DIY Latte Syrups!

A few months ago, I got a job at a coffee bistro in my city. At first I was terrified at the fact that I would have to memorize all the different drink combinations, and also would be dealing with the picky coffee people who want their "half-caf, low fat, americano misto, wet foam, two and a quarter pump of sugar free vanilla exactly 180 degrees for here please." But instead its the opposite. I'm starting to enjoy the endless latte possibilities, and the challenge of making the drink perfect is starting to thrill me (Barista problems?). Working here inspired me to try and make drinks at home. I don't have the espresso machine or the fancy syrups, so here I am trying to make London Fogs with Twinnings Earl Grey and granulated sugar. They didn't taste at all as good, so taking after my mothers hummingbird juice recipe, I decided to try and make hot drink syrups for myself! Keep reading for an explanation of how I did it.

What you will need:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Saucepan
About 1 tsp extract (the higher the quality, the better!)
Mason jars with lids (for storing)

Step 1:

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once at a rolling boil, add your sugar. Reduce heat, and stir until the mixture is completely homogeneous and all the sugar granules have dissolved. Add your extract of choice. I chose to make vanilla, peppermint and caramel.

Step 2:  Allow mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes. I found that this will thicken up the syrup, and in the end will be more concentrated because some of the water will have evaporated.

Step 3: Remove from heat, and let cool before transferring the syrups to the jars.

(Caramel, Vanilla, Peppermint) 

These syrups are great for mixing in hot chocolate, tea, coffee, or even just warm milk. I use about two tablespoons in my drinks, but add as much as you want, depending on how sweet you like your drinks.

Can't think of any creative syrup flavourings? Here are some popular syrups: butterscotch, almond, hazelnut, vanilla, peppermint, cinnamon, caramel, and ginger.

Much love,
Sierra

Oh How I Feel Alive Through Autumns Advancing

A few days ago, I had the privilege to go out and take photos with my lovely friends. They are all so beautiful, every shot turned out wonderful. Despite the wind, and the sudden downpours of rain, the combination of artistic people and four SLR cameras made for a perfect photo shoot day all around. The fall colours were spectacular, and I really hope to do another day like this before all the trees loose their leaves. The photos below were all taken with my film SLR; I love the look of these photos the best. It captures the true, raw beauty of nature, nothing photoshopped or 'fixed;' it is what it is.

High resolution shots can be found on my flickr, which you can visit here.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Autumn!

DIY Tshirt Scarves

If you know me at all, you know I have a scarf fetish. And today, while looking on Pinterest for some interesting new scarf tying ideas, I came across a bunch of DIY t-shirt-to-scarf ideas. So since fall is upon us, I decided to try one out for myself. I read a bunch of different articles on the topic, and here is what worked the best for me!

What you will need: 

Plain Tshirt (The bigger the shirt, the longer the scarf, keep that in mind!)
Scissors
Hands!

Step One:

Lay out your t-shirt and decide on how thick you are going to cut your stripes. You could cut them very small, for a more stringy scarf, or you could go thicker, for more substance. I'm going to be doing some of both, for a mixture of textures. The shirt I used for this scarf was 100% cotton, but don't be afraid to use sheer or silky fabric, be adventurous!

 I cut the edges rough on purpose, but you can use a ruler and cut them perfect if that's what you're looking for. (The sun was actually shining today, sorry about the lighting!) Make sure to leave the cut strips in a circle, because that is the point of an infinity scarf!

 Step Two: 

The best part of this scarf was that there was no sewing required! Just twisting and knotting. So basically, if you have hands and know how to tie your shoes, you'll be good to go! For this step, start by tying some of pieces together at what will become the back of your scarf. You don't have to tie them all together, but it'll make it more durable if you do.
TIP: If you tie the circle stripes at different lengths, it gives the scarf a fuller look, so try some different stuff out until you like the way it is laying.

 Step Three:

Make sure to keep one of your strips aside until this point. To cover the knotted part where all the pieces are tied together (as seen above) use one of the stripes to cover it,  this not only hides your knots, but it gives it another unique touch. You could also decorate this piece using lace, buttons, or a different coloured fabric. After you're done wrapping, just tuck the end in (sort of like wrapping a twisted ankle).

And you're done!

Thank for reading, and good luck with your scarf making! Happy Autumn everyone!

