photos Archives - Page 9 of 10 - Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Living in the Desert

April 27, 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw

Living right smack in the middle of a desert just amazes me. We live in this little oasis surrounded by mountains, sand, tumbleweeds and windmills. It is so different from North Carolina where I grew up. I was sorting through some pictures that I took when I first moved to Palm Desert in 2006 and found these photos:

Our old house in Indian Wells with the mountains behind it.

It doesn’t look like a desert…everything is so lush!

Living in the Desert 2 via lilblueboo.com

I remember taking this picture because the mountain almost didn’t look real.

It looked like it was just plopped there.

Living in the Desert 3 via lilblueboo.com

The giraffes at the Living Desert, a mile from my house.

Living in the Desert tram via lilblueboo.com

View from the Palm Springs Tram

Living in the Desert tram 2 via lilblueboo.com

View of Palm Springs from the top of the Tram.

This 8500 feet above the desert floor and is so nice and cool in the summer.

Living in the Desert grapes via lilblueboo.com

Our friend George’s grape farm….you can see the Salton Sea in the distant left.

I would have never guessed anything would grow in the desert, but I guess with enough irrigation anything can!

By the way, it is harvest time and I LOVE these table grapes!

Fun with the Holgaroid

April 20, 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw

My daughter and I had some fun with my old Holgaroid this morning. My last post had a journal page with some old Holgaroid photos in it and reminded me that I had the camera packed away in a box high on a shelf in my studio.

A Holgaroid is a plastic toy camera with a polaroid back attached. It even uses the old “peel-apart” film from way back when. It reminds me of “Data’s” camera in the movie Goonies. Read all you want about them at Squarefrog, including what kind to buy and film types. I think it is fun to use every once in a while because the photos always turn out a little old and creepy looking…and Polaroids are always instant gratification.

Fun with the Holgaroid via lilblueboo.com

Sienna and my friend Jess (visiting from Chicago for Coachella Fest) in the living room.

I need an external viewfinder for my camera…the Polaroid back covers it up, so we were taking pictures blind. Here is Sienna with the camera….she was still trying to look through the viewfinder.

Fun with the Holgaroid 2 via lilblueboo.com

I had a few boxes of Polaroid film for us to play with but they were obviously spoiled (should have been in my freezer and the expiration dates were 2006)….they STUNK horribly when we peeled the film apart! The photos still turned out okay but different. I had both color and black and white film. I’m trying to find some more Choco 80 film (take a look at the great photos it takes) but it all seems to be sold out everywhere I look and I’m pretty sure I’ll have to get it from somewhere in Europe.

Fun with the Holgaroid 3 via lilblueboo.com

Sienna’s baby dolls by the front door (my flash is too bright)…this picture is a little creepy

Fun with the Holgaroid 4 via lilblueboo.com

St. Francis in the side courtyard

Fun with the Holgaroid 5 via lilblueboo.com

Tattered old portrait of my grandfather hanging on the wall (found it in his attic when he passed away)

Fun with the Holgaroid 6 via lilblueboo.com

Sienna in her rocking chair

Fun with the Holgaroid 7 via lilblueboo.com

Palm tree in the yard

Fun with the Holgaroid 8 via lilblueboo.com

Bougainvillea vine

Fun with the Holgaroid 9 via lilblueboo.com

Baby dolls in the bed (the old stinky emulsion in the film left the ghostly looking shadow across the photo)

Polaroid has stopped producing instant film. I still use instant film and I still use 35mm film, and I am kinda in denial that one day it might not be there for me to buy. There is hope for those of us who refuse to surrender completely to digital:

Save Polaroid

The Impossible Project

“Now I step forward to do my part to try to sell Polaroid film in the worst worldwide economic downturn in living memory, and at a period in time where all things analog are under assault in the name of technological progress, product cycles, and economies of scale. But I need a world where people still need Polaroids. And I’m going to try to do something about it.” – Dave Bias

Studio Envy

April 17, 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw

If you have any type of area dedicated to crafting, painting or general projects in your house (or want to) you HAVE to pick up a copy of Cloth, Paper, Scissors’ new special publication Studios at your local bookstore (in the magazine section). It showcases 25 inspiring studios that are amazing. Seriously, you have to pick it up just to see Tim Holz’s studio…it looks more like a store and I am SO envious of his organization. I love to see where people work…..if you have photos of your workspace send me a link and I’ll put together a “studios” post!

My parents have been visiting which means I have had free time galore this week! I put up more shelves in my studio and it motivated me to clean up a bit. I am very thankful that my husband has dedicated an entire room as my studio. He puts up with a lot. Many times I have projects going on simultaneously in the dining room, outside on the patio, in the garage, on the driveway ….anywhere I can find space. I took photos of my newly organized studio and share them below!

My sewing side of my studio…..

The “everything else” side of my studio…..

My desk is just a 3 foot wide door I bought at Home Depot one day and placed across 2 small bookshelves. I built shelves above and around my workspace using a track system. All you need is a stud-finder and a drill and a skill-saw.

I use old cigar boxes that I pick up at cigar stores to hold stamp sets, carving sets and other things I want to keep together in one place.

Spools of thread……

Pens, pencils, crayons, markers…..

Little jars of little things…..

Studio Envy little jars of things via lilblueboo.com

Paint brushes worn to the nub…..

Studio Envy paint brushes via lilblueboo.com

A stash of old journals…..

Studio Envy old journals via lilblueboo.com

Favorite journaling and crafting books just within reach…..

Studio Envy Favorite journaling and crafting books via lilblueboo.com

Bins of paint…..

Jars of buttons and stamps…..

A shelf of trinkets and random finds…..

Flat bins of vintage papers, tickets, letters, scrapbook paper…..

A random stash of stuff in a drawer…no idea where I got the roll of “Jesus” tape…..

Studio Envy random stuff via lilblueboo.com

Orphaned photos I picked up in antique stores…..

Studio Envy random photos via lilblueboo.com

Here is Sienna getting into my ribbon (and…yes…she is still wearing Santa/Frosty pjs in April…it is a battle I lost). I can’t imagine any space more tempting for a 2-year-old than an art studio. Last night we were having a dinner party and I found her in my studio trying to thread the sewing machine…and amazingly she was getting pretty close to having it threaded!

Have a great Friday!