3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

365project

Day 156/365: Canvas On Demand Creates a Work of Art for Your Senior

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Canvas on Demand

I love creating special personalized gifts that people remember and through Groupon, (did I tell you I love Groupons) I found Canvas on Demand. Canvas on Demand turns normal photographs into three dimensional works of art on stretched canvas prints.  Now, I LOVE Canvas on Demand and love their customer service. Let me explain.

About a month ago I decided to use the image of my son hanging from the barn as a graduation gift from Elmwood-Murdock high school. When I entered the photograph into the program the image didn’t have enough border to wrap without cutting off important accent parts of the photograph.

So I decided to create a collage of senior portraits. The design was done on Photoshop CS2 and changed all the images to a  grey blue tone for consistency. My goal was to have it match the theme of the invitations. By the time I finished the design I was pressed for time and had to order it rush delivery. I noticed there was two orders in my shopping cart. How two got there I don’t know, so I deleted one of them.

Big mistake. When my order arrived it wasn’t the collage, but the hanging barn canvas which was created a month earlier.  I then realized my mistake and was really bummed. I already had an enlargement of hanging from the barn and didn’t need another. At that same time another Groupon for Canvas On Demand. I ordered it and called Canvas On Demand to explain my dilemma. It was one week before the party, could I get it in time? Maybe by chance I could get a credit of some kind.

They did better than that. Customer service said they would replace the canvas and all I would have to pay for is the shipping. Awesome! I was also sent a return form to include a 5″x 5″ cut out of the canvas I wanted to return. After showing the barn canvas to my friend Beth she was impressed by it as well and thought I should keep both.  I might just keep it and pay for it with my Groupon as I originally intended.

The second canvas arrived the day before the party and I am thrilled. Hanging on the wall it looks like a a work of art, the frame is very high quality and I plan on getting another canvas when my daughter graduates, possibly one of my oldest Marine son.

Canvas On Demand Detail

Definitely recommend the company, can’t say enough good things about them. Tomorrow I’ll give you my secret to printing senior portraits economically. Hint, it’s about Hamilton Color Labs.

Day 155/365: Happy Mothers Day

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A Mother’s Day gift from my kids meet me when I awoke Sunday morning. It put a smile on my face and gave me at least 30 minutes of photography experiments. However I only chose one for my 365 project. Today you get two photographs for my post-a-day project.

Happy Mothers Day

Hope all mothers had a wonderful and restful day. I did, even took a nap. What’s better than a Sunday afternoon nap, a Mother’s Day nap.

Mother’s Day Ideas – Gift

Tea Gifts for Mom

Create a Mothers Day gift basket by purchasing a mug and gourmet tea from Tea n’ More. If you’re wondering this is my tea business. I package loose-leaf tea into flavored tea bags, for the best of both worlds.

Happy Mother’s Day Mugs

Check out my entire collection of funny Mothers Day Gifts and mugs.

Create Your Personalized Funny Mothers Day Quotes

Create your own personalized Mothers Day quotes on a mug for Mom.

Day 154/365: Graduation Balloons

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Day 154: Graduation balloons

What a weekend! My son’s graduation party on Friday night was a huge success, more than expected showed up and we were left scrabbling for food. Some people estimated over 200 people, I think it was closer to 175.  But regardless it was a roaring success.  I’m still recovering. So, my post a day was just a little late. Today you’re getting a twofer.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

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It’s Easy to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Don’t these chocolate covered strawberries look delicious? I made them at home. Seriously.

Not even a word to describe how good they actually taste. Just like at Christmas, I dip everything in almond bark chocolate. I have used Ghirardelli’s melting chocolate when I’m doing a small personal batch for gourmet chocolate covered strawberries. But for large events, chocolate almond bark works just fine.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Day 153/365 Project: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

It’s easy to make chocolate covered strawberries from scratch. All you need is big delicious looking strawberries, chocolate, and a fork. Ok, a double boiler pot does come in handy.

I get the white almond bark drizzle on the strawberries by dipping a fork in the white chocolate and drizzling it over the strawberries.

It’s not hard to make chocolate strawberries, all you need is a double boiler and some dipping chocolate. But, some people think it’s a little intimidating. Around Valentines Day you will see and hear ads from various online stores where you can buy chocolate dipped strawberries and have them delivered.

Why Use a Double Boiler when Melting Chocolate?

Chocolate is a fickle ingredient. If you it too hot chocolate will burn or “seize up” and become clumpy. (Whatever you do, do NOT add water to chocolate.) With a double boiler pot, you add an inch or two of water to the bottom pot and set on medium heat.

You can turn the stovetop on a boil, to begin with, but then reduce the heat to low to gradually melt your chocolate. If you don’t have an “official double boiler pot you can use a metal bowl and sit in on a saucepan. Or a smaller pot inside a larger pot, as long as the bottom doesn’t touch the water.

