December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve Sparkle

Wishing you all a sparkly festive New Year's Eve!

Sparkle Up

Here's to a brand spankin' New Year chock full of possibilities, opportunity, & happiness!

December 23, 2010

Happy Happy Holidays!

Our city is ready, I hope you are too!

Holiday Ready

Wishing you all a Merry & Magical Christmas!

December 22, 2010

The Winter Soiree

Winter Soiree Treasury
See more of the party here.

December 20, 2010

Dapper Gift Wrapping

This year, I really wanted to dress up my Holiday wrapping with dapper little bow ties, so I whipped up these cuties:

Dapper Gifts

I also wanted to offer a free holiday download to all of you, & there are already so many adorable gift tags out there... maybe your last minute gifts need handsome bow ties too? I bet they do! Print out DIY bow ties of your very own right here!

December 17, 2010

Like Butta

Did you notice how those seemingly benign roasted potatoes that accompanied our salmon were pretty darn tasty? A little thing called Chive Butter is the secret.

Chive Butter

One of our foodie friends introduced us to Chive Butter (AKA Crack Butter- for it's addictive qualities) & we've been hooked ever since. I would give you a little to take home with you, but I'm afraid as usual, there's none left. I will send you off with the recipe though - now you can make it anytime & eat way more than you should in the privacy of your own home.

December 13, 2010

Entre Vous, Entree

Have you worked up an appetite after chatting about Palm Springs, & downing 3 glasses of wine? Good, because it's time for our main dish!

Salmon

Our salmon is very simply prepared, but is rich & layered with goodness thanks to our sweet & savory Blackberry Balsamic Reduction. We'll be serving another glass of white with this course, usually we'd pop open a red, but we are on a roll, so let's go with it. Now who'd like to sample wine #4? It's Oriana, a Rhone style blend from Brian Carter Cellars.

Salmon Styled by R

Please don't let your salmon get cold while we pour the wine, dig in!

December 2, 2010

Laying the Groundwork

Now that we've enjoyed our appetizers, salad, & uhm.. dessert, it's time to bring out the big guns & lay the foundation for our main course.
Blackberry Balsamic Reduction
This recipe is from the true Chef of the house (R), & don't let the simple ingredients fool you, because your taste buds are about to fall head-over-heels goo-goo in love. Be aware that once this happens, you can never go back, & it's possible that you will pine for it, pen sappy love songs, & leave blubbering messages for it when you have had too much to drink.

November 28, 2010

Dessert First

Didn't I tell you? This is a madcap devil-may-care sort of dinner party where dessert will be served before the entree.
Honey Roasted Pears
Now enjoy your Honey Roasted Pears in Ginger Caramel Sauce, & then we'll see if we still have room for the main course.
Ginger Caramel Sauce
We'll be sweetening up our vino too, how about an Inniskillin Vidal 2007 Icewine?

November 22, 2010

Palm Springs Dreamin

Let's take a break from our dinner party to dream about Palm Springs! What if we jumped on a plane & rented a gorgeous mid-century modern abode for a few days? The perfect mix of modern amenities & vintage lines would be just the place for a pre-holiday rest.
Palm Springs House Comp1
In the mornings we could pop over to Kings Highway at the Ace Hotel for a good old fashioned diner breakfast & a piping hot french press of Stumptown. After breakfast we can even take silly pictures in the photo booth!
Palm Springs Ace
Then we could go back to the house & hang out in the pool until our fingertips turn amazingly pruney.
Palm Springs House Comp1
What do you say? Shall I book it?

November 16, 2010

The Salad: Super Fresh!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Since those dates with chevre can be pretty rich, I thought you might be ready for a brisk palate cleanser. This is a frequent flyer for us on hot Summer days, the lemon & mint are wonderfully bright & refreshing. Did you finish your glass of Viognier? R's pairing suggestion is a Lemelson Pinot Gris.

