How To Tuesday

Other couples exchange cards. Other couples give flowers. Other couples share chocolates. We're not other couples. Being avid readers and generally big fans of the English language, my sweetie, Lee and I like to play Words With Friends. We're pretty evenly matched and the games get rather interesting. So, being the clever girlfriend that I...

This friday is a very special day. Can you guess what day it is? It's my twenty-sixth birthday and Hot Polka Dot's second birthday! I do so enjoy sharing my birthday with my blog. Makes the celebration that much more memorable. I can't believe it's been two years already. It's been so much fun! So...

There are way too many different kinds of flour out there. All purpose flour, whole wheat flour, almond flour, bread flour, rice flour, self-rising flour, semolina flour, buckwheat flour, and, of course, cake flour. Cake flour is just a bleached soft wheat flour with a high starch content and low protein. It is best suited...

Hi there! Long time no see! Have you missed me? I've sure missed you! I hope that you all enjoyed your holidays. I am happy to report that I have thoroughly enjoyed mine. It was filled with turkey, hugs, warm pie, smiles, presents, twinkle lights, shopping bags and even a few epiphanies. Remember when I...

I have been told that Pumpkin Pie baked with real pumpkin puree is far superior to the canned pumpkin puree. Since I'm pretty new to the whole Pumpkin Pie experience I thought I'd test that theory. Making pumpkin puree was pretty easy so I thought it was worth sharing with everyone. First you have to...

Every Thanksgiving since I can remember I would try a tiny taste of Pumpkin Pie and every year it would be the same reaction. Yuck! I wanted to love it. I really did. I wanted to be one of those people that look forward to Thanksgiving all year long. I love the turkey. I love...

Lighting is the most important factor to consider when snapping the perfect photo. Light is what makes sight, colour and, more specifically, photography possible. Without the proper light your photos can appear dull, lacklustre and tinted. Because I am primarily a natural light photographer that is the method I will discuss with you, but artificial...

Some subjects cry out for certain camera angles. Not listening to their pleas can result in awkward ill-composed shots that make the viewer feel uneasy. Today I'm going to talk to you about camera angles specifically popular among food photographers and how they can work for you. I'll start with the safest or easiest angle...

Continuing our photography lesson from last week, today I'm going to talk to you about the compositional importance of negative space and leading lines. These two concepts are not exclusive to photography, but prevalent in all visual arts. When I think of negative space the first thing that pops into mind is a specific painting...

I had a tasty idea for you today. It had something to do with raspberries, lemons, sugar and lots of it. But as you can see, no raspberries, no lemons and certainly no sugar. Instead this tuesday I decided to bring you something a little different. Over the past few months I'm not afraid to...