Showing posts with label Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pictures. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

#WordlessWednesday - Devoe Park #Bronx New York - Polar Vortex anyone? {#Photo}














Bloggers feel free to post a link to your Wordless Wednesday Photos as a comment, no giveaways please!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post

Thursday, January 30, 2014

#ThrowbackThursday - My Great-Grandmother! {#Photo} #TBT


































This is my maternal Great-Grandmother. She is part of the reason I started Ascending Butterfly. When she moved here she greatly missed home and she planted a small flower box garden on her windowsill. She had the most amazing green thumb and her flowers would attract butterflies. My love of butterflies started with her. And to this day a butterfly crossing my path is usually one of three things, someone I love saying hello from beyond, a stroke of good luck or a major change (which makes sense as butterflies are the symbols of transformation).

I love Throwback Thursday almost as much as I love Wordless Wednesday! I love checking out everyone's photos, so if you are playing along today for Throwback Thursday I'd love to see your pictures too, leave a comment below with your link and I'll hop over and say Hi! (Please remember we do moderate comments, no giveaway links for Wordless Wednesday or Throwback Thursday Please!)

Happy Throwback Thursday Butterflies, hope you enjoyed my visit down memoryville lane!


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FTC: This is NOT a Sponsored Post! But should a camera company ever wish to upgrade me so I can take even better photos who am I to say no? ;-)

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

{#WordlessWednesday} @Ascending1 meets @TheLEGOMovie #Photos




Bloggers feel free to post a link to your Wordless Wednesday Post as a Comment! (No Giveaway Links please!)

Happy Wordless Wednesday!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The 90's + Bangs = #ThrowbackThursday

The 90's + Bangs = #ThrowBack Thursday : The Christmas Edition!

Our next giveaway in The Annual Holidays Buying Guide coming up soon, in the meantime be sure to get your final entries in for the $100 Staples Gift Card as this great giveaway ends SOON!

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FTC Disclosure: This is not a Sponsored Post, Throwback Thursday is just pure fun!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

{#WordlessWednesday} @StPatsNYC This Landmark Church May be Under Repair, but it's Still a Respite in a Busy City!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Archdiocese of New York. Manhattan Landmark Catholic Church
Entrance to the stairway to heaven? You Decide!


The Landmark Church St. Patrick's Cathedral may be under construction but it is still very much an amazing respite in a busy city. It's a moment to make the crazy, hectic day come to a stop so you can center yourself, and re-set your spiritual battery!

Here are some photos I took amid the construction:

St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Archdiocese of New York. Manhattan Landmark Catholic Church

St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Archdiocese of New York. Manhattan Landmark Catholic Church
Taken from the perspective of the row I was kneeling down in, can't you almost feel the peace and stillness?

St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Archdiocese of New York. Manhattan Landmark Catholic Church
Prayer To Saint Patrick  is framed under a beautiful Waterford Crystal Cross at St. Patrick's Catedral in New York City (You definitely want to press into this photo to make it bigger, this way you can read the prayer, and then don't forget to hit the backspace to come back here and leave your comment!
Happy Wordless Wednesday Bloggers! Link us to your Wordless Wednesday Photos by leaving your link as a reply to this thread and we will be sure to check them out! (No Giveaways Please!)

Don't forget to check out the giveaways section to enter our current giveaway for a $100 Staples Gift Card or go directly HERE+ A little fashion loving butterfly whispered in my ear that a fun Fashion Contest is coming up this week next so stay tuned!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored or Compensated Post. As a life long New Yorker who spent a great deal of time working in near proximity to the Church, I find myself always stopping in when I am near the area! But if any camera companies want to get involved and Sponsor a Wordless Wednesday I am always game! :-)

Sunday, September 29, 2013

@SonyAnimation Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 #Cloudy2 #Foodimals Fun!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 theatrical poster



Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Earlier this summer I got to attend a sneak peek preview of Sony Pictures Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and I thought I'd share the photos I took that day! Oddly, this wasn't the full movie screening but a sneak peek of select scenes!


