NEW BLOG'S HEADER DESIGN - BOILING UNDER BLOG

Today I will tell you about photographing a header picture to food and lifestyle blog. I was asked to photograph a blog's header for new cool blog Boiling Under by Pauliina Siniauer. Her blog is about food stories and good recipes. I was very happy about this assignment because I could photograph my favorite things - food and lifestyle. I usually love the word editing but this time I will show you many photos that you see the process.

Because she lives in Berlin at the moment we planned the project only writing each other. We went through her favorite ideas, ingredients and made a Pinterest board together. That is very useful tool. There were things she liked and ideas I wanted to show her. Important was that we speak same language. But still I got quite free hands to photograph what and how I thought things would work. I started to get images in my head. I love that moment. Boiling Under name gave me thoughts quite generously. Finally it took one day to go and get the ingredients - most of them are Pauliinas's favorite ones, style, photograph and send the photos to Pauliina. 

I tried different kind of compositions and changed order and ingredients. I made simple compositions and more complex compositions.

My love for vintage items is quite obvious - I admit :)

It's a great feeling when you feel that there is a flow going in your brain and things makes sense and looks good.

Just changing little things you make the difference.

But at the end of the day I usually have to say that less is more. But if you don't try different kind of things you don't find the right one if you know what I mean... 

I was designing the blog's header to blog about food and good recipes. It gave me a lot of possibilities. But I happen to know the person and the name Boiling Under is - to me - something not so obvious, a bit hidden and trending. This person has an excellent sense of humour and she is greatly skilled in writing and she is very good speaker. But still the less is more is better than too much and way too many thoughts. 

We both agreed the same picture. We like more about a hint of something than obvious things even though they look good and are pretty. Back to square one. The first idea I had in my mind was simple and I got it when I saw this charming little casserole that my workspace friend Meri-Tuuli  have full of salt :) 

That's our beloved Boiling Under.



xoxo Kreetta 

ps. I wonder what should I do with all those photos. They might be quite nice pics on the kitchen wall or what you think?

IT'S HERE - MY BLOG'S NEW DESIGN!

How many times I have said that I will make THE new design in near future? Well, it's here! Done. I did it, yay! There are small things that I will change still but from now on my blog's design looks like this. It's been wonderful and productive days and I'm happy about it!

I got bored with the older one  - I had it for two years like the previous one too. I started blogging in Jan 2012. I have this thing you know - I want to make new things.

I also want to tell you a short story behind the new header. I was in Venice in the beginning of the Jan 2015 and it was a great journey. I took part in Local Milk's Food Photography Workshop and met so many wonderful people and saw the magic happen in front of camera. Everything was so beautiful. Very talented people like Beth Kirby and Ginny Branch - what else you need to get inspiration? 

It was so beautiful place - Venice - you could walk everywhere. I found beautiful old treasures like cardboard letters I've used in my blog's header. It was one very small antique shop were they were in a rusty metal box. There were many of them and I guess they use to be part of some kind of word game like Scrabble (handmade!) but I only collected what I had in my mind. I've been planning my blog's new design for awhile and when I saw those cute and decayed letters...and I'm quite sure they whispered to me...we are coming with you ;) I also decided to make handwriting in old-fashioned way. Don't ask how many times I wrote those link letters and still they aren't perfect because they are handmade :) And who wants perfect? I know I go quite a long way when I'm doing something but it's always good to keep in mind when to stop.

My blog will still be about creative spirit and inspiration but now it also has a real touch of vintage or even antique - literally.

Today I photographed beautiful gifts we got in Local Milk's workshop. You can follow the IG links if you want to know more about makers of these treasures. There will be at least one Venice post still coming up...

snake spoon @_sandwichshop_ 
bath salts @ederleshop 
perfume @naninstudio 
aprons @icemilkaprons 
tea @marbleandmilkweed 
paper recipe cards @signoraemare
Pastiglie Leone @pastiglieleone 
 
How about you - do you like my new design? Have you had thoughts of changing things lately?

