style at home | the hamptons

In September I had the privilege to shoot ia gorgeous Amanda Nisbet home in the Hamptons for Style at Home magazine with managing design editor Margot Austin (see Margot’s behind the scenes post).  We were all thrilled when one of the shots ended up on the cover of Style at Home’s April issue!  Here is a peak at some of the inside story.  See more photos.

We stayed at the lovely Inn at Quogue with it’s pretty picket fence.  I was so pleased to have a little time to go for a walk amongst the beautiful homes and impressive hedges.  I snapped a few quick shots of my little adventure.  The scenery was so beautiful but the deer romping on the immaculate lawns did give me a chuckle.

for the love of... naps

Simon Henry Haines is my wacky and beautiful four year old Vizsla who came from the Vizsla Rescue of the Carolinas.  He bounded into my life all energy and sweetness with a big streak of mischieviousness. There were days in the beginning that his tasmanian devil ways brought me to tears but when he snuggled under the covers with me, he won my heart.  He is like a person to me – we communicate – me with words, him with gesture and eye contact.  He cracks me up daily with his antics and I marvel at what a wonderful creature he is.  I am so blessed to have him in my life.  I thought I might make him a little project and share a few photos each week of him with you.  Hope you enjoy!

for the love of | peonies & apple blossoms

I love spring flowers!  Flowers are so cheerful and uplifting bringing life and color to any space.  I was in NYC for work and on the way home I had the pleasure of spending a little time at the flower markets.  I bought the peonies with my mother in mind and took them back to North Carolina to photograph for her.  The lovely apple blossoms were found right here in Greensboro.

turquoise at on rue tatin

Turquoise has always been my favorite colour as long I can remember.  Maybe there was a short pink phase but blue greeny hues never cease to fascinate me.   Perhaps it is because even though I was a girl, my mother often dressed me in blues & turquoise.  Or perhaps it is because it is the colour of the sky and the sea.  I really can’t explain why this particular colour gives me so much joy but I never seem to get sick of it.

Here are a few more photos from Susan Hermann Loomis’ lovely cooking school On Rue Tatin.  It was so thrilling to open her gate and see the beautiful courtyard with a tealy turquoise table and chairs!

traditional home | on rue satin

I am thrilled that photographs from my trip to Susan Hermann Loomis’ beautiful cooking school On Rue Tatin have been featured in the April issue of Traditional Home magazine!  Stephen Exel writes of his culinary experiences at the On Rue Tatin cooking school found in the little town of Louviers.  My mouth is watering for the fresh local ingredients we found at the farmer’s market and for the lovely ambiance of the former convent converted into cooking school.  Delightful and delicious

our state | behind the scenes at the biltmore

One of the things I love best about working for Our State Magazine is that I get to see and photograph some of the most beautiful places in North Carolina!  I have always wanted to visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville but somehow in all my years of being a transplanted Canadian, I haven’t made the time to go to the Biltmore.  When Art Director Deanne O’Connor called to ask me if I’d like to shoot a story there – I was so excited.  Not only is the Biltmore fantastic but the marketing department was so wonderful to help me with getting the best shots.  And the cherry on top was getting this month’s cover of Our State Magazine!

Stay tuned for more of my favorite shots from the Biltmore coming this week!

wedding bells | au naturel

In September I had the opportunity to shoot with the amazing team at Wedding Bells magazine in Toronto, Ontario.  We shot in a lovely daylight studio at S1 group.  Our team for the day:  Jennifer Haskett, art director; Catherine Doherty, stylist & her lovely daughter & Mun Wai Chau, assistant.  Associate editor Roseanne Dela Rosa, also popped in for bit as well.

It was exciting to see the huge amount of beautiful china, props and gauzy fabrics that filled all the available tables in the studio!   Please enjoy the stories & a few behind the scenes photos!

i feel so french!

