Here’s what I’ve been up to! Don’t you love this guy’s hair?
Here’s one more Mother’s Day session that happened last week.
It’s almost summer, which means it’s time to head over to Rascals to Rebels! I’ll be back to the store for mini-photo sessions on June 30 and July 1. The back drop is playful and full of color…perfect for all the fun clothes they have in store right now!
Head over to the store to make a $50 minimum purchase and the session is free. Prints and digital images can be ordered from the session and all the details can be found on my website.
June 30 10:00am-12noon
July 1 noon-2:00pm
**max 3 children per session, ages 12 and under
Summer. You guys, it’s so close I can almost feel it. I mean with these 80 degree days we’ve been having, it essentially IS summer, with one exception. School. We are just waiting for that pesky thing to be over so we don’t have to get up early, miss the beach and be doing homework when we should be playing outside. Just 15 more days of learning and we are free!
In honor of summer allllmost being here, I pulled out the popsicle sticks…recently give to us by Brent’s mom. Perfect timing! I had just purchased a flat of strawberries, so I put them to good use.
There’s not really a recipe. I was just throwing stuff in the food processor until it tasted good! I pureed strawberries until they equaled about one cup. I use my mini-food processor. You don’t want any big chunks, so puree away! Whisk the strawberries into a half cup of strawberry yogurt, 3/4 cup of half and half and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Depending on your sweet tooth, add between 2-4 tablespoons of agave (or sugar if you prefer). Carefully pour the mixture into popsicle molds or paper cups if you don’t have molds. I tried freezing them 2 hours and it was a disaster. Freeze them over night. I know it’s hard to wait, but just trust me on this one. You want them frozen SOLID.
I have to admit, after having Memorial Day off, it’s been hard to get back into a schedule this week. You mean we have to go to work and school after Monday? We don’t get to play the whole week? I made some recipes I wanted to blog about and then a few things got in the way of them actually making it on the blog! I pulled out my popsicles before they were ready. Do not do this. It’s very disheartening. Then, I was trying to photograph bread minutes before my dinner guests arrived. Again, do not do this. It stresses your family out when they can’t eat the appetizer, BECAAAAUSE I have to photograph it. SO. I will be sharing something else today. Don’t worry it’s cute.
My friend, Heather, asked me to pick up a stick for her the last time I was on a stick-collecting mission. She was going to be making a bow-holder for her girls’ hair accessories. I was looking for big straight sticks for the tent I was trying to create. I picked up a cute little stick and handed it off to her the next time I was running by her house. The last time I was there she showed me the finished product. It’s the perfect addition to her girls’ room!
Her directions are: Paint stripes on the stick with acrylic paint in various colors and widths. Leave some of the wood showing. Tie pieces of fabric or ribbon on the stick to clips the barrettes to. Lastly, tie a piece of twine to both ends and hang on a nail or the edge of a frame (as shown).
What a fun way to display hair accessories and an easy way for the girls to grab them on their own and easily put them away!
This time of year is the best. Temperatures are moderate, the lighting is starting to change and people are just overall pumped that summer is around the corner.
I photographed the twins above almost 2 years ago when they were newbies. Seeing them walking and babbling was such a joy! Probably one of the best parts of my job. Connecting with people and then getting to watch their kids grow up makes me feel like family.
I also got to do a photo shoot for Junie Bloom this week that involved dresses with all kinds of feminine detail, tea sets and an antique pram. This is SO up my alley! The models are all friends at school, so it’s a blast to photograph them!
Misha Lulu was also on the docket this week. Their clothes are super fun and they just put a smile on your face! My models were spunky and sweet…perfect for this brand. Lots of work for Little Skye Children’s Boutique this week!!
I’ll end the post with something I don’t do very often. Normally my subjects are under the age of middle-school! I am running after toddlers and holding babies. It’s my comfort zone. So, when these ladies from church contacted me, it was a wonderful change of pace. They are all widows and best friends. They were as sweet as could be!
