About me

My name is Rachel and I write this blog. Here are some bits and pieces about me.

WORK: Yes, I do have a job and it is in no way related to blogging. I work in a lab, on the educational end of things rather than the research end.

PHOTOS: Update! In September 2012 my much abused D40 finally got replaced. I got the next lowest model, the D3200. The basic kit I linked to includes a lens but I went to a local camera shop and bargained a bit so I essentially bought the kit but then sold the unused lens back to them. I'm still adjusting to the D3200 and I'll eventually get a review up. I do miss my D40 but it had gotten to the point where it was having a lot of trouble shooting and the cost to fix it didn't seem to make sense. I still use the same lenses, so that information still applies.

From the beginning of the blog through September 2012: I shoot with a Nikon D40 and I love it. Most of the time I use a fixed 35 mm lens. It doesn't zoom, so it takes a bit of getting used to, but it's my absolute favorite. I generally shoot with the aperture pretty wide open (around 2 is my standard, but it depends on the situation). I have a fixed 50 mm lens as well, but I tend to use the 35 mm more often.

I also have a pretty standard 18 - 55 mm lens that came with my camera and I used it a lot in the beginning. It does zoom, so I'll still take it out when I'm in situations where I might need that capability, usually if I'm shooting outside with other people and just want to get quick shots.

I don't use any fancy equipment other than a tripod (when I can be bothered to get it out). I use Photoshop for small adjustments but I'm no expert.

SEWING MACHINE: My mom generously gifted me a Janome when I first learned to sew. It isn't available anymore but it's similar to this model. It's amazingly easy to use. I still do a lot of handsewing, for small details.

FABRIC SUPPLIERS: I'm lucky enough to live in a city with lots of fabric options. I shop at F&S a lot - they have the best selection of silks and wools. If you're looking for amazing silks, you need to track down a store that specializes in dressmaking fabrics. Quilting stores are great for cotton prints and craft stores are okay for synthetics, but only a clothing fabric store will really have a huge variety of silks and jerseys and high quality linens.

PLACES: I live in Los Angeles and I grew up in Orange County. I'm seriously attached to Southern California. I studied abroad in Athens, Greece and my family lived there when I was a baby, so I pretend that Greece is my other homeland. I attended Scripps College in Claremont and I couldn't have had a better college experience. I double majored in biology and English and I like to think it balanced me out a bit.

THE DOG: Circe is a wire fox terrier and she technically doesn't belong to me. My parents bought her while I was still living at home, so I consider her to be partly mine. But really, she's our family dog and we're all obsessed with her. Wire fox terriers are sturdy and sweet and like to get into trouble. They are also quite a bit of trouble to groom, but worth it. We use this cheater comb on Circe, to avoid the tedious hand grooming method we're supposed to use. I'd love a dog of my own, but we live in a no pets apartment. Snowy is a relatively recent addition and you can read a little bit about how we accidentally ended up with him right here. He's some sort of mutt and probably has a bit of terrier heritage. DECEMBER 2013 UPDATE - We found a pet-friendly apartment and adopted Circe and she now lives with us full time. She's taken to being an only dog like a duck to water and we're over the top in love with her.

THE GUY: D is my husband. He's an architect. We've been best friends for most of our lives and we have a lot of fun together. His name is actually Dustin but I refer to him as D 90% of the time both on here and in real life. I realize an initial seems like a weird nickname, but it's better than Dust.

ADVERTISING/$$ STUFF: To date, I haven't accepted any advertising on the blog, but I'll update if I ever do. I do use affiliate links with Amazon, but only for products I've purchased and love, and only because I was already linking to stuff on Amazon before they made the affiliate program so easy to use. I'll never recommend anything that I wouldn't have purchased myself.

If I've linked to a product on Amazon and you click on it, I receive a small commission if you end up buying the item. If you aren't comfortable with that, you can make a note of the item name and then look for it in a new tab, or go to the item itself but clear your cache before you purchase.

Every once in a blue moon I will accept items for review, generally only books. These items will only make it onto the blog if I find myself using them regularly and would actually have been willing to spend the money on them myself. I have never accepted money for a post and I don't see that happening in the future. Too forced for me to feel comfortable.