Bendigo Magazine Spring Issue

Exciting news...I have a contribution in the Spring Issue of the Bendigo Magazine which comes out today! If you have previously read the original "about me" page you might remember how I mentioned that I'd love to write about the things I do on my blog, but for a magazine. Well, the lovely Andrea from Bendigo Magazine happened to be reading, and after coffee at El Gordo, asked me if I would like to contribute...and I said yes...not a tricky decision that one :) I've written about all my favourite things about the warmer months now that Spring is literally here...sweet treats & road-trips for sunny weekends. For those who live elsewhere and don't have the Bendigo Magazine, you can find a scan here...but if you're local, grab a copy...it's a great issue including an article about the social media scene in Bendigo (page 30), lots of Spring fashion, and heaps more. So the idea of this post  is to give a bit more detail on the sources I used to put the magazine piece together...including a few extra photos & some design/DIY resources you might like to use as well...

Keren from My Vintage Tea Hire supplied the gorgeous little blue bowl above...her collection of vintage tea party supplies is incredible and always expanding with new pieces she finds on her travels. Carefully selected & stylish, her range also includes not only crockery but tablecloths, cutlery, vases & candy buffet jars. She also does those cute little vintage look striped straws in glass bottles (you can totally picture a collection with pink lemonade)...love them! Keren's photo below is just the beginning...visit her website, you'll be glad you did! Check out pages 139-140 of the magazine for more of "My Vintage Tea Hire" in the "Lady Lioness & the Tea Party" feature.

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I used digital elements designed by Peppermint from One Little Bird, specifically from her La Belle Vie kit. If you're into digital design at all & love the minimalist look (the more white space the better for me!) then you should check out her products.  She is known for her work with shadows...and has a class where you can learn how she does it...or you could do what I did & buy her layer styles for Photoshop. Either way...you'll find a lot to love over at One Little Bird.

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There was one photo that didn't make it into the mag that I still thought I'd share. One thing I love reading on other blogs is the setup behind certain types of photos. For someone who is still learning about photography (aka me!) I think it's interesting to see what's involved behind the scenes of a photograph. It can really be encouraging to try new types of shots because in many cases you don't necessarily need fancy equipment to get the same look. Plus, it's always fun to sticky beak a little, right?  So in the spirit of that approach, the first photo below is the final result, and following that is my super "professional" set up for taking this night time photo of some coloured lanterns and fairy lights...

Yup...laundry buckets & document boxes. Some of those lanterns are perched on upturned water bowls for our dog...just to get that multi level look happening :) It was chilly night, but with a little editing it can look lovely & warm...and I've added in some extra fairy lights because the ones I used needed way too many globes replaced! Speaking of the lanterns...the solid coloured glass ones were from BBQ's Galore (3 Lily Street) a few years ago, and the gorgeous little clear lanterns (see below) I found at Bed Bath & Table (259 Lyttleton Tce) just recently.

I dressed them up with strips of washi tape, otherwise known as Japanese masking tape. Because the tape is semi transparent, when the tea light candles are lit, the coloured tape glows at night. The tape is removable so you can change the colours/designs as much as you like.  You can find some versions of washi tape in craft stores, but I found mine from lots of different online stores...just Google "buy washi tape" and you'll be spoilt for choice.  There's a million things you can use it for, and specialised blogs that cover many DIY projects. I'm warning you, collecting it can be addictive!

But mainly I wrote about different types of ice creams available in Bendigo...and to do this there was a lot of mandatory (ahem) research involved. There's nothing quite like eating ice cream in the middle of winter whilst wearing a scarf and gloves but because these photos were taken well ahead of Spring, I took one for the team and managed to handle this challenge! I wasn't alone, Luke & Naomi helped out by holding the ice creams at just the right angle for my camera, then helping eat them after the photos....and cranking up the heating in the car afterwards so we could all thaw out...thanks guys!

My blog is ultimately a place where I like to write about (and photograph) lots of design/foodie/shopping/local finds. If you're interested in following me and reading more, one of the easiest ways is to "Like" my Facebook page and you'll be notified of new posts in your Facebook feed approximately twice a week.  See the coloured flags towards the top right of my site for other ways to keep in touch.

If you're interested in checking out what I've written about previously, scroll to the bottom of each story and click the link for the previous post. Thanks for visiting!

The places I visited or mentioned in the magazine are as follows...

Bendigo, Bendigo Magazinepetitpixel