Apple Cider Vinegar Cocktail

For the past 6 months or so, I have been on an apple cider vinegar adventure and it has taken me quite some time to get my body trained to drink it. It really hurt my tummy at first! However, now I can drink it with no problems and I would owe it to this easy, simple little recipe. All you need to do is mix a cup or two of organic unfiltered apple juice, 2 tablespoons of Bragg's apple cider vinegar and a dash of cinnamon. You can also soak the mix overnight with cinnamon sticks which is yummy as well. Either way I would highly recommend this recipe.

My Dreams

Bringing my dreams into reality is a new concept I am still trying to get used to. I am in a deep creative process at Santa Barbara City College & my personal office at the moment and I am pleased to say I haven't been happier in the past five years than I am now. Manifesting new skills through hours of Adobe Creative Suite homework, slowly cracking away at my Graphic Design and Photography Certificate and diligently transforming old thought patterns by working with professionals to release emotional and creative blocks is my current life, as well as going to yoga as much as possible! It has been a process but the rewards are amazing. I just finished a midterm for my Photoshop class and I happy with the final product. The assignment involved creating a surreal image that combined 3-5 non related images and making them into one cohesive whole.

This is a little peak into my brain and what my dreams look like.

The mermaid is an illustration from one of my favorite artists- J Scott Campbell. Check out his work here, it is AMAZING! Please provide credit if you repost my image. I had so much fun doing this!!!

xoxo

Mustafa Soydan

Loving Mustafa Soydan's artwork that I recently saw on the DNA Blog ... My love for pin-ups, fashion, photography, and illustration all combined into one! yummy

:: Bali Dreaming :: Planning ::

This year has been quite a change for me. I have made enormous shifts in various areas of my life and they are all starting to piece together. I am working on planning a trip to Bali Indonesia at the beginning of Summer and I am swooning over some of these images. Make sure to check out my tumblr for daily inspiration in the form of images, I update it all the time!

Lotus Land

Last weekend I had the great opportunity to go on a tour of Montecito's botanical gem Lotus Land. The story of Ganna Walska and her extensive botanical collection is extremely intriguing and mystical at times. Lotus Land is one of the premier botanical gardens in the entire world and is something to be admired. I tried to capture some of it's essence in my photos and hope to return in June when the lotus flowers are in full bloom.

xox

SXSW Day 5:: Roaming 6th & JT

After spending a week in Austin, Helen and I got into a routine with the local juice spot down the street. Juicing has become one of my favorite past times and the recipes at Juice Land were to die for! Check them out here... MMM. After getting our morning juice and heading over to eat, we got our shit together and headed out to the festivities. I knew it was going to be a long night because Justin Timberlake was playing the 3rd Secret Myspace Show at The Copper Tank and I didn't want to miss it. I spent most of the afternoon fashion gazing, chatting with other festival goers and waiting in lines everywhere. What a cluster fuck. But it was worth it... The thing about SXSW is that when a place hits capacity, there is no ins and no one comes out. It doesn't matter if you have a press pass or you are VIP. It is straight fire code. And bigger shows are harder to get into if you don't have a wristband or pass, so you need to get there at least an hour early. Things are also kind of spread apart within an approximate 3 mile radius so a lot of walking and pedi cabs are $10 per person. So it can be pricey and takes a couple of days to figure out. Glad I got it dialed and had the experience, but as compared to other festivals- I like guaranteed admittance if you are paying more than $300 / ticket and a smaller area so you can get to every show you want to go to, like Outside Lands and Coachella. Best part of SXSW is the people, food, and the big acts in small venues. I really want to go back for Interactive and get more in touch with all the things that are going on in the middle of the day. Hope to go back to Austin again for SXSW! It was great!! Here are a couple of pics I snapped.

Bobbles everywhere, giving the place great character — Bobbles everywhere, giving the place great character

All sorts of people there, this outfit was quite the choice, props for pulling it off

These two were adorable, I can't tell you enough how much I love the bright green contrast with the purple!

Alysha Nett and I at Viceland — Alysha Nett and I at Viceland

Getting ready for JT with security, cops, and fences

These girls were just so captivating, I loved how this photo turned out!!!

