opal

black lace in winter

2010-01-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

I have been so absent! I have so many ideas, yet not enough time to see them through- but today I was lucky enough to use a gorgeous winter day to my advantage. I have been loving black lace lately and wanted to do something with it for opal, so I finally got my chance. I used the Ophelia skirt in Noir and paired it with a pretty black lace parasol and some silk and lace flowerettes that I made. Mia made my perfect subject with her newly black hair. (she begged!) I had spied this open field on "old farm road" while running a while back and I'm glad I got the chance to shoot it while it was still all silver and wintery. I still have more ideas and I'll see if I can get to them before spring! I have a lot of catching up to do! Here's our shoot and some behind the scenes shots too-

Here's our location-

We drove Daddy's truck

Opal in the Netherlands

2009-11-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a blog entry from Josan de Ridder of Good Girls Company in the Netherlands. I am excited to have people there enjoying Opal Petit Clothier because I love the children's clothing that comes from that part of the world. Thank you Josan!

Opal Petit Clothier in Elan Magazine!

2009-11-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Opal has received it's first press! You can see it here at Elan Magazine. Thank you so much to Darci Hansen, Elan Magazine's publisher. She is so driven. Not only does she publish this gorgeous women's magazine bi-monthly, but she also devotes her time an energy to women in need. She is currently working on a project for women of fallen war veterans. Truly amazing. I am so happy to be included in her gorgeous magazine and hope to work with her again in the future!

"Mia" tulle skirt by Tina Wilson

2009-11-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

Tina Wilson is an AMAZING photographer who has recently shot some of the Opal Pieces. She just sent me some of them, so I am posting them for everyone to enjoy. They are gorgeous!!!

Mia Tulle Skirt Winner!

2009-11-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

We have a winner!! Kristina, one of our followers, has been drawn as the "Mia" tulle skirt winner. She gets to choose the color and size of the skirt, and hopefully, she will share with us some photos! I am so grateful for everyone who has signed up as a follower! And just to let everyone know- You still have more chances to win more Opal gems! I am giving away another gorgeous skirt December 1st. Just in time for the Holidays! It will be the "Ophelia" skirt and it comes in Ivoire and Noir. I'll post more on that in the next week! But for now, here is an Ophelia skirt photo.

New bloomers, halter top and clothing labels!

2009-10-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

We decided to add some cute little bloomers underneath the Mia tulle skirt for toddlers. They are so cute, I can't wait to photograph them on a cute little girl. This one is on it's way out the door, but I managed to get a few still shots. We also added this halter top to go with any of the skirts and it's made to match. This one is in a Gris/Blue dupioni silk. It is gorgeous! We haven't even named them yet and I'm going to have to start asking for help with that as I am running out of names!

family

2009-09-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

This family photo shoot looks so calm and serene- but no! What was going on before and during this shoot was anything but calm. I'm always reminded when we do this just what our clients go through to get a whole family ready for the shoot! This first shot is a nice final but there are plenty of out-takes because of our dog- Windsor Grey. He was making my kids die laughing as he ran around digging right in front of us. So naughty! You can't see very much of it, but Mia is wearing the Opal "Mia" tutu in sand with the silk peasant blouse.

Opal Petit Clothier by Tina Wilson

2009-09-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

I love to see other peoples interpretations of Opal. I am a photography junkie and I love to peruse other photographers sites. It's so inspiring! This photo is by Tina Wilson Photography and it is gorgeous! She is on the east coast and has a fabulous photography business there. I can't wait to see more, but I couldn't wait to post this one as it is her favorite so there may be more to come.....

"Mia's room" starring her white rabbit

2009-09-21T21:54:00.001-07:00

Mia and I did a photo shoot last spring that was meant to be with her new Silver Cross doll's pram, but it turned out to be a shoot starring "Snowbell". That is her white rabbit. The real star of the show now for about 5 years. Snowbell has had numerous repairs to the seams in her fur and even had a homemade red heart added during one of the surgeries. Our goal is "Real", like the velveteen rabbit. Anyway, I posted this because her bedding is all from Papillon Linens, whose owner is a wonderful friend. I'm getting ready to use her amazing linens in my bedroom soon!

perfect model

2009-09-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is my niece, Mya. She's so beautiful inside and out. And she's such a trooper! When we shot this a crazy storm blew in as we were driving to the location. It went from nice sunny weather to nearly freezing rain! She completely braved the storm and was shivering, but still wanted to help make lovely pictures in the sand dunes. We trudged our way up the dunes and about 10 minutes into the shoot, the sun broke through and gave us perfect light! And temperature!

