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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hello weekend

Happy Friday! Hope you all had a great week.

I just wrapped up a fun week, shooting for an upcoming book by Holly Becker (Decor8) and Leslie Shewring (A Creative Mint). Leslie was here for the shoot, along with Jessica Senti. Great women to work with. Can't wait to see how it all comes together...next spring when the book is released.

Last weekend I tested out the new Instant Lab, from the Impossible Project. Thought I'd share the results with you. It turns your iPhone pictures into a real instant photos. Cool idea, but it does take some testing to get the exposure right. I'm not sure that I'd want to buy one, as I think the novelty would wear out, for me, pretty quickly. When I take instant pics, I still love my sx-70, in all it's unpredictable glory. If you have one of these, I'd love to know your thoughts on it. Do tell!

The Instant Lab. 

Some of the images taken with the Instant Lab, of my iPhone pics. 

After a week of eating, well, a lot of cookies, I think I might try snacking on some of this over the weekend. I made a nut mix adapted from a recipe I saw ages ago in a healthy living supplement in a newspaper. It's so good.  You can really use any combo of nuts you like along with whatever dried fruit you prefer. I always go for dried cherries and/or blueberries.

Cocoa Nut Mix - makes about 2 cups

2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar (I used a raw sugar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, white only
1 cup cashews
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Preheat oven to 325f/160c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk egg white for about 30 seconds, until foamy. Whisk in cocoa, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, until smooth. Add nuts and stir until evenly coated in egg mix. Spread out nut mix, evenly, onto baking sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes, stir nuts, then bake for another 6 minutes. Keep an eye on them, so they don't decide to burn. Allow to cool, then add blueberries and cherries. Snack away.

Have a lovely weekend!

janis
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Weekend Observations

How was your weekend? Hope it was a good one.  Here's a bit of what I got up to...

Popped out to see my friend Heather, at her blueberry farm, to chat about an upcoming project. Heather's book, Farm-Fresh Recipes, was just released. Do you have a copy yet? Lots of recipes inspired by life on a farm, with her 5 year old daughter, Lily. 

I know you've seen them "pinned" all over the place, but I made a mini terrarium from a vintage mason jar that Colleen gave me, while on a shoot. It had been filled with cookies, and now it's filled with mini plants...not nearly as fattening.  

Played around with my Lensbaby for my Canon. Love how it makes this cityscape look. 

Loving my SX-70. My week with the ladies of Instant Love and the fantastic group of women that also took part. It really renewed my love of instant pics. This weekend I experimented with Impossible Project film and different lighting (bright sun, cloudy, showers, and indoors). 

That was it for me....well, and hanging out with my mom, of course. What did you get up to? 

Back soon!

janis

On Pause

I will be on a bit of a pause until I wrap up a very busy shoot schedule. As a freelancer, I'm uber happy for the work, but doesn't leave time for much else. I know I'm not alone, out there, in the world of freelancing ;)

Hope you're all doing well! Looking forward to catching up.
janis
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Weekend Observations

That weekend was a bit of a blur. How was yours? Hope it was a fun one!

Along with spotting this sweet flower stand, here's a few more observations and a little project from the weekend....

Sewed up some cardboard pouches to ship my prints to some lovely etsy shoppers.  

A fun guest bedroom designed by Angela Robinson. 

I set aside some time to check out some blogs as well. Here are some lovely links...

Colour coded work spaces at Creative Living.

A fun and tiny space over at Emma's Design Blogg. 

A little paint-by-number action at Poppytalk.

Have a great day! 

janis

Weekend Observations

How was your weekend? Mine, apparently, was a bit of a purple haze....

Have a good Monday! 

Back soon,

Janis

About a Beautiful Book and a Give Away

I have a really special give away to offer one of you! I was sent this beautiful book, About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, by Frances Lincoln Publishers, and they kindly offered an extra as a give away. I love them.