Reppin that FR3N3MY at SXSW — Reppin that FR3N3MY at SXSW

More at The Independent

Thank you for checking out my blog xo

Posca Nymph

A surfboard has to be hands down one of my favorite canvases for my art. Every fresh new CI Surfboard that comes through my house gleams back at me, I am lucky if I can get the paint on before Kilian gets ahold of it and it gets consumed by his stickers, wax, and his drawings. This time I got lucky, I would argue that he got lucky, and I drew a Nymph on his new Flyer. He is off to Argentina and she went with him. I love drawing pin ups! Check out one of my many muses below. xoxo

SXSW Day 4:: Eagles of Death Metal

The nights got longer and the writing started to slow down. Almost 6 days in Austin was quite the experience. I needed to get in a good Rock N Roll show and The Eagles of Death Metal did just that. The well versed lead singer Jesse Hughes captivated my attention with his swaying pelvis and tattoos. I have been a fan for a while now so I was super hyped to see them. Helen spotted Euro fashionista Alexa Chung in the audience in the front row and we had a little blogger moment even though we both agreed we don't have a particular fancy for her style. We also made it over to Viceland, a set up I was happy to be at after hours of internet video watching. Enjoy the pics

Charging stations are a must! Photo By Helen Weaver

Having a moment ... Photo by Helen Weaver

How could my trip to Texas be complete without seeing a statue of good ol Willie?!

Check it out at The Santa Barbara Independent

SXSW Day 3:: Myspace Secret Show

I can say with confidence that Day 3 was my favorite of all the days/nights out at SXSW. Partially because of the excitement surrounding the fact that I actually got into the Kid Cudi Secret Myspace show, and also because the rumors about him being at SXSW I had read earlier in the week before I left were true! Finally a music festival rumor that was true and no Daft Punk was not there, damn it! I have been diggin' on Kid Cudi quite a bit lately and I was beyond stoked on this party. Free boose and the coolest peeps around. I was stoked. I really wanted to take some pics of Cudi on my SLR, however, the marketing director of Myspace (whom is a absolute doll!!) politely asked me not and I kindly obliged. I got some I phone snaps though... Check out the story below.

After taking in some of hip hop's most legendary acts the night before, we were ready for some rock. At 6:45pm the line at The Belmont was already wrapped around the block! We embraced the chaos and joined the diverse line of young hipsters, indie rockers, and some dedicated mature folks. A young girl with worn leather boots declared she was there to see "Surfer Blood;" an older woman in the media line said she was there for The Flaming Lips. Even though it would be hours before The Flaming Lips played, dedicated fans were arriving early. We made a short pit stop to get our hair primped by the glam squad at the Bed Head beauty station, then mingled our way outside to the patio and caught Guards. Their sound (a mix of indy-rock and pop) really caught our attention. It was a pleasant new discovery, the magic of any large music festival - finding an awesome band that you never heard of before and being swept off your feet. Shortly after being wooed by Guards, Surfer Blood took the stage. With their young fresh faces, the lead singer and band members reminded us of kids from high school. I just heard about Surfer Blood and was bummed to miss their sold-out show at Muddy Waters, so we were pleased to have a second chance to see them live at SXSW. Originally, it was the name that hooked me, but their sound kept us at The Belmont until their set was over. The Florida band just signed with Warner Bros. records and are on the brink of stardom. The lead singer John Paul Pitts made sure to not take himself too seriously and came out on stage with a painted on cat nose and whiskers. John-Paul dropped a scream that added a definite edge to their indy-rock vibe. Although we were dying to stay for The Flaming Lips, word was out on a secret Kid Cudi show. The rumor was true and the only way to get guaranteed access was through a new Myspace account and an RSVP, which we had attempted to try earlier in the day but didn't make it on the list because it was a first come first serve basis. Our impression was that Myspace is very serious about re-branding and staying focused on music to differentiate themselves in social media. We headed to the secret location, Austin's Coppertank Events Center an hour early to try to get in. We waited in line with our badges and were able to get ourselves into the show. The venue was perfect with enough space to walk around and dance, flat screens everywhere showing the action on stage and in the front row. Myspace sprung for an open bar all night long for those lucky enough to get in. Rapper and producer, Hit-Boy got the crowd going with his clique and boasted about signing Audio Push and claimed he only "messes with the best" after proclaiming he is “One of the coldest motherf**kers” and gave proof by spinning his top hits that he has produced including songs such as Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Ni--as in Paris," A$AP Rocky's "Goldie," Kanye West's "Cold," Kendrick Lamar's "Backseat Freestyle," and more. Cudi came out shortly after and played such hits as Man On The Moon, Marijuana, Day N Night, and Just What I Am. He intensified fan anticipation when he revealed his new album's special guests: A$AP Rocky, RZA, Kendrick Lamar, Hit-Boy, Haim, King Chip (who came out to perform alongside Cudi for "Just What I Am"), Too $hort and "mother f**king Michael Bolton" will all appear on his 18 song studio album due to be released on April 23. Shorty after Kid Cudi left the stage, Diplo came on set to close up the show. What a great way to end the night.

