A Little Pretty for Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! How's your week going?

I wanted to share some images from a shoot I did for Style At Home magazine, in the May issue. The home was designed by the design team at The Cross, for Perienne Sadler and her family.

Why not have a Marlin on your wall? 

Artwork by Zoe Pawlak

For the entire story, click here. What do you think? Is this your cup of tea? I'd love to know. 

Have a good day!

janis

Tea Party

Happy Wednesday! 

I'm back, after a bit of a break, with some pictures from a shoot I did for Western Living magazine recently. We shot this Mother's Day Tea Party at The Cross. They kindly let us set up shop for the day, while we propped and primped some fabulous treats and flowers. It was pretty handy to have a shop full of the perfect props too. 

Naomi and Lawren set up the food, while Elizabeth and Sylvie get ready for their close-ups. 

This is just a sample of the food we shot that day. You can find all the recipes, of several tea party essentials, in the new issue of Western Living, or online here. 

Our "studio" for the shoot, in a pretty area of The Cross. They were very sweet to hang a light fixtures for us as well.

So much more, from this shoot, featured in the May issue of Western Living. Just in time for Mother's Day! 

Have a great day! 

janis

Baked

Hello all! Hope you've had a good week. Any exciting plans for the long weekend?

This week has been mostly spent in front of my computer, catching up on editing a few shoots. I wanted to make some kind of a loaf/bread the other day, to help ease the pain of editing, but had no bananas. I did have dates, walnuts and coconut though, so tossed them all in a basic bread mix.
Since there are a lot of dates in this recipe, it's already super sweet, so I didn't add sugar. If you want to add sugar, I wouldn't add more than half a cup.

Date Walnut and Coconut Bread - makes one 9"x5" loaf (I couldn't find my large loaf tin, so I used my old Hovis tin, which is smaller. The result was just taller bread!)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup large flake coconut
a little raw sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line loaf tin with parchment paper, and set aside. In a small bowl, cover chopped dates with 1/2 cup of hot water. Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Beat the butter, in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to creamed butter, a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Drain water from dates, and fold into batter along with walnuts and coconut. Spoon batter into loaf tin and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

If you try out this recipe, I'd love to know what you think!

Have a lovely long weekend!

janis

Decorate With Flowers

I can see the weekend from here! Hope you're all having a good week, so far.

I just received my copy of Decorate With Flowers by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring, published by Jacqui Small and Chronicle Books. It's so beautiful! I had the pleasure, and honour, of shooting a few homes with Leslie and Jessica Senti (assistant to Holly Becker), here in Vancouver. It was such a great experience, working with these talented ladies, and inspiring to see Leslie in action. Here's a peek at a couple of our sessions....

Jessica setting the table with a mixture of brightly coloured flowers in a variety of vessels. Loved the plant pots covered in Liberty fabrics. So pretty. 

A pretty table setting in pink, grey, and a little neon pink. 

Jessica and Leslie, weaving their magic at the home of Katharine Horsman. 

Leslie, busy at work, creating mini bouquets of all shades of plum and purple dahlias, orchids, and scabious. 

Loved the beautiful bowl with a single large dahlia. Shot at the home of designer, Nancy Riesco. 

There are over 140 pages of beautiful, creative and inspiring ways to use flowers, throughout your home, and some fun DIY projects, in this book. You can find Decorate With Flowers at bookstores everywhere as well as Amazon. 

Have a lovely day!

janis

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Island Living

Hello everyone! I seemed to have lost March somewhere. If anyone finds it, could you let me know? Seriously, how are we already well into April? Anyone else lose March?

I shot this incredible home, on Pender Island, near Vancouver, with interior designers McCarthy Hinder. It's in the May issue of House and Home magazine. I had serious home envy with this one. The location is breathtaking. Here is just a little taste of it...

Carrie and Tanja setting up for the shoot. 

The living area completely opens up to the front of house and the back deck with a stunning view. 

Many of the rooms feel like you're in a treehouse. I would love to wake up surrounded by those trees. 

What do you think? Could you live here? Would love to know your thoughts. There's so much more in the May issue of House and Home. The kid's rooms are fantastic too. 

Have a great day!

janis

Baked

Happy Tuesday! Hope your week is off to a good start. 

I made some straight-up crackers over the weekend, that were quick and easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Perfect for dipping, with cheese and chutney and, of course, soup. By the way, they cost about 50 cents to make as well. Gotta love that. 

Cheese Crackers - makes about 5 dozen

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

6-7 tablespoons water

a little extra melted butter for tops of crackers

a little coarse salt for sprinkling on tops of crackers

Preheat oven to 400f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and parmesan cheese. Add the melted butter and combine. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well until a smooth dough forms. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8" thick, and cut out shapes. I made a few batches, so I make 1.5" round crackers, and some tiny soup crackers. If cutting out square shape crackers, transfer rolled out dough to baking sheet and score with a pastry cutter. If using a round cutter, cut out shapes then transfer to baking sheet. Brush tops with a little melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over top. You could also sprinkle a little extra parmesan on top - so good. 

Nothing like a quick recipe that's super simple to make. If you give these a whirl, let me know!

Have a great day. 

janis

A Perfect Mix

Happy Wednesday! 

I wanted to share a few vignettes from a story I shot with Suzanne Dimma, editor-in-chief, for House and Home magazine - it's in the April issue, out now.  This is the home of actress Kristin Lehman, star of the series Motive on CTV, her husband, filmmaker,  Adam Reid and son Sammy. It's such a pretty blend of new, vintage, and personal treasures. Designer, Nancy Riesco, helped Kristin pull it all together to create a warm and inviting space, with lots of personal touches. I could live here.  

Kristin, Adam and Sammy were so lovely to work with.  

There's so much more to see so, to get the entire story, check out the digital or print April issue of House and Home magazine. 

Have a great day! 

janis