Fun in the . . . Snow?

"We have finally gotten snow . . . I live in Ohio, it's February, 

and we are just now getting snow!? What is this world coming too?"

These were my words less than a week ago when it was practically a blizzard outside.

And because it's Ohio, we are now back to bare sidewalks and rainy skies,

but I figured I would post this snow shoot anyways. 

So here it is, just in case any snow comes back to Athens, or wherever you're reading from,

here are some tips on the best accessories for winter and the white stuff. 

Accessories are a must.

That winter coat won't keep you warm all by itself.
It needs a little bit of help, which is where the scarves, gloves, and hats come in!

You want some?

Here, it's okay, you can have some, if you want . . .

Ready?

Set!

GO!!!!!

First, I chose a neutral coat for maximum matching potential!

These texting gloves are always useful, 

and they keep my hands warm while roaming around Athens.

It's always good to have a matching set. 

It looks very put together, especially if you're going to a nice event!

Berets and beanies are a must this winter. 

They come in all different colors which basically means they'll go with anything.

Check out Urban Outfitters for some of the prettiest ones, including my coral one:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=25218843&parentid=W_ACC_HATS

Also a beige knit scarf keeps you warm and once again, goes with practically everything!

Next: These knit flower head bands are all the rage this year. I see people wearing them every time I walk out of my door . . . they're basically all over campus . . . 

This one was handmade by my aunt's friend. 

It was made with a little tie in the back to make it easier to put on without messing up my hair.

I got this scarf at an OU volleyball game . . . for free! 
Yes, like any normal college student, I like free stuff. 

Bobcat Pride!!

This plaid scarf is a great, classic addition to any winter coat. It's neutral (obviously, I love neutrals), and it's the perfect size. It will keep you warm, but it's not too bulky.

This photo was taken on my front porch!!
. . . I mean, outside the front door of good old Perkins.

And once again with the berets! I swear, I would get one in every color if I wasn't a broke college kid.

Get the look: 

Grey coat - Forever 21
Red beret with lip, scarf, and texting gloves - 
Coral beret - Urban Outfitters
Beige knit oversized scarf - Forever 21
White knit flower headband - handmade by one of my aunt's friends!!
Green and black OU bobcat scarf - Free at an OU volleyball game!
Brown plaid scarf, Blue beret - JCPenney

One Singular Sensation

After studying, going to class, and studying some more, the best way to blow off steam (and fulfill my artistic needs) is to have a night at the theater. 

And what better theater to go to in Athens than Mem Aud*? 

(Actually, it's one of the only theaters in Athens . . . so I guess it's currently my only option.)

So tonight, the girls and I hit College Green for a night of dance and song.

From left to right: Me, Rachel Lambert, Alexa Pressman,
Allison Sharpe (Ritzee Rose Photographer), and Allie Mannix.

Memorial Auditorium - A Chorus Line National Tour

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 7:30pm

The show was fabulous. This was my second time seeing A Chorus Line, 

but my first time seeing it done by a professional cast. 

The lights, sound, costumes, and actors were all spectacular, and I couldn't help but wipe a tear from my eye as the character Diana sang What I did for Love.

They ended with that one-of-a-kind quick change that only A Chorus Line can produce, 

and left me with chills on my arms and a huge smile on my face.

For those of you who don't know the show, 

it's about a group of dancers and the audition process they go through to be in a show. 

Also, the quick change I speak of takes place when the whole cast changes ridiculously fast into these amazing glittery gold suit jackets and pants, adorned with a top hat, of course.

Check out the costumes here: http://newimages.bwwstatic.com/columnpic/03-Company-One.jpg

Of course, there aren't many chances to dress up while in college, so when the opportunity arises I can't just sit back and watch it pass by, and neither should anyone else. 

So tonight, I went for traditional theater attire: a dress, tights, and character* heels.

I knew many people would not dress up for this event, 

because I'm in college and people can't seem to leave the sweats at home, 

but I like to follow the motto "I'd rather be too dressed-up than too dressed-down."

In my mind, dressing up for a musical or play is a form of respect to the theater and actors. 

They work hard to present the best possible show for our enjoyment, 

the least I can do is make myself look presentable. 

I just love the ornate details in Mem. Aud.

And as the night comes to a close, 

the audience has left and the crew comes out of the shadows to take away that magical thing we call theater.

*Mem Aud = Templeton Blackburn Memorial Auditorium
*Character Heels = Heels used in musicals and plays to keep the cast looking uniform. They're also more supportive and easier to dance in than regular heels are. 

