Polka Dots & Stripes Forever

Sweater: Old Navy // Blouse: J.Crew // Jeans: Gap 1969 Real Straight // Shoes: Cole Haan // Sunnies: Cole Haan // Clutch: J.Crew Factory // Watch : Citizens // Bracelets: c/o Derng, Vintage 

Like 90% of the world I went out and bought that polka dot sweater from Old Navy when it came out in August.  Sadly enough, it's no longer available online and I haven't been to an Old Navy store since I bought it so I have no idea if it's still in stock.  I'm happy I got it in not one, but two colors.  Yes, my love for polka dots is that great that if I see a polka dot sweater on sale for 40% off that just means I can buy more than one. 

I don't even know if pairing polka dots and stripes together can be called "pattern mixing" because they go together like "lamb and tuna fish."  They're just meant to be paired together! 

Don't be fooled! We're not posing. There was a squirrel running along our fence and I picked Jewels up to give the squirrel a chance live another day. 

Pst: Have you liked my photos yet on Pinterest?  Voting ends Friday night at midnight.

Photoberfest 2012: I need your votes!

Let me preface this post by saying that I usually hate asking for help and normally wouldn't ask for help to gain votes for a contest, but I really want to win!

I follow Katie Evans Photography Blog because she provides a ton of helpful tips and inspiring photos for aspiring photographers. I do NOT think of myself as anywhere near a professional photographer, rather I think of myself as a pretty dedicated hobbyist who is constantly trying to get better.

And here's where I need your help.  Katie is back at it with her yearly Photoberfest contest and each week in October there is a different theme.  This is week 4 and the theme is, "Unleashing creativity: take a picture using your own creative style."

Submissions are pinned on the Katie's Week 4 Board on Pinterest.  Pinterest users can like the photos there and whatever photo has the most votes by midnight Friday night gets the win.  I have three photos entered for Week 4's contest and I'd really appreciate it if you could go and like my photos before midnight this Friday, October 26th.

The winner receives three ebooks from Katie (amazing reference materials), a $25 gift certificate to Camera Coats, a three-month subscription to Rock the Shot, and a camera strap from See Lori Sew.  I could really use all of those things, but the ebooks would mean the absolute most to me.

If you have a second, please like my three photos here: http://pinterest.com/katie_perkes/photoberfest-2012-week-4-your-creative-style/

Thank you!!!

Martha Stewart's Gingerbread Cupcakes

I have cupcakes on the brain it seems. I recently upgraded my  bakeware to include the Nordic Ware aluminum muffin tins and they are so amazing all I want to do is bake more cupcakes.

Enter my dear Martha Stewart Cupcakes book with another recipe.  Now, I've looked for this recipe on MarthaStewart.com and the recipe listed online differs significantly from the one I used and found in my book.  The recipe listed in the book calls for decorating the cupcakes with little gingerbread cookies, but I didn't do all that. I'll save that for the holiday season.

Ingredients: Yield 22 cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses 
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour and spices.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add the molasses, and beat until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until each is incorporated.  Beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined (that's key, don't overmix the batter)
3. Fill muffin liners 3/4.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.  
4. Ice with your favorite frosting.  I went with a simple creamy vanilla frosting.  

I definitely didn't intend for it to happen, but I swear my quick tab of frosting on that one cupcake came out looking like a heart. Am I the only one who sees it that way?

Centennial Lake, MD Sunset

Over the weekend I did a photo shoot with an adorable family at Centennial Park in Columbia and this magical sunset wrapped up our session.  Only problem is that I don't know which picture I like better. 

I love the first photo because you can see the trees and a hint of their beautiful foliage (a hint people!).  The photo has more light in it because the sun was just about to dip below the horizon. 

But then there is this photo:

It's dark and moody. I love the outline of the tree on the right.  I know it's kind of bland because the sunset is centered in the photo, but I don't believe everything has to follow the rules of thirds.  I wanted to get the trees on both sides of the sunset and capture as much of the water as possible.  

Which one do you like better?  I'm leaning towards the second one, but there's just something about the first picture that keeps pulling me back in. 

