Just about one month ago now I had the great pleasure of working with the fledgling company Heart Of Gold. From the mind and hands of Heather Wells and Gillian Chadwick come some of the best headwear I have seen in ages. They specialize in exquisitely curated vintage and precious materials, designed in modern romantic pieces that are genuinely heirloom quality. They believe that the crown should be as real as the queen wearing it, and that each piece should hold its value through generations, as well as being able to be worn to other events if desired.  Working with these women and my amazing crew of models(Lindsay, Courtney, Sam, Hannah, and Gillian) and my trusted beauty expert Nikki Basset, it was a day of sheer magic. 

  Here are just a handfull of some of the images from my time with these ladies.  

The official music video for “The 7 and 6” by Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores from the album Sister Death, released by Cuneiform Records.

Starring Samantha Derendal and Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores
Written and Directed by Courtney Brooke Hall
Camera - Alec K. Redfearn and Courtney Brooke Hall
Edited by Alec K. Redfearn
Wardrobe, Props and Design by Courtney Brooke Hall
Makeup by Nichole Bassette
Production Assistant - Gillian Chadwick

Sister Death is available for purchase on:
AMAZON (digital & physical): amzn.com/B008M2754M

 I want to apologize for being such a bad blogger, I have, you could say, been hibernating. It just gets too easy to use intstagram and not get out an actual camera.  I am going to make an effort to be better. I promise. 

   It’s been too long since I shot black and white, I don’t know about you but my first soirée with photography was with an old 35mm canon and black & white film.  Learning how to see the world in shadows, light, shapes, and depth, a world free from the burden of color. I spent so many years in this world. Letting my hands dry and crack from too many hours spent in the dark room. I was long over due to revisit this world.  

  I treaded pretty lightly back into black and white, and shot something I seem to always go back to for the lack of a model on hand, self portraits. Yesterday I had planned on shooting a scene inspired by a Waterhouse painting, and although some shots worked I think I am going to have to revisit it when the weather is not so cold.  I got myself back together and went with a less set heavy theme. I threw on a heavier velvet dress and grabbed an old lace curtain as a coat. The “crown’ as I am sure you have seen before I made back in the fall out of christmas ornaments.  As I headed out the door the snow started and made for a perfect setting for a snow queen. 

I intend to come back to this theme, once the weather does not freeze my fingers and toes. 

Recently I have been feeling so much love from you all that I wanted to give back. So I decided to do a print giveaway.

Just leave a comment, “like” on facebook & “Share” this photo on your Facebook wall, and you will be entered to win a 5x7 Print of your choice.

Two winners will be randomly selected on March 5th

Thank you for your support, and good luck!

Depending on the amount of entries more winners may be chosen so be sure to share with your friends.

Experiments

Ladies: Kaitlin Resler, Nichole Bassette, Jessica Storozuk, Emily Theobald, Alley O’Sea, Gillian Chadwick

Back in the heat of summer the ladies over at For Strange Women sent me a little care package.  It was three little samples of their scents.  They included little cards of each scent with eloquent descriptions of each one and the major notes of the scent.  Little photo cards and even a little match booked spilled out on to my table and in a little brown box lay, Decadence & Debauchery, November in the Temperate Deciduous Forest, and Coyote. Three scents that seemed to be the embodiment of my soul. 

The first scent I explored was November in the Temperate Deciduous Forest. My birth month and my home explained with a fragrant preciseness.  I was taken instantly to my favorite grove of birch trees on the mountain side, the air was whipping through my hair. It was as if smelling it had rushed me back into my bedroom under layers of blankets as the mist and frost of the morning coat the windows as someone is brewing tea on the stove to gently lure me from a grey morning in bed. Delicate and strong, like an archer or the pine covered in snow. 

My eyes were closed as I carefully slid open the container of Decadence & Debauchery. As the bottles scent made it’s way up into the air, I was swirling in it’s ambrosial lushness. The room was suddenly candle lit, with a heavy air, the texture was that of velvet and silks. I could have easily been transported to a room in the 18th century sitting with Louis and Claudia while we wait to dine on the blood of some poor soul.  This scent has a lust to it, a mystery and darkness, it’s a feeling I crave almost every waking hour of my life. 

The last scent to crawl inside my mind was Coyote. A beast that here in the woods I am all too familiar with. As I opened the bottle and closed my eyes I was on the dark winter path over the mountain, it was dusk. The pine trees looming and quaking, covered in glistening  frost of February.  I can smell the wood smoke off in the distance, a sign I was not far from home.  Like so many walks before I can sense a wild spirit in the rushes and laurels, stirring.  I can smell them, I can sense them, but only catch their eyes when the moon shifts. Just as soon as I was gone I was back again, glad to be inside. Coyote is strong and masculine, it weaves and plays with your senses. I want to rest my head on the chest of a tall dark handsome man wearing this on a cold dark winter night. 

