Amy Nieto Photography + Design

Please visit their blog! Even if you don't live in Portland, you might feel inspired to discover more about the local talent in your town.

And in the two Winters I've spent in Portland I haven't done a single thing to combat it all. Until I somehow landed on this blog: Color Me Katie. Extremely adorable and full of color, love, balloons (!!!) and inspiration to be happy. I believe you should also embrace feelings of sadness and helplessness, if only for a bit. They are, after all, HUMAN feelings. We are not perfect. Eventually, you feel tired of not wanting to face the world every morning.

So, I am devising activities to clear my head of any lingering negative thoughts, like learning watercolor! My obsession with watercolor runs deep, but I have never been able to acquire this skill. Finally, the timing is right now, as a dear friend gave me a kit back in Christmas! I grabbed a Beginner's book from the library, starting with very simple lessons. Not skipping, like I usually do.

Why, this surely makes me happy :) :) :) :) :)

May I ask, how do YOU cope with consecutive negative thoughts? Do you just ride it out, or do you combat it?

March marked the first wedding of 2009, an intimate ceremony held at an old elementary school in Forest Grove, OR. Lovely. I am very much looking forward to this March 2010. I can already spot the buds on bulbs all around. *happy smiles*

Right when I moved to Portland, someone advised I take a trip somewhere warm in mid-Winter in order to escape the gloom of the Northwest. So I bought a ticket to Las Vegas (the best I could do) to visit family, friends and attend a photo conference. It was cloudy and cold in Vegas... wth? But at least I got away, and got to hang out with my dearest little friend Genesis. Oh how I love this girl.

Happy weekend, y'all!

So we loaded up the Zipcar and headed to Pix patisserie on Division. Every visit of Josie's must include dangerous amounts of sugary goodness. The Jubilee dessert is DE-LEEEEE-SHOOS.

We headed out to crowded Oak's Park by Sellwood for the sole purpose of skating in the musky, ghetto skating rink they have there. It's a tradition that will continue whenever I visit Seattle next. Sadly, neither of us have fallen down gracefully. At some point it HAS to happen, come on.

Batman and Barney: A love that dare not speak its name.

Because we are geeks and were on the hunt for any fun free activities to participate in, we attended the Woodlawn (my old neighborhood) Plays in the Park rendition of the classic Star Trek episode, Amok Time. HELLZ YEAH. Me being a Trekkie, I got quite a kick out of this, and so did everyone. The cast and crew did an excellent job!

Our stomachs called our attention and I phoned Miss Ann to meet us at one of my favorite Portland pizza spots, Good Neighborhood Pizza, site of my very first meal in this fine town a year ago. Ann is a photographic and comedic genius. I hearts her.

And she hearts Russ, who is a mighty funny dude, and are getting married later this year in what I'm sure will be quite the most awesome party I'll attend! Ann showed us her bionic dance moves and told us how her mother, after viewing Grease on the big screen, warned her NEVER to change for a man, like Sandra Dee just did. NEVER. Ann just wanted to see John Travolta.

Flashin' gang signs.

The vixens.

The following Sunday Josie and I visited Sauvie Island. Now, we're Puerto Rican, we don't consider a river shore to be a beach, but this will do for now.

It was such a fun weekend!! I miss you, Josie! Let's hang out again and document our CUTTING-EDGE DANCE MOVES....WHILE ON A CAR. A best-seller, I tell ya.

I had moved to Las Vegas back in June 2007, after spending five years in Savannah, GA attending college. I had nowhere else to go, so I opted to follow my brother in Vegas. The decision, though of course taken by me, felt like it never came from me, if you follow me. I made the decision so I could shut my brain up and just MOVE somewhere. I knew it was not the right place for me, but I did it anyways. It took me a long time to make friends of my own, but I did, thus making my stay in this desert oasis a little bearable. It was time to go, though.

How did I chose Portland? You really wanna know? Etsy.com. I kept noticing super talented sellers from the city and I thought, There must be something in the water there. After some research, I came to the conclusion Portland sounded like a pretty nifty place to live. After considering Minneapolis (brrrr!) and NYC (I always almost move to NYC. It's a habit, that never comes to fruition). In May 2008 I put a $200 deposit for a guest house, set to move in early August. I had never been to Portland. Or any NW state north of Las Vegas. I knew NOBODY, except for Miss Alyson of Unruly-things. And I really didn't know her in person, we were just blogstalkersfriends.

So on Monday August 4th, 2008, at around 10ish am, with my entire material life packed into my car and with four hours of sleep, I picked up my dearest friend Le Koonds, who would be my sidekick in this quest for the West, and sailed (okay drove) towards uncharted territories (okay, quite charted, I used google maps).

The Nevada desert is harsh, desolate and vast. So harsh, desolate and vast that it is almost poetic. But its rhythm and rhyme never spoke to me and before it could, Koonds and I turned West on Tonopah with intentions on witnessing something grander, beautiful and completely unknown to me: Yosemite National Park.

