Color, Photos and Drawing

Hello. Hello. Well, here it is Friday already...it seems like the week just flew by.

Happily, we had some sunny moments over the past couple of days and I was finally able to squeeze in a few photos. I put together a little yellow, white and blue color collection for today's post from things that I gathered around my house. The color scheme for this group of pictures stemmed from these yellow Stock that I picked up at the florist this week. Stock is one of my favorite flowers because of their old-fashioned charm and nice spicy scent. Mmmm...love 'em.

Next time I do a color-themed post, I think I'm going to try adding color swatches alongside one of my photos.  Have you seen that before?  It's a nice way to see how a bunch of colors work together.  You'll see what I mean.

I'm hoping that by doing these little color collections I'll be able to improve my styling, photos and creativity. I've been thinking a lot about photography lately and how much I love it. Sometimes I find it to be so unbelievable frustrating though, because I can't get my pictures to turn out the way that I envision them...they're too light, too dark, too boring. It's always something.

Exploring all possible avenues for improvement, I've been reading my camera manual once again, along with the book Understanding Exposure. So far, so good. I think things are starting to sink in a little better. Sometimes, it's just so hard when you want to be really good at something instantly and it's not working out that way because you have to practice and build your skills first. You know what I mean?

Something else I really enjoy and want to practice more, in addition to photography, is art. Growing up, I had high hopes of going off to art school, but my parents gave that idea the thumbs down. I go in spurts with my drawing. I'll draw and draw like crazy, then I might not create anything for months. I feel like I need to get back into the groove since it's been awhile, so I might incorporate a few sketches here and there into my photos as a way to spur myself on. Yep, sounds like a plan.

Okay, I guess that's probably enough rambling for now. Do you have anything interesting you want to tell me...any hot plans for the weekend maybe? Well, no matter what you end up doing I hope the next few days are fantastically wonderful for you :)

xo

Well, Now What?

Hi everyone!  You know when you have a blog post floating around in your head and you think it's going to be all great and wonderful, so you plan it out, put your big ideas into motion and then it doesn't quite go the way you envisioned?  Well, that pretty much describes this post.

I made some little vanilla bean cakes, topped with a mixture of mascarpone, whipped cream and fresh raspberries, hoping they'd be all yummy and delicious.  They sound so tasty, don't they?  Well, they weren't...according to some people in the household anyway.

My daughter was the first taste-tester.  She proclaimed them to be delicious, giving them the thumbs up. The thing is, she pretty much likes everything.  For her, a big tub of cottage cheese is just about as good as a container of ice cream.  I figured I'd better look to some pickier eaters for feedback.  So, my desert was served with a smile to my son and the Mister.  Let's just say, I didn't get the response I was looking for.

Looking at my cute but, not so good cakes, I wondered, "Now what?"  Well, as far as this post is concerned, just photos without a recipe, I suppose, with a little bit of chit-chat thrown in.

I've been thinking about how much I like styling and photographing little odds and ends...cupcake wrappers, buttons, flowers, fabric...you know what I'm taking about, right? Anyway, I think I'm going to do more of that...mini color collections of little tidbits. Sort of the way this post is.  I think it will help me to be more creative.  I've been wanting to get back to the part of me that's more artistic rather than crafty.

I've starting putting a few things together for an upcoming color-themed post.  I love searching for photo props for that sort of thing and for my food photography too.  I just found this round cooling rack last week and I was so excited.  I've been looking for one for awhile and, let me tell you, are they hard to find.  This one is actually new.  I put up a photo of it along with a few other things I found on my Facebook page.

Yep, my Facebook page.  I decided to step into the now and make one for my blog.  Currently, I'm pretty much over there talking to myself and a few friends that I can count on one hand, so if you want to come over and give me some love, that would be great.  I still have to make a button for it, but you can click this link if you want.  Anyone?  Anyone?  :)

Well, that's that.  I have to go and work on my dining room decorating project now.  It doesn't seem to be progressing very quickly.  Maybe I'll try to rework that cake recipe too.  Hope you have a good day!

xo

A Little Bit of Love ♥

Anyone can catch your eye,

but it takes someone special to catch your heart.

~ author unknown

Hello, my lovelies.  Happy Valentine's Day to you!

I hope you all have special plans today...making memories with some sweet people who have caught your heart.

xo Tricia

A Chicken Feeder and Some Flowers

Hi everyone!  Hope you're having a good week.

Even though it's winter, my brain says spring.  There's no snow here and the weather has been so mild.  Awhile back wanting to bring a springtime feel into my house, I planted a few containers with bulbs...some paperwhites and grape hyacinths.  While I had forced paperwhites before, I had never tried grape hyacinths and wondered if it was even going to work.

Well, as you can see, it did.  I had found this old chicken feeder for a few dollars and thought it would help make an eye-catching flower display on my dining room table.  I just love it.  I also got one for my sister, along with some bulbs and soil, and gave it to her for her birthday so she could have her very own chicken feeder set-up too...that's how much I loved the idea.

I'm in the midst of giving my dining room a little makeover right now.  I painted it a creamy white color, which  I think I'm really going to love...it feels so much sunnier in there now and it will be better for taking photographs too.  I also took the sideboard out and I want to replace it with something else, but I can't decide what yet.  I'm thinking either a big, huge shelf or an armoire...we'll see.  Hopefully, I can whip it together and show it to you soon.

See ya later ♥