Written by Caterina Caligiuri and Helen Weaver More on The SB Independent

Guards jamming out, stoked to find out about this band

Daft Punk posters in the streets of Austin. LOVE THIS PIC! It's going in my portfolio!

SXSW Day 2:: Mr Toad's Wild Ride

Dead Prez closes their set with "It's Bigger Than Hip Hop"

The night started on what felt like Disneyland's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Our thick-calved pedi-driver (a former New York bicycle courier) weaved in and out of traffic, driving in circles cutting off cars in the middle of busy intersections. The turning radius on a pedi-cab is impressive. There are hundreds of music venues hosting SXSW events in downtown Austin so the trek from show to show can be a journey.

We quickly arrived at Antone's, a musky venue blasting hip-hop music. We catch Hopsin, with his albino contacts he's suited for a creepy sideshow or maybe a walk on role in The Walking Dead. He belts out angry tunes slamming Eazy-E's wife's record label, Ruthless Records for not promoting him enough and "almost making him homeless" before he found the independent label Funk Volume.

Next up at Antone's was the main event, New York's Dead Prez. Self proclaimed revolutionary hip hop. They had a soulful vibe and their song "The Beauty Within" was pure poetry. The crowd roared and moshed to their song "It's bigger than Hip Hop." The highlight of Dead Prez' show was when band member stic.man brought his young son, Hwela Ibomu, onstage to play guitar riff covers of Marilyn Manson's version of "Sweet Dreams" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Our next pedi-cab driver was able to exercize a little more restraint on the road, dropping us off safe and sound at Mohawk sponsored by House of Vans. We were disappointed to discover we had just missed Iggy Pop and the Stooges, FAIL.

Sky Ferreira was setting up. Sky (a 20 year old pop singer-model-actress who can claim the late Michael Jackson as one of her mentors) was having an off night. She cried into the microphone between songs about her messing up lyrics and her voice being out, and was stumbling around stage. Halfway through her set, she burst into tears and abruptly exited the stage.

Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang fame picked up the slack and had the place in a riot. He played all of the Wu-Tang favorites including my personal favorite Gravel Pit and loads more. Fans from all over were pleased, his place in hip-hop history was made clear to me that night. Wu-Tang fans really are dedicated. After a classic SXSW night, we headed home around 3:30am, still buzzing from the excitement of one of the largest music festival in The States.

By Helen Weaver & Caterina Caligiuri

You can also check it out on The Santa Barbara Independent here

Ghostface Killah and Sheek Louch from The Lox

xoxo

SXSW Day 1:: Touch Down Austin

SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas was quite an experience considering I had never been to Texas before. I wanted to share my blog posts that made it onto The Santa Barbara Independentlast week. I will be re-posting all five days from my trip and I hope that you enjoy the stories and photos.

SXSW Day 1:: Touch Down Austin

Nervous and excited we sit at our terminal in Phoenix on a connection flight to Austin, TX. A thin scruffy boy with long hair approaches. "I like your hat, do you surf?" I realize I'm wearing the "Surf Happens" hat recently acquired at the Annual Rincon Classic Surf Competition. Turns out, our long hair surfer friend is from Hawaii and in the band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, a rock group based out of California. They're playing SXSW music festival and invite us to their show. We are quick to find out that they are sponsored by Sanuk, a surf brand recently acquired by Santa Barbara's Decker's Corporation. We're making friends and connections before we even set foot in Austin. This is the magic of SXSW.