Like many other natural wonders, Yosemite is breathtaking, neverending, aweinspiring. You drive past wildflowers carelessly relaxing in a field at 9000 feet above sea level and that one little fact there, for me, seems so FANTASTIC. I wondered if the California state line was drawn to where the wildflowers began, because not a single one sprung up during our five hour trek through the Nevada desert. It seemed like a sign. Like greener, brighter things were awaiting me just 15 hours away.

Plans of driving a thousand miles non-stop crumbled due to our aging bodies and silly notions of sleep. After an overnight stop somewhere North of Sacramento (I really do not remember, we were THAT tired), we resumed our trail to Oregon. Right before entering Portland city proper, we had Pearl Jam's Ten playing on our CD, how fitting. We tuned in to the famous Pacific Northwest radio phenomena, birthplace of that short-lived rock genre that sprung up a few years ago, you know, the one with the flannel shirts and the dude that killed himself, and his insane wife. I was torn between reading the directions for the guesthouse and gawking at all these new sights, for I needed to record, capture, memorize these first impressions, this wonderment, this sense of disbelief that we finally made it. That I am here and there is no turning back whatsoever.

The weeks leading to the Grand Move were quite peculiar. I often equate what I felt to trying to comprehend what happens to our souls after physical death. Or wrapping your head around the possibility of the Universe being infinite, but if it's not, what's beyond the edge? What kind of matter exists? These are concepts humans can't quite understand because no living being has experienced them. I had no idea what life in Portland would be like, or heck what it would look like. I was utterly clueless AND I LOVED IT.

And I love it still. Despite the Winter, despite the lack of Sun during 6 months, despite being a sorta Ron Paul Republican in a overwhelmingly Blue State, despite the Pacific Ocean being a block of ice even during Summer, despite the tough times I had earlier this year, despite the lack of jobs, despite returning my car my freedom earlier in June, despite my low-paying day job, despite a photography lull during the Spring. Despite all that, I am the happiest I've ever been.

A lot of AWESOME things are happening in August. First awesome thing, that I've been hinting the past few days? I AM NOW OFFICIALLY LIVING ON MY OWN, NO ROOMMATES. NO NOTHING. JUST PLAIN LITTLE ME IN MY SUPER CUTE BRIGHT LITTLE STUDIO. AND I AM FREAKING LOVING IT SO MUCH IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY. And guess who is my neighbor just a few blocks away? LINNEA! My photographic partner in crime! Hip hip horay! My mother flew in last night to visit me for the first time. She hasn't stopped talking since she arrived, but that's to be expected.

It's all so amazing. What's also amazing is how it's 2:13 freakin AM and I am still awake. Due to moving and other things I have not been able to sleep past 8 AM for the past 2 weeks AND THAT IS BRUTAL FOR AMY NIETO CRUZ. My mother and I are planning a Puerto Rican dinner at my place next week. Fun!

Here is to all the future adventures the Pacific Northwest has in store for me. Here is to the heartaches that will surely follow as well, I am prepared. Here is to you, my darling blog reader. For being awesome and being a friend along my journey. Here is to my dearest Koonds for driving me out here and I hope he moves here eventually as well (he hates Vegas even more than I did). I miss you.

Ahh the sights of dozens of geeks lined up... in single file to hide their numbers, of course. Some geeks were playing Monopoly Transformers. I wanted to make fun of them with like HA HA YOUR NEW MOVIE SUXXX but then I realized I had to go all the way to the end of the line and they were at the very front. Grr.

I seriously want to join the Legion, maybe sometime next year. They show up at screenings, birthdays, events, with proceeds always going to charity. These guys and gals are awesome and I want to be part of that awesomeness. As soon as I get my crap together.

To the left I am posing with Mara Jade, one of the Expanded Universe novel characters, and my favorite fictional character of all time. Mara Jade used to be an Emperor's Hand but then later was turned to the light by Luke Skywalker and after a LONG period of time both realized they loved each other and got married, only to see Mara die at the hands of Luke's idiot nephew, Jacen, 20 years later AND I AM STILL PRETTY FREAKIN UPSET ABOUT THAT.

The 501st Legion is actually Vader's elite squadron of stormtroopers. Like these were the hardcore ones, not the wimpy idiots who simply couldn't aim at all even if the survival of the Empire depended on them. Which apparently, it did.

Random Jedi #52: Defender of Peace and The Republic by day... Movie Theater Traffic Control by night. What, you think Jedi get paid well? Times is tough, man.

Someone always HAS to dress up as Leia in Slave Outfit. Slave Leia, or it didn't happen.

Tips for the Rebellion! Far right features Stormtrooper TX 5346, who properly explained to me the significance of the orange shoulder pad (psst, it means he's a sergeant). I salute you, 5346. His serial code represents the order of his fave SW episodes. :D Mine would be 5463.

Cort and Fatboy presenting the 501st Legion. Seriously, I must thank the Legion and KUFO for bringing ESB to the big screen this weekend. Star Wars is more than just a film with space battles, cool special effects and funny hairdos. For me it's a way of life, it's my escape and often inspires me and reminds Good will always triumph.

