Better than Bland

That's not really Max, but it's one of his photos. Max is a photographer who does the most amazing and distinct portraits where the subjects are tiny and the sky is huge. Go look at his blog and his website and all of a sudden my dinky little outfit shots will be looking pretty unimpressive. (photo)

Ban.do (pronounced like ban-DOUGH) makes the most amazing  headbands. They've created a world where tulle and sequins and bows are obvious outfit accoutrements and I want to live in the center of it. Jen is one of the creators of Ban.do, and happens to be friends with Bri, who said, "sometimes she comes over and we wear tutus and drink whiskey cider while sitting in front of my computer thinking of how we can rule the world." PLEASE BE FRIENDS WITH ME, JEN. Check out the Ban.do blog and site. (AND, Max did the shoot for their latest collection - all of my friends are hanging out without me in LA!)(photo)

Kris Atomic is an illustrator. I found a What I Wore sketch of hers on Pinterest a few months ago and decided that I was going to make sketches of my outfits too, but quickly realized that I have zero drawing talent. Womp womp. Her drawings of girls with glasses and brightly colored bobs are ridiculously cute. See more on her blog and website.

Jamie Beck is an amazing photographer. I found her a year or two ago and have been mesmerized by her ability to make the mundane seem so elegant. Recently she's been getting a lot of press (you know, little publications like the Wall Street Journal) and I've been feeling like my little secret is ruined. But then I look at the new animated images she's been doing get over it. Hang out with Jamie here. (photo)

Aron is completing his residency at NYU and will be a Urologist soon. Ashley's an editor. They love brunch and traveling (their Sardinia blog post made me want to scrape my eyes out with a plastic fork it was so cute). They're living my dream life. If they were the least bit pompous or vain I'd be the first to point it out in hopes of making myself feel better, but they happen to be the most genuine people on the internet, dammit. Click here if you want to be cursing the genetic lottery for not making you nearly as nice or smart or attractive as these two.(photo)

I can't stand most wedding photos. The bride and groom stand there alternating between serious faces and look-how-hot-I-am faces, then the photographer adds some photoshop filters that should only be appropriate for soap opera head shots, and everyone calls it a day. Our Labor of Love (which is a team of 6 photographers) manages to make everyone look radiant and like the best version of themselves. O.L.O.L. did Max's wedding (in the pic above), which I gushed over for weeks and sent more than a few emails about (SUBJECT: !!!!!!!). Take a look, but don't blame me when you're wanting to get married or redo your wedding. Click! (photo)




Bri's a graphic designer. She doesn't know it yet, but she will be my best friend and the target of my stalking activities as soon as I move to California. I love that she can pull inspiration from anything from pastel plastic forks to  tiered, scalloped dresses and never takes herself too seriously. You can hang out with Bri here, but don't stay too long because you'll end up liking her more than me. Guaranteed. (photo by, via)