Creamy Vanilla Bean Coffee recipe

Wednesday of last week was the first day that it felt like Summer was leaving us and Fall was quickly approaching.  It made me happy, because I love Fall... everything about it, except school of course.   As I started to think of all things Fall related, I began dreaming of coffee, what else?  I got it in my head to use a vanilla bean that had been sitting in the pantry just waiting for a purpose to come along in my next coffee creation.  This was a first time for me using vanilla beans, and now I can honestly tell you that I'm in love with them....  The flavor is so much richer than the vanilla extract that we all use, and besides, vanilla beans are such a special and decedent treat.  Who wouldn't want coffee with fresh vanilla bean in it?    

Warm Vanilla Bean Coffee
4 cups coffee of your choice
1 1/2 cup cream
1/2 vanilla bean
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. all-spice
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Prepare you coffee of choice and keep it warm.  Slit your half of a vanilla bean in half long ways and scrap out as many of the seeds as possible.  Put your cream in a saucepan and add your vanilla bean skin and seeds, nutmeg, all-spice, and brown sugar over the lowest heat.  Mix together and let steep for 5-8 minutes, don't let it boil.  Take off heat, take out vanilla bean skin, and whisk for 2 minutes.  Pour your coffee between two mugs then add the cream mixture.  Enjoy this simple little treat.  

My model/fellow coffee loving sister, Mary

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testing it out...

   I love getting packages in the mail, they just brighten any kind of day.  I was especially excited about a package in particular that I received last Saturday, because in it was my new Lightroom 5.  Saying that I was ecstatic to open the mailbox and find this package would be a huge understatement...  When I first started editing my photos in Lightroom I was just overwhelmed.  I had basically no idea what I was doing, but with many hours of editing I became to understand what in the world everything did.  Do you use Lightroom?  Do you have any tips for an amateur?  

These are some photos I took last night as it rained...  enjoy!  (can you tell I like black and white?)

P.S.  It might be a little quiet on the blog this month, because August looks to be just as busy as June and July were.

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Sharing a little DIY for you today

Aren't these little booties adorable?  I have convinced myself that I must make them for my little nephew.  They look so simple to make, which is what I need, since I'm not much of a sewer and don't have much patience.  I think they will be the perfect afternoon project for me!  Will you join me?  You can check out the full tutorial here.

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Baby Chicks

Last week we got baby chicks in the mail.  My dad went to the post office last Thursday and came home with three overly large packages that had holes on the sides of them.  From these packages came sweet little tweets.  A baby chick forms a perfect little ball in my hands and is so light!  I think they are so cute I could squeeze them, although I avoid this for obvious reasons.  Now enjoy some cuteness coming your way.  

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How to capture a candid moment

 Natural and candid, this is what most photographers strive for.  All the photos that you see on Pinterest are so pretty and "in the moment", not awkward, unnatural, and stiff.  If you are a photographer you have probably asked yourself at least once, "How does that photographer get such candid moments?"  I don't think there is a simple one sentence answer to this question, but I have gathered up some tips that I've learned thus far on how to make your model or client feel comfortable and how to capture those candid moments.

1.  Be a friend, not just a photographer.  Don't get stuck behind the camera just telling your client how to pose and what kind of smile to make, ask questions and get to know them.  Make jokes, be ridiculous.  Yes, sometimes a photographer has to be silly and ridiculous to get the perfect picture.  This is why every photographer should have a certain level of awkwardness and shouldn't be embarrassed by making fun of themselves.

2.  Help them along.  You just can't expect every person to be comfortable and natural in front of the camera, at least not at first.  They are probably thinking that they look ridiculous and are embarrassed about getting their pictures taken so this is why it is important to help them along.  Give them some guidance on where to place that arm which they don't know where to place and just try to make them feel like they aren't complete idiots while getting their pictures taken.  Another thing that can really help your client, is to actually show them the pose that you want them to make.   Telling them visually can help them see what they are actually supposed to do, and if you aren't a natural explainer, this is helpful for you as well.    

3.  Be ready.  There have been so many times where I was just a second to late in capturing a special moment, or forgot to turn on my camera.  Yes, I have forgotten to turn on my camera before... maddening!  This is why you should always be on guard, because you never know when the perfect moment will need to be captured. When they laugh out loud or give you a glimpse of their personality, whatever it may be, be ready.

                       

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diy stained glass vases | guest post by haley

For awhile now, I've been keeping the glass bottles from Izzes and Starbuck frapuchinnos, etc. The only thing is...now I have a collection of empty bottles that I don't have room to display all at once. The other day, though, I had an idea to make a sort of stained-glass looking vase out of some of them. (Ok, so it's not exactly stained glass, but you get the idea. ;)) When finished, it's really neat to put them on the window sill to see the light through the colors.

Here's how to make them...

You will need...

acrilyc paints, liquid glue, a paint brush, and a clear glass bottle (with all lables removed)

Step 1: With your glue, draw a pattern over the bottle.

Step 2: Let the glue dry. (When dry, it will leave a "foggy" look between the colors.)

Step 3: When the glue has dryed completely, using your paint and paintbrushes, paint in between the lines you made with the glue.

Step 4: Let the paint dry, then put some pretty flowers in your colorful vases!

Thanks, Joanna, for having me guest post today!

Much love,
Haley

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Milkmaid Braids

My sister, Mary, a while back posted on my Facebook telling me that I just had to try this hairstyle... Milkmaid braids.  She sent me a link to the tutorial and it was so amazing and made the hairstyle look so simple that, I decided that I really did need to try it.  Well, I tried it, and loved it, and still love it.  This hairstyle is very simple and can easily be mastered with a little practice.  I highly recommend you try it out for yourself, and don't forget to tell me what you thought of it in the comments below!...  So, check out my milkmaid braids, then click HERE for the tutorial I used (the tutorial has tons of GIFs, which I kind of love).

photo credit- Charlotte

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