Get the Look: 

Asian cherry blossom dress - Macy's

Black tights - JCPenney

 2 inch Black character heels - Local Dance store

Keep it Straight Up

This morning at 8am while everyone else on campus was asleep (and probably hungover), 
I was heading over to the Radio & Television building to host the first spring episode of Straight Up, 

Ohio University's only Entertainment News show. 

Check out the new episode with yours truly as a host: http://vimeo.com/58945020
Check out new episodes of Straight Up here: http://vimeo.com/avwproductions
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StraightUpOU?fref=ts

    Twitter: Like us @StraightUpOU

This is my second semester with this show and I must say that I could not be working with a better cast. They are all truly wonderful people, and brilliant at what they do. 

Today was the second time I've hosted and it was a blast! 

Kaitor Kposowa and I rocked it out as we informed the Ohio University campus about opportunities to see concerts, theater, and even take the Polar Bear Plunge*.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Kaitor Kposowa.

IN ACTION:

Matching hand motions . . . must be a co-host thing. ;)

Getting my broadcast on!!

Folks, that's us on that there camera!

Just helpin' a brother out . . .

Finally getting the hang of the broadcast hands . . .

Time to tie in the fashion!

Being on an entertainment news show is the ultimate chance to be on camera, 

and look stylish while doing it. 

We aren't styled by the local department store like your daily news reporters . . . 

so we have a chance to wear something other than a black suit or a purple blouse. 

It's called options, people! We like options!

You can keep it classy with a blazer or completely switch it up.

I definitely went for the classic broadcast look, with a little Elle Woods flair, of course.

Hot pink was my color of the day. 

With matching lipstick, nail polish, and my A.N.A. blazer, there was no doubt in my mind that I could conquer the live-to-tape episode.

For those of you who don't know what live-to-tape is, let me fill you in. 

Live-to-tape is when you run through the entire episode, including commercials and reporter packages, without stopping the recording. 

If someone messes up, you continue. If there are technical difficulties, you push through.

The number one thing is that you must never stop.

It's a nerve-wracking process, but with the #1 sorority sister in my heart and my style,

I kept marching on. (as One Republic would say)

Here are a few other tips for dressing to impress while on TV:

 1. There are many ways to accessorize when you're on TV, but you don't want to look overdone. Avoid wearing earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. Just choose one.

This is the only accessory I wore and it added the perfect touch to my onscreen ensemble.
Plus, hello, it's vintage!? Need I say more??

2. Accentuate your best features and wear colors that suit you. 

If you love your lips, wear an awesome bold lip or

 if your hair looks especially voluminous when curly, 

then don't wear it straight for the camera.

 3. This is just a suggestion, 

but I believe that wearing a pair of heels can make any broadcast better.

You stand taller when you have heels on and knowing that you have art on your feet makes you a little more excited to tell others about art (or entertainment) news.

The cutout wedge is totally in right now. Don't be afraid to try this daring shoe!

 4. I like to keep it profesh*, so you can't go wrong with a blazer, 

but remember that if your show is using a green screen, you cannot wear green or black. 

The purpose of broadcasting is to report the news, not blend in with the screen behind you.

While we were hard at work, filming in Studio C, 

Mother Nature decided to hit us with the white stuff. 

Athens seriously looked like a snow globe by noon.

Above is a little taste of what the snow is like, currently, here in Athens, 

but be sure to check back next week for tons of blizzardous* snow pictures 

because we're doing a double shoot* to celebrate winter and all it's wonders!

Oh and Happy Groundhog Day! 

Nothing is more fashionable than a rodent that can predict the weather.

*Polar Bear Plunge = An event sponsored by a campus fraternity that involves crazy people running into a freezing lake (They're not actually crazy, but, honestly, who would willingly run into a freezing lake!?)
*profesh = keeping it professional
*Blizzardous = Weather that no one should be outside taking pictures in, but we do it anyway!
*Double shoot = double photo shoot . . . Two times the fun!

Get the look:

Hot pink blazer - A.N.A. (JCPenney)

Off-white 3/4 length sleeve blouse - Forever 21

Gold orchid necklace - Vintage!!!

Dark jeans - American Eagle

Black and cream cutout wedge heels - Charlotte Russe

Brown riding boots - JCPenney

A Royle Artiste

A couple of weeks ago, 

a friend posted on Facebook about needing a pianist for a photo shoot. 

1. I'm a pianist and 2. I love being in pictures, as you've probably noticed. 

So naturally, I commented on his status, and a day or so later, he asked me to be his subject for a photography project. 

_____________________________________________

Let me tell you a little bit about my musical endeavors first:

Some of you may know a lot about me, 

but what you probably didn't know is that 

I've been playing musical instruments since I was a little girl.

