window shopping with Food52

Does anyone else follow Food52 on Instagram? If you don't, please get over there and follow them right now. They have a great account filled with all things food and food photography related. Among other things, Food52 also has a shop. Over the months, I keep adding more Food52 items to my wish list. I'm sharing just a few of them here today.

Purple Ball jars may or may not have been the original inspiration for this post. Seriously. They also have Ball jars in green and a set of Vintage French canning jars. Obviously I need a set for my kitchen glass flower display.

The only thing cuter than hidden message aluminum pie plates is MINI hidden message aluminum pie plates. Please share your favorite mini pie recipes so that I have a great excuse to buy a set.

So my DIY wedding topper would look like stick people, but this is an amazing idea for anyone who does have some serious painting skills.

I'm crazy about Christmas lights so these pleated string lights are right up my alley.

I've always been a salty over sweet person. Since I largely gave up chocolate a few years ago, I go for salty snacks more than ever. Food52 sells all-natural spiced nuts in six flavors: Chinese 5 spice cashews, coconut curry peanuts, sriracha peanuts, smoky whiskey almonds, spiced cocoa pecans, and coffee stout cashews. Obviously the gift pack is the way to go because how are you supposed to pick just one?

Jake and I are suckers for good mugs. How sweet is this little Danish mug?

Reusable cleaning cloths are a must have home item. Obviously the colors appealed to me here, too, but this is a great set. You'd never have to buy cleaning cloths again.

What have you been window shopping for lately?

Pinterest picks

I don't share my Pinterest picks very often these days, but sometimes I get inspired to post about a few of my recent favorites here. Apparently I've spent a lot of time looking at food and photography lately. Surprise, right? Enjoy.

 As part of my ongoing breakfast food kick, I really enjoy breakfast sandwiches. Usually I keep it simple with bacon and scrambled eggs, but this bacon and egg grilled cheese takes the concept to a new level.

And on a similar note, omelet scones. Just in case two already awesome foods couldn't get any more awesome.

I found this pasta vegetable recipe through one of Paige's Pinterest picks posts earlier this month. Does it get much better than pasta and fresh vegetables in a single pot?

Any time I see a sandwich or burger on a menu that comes on pretzel bread / a pretzel bun, I pretty much have to order it because pretzel breads are the best. Putting that concept with cinnamon rolls...there really are no words.

Because sepia photography is so underrated.

If you haven't watched this little video series by Alisa Burke yet, please set aside an hour this week and watch all of it. I really need to re-watch sections of it about every week.

It seems like there about a zillion amazing totally creative ideas for photos out there, most of which I've never made but really want to make. This initial art just made the list.

In case reading about food and making food isn't weird enough, you can read about photographing food. I don't even photograph a lot of food, and I find this sort of topic really fascinating.

What have you been pinning lately?

Feel free to share links in the comments!

Pinterest picks

I don't share my Pinterest picks very often these days, but sometimes I get inspired to post about a few of my recent favorites here. Enjoy.

 I just made these peanut butter coconut macaroons for the first time a couple weeks ago (sans the chocolate drizzle), and they are fabulous. I'm sure that I'll be making them again soon.

 Like many people, we get a ridiculous amount of junk mail around here. I love the concept of making reverse junk mail envelopes so that at least a few of them don't end up right in the trash. This would be a great project for DIY invitations or Christmas cards.

 I'm always on the lookout for green smoothie recipes that do not include banana. I have to give this orange smoothie recipe a try sometime.

This thinking of you card features paint chips, but you could customize this idea with any type of color blocking or coordinated patterned paper. There are so many possibilities here.

I've had pineapple upside down cake a number of times, but I can't say that I've ever had another kind of upside down cake. This is a great resource for modifying the upside down cake concept with the ingredients that you have on hand.

I already mentioned the ticket stub pillows once this month, but they are so awesome that I have to feature them again. I really love this concept and think that it would make such a sweet gift for a significant other.

When I'm not making green smoothies without bananas and searching for new coconut recipes, I'm eating avocados. Most of the time I don't do anything creative with them because they're so delicious on their own, but once in a while an avocado recipe will inspire me like this cream avocado lassi.

What have you been pinning lately?

Feel free to share links in the comments!

U is for Underrated

Are you ready for another round of Alphabe Thursday? Let's go!

I'm switching things up today for Alphabe Thursday. I'll have another round up of photos for my V theme next week. Today I'm sharing a short list of things that I think are really underrated. Enjoy.