Happy weekend!

xo
Kreetta

PS. It would be very cool to hear who made that game and how old those letters are....only if they only could speak ;)

HOW TO FIND READERS?

I think every one of us who write a blog, have Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Steller, Tumblr etc. accounts want to tell their story to all people and love to have more and more new readers. For exemple I've noticed that when I do DIY I get a lot more readers than other posts. But I have also shared my DIY in Craftgavker that makes nice amount of trafic to my blog. So it might not be only about your blog but it is where you share your message. But still I'm  wondering when it is about social media - is it about quantity or quality? How you find your lovely readers?

I have had very slow speed in my blogging lately and it is because I'm now freelance photographer and because I have Instagram account. My time is spent by working with every aspect of entrepreneurship. I don't complain, it is very rewarding. But I can notice the change for exemple in blogging. If you don't blog every week, your readers start to fade...and I have to admit that I have had a very big crush to Instagram so I think that too has made my blog a bit more silent. These photos I use in this blog post are taken with iPhone and can be also found in my IG.

But I'll come back! I'm still in the middle of a new phase with my blog. I want to change it's layout. I have planned it since autumn but I wish I have time to do it in near future like starting my own webshop too. 

My answer to the question about is it about quantity or quality is quality without doubt. Answer to how you find your readers? I think you have to work a lot with that. There are no easy way. You have to try different kind of things in social media, in your blog, share your work in different kind of places and try to follow the statistics. But if you just enjoy of blogging it doens't have to be so serious business. I'm somewhere between serious and fun - but after I've started my own company this place is also about my brand as a photographer.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo

Kreetta

PS. If you get somebody to write about you that is a very good thing for your company, blog or whatever you do. I had a very good chance to be in publication called Focus on Finland. It is a publication of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Sitra, Invest in Finland and Finnfacts. I got in with my blog. Hopefully get more work and readers :) Here's a link to it.

Troubleshooting with white color in blogger blog

Here's something I learned today. Ask help. You can spend your time resolving different kind of problems without asking help. But you will notice in the minute you do - how you should have done it before. Ok, it wasn't totally useless - I learned also a bit html code.

Why the words be kind? Because today people was kind to me and I got help. What was my problem? It was a problem with loading new link pics to my blog's sidebar. My IG link pic. The white turned to be grayish. Every single time - no matter what I did. Crazy!

But then I asked help. Googling is also a good way but sometimes you don't have right words in your mind :)

So if you have blogger based blog as I have - this is for you my friend. Go to Google+ and find there Settings. Google+ has made enhance on default. You just turn it off. No worry follow this link you find how to do it. And you are welcome! 

Big thank you goes today to Bondville blog's blogger Stephanie Bond-Hutkin for helping me and other ladies too! I'm so happy! Thank you! And I like the thought Pay it forward so I hope I could help you.  

If you want, now you can just push the Instagram link button and follow me in IG!

Have a happy Sunday!

xo

Kreetta

I-N-S-T-A-G-R-A-M anno 2014

It's Sunday. My first week with Instagram is soon over. I'm so late with IG I know. But somehow I've felt it's too overwhelming - too many photos coming and going. Too much photo noise if you know what I mean.

But I did it. I saw Sandra's invitation to take part in IG challenge to take selfies. That was the final call to me. I took it and did it. I have had some troubles to accept phone as a camera. Forgive me. But I've thought you need a real camera. Well, I was so surprised when I opened a phone photo file in PS. Oh my god, photos size was so big 14,4M. I don't like to read manuals so I usually test and nowadays you can find so many good tutorials in YouTube. I think that's amazing. Sounds almost joke to say - watch a YouTube video. Or what you think?

These photos are taken with camera but not with any IG filters. I've noticed that VSCO is in big hype now. I haven't used it but so many does. Do you? Do you like it?

If you like to follow my IG you can find it here.

Where I can find you in IG?

xo
Kreetta  

ps. These silver shoes I found many years ago in Beyond Retro shop in Stockholm. I think they give quite nice sparkle to our winter Sunday. Have a lovely week!