Foodimal Standee, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 Sneak Preview Event at Sony Pictures
Foodimal Standee, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 Sneak Preview Event at Sony Pictures


Character Standee of  Flint Lockwood, the Inventor, Voiced by Bill Hader
Character Standee of  Flint Lockwood, the Inventor, Voiced by Bill Hader


Director Cody Cameron of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 poses with Taco Standee!
Director Cody Cameron poses with Taco Standee!


Character Standee of Sam Sparks, Voiced by Anna Faris
Character Standee of Sam Sparks, Voiced by Anna Faris


Left: Director Kris Pearn, Right: Director Cody Cameron Sony Pictures Animation Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Left: Director Kris Pearn, Right: Director Cody Cameron Sony Pictures Animation Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2


Director Cody Cameron Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 poses with Taco Standee
Director Cody Cameron poses with Taco Standee!


Left: Mama Butterfly and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly enjoying our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Photo Booth Moment!
Left: Mama Butterfly and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly enjoying our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Photo Booth Moment!


What was your favorite food fantasy character from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2?

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 Active Giveaway:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Great giveaway ending soon for a VIP Experience on Smooth Jazz NY's final sail of the season, The Encore Cruise: Angela Bofill Experience, (Two Cruise Passes, Buffet Tickets and Drinks for two as well!) enter here: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/2013/09/win-vip-smoothjazzny-angela-bofill.html

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: I got attacked by balloons on the @MTA #Subway!

Oversized Bags of Black and White Balloons take over MTA New York City Subway Car

Bloggers, feel free to link us to your Wordless Wednesday Post as a link in the comment section so we can visit you too!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. This is a random slice of life on a New York City Subway Train where two oversized bags of balloons took over the car and all we could see was the person's feet beneath the bags!  The next day I rode the train with a pitbull (the dog, not the famous singer) and last night I rode with a chihuahua dog in our car! (Neither were service dogs by the way!) These Balloons made me think of Times Square at New Years Eve - I love Black, White and Gold Balloons for New Years Eve, don't you?

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Throwback Thursday: The I met @RicardoAChavira of Desperate Housewives fame via @CatalinaMag Edition! #throwbackthursday

Well before my blogging days I got the chance to meet Ricardo Chavira of Desperate Housewives fame when he appeared on the cover of Catalina Magazine. This photo was taken in 2005!

Team Butterfly was all smiles when we met Actor Ricardo Chavira (Center) of Desperate Housewives)

Happy #ThrowbackThursday, if you posted a Throwback Thursday Photo today, please comment with your link. 

(Sorry no giveaways or other form of advertising please! All comments will be moderated)




















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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post

Monday, July 8, 2013

Did your post holiday smartphone photos fail to 'Wow' you? Learn how the new offerings from @PENTAXIAN can help! #DSLR #photography

This is an event recap coverage, NOT a sponsored post! No compensation has been provided to share about our experiences at this event, all opinions are 100% my own. Full Disclosure Below:

Breaking Tradition, Pentax Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation, Photography, Digital Photography, New York City Events, NYC, event recaps
"At this event personal style, fashion and consumer electronics met in a way that has never before been seen", said Jim Malcolm, Executive Vice President, PENTAX RICOH IMAGING.


I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend! And most importantly spent as much time as possible creating memories. Memories that I'm sure you captured. No doubt, with what was at hand. 

75% of the time it's a smart device, a phone, tablet or iPod. And then you upload those precious memories and find out that a picture that looked so great in the thumbnail actually looks blurry because your smart device doesn't have anti-shake technology. And worse still are those times when you find out that almost all the shots are less than usable. Those are moments you can't re-create. Those are moments you cannot re-capture.

I for one have never been that big on one device doing a million things barely well, and trust me, I have the world's heaviest handbag even on days when I 'pare down', I get why multi-functional devices are so popular, but I think a device that is meant for a specific activity will do it a million times better since that is what it's made for!

You know how much I believe that the Universe puts us in the right place at the right time, right?