Archer

 Seriously one of the best shows on TV right now. So funny and so ridiculous. Why is it not huge?

ridiculous socks

For many years, most of my sock collection was actually much more ridiculous than polka dots (think: Popsicles, cats, penguins, ducks). I still rock a lot of socks that look just like this pair here. On more than one occasion, I have been caught wearing them under boots with fancy outfits during the winter when I went inside somewhere and took off my boots.

sleeping in

 There are a lot of really fabulous some ecards about sleeping in. It was hard to pick just one. There are a lot of reasons that I don't miss teaching, many of which are much bigger than sleep, but not getting up at 6:00 a.m. most days is definitely on that list. A good vacation or just a good weekend for me and Jake always includes extra sleep in the morning.

the color orange

 I have talked about how I think that orange is an underrated colors a number of times over the years on the blog. It's still underrated.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

It's Always Sunny is another underrated show. I have no idea how awful sitcoms on major networks that aren't funny at all do so well, and shows like this have a cult sort of following on a cable channel.

black cats

 I buy into the whole black cats are actually good luck, not bad luck, thing.

Peep Show

 A Netflix user left a comment once about how Peep Show is the best sitcom right now period, British or otherwise. I don't know if I'd say THE best, but it's certainly up there. Whether or not you like British TV, give it a try.

I'm Not a Pilot

I know that I plug I'm Not a Pilot a lot on this blog and elsewhere online. They are so much more than my favorite local Milwaukee band, and they deserve to be huge.

Do you agree with any of the items on this list? What would you add?

Check out what the other Alphabe Thursday participants posted for the letter U today right here!

Pinterest picks

I haven't been sharing many of my Pinterest picks since I quit putting together Saturday Link Lists. I'm still pinning as much as ever, though. I'm sharing just a few of my recent favorites here today. Enjoy.

Why don't I have an ice cream maker? I cannot believe how many awesome ice cream recipes are out there, like this coconut coffee ice cream. Coffee and coconut are two of my favorite flavors in general and also for ice cream so together? Can't even handle it.

I pin a lot of greeting cards with buttons, sometimes for articles, sometimes because I want to try the ideas, and sometimes just because. I love the whole stitching on paper with buttons thing here. You could customize this idea with any color palette for any occasion.

Slow cooker chicken philly sandwiches. How have I not made this recipe yet? I make chicken in the slow cooker all the time and know that Jake would love it, too.

I'd love to make up a whole bunch of these button embellishments to use on greeting cards, tags, wall art, and whatever else inspired me.

Lindsay at Pinch of Yum has a great post about artificial lighting tips for food photography. Many of you already know how much I love my light box. However, it would be really helpful to have the flexibility to do larger set ups with artificial lighting, too. I haven't tracked down the supplies to make the DIY soft light that she references in the post, but it's on my to do list.

How adorable are these cupcake liner picture frames?

I've actually had a different silver tip nails pin saved for quite a while, but I had to find something that linked to a real post to share it here. (Does it drive anyone else nuts when you can't find a great picture that links to a source?) This is another idea that I can't believe that I haven't tried yet.

I pin a lot of Alisa's posts. Honestly I kind of picked these family blocks at random because it's so hard to choose just one of her posts to share here.

I don't know how it took me more than half a year of owning Lightroom to learn how to do sepia editing. I love sepia photos so much. You will be seeing more sepia editing from me from now on.

What have you been pinning lately?

Feel free to share links in the comments!

J is for Just a Few of My Favorites

Are you ready for another round of Alphabe Thursday? Let's go!

This week I'm repeating a topic: just a few of my favorites. Do you have photos that you keep coming back to over and over again? Maybe you have them printed or framed or maybe you just pull them up on your computer when you need a smile. Today I'm sharing just a few of my personal favorites that I've taken over the past six months since the last favorites post. Enjoy.

Grant Park, August 2013

  

Cudahy Cycle Shop, August 2013

Wisconsin State Capitol, August 2013

 

Kenosha, WI, September 2013

 

Milwaukee Art Museum, September 2013

Racine, WI, October 2013

My brother's wedding, November 29, 2013

Apollo, December 2013

Grant Park, December 2013

The Pfister Hotel, December 2013

The Pfister Hotel, December 2013

Jake and Apollo, Christmas Day 2013

Check out what the other Alphabe Thursday participants posted for the letter J this week right here!

J is for Just a Few of My Favorites

Are you ready for another round of Alphabe Thursday? Let's go!

Do you have photos that you keep coming back to over and over again? Maybe you have them printed and framed or maybe you pull them up on your computer whenever you need a smile. Here are just a few of my favorites from the past year.

Kenosha, WI Lakefront, August 2012

Sea World, San Antonio, TX, December 2012

Milwaukee Art Museum, Christmas Day 2012

Ares, January 2013

Lake Michigan near Lake Park, Milwaukee, WI, March 2013

Milwaukee River Walk, April 2013

The Calling statue and the Milwaukee Art Museum, April 2013

Holton Street Bridge by the Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI, May 2013

Riverwest neighborhood church, Milwaukee, WI, May 2013

Milwaukee skyline from McKinley Park / Marina, Milwaukee, WI, May 2013

VA sponsored wheelchair rugby, June 2013

Jake testing an adapted bike after wheelchair rugby, June 2013

Check out what the other participants posted this week for the letter J right here!