Bits of Sunshine: free printables

Well hello there 2015. We are already in the *ahem* second month of the year and here I am making a year planner. Yep - I am super organised.

Anyhoo - if you are a bit of a loskop like me, and want to try be a bit more on the ball, you can download my free printable year planner here. I printed mine out onto A3 light weight card (160g eltoro white to be exact .... because I'm fancy like that), but you can print it onto any paper you like. The offical size of the document is A4, but you can scale it to any size paper by clicking the [scale to fit paper] option in Adobe Reader.

Your welcome!

Enjoy.

P.s - perhaps if I can get my act together this year it may promise some sweets and treats.

P.s.s - I have recently made the switch to Paleo style eating. Long story short I am trying with all my strength to combat my PCOS, so if you have any tips or good resources I would love it if you pointed me in the right direction.

Over and out.

16:16 No sweet comments

So - are you guys up for the next serving of photography for foodies? With the last two posts under your belt: the photography challenge and lenses, you should be up for my favourite subject - lighting and backdrops.

Why, you ask, is it my favourite photography subject? I think these two factors are the KEY to good, crisp and eye catching photos. Want to know how and why - keep reading!

For me, blogging is a hobby, something I enjoy doing in my spare time. This means two things for my blog:

1. I have to try and keep my costs down as much as I possibly can. If you bake and blog, you know the costs involved! Sometimes tough choices have to be made when it comes to equipment! This basically means I don't own any fancy equipment.

2. I have to do it in my spare time, because I have a day job. On that note, I have to admit, sometimes I feel a bit like a comic book hero, not that I am a hero by any means, its just that this blog has given me an alter ego, like I have a secret after-hours life!!. Its a weird concept. Anyhoo. I know. I am weird. Just thought I would mention it. If you stop reading now - I will totally understand ;)

These two factors effect my lighting. I use ONE source of lighting. The one the God gave me. The sun. Its cheap and it works really well! The only down fall of using natural light is you have to time your baking. I mainly bake on a Saturday or Sunday, when I have the whole morning or afternoon to snap away. Although this is very limiting, it works for me. I find that natural lighting makes pictures look just that - NATURAL.

This is how a typical set-up of mine looks. I maximize the use of natural light by taking my photos by windows, doors or even outside!

Makes a difference hey!

If it is a really cloudy day and light is scarce, I set up on the patio.

See those shadows to the right of my camera? Those look okish here, but when it comes to food, shadows aren't so cool. There is a very easy and inexpensive way to overcome shadows: buy a piece of white card and use it as a reflector! Easy and simple! To see more about this, check out Kelly from Just a Taste's post on Constructing Your In Home Setup.

I found a really nice comparison of the different effect light has on photos here. Just for interest sakes :)

Still on lighting, I think a number one rule in food photography is never use your built in flash. It produces very harsh shadows and make the photos look, well, too harsh I think. If you can afford an external flash (I am longing for one, but like I said, sacrifices have to be made!) it can make the world of difference to your photos AND can enable to take photos no matter what time of day it is. Smitten Kitchen has a short blurb on it - and when you see her photos, you will be convinced you need one too!

Another piece of equipment that can help you with lighting is a tripod. Tripods allow you to lower the shutter speed, which leaves the shutter open for longer and lets more light in. This will help on darker days. I have to admit, I only use my tripod when I have to, mainly because I am a little lazy, but it is REALLY nice to have!

Even on a day like this:

You can get some nice photos if you shoot outside or near a nice big window.

Now lets talk about back drops. This is where the fun starts. This makes or breaks your photos. So listen up :)

Backdrops can be anything, anywhere.

You can use a big white sheet of paper, or some fabric, or a piece of wood. Get creative. I do think less is more when it comes to backdrops. If your backdrops are busy, it will take the visual focus off your food. But it doesn't mean you cant go wild.

This photo is shot with just an 'under-board'. This particular one is my new favourite board. I made it out of some old wood I found in my parents back yard and cleaned it up with a wire brush. I then painted a thin coat of white paint over it, let it dry and gave it a good sand with an orbital sander. I love the effect it gives.

