Fanny’s Blogging 101 – Where to find the best props?

Hey there!

Today’s post will be slightly different from my usual ones. It’s not a recipe, nor a cooking tip or a restaurant review and not even a recent travelling experience. Today I want to share some behind the scenes info with you, some blogging tips for all of you newbies in the world of blogs aka Fanny’s blogging 101. I have now been blogging for about one and a half years and during that time I’ve read many posts about food blogging, food photography, blogging in general , etc. One of the things I happened to be most concerned with right when I started out blogging, was where on earth I’d get all of those pretty plates, vintage spoons, beautiful napkins aka the props that make your food look even more amazing. So let’s do this, today’s post will be all about my props and especially about where to find the best ones.

Plates and bowls:

As for plates and bowls I recommend checking out your local thrift shop aka Brockenhaus. I actually bought most of my plates and bowls in the Brockenhaus next to Hauptbahnhof in Zurich. They’ve got a huge selection and if you don’t buy a complete set of plates it usually won’t cost you more than a couple of francs per plate. I’ve also had a couple of good finds at the Heilsarmee Brocki next to Hardbrücke, however I find the one next to HB has definitely got the biggest selection. A fair few of my plates and bowls were also bought while travelling. I think checking out kitchenware/homeware stores while on a holiday is always a great idea. First of all you’ll get a cool souvenir and you can be sure that probably no one else is going to have this exact same plate or bowl or whatever other dish you purchase. Lastly there are also a couple of shops in my area where I like to look shop for pretty dishes, my faves are: Fizzen, Arslonga, LimaLimon, Kitchener and Wabe3. Oh and I shouldn’t forget, check your grand-parents/ parents attic, they might have some pretty stuff as well.

Napkins and Coasters:

I used to just use super cheap ones I got at the discounter, they were fine, but they’ve been starting to look a tad worn-out after a while. Luckily I happened to discover ArthaCollections a Zurich based company founded by the lovely Claire and her mum. I am currently using Artha Collections Napkins and coasters and when I received them I was just blown away by the amazing quality, they just feel so great and they look amazing. Artha Collections collaborates with artisan communities around the world and they actually do not only aim to create a beautiful product, they also aim to support the livelihoods of the artisans they work with. As of right now they are selling coasters, napkins and pillows, however they are slowly starting to work with more artisans to create more products such as baskets, rugs, cosmetic pouches and shawls. I actually can’t wait for pouches to come out, I bet they’d be a lovely gift, anyways that’s completely off topic. So, if you’d like to get some more info or order on of their beautiful designs for yourself or a friend head over to their website and make sure to follow their Instagram to follow along their journey. Other than that I haven’t got any tips on napkins and coasters. In general, I just think their very helpful in making a picture look more authentic as it gives it the feel of you actually just sitting there and taking the picture.

Glasses and jars:

As you might have noticed if you have been following my blog or Instagram for a while, I like serving food in jars or glasses. It just looks pretty, ok?! I personally love weck jars as they’re also super practical to bring along when having to take lunch to school/work. Sometimes I also use Quattro Stagioni Jars, though I wouldn’t recommend putting them in your handbag, they leak. Oh well, we’re talking food photography right now so they don’t have to be practical.. You can get both of them at any Coop or Migros by the way, I am not sure about other countries though but I am sure your supermarkets also sell some kind of jars. I also love using Duralex glasses, they’re the ones I usually serve my coffee in, though I used them for other stuff as well. They’re rather cheap and you can get them at Sibler, not sure where else though. Oh and lastly yes, I also buy glasses while travelling, the turquoise ones you see there, they’re from Morocco.

Cutlery:

Brockenhaus, thriftshop or grandma’s attic. Basically the same exact thing as I was telling you in the section about plates and bowls. Go thrifting or check out your attic. I actually found a whole set of silver cutlery in our basement a few months back. And lastly I also love my pretty spoons by thelovingspoon, another Zurich based company.

Backgrounds:

If you’ve got a pretty dinner table, use it. If you don’t, check out your basement, you might find something. I actually just use a random wooden board that used to be a part of my sister’s bed. Another goof tip is marble foil stuck on a wooden board. I got mine in the crafting section at Migros Do It. You can also just buy a couple of wooden boards at your closest DIY market or you can use an old baking sheet. The options are endless really, any flat surface works.

As of right now I can’t really think of any thing else prop related. Just let me know if you’d like another one of these blogging related posts and what kind of topic it should cover. Photography, food styling, what would you like?

 

Enjoy the rest of your day peeps!

Bisous