Today the weather was so warm here in North Carolina that I was able to get out into my garden to do some work.  I ambitiously trimmed the rosemary, lavender and rose bushes & pulled up some of the dead flower stalks.  Yes, I should have done this in the fall but I just ran out of time!  I gathered up a bundle of rosemary and boxwood and a bit of lavender and decided to make a few arrangements for the house.   I love that you can bring a little of the outdoors inside to remind you that spring is on the way. . . I feel so French!  Which makes me think of pain au chocolat, comte, and street cafes. . . . .

garden & gun | capitol’s living wall

Another great assignment from Garden & Gun magazine!  Everything about this job was pleasing to the eye.  My subjects:  the lovely Laura Vinroot Poole, owner of the stunning couture boutique Capitol, and her talented architect husband, Perry Poole.  The backdrop:  the amazing vertical garden wall by famed botanist Patrick Blanc  in the middle courtyard of Capitol.   I was thrilled when I spotted a turquoise tête á tête inside Capitol!  I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

We were pleased to have the opening photo of Garden & Gun’s “Talk of the South” section – see more photos at Garden & Gun.  Below I have included the article and then a few of my favorites from the shoot.  Hope you enjoy!

garden & gun | the party barn

It was such a pleasure to be assigned to photograph Bittersweet Farms for Garden & Gun magazine.  This idyllic property, owned by the Bechers, is near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina.  The barn was constructed out of the most beautiful wood from reclaimed barns brought down from Pennsylvania.  There are belted Galloway cows, meadows for dogs to romp and in a small vale sits an amazing twig sculpture called “Hocus Pocus” by Patrick Doherty.  See a few of my favorites below followed by the article.

nc winepress | flinthill vineyards

I absolutely love photographing at vineyards– the incredibly beautiful vines row upon row, the succulent grapes hanging on the leafy vines and of course the highlight of being able to taste the wines.   We are so excited to have the cover of the September/October issue of the new North Carolina Winepress magazine – hope you check it out!  This photograph was taken at the lovely family owned Flinthill Vineyards located in the East Bend.  They also have a restaurant located in the old family farmhouse called The Century Kitchen.

for the love of... rescuing reuben

Almost every pet I have had has been a hand-me-down or a from a rescue organization.  There was poor Tasha, the slightly crazy black and white cat that had to be adopted because no one wanted her, Zoe, a sleepy girl, adopted because a dear friend had terrible allergies and then Ruby, the lovely and sweet first vizsla who was abused but became my best friend for five wonderful years.  Just this past year there was Dovie, the large eyed cat my friend’s husband found starving in a parking lot and of course my wonderful crazy & beautiful Simon.

Sometimes these little creatures just walk into your life unannounced and unexpectedly.  Last week a forlorn, starving, flea-infested little dachshund was staggering down the street and I stopped to pick him up.  I christened him “Reuben” and took him home for some a little tender loving care.  After a bath, flea spray and lots of food he started to look a little better.  It makes me sad that so many animals are not taken care of – left unneutered and unspayed to fend for the themselves.

My sweet vizsla Simon took little Ruben under his paw so to speak and I decided to use Facebook as a forum to find this little guy a forever home.  There are many negative things about Facebook but this time it was the power of the Facebook network that led us to find a wonderful family for Reuben.

We are dropping little Reuben off to his forever family tomorrow.  He’ll be missed dearly although it has only been a few days.  If you are interested in adopting a Dachshund in particular, please check out www.almosthomerescue.org

cycling in pelham, ontario

My cousin Cathy Berkhout-Bosse (www.mypelham.com) took me for a little cycling tour of her pretty area of Pelham last Thursday.  It was a windy cool fallish day but it was wonderful.  We stopped by my Uncle Gerry & Aunt Gwen’s house to say hello and check out the garden, then up and down many hills to the Comfort Maple – the oldest sugar maple in Canada,  estimated to be from the 1500’s.  Cathy managed to get a little work done on the way & I found some beautiful pears just growing by the road.

{bigs & littles} project: stacey & brittany: sisters

Brittany & I were matched as sisters in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program over nine years ago! She was only eight years old when I nervously signed the papers to be her big sister.  I wasn’t sure what we should do on that first day but when she gave me a hug I was smitten for life.  We have done so many things over the years:   lots of cooking, painting, gardening, laughing and just being together.  Brittany is not just a program for me, she is truly my family and I am so blessed to know her. She is a beautiful, kind, effervescent young lady.

If you have ever considered mentoring a child, please follow through and do it today!  You will never regret it.

nuts in the kitchen

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of photographing at chef Susan Hermann Loomis’ amazing cooking school in Normandy.  I learned about so many things but what stuck with me the most was the exquisite flavour of fleur de sel and that most of all that seasonal fresh ingredients are best.  Susan just published a delicious new book “Nuts in the Kitchen” and we were thrilled that she used one of my images for her author photo.

Check out Susan’s cooking classes:  www.onruetatin.com