Fwends

Impossibly chic Burlingtonians Maddie Webber and Jordyn Rigby chronicle their adventures in friendship with a brief but darling photo shoot.

A banana makes a cameo appearance.

Home Sweet Home

Photograph by Claire Webber

Her beautiful maritime neighbourhood

So You Think You Can SNAP?

Think you have what it takes to rule the roost?  

The Polaroid roost, that is...

Preeeesenting 

Romance In The Dressing Room's first ever contest:

PolaRAD

We're on the prowl for the very best in Polaroid (or Poseroid, at least) photography.  

Send in your very best to anniewebber@hotmail.com

Brownie points for those who have already converted theirs with the Poladroid application mentioned a few dozen posts back.

All contributions will be posted at one point or another, and the winning photographer will receive a mystery prize pack to end all m

ystery prize packs.

Mystery prize pack will be featured on the blog at a later date (for legitimacy, obviously).

Photographs must be original works.

Judging will be based on creativity, artistic merit, and general coolness.

Good Luck!

Shake It

Just Can't Get Enough Of Those Blooms!

Shake It

Today's Polaroid chosen for you by Madeline F Webber

Ah, l'amour!

Happy Valentine's Day, all you lovely little things.

Today's your day for late breakfasts in bed, warm cups of Early Grey tea and a box of chocolates, a stroll through the park and a night of cupid-induced tomfoolery.  Whether you're being wooed or are the woo-er yourself, spend your February 14th celebrating yourself and the people you love.

Valentine's Day To-Dos

1. Bust out the liquid glue and glitter and get crafty.  Everyone loves a little je-ne-sais-quoi in the mailbox, and all it takes is three little words to brighten their day!
2. Flick on a flick - there is quite literally no end to the cinema that revolves around racing hearts, lost loves and happily-ever-afters (not to mention a great deal of dry, biting anti-love fodder for the Valentine's-Day-is-just-another-reminder-of-my-singlehood-boo-hoo-hoo crowd)
3. Pump up the jams - Nothing like a little love song, whether you're being serenaded by your bf (lucky girl! [or boy!]) or Frank Sinatra.
4. Dance like a fool - you don't even have to go out for this.  Plug a set of speakers into your laptop and refer back to #3 if your credit card doesn't stretch across town in a cab to a club.
5. Play dress-up - Gettin' all dolled up is the name of the game (and the name of this blog...) whether it's a little pink frock for the dance floor or a set of sultry skivvies for... well, for wherever it is you choose to prance around skantily-clad.  Just try and keep this mystery location candlelit and private, for the benefit of all parties involved (and more importantly, all parties uninvolved).
6. Host a bash - Do up the holidays Suite 101-style with a black tie affair complete with valentine mailbags, spin the bottle and a non-stop dance party.

February 14th Dress and Decorum

• There is really only one rule when it comes to dressing for Valentine's Day.  Wear. Red. Or. Pink.  You have absolutely no excuse not to, and they are universally flattering colours.
• Take advantage of the hype!  Spend an extra hour or two on your routine and pamper yourself!  We're talking extra creamy body washes, lovely lovely scents (think floral and pretty), a little powder for an extra-soft finish, etc etc etc.  Linger over your makeup, add a little shimmer and a lot of blush: tonight's a girly, girly evening indeed.  Here's one lovely V-day look:

Skin: moisturize like crazy, but work a little foundation in, too, for a light, fresh glow.  Touch up any problem areas with a little concealer and sweep your whole face with translucent powder to set it.  Brush on a light pink blush and highlight your cheekbones with a dusting of shimmer just above.

Eyes: Sweep a very shimmery shadow over your whole lid, from lashline to brow, then work your blush into the crease of your eye.  Add a dash of liner to the outer rims, cat-eye style.  Extend your liner-stroke up and out a little for added drama.  Stick on some false lashes if you're being a glamour-puss, otherwise give your real lashes a few good swipes of dark, dark, dark mascara.  [Trick! Wipe of any excess mascara on a tissue before applying, this gives you a flawless finish- sans goopy gross clumps]

Lips: Minimal!  Minimal!  You've got a sweetly dark eye going on at this point, don't turn into a clown-face by going nuts with lipstick.  If you're really jonesin' for a dark tint, go back a few steps and omit the liner and falsies.  Otherwise, we're staying light and pretty with a peachy gloss.

Once over: Groom your brows with a brow brush, check for smudges, whip your hair up into a non-chalant (but highly-polished and groomed) ponytail and headband combo.

Look at you, princess!

However you choose to spend this much-anticipated (and in some cases, much-dreaded) day, make sure you don't get too mopey.  It's just another day in the life.

The "You-did-not-just-put-that-song-on-don't-toy-with-my-emotions" Playlist

1. Ella Fitzgerald I've Got A Crush On You
2. Nat King Cole Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
3. Elvis Presley Love Me Tender
4. The Beatles When I'm Sixty-Four
5. The Zombies The Way I Feel Inside

Be smitten!

