Friday Things
1. I hope everyone that celebrated the 4th of July yesterday had a great day and lots of good food! My Chief Culinary Consultant and I made festive use of the chalkboard in our mudroom :)
2. Incidentally, that was probably the most creative thing Iโve done since art class was mandatory in grade school. Now Iโm feeling inspired!
3. Itโs just not a summer picnic without a pan of strawberry pretzel salad. Iโm happy to report that I ate more than may fair share yesterday and I still have some leftovers in the fridge calling my name.
4. I always take my camera out before family gatherings with the intention of taking some nice, candid photos. Inevitably, I never end up picking it up because Iโm too busy enjoying the day. Does anyone elseโs camera get forgotten?
5. I did, however, play around with some sparkler photographs! I liked this one in particular:
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For those of you curious, I used my 35mm 1.4 lens with these settings: f/1.8, ISO 100, 0.3 sec shutter speed.
6.ย My BFF leant me her Kindle Paperwhite to test drive before deciding to buy my own. I canโt wait to give it a try! Iโll report back on how I like it.
7. I got my stitches out on Wednesdayโฆ hooray! I still need to keep it bandaged for another 7-10 days; hopefully by then itโll 100% back to normal!
8. Iโm definitely in the market for decorating advice; if you are as well, check out these 101 Decorating Secrets from Top Interior Designers.
9. This green smoothie cheat sheet has me inspired to bust out my Vitamix more often, especially after overdosing on picnic food yesterday!
10. TGIF! Whoโs ready for play time?!
Source: Amanda Evans Photography
Aww Einstien is so adorable! He is my fav part about friday things.
Your chalkboard drawing is adorable! I used to have a chalkboard and was obsessed with it. Now I want to go find it hiding in the basement and get creative!
Oh โ and I hope you had a great 4th! I love holidays, so much good food!
This is a really stupid question but did you use a flash when you took the sparkler photo- if you donโt mind me asking? Iโm so new to photography, I tried taking some pics of fireworks and mine didnโt really turn out โ and Iโm thinking a flash would have helped :). I havenโt even bought one yet since I only take pictures of food. Very cool pic by the way! And great cheat sheet!
Hi Jaclyn! I did not use a flash. Thatโs actually the best firework-ish photo Iโve ever taken. It really takes a ton of practice, and Iโve tried reading a ton of โhow-toโ articles. Based on what Iโve read, you should turn the ISO way down (I set mine to 100 and it was around dusk), use a super, super slow shutter speed (I used 0.3 sec) and if possible, use a tripod or steady the camera on something. Since the shutter speed will be so low, itโll turn out blurry if the camera moves at all. I hope that all helps! :)
Thanks so much for your reply Michelle! It really is such an amazing photo โ perfect sparks, color and everything! Awesome job and thanks for the tips :)!
I love the green smoothie cheat sheet.
I always have good intentions when I bring my camera somewhere, but like you, it usually ends up getting forgotten in the purse because Iโm too caught up in the moment to want to remove myself for a picture. Sigh. First world problems, indeed!
Glad you enjoyed your fourth!
Love the sparkler pics!
Cute chalkboard! I use to take my big camera everywhere, but now I mainly just take my phone with me lol
Iโve experienced strawberry pretzel salad at a potluck once and I was crazy about it. I canโt wait to do a spin on it soon! I never seem to take pics at family gatherings anymore. I used to be so good about it! Iโm a big picture person, so I need to fix that! Congrats on getting those stitches out!
Happy holiday weekend Michelle, love your chalkboard! Shane has the Kindle Paperwhite and seriously loves it. I have the Nook version and definitely think the Kindle is better.
I am in love with your dog. He just seems so happy!
I LOVE decorating! I just finished painting the interior of my house (all spice colors) and I love going out to fine some new art and accessories! If you need a painter, let me know! My neighbor is a professional and does a fabulous job! Weโre not far from you!
Great use of the chalkboard!
Oh I love the sparklers! Reminds me of when I was a kid! Have a wonderful weekend!!
Glad to hear youโre on the mend. Love the photos!
Pretty sparklers! I need all of the decorating advice I can get!
Yay! So great the stitches are out! Have a great weekend!
Always love the pictures of Einstein best! Enjoy the weekend :)
me too. this dog is soooo cute :)
Great firework shot! And I hope you have a speedy recovery!
Iโm ready for playtime! Hope you had a great holiday! Always love some fun time with sparklers!
Your chalkboard is too cute!
Love the sparkler photo!
Happy Friday!