future gowns inspired

2009-09-17T15:23:00.001-07:00

Sometimes and image is so perfect as it is that it can't be improved upon. Sometimes an image inspires you to do something similar. Sometimes and image sparks an idea that is completely different. I usually get an overall concept for a photo shoot or a dress design from about 20 different things I've seen somewhere.(plus of course life experiences!) This is why I love the internet! Ideas move and shape and form so quickly! It's creativity on high speed. So inspiring! I feel a photo shoot coming up soon...

opal petit clothier and the silver gates

2009-09-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

So one of the shoots we did this summer was during a roadtrip to drop off my son at summer camp. I'd never passed through this town before and I brought along some Opal clothing just in case we found a great location. Well, we definitely did, however, it was full sun overhead. The worst time of day to shoot. We still got some beautiful images, but I'd like to try this location again on some late afternoon.... This is the Andelin skirt with the Isabel corset top.

Here is the location with the gates from a distance. So happy we stumbled upon them!

Getting ready for the shoot. In the car, of course! People must wonder what exactly it is that we're doing dressing in cars and styling hair by the trunk!

Mia loved pretending that these were the gates to her house!

Opal's pink tulle skirt starring Lyla

2009-09-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

We did another impromtu photo shoot last week. Lyla was in town visiting and this age only happens once! She was the perfect model for the "Mia" tutu. This little white barn is in downtown Santa Clara and we have shot there many times. I always love the images from this gorgeous little building. And who can resist Lyla?

Ophelia en Noir

2009-09-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here is our most recent opal shoot. Mia had a hard time getting excited for the shoot until Kayla, the horse, volunteered to help out. There were issues with such things as hairstyle, and the fact that the boys were having way more fun catching crawdads. Her face completely lit up when the horse got involved! These were taken on my in-laws property in Southern Washington. It is so amazing there, I could shoot the whole line in one week with unlimited locations! Maybe someday......The skirt is the "Ophelia" bustle skirt with matching corset top and a silvery silk peasant blouse.

Beauty Found

2009-09-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

On our friends 200 acre farm in rural Oregon. Breathtaking..... These pictures were taken while on a little stroll down the lane. Not hard to find beauty here. My favorite image is the one with my son Ryder's dirty hands. His favorite part of the walk? The stick he found and played with for an hour and a half!

Ophelia

2009-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is the new Ophelia skirt. I photographed it as soon as we arrived on our dear friends rural Oregon farm. We had been in the car for hours and as soon as I saw the spectacular view and the amazing light, I wanted to try and catch it. Mia was as taken by the serenely beautiful setting as I was and amazingly agreed to model it. We dressed her in 5 minutes flat and I threw her hair into a tousled loose bun. Voila! The setting was as perfect as a rennaissance painting, just what I had envisioned for the Ophelia skirt. 15 minutes later we were finished, just catching the last light. I actually have one more photo shoot in mind, but this one is a good start.

Beauty Found

2009-08-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

I am going to start posting photos of everyday things are inspirational and beautiful. I find beauty in an almost startling way at least once a day. Today there are a lot of them. I took them from the car as we were driving to the beach in SouthWestern Washington. It was not hard to find beauty there and these photos almost look like paintings. Next post will have new Opal photoshoots taken during our gorgeous trip. The road trip was long with 3 kids in the car, but so worth it for the fun and memories!

smitten!

2009-07-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

I have to say that when I found out that people had been blogging about Opal, I was completely flattered! I was so excited that Bootsie King had declared she was "Smitten with Opal". I was also happy to get feedback on the music. It's nice to have people notice the smallest parts. It's the details that matter!

Karen Sanders also gave us accolades on her gorgeous blog- Cavania. Cavania is a treat for the eyes. She's beautifully creative. She has the most unique cards all available to purchase and I love looking at all the things that inspire her.

My good friend, Leigh Chandler, also recently blogged about Opal. She is not only an inspiration to me with all of her creativity, but also personally. She is confidant and amazingly talented and I am proud to even know her. Take a look at all of her talents at Papillon Linens.

Lastly, I'll add a little bit of inspiration I found on the The Cherry Blossom Girl. I love her! It is the theme for the next Opal Petit Clothier shoot. I can't wait! (plus I want the shoes, but first I need a place to wear them!) Also, I'm including a shot of the hair I'm going for. I had a version of it in my head but actually found it in a photo shoot in W Magazine when I was getting my hair done ( beauty is everywhere...) It was a shoot by Craig McDean with hair by Eugene Souleiman. It will all be amazing on my little muses! Oh yes, and keep tuned in for an upcoming "Mia" tulle skirt giveaway!

sweeter than candy

2009-06-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

For this photo shoot, we decided to make an old printers shop look like our clothier. (I wish it really was!) With our little model getting fitted by our seamstress, wearing a gorgeous gown and a candy necklace. Her choice. After I got permission from the printer, we stopped at a little downtown candy shop and got megan her candy necklaces. She was so excited to get them! Isn't it funny how life changes? She is tiny, but her payment for being my little model was only a candy necklace! That's all she wanted from an entire candy shop! I picked up a lollipop too just to carry on the candy theme that she had now created and it turned out really cute. After the shoot, as we headed home, it took her about 5 minutes to fall fast asleep!

