Behind the Scenes: Spring Edition

Happy Wednesday! It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for the blog, so I thought I’d share some behind-the-scenes fun. My friend Jon from Happy Mundane came to visit me in Austin, and we worked on a colorful collaboration, then ran around town checking out interesting locations and snapping photos. It was wonderful getting to hang out, work together on creative projects, and take some time out from the usual routine…

Did I mention my affinity for palm leaves?! They seem to be a permanent fixture in my life these days, whether I’m using them in a photo shoot or displaying them around my home for an upcoming gathering with friends. And there have been lots of shoots and gatherings lately! I love it when I get to be the host…I need to do more of that.

Above is a shot from my collab with Jon. It’s amazing how a can of spray paint can transform a vase from Goodwill. And it’s amazing when you’ve adjusted the settings on your camera but the shutter suddenly freaks out and a LOT of light gets in. Although I have to say….I kind of like the accidental shot below. More on Jello cubes in an upcoming post (I’ll be sharing the full collaboration next week on the blog).

Here’s Jon snapping a photo of our party food. Do you like the set we created in my home office?!…

And let’s just say that some Krylon marbelizing spray paint was involved in one of our DIY projects for the shoot. First we tested it out on a water bottle. I’ll show you how to create a marble/splatter paint effect on the vase of your choice next week.

Once we finished the collaboration, we played! We visited the Mexican American Cultural Center and admired the architecture:

That’s some pretty massive blue agave!…

The W Austin Hotel downtown has this really intriguing recessed succulent display, complete with strategic lighting that makes the plants look holographic:

Then we headed to the Seaholm Power Plant, which was recently redeveloped. A lot of the old architecture was preserved, but fun new details were added as well. The look is industrial, with plenty of native plants to complement the design. Here are a few snapshots:

Sometimes it takes a friend coming to visit to make you appreciate all of the interesting things to do in your city! Hope your week has been a great one. XOXO, Kate