Ruby Tuesday

In honour of some upcoming Pretty Things nuptials, I am posting this gorgeous red inspired wedding photo. Shot by the fabulous Feather & Stone, this image of Letitia and Kristian is so cute it makes Elmo look like the Grouch. The handmade 50's inspired wedding dress is a stunner and if you hit up the full photo roll here, you'll notice the skirt actually has polka dots on it. Could it get any better?

L.

Almost Cat

I am completely entranced by this portrait series by Ronald Ceuppens. I am running out of space for my must have art, but I'm pretty sure these would look beautiful side by side above my bed. Delicate and haunting, there really is something intriguing about them. 

J.

Snap Happy

1939 Argus C3

Okay, so besides being obsessed with polka dots, I'm also obsessed with vintage cameras. I have a small collection, but nothing to brag about. It could be a lot bigger and if I had some money to throw around it would be thanks to Ilot Vintage. Ilot collects and restores old rangefinder cameras using wood veener to replace the traditional leather coverings most often found on these cameras. Not one refurb is the same, so you not only end up with a working Argus or Minolta, but you also end up with a one of a kind art piece. Now that's something to "shutter" about (sorry, I couldn't resist).

L.

Summer Lovin'

Romantic, enigmatic, and somewhat surreal are only a few of the words I'd use to describe the photographic work of Valerie Chang. Capturing fashion in daydream-like states seem to be her specialty and beaches seem to be her location of choice. The above image is perhaps my favourite and makes me long for more summer days and perhaps a Marilyn-inspired bikini.

L.

What's Cooking Good Looking?

Summer has gotten me in the mood to cook more often. Maybe it's the appeal of the grill or the excitement of my own vegetable garden. Either way, I have been trolling foodie sties like no tomorrow. Besides the always wonderful Martha Stewart (what can I say, I love her and her millions and millions of brand identities), I also have a few other go-to recipe sites. I'm a sucker for anything that is prettily designed with gorgeous photography, so naturally Roost is on my list. Roost was started by Alabama food stylist, Caitlin and most of the recipes on her site cater to those of us with food allergies. Previously, I featured their sorbet on our Ruby Tuesday weekly and it was divine. More recently, I made these Vanilla Bean Cups, which were too delicious for my own good (I had to give some away so I wouldn't keep snacking on them). Not only that, but they look like expensive artisan chocolate that you'd pay a fortune for and probably not enjoy as much. Next up, I think I'm going to give this Herbed Flatbread with Prosciutto a whirl.

Ruby Tuesday

Photographer Christopher Patrick Ernst is a genuis at making the mundane and oftentimes boring seem anything but. His current untitled project captures the odd juxtaposition between the place you are and the place you want to be. Eating breakfast at a greasy spoon while overlooking a beautiful waterfall? Hanging out at the laundromat by the lake? Probably not, right? All of these places do exist, only part of them is composed of scenic wallpaper, a fad from the past that remains in many locations across America today. My favourite image above really captures the oddness of it all and how lovely it can be with a splash of red.

L.

Delicious Photography

Pretty Things is loving Courtney Donat's tumblr, pony up. A mishmash collection of images and words, pony up has a calming minimalist appeal. A lot of the images are Courtney's own from her various musical adventures, including a few from Big Day Out, a 20 year old festival that takes place down under. However, it's her love of sweet treats, like these cookies, that Pretty Things can relate to. Yum.

L.

Ruby Tuesday

This Ruby Tuesday is dedicated to my Mom, who celebrates her birthday this week! My Mom has always had great style, and as we can see here, it started at a young age. Photographed in an adorable red coat, she looks picture perfect. I love looking through old photos of her and getting inspiration for outfits. The image itself is also quite lovely. I really enjoy that the rest of the photo is fairly neutral and the only pop of colour is her coat. Next up: photo inspiration from the 70's!

J.

Sunday Best

In addition to our new weekly feature Ruby Tuesday, Pretty Things will also be bringing you our Sunday Best. Every Sunday we will feature our favourite style blogs from the great world wide web. 

First up is Urban Weeds, a street style blog from Portland, Oregon. I personally love the black and white portraits that photographer Lisa Warninger features with each post. It makes it more intimate, as if we are looking into this person's closet and not just at their outfit. I'll admit I never really knew much about Portland, or Oregon for that matter. But since I've started stalking Urban Weeds on a regular basis, I've decided that the laid-back, yet still put-together style appeals to me. Now, I kind of want to go there and experience it first hand.

L.

The Good Old Days

Searching through old family photos for an art project I am currently working on, I stumbled upon quite a few intriguing images. Many of the photos from the 1920's and 30's have a spooky, yet beautiful quality to them that I love. Both candid and staged, the images possess a haunting sensibility that just isn't found very often these days. Even supposed lighthearted images hold a certain seriousness and hardship in them that can't be disguised.