I got invited to a Special Surprise Launch Event from Pentax, at a time when my favorite digital camera (that I have had for over 12 years now) is no longer being supported and it's battery is no longer being made. Worse still, even Amazon no longer sells my battery (you know that's a bad sign). We were actually asked not to talk about the event right away which is why you didn't see any instagrams or tweets from me as I wanted to respect the wishes of the host! Upon entering the amazing venue we were handed an SD card, and that is what we took home with us, leaving us with the amazing memories we made during the event! I ran into one of my favorite bloggers, Kimmie, @Cocoabebe on twitter, if you are not following her already, you definitely should be. She was my partner in photography and we had a great time working with the models!

It was a super fun and entirely creative event, but a bit bittersweet. It made me come to the painful conclusion that it really is time to let my old camera go! I really don't want to change cameras so it's a painful realization. I know I have to, but this camera is like a dear friend. It was an entry level digital camera at the time, no anti-shake, not much along the way of special features, but it's been with me on every vacation, it's been there for every special occasion. And in my humble opinion that old point and shoot gave me the best pictures! How do you say goodbye?

I got to say goodbye to my old friend by attending a Roaring Twenties party at a landmark New York City Townhouse (Being part of the digital press does have it's privileges!). You know how they say the best way to get over an old boyfriend is with a new one? I guess the same holds true for cameras!

"The introduction of these capable and versatile cameras empowers consumers to incorporate their personality and taste into the design of their camera, making the K-50 and Q7 more than just an imaging device. They are a statement of self". ~ Jim Malcolm, Executive Vice President, PENTAX RICOH IMAGING.

Pentax Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation launched two new interchangeable lens cameras at an event in New York City, where members of the press were invited to take a look back in time to the roaring twenties as models styled as flapper girls and dapper guys were subjects for interactive photo shoots located in various sections of the decorated landmark townhouse 632 on Hudson. Appetizers and specialty cocktails prepared by Chef Jesse Schenker (@JBSchef on twitter) of Recette Restaurant was another highlight of the interactive event where the new K-50 DSLR (available in 120 color combinations) and the K-500 made their debut!

I loved the interactive element of the event most, getting the chance to shoot the models using both cameras and thankfully with some help in setting up/staging the rooms and shots I got the chance to play with both cameras hands on. With my current camera being a point and shoot without interchangeable lenses, the first thing I noticed was that I had to change lenses for certain shots. I am not so used to doing that so it felt a bit awkward to me at first, but I got the hang of it, and love both cameras equally, obvs they are HUGE step up from my current camera, but I will say the pop of color is totally refreshing! My current point and shoot is a silver tone, so I'm not necessarily stuck on getting my new one in black, I love having options! And there are so many great colors to chose from, I've been loving Teal and they even have that color in a metallic, but Red is another favorite color of mine. Red is a power color and it's symbolic of fire, passion and power, I would love to infuse that energy into my photography. Am I pro? No. But I am an enthusiast who because of what I do, require something more sophisticated and advanced than what I have been using so far.

Here are the shots I took with the PENTAX CAMERA (all of mine were taken with the K-500 camera as the K-50's were all in rotation during the time I was shooting) unless indicated, no enhancement was made to any of the shots so I could get a feel for not only the camera but my ability with it.

Roaring Twenties Pentax event in NYC's landmark 632 on Hudson, taken with the K-500 Camera
Roaring Twenties Pentax event in NYC's landmark 632 on Hudson, taken with the K-500 Camera

I had to resist the urge to 'brighten' this one and play with my photo editing filters and software, it's a little dark for me, but you have the double whammy of dark wood behind and below her. And then with other people waiting to take their shots, you have to find the fine balance of learning the camera, improving and capturing your shots and leaving time for others to do the same.

Roaring Twenties Pentax event in NYC's landmark 632 on Hudson, taken with the K-500 Camera
Roaring Twenties Pentax event in NYC's landmark 632 on Hudson, taken with the K-500 Camera
This is my second shot with the K-500, also un-enhanced, what I love is that for this shot, I got in closer and bent down to take the shot and my un-steady hands because I was off balance is NOT reflected in the shot. My current camera unfortunately wouldn't have done nearly as well since my hands were not 'steady'. I resisted the urge to play with the exposure settings again with this one. (You can press each shot to see it in its full size and then hit back space to come back here, or check out our pinterest page as well to see shots that don't make this post for the sake of space.

