attached to me, so this little thing has come in handy more often than not. I love it.

I also got these.

I'm a sucker for things with cameras on them.

Anyway, go. Check out a lot of cool stuff, pick up some cool brochures, find out about classes in NYC, gallery openings, get some great deals from vendors and go home with a huge bag full of stuff.


http://www.photoplusexpo.com/

Longport NJ again!

A few posts ago I put up some photos I took in Longport, New Jersey. Max Spann has the information posted online and you can see a few of my photos. Not all of them are mine. Here is the link to the brochure, and if you click on Max Spann it will take you to the auction information.

"Well we're living here in Allentown..."

I scooted on over to the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley the other day and came across a brochure for a Photography Festival coming up! It's the InVision Photo Festival in Bethlehem, PA from November 2-4.

It looks like they have a ton of things going on from exhibits to presentations to workshops to receptions. Check it out if you're free!


http://www.artsquest.org/invision/

It's been a while...

...since I've posted some Nasa photos.

Remember it was super popular to create images made up by hundreds of tiny images? Then some people got lazy and just overlayed the image on to hundreds of tiny images... anyway, check out this (real) one made by PHD astronomy student Alex Parker. It's Starry Night (one of my favorite paintings on earth) made up of hundreds of photos from the Hubble telescope. 

Click the image to see the Daily Mail article and a close up!

I think I could work from home....

...if I had a space like this.


I mean really... how could you not get a lot of work done if you were separated from your house, but on your own property, let alone you worked in a very cool little building that used to be a shed?

Then again, maybe I wouldn't get much work done because I'd have an amazing view like that little designer's studio does. 

While you're checking out more photos of the shed/office conversion, check out more work by Hinterland Design. 

Holy Holga!

I had posted before about being in a wedding a few weekends ago. Most bride and grooms give their wedding parties some kind of gift for being in the wedding. I officially got the COOLEST GIFT EVER.

That's right, a Holga film camera. And it's purple. Best. Present. Ever. They gave me some film for it too. I am so psyched. 

The bride is a wedding photographer and there was a photography theme to the wedding. The centerpieces were photos of the couple, placed in a vase and submerged with water. Our place cards were film canisters with our names on them.

They also had a photobooth which we had way too much fun with. (That's the groom who is my cousin, and I).

All in all, it was a blast, I loved the theme, and I gained a pretty awesome cousin who is a photography nerd like me. 

Want to live in an eco-friendly tree house?

I'm always curious about the physics of living in a tree house. And the tree houses that have actual trees growing through them, or should I say the houses were built around the tree.. how does that work in the years to come?

Maybe I'm too practical. I do love tree houses. To stay in for a vacation that is. I stayed in one in no-where's-land Georgia on my road trip back in 2005. It was a great nights sleep, once I calmed down from my roommate telling me she saw a brown recluse. I think the bugs would really bother me if I lived in a tree house. I'm not saying this to sound like a girly girl. I really do have a problem with bugs. If there is a bug in the vicinity of me, it WILL fly at my face. It's the bug version of Murphy's Law. So unless I wear a fencing mask every day in my tree house home, I think non-tree houses are the way to go for me.

Anyway, back on track. Check out these amazing Eco-Friendly tree houses. Below is my favorite, click the photo to see the original article from National Geographic.

Longport, NJ Photoshoot.

Had a photoshoot at Longport, New Jersey the other day. The weather wasn't that promising on my way over, but it wound up for great photos. There's a house going up for auction that I got to take photos of. Gorgeous house. Takes up an entire block, right on the bay and has a nice sized yard. I love my job. :)

To find out more information on the auction of this house, go to Maxspann.com. To see more of my architectural photos, go to valeriewalter.com 

Enjoy!

View from bay.

View from across the bay.

Second floor bedroom.

Kitchen/eating area.

Kitchen.

Living room.

Master bath.

View from the master bedroom.

Master bedroom.

Photos posted with client's permission. Photos copyrighted.