ExcelSteel 579 3 Piece Boiler, 2.5 Quart, Stainless SteelStainless steel double boilers pots. Cookware for melting chocolate, fondue and low heat cooking.ExcelSteel 579 3 Piece Boiler, 2.5 Quart, Stainless SteelAxeSickle 18/8 Stainless Steel Universal Melting Pot,Universal Double Boiler Insert,Double Spouts, Heat-resistant Handle, Flat Bottom, Premium Baking Tools, Melting Pot for Chocolate Butter Carame.AxeSickle 18/8 Stainless Steel Universal Melting Pot, Universal Double Boiler Insert, Double Spouts, Heat-resistant Handle, Flat Bottom, Premium Baking Tools, AxeSickle 18/8 Stainless Steel Universal Melting Pot,Universal Double Boiler Insert,Double Spouts, Heat-resistant Handle, Flat Bottom, Premium Baking Tools, Melting Pot for Chocolate Butter Carame.

Melting Chocolate Without a Double Boiler

This can be done. But take caution and be careful. I normally melt two squares of white almond bark for 20 seconds at a time and check it until it’s soft. Don’t just look at to see if it’s melted. The blocks of almond bark retain their shape, even when melted.

Ghirardelli melting chocolate wafers are actually designed to be melted in the microwave. Instructions are on the package and it’s VERY wise to follow them.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Candy Malting Wafers, 30 OunceGhirardelli Chocolate Dark Candy Malting Wafers, 30 OunceGhirardelli Chocolate Dark Candy Malting Wafers, 30 OunceGhirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Dark Melting Wafers, 12 ozGhirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Dark Melting Wafers, 12 ozGhirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Dark Melting Wafers, 12 ozGhirardelli Melting Wafers Bundle, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Set of 3-10oz eachGhirardelli Melting Wafers Bundle, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Set of 3-10oz eachGhirardelli Melting Wafers Bundle, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Set of 3-10oz each

Strawberries are good any time of the year, but I make them on Valentine’s day and also for high school graduation parties. They are everyone’s favorite and I’ve created an expectation amongst my friends. My kids LOVE when I make chocolate covered strawberries.

Homemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 WaysHomemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 WaysHomemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 Ways

For my son’s graduation, I made about 60 chocolate covered strawberries and it wasn’t nearly enough. I could have made three times that many considering how popular they were. Maybe next time.

Buy Chocolate Covered Strawberries Online

If you don’t think you can handle dipping your own strawberries then you can always buy them online. Golden State Fruit sells them on Amazon and the reviews are fantastic.

I’ve read reviews for Sherri’s Berries and the Golden State Fruit Company Although they both pack and ship them approximately the same Golden State Fruit Company comes out ahead.

Very little is more romantic and makes an impression than tasty chocolate covered strawberries. What woman doesn’t like chocolate?

Golden State Fruit 6 Love Berries Chocolate Covered StrawberriesGolden State Fruit 6 Love Berries Chocolate Covered StrawberriesGolden State Fruit 6 Love Berries Chocolate Covered StrawberriesBelgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries - 12pc Classic - Milk, Dark & White Chocolate Gift BoxBelgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries – 12pc Classic – Milk, Dark & White Chocolate Gift BoxBelgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries - 12pc Classic - Milk, Dark & White Chocolate Gift BoxCaramel Sea Salt - 12pc Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered StrawberriesCaramel Sea Salt – 12pc Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered StrawberriesCaramel Sea Salt - 12pc Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered StrawberriesGolden State Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries, 6 Dark, Milk & White DelightGolden State Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries, 6 Dark, Milk & White DelightGolden State Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries, 6 Dark, Milk & White Delight

Day 152/365: Graduation Party Invitation

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High School Graduation Party

For the next week or so I’m going to be indulgent and celebrate my son’s high school graduation from Elmwood-Murdock High school. Thought I would share the resources I used to make this event special and memorable.

The photography is by my friend Beth who does senior pictures as a hobby, Vivid Image Photography. Yes, David’s favorite was hanging upside down from a barn thirty feet in the air. He had fun, that’s what you look for in a good photographer.

The graduation party invitation created on Mixbooks. I purchased a Groupon (which I love) for $100 of products for only $15.00, what a bargain! Mixbooks has a huge gallery of templates and everything is customizable. Colors, adornments, layout, everything is very easy and I couldn’t beat the price anywhere. Bought a hundred invitations for only 0.15 a piece.

If you haven’t tried Groupon, I’d love it if you followed by link and signed up, I get discounts for future purchases and can really use them this summer.

Graduation parties in rural Nebraska are a big deal, it’s really a big traveling party and a reason to socialize. Since the classes are small everyone is pretty much invited and it’s an open house type of event with parents and friends. My son really graduates on the 14th, but he wanted to have his party the week before so he could go to all his friends parties the next week.

Stay tuned for more party preparation, senior portraits, post production of senior pictures, and why guys can be so hard to photograph.