Different part of the room, the model moved but I stayed in the same spot


This time I have the model move to the Chaise Lounge with light coming from the window behind her I got a much better shot, but for final printing again I would have used filters to brighten the exposure a bit. I have to give the models credit, they were amazingly patient, but they also really had fun with it. And considering how repetitive it can be to have tons of photo enthusiasts taking shot after shot, they were very open and easy to work with.



For this shot I physically moved myself and changed my shooting angle and our shoot advisors had me change my lens on the K-500, I did not enhance or alter this shot, I am using it as it was on the SD card with no filters or post editing. This is what I wanted that shot to look like all along, I have two more shots of her on the chaise that I am not going to use here, if you'd like to see those, please check the pinterest board as I will post them there. This is exactly what I was trying to achieve, but I noticed despite the lens change, me changing my shooting angle also made a big difference to the final results, this is the shot I wanted!



The internal room we wanted to go to next was really full so we went upstairs and shot one of the male models on the beautiful rooftop. It's pretty hard to get a bad shot in full daylight, but I did take another because I wanted something closer and wanted to better capture his personality.



I probably would have cropped these a little, but again I didn't want to alter the photos so you could get a good feel for it. I wasn't using a tripod and moved a bit between shots, for this one I ducked down a bit and there is no motion.



Now this shot which was also taken outdoors on the rooftop is using my super old camera that I don't want to let go of, I also did NOT enhance, sharpen or boost this in anyway either. This is a 4 mega pixel camera with no anti-shake or real bells and whistles, no interchangeable lens, just an old point and shoot.



This one was also taken with my old point and shoot, but I did have to enhance this a bit to make me viewable because of the angle it was shot. The venue was an old townhouse with great bones and soul, for those in the know, I got quite a few 'orbs' in my photos! For some reason the ones I capture near me are always in the same spot. (You all know how much I love Buddha Statues and I just had to take this shot with a fun zen pose!)



This was also taken with my point and shoot, but as you can see one of the K-50s are on display in front of the statue! There is similar photo at a different angle that I'm not using here but will be in the Pinterest Board.



Just wanted to give you a full feel of the outdoor rooftop, again this was my point and shoot camera.



Another outdoor shot with my point and shoot!



Back indoors waiting to shoot with the Pentax and nabbed this interiors vignette with my point and shoot! I love Asian Art! Looked like a nice spot to pull up a chair and write!



Back indoors, this was taken with the Pentax K-500, but I did 'boost' it slightly as I found it way too dark for you to even see the details with this one. Oddly the thumbnail did NOT look that dark, but when I saw it on screen it needed some brightness to bring out the detail.


Here it is again with the Pentax K-500 this time UNTOUCHED in any way.



This was also taken with the Pentax K-500 and again is NOT re-touched or post-processed in any way at all. There are a TON of in betweens from the two shots above this and this one, you can also find them on the  Pinterest Board. But this final shot made me the happiest, although I personally would add some brightness to it but I tend to like my shots a bit brighter and warmer.



While I was waiting to nab the K-500, I took this shot with my point and shoot, she was looking at the photographer who had the K-500 at that moment but I liked that she wasn't really posing for me and I was able to zoom in and pre-focus with my point and shoot although I was a lot farther back in the room than the shot would initially indicate. This is also NOT touched or edited in any way.



and all the men in the room just rolled their eyes when I shot this moody shot of the model's shoes, but I couldn't help myself!

There are way more photos and when I post them to the Pinterest Board, I will caption which were taken with the Pentax and which weren't so you can see them all in full size and get a full appreciation of each photo in a way that you can't here as they get automatically re-sized to fit my blog's template ratio.

My Take:

I loved the interactivity of this event. But after playing with them for awhile I was super sad that we didn't get to come home with one, especially since I have to let mine go and move on to a new one. This was a super creative idea that even with the furniture and staging wouldn't have worked as well in other venues as it did with 632 on hudson, that townhouse had 'good bones' and just had it's own 'soul', the event came to life there, and the models were an absolute dream to work with. Since I didn't have experience beyond a point and shoot digital, it took me a bit to get a feel for how to work with the camera and the lenses but thankfully that was the point, to learn. And when an event, truly becomes an 'experience', it gives you not only great memories, but you also leave it feeling like you really learned something. They presented a product launch in such a way that I could really 'experience' it and challenge myself in the process. It made photography, and as you can tell from the length of this post, my recap blogging that much more fun!