Thank you thank you thank you.

This was an AWESOME weekend. Star Wars, fireworks, America's b-day, hot dogs and free food all around. SCORE.

And this post is REEKING in geekness.

"I SHALL EAT YOU ALIVE"

I.LOVE.SHEEP.

Warm weather prompted us to search ice cream. Then cupcakes. Then salty food. We ended up at The Pied Cow on Belmont. Awesome place {Thanks Summer for taking me here first!}

OH, on our way back, while still in the island, I encountered for the first time ever a deer in its natural habitat. It friggin' hopped OUT OF NOWHERE, across the road, and out to the meadow. While I was full of glee from seeing a deer for the first time, I WAS SCARED AS CRAP because that thing HOPPED OUT OF NOWHERE AND COULD'VE EASILY HIT MY CAR WHOSE LEASE WILL BE UP IN LESS THAN A MONTH AND OMG IF THAT HAD HAPPENED I WOULD'VE KILLED THAT DEER WITH MY BARE HANDS.

But it was still adorable. Hoppity hop.

How was y'alls weekend? Oh yeah, I would like to holla at all the men and women throughout our history who have had the balls of steel to join the Armed Services and fought for this insane country. Like, seriously. War must be HARD.

Oh, Portland...

Also this is my current To-Do list (plus a myriad of things I'm forgetting):
19) CD for Sara J. (19 is on top because I ran out of space on the page!)
01) Russellville proposal - for a documentary photo project
02) Revise proofing gallery services
03) Finish past clients promos
04) Install wordpress (amynietophotography.com WOO)
05) Choose portfolio pics (for new website!)
06) Call Hyundai
07) Storyboards for Alyson
08) Answer........... {I can't divulge this one, it's personal hehe}
09) Contact Eric at Hyundai
10) make care package for XXXXXX - it's a surprise! Can't ruin it!
11) Blog about Sara's wedding
12) Blog about Lauren's wedding
13) Small JPGs Lauren
14) Small JPGs Sara
15) Edit Tyler, Troublemakers (two small shoots)
16) CD for Zoe

Not included here is REDESIGN WEBSITE NOW. or WATCH STAR TREK. Because it frustrates me that I'm not doing those! GRRR I NEED MY STAR TREK!!!!

This is never-ending and all of these items require like at least an hour and I really don't have a lot of time in my hands. The internet is frustrating.

Happy weekend! {also, if you're on Facebook please join me as I celebrate SLOW JAM FRIDAYS. Just post a link to your favorite Slow jam... preferably from the 90s....complete with music video shot with soft filters. AWW YEAH}

So I walked, I thought, I reflected, I held back tears (things are a little** frustrating right now) and I photographed pretty flowers. So yes, I'm a girl and I like taking pictures of pretty flowers backlit by a rebellious Sun. SUE ME. Also, the photo up there holds such a magical enchantment to me. I dunno. Maybe I just like pink. ^_^ You can click images to view bigger.

Do not be fooled by their cuteness, these two are QUITE the handful but I think they are super adorable!

YAYNESS! Here's to spending precious time with friends. :)

Yes, they were DELISH.

Posted by starmagn at 05:35 PM | Comments (4)

March 27, 2009

Sunny Saturday + Cherry Blossoms + Fabrics + Friends = CRAZYAWESOME

As briefly mentioned earlier this week, I had an AWESOME weekend. The week prior? Not so much. The following images are from Saturday March 21st, which I was supposed to spend making about a hundred small fabric pouches to enclose my photography information for the following day. Chatting with Linnea around noon-time, we came up with the brilliant idea to stop by Fabric Depot which is like the heaven of fabrics this side of the Mississippi. It's awesome and I knew very well I could just as well kiss my plans goodbye.

After leaving Depot (I only spent $6.78?? What! WOW!), we spotted a street lined with cherry blossoms by Belmont. We HAD to stop, for the Sun was shining and it was warm!

Far too many beautiful colors.

Above are Linnea's images. Yes, I dress up according to the current flowers in bloom. We should prohibit the use of dark, dreary colors anytime outside Winter. Actually, we should do the opposite. No dreary colors in Winter!

It's 5PM and we realize it might be a good idea if we head back to her place so we can both work on our respective projects.

As we speak, Linnea and her BF are in Sweden visiting her family (she's half Swedish, half Mexican, wow). For her two little cousins, she wanted to make dolls based on Alicia Paulson's dainty handsewn dolls from her Stitched in Time book. So pretty.

Once I saw this fabric bolt at the store I knew right then and there I wanted to marry it. RIGHT THEN. I couldn't bring home the whole thing, of course, so I modestly purchased a quarter yard. I just couldn't leave it behind. So beautiful. It now sits as a table runner atop of my bookshelf.

Thinking back, I guess my weekend wasn't what you might have expected. But it brought my moods up quite a lot!

Tomorrow, I'll post a snippet of the Museum photoshoot! WOOT!