It's Tuesday, the first day of the music portion of the festival and the city is all a buzz. We call for a cab, but unfortunately there is a two hour wait; thank goodness we have some friends who are able to pick us up and escort us downtown. Earlier in the day, the festival welcomed an interview with Electronic powerhouse Deadmau5, who put on one of the best shows we've seen recently at the SB Bowl. The streets are warm and filled with hipsters and other characters who fulfill Austin's creed of "Keeping Austin Weird."

We arrived late in the evening with empty bellies. The many food trucks lining the streets of Austin are too tempting to bare. BBQ, Korean, Italian, Chinese, Greek, we have endless options. We're in Texas- we opt for BBQ. After having our fill of savory pulled pork, we hit the streets taking in the sights, sounds, and the best people watching since Summer Solstice.

A quick look at our SXSW mobile app & lines wrapping around the block tells us the buzz is on up and coming New York rapper, Action Bronson. Since we arrived in Austin after the press center had closed for the day, we were unable to obtain our passes and were denied entry to The Belmont where Bronson was playing. We rerouted to 6th street, the epicenter of music in Austin, which has been closed to traffic making a wide path for pedestrians and festival attendees. Street performers litter the streets, and live music wafts from every doorway. There is culture, entertainment, fashion and smiles in all directions. We end up at Karma Lounge and dance the night away to Redsean, a house DJ based out of Dallas.

Jet-lagged and weary, we drag ourselves back to our downtown rental. Day one of our SXSW adventure has come to a close.

By Helen Weaver and Caterina Caligiuri

Also featured on The Santa Barbara Independent

Yummy food trucks all around. This one had BBQ! What could be better in Texas?

Next level fashion all over the streets...

xoxox

Rincon Classic 2013

This year the Santa Barbara community was blessed to have great weather and waves for the annual locals only Rincon Classic presented by Surf Happens, Quicksilver, and Channel Islands Surfboards. This event is truly one of my favorite surf contests of the year because all of my friends are in the competition, the beach is hot in the dead of winter, and we all get to enjoy each others company in the spirit of surfing Rincon.

Here are some of my pics from the event... check out more of mine on Surfline

Please make sure to give me photo credit if you repost :)

Brandon Smith charging his heat in his speedo, a lost bet earlier in the year

The boys about to go out for their heat at the top of The Cove

The girls came down to hang! I was stoked!

Surf and Wear's Beachhouse owner Roger Nance winning the Lifetime Achievement award

Kyle Ennis of Neff and his buddies from Quicksilver

Bobby, Lambert, and Jake kickin it pre heats

my hommie Jesse Smith coming down to support his cousins and friends in the contest

Ventura crew in full force! Stoked to see our buddies!

Jenny Keets, the woman behind the scenes of the whole event

myself getting some relief out of the sun

Demi Boelsterli on her way to crush her heat

Chris from Sundance Beach and Andrew reppin from Arbor Skateboards

Cole Vern owning at in the longboard final

Da Boys at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

Oliver Parker winning the CI board in the raffle

1st place winner Conner Coffin and his bro Parker

Pro Final winners Kilian, Matt, Pete, and Conner

Until next year! xoxo

Visions of Coleco

SXSW

Hey Everyone! I am out at SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas blogging for Santa Barbara's The Independent and have lots of posts to catch up on. I will be home next week and will have everything updated with coverage on the Rincon Classic surf competition, the fundraiser/ party we had at The Brewhouse in SB for Kilian to raise money, SXSW and much more!

In the meantime, catch up on what my friend Helen and I are doing in Texas over at the Indy

Day 1

Day 2

more to come!

xoxox

Breaking Compositon Rules

Photography is something I have been wanting to learn for some time now and I feel so blessed to finally understand it- absorbing all the technical information that corresponds. It has taken me 6 weeks to comprehend the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO and how they effect the exposure of the image but I am really starting to get it... finally! I took this photo of a succulent in my yard and I am really pleased with how it came out so I thought I would share it.

Is there a subject or skill set you have been wanting to learn?

Don't put it off anymore, the rewards are so gratifying! xo