Product Photos Matter!

One of the downsides to shopping online is not being able to touch and feel the products or to closely look at the details. This is why product photos are so important. I am definitely not an expert. I probably still have a lot to learn and am constantly trying to figure out how to best capture my products. I believe that the quality of your photos really bring out the quality of your products. You put so much time into making a product. Don't you want to show it off?

Here's one of my earlier photos:

This is just so blah. And I'm really hating that I used a towel for the background. The angle is also kind of weird.

Natural light is best so I try to get outside as much as possible to take photos or I take them near a window. Unfortunately, living in an apartment makes that hard since I'm limited on windows. I use either the wall in my bedroom or the desk that my husband got for our bedroom (that he doesn't use).

Lately, I've been taking my pictures outside. I'm still kind of debating whether I like using the brick wall better. For now I do. Plus, it's nice to be outside to take pictures and breaks up the white on white. 

And I like that when I take my pictures outside, I don't really have to do much editing. When I do edit, I really like to use PicMonkey. It's very easy to use (which I like) and there are so many free choices. 

Here's a dork picture of me that my sister took while she was visiting. 

Also, make sure you avoid using flash. It's not flattering and definitely not necessary if you have good lighting! I sometimes need to take a few update pictures for customers in the evening, so I try to take them in my bedroom where my lighting in brightest. (But I don't use those for listings). You can also make your own light box! 

Like I've said, I'm no expert and I've really had to mess around with it to find what I thought worked best for me. Browse Etsy and look at similar products to yours. It's a great way to see what stands out and get some neat ideas. Just don't steal anyone's distinct ideas ;)

Have any extra tips or questions? Leave a comment or send me an email!

Mother's Day Finds

I always find Mothers Day shopping difficult because it's a month after my mom's birthday. She's already a hard person to shop for and then I have to go out and do it again. This week, I sought out gifts that I personally liked for my own mom (does window shopping for my mom count as a gift?), and they may be great for yours too!

Mother's Day Card from PAGEFIFTYFIVE

My mom is not very sentimental, but she does appreciate a good laugh. I usually try to find her the cheesiest card just for fun, but if I were to be serious I would probably get her this card.

Gourmet Popcorn Seasonings from Dell Cove Spice Co.

I actually couldn't think of a better gift for my mom. I remember as a kid she would season her popcorn and once even made a soy sauce-wasabi dip for it. It was actually pretty good. So if your mom is a popcorn lover, introduce her to some new flavoring!

Decadent Chocolate Truffles from Twisted Sister Treats

You can't go wrong with chocolate! These look delicious and you can choose your flavor and covering. What's more special than sending your mom chocolates that were made just for her?

Lucite Bracelet with Real Beetles from Kolos Studio

Your mom may not be a bug lover, but mine is. And her favorite color is green. A unique jewelry piece is a great way to give a personalized gift.

You are the Best Mom Journal from Journaling Jane

How sweet would it be to fill this journal with all the lovely things that makes your mom wonderful? You can write her letters, poems, add your favorite photos....

Just keep in mind when buying handmade the amount of work and time that goes into creating an item. Make sure you check the shop's processing times so you can make sure gifts will be received on time!

Lots of outside play, a few new onesies, and some really cool fabric

This week just flew by, and I'm looking back thinking, "what the heck did I do this week?" For one, and I was super excited about it, I was featured in my good friend, Meg's blog. We go way back to our high school days when we worked two summers together at the US Embassy in Tokyo.

I spent a lot of time outside, hanging out while the girls ran around and played in mud (Annabelle).

Annabelle enjoying some alone time in the playground tunnel.

Mila tried to do her part on Earth Day and picked up some trash.

This week I made one of my favorite onesies so far - a beautiful Thailand onesie. I absolutely love the fabric she decided on.

And while looking for fabric options for the Thailand onesie, I picked up some really fun new fabric. Some of it was on sale and I really wish I got more.

So pretty isn't it? 

I got Pennsylvania listed in the shop. My goal has been to get at least one state a week listed. I would get more listed, but I have the Indie Trunk Show to get ready for next month so I've been trying to build inventory.

I got a few things done for the show. This will be my second craft show and I learned a lot during my last, so I can't wait to see how this one goes. 

My husband and I celebrated our eighth anniversary this Thursday, but we didn't really do anything. Late April is one of the busiest times of year for him with the school year coming to an end in just a few weeks. I'm not one for big celebrations so I honestly don't mind. He made burgers and delicious fries, which was good enough for me! 