Posted by starmagn at 11:11 PM | Comments (6)

February 20, 2009

{re} experimenting with film part 3 - Oak's Park!

Here are the images I snapped from our adventure at Oak's Amusement Park. I rented the Nikon F5 again, more great results, yay! Mmm I can't help feeling such a wave of happiness from these images. It also makes me wish all my long time friend were here too. :( I have made it a crusade to make my friends visit me in the Summer so that we can go berry-picking.

Debbie {lou}!


Ann


Whitney's fabulous shoes!


Laughter!


This is what it's all about.

Posted by starmagn at 06:44 PM | Comments (3)

February 13, 2009

The Ladies of Fernhill have done it again.

{Photo by esoule}

Last October I gathered a group of super talented Flickr and blog ladies who shared a common passion: Photography. Surrounded by lush greenery, we created gorgeous imagery and lasting friendships. Last Saturday, the Sun shone as bright as it can in the Portland Winter, and Miss Elizabeth Soule guided us to Oak's Amusement Park in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland. Alyson and Afton brought balloons, Anne once again graced us with her hardcore land polaroid cameras, and I dressed in all sequins, like so:

{Photo by moxie}


What a fantastic balloon - model: Lisa {Photo by kelly}


{Photo by unruly things}


I still stand by the fact we were vacationing in the French Riviera. {Photo by indierocket}

Please, please, please head on to our Flickr group to view the rest of the images. I can guarantee your dull winter days will brighten up with color, balloons and cute shoes! ahhhh life is wonderful, isn't it? These simple little things gives us hope that not all is lost. ^_^

Posted by starmagn at 06:54 PM | Comments (2)

February 05, 2009

Sunday in Mississippi

These are images from my Sunday with Le Alyson Magnifique. They're just pretty images of comforting lighting.

That's Alyson in black and white.


Two ladies at Pix


It snowed briefly that morning. A decent thin layer of white. I can take that. 13 inches? Not so much.


Pretty window display at Ink & Peat


Alyson browsing through cute letterpress greeting cards at Lark Press

It sure was a fun little trip to the Mississippi neighborhood and surrounding stores. :) :) :) Thanks Alyson!

Posted by starmagn at 11:26 PM | Comments (1)

January 31, 2009

Past the edge of the world

Someone tell me what these trees are called, please? So beautifully lined up. Can't imagine what this scene looks like in more colorful months. oh my.

After meeting with a client to sign a photo contract in Beaverton, I drove farther East to where civilization ends and rural life thrives. Oregon has strict rules on urban growth, which makes for nice drives in the late afternoon light. I honestly had no idea where I was, I thought I was heading north, but a closer look at Google Maps revealed I was actually heading SOUTH. How did that happen? Anyways, I drove through such beautiful scenery, it was tough to capture it all, especially with how unstable the dying light was. Fo sho, I will be back to this area, whenever it is not dark.

I also came upon an alpaca farm, which I will TOTALLY be visiting once the weather warms up. Alpacas = WIN.

Posted by starmagn at 11:25 PM | Comments (2)

January 13, 2009

Walk through Mt Tabor neighborhood, SE Portland, OR

The Sun came out today finally! So I did what any other respectable person does in situations like these. I went for a walk (and Fred Meyer visit, god how I love that place). The light at 3PM was HEAVENLY.

Click below to view images from this walk. mmm.

Posted by starmagn at 11:06 PM | Comments (5)

Update on my bed/work room

Some of you may remember the post a few days back where I was PLEADING for decorating help. Well, someone came to my rescue by the name of Alyssa Hursch. Alyssa is a Minnesota transplant who is looking to build her interior design portfolio and offered to help me. Within 5 minutes of stepping into my room she saved my life. I had planned of getting rid of the big eyesore of a 6 foot long picnic table to be replaced by a smaller cute desk. Her solution? Move it to the middle of the room, facing the door, instead of facing a WALL. Why didn't I think of this before? Today was brief day #2 in which a few boxes (now plastic and clear yay!) were moved around. Her guidance was helpful enough for me to get my own interior design enthusiast skills going. Also, MY BED IS ABOVE GROUND!!!!!

Our next step? Paint paint!! Which I was sorta against because of big plans of a place of my own and a small office. But really that won't happen till at least much LATER this year, so I might as well enjoy the little darling of a place I have now. These are a few of the colors that will pop into my room:

Last night I finally pulled out all my magazine scraps and began creating my idea notebook. Maybe I'll post a few of the pages in here.

Yes, the Sun has come out today (will go for a walk once this entry is finished):

Mmmmm paint chips mmmmm

Awww little cutie!

Posted by starmagn at 03:53 PM | Comments (2)

January 08, 2009

love :: glitter

Really, I just wanted a perfect excuse to play with glitter. Holiday postcards to send out to friends and family.

Posted by starmagn at 11:12 PM | Comments (3)

January 03, 2009

We were the Black and Whites of Portland

Black and White Party on Alberta, held at an old church soon to be turned into trendy retail space. Kjell and Kim (the cutest married couple EVER - top left) invited me. I wore my slutty black Vegas dress. You know the one. Fun times was had by all. Amy drank several PBRs, just like in college. Ahhh.

