Christmas Cookie Recipe Collection

Fill your house with the joy of homemade cookies, click below for recipes.

1. Egg Nog Snickerdoodles

2. Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

3. Thumbprint Cookies

4. Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

5. Galaxy Cookies

6. Mexican Hot Chocolate

Cocktail Couture | Featured Collection of Local Spirits

Westerville Ohio, a suburb of the great city of Columbus, is home to The Anti-Salloon League and is historically known as the "Dry Capital of the World." Ironic, since Columbus is now known for its wide array of fledgling distilleries, wineries and microbreweries. Embracing the beauty of local ingredients, this city has expanded into a artisan powerhouse.

What all is Columbus producing these days? Stay warm this fall and winter with these fun recipe cards, click the highlighted listings to view more photos and read about the behind-the-scenes.

Middle West Spirits

OYO Vodka 

OYO Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka

OYO Stone Fruit Vodka

OYO Whiskey

OYO Bourbon Whiskey, Michelone Reserve

OYO White Rye Whiskey

Tessora

Tessora Limoncello Classico

Tessora Crema al Limone

Watershed Distillery
Vodka
Four Peel Gin
Bourbon Barrel Gin
Bourbon

Camelot Cellars
Urban Boutique Winery
Featured Wine: Pinot Noir

Recipe cards designed by Jenna Brucoli of Jenna Sais Quois.
Photography by Photo Kitchen.

Local Wedding Accessories | Fashion Designer Columbus Ohio

Just like Dorothy, there's no need to look any further than your own back yard for beautiful handmade wedding accessories. Photographing these modern knits for our Columbus based client Hearten Hand Knits, we collaborated with local wedding dress designer Ghinda, local floral artist Natural Designs and the Dublin Arts Center wedding venue.

Laura Berry, owner of Hearten Hand Knits and LilBear, is a talented knitwear designer with a purpose. In 2005, she began knitting shawls she sweetly named “Hugs” for loved ones with cancer, leaving them on doorsteps. She extended her “Hugs” to embrace women struggling with poverty all over the world, by buying 100% fair trade yarn and partnering with U.S. knitters in impoverished areas, providing untethered income. One small glimpse into Laura’s home studio and it’s obvious how passionate and talented she is.

This new bridal knit collection, Hearten Hand Knits, will be available soon, this is your first sneak peek at the beautiful designs. Every item is handmade. The knits are custom made for each individual and offered in 100’s of different colors to create the perfect accents. The best part is they can be worn after the wedding day, easily paired with a little black dress or a cute pair of jeans. In fact, don’t bother getting married at all, treat yourself to these beautiful designs anyday--which is exactly what I plan to do the moment they’re available.

Make sure you take a peek at LilBear's other handmade wraps, shawls, scarflace (a cross between a scarf and a necklace-my personal favorite), scarflettes, and pins. 

                                                                             






























                                                                                      

Our gracious hosts, the Dublin Arts Center. I always call it The Castle.

A talented designer is the same as a talented chef. Making something simple into something special is evidence of brilliance. I always remember the judges on Top Chef raving over Carla Hall's peas. The simplest dish, yet at the same time, the most amazing wonder. Ghinda dresses hold that same power. They're like blank canvases. They can be worn any way, paired with any style, and let the bride shine. Yet it's obvious they aren't cookie cutter dresses. They have structure and fit, include small details and created with lush fabrics. Carla used to say the most important ingredient is love. I can't help but agree, and these dresses are proof.

The vine scarf below wasn't created with weddings in mind, yet how cute is it paired with a simple white dress and a bright bouquet of green and peach flowers? 

I wasn't immediately sold on this purple piece being worn by brides until I saw it in action. WOW. How much better is this bright and sparkly sweater when compared to the overused colored ribbon around the waist?

Our two lovely models did an amazing job on a really hot day, they took it all in stride AND looked incredible.  

The Dublin Arts Center is my favorite wedding location. It's intimate with lots of light streaming in, a spiral staircase, tons of lawn and shaded areas, a staircase out back, and hello, it's a castle. Well, not technically, but still. Not to mention all the beautiful art exhibits they host. Check it out on a normal weekday, there's always something amazing on display. 

 

These soft and fluffy sweaters immediately reminded me of cotton candy, I got the pairing stuck in my head and had to bring them together. Luckily we were able to find cotton candy at 9am on a Thursday morning at Giant Eagle Market District. Besides, I couldn't call myself Photo Kitchen without having SOME food make an appearance on set.