Meridan Hill Park / Malcolm X Park

Last weekend I met up with a friend to take a few photos of her adorable 17 month old at Meridan Hill Park, which is unofficially known to DC residents as Malcolm X Park.  I don't know why there are two names for one park, but it's pretty enough to warrant more than one name.  I arrived at the park a bit earlier to scope the place out and I had just enough time to snap a few pictures.  

I really need a longer telephoto lens because I felt extremely guilty taking this picture. I struggle tremendously with taking photos of strangers.  A longer lens would let me hide a bit farther away!

The Drum Circle was amazing.  I got there when most of the drummers were just getting started, but when I came back later with a curious 17 month old they were in full swing. 

The  cascading water fountain might get most of the recognition at the Park, but I think the ducks that take over the  pool would beg to differ. Kids were lining up to feed the ducks and it was really cute. Although I felt bad when this guy swam right up to me expecting food and I didn't have anything to give him. 

Joan of Arc statue, which in a city full of statues of people on horses, this statue has the distinction of being the only female rider in the city. 

If I would have had more time I would have ventured down to this beautiful church on 15th street.  Maybe next time. 

There were two main reasons for coming to the park: the beautiful landscape and the cute kid. 

I mean, come on, she wore an adorable polka dot dress with ruffles! Such a cutie pie.  

Gray with fall accents

Cashmere Sweater: Old Navy // Button Down: J.Crew // Trousers: ESPRIT // Shoes: Calvin Klein via Rue La La // Purse: Vintage Louis Vuitton // Necklace : Spike The Punch

As soon as I stepped off the train the other day it started to pour.  Thankfully it was a quick fall storm and it had almost stopped by time I got home. Almost being the key word.  I don't usually like to take any photos on my front porch because I don't want my neighbors to think I'm crazy, but the hubs so eloquently stated, "they see you go running at all hours of the day, so they probably already think you're crazy." 

Ouch!

Back to the rain.  I'm not normally a big fan of rain, but it's so pretty in the fall when the vibrant colored leaves pepper the ground like metallic dots.  I didn't even plan it, but my outfit kind of worked for the weather - gray with fall colored accents. Maybe I should say I planned it :) 

Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

Warning: You might be in the mood for some individual-sized cheesecakes after reading this post.  This recipe is super easy to follow and it's one of those things that'll make you look like a fantastic baker even though it's so easy to make.

This recipe comes from my beloved Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, but I could not locate this specific recipe on MarthaStewart.com.  If you find this recipe there, please let me know so I can provide the correct link.

My only beef with this recipe is it calls for 42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies and the standard bag of Oreos only contains 39 cookies.  I hate when that happens! The hubs quickly pointed out that perhaps Nabisco reduced the amount of Oreos they put in their standard package since Martha's book was published, but I just think it's a ploy to make you buy two packages of Oreos. Let's be honest, there are times when you can go generic brand and there are times you can't and when it comes to Oreos I don't think you can go off brand.

Ingredients: Yield 30 cupcakes

• 42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt (I skipped this) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Yes, you read that right! I was surprised too by the low baking temperature.  Plop 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each standard muffin liner and place in muffin pan.        
2. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually add sugar and beat with the cream cheese until combined.  Beat in vanilla.
3. Slowly add eggs, roughly one at a time (remember they should have been lightly beaten prior to adding to your sugary, cream cheese mixture).  Beat in sour cream and salt.  Stir in chopped cookies by hand. 
4. Divide bater evenly among your cookie-filled cups and fill each almost to the top (these cupcakes don't rise so don't follow the standard "fill up 3/4 of the way").  Bake your cupcakes for roughly 22 minutes.  Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool completely.  Refrigerate (suggested in tins, but I didn't have enough tins to do that and mine survived in a 13 x 9 cake pan) at least 4 hours.  Remove from tins just before serving. 

Funniest thing happened Monday morning when I gave the hubs a small tray of these to take to work he stalled and said, "there's more of these here for me, right?" Yes, dude, there's more in the fridge for you. Gesh, I just wanted him to take a few to his coworkers who ran the Baltimore Half Marathon and Marathon. Be a team player dude!