This totally awesome girl here, Ann, took awesome Polaroids. Did I say she's awesome?

Posted by starmagn at 02:19 AM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2008

Goose Hollow

As I mentioned previously, I have been enjoying the company of two silly kitties in the Moose and Chuck Variety Hour here in Downtown Portland. Today I decided to walk around and do some errands. Sunlight shone through a delicate but stubborn layer of clouds but it was all I needed. The Blue Sky came out in FULL force yesterday afternoon for about two hours before being engulfed in the rain. Funnily enough, the lack of Sunshine has not affected me (rather, the snow did grrr).

Posted by starmagn at 03:36 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2008

Knee deep in snow. ugh.

I'm trying REALLY hard to be positive about this highly unusual snow spell Portland, and the entire Pacific Northwest, is going through. The snow began last Sunday and it has not stopped, save for a few glorious hours on Thursday and Friday, wherein it was safe for me to drive my poor neglected car. Yes, I would LOVE to burning some lethal gases into our frail atmosphere right now. Call me insensitive, I do not care, but I MISS DRIVING MY CAR.

I was stuck in downtown on Saturday following a very fun bar-hopping night with a new friend for a whole hour. At 2 AM. I boarded #15 bus only to be told (just as I was about to doze off) that it wouldn't continue its Eastbound route, but instead loop around downtown. The driver tells me my best bet would be to run over to the #14 stop to catch the LAST bus heading East. I swear. I felt I was running away from Post-apocalyptic Snow Zombies, for the streets were SO deserted. So I ran God knows how many blocks, but of course that bus was long gone, IF it ever passed. My friend texted me a bunch of taxi numbers, and after eight tries, one service finally answers me. And I am on my merry way home.

The fiasco drained all energies from me the next day, I even had to call in work. All this annoyance would have easily been avoided if it hadn't snowed NON STOP all weekend long and it was safe to drive my car.

But then again, I WAS pretty intoxicated.

So I guess it was a good thing I did not have my car. Hmm.....

Still. I decided to go for a brief walk today to escape this snowy prison. Here is what I saw. The snow is DEEP.

Posted by starmagn at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)

December 18, 2008

December to Remember

Airborne's lead singer, Mikel Jollet

I finally saw them live. The Airborne Toxic Event. A night I have been yearning for since I first heard this band back in early September. It was bloody amazing.

I will not explain what they mean to me in this post, so I will just redirect you here. Squid from 94.7 Portland introduced us to the evening, and in walked our band, with beers in their hands (as opposed to Carolina Liar, they had waters hehe). The moment violinist Anna played the first notes to Sometime around midnight my heart flew to where those notes journeyed to. After ATE was done (booo), Carolina Liar followed. I was not too familiar with their music, only knew two songs. But WOWWWWWWWWWW, that's some damn good rock n roll energy these guys have. They had us singing at the top of our lungs while jumping at the same time. Funny thing is the lead singer Chad is from my lovely Charleston, SC whereas the rest of the band members are Swedish. Odd, huh!

Definitely recommend both bands. Different sounds, different attitudes, same purpose.

The BEST thing that happened: I went up to the bar before the show to get a quick snack and a stout a friend recommended ("rubinator" yum!). As I turn to the bar, I INSTANTLY recognize the gorgeous face of Mikel, lead singer of ATE. Sitting just 3 seats to my left. Total fangirl moment. After a long time I finally gather the nerves to say hi and thank him for the show. Sweet darling guy. When a couple sitting next to me asked him if we has with the band, he sheepishly replied "Yeah". Adorable.

Here's to many great music nights in Portland.

Portland, I fuckin love you.

Anna becoming a spectator

Airborne Toxic Event. Bassist Noah (far right) is HOT AS SHIT. And has the sweetest smile.

Carolina Liar engulfed in the positive energy of their music

Chad from Carolina Liar singing Coming to Terms. He would often talk about how we are all confused in life, but we're all looking for the same thing and how it's almost 2009 and we've made it so far, so Celebrate. I appreciated his words a lot.

Keyboardist Steve from ATE. That guy is just full of COOL.

Posted by starmagn at 11:48 PM | Comments (2)

December 14, 2008

So I jinxed the snow

OMGZ SNOW. Been waiting anxiously for this eventful day for two reasons:

01) Duh. Snow.
02) I want to see Portland in chaos. People freaked out in early August when temperatures rose to a hundred. I had just arrived from Vegas and was like, A hundred? AWESOME. It's not 120F! So I tried to go to sleep knowing the snow would start sometime in the wee hours of the morning. I wound up waking several times just to gaze out the window and spot the snow. It didn't happen until I finally fully woke up at 7:40 and YAY there it is! Snow!! YAY!.... then I went back to bed, screw the snow.

Ohhh my house looks so pretty!!