Then I actually got to see the Pentax team again at the Arcadia Fall 2013 Fashion Preview and drool over the fun colors on the K-50's again! Is the universe telling me something?

Pentax put the fun back into photography for me that day, and the wide range of colors puts that fashion and individuality as well as customization into the technology. Just note the K-500 that I used to take the Pentax shots only comes in black, it's the K-50's that come in the range of colors shown in the photo at the top of the post. Another way the K-500 differs from the K-50 is that the K-500 offers a weather-sealed body, electronic level and included battery. Both of the new cameras also come with lower-cost versions of existing Pentax lenses. Both the F3.5-5.6 18-55mm and the F4.0-F5.6 50-200mm WR lenses fall under Pentax's L line-up. They are lighter than regular DA lenses, and have a plastic mount. (Same Glass and they are just as water-resistant as the DA Models). And both the K-50 and the K-500 offer Eye-Fi Card Control!

The K-50 and the K-500's are photographer friendly digital SLRs at a budget ready price point that truly deliver! Now I want one!

Extra Credit Fun for reading through: Take a look at their website and come back and tell us how you'd customize your K-50, then leave a comment here telling us, we will tag Pentax with your responses (who knows maybe if they see enough Butterfly interest we can work on something fun together for our readers!)

DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK AND COMMENT WITH HOW YOU WOULD CUSTOMIZE YOUR K-50!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a compensated post. No compensation has been received to share our recap coverage of the product launch Roaring Twenties Event. Gift Bags were received but sadly they did NOT contain cameras! But if they decide to send me one, I'd be their best friend forever! J

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Happy Butterfly Fourth of July! - New York City Style!

Happy Butterfly Fourth of July, Independence Day, Butterflies



















Wishing you a fun filled day of happiness, fireworks and butterflies in the sky!

























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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post! Have a Happy Holiday!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: #Wine is Bottled #Poetry Edition

Wine is Bottled Poetry, Signs, New York City, NYC, Street Art, Wordless Wednesday, Pictures, Photos
The Sign Reads: Wine is Bottled Poetry

























I was in between events and making a mad dash to Bowery Street in New York City, when I spotted this sign outside a local shop and I just had to stop and take a picture of it!

Butterflies I hope you all found a Wordless Moment to savor today! Bloggers post a link to your Wordless Wednesday as a comment below so we can check out your photos too! (We are too informal for a linky widget around here!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored/Compensated Post.

Friday, March 29, 2013

How I learned to make sharing #Travel #Photos easier with #Tripographer powered by @Marriott #spon @NicheMommy



With my birthday swiftly approaching, my case of 'wanderlust' is getting worse and worse! I love to travel, and to me the best souvenir of my travels are my photos, and since I have long since made the switch from 35mm to Digital, I tend to take TONS of photos. I love architecture and nature photos, and take more pictures of WHAT I see, only to get home and realize I'm not in many photos because I was so busy taking them.

I'm always looking for new ways to make the photo sharing process easier and more fun, and I just hit on something I thought I'd share! Note: This is still in Beta! So you are getting an opportunity to be 'in the know' before it blows up!

About Tripographer, powered by Marriott:

Tripographer is a new, fun and easy way to stylishly and dynamically share your trip, whether it was a much needed getaway, an unforgettable adventure, a family vacation or a business trip. Apply filters and edit your photos, create beautiful slideshows and build actual street-view tours and share them all on your favorite social networks!

My Experience with Tripographer:

I decided to try it out and started by creating a slideshow of my pictures to the Audobon Nature Institute Insectarium in New Orleans, Louisiana. When I hit the Niche Mommy Conference last year in it's inaugral year (by the way butterflies the conference is now called The Niche Parent Conference), I got to take some time to see the sites with other bloggers attending the conference, The Audobon Nature Institute brought some animals from their zoo straight to the conference! And they offered bloggers tickets to the Zoo, Insectarium and Aquarium, you know I couldn't pass that up, especially the insectarium because they had butterflies there!