If you are into DIY stuff - check out these cool tutorials when making your own photo boards:

Making your own photo boards - Table for Two

Distressed Wood with Vaseline - Shanty-2-Chic

Create Crackled Look on Wood - Shelterness

Making new wood look old - Young House Love

And for those of you who are not into DIY (and for those of you who are) I have made some free Printable Photo Backing Boards

They are in PDF format, so you can haul them to your local printer and ask them to print them out on some matt board. I had them done in A3, but you can print them out any size you like. The bigger the better.

Here they are in action.

Did you notice how much better this photo looks with the backdrop?

Here is a 'behind-the-scenes' look at this shoot

Notice how tiny the 'under board' is? Not so daunting now hey?

And this is what you get:

When you take a step back and see how things are put together, it makes you realise that this whole photography thing is simpler then you thought. Well, it did for me. The more I see of other bloggers 'behind-the-scenes' photos, the more I learn. And I love it!

I did this fun shoot to showcase the printable backdrops, and show what an impact a backdrop can have!

Here I turned one of the printed sheets around the make the under board. Looks clean and simple.

Here I turned the underboard around so the printed side was showing.

And this just looks like a big party is happening over here! See what I mean about less being more. More is a little over crowded for me!

Ah - back to the simple look! So much easier on the eyes!

So - after this long post, I hope you feel inspired to create some simple set ups. Check back here for the next exciting episode of Photography for Foodies!

13:47 No sweet comments

In the spirit of Christmas - I thought you may enjoy these! You can find the download links below. There are 4 types of Christmas cards for you to print out onto A4 Card and I have added cut and fold marks to make it easier for you (because I know there is SO much to do this holiday season!)

The tags can be either cut by hand or with a 2" round or fluted punch!

Thank you for visiting Bits of Sunshine! Hope to see you soon!

Christmas Tags
Christmas Cards - Landscape
Christmas Cards - Portrait

If you are looking for a really sweet homemade gift, why don't you make some of these tasty bakes and wrap them up for someone special...

Custard Creams
Delish and oh-so easy to make

Caramel Sauce
Not as hard as you think! Pop it into a cute jar and it will be swooned over!

Rolo Chip Cookies
Extremely Decadent!

Biscotti hot chocolate stick with marshmallows - From Top With Cinnamon
What a great idea!!!!

Chocolate chip oreo cream cookies - From Hearts in My Oven
I think these are the coolest cookies ever!

12:06 12 sweet comments

I made this Candy Land cake a while ago for my special friend Megan.

She had a 21st Birthday Party that I am sure will NEVER be forgotten by those who attended! It was AMAZING! There were bowls and buckets of sweets everywhere. It was just fantastic!

When Megs asked me to make her cake, I have got to admit, I was kind of nervous! I mean a 21st cake is kind of a big deal! But she convinced me to give it a try :) and I think we were both pleased with the results!

I made her using my this chocolate cake recipe (minus the oreos) and iced it with my fav vanilla buttercream icing (recipe below).

I also made some matching cupcakes using my chocolate mayo cupcakes recipe.

See those cute little cupcake toppers? I made some generic ones for you! If you are planning on having a candy land party, just download them using the links below!

You can also use them for cake pop tags, just punch two holes in them, one on the top and one on the bottom.

Download the printables here:

Candy Land Cake Toppers
These can be cut out with a 2"fluted or round punch

Candy Land Big Cake Toppers

Candy Land Invites

Enjoy them! If you use them I would LOVE to see some pictures from your candy land party and be able to share them on my facebook page!

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

250g softened butter
560g icing sugar
dash of vanilla essence
dash of cream

In an electric mixture, mix butter and icing sugar until smooth and fluffy, adding the cream bit by bit until a nice smooth piping consistency is reached.
Add the vanilla essence and mix a bit more
Ice your cooled cupcakes as you wish!

18:33 4 sweet comments

A while back I was asked by one of my friends to make a cake for her GORGEOUS little boy who was celebrating his first birthday! I was super excited when she said it was a blue and green monster theme! She gave me a picture of one of Bakerella's Pop Stars who had made a similar cake in orange with cake pop eye balls - so I went out straight away and purchased a grass nozzle! The cake turned out really swell, and was easier then you would imagine (after I got the technique right)!

13:46 5 sweet comments

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