Boogie Nights Portland - Halloween at the Melody Ballroom

I recently photographed Boogie Nights Portland, a huge Halloween Party at the Melody Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. There were some amazing costumes, and it definitely got me in the Halloween spirit (though I still didn't get to be Katy Perry as I had originally planned)! The costume contest was pure entertainment, and the cover band, Radical Revolution, was pretty darn amazing. I'm  happy to say that Monkey Girl won the costume contest, and it was well-deserved. I've never seen someone with so many different facial expressions. My boyfriend, Chris, was my assistant for the night and got a few of the shots below. Here are some of the fun SpOoOoooOoky photos we captured at the party. ^..^ I hope I get to photograph more awesome events like this in Portland!

Thanks for reading!

London, England - A Collection from my Travels

Last summer I traveled to London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland with my sister. The experience still feels surreal to me, like I dreamed it all up. Luckily, I have these photos to remind me of how amazing it was. Of course, London only truly felt like London on our last day there when it was raining. On the London Eye we got a few of the whole city in the rain, and it was incredible (even though we were soaked from head to toe). We stayed in an amazing hotel called the Mint Hotel. We opted for the hotel that was a bit nicer in London, and stayed in a hostel in Scotland. We somehow happened to be walking by Buckingham Palace right before the Queen's Garden Party (I can't even say this in my mind without a British accent...) and witnessed the magic of British hats. We also got attacked by a crazy pug (see photo below)!

Paris prepared us for the confusion of the "tube", but even though everyone spoke English we still couldn't understand anyone. One thing is for sure though, the men in London sure know how to dress. ;)

Things to see & do:

1. see Shrek the Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane (or a similar show - but my sister and I were dying over the kids crying for a "Gingy Poppet")
2. walk the Millenium Bridge  to St. Paul's Cathedral
3. go shopping in Piccadilly Circus 
4. grab a bagel and a coffee and enjoy it alongside the River Thames at the Victoria Tower Gardens (it's a beautiful, quiet park right on the river)
5. ride the London Eye (duh!)
6. visit the Tower of London - not your typical "historic tour" - see the massive ravens circling the Bloody Tower
7. see amazing art at  Tate Modern (just don't go when you're tired... my sister and I nearly had a meltdown)
8. enjoy British afternoon tea at one of these places
9. get lost in Hyde Park or Regent's Park (we literally did!) - the London Zoo is in Regent's Park
10. Make it to the top of Tower Bridge, explore Westminster Abbey, & don't forget to see the London Bridge!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Molasses Cream Cheese Filling & Cream Cheese Frosting

November is here, and while I love the fall colors I can't ignore the fact that winter is on it's way. It's been rather cold in my house today and I decided that I needed to make something delicious/warm/pumpkin-y to help me forget my winter woes. I couldn't find a pumpkin cupcake recipe that had a filling AND a frosting, so I combined a few different recipes and invented my own. & it was totally worth it. Though I would consider them more "Muffcakes" than cupcakes or muffins. Or "puffcakes" since they are pumpkin. YAY I LOVE PUMPKIN! (recipe below) Cake:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 & 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ginger
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 1/4 t. ground cloves
• 2 t. baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (I used Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix - it gives it some extra fall spicy-ness)

Filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (if you can get a hold of pumpkin cream cheese, it's even better!)
• 2 TBSP molasses
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (just use some of the leftovers from Libby's)
• add flour to thicken the frosting if needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line muffin pans with 24 muffin liners & set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. In a smaller bowl mix together the eggs, oil and pumpkin.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until smooth.
5. Fill the muffin liners 1/2 of the way with the pumpkin batter.
6. With a mixer cream all of the filling ingredients together.
7. Drop small spoonfuls of the filling (about a teaspoon) into the center of each filled muffin liner.
8. Add a little more batter to each cupcake, enough to cover the cream cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the cupcake begin to harden. (Don't test in the middle since the middle will stay soft and gooey).
9. While the cupcakes are baking, mix together the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin and vanilla in a medium bowl to make the frosting. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add flour to the frosting if you would like it thicker.
10. Frost the cupcakes once cooled. Dash with cinnamon for added appeal :D
11. Enjoy!