I started creating a slideshow of my insectarium visit, see below:



How it works:

1) You can easily create an account with Facebook or you can create a profile quickly with your name, selecting a user name and password if you don't want to create it with Facebook.

2) To play with the cool features you need to upload some photos! And you have a variety of ways you can do that, upload from your computer, your webcam, Facebook, Flickr, or Instagram

3) Then comes the fun part, you can 'Treat a Photo' by uploading a photo, and then stylishly editing them, you can also provide a caption and share them on your favorite social networks. You can Create a Slideshow, which allows you to upload multiple photos and order them however you wish. or you can 'Build a Tour' which allows you to create a real street view that takes you to all your favorite destinations from your last adventure. You can also upload photos to go along with your landmarks with a caption AND audio narration!

4) Manage your projects: Just use your dashboard to manage your Tripographer Creations! See it's as easy one, two, three!

My Take:

I think this is a great way to share your travel photos. I know many people are not comfortable about how Facebook uses their info and images and don't tend to put too many there, so it's nice to have an alternative way to share that's as private or as public as YOU want it to be. I have only one small complaint, as I really love taking all my photos in hi-res, I wasn't able to upload all the photos I wanted into my first slideshow because they were simply too large. The size limit per photo is 2 mb, and I only had three files small enough to fit the bill which is why my slideshow is so short. I am hoping that they increase the file size limit per photo, once they do, I'll be a slideshow creating mega butterfly! I can actually spend hours editing, optimizing (and now that I'm blogging WATERMARKING) photos, so I greatly enjoyed finding out about Tripographer and I think it's pretty cool that it's being powered by Marriott! In fact I probably should have tried to find my photos from the last time I stayed at the Marriott in Cancun! Maybe I'll make that slideshow next!

Butterfly have you tried Tripographer yet? If so, please share your photos with us! If you posted the photos or slideshow on your own blogs, then feel free to comment here with the link so we can all check out your creative travel photos too!


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FTC Disclosure: This sponsored post was written in partnership with Niche Mommy Network & Conference. While this is a compensated post, all opinions are 100% my own. And I have greatly enjoyed my stays with Marriott and I do love Digital Photography as much as I love Travel!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: I'm like a #butterfly edition!


Graphic Reads: I'm like a Butterfly, Pretty to look at, Hard to Catch!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Bloggers feel free to comment with a link to your Wordless Wednesday Posts so we can visit you too! 


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

{Not So} Wordless Wednesday: New Haircut by Mark on Madison Edition! {#Photos}



Yesterday we talked about the Orgullosa Community, and that leads into my not so Wordless Wednesday today. In one of the facebook groups I belong to, one of the bloggers posted a call for New Yorkers who wanted to try out a new salon to let her know. With the year and a half I just went through, while I didn't make formal 'New Year's Resolutions', one of the things I promised myself this year is that I would not just embrace, but actually make change in my life. I know that this year won't be different if I approach it the same way, and do the same things.

I want 2013 to be a whole new year, one where I strive to balance taking more time for myself and still meeting the demands of an ever-changing constantly on the go schedule. Spending so much time last year in the hospital made my hair change a bit because of everything I went through including the crazy meds. So honestly when this opportunity opened up it was a total no brainer for me. And so I decided when I agreed to take it that I would truly let the salon go nuts and make my hair over totally.

Although true to my nature I did do my research!

About Mark on Madison:

Mark landed an apprenticeship with world-renowned hairstylist John Barrett at his Bergdoff Goodman salon (and you can best believe that the iconic salon located on the penthouse floor of Bergdoff Goodman in the heart of Manhattan must have been one amazing training ground as the women there expect no less than the best!)

Mark boasts quite a roster of celeb clientele (I won't name drop here, but you can check out his site www.markonmadison.com for a list).

Mark has worked with publications such as Sports Illustrated and Vanity Fair!