What's up with my blog?

my tomatoes

First of all I'm so happy about my tomatoes! And I know you have heard about them few times before but you know when you put time and effort to something and it just doesn't work and lot of waiting...you are happy when things goes well!

parsley

My real news are very quickly said. I'm going back to my daily job tomorrow. Yes, Friday is the best day to start your work. Isn't it? Only one day and then you have a weekend. Don't you agree? 

potatoes and beetroot

It's been a while I've been working so I have to catch up what has happened there. I work as a photographer so it might be that after I have been photographing the whole day I won't have time and inspiration to do so much in the evenings - I mean my blog - but we'll see how it goes. I have posted 1-2 times per week my blog so I will continue at least 1 per week. As you know I do a lot of  photographing to my blog. I hope I can keep my post's quality here for you to read and enjoy. But I guess we all agree about one thing - it hasn't been perfect and it doesn't have to be perfect. Small flaws makes things - interesting. That I heard this week.

parsley garlic bean salad

I'm so happy I've met here in blogosphere so many interesting and lovely people. I've seen beautiful work and read great writings. I hope I have still time to come and see all your lovely work and hear your newest news!

roasted potatoes and beetroots with thyme, garlic and black pepper

And speaking about lovely people - it reminds me about Mel who has blog called Armoire Pegs & Casserole. On Wednesday I was honored to show my work space in her blog series My Space. Mel lives far far away in New Zealand. So as you can see the world is much smaller when we blog. I was lucky I had just cleaned up my work space when she asked me to make few photos...of course I don't show everything and you know why? Well, yes didn't clean it all, haha.

My life changes tomorrow but are things changing in your life? Autumn brings new things, doesn't it?

xo
Kreetta 

ps. I will make another video - I still have time before my trial time ends ;) Have to have time for that.

Photography Concept and Styling - LA MELODIE DU BONHEUR

I got this "word" from Céline from Bohème Circus blog. I got words of French song by Benjamin Biolay. The song is called La Melodie du Bonheur. It is also the French name of the very famous film...C'est l'air du temps...from past to present and future to come. For some reason I went to the world of quotes and dreamy feelings. It is not always easy to explain process why everything happens - this time it just happened. But one thing is sure. Be open. Try. Trust your intuition.

C'est la mélodie du bonheur, C'est l'air du temps, Une mélodie légère, Un courant d'air, C'est l'air du temps, Du temps qui passe...

Céline is talented paper girl, please go and see what she is doing in her lovely blog at the moment.Thank you Cèline! 

This post is part of my Photography Concept and Styling post series. You can find older ones here. I started making them in March 2013. 

What is your favorite quote?

xo

Kreetta 

New look in gretchen gretchen! See the moodboard video

Just click the pic and see the video!

 
Hello Hello!
I'm back. I'd really like to tell you that I haven't touched the computer at all but that would be a lie. Nowadays one have to use computer in so many basic things like paying invoices. Anyway didin't use it almost at all except this week when I've been making new look to my blog. Have to admit that it was a little bit hard to live without my mac but the great thing was that suddenly I had a lot of time to do something else! Like paint, read and sew.

I also have new links in my blog like my work portfolio. For the first time you can go and see my professional work. I'm planning to make few new things here but they will appear when they are ready. Do you like the design? It's so different than before. I wanted to simplify the header. This project was very challenging. To clear my head - I made a moodboard. I also made a video of making it which you can see just by clicking the photo. Moodboard was a wonderful tool in focusing what kind of design I wanted. Yes, I have made the design even though I'm not a graphic designer. I also have bigger and more informative about section. So now getting to know me is easy. Below you can see pics of old gretchen gretchen layout. Things changes.

I guess this is it. A new beginning. Second year of blogging.


Moikka!
Täällä ollaan kera uuden designin. Mitäs tykkäät? Uusia juttuja on myös linkeissä kuten portfolio, josta löydät valokuvia. About on myös omana sivunaan ja siellä voit käydä lukaisemassa tästä blogista ja minusta. Muutama juttu on vielä tulossa mutta ne tipahtelee blogiin tässä kevään aikana sitten pikkuhiljaa.


xox
Kreetta