Memorial Day is around the corner, so I decided to get festive and make some cupcakes!
I started out by having my daughter paint on a piece of white card stock. I put red and blue acrylic paint on her pallet and let her go to town!
I cut several inch strips haphazardly to get a good combination of red, white and blue. Then I folded that in half, cut a little triangle off then end and hot glued a toothpick in the middle.
Have fun, get the kids involved and have a wonderful Memorial Day! Then repeat for fourth of July!
As an update to the mini-sessions I posted yesterday…I have filled all of Saturday’s time slots, so I opened Friday morning, June 8. If you’d like to book a time, please email or call. I have a feeling these are going to go fast! info@kristineldridge.com 562-980-6480
In other news…PASTA! It cures most that’s wrong in the world. But, don’t most carbs do that? I listen to the Joy the Baker podcast while I’m editing sometimes and they recently talked about a big hullabaloo where Tracy made Tyler Florence’s Angel Hair Pasta with Chile, Lemon & Arugula. She tweeted him about it, didn’t hear back and long story short he was on the podcast last week talking about this recipe, his books and lots of other random stuff. After hearing about the ingredients over and over, I had to try it. Let me just say, wow. We had it for dinner (even the kids ate it!), then I had it for lunch and breakfast this morning. A 10:30 breakfast because I missed real breakfast, but still. I loved it.
There’s a wonderful lightness to the dish, along with the contrast of peppery arugula, hot chile and tart lemon. I think it hits every craving!
The recipe is found on Tracy’s blog. And I’ll copy and paste it here as well.
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, silvered
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 6 cups lightly packed baby or wild arugula
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
In a skillet, combine the panko with 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss to combine. Toast over medium heat, stirring, until the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 10 minutes. season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a small bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 10 to 12 minutes to infuse the oil and gently cook the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon zest and remove from the heat.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the pasta well, and transfer to a large bowl. Immediately add the arugula, the infused oil with the garlic, and the bread crumbs. Use tongs to gently toss everything together. Mound the pasta on a large platter, squeeze lemon juice on top and serve, topping with grated Parmesan as desired.
It’s back again and this time with a twist! Last year I held photo sessions by the bay in Long Beach and it was an amazing backdrop. This time I’m bringing along the blue velvet love seat (yay!) and quilt tent and a new set of fabric fishies!
Here’s the low down…$100 for a 20 minute photo session. The print and digital pricing can be found on my website.
June 9- 8:40-9:00, 9:00-9:20, 9:20-9:40, 9:40-10:00, 10:20-10:40, 10:40-11:00
Email me (info@kristineldridge.com) or call to reserve your spot! 562-980-6480
This week was full of mamas and their babies. Everyone was so into the photo sessions and I loved it! As moms, it’s not often we get to dedicate time to document loving on our littles! I have so many favorites from these photo sessions, but I’ll try to keep it somewhat brief. 🙂
One thoughtful mom set up the photo session as a Mother’s Day gift for her mother-in-law. Grandma’s eat this stuff up!!
And here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming tomorrow! I did a photo session at the beach with the blue love seat from the spring mini-sessions. This will be it’s swan song before it gets kicked out so I can buy a new vintage piece! Details coming tomorrow…
I’ve been wanting to make a little tent with sticks and what better place to bring it than the beach. The idea started with a trip to a local park to gather sticks. Long straight sticks that were strong enough to hold up a quilt was what we were looking for. Once I found four, I looked for one skinnier straight stick that would go across the top.
Thick twine (from Michael’s craft store) wrapped around the sticks to secure them on both sides, then the smaller stick was just laid across the top.
The advantage of taking the tent to the beach is that you can sink the sticks into the sand for a stronger base.
I love the way this turned out for photos! It was also so much fun for the kids to play with. It would be worth a trip back with lunch so the kids could just play around in it! Another advantage is the sticks store flat, so it’s easy to transport and store!