Shake It

Babygurrrrl

Simply lovely, it's Mallory Paige Webber, Baby-About-Town and Reigning Staring Contest Champ.

Photographs by Christopher Webber.

The "Lazy-Days-At-Home-With-Baby" Playlist

1. Jack Johnson Banana Pancakes
2. Sarah Harmer Basement Apartment
3. The Beatles Golden Slumbers
4. The White Stripes Cause and Effect
5. Joe Dassin Champs Elysee

Shake It

All That Glitters...

From Marathon, Ontario, Katimavik participants Gabrielle Ranger, Ali Columbus and Kara Loo strike gold in a brand-spankin'-new series of well-dressed gals caught on camera, 

"Fashion Fades- Take A Picture"

The gang

Photography by Gabrielle Ranger

From Langley, With Love

Models, stylists and photographers to boot, roommates Jayne Siwik and Carli Alexander take a hopelessly stylish study break.

The "Blue-Steel" Playlist

1. The Ting Tings That's Not My Name
2. The Arctic Monkeys I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
3. The Temptations Ain't Too Proud To Beg
4. The Beatles Mean Mr. Mustard
5. The Virgins Rich Girls

Shake It

To Do, To Do!

Don't stress- make lists, instead!

If you catch yourself falling behind or just a feel a little less than organized, pull out a notepad or create a new word document- it's time to make a To-Do list.

Whether you plan on ticking your agenda items off one by one or posting a list of lofty thoughts for simple motivation, write what you feel.

Top Five List Ideas

1. Favourite Outfits - brought to you by Madeline F Webber - when you like what you see in the mirror, jot your outfit details down and tape the note to your closet door for the next time you're having a clothes-crisis
2. Future Destinations - you don't have to see them all before you die or anything quite so melodramatic, but putting a thought or two towards where you're headed is a good idea.
3. Letter List - all those folks you owe a lovely little bit of snail mail
4. Tastes to Try - be it a list of restaurants for all you money-bags-misses, a list of meals to prepare for the kitchen-savvy, or even a list of PopTart flavours for the toaster-happy among us.
5. Mistakes - if you don't remember them, how do you expect to avoid them in the future?  Log what you learn.
   

Shake It

The "Hit-The-Snooze-Five-Times-But-Got-To-Class-Any/Somehow" Playlist

A couple of tunes to help you on your way to la-la-land.

Photography by Chris Taylor

1. Iron and Wine Love and Some Verses
2. Bruno Coulais La Nuit
3. Alexis Weissenberg Suite Bergmanesque - 3
4. Carla Bruni Quelqu'un M'a Dit
5. Cary Brothers Blue Eyes

Rule The Roost

The first of a new series: Shake It - your daily dose of instant photographs.

They Do It Better In The Maritimes

With the fall term behind her and nothing but time on her hands this Exam Break, Romance Correspondent Maddie Webber takes to the skies for a sisterly visit to the East Coast.  Take a look at her photographs and travel tips.

All photographs by Madeline F Webber, taking a break from the black-and-white norm, since these colours are too good to resist.

Tip # 1

If you're a little timid to fly by yourself, don't be.  That is simply the only way to put it.  There are to-ooons of people who are more than happy to help you find your way, or answer your questions- that's what they're there for!

Tip # 2

Don't bring packaged foods onto the plane.  This is the mistake I made.  I figured that I'd be really hungry during the two-hour plane ride, so I bought a bag of SmartFood, unbeknownst to me that the air pressure changes as altitude changes.  So since the smart food wasn't vacuum-packed, it almost burst by the time I pulled it out of my bag.  Luckily, I had a marker to pop the bag open.  Unluckily, it sounded like a gun shot... on a plane.

Tip # 3

Bring your camera!  You don't have to be a good photographer to take a good picture on a plane.  The skies are so beautiful and the views are surreal.

Tip # 4

Pack more than you need.  Although this may contradict everything everybody else has said about packing light, I think it's more important to have more than you need.  Especially if you have an unexpected flight cancellation.

App Happy

The impossible-t0-find-in-the-first-place film cartridges may cost more than it does to feed and sustain a single individual, but Polaroid-lovers, pinch pennies no longer!  The Internet has swooped in once more to rescue the poor and lowly; introducing Poladroid, an application that turns your boring old point-and-shoot 'pics' into those hopelessly classic photographs of days gone by.

But don't think it's all peaches and cream now that your Polaroid camera is on your desktop, you've still got to wait for those babies to develop, and don't even think about more than ten shots at once- when you've used up your cartridge you have to close the program and relaunch it.  Also, contrary to the catchy but perhaps not the wisest words of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, do not shake it like a Polaroid picture.  In real life, this often releases chemicals into the photograph and spoils the whole thing.  In the cyber world, you're just being plain old ridiculous.

Click Here To Load The App