Blogger's Favorites -- Jen Altman

If you’ve visited here before, you probably know I’m pretty obsessed with Jen Altman’s dreamy photography. Not only is Jen immensely talented, but she has impeccable taste, an enviable aesthetic sensibility, seemingly killer cooking skills and an extremely cool outlook on life -- all evidenced on her stellar blog Nectar & Light.

Basically, she’s a rather awesome chick…

So, it goes without saying that I’m thrilled to feature Jen’s list this week.

Herewith Jen’s favorites. Enjoy.

p.s. Alyson featured Jen in her photographer spotlight this week. Take a peek.

1. My Family -- above all else. They keep me grounded, happy and fulfilled – above all else.
2. Swimming -- I started swimming laps at an indoor pool in my neighborhood, and it has changed my life. I have never really been fond of going to the gym – in fact, I loathe it, and running – let’s just say not a fan of that either. But being in the water is almost spiritual; I feel like I am connecting with my body in a very organic way – I love it.
3. Jewelry -- one of my vices. I have been wearing HUGE rings and cuffs since high school – they just make me happy – truly, I don’t think I have met a ring that is too big.
4. My Ink -- the anchor symbolizes my 7 years in the Navy, one of the best times of my life. I also love the anchor for the thought of my family keeping me grounded, yet the sense of adventure remains – to lift anchor and transport us on new journeys. The round tattoo is a Japanese symbol depicting the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. The three flames represent my three girls and they are shaped into a ‘6’, my brother’s life path number. He is currently serving his fourth tour and it is my talisman to keep him safe.
5. Ghost Chairs -- My chairs by Philippe Starck – they sit in our kitchen nook and we bring them out when we need to seat six in our dining room. I just feel like they are the perfect representation of my personal style – old world meets modern.
6. Vintage Cameras -- I have a few - some of them work, some of them do not – they all bring me so much joy. My favorites to shoot with are my Hasselblad 500CM, Pentax K1000, Polaroid 680SLR and Polaroid 230 pack-film camera.
7. Music -- it truly transports me. Right now I cannot get enough of The Republic Tigers, British Sea Power, Teddy Thompson, Neko Case, The Watson Twins and Adele.
8. My Bed -- again, it just makes me so very happy. It is perfect.My iPhone – I feel silly saying that a little piece of technology has changed my life. But it has changed my life.
9. My Other Vice -- lip anything. Lip balm, lip gloss, lip stick. It is always a pick me up – if I am having a bad day, I buy lip gloss – or film. My cannot-life-withouts are Rosebud Salve, NARS lip gloss in Dolce Vita, Lorac’s Gloss Sticks and my new favorite, O-GLOSS by Smashbox.