Monday, December 22, 2014

Music Monday: The Eclectic Mix


Good morning and happy Monday!
 (I mean Christmas is this week so it is a happy Monday, right?)


An artist, whether they create with their hands, brushes, the written word or through sound all try to capture life. Art has a great deal of fluidity, making it possible to appeal to so many of us. For me, the easiest art form to connect to is music. 

The way a song is written or composed can incorporate so many widespread emotions- happiness, anger, sadness- that it is nearly impossible not to find a piece that just gets you. Music really is a universal language we can all not only understand, but also feel.

And that's pretty powerful.

Today I bring you some of my favorite songs of the moment.
I've shared some other songs in the past as well which you can check out below:

*If on a mobile device, click the hyperlinks to be redirected to the song*

 Dearly Departed by Shakey Graves



When I get my Hands on You by The New Basement Tapes


Left Hand Free by Alt- J


Ready to Run by One Direction


Sex and Candy by Maroon 5
I love the original version from Mercy Playground, but this cover is almost too good.


Let me know what songs you're obsessed with at the moment; I'd love to check them out and take a listen!

Best,


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Photo Finish


Going back a few years, I was given a Canon.  At the time, my love for photography was just starting to bloom.

I didn't know many bells and whistles then and I surely know that the skills in my photography arsenal now are still very limited.

Now that I've been home for a few days, I've found different things to do to keep myself entertained. One of those things being, you guessed it, photography. 

More importantly, the photos that have long been taken.  Looking through all these, I have come to appreciate whatever it was that made me appreciate a certain object, feeling, aesthetic etc. during the time it was taken, whatever it may have been.

Here are a few of my favorites. In my favorite composition- black and white.











Best,



Friday, December 12, 2014

Time to Go Home!


Hello Everyone!
It's hard to believe, but another semester has come to a close.

I've handed in my last paper, packed my last article of clothing, said my last "See you later!" and it is finally  time to go back to the garden state.

I'm excited to be home, catch up with friends and celebrate the greatest time of the year with my family.

Wherever you are, whether you still have finals or are en route to your own home, I wish you the best of luck and a relaxing, much deserved  break!

Safe travels.
Best,


Saturday, November 29, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BB&B!



 Oh my god- It's Buzz, Boots and Berries birthday.
 My little space on the web turns one today- ahhh!!

Something that was created to show my writing has turned into something much more. I love being able to talk about different experiences, take pictures, share recipes- the list goes on.

It's been hard for me to stay consistent, but this venture has been extremely gratifying. I can't wait to see what the future holds and I hope you're here to take it all in with me!
















Cheers to one year and many more!

Best,


Monday, November 17, 2014

Media Minute: Old Navy's Upcharging Uproar


Happy Tuesday everyone!

If you've followed my blog for quite some time, you'll know that nothing riles me up quite like body image, more specifically how it is misconstrued in the media.

Body image wouldn't even be that big of a deal to me or frankly anyone if we never started putting people into different boxes or categories in the first place. How a body is viewed is up to the person who inhabits it.  Simple as that.

What sparked this post are a few things actually. The first being Kim Kardashian's whole 'Break the Internet' Paper Magazine spread. The magazine took a beautiful woman and snipped her waist, enhanced her booty  etc. and for what reason?  Surely a Kardashian lathered in oil is far from anyone's ideal- or at least I really hope it is. The cover has been plastered all over the web, parodied ten fold and even discussed in some of my classes; I really just want everyone to dismiss and leave the whole thing behind. (Sorry, couldn't resist)



On another body image note, during my nightly reading I saw that Old Navy is pricing plus sized clothing higher than its petite and regular counterparts and I'm not talking some pocket change of a difference.

I know pricing differs numerous places, but Old Navy's plus size line is tacking on an extra $15 just for a pair of jeans! That pricing strategy is truly unsettling and what a bad, bad move for Old Navy.

I look at the situation this way. Old Navy's demographic is, but not always, women in their late 20s to 40s. 

This demographic is filled with powerful women who want to look put together. These ladies aren't about to sacrifice comfort and know how to get a great deal.

 This demographic is filled with moms who cart their kids all about town and realize that buying clothes for the whole family in one place is a wonderful thing.

All that has just been thrown out the window.

 You see, when you insult your main consumer losing business is inevitable. You better believe women are smarter than to buy Old Navy's "higher price point reflects the selection of unique fabrics and design elements" press release.  

Yes- that's really the company's reasoning for the drastic price difference between sizes. Not the use of more material, but that the clothing requires a whole different design aesthetic? Are you kidding me? Old Navy's PR team should be ashamed.

In case you were wondering, larger men's sizes are exactly the same price across the board. Granted men and women's bodies are different, but I think some serious rethinking is past due at the Old Navy headquarters.

 In the meantime, this is what we can all do:
- Participate in change.org's petition to stop upcharging plus sized clothing
- let your opinion be heard!  Join the movement on social media by using #oldnavyplus 

Women are undoubtedly the market's biggest consumers so Old Navy is most likely going to have some decline across all their departments. What do you think of this situation? Let me know!
Best,




Friday, November 14, 2014

Shut Up and Dance


Hello there everyone!
Happy Friday.  This week my friend Chelsea and I unveiled our music video project in class.  The only restrictions for this assignment: 
1.  be between 2-3 minutes 
2.  it better be damn good. 

Sounds easy...?  but it still took a lot of brainstorming!

We ultimately decided to just have a ton of our friends dance in front of a camera and bust a move.  We both love the way it came out so I wanted to share it here for you all as well.

The song is Shut up and Dance by Walk The Moon. It just so happens to also be iTunes' free song of the week in the United States! So make sure to get it before next Tuesday or just check out Walk the Moon in general because they rock.

 You can also view the video here

I hope this video puts a smile on your face and gets you pumped for the weekend!
Best,



Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Writer's Block

Dear writer's block,

It's not you, it's me- no really.
I love to write. I love to create, but these things have just not come easily to me recently. 

You, writer's block, suck: truth.

However, I can't put all the blame on you.
Maybe it's the stream of school work that's been creeping my way. Maybe it's just the time of the year. Above all else, it could just be because I'm a little lazy, ok, very lazy. 

I know there isn't really an excuse; yet I belive in doing things with passion or not at all. 

 Things have been going so well that I'd like to enjoy them rather than putting them into blog posts. The proper planning, time and framework needed to create something great is not currently up to par. 

 Life just happens. 
I'm going to embrace it, take everything  in and get inspired.

Creative and informational things will be filling this space soon. Until then...

Best,

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Halloween Ideas: Part 2!


Hey there everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

On Friday, I posted a bunch of DIY Disney costumes that could be possible contenders for your Halloween parties this year! You can scroll down to see the post underneath this one.

If you're viewing this somewhere other than my homepage you can see those Disney costumes by clicking here!

As promised, here is part 2 of my DIY halloween ideas!


Steve and Blue


Instagram


Scuba divers



Mean Girls (2x)


Clueless' Cher and Dionne... or Iggy Azalea?


Kelly and Zack- Go Bayside!


Tourists


Three blind mice


Audrey Hepburn


Frat boys- if you can't beat em', join em'


How to make all these costumes can be seen over on my Pinterest (click here).  There are a ton of DIYs listed there that aren't shown here as well. Let your creativity run wild!

If all else fails, you can always be a ghost- just make sure to be a creative one! :)


Best,