Woman in Real Life

When I'm taking food photos, like these ones of my Peachy Dessert Parfait, I tend to think about what plate, bowl or central dish I'm going to use. Then I'll think about a backdrop and maybe add a napkin or dishtowel and sprinkle some ingredients around. Less often do I focus on the cutlery.

So, last time I was at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, I had a wee peek through the bins of random cutlery. I think they were about 50 cents a piece, but I have seen them for as low as 10 cents elsewhere. I picked out two trios including spoon, fork and knife. The great thing is, I won't actually be using them for meals, so I don't need to find a complete set. Most of the pieces are stainless steel, but it's kind of fun to dive into the pile looking for more colourful options.

I have quite a bit of silverplated flatware, given to me by my mom. I haven't thus far used much of it for actual eating purposes. A lot of it was tarnished in what some people (including me) might consider kind of a beautiful way. But some of it was tarnished just a wee bit too much, even for those "rustic" food photos where we want a bit of tarnish to remain.

(By the way, in case you are in need of a definition for "silverplate" as opposed to silver, it's basically "a thin layer of silver electroplated or otherwise applied as a coating to another metal.") Recently, as I was setting up my new food photography table, I decided to take a stab at quickly cleaning my silverplated cutlery in preparation for future photos. Too lazy to polish each piece with some fancy store-bought silver cream, I decided to use this quick and inexpensive method for cleaning silverplate.

It's Remembrance Day here in Canada, a day on which we pay tribute to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have died in the line of duty, and also to those who have served our country in the name of peace. I wrote a little bit about my own family's experience with war in this post.

Remembrance Day 2014 comes shortly after the recent tragedies that saw (my fellow Hamiltonian) Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent killed in their own country. We will remember them today along with all the others who have given their lives. Peace to you, my friends.

Last week, I showed you my home office organization. This week, the Organizing Revolution continues with week two - the kitchen.

I once read an article in Real Simple about a fabulously organized but seemingly relaxed mother. Her home was simple but lovely. I'm not saying I believe everything I read, but one thing she said stuck with me. Her secret was to ensure that, at the very least, her kitchen was back to clean at the end of each day.