  I can only imagine what the full catalog of these magical scents must be like but these three certainly are among my favorites in my perfume shelf.  I am currently coveting the new Black Forest Amulets in their shop and am sincerely hoping that the Cerimonial Solstice piece will be mine some day. (wink wink, my birthday is Nov29th)

          Be sure to check them out for your self. http://www.forstrangewomen.com/

So I honestly can not remember the last time I did an outfit post over here. It was probably some time back in the early summer. It’s just that, well with most things, life gets busy in those warm months, beach adventures, flea markets, art projects and photo shoots, seem to take over and the time to take photos of my outfits is just not there. I am also going to let you know that for most of the summer I wear pretty much a uniform of black shorts and a striped tee, and these posts would get pretty boring after awhile. Long story, short, I think I am going to get back into the swing of this. 

  As you can see in that photo, autumn is here, and in full swing around these parts. The whole world around me is colored in yellows, orange and red. The smell on the air is that of crunchy leave, pumpkins, and crisp cool new england air. I am going to, incase I have not siad so before, mention that  autumn is my favorite time of year. It’s a time of warm sweaters, layers, wool, cozy knee socks, and shoes best fitted for walking. 

 It’s a pretty simple outfit that I threw on after my part time job, slinging  hash at the local cafe. It’s an outfit I am all too familiar with, from my days spent in a private school, getting detention for not pulling up my socks. I mostly just wanted to wear my favorite white cable knit, now that it’s cold enough, It’s irish wool and and the perfect size on me. The rust color skirt I just picked up at a local flea market and this is it’s first wear. It’s a lined wool and it fits like a glove. The shirt underneath is also rather new to me, it has this adorable dutch print in rust, navy and brick, that screams fall. Knee socks have been a staple these days, and I found these ones at target a while back and they are the best ones I have had in along time. Normally I wear my Eastlands all summer long and retire them for fall and winter, but I am just not ready to turn them in yet, they are the shoes of my youth, and I think just like they did in 3rd grade, they look great with knee socks. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost six years since my last venture north to Salem New Hampshire. In a little New England in southern New Hampshire,just an hour or so away from the more well known Salem MA, is the home of America’s Stonehenge.  They have the site dated as being about 4000 years old and they frankly have no clue who build the structures, which include a set of both solar and lunar markers, tunnel like homes, and a sacrificial table.  Maybe it was the native people, maybe it was lost druids. The vote is still out. Either way it’s a great day trip for those of you in New England, especially with all these pretty fall leaves around.  It the majestic forest and archeological artifacts don’t woo you the alpacas that they have the visitor center might just be the icing on the cake. If you make it out let me know what you thought. I hope to make it back before another six years passes over the stones. Until then here are some shots of a summer adventure there with Jess and Greg.

The end of summer seems to have snuck up on me, knocked me over and trampled me under foot. In other words I have been so busy. I am, mark my words, going to make a better effort to up date this space more often. I think my camera is done being broken, which is part of why we haven’t spoken in a while.  In the mean time I have to drop off rolls and rolls of film from the last month. 

    Things have been busy here, I have a new car, a new part time job and I have been spending my weekends going to fall fairs and on hikes to magical places covered in moss and teaming with water falls(there is proof on my Instagram).  More updates on all this soon. Miss you all. 

The summer is fading and it’s time to gear up for crisp fall air, apple picking and school.  It’s also time to make room for new goodies in the shop so until Aug 27th everything in the shop is 20% off with code “class” at check out. I even put some fall time favorites on the front page of the shop for inspiration. 

irongall:

I can’t stop laughing

clearly whoever wrote this dream sequence is a Tumblr user

nevver:

Roberto Ferri

thehystericalsociety:

1915 (Via)

jahoctopus:

Pat Brassington

thehystericalsociety:

Boogeymen - part of a series of eerie stereoviews - dated 1923 (Via)

thecourtneybrooke:

The official music video for “The 7 and 6” by Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores from the album Sister Death, released by Cuneiform Records.

Starring Samantha Derendal and Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores
Written and Directed by Courtney Brooke Hall
Camera - Alec K. Redfearn and Courtney Brooke Hall
Edited by Alec K. Redfearn
Wardrobe, Props and Design by Courtney Brooke Hall
Makeup by Nichole Bassette
Production Assistant - Gillian Chadwick

Sister Death is available for purchase on:
AMAZON (digital & physical): amzn.com/B008M2754M

cookiecarnival:

Silly Symphony - King Neptune (1932)

Twin Sister - Kimmi in a Rice Field (by DominoRecords)

stayven-carnivale:

Photographer: Nicol Vizoli

madeleineofthespirits:

Eliot Lee Hazel

Le Blonde - Sisters of the Moon (by Kim Yevdasyev)

BEACH HOUSE - “WISHES” - Directed by ERIC WAREHEIM (Official Video) - PLEASE SET TO 1080p!!! (by BeachHouseVideoZone)