He has also worked a wide variety of high profile events including The Academy Awards, New York Fashion Week and Good Morning America!

Here is my Before:

Left: Ascending Butterfly, Right: Mark Borukhov of Mark on Madison Salon, NYC

I arrived with well below my shoulders curly hair! The first thing he told me was 'throw out your flat iron!' - As a life long wavy girl I wasn't sure at first how possible that would be for me as I normally prefer to wear my hair straight.

Here is my During:

Mark styles Ascending Butterfly at Mark on Madison Salon in New York City

Mark created long side parted fringe layers instead of bangs! He also blew out my hair in what has to be an Olympic Record Speed, and showed me how to section my hair for not only faster results, but also less breakage!

Here is my after:

Mark finalizes the style and the look is complete! Mark on Madison Salon, NYC

Voila!

My Take:

Mark took the time to understand what my real day-to-day is like and gave me his signature cut which not only frames my face, but he also took the time to teach me step by step how to maintain it, so when I left the salon I could keep the same style up at home with less effort than before. He also gave me product recommendations and helped de-bunked one of my product myths. I often avoided products that were labelled for 'curly' hair since I tend to wear my straight, but the for curly products he used on my hair worked well for me, and made me re-consider what I have been using at home.

And when I told him that I love my waves, I just hate the frizz, he gave me ideas to help achieve 'Beachy Waves' but avoid the frizz. He told after washing my hair to try gathering it like making a ponytail, then twist it clockwise and put it in a bun and sleep with it (works best for me with hair towel-dried because I have thin, fine hair that is very frizz prone) and then wake up and just rake the waves with my fingers, and then blow dry the front if I wanted it to be sleeker in the front or on top. I love that idea because it's actually workable for me since I have very little time in the morning. Thankfully I'm already using the right brushes (he recommended blow drying my hair with a boar bristle brush), which helps to make the process not only easier but also produce the desired results.

Oddly enough I went in finally ready to commit to a bigger change, and he didn't really feel I needed it. I don't have grays yet, so he didn't really feel a one process color would be a good idea for my hair type. And because I told him I do take the time out to try and wear my hair straighter, he didn't want me to take off a lot of length.

And if a great cut and styling, way faster than I even expected wasn't enough, we also went to a local coffee shop and talked 'shop' for awhile, you have to love a stylist who splits a cheesecake with you! If that's not down to earth I don't know what is!

I highly recommend Mark! And I also love that I found him on a New York City Bloggers forum, I love when bloggers share great leads! I'm not sure I would have found this salon without the recommendation, so word of mouth definitely pays off!

Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Book an Appointment with Mark by calling the salon directly at 212.470-3604

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow  on Twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 'Like' Mark on Facebook too!

When you visit the salon, be sure to tag both Ascending Butterfly and Mark on Madison on Facebook so we can check out your new 'do'.

I don't have an official linky, but bloggers please feel free to comment on this post with a link to your Wordless Wednesday posts so we can check out your pictures too!

Happy Wordless Wednesday and Happy Hair Day Butterfly!


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FTC Disclosure: This is a non-compensated post, no monetary compensation has been received to share my salon experience. I was provided with styling services free of charge for editorial consideration, however as always, all opinions are 100% my own!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Snow White & The Huntsman DVD Release Party hosted by Yellowtail Wine!


With me being a life long New Yorker, normally today we'd focus on 09/11, but I frankly needed to wrap my mind around something else. Something not related to that horrible day that I can still remember in vivid detail, I also needed a mental break from Fashion Week madness, and for me when I need a mental break my favorite way to go is a movie! And preferably a good thriller or horror movie!

Today is the release of NBCUniversal's Snow White & The Huntsman on DVD, and of the two recent Snow White remakes, this one is most definitely my favorite of the two. It's a lot darker, this New Vision Turns a Legendary Tale Into a Visually Stunning, Epic action-Adventure Featuring All Star Cast Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth.

Pulse Pounding Trailer Anyone?