November 12, 2010

First Course

Deceptively Easy Appetizers

Spiced Almonds

Here are my first shots & recipes for the Food & Foto Challenge. Shooting food is a whole different ball game but, I'm pleasantly surprised at my results. Give these sweet & savory morsels a try - they are quite decadent. For the winos out there ( I kid) R's wine pairing recommendation is a Viognier like this one from Alexandria Nicole.

Chevre Stuffed Dates

November 8, 2010

Shooting My Food

Lunch was tardy today, since I felt it had to be photographed before being eaten.
Thank You. Have A Nice Day.
I'm getting in a little practice for the new Souvenir Foto Food & Foto Challenge. I'm not the Chef of the house, but hopefully with good light & flattering angles, I can make the very simple dishes I plan to shoot look dinner-guest worthy. I'll be posting my food shot & recipe here every week for the next 6 weeks if you'd like to follow along!

November 4, 2010

Wrestling Peacocks

After a ton of trial & error, I am so happy with this beautiful peacock color for a brand spankin' new Way to the Show print!
Way to the Show, Peacock

You may be wondering how difficult it can be to choose the right shade of peacock blue, right?
Peacock Variations
let's just say this is a small sample of possibilities.

October 26, 2010

Experiments in Freelensing

SwissMiss posted about freelensing today, & I had to give it a try immediately.
Freelensing
I love the softness, light leaks, & the potential for a little renegade unpredictability. I am quite happy to add this technique to my arsenal!

October 21, 2010

Soup-er!

Crisp fall weather made me want to chop up a bunch of colorful root vegetables & take their picture,
Chopped for Soup
& since they were so conveniently chopped up, I made some very tasty soup.

October 18, 2010

Better with Sprinkles

Does adding sprinkles make Monday better?

Happy Sprinkles
Yes, I think it does...

October 11, 2010

Wish of the Week

goturback
May you always have someone around who's got your back.

October 6, 2010

Photographic Memories

I decided to make a treasury featuring only photographs today, I think it turned out pretty sweet:
photographicmemsnippet
See the rest of the story here

October 1, 2010

Yippee Yay Yahooey!

Yippee! Yay! Yahooey!
This is my final entry for Souvenir Foto School's A-Z 30 day challenge ( I didn't shoot the letters in order). It's been a fantastic ride with excellent classmates. I recommend MissB's classes to anyone & everyone! I bet you want to celebrate something too- go ahead & download the mini-pennant pdf here!

September 23, 2010

You Zig, I'll Zag

zigzag with pink corner
I've been dreaming of chevron backed pillows with my Optimists' happy faces on the front. Unfortunately, my efforts in screen printing on fabric usually result in a sloppy mess (sigh). It might be time to find a pro.

September 22, 2010

Autumn Falling

Right on schedule, this morning's air was a bit more crisp & a layer of fog blanketed the city.
Teapot
A change in season usually means a creative avalanche for me. C'mon inspiration, bring it on, I'm ready for you.

September 16, 2010

How to Romanticize the Rain

Grab some coffee or tea, stay dry & cozy while you look at dreamy rainy day photos,
It's Raining Again
& listen to this:

September 15, 2010

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to this Photo

As I leaned over a railing to snap some shots of this pretty girl,
Inquisitive
a curious elderly man approached: "What are you taking pictures of?" (me) "A duck, -see?" (elderly man looks) "The males are much better looking." (me) "I think she is cute." (elderly man) "Cute. huh. You need to give her some bread." (me) "I know! I feel terrible that I don't have any with me!" (elderly man) "Give her your gum." ...(me) "Uhm, I don't think that would be very good for her." (elderly man) "Yes, but it would be good for you!"

I'm trying to decide if he meant that chewing gum was bad for me, or if a photo of a gum chewing duck would be extra nice...

September 13, 2010

Monday Medicine

Sometimes, the best way to brighten up a Monday morning is to remember the weekend.
A Good Weekend
Thanks Santa Barbara!