Inspiration

2009-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you get inspiration from the most interesting things. We went to an art exhibit, put on by Authentique Gallery, at the beautiful new Town Hall in Santa Clara last week. I saw Marty Ricks and some of his new paintings. One in particular caught my eye of a tree lined drive. I thought it would make the greatest location for Opal. While we were looking at all of the beautiful paintings on display, Julie Rogers was painting a little girl. Her paint pallet was gorgeous, so I photographed it as well. The paint actually looks like a landscape itself. I also discovered a new artist that I loved, Steven Lee Adams. Anyway, here are some images and I'm so excited to have discovered the tree lined drive! I've also included some other paintings that have always inspired me for Opal.

Marty Ricks

Steven Lee Adams

Ophelia, by John William Waterhouse

The Lady of Shalott, by J.W. Waterhouse

Julie Rogers at work

William Adolphe Bouguereau

The pool shoot

2009-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since my first post and a lot has been going on! I have been on the hunt for a clothing manufacturer that can produce the type of clothing we design here at opal. It's very detailed and needs special attention. Also, we aren't doing a high volume at this point so I need someone who can accomodate a smaller run now and grow with us. It's scary and all new to me. My good friend Leigh Chandler at Papillon Linens has been such an amazing mentor and is helping me on the search. Take a look at her exquisite linens when you have a chance. They are gorgeous. I met her originally because I was drawn to her bedding at a trade show and we became fast friends. I love being around creative people!

I am posting some images today of another opal shoot we just did. I'm including some of the outakes. We shot these images in our empty black-bottom pool. We emptied it for cleaning and my husband suggested I use it for photos before he re-filled it...the next day! I can pull a shoot together in no time flat (I think that's when I'm most creative!) and I always have more articles of new clothing to shoot! I called my models and we were shooting in 30 minutes! Whenever I shot Alyssa, Megan tried to sit by her and at one point our dog, Windsor, was running around in the pool too! Megan was mesmerized the entire time by kites in the sky behind our house. It gave her something to gaze at and filled her gorgeous eyes with the perfect reflected light! If you can imagine, we had my two youngest children, our two models, the dog, myself, my husband and probably another friend or two all in and around our little pool. It was so fun, I LOVE doing this!

Looking at the kites!

Still gazing at kites.....

Sitting by Alyssa while I was shooting Alyssa!

There's a big grey dog in my shot!

They match with their taupe outfits!

A striking pair...

first post

2009-04-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Here we go~ I am excited and kind of nervous about this post. I am excited to show what is going on behind the scenes, but I don't want to be boring either! I am going to just put it all out there and see if anyone is listening. I love photography of all things around me so I'll start with photos and see what else may come. This first entry will be photos from our first shoot. We took a spring break trip to Oceanside, California, where my family has been vacationing for 25 years. It was so fun! We discovered two new places to eat and I'm already wanting to go back! We have so many memories there. On the way there we love to stop and get avocados and oranges on highway 76.

My kids have been shooting with me since they were born, so they are some of my best models. Mia was the perfect "opal" girl, dancing in the waves on the sand. The photos are really beautiful, but I am including some of the "before's". Every shoot involves styling, pinning, hair, makeup (chapped lips!), and some complaining. This shoot also including a storm rolling in, a race against the sun, and lots of sand. Oh, and I can't forget Ryder on the beach with his scooter unconsiously appearing in the background of the shots!!! Next post will be some of the images from the opal shoot on the beach.

cute little flower stand on Hwy 76

where we get avocado's and oranges

Mia and Ryder tasting citrus samples

My family on the Oceanside Pier. Windy that day!

Cute!

They're always intriguing, but they never work!

Me eating hazelnut chocolate gelato outside our new favorite place, the Pier View Coffee Co.

Ryder waiting for the rain to stop....

Watching cartoons at the beach??? Still waiting for the rain to stop. Mia and her bunny look sleepy now, but later this same day she will trasform into a lovely beach girl for opal.

Case on the pier

Mia and Daddy people watching.

Dresses for the photo shoot waiting in the back of the car.

here are some of the images from the beach shoot

2009-04-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Notice Ryder in the background with his scooter!