Around here: transitioning from winter to spring

If you were to hang out with us right now, our days are filled with trying new recipes for fun and for my baking business. Homemade funfetti cupcakes and homemade crackers (pictured). We've also been enjoying getting outside to play in the yard or take a walk on the trail. Sometimes we're just downright silly and sometimes I'm just trying to relish this time with my toddler who is growing up at an alarming rate!

 wispy, golden baby curls ^^^

Gumpaste Lilac Cake!

Lilacs! They are probably the most inspirational flower I could make this long, cold, snowy winter. So you can imagine how delighted I was to find out they were the favorite flower of this birthday girl. I'm just starting to dive into the world of do it yourself gum-paste flowers. It really intimidated me, until recently, when I was asked to do some hydrangeas for a wedding cake. I couldn't find what I was looking for, so I decided to try my hand at making some. That was my first experience making my own gum-paste flowers. 

 Lilacs were a little different story. Each little flower you see is made by hand, no cutter necessary. This tutorial was amazing! Yes, they were time consuming and yes you need to make way more than you think you'll need for a bunch and yes each flower is wired individually, but it was really great to learn a new technique and I couldn't believe how true to the real deal lilacs they actually turned out when I put them all together! 

For this 60th birthday I also made a couple dozen lilac frosted cupcakes to go with.

Thanks also to Optika for this shot of the cake and cupcakes! Go check out their new website! They do good work!

SNOW day!

There is something completely and utterly magical when a soft snow falls and covers everything gently around it! As an adult, the magic is still there, but there are fewer days to sit in the house and watch it come down and then go play in it, than when you were a child. Today, however, was one of those days. We got up with the snow falling, had a lazy morning and then after lunch got to go explore the winter wonderland around us. Liam got to really experience the snow this year, since he can walk in it, pick it up and experience the wet and cold too. We didn't stay out too long, since Liam still has a runny nose from a cold. Just enough to enjoy the beauty around the house and trail.

Fall Baked Treats

 Pumpkin Cupcake with Cinnamon Buttercream

 Caramel Apple Cupcake

Pumpkin Scone with Maple Glaze

Here's a little food photo shoot I did recently for some new fall items at Main St.Java. If your in the mood for something sweet to go with your pumpkin spice latte, then go get some! 

Happy Autumn!

xoxo Snacky French

Shooting my Best Friend's Wedding

 This dear lady, is a close friend since childhood. She got married to a wonderful man back in May! Jason and I were asked to shoot her wedding. We were a little nervous because we are far from professional photographers, but we made the most of it and I think they turned out just fine. The wedding was at her parents house. A casual family and close friends affair. They walked in with both of their parents on their arms as the guests sat in a circle around them. After the couple greeted each other, the parents shared a sweet sentiment and then they opened up for the guests in the circle to share a meaningful word, memory, blessing or story about the couple. It was such an intimate affair. Probably one of the most beautiful weddings I've been to. And being behind the camera lens I noticed a lot more of the little details that I normally would at a wedding. Here's a few pictures from the day!

fall family shoot

we randomly decided to go take some pictures one day at my parents house a few weeks back. they have some corn fields behind their property and we were feeling festive in our autumn clothes as we were on our way to pick out some pumpkins. my niece took some great pictures of us as a family!

fall fun

this past monday we went to visit jason's family, a couple hours up north! it was liam's first long car ride! he did great! i spent most of the day with this beautiful lady, taking her senior pictures. we had a blast. this is just a fun little sequence i shot.

a snowy walk about

birthday girls and family photoshoots

 this beautiful girl turned 10 last weekend. my oh my how my nieces are growing into little ladies, so quickly. her birthday cake request for this year was a a turkey running around. i tried for the running turkey but turkeys, i told my niece are just so bottom heavy that they want to sit on cakes instead of  running around. she was thrilled anyway.

 i snapped a few family photos for my sister's family. these are a few of my favorites from the day. oh the beauty of fall. how it is waning away.

in the process of...

many projects going on yesterday. only a few of which made it onto here. jason and i have been working on rigging up a contraption for my brownie duaflex camera to start taking through the viewfinder photographs! its something i've wanted to work on for quite some time now, but am just getting around to. this was jason first attempt. not half bad. we ran out of materials, so the tube was a little to short. more pictures to come!i made risotto for the first time! i've known about this lovely little rice dish for quite some time now, but yesterday was the day of firsts. its the classic version from the joy of cooking! it turned out better than i imagined! i've found a new favorite. thanks to suki from gilmore girls who peeked my interest int the dish in the first place! oh gilmore girls i miss you.
one 1/2 of a fingerless glove. for me this time. jason took a liking to the other pair i made last year. they fit him better anyway, so he gets to keep them and i am working on this lovely yellow pair for myself. now if only i could perfect the thumb hole without having to sow up some holes i left behind. knitting, as with most of my endeavors are learning processes. that is what i keep reminding myself.

inspiration : trying to keep my cool

today sitting in the room with our computers, thinking about writing something, was a bit challenging. it is extremely hot here PA. summer is here with a vengeance. so it got me to thinking, why not explore with my camera, all the ways we are keeping cool in our apartment this summer. some lovely new (vintage) additions were procured this year. a fan for every room and style. hope you all are finding means of keeping your cool.