My two endeavors for the day was to have lunch with someone and then head on to the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale. I braved the cold, the bitter wind, the snow! I walked about 10 minutes to my bus stop ('cause there ain't no way in hell I'm DRIVING under snow) on Burnside, across from the QFC.... and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited a little more.

Hmm.

Um..... I don't.. I don't this bus is co-- OHH THERE IT IS! YAY!!

Oh wait... that's #71. It won't take me anywhere near to my first destination.

So I wait.... My toesies are hurting, as are my ears and fingertips. The wind is strong and after maybe 40 minutes I give up and decide to go home. As I walk inside QFC to warm up a bit before going back home, I see my bus. I probably push a little kid to the side (Hey, he was RIGHT in front of the door!) and run towards the bus!!!

But it never saw me coming. And I yelled and yelled and yelled and I ran for blocks and blocks trying to maybe catch up. On snowy sidewalks. Wearing rain boots. So I did what any independent woman would do on such a situation.

I started crying and thanked the heavens I never moved to either Minneapolis or NYC as I had planned last year. This little snow spell will only last a few days. Right?

Despite this little fiasco of mine, the walk was silently and howlingly beautiful.

Posted by starmagn at 11:33 PM | Comments (2)

December 12, 2008

It's Christmas

Decorated my kitchen with these ornaments.

I feel as if today is Christmas. The anticipation, the love, the warm fuzzy feelings. All here right now. No family members this year, sadly, but I have met plenty of sweet sweet people here in Portland who will act as family. Tonight I am picking up Mr Eric Brown, whom I haven't seen since our days in the good ol Savannah and JUST moved to Portland like three days ago (from Portland, MAINE)and are heading to a Xmas party. Where I know nobody except only one girl who I met for an hour weeks ago. I feel social butterfly-ish today. Mostly, I feel friggin happy. And Christmasy. :)

A collection of my recent porcelain aquisitions. Because I lack proper kitchen ware in my house!

Posted by starmagn at 11:05 PM | Comments (1)

December 06, 2008

I continue to view life in 50mm

My $70 50mm f/1.8 Canon lens may just be my favorite lens ever (of course, I have not used the L f/1.2). More views of my life through a 50mm lens. Above is my super fantabulous roommate. She is awesome. Also, that is some serious wallpaper action. Like. Holy moly.

The sunset in Portland today. Magnifico.

Posted by starmagn at 10:10 PM | Comments (3)

November 30, 2008

The Fog Clears

It's 2:56 pm on a calm but steady Sunday afternoon and only just now the fog cleared to reveal the Sun still warming us. If you know me, then you know I love fog. Nevermind it blocks the light, I find it fascinating, ominous and absolutely cinematic.

But I love it even more when it dissipates, like magic, often too sudden, like a kid who is scramming away after realizing he did something wrong and father Sun is about to reprimand him.

A hazy light is shining over Portland. Just came back from a photo shoot with a gorgeous, down to Earth high school senior at Laurelhurst Park. Off to work, boo. But before I do, and the too early darkness arrives, I marvel at the specular highlights created by the glass bottles on my window sill.

Little moments of Sunlight, I'm guessing they will carry my through the Winter.

Posted by starmagn at 06:03 PM | Comments (3)

October 22, 2008

The Fall.

You can take the girl out of Puerto Rico, but you can't take the Puerto Rican out of her. Me wearing {5 year old} flip flops on a cold day. Yeah. Smart.

This is my very first full-fledged, blazin' colors, pumpkin patchin' Fall in the States. Previously, I lived in Georgia, Vegas and, of course, Puerto Rico where the Fall and winter blend together and you never notice there should be a difference of seasons.

At times I feel like a traitor to my country of origin, a vendepatria, but... my goodness, this is what I've always wanted. The Fall. The colors. A residential street, possibly on a hill, lined with gigantic (at least to my then kiddie height) trees, creating a canopy of green and yellow and orange and brown, falling down to a sea of its own reflection. I've had this vision in my head for as long as I can remember.

I've always wanted to be an American girl. So as I walk around the streets of Portland, temporarily painted in Maple leaves, I do so with a little silent happiness knowing that I'm finally here. That I finally made it.

Ahhhh. Fall last forever, don't let the gloom in!

Somewhere on SE 60th

SE 55th.

Posted by starmagn at 04:23 AM | Comments (3)

October 14, 2008

The Ladies of Fernhill, Forest Grove, OR, Oct 11, 2008.

{Roll Call: (Row by row)

Whitney / Christine/Christina? / Leslie / Chelsea / Amy (me) / Afton / Debbie / Cori / Abby / Nicolle / Elisabeth / Anne / Alyson / McCall }

A group of 14 very talented photographers got together one beautiful Saturday afternoon in the Autumn of 2008 on a farm that seemed to only belong in dreams, to form friendships and create wonderful images.

This is the result. Thank you all for showing up, for sharing your cameras, your experiences, your laughter. I'm grateful I met all of you. Here's to another fun meeting!!!