September 10, 2010

Buzz!

Vicinity Studio got a little boost from Etsy Finds Enchante yesterday!
wtstangerinephoto
As you can imagine, I'm doing a little happy dance right now:)

September 9, 2010

Details

Isn't she a beauty?
1941 Caddy
The owner of this 1941 Cadillac coupe was nice enough to let me take a few photos. As a bonus, he described the Cadillac hood ornaments from the 30's on. Good day folks, good day:)

September 8, 2010

Sparkle and Pretty

Sparkle & Pretty
Just some stars & a giant bow to gussy up your day.

September 7, 2010

Cloudy with a Chance of Sandcastles

The clouds are back,
Cloudy Beach Day
which makes for a more interesting sky, & hearty Seattle souls who put on a jacket, go to the beach, & embellish their sandcastles with shells & feathers.

September 2, 2010

Contrast

Right next to this peaceful scene were cars stuck in a 6:00 p.m. traffic jam,
Quiet Moment on the Waterfront
& bike riders flying past the non-moving cars -probably feeling like they owned the world.

August 31, 2010

Hey, Lookit This!

brightoutsideweb
What?
I've posted a bunch of new photos for sale in the Creatocrat Shop!

August 27, 2010

Adventurous Dreamer

Got your passport?
adventurousdreamertreasury
Check out the rest of the adventure right here.

August 26, 2010

Making a Grey Day Sunny

The sky is so grey today, I had to make my own sun:
Sun and Mountains
It's one of those Pacific Northwest survival skills.

August 13, 2010

It's Still Summer Folks

It's Summer prime time around here, weekends are perfect for a dip in the lake & relaxing in the sun (screened up of course).
Shimmering Lake
So I plan to play in the water, have an extra popsicle, picnic in the park, make some sun tea, & savour every moment left of this laid back season. Take that back-to-school ads!

August 4, 2010

Vintage Treasure

Ka-ching! Ka-ching!
Vintage Cash Register
Can you imagine the satisfaction of punching a sale into this gorgeous old behemoth? If I had endless space, budget, & the strength of a circus strong-man to hoist this beauty, it would have found a home. Spotted at the Seattle RE-STORE.

July 27, 2010

Dear Canada,

Thank you for Whistler, & the surprisingly seamless way it transforms from a Winter wonderland into a Summer playground.
Dear Canada
Also, thank you for your sweet Aussies on work visas who make amazing coffee & breakfasts like this so they can bike, ski, & board to their hearts content.
Lift Breakfast
Hope to see more of you soon Canada. Love, M.

July 16, 2010

Summer is Flying By

Summer Flying By
I'm trying to remember the last time I flew a kite... for these people it was lunch time yesterday!

July 10, 2010

Happy Chic Mantle

J.A. on the Mantle
Do you have some Jonathan Adler products cheering up your home too? Post a photo on the Jonathan Adler site!

July 8, 2010

Ahhh, So Refreshing

Sun Tea and White Daisies
Mint sun tea & crisp white daisies anyone?

July 1, 2010

Summer Means Music

AND festival posters! Caught this one mid-paint job on Easy Street Records, I think they should keep the paint-splattered ladder right where it is.
bumbershootsign
The designer is Chelsea Conboy, her mid-century meets 2010 illustrations are pure eye-candy!

June 25, 2010

The Song in my Head

It may be difficult to hear the music over this guys' hair,

BUT I had to share because it's such a happy song, AND there's an irresistible trifecta involved:
1. Waffle Typography
2. Funny Dancing
3. A 360 degree instant camera hat! SHABANG!

June 23, 2010

A New Light Project: A few of my not so favorite things

Rain + sun + more rain =
Weed Writing & Twine
It turns out that spindly weeds make really nice shadows though:
Weed Shadows are Pretty
Viney weeds too:
Viney Weed Shadows