Eamonn McCabe is an incredibly talented British photographer, and in this book he shares a beautiful photo essay on a tiny village called Firle, in East Sussex. He definitely answers the question "What is it that makes the ideal English Village?" It pleases me to no end, that places like this still exist in the world. Enchanting is not a word I use often, but it is the perfect word to describe this book. I want to step right into the images, and meet the friendly faces peering back at me. You can also purchase it here, if you can't wait for the give away. ;) For more of Eamonn's work, check out his portfolio of images he's shot for Elle, Vogue and Marie Claire, here. Pretty stellar.

Here is just a small sample of some of my favourite images from this stunning book....

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

Amazing images, yes? This give away is open to residents of North America only. To enter, please leave a comment. I'll make the draw on Monday August 15th. Good luck! Now, back to my book and my morning tea.

Back soon!
janis

Rained out Photo Shoots

Where are you spring? Apparently you are the worst you've been for 50 years, here in Vancouver. I don't mind a little rain and cold (I keep telling myself that), but you're making it really difficult for me to get several garden shoots wrapped up. The flowers look like they're sobbing. Here's proof....

Off to Victoria for a shoot, this weekend. Always nice to hang out there. What will you be doing? For those of you in the U.S., have a lovely long weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Back soon.
janis

A Give Away to say Thanks!

I've been blogging for just over a year, and it boggles my mind that I seem to have just over 400 lovely followers. Without getting too mushy, I can't believe how supportive all of you are. I really do love reading all of your comments, and emails that you send. Perks my day right up. It's been great reading all of your blogs - I feel like I really know you!

I'm just about to add some calendars to my etsy shop, so I'd love to give one away, along with a small print of your choice from my shop. To enter check out my shop and let me know which print you like best. I'll make the draw November 22nd. That's it! Pretty simple. I'll send out the calendar and print soon after that.

One last note. A Dr., with a very modern and pretty office, ordered three large blossom prints from me.  I wish my Dr. had a happy office like this one. I have to get a shot of it for you. I've never seen the "fleeting" series in large format before.....I think I prefer them this size.

Good luck! I'll be back on Friday.
Janis

Happy Camper

 I hope all had a great week! Just got back from a little camping trip to Monck Park in beautiful British Columbia. I went with 3 of my sisters, Mom and a couple of nephews. Hot, feral and heaps of fun....even without a campfire. Lots of forest fires here in B.C. so there is a ban on campfires for a bit. I bring you bits of B.C.....

 

 Liam, pine cones, the perfect camping breakfast, and a little washing up.

Various views of our campsite at Monck Park, one of B.C.'s many provincial parks.

Beautiful Nicola Lake.

A lonely looking little red house, in Merritt.

Merritt, B.C.

Allison Lake, B.C. This lake is stunning! The colour of the water was beautiful.

I leave you with a very happy pink house located in Princeton, BC.

Have a good weekend! Back on Monday for a little baking.

I Heart Long Weekends

After shooting back to back shoots all this week, I will keep this post short because I feel kinda drunk with fatigue. To take a break from looking at interiors (lovely ones though!) in photoshop, I took a few portraits of some of my Kokeshi. They were lovely and didn't talk back at all, or blink. Sweet wooden creatures.

Have a fabulous weekend! It's a civic holiday here in Canada, so we have a long weekend. What about you?  I'll be back on Monday with a special B.C. Day Baked on Monday.

Friday in the country

I headed out to the country today to hang out with my friend Heather, of Missing Goat. It was her official opening! After months of hard work, she opened the door to her "shack" filled with fabulous, jams, chutneys and garlic. Yum. Naturally, Lily, Heather's daughter, was in her blueberry glory. Speaking of blueberries, they won't be ready for another couple of weeks. If you're in the Metro Vancouver area, I highly recommend a trip to Missing Goat!

By the way, congratulations to all the winners of the big giveaway at Flourish Design + Style! The winner of one of my prints is Shannon of whatsupwhimsy.com - she chose "Pink" (below).

I think I need to have a g + t and give myself a bit of a pedicure. My feet are definitely not summer ready.

Enjoy your weekend! See you Monday.