Visit our Flickr Group to view more stunning images form all these artists (half of them still have rolls upon rolls of film yet to be developed, so check again in the next few days).

The Ladies of Fernhill love boots. And jumping.


Ann Suckow. Girl's got strong arms and talented eyes.


I had never seen corn fields up close in my entire life. Needless to say, I WAS FLIPPIN' OUT!!!


Laughter, Polaroids, Friendships, Vegan cupcakes. Mission Accomplished.


My vintage yellow coat caused quite a bit of sensation. Photo by {sacredlotus}


My homegirl Alyson. Amazing portrait by {revivify}, aka Whitney, whose parents own the magical land where we photographed and were cool to let us wreak havoc around. Thank you!

Posted by starmagn at 02:55 AM | Comments (5)

October 09, 2008

last, last, last forever please

These little bits of sunshine will only last so long before the gloom sets in. *sigh* Oh well, I moved here with a very clear purpose and with a passion radiating farther than our star.

I will make it through the Portland winter. I'm sure.

Posted by starmagn at 04:05 AM | Comments (2)

October 06, 2008

I live surrounded by quaintness

So, I moved. Again. I lived in a guesthouse for the past two months and decided to bail out early because I just couldn't put up with the Crazy Cat and the No Eating in Bedrooms rule. Other than that it was nice. Big room, my own bathroom. BUT I had to move on... to a more affordable rent. So I moved into this super quaint 1920s house on the SE area of Portland, with two roommates. My room has a friggin' window bench. Like, I totally feel completely American now.

The pink is GOING. No offense, y'all know I love me some pink. But this one is a bit nauseating. The plan is to repaint the room YELLOW! Like so:



I shall do this to combat the Portland winter. I'm kinda scared of it, actually. :(



The kitchen is so bright and lovely. :) :)

Built-ins!!!!! The only thing that ABSOLUTELY SUCKS about my new pad is that the little stream of water coming out of the shower is.... well, SAD. VERY SAD. And that... DRIVES.ME.IN.SANE.

But it's one small pet peeve compared to all the cuteness this house offers. Ahh, I missed living among such little details. Reminds me of my Savannah...

Posted by starmagn at 02:21 AM | Comments (3)

September 12, 2008

I promise , I promise

I swear I will blog one of these days all about my adventures in Portland. I swear. For now this picture is from my booth at Belmont Street Fair on Sept 6. It was quite rad.

I am doing awesome and Portland is just plain fantastic, I love it. I also love how broke I am. But that's part of being an artist. Right.

Okay, I'm off to bed. Two more fairs this weekend. Yikes.

Love you all!!!

Posted by starmagn at 02:51 AM | Comments (1)

August 12, 2008

Baby Steps...

Taking baby steps. Baby steps towards my future. Soon enough, I'll be skipping and jumping and whistling. Possibly under the Portland rain.

I'm ready life, BRING IT.

{genuinely happy}
{{sadly, must finish all these photos, can't celebrate right now}}
{{{I shall read all y'alls blogs soon!}}}

Posted by starmagn at 05:45 PM | Comments (3)

July 28, 2008

Reaching the unknown...

Red lines cross out what I have not packed yet. What I should be packing now instead of blogging. Will I ever learn.

I began packing yesterday and am almost halfway done. Thankfully I don't own a lot. What you see in the picture above is kinda half of what I own. Possibly even more than half. Lots of books and fabrics and photo equipment/boxes. That's it. SWEET. Packing has actually been fun. Fun because in just a week I shall embark on my merry way to Portland (with the help of my friend Le Koonds).

It is such an odd feeling... I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what my life will be like in a week. I've never been to Portland, I've seen countless of pictures, but that's it. It's like pondering what happens to your soul after death, or where and how does the Universe end. Like standing on the edge of ... the unknown, with no guidelines, no map, no one you know (at least physically), and no reference to your point of origin.

It's such a WONDERFUL feeling, not scary at all. I live for this, to cross the unknown, to explore new worlds and civilizations, to... try not to turn this entry into a Star Trek quote-fest.

Allright, back to packing, woot woot!!

Posted by starmagn at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2008

Despelote Total

That is me getting ready in the bathroom of my Mandalay Bay hotel room for my AWESOME goodbye party. That dress is from bebe and I spent an arm and a leg for it, BUT DAMN IT LOOKED HOT ON ME. lol

Lots of fun was had, drinks were downed, and pictures were taken that I cannot show to you because.. well... I just can't. :)

Thanks to all my awesome co-workers, brother, friends and everybody else who joined the Ceremony of Debauchery.

Flippin' awesome.

Posted by starmagn at 03:56 PM | Comments (1)

June 21, 2008

in great company

image by alicia

It's been since November 29th since I have not visited Alicia Paulson's blog, Posie gets Cozy, and it hadn't dawned on me, till an hour ago, that Miss Alicia currently lives in Portland!! She is a wonderful artist who creates the most beautiful, daintiest things, from romantic crochet cardigans to dream-like birdcages to the darling clothespin ladies featured above.