All of the beautiful flowers you see were designed by another one of my favorite clients, Regina of Natural Designs.  Everything she creates is clean and fresh. She sources flowers from all over--local farms, New York vendors, and often straight from her own back yard. Easy to work with, creative, and thoughtful, I'm always excited to see what she'll do next. 

This was one of my favorite pairings. The makeup, simple dress, bubble necklace...all came together to perfectly highlight this rosette bag and collared sweater.

These handmade handkerchiefs can be ordered with custom embroidery. Husband and wife initials, wedding date, a personalized note from grandma...What a beautiful gift for the wedding day. Throw in a little blue thread and you've got yourself something blue.

I loved this shot, it reminds me of a promo image for Mad Men a few seasons back. 

All the beautiful glass pieces you see are part of the gallery exhibit by Glass Axis in the Dublin Arts Council gallery. The exhibit is called "Glass, Color and Light: A Glass Axis Member Exhibition. This is a temporary show, of course. To see more, take a trip to the Glass Axis studios. I go every fall for their glass pumpkin patch. Glass pumpkins in every size, color and shape imaginable. 

Like I said, every piece is versatile, to be worn long past the wedding day. Which piece is your favorite?

Thank you to:
My wonderful client with a huge heart Laura Berry of Hearten Hand Knits and LilBear 
Regina Carmody Prange, floral designer and beloved client from Natural Designs
Jennifer Kessler of Ghinda, wedding dress designer extraordinaire
Emily and the entire team at the Dublin Arts Center, my favorite castle
Our models Sarah and Emma, who, even 9 hours in, wanted to keep shooting AND helped us pack up.

Want to hire us for commercial jobs like this? Photo Kitchen's standing by!
Want to hire us to photograph your wedding? Portrait Shoppe is our new hub for all things portrait, we're happy to greet you over there!

Not Another Mirror Self Portrait: Online Dating Photo Advice

From one online dater to another, here are some tips for your online dating profile photos.

1. Don't cut someone out of the picture.
In fact, don't have them in the picture at all. Otherwise your admirer will start to wonder more about who that other person is and less about who you are.

2. No bathroom mirror self-portraits.
Same goes for webcam self-portraits. You'll inevitably end up with bad lighting, wide-angle lenses and stern faces. You're much more likely to flash a genuine smile when your friend is behind the camera. Bonus: When you try giving the "sexy stare", your friend will love you enough to tell you to knock it off and be yourself. 

3. No on-top-of-a-mountain photos.
Look at me on vacation. I'm on a mountain! Really, really far away! I am the size of an ant!

4. Don't use your professional headshot.
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, especially coming from a professional photographer. You're probably thinking, why shouldn't I use it, I paid for it didn't I? What sells you as a professional isn't the same as what sells you to a potential life partner. That said, professional photos can be great, especially if you go into the photo shoot with a dating portrait in mind.

5. Look at the camera and smile.
Simple, but true. Serious, sarcastic or even shy portraits are hard to connect with. Your admirers are "meeting you" for the first time online. Make eye contact and smile. They'll smile back.

6. Don't have kids in your photos unless they're your kids.
It might seem silly, but it can be confusing. Your admirers will always be subconsciously associating you with the children you are pictured with, so make sure that they matter.

7. Don't show yourself doing something goofy or ironic.
It's hard to translate irony out of context. My sister admitted recently that if she'd met her current guy online, she would have never agreed to a first date. His profile photo was outrageously out-of-character, which was endearing and entertaining for friends and family, but misleading for potential admirers.

Rules of Thumb

1. Your face is the first thing people want to see, so post it first.
2. Share photos of you doing things you love, but make sure that we can actually see you. (If there are multiple people in the photo, specify which one is you.)
3. Share at least one whole body photo and one closeup, both taken within the last three years or since your last major change, i.e. haircut, shave or weight loss.
4. Share photos your friends approve of. Chances are, if they think you look great, we will, too.
5. Choose photos taken outside. The lighting is almost always better.

Tips for a Professional Shoot

1. Try multitasking. If you're a single mom getting a family portrait done, ask for a few extra shots of just yourself. If you're a professional paying for a headshot, bring a change of clothes for a more casual look.
2. Bring a friend along! Your friends can get you to relax and laugh.
3. Get some advice from your photographer about what to wear. They'll probably suggest bringing multiple outfits and accessories to find the one that looks best on camera.
4. Be yourself. I know, you'll scoff at the obviousness of this, but sometimes you forget. Your future significant other is going to love you for you, so why pretend to be anyone else?
5. Last but not least, don't overdo it with props. Simple is memorable.