SYNOPSIS: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

In this spectacular action-adventure, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) is Snow White, the only woman in the land fairer than the evil queen Ravenna (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron). Ravenna wants nothing more than to destroy her young rival, but she doesn’t know that Show White has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) the same huntsman that the queen dispatched to kill her. Together with a handsome prince (Sam Claflin) enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power, they assemble an armed force to recapture the kingdom. Venture into a land of action fantasy, heroic battle scenes and visual wonder in Snow White and the Huntsman Extended Edition, coming to Blu-ray ™ Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download on September 11, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Packed with pulse-pounding battles, unmatched visual imagination and compelling characters, Snow White and the Huntsman is a wholly original adventure story told on an epic scale. From the splendor of the wicked Queen's enchanted palace to the menace of the Dark Forest, a breathtaking combination of harrowing beauty, epic battle scenes, visual wonder and jaw-dropping special effects make this film singularly suited for 
the incomparable high-definition picture and perfect hi-def 5.1 surround sound of Blu-ray ™.

THE RELEASE PARTY:

Yellow Tail Wine and NBCUniversal hosted a DVD Release Party last night at Gary's Loft that was FANTASTIC! The Penthouse of Gary's Loft was transformed into a 'Masquerade Meets Dark and Enchanted Forest' cocktail party complete with a Fortune Teller, Massages (courtesy of the fab team at Spa Chicks On The Go), a Candy Station, a make your own candy apple station (in honor of the poison apple in the fairy tale of course), a photo station with fun props where you given a commerative and framed 5X7 photo where your image is superimposed onto a castle backdrop taken by Verita Vision Photography, signature cocktails that blended in various Yellow Tail wines (with fun names like Snow White Crusader, The Huntsman's Kiss, Poison Tini and the Queens tini) and even a Yellow Tail Bubbles station (and by 'bubbles' I mean Champagne). It was a super fun evening, with prizes, a lovely swag bag and there were even folks dancing along to the great tunes being spun by the DJ!

Here are some pictures I captured during the Release Party:


When the elevator doors opened to the Penthouse, this is what you see! I always knew my Knight in Shining Armor would come bearing WINE! :)

Right Behind the Knight in Shining Armor was a 'Masks Tree' you were given the option of a white mask to represent for team Snow White or a Dark Mask to represent for the Queen! Can you guess which side I selected?

This large mask is actually a CHAIR! I took this picture without flash and it gave the appearance of blue eyes!

When I took the same shot over WITH Flash this time, the 'eyes' of the chair look almost black!

Check out Ascending Butterfly on the throne! (Cheeky I  know, couldn't resist!)  I chose 'the dark side mask' :-)

Mama Butterfly chose the 'dark side' as well, grabbed a pic of her sans mask!

Check out The Huntsman and Snow White Costumes!

We were able to step up to the mirror and ask the Fortune Teller a Question, I asked about Career, and Mama Butterfly asked about whether or not she'd ever be a Grandma, and he said yes! Hmmmmm <-I'm NOT so sure about that one! ;)

Check out the oversized mushroom next to one of the candy stations!

Pretty display of assorted Yellow Tail Wines!

Life in New York City couldn't get any sweeter than a handsome stranger pouring you something bubbly!

Left: Mama Butterfly Center: Almost shoulder high Huge Rose and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly!



My Take:

I enjoyed BOTH the actual movie and the super fun release party! I say make it a movie night this weekend and don't forget a bottle of Yellow Tail Bubbles!

WANNA WIN?

Check out snowwhitekingdom.com for a chance to win some great prizes including a grand prize of a trip to Ireland! (I'm a bit addicted to this site, as it reminds me a bit of my favorite slot machine, Lord of the Rings!)

Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Snow White and the Huntsman on Facebook connect on twitter using the hashtag #SWATH

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Yellow Tail on Facebook or follow them @yellowtail_usa on twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Spa Chicks On-The-Go on Facebook and follow @thespachick on twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - You can also connect with the Venue, Gary's Loft on Twitter @GarysLoft

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Verita Vision Photography on Facebook and connect with them on Twitter @verita_photo 


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post. I did receive the DVD for editorial consideration, however all opinions and experiences expressed are 100% my own. I was also  massaged, fed and enjoyed some wonderful libations, a great evening indeed! :)