Hey-ho blog friends!  How is April treating you so far?  We came into it with a flu bug starting through the family, so hoping for healthier times ahead…

Photo Finish 14: Winter Sunday Walk

TGIF bloggy friends!  Today I’m sharing a photo I took last Sunday.  To be honest I almost didn’t take my camera along.  We were all just a bit cooped up and needed to get out, but I didn’t think there would be anything about this season I would even feel like photographing anymore.  But I did anyway and I’m glad.  Because this completely demonstrates something important about photography…it really can be all about lighting lighting lighting.  Even with trees that are dead as can be, and a slushy muddy path in a winter that’s long overstayed it’s welcome, this scene looks almost ethereal.
 

And here’s the thing… it’s straight out of the camera.  Straight.  Not a very fancy camera.  Not a fancy lens.  Nothing post-production at all.  Nothing.  But the gorgeous watery hazy but bright light is what makes this picture.  It’s distinctive to this season and totally captures the feeling of the day.  

Lesson:  when the light is gorgeous…just take pictures.  It’s hard to go wrong.

xo andrea

20 Minute Garlic Shrimp {Suppertime Save}

So this is the third Suppertime Save in my little series on weekday suppers that can be pulled together with staple ingredients in very little time.  If you missed the first two, they were Cheater Chicken Parmesan and Easiest Sweet & Sour Meatballs.  This one is for Garlic Shrimp with pasta and stir-fried vegetables…a complete meal in 20 minutes.  It’s ever-so-slightly more sophisticated tastes, but I know you’re out there too and need a quick meal on the table sometimes.  Families with picky eaters will have the shrimp or the snow peas left at the side of the plate…under the plate?…under the table?  No reason not to give it a try once in a while.

Photo Finish 13: White Spring Vignette

Another practice at setting up a vignette for today’s Photo Finish.  I’m calling this one White Spring.  ‘Cuz that’s what I’m seeing from my point of view.  And so I collected up some things from inside these walls where I’m spending so much time to try and reflect that idea with something prettier than frozen slush and random snowsqualls.

DIY Loose Leaf Teabags

Happy new week, all!  Last one for this March.  I’m still holding out for “…out like a lamb”.  The dog even got a haircut, because soon the backyard will be all melted and muddy, right??? so it will easier to clean her up, …right???

Today, here’s another little craft that happened during March Break.  Inspired by the fact that I found these single use filters for loose-leaf tea while shopping in Chinatown one day.  Maybe you have been long familiar with these.  I first saw them in Parry Sound a few years ago when Miss Personally was starting to drink tea.  There is a little breakfast and lunch diner in town where we go for lunch on the day we “go into town” while camping.  Have you ever been there?  I have no idea of the name.  But in one corner they have a floor to ceiling selection of loose-leaf teas.  And they make it up in a pot with one of these single serve filters, just twisted closed at the top.

Photo Finish 12: Driftwood on the Beach

Happy Friday, wonderful blog readers!  To be honest, it really snuck up on me, which is not usually the case!  If you could hardly wait for it to arrive this time then TGIF!  

Dip Dye Ombré Tea Towels

Here’s a fun way to add a personal touch to your kitchen, or to have a hand-made gift to give away.  Dip dye your own plain white tea towels to co-ordinate with your kitchen decor, or simply add a splash of colour.  How about neon yellow?