Much love,

Sierra

Forests Are My Favourite.

Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege to take some pictures of my lovely friend Kendra! She's absolutely mad and it was a blast. We had some encounters with construction workers, hiked through a stream, and almost fell off some mossy logs in order to get the perfect shots. Maddy sang to us from below, and Kendra danced. It's a good thing we were the only people in the forest, although I'm sure the animals appreciated us singing Kate Nash and Lil Wayne (good combo right?). So anyways, she's stunning and the photos turned out stunning as well! Here are my favourite shots from the day:

  

For high quality photos, check out my flickr here.

Have a wonderful rest of the week! 

Sierra 

Forests, Foliage, Film!

There is nothing I love more than a walk through the forest. So much beauty that has taken years and years to become how it is. Waterfalls, tall trees, mossy rocks and spider webs. There is so much beauty all around us! A few days ago I went for a photo walk (I guess you could call it that) with some friends.  The sun was shining and the greens were so lovely! And the best part about all these pictures is that they were shot with film! I took these with a Nikon F801s.

I know this was a quick post, but I really wanted to share these pictures with you all! Check them out here on my flickr, if you like, and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Sierra

War Paints

A couple weeks ago at a music festival, I couldn't help but notice the widespread fashion of face paint. And not your typical butterfly, or childish cat whiskers, it was more in the likes of dots, lines and squiggles. Being the nerd that I am, I researched this. Because fads usually start somewhere sensible, and then they are poked and pulled out of their original purpose. Whilst looking up the meanings of the war paint in native cultures, I surprisingly learn't a lot! For instance, Each colour represents a different emotions, or quality about the person wearing it. It mean't different things to whether you wore the colours on your face or your body. For instance, the colour green on a persons body symbolized endurance. But it was also believe that green dots placed under a persons eyes would provide that person with immense vision. During special ceremonies or celebrations, different colours were worn to symbolize the reason they were celebrating. Different shapes were drawn on the skin to provide the wearer with 'magic' and these shapes included lines, circles and triangles. Maybe the hipsters did their homework this time!
My favourite colour, and meaning that I read about had to be the white paint. White paint, throughout all the tribes meant the same thing. In face paint, it symbolized light, purity, and peace. But when used as war paint, symbolized mourning. I loved the connection between these two meanings. Mourning, yet being at peace. It's just beautiful, even though I'm sure the natives were not at peace during the times of war, but for me, finding this connection was just lovely. So I decided to take some pictures with face paint. And because I did my homework, you're not allowed to call me a wanna-be-soft-grunge-gross-indie chick, because I painted my face full well knowing what I was trying to symbolize. Here's a shot I  really liked:

Thanks for reading! Much love,

Sierra

Stuck in the Moment - Concept Photography

Before you read any of this and think that I'm incredibly creative because of this, don't! This idea was inspired by Dear Photograph, and not my own idea. I take no credit for the concept, But I take full credit for the pictures taken. That being said, please read on!

  Today I decided to do my own 'Dear Photographs" My mom is a photographer, so shortage of photos is not a problem in my house. After looking through multiple photo albums, and picking my favourite photos from around my house, I went outside to do some shooting. The idea of 'Dear Photograph' is to find memory filled photos from long ago, and to bring them to the exact location of where they were taken, years and years before. The result is something amazingly nostalgic and beautiful.

See, the special thing about photography is represented perfect for me in this project. Memories caught on film never, ever change. The same smile you had on your face the first time you went to the fair, the bloody knees from falling off your two-wheeled bike, your childhood friends that had long moved away, they are all saved in print. No matter how much the world around us changes, whether it be deaths or disaster, photos will alway be able to bring us back to the exact moment when we were so incredibly happy. This thought is what inspires me to be a photographer, knowing that I can capture moments for people, and save those memories for the future them to look back on. Just thinking that I have the power to do that for someone makes me giddy. Remembering moments in time is so special. No matter how long ago, or how far away it may have happened, the moments can be brought back with a single glimpse of a photo. 

Words cannot express how passionate I am about this. I encourage you to go out and make memories! Document these memories and put them in a book. Share your experiences with others. Make yourself as happy as the people in the photos are from years ago. Never forget even the little things in life. Those are the things that make us who we are. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Sierra Nickel