I began with flute in the 4th grade, then moved on to violin at the end of 4th, piccolo in 8th, piano in 8th, and just this past semester, I finally picked up the guitar that's been sitting in my room for the last 6 years and started to play.

Anyway, enough with the bragging and back to the real reason for this post!

________________________________________________________

Last Tuesday was the day of the photo shoot. 

I got up at the crack of dawn, and made myself beautiful.

(Actually it was more like 8am, but that's like the crack of dawn for college kids, right?)

Of course, it was one of the days that the temperature was in the single digits.

(That's what I get for living in Ohio . . .)

I made my way over to the dance building, all bundled up and yet still frozen to the core.

I swear nothing can keep out the cold.

We did the photo shoot in a dance studio, with wonderful morning light streaming in the windows and nothing but me and my guitar, and a piano of course.

Here is the final product of that magnificent morn.

Enjoy the pictures and check out the profile below to get to know the photographer, 

my friend Royle Mast, a little bit better. 

And the piano calls my name...
Copyright Royle Mast

Royle Mast

Commercial Photography major

Ohio University Freshman

Project: Take a portrait of someone (particularly an artist),

and then photograph them in their element.

This is such a laid back picture.
The daylight in the windows is fantastic.
And I sincerely felt like artist in these pictures.
Copyright Royle Mast

It was a pleasure to work with Royle on this project.

And these pictures turned out amazing if I do say so myself.

"Love is like playing the piano. First you must learn to play by the rules,
then you must forget the rules and play from the heart." -Anonymous
Copyright Royle Mast

Mr. Mast is truly a Royle artiste.

Portrait with my guitar pick...
Copyright Royle Mast

Get the look:

Geometric print collar dress - Forever 21

Gold lame sweater - JCPenney

Pink flower ring - Avenue

When boredom ensues . . .

. . . or when avoiding schoolwork, DIY happens. 

Last weekend was the 1st weekend of Spring Semester, and of course, I already had 80 pages of reading, a paper to write, and one thousand and one meetings to go to. 

Talk about easing into each semester slowly, huh?

After working and doing schoolwork, I still had MORE schoolwork to do.

So instead of slowly anticipating my impending doom/death by excessive brain intake,

I decided to do a little DIY* craft.

I currently write for Thread Magazine, 

an on campus publication at Ohio University that is dedicated to fashion.

Check out the latest issue on outhreadmag.com,
and check out my DIY Elbow Patches piece entitled Elbow Room on pages 70-75.

That's my name in the masthead! My very first masthead!
(in Thread Magazine, under writers)
BTW, mustaches are in! Be prepared for an abundance of them in future blog posts.

At the release party* for the October 2012* issue, 

we were given these adorable little plastic Thread cups. 

They're clear with black writing, or so mine was until last weekend when I decided to spruce it up.

__________________________________________________________

Let's change course for a minute. 

I will say that I personally believe glitter makes everything better.

Since sophomore year of high school, I've been glitterizing* everything in my path, 

including the faces of my fellow flagline girls.

It can be seen as an addiction, but I like to think of it as an asset. 

Plus who doesn't like sparkles!?

To prove my point, here are a few other ladies that must agree with me:

"Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?" -Pink

"Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins." -Paris Hilton

"Glitter is my makeup of choice."-Ke$ha

"She who leaves a trail of glitter is never forgotten." -The Glitter Guide http://theglitterguide.com

You can probably predict what I did to my cup . . .

I GLITTERIZED IT!

And here's how it turned out:

Go to the bottom of this post to find out how to glitterize anything you want!

It makes a good statement and a superb conversation-starter.

And lastly, it's a glitterized piece of sentimental value that will now have a secure spot on my shelf for the rest of my life.

*DIY = Do-it-yourself - usually refers to some kind of project; in my case, the crafty ones.

*Release party - a fabulous event that magazines throw when an issue is released. Food and fun is usually provided. Ours take place in the Jbar on Court Street. (Athens, Ohio)

*October 2012 issue of Thread Magazine

 http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/thread-magazine/thread_oct2012_mvp/2012102101/#0 

Check out my story on pages 18-19 about designer Rag & Bone's 2012 men's fall collection.

*Glitterize - verb. The act of adding sparkle & shine in the form of glitter to any object. (Yes, I coined a word!)

Get the look . . . of the cup!

I taped the parts of the cup that I didn't want to be glitterized.

Then I used a can of spray adhesive on the cup, and quickly added the glitter in heaps. 

Get rid of the excess glitter by shaking the item gently, and there you have it!

Side note: I added the different colors (silver and blue glitter) separate, 

but you could always do them at the same time!

Materials bought at JoAnn Fabrics.