Every post is full of words of wonderment, delight, nostalgia and a sense that every day is rosey and unique even when some convince us otherwise. I have been so inspired by her artwork and outlook on life. Without realizing, I was falling in love with Portland, Oregon for the longest time through her eyes.

Even if I never meet Miss Alicia (though I would love love love to) once I relocate, it is such a comforting feeling knowing that people like her inhabit this grand City of Roses.

**********************************

image by alyson

But there is an equally fantastic blogger I will actually meet! Miss Alyson of Unruly Things fame. Oh how I love her blog. Short words, great feelings, child-like dreams, neutral threads and sunday-afternoon-lighting-like photos. She has been stalking me a bit through the social networks of the Internets. That's totally cool with me. Also, how rockin' is that guitar of hers!

Y'all have no idea how excited and happy I am to be moving to Portland. Smiles and giggles escape me whenever I think about it.

Posted by starmagn at 12:34 AM | Comments (3)

June 14, 2008

Y es que contigo soy yo

Sometimes (okay, often, as of late) I ponder if I'll ever be happy and giddy enough to photograph my own heart shadows on the road.

Been editing wedding pictures, and reading wedding blogs all day long, to be followed by a rather elaborate wedding tomorrow at our restaurant .

The fiercely independent woman in me longs to abandon all pride and let go.

Le sigh. Here's to Mr. Awesome in Portland.

Image from the wonderful Ariel, writer for the fun and informative Offbeat Bride blog.

Posted by starmagn at 02:18 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2008

Reason #31 Why I cannot stay in Las Vegas

Rain boots.
At J. Crew.
On sale for $10.00
For my upcoming move to Portland, OR.
ohmyraptorjesus.
I nearly died.
Bought two pairs.
The ones above and bright yellow.
Goodbye Vegas!

Posted by starmagn at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2008

Not in Portland

Um yeah. That's Mount St. Hellen. I suck at this.

Last week I mentioned great big plans of relocation were underway, and today I finally reveal them to the world (I felt that I had to tell my mother first before gossiping with others, y'know?).

So, I'm moving to Portland, Oregon in late August. Before moving to Vegas I said I'd only be here a year. And as my first anniversary looms closer (June 9th), I am engaging in a positive and active state of mind. I have acknowledged that my issues with insecurity do not stem from this awful city, or anywhere for that matter. The issues are in me, I need to solve them.

I have secured a room in a lovely guesthouse for three months. Am taking business lessons with my work buddy, Ryan. You have seen all the crafty progress I've been posting the past few weeks, more prototypes have been created awaiting to be properly photographed.

I am taking charge of my life. I have far too much potential, I don't want to let it go to waste. As I still have three months left, a job search will be undertaken as well, but I am definitely ready for Star Magnolia to become what I've dreamed about for years now.

I know most of y'all have a lot of burning questions, so let's begin with the press junket.

*amy searches the crowd of reporters and lands on Timmy, signals him*
Timmy: Have you ever been to Portland, Amy?

Amy: Oh don't be silly, Timmy, of course I HAVEN'T. This wouldn't be a crazy adventure if I had, right? :P I will pay a visit sometime in late June/early July (if my manager ever decides to group my days off consecutively instead of giving me Mondays and then Thursdays off. Thanks a bunch.).

*amy chooses her next reporter*
Ramonda: Do you know anyone in Portland, Amy?

Amy: Well, aside from two lovely ladies whose blogs I've been reading a while, no I do not know anyone.

*Amy searches once again.. agh, dammit, he's here*
Bartholomew: So, Amy... why Portland?

*damn, I knew he would ask that*
Amy: Well, I've been researching this city for months now. I like that it is environmentally conscious. It has bike trails. I like that it supports its artists. In fact, most of the times I see a cool shop on etsy, where is it from? Portland! Something creative must be running in the water. I can finally wear rain boots. It is less than two hours from the Ocean. The greatest film of all time, Overboard, was shot in this fine state. My super awesome friend/kindred spirit Sarah lives just outside Vancouver (Canada, just 5 hours north) and I can't wait to finally meet her in person. I feel that both my design and photography business will flourish in this fine city. But most of all, dear God, most of all... THERE IS GREENERY!!!

That is all the questions I shall be taking at the moment. I appreciate all your support. I really do. Many of you are a little puzzled by my decision, but I just want to you let you know I haven't felt so sure and confident about a place/plan in a long time. This time, I'm going to make things work. Enough sitting around waiting and waiting.

In the meantime, I'm going to sleep. And also learn ways to wake up early (like by 8-9 am-ish) on my days off. For reals, this is a problem for me. My sheets are so nice and comfy though, mmmmm. bed.. mmmm.

ALSO, I hope I am not offered a ludicrous, too-good-to-be-true job offer that will somehow send me to a remote deserted island in the middle of the darn Pacific. Although if I'm promised a Jack, or Sawyer, or Desmond, shoot, SEND ME OVER. mmm-mm-mm

Posted by starmagn at 02:25 AM | Comments (7)