I hope you enjoyed your week! 

Celebrating 8 Years!

Happy 8 years to my husband and me!

Eight years ago, my husband picked me up from class while he was on his lunch break and we headed to the courthouse in Arlington, VA. Afterwards, he dropped me off at work and he went back to work. So funny the way we did it.

Here's an old picture I think shortly after we were married. I always hated this picture, but he likes it :) 

We've been through so much - Army life for a few months, undergrad, grad school, two kids in the middle of all that. All I know is that if we can survive grad school together, we can survive anything. So here's to surviving the next year (or two?)!

Camping Finds

My husband has been dying to go camping. Sometimes he'll just go out and set up for a night when he wants to get away from his crazy schedule, but I haven't gone in three years.

Mila from our last camping trip

Turner Falls in Davis, OK 

The last time we went camping was Spring Break 2011. I was pregnant with Annabelle and we haven't had the chance to get out since she was born. 

Depending on the weather, we'll probably end up going in the next few weeks. Etsy would probably be the last place I would look for any camping goods. We usually pick up our supplies from sporting goods or military surplus stores, but I actually found some pretty neat things on Etsy that I would take out to the woods with me, and now I'm actually in the mood to go! 

Vintage Cooler from Copper and Tin

I think this cooler is cool enough to keep at home as a storage box, but I would definitely take this out with us.

Wool Army Blanket from Newfound Finds

The last time I went camping our nights got down to 20 degrees. Thanks to my husband's preparedness we didn't suffer too bad, but this would still have been nice as an extra layer!

Campfire Stories Notebook from Subtle Acts

I love sitting around a fire and actually enjoying the company of those around me. It would be nice to have a little notebook around to jot down camping memories or the creative ideas that come to mind.

Tent & Campfire Flask from Liquid Courage Flasks

Of course, a flask for my favorite bourbon! And if you're really not into camping, they have a lot of other cool flasks.

Mini Camping Firestarters from Firefly Candle Co.

These are made from recycled materials and look like a great thing to have on hand.

Inspired to take a camping trip now? What are some of your must haves?

Mini Journal Tutorial

As mentioned before, I try to reuse materials as much as I can. We go through a lot of cereal, popcorn and mac and cheese around here, and all those cardboard boxes really pile up. I decided one day that instead of throwing them all out, I would get a little crafty and make a few mini journals. They make great simple gifts and are super easy to make. And fun to decorate!

These are the supplies I use:

- cardboard/cardstock of desired size

- paper for the pages

- cardstock (regular paper will do) 

- needle and thread (I like embroidery floss best)

- box cutter

- paper cutter

-glue (not pictured!)

Scissors will do fine for cutting up the box and paper, but I suck at cutting a straight line.

First, you'll want to cut up your box. You'll only need one piece for your journal, but I'll save the other piece since I'm sure I'll be making another in the near future. If you like, you can leave it as is, but I like to pull the top layer of the cardboard off so I no longer have the big popcorn label. It may not come off in one clean rip, but that's ok! You'll cover it up later. If the edges are a little rough or uneven, go ahead and trim it up. 

Once you have the desired size for the cover, it's time to cut up your page inserts. For the size of my journal, I cut regular printer paper in half, and then folded it in half. Then I trimmed it to fit nicely inside the cover. You don't want any of the pages hanging out when closed. You can add as many pages as you like. I cut up 12 pieces of paper so mine is just a 24 page journal. 

Next you'll want to mark where you'll be threading the journal together. I marked them an inch apart, but you can mark it however you wish. I used my embroidery needle to poke through the paper, and then through the cover to make it easier to thread together. 

Depending on how thick your journal is, you may need to do a few pages at a time. If you have a paper piercing tool, that would be best, but I don't have one at the moment, so I use my needle.

Now it's time to stitch it together! This is my favorite part, watching it come together. If you don't have any thread, you can also staple it together.

I wait until I have it put together before I start designing the cover, but it can definitely be done beforehand. The fun thing about these is that you can decorate it any way you wish - embroidery, drawing, painting, cover it up with washi tape - get creative! 

I like to cover up the backside of the embroidered cover so I measure and cut a piece of colorful cardstock. Also, if you have any stubborn pieces that wouldn't come off the cardboard when peeling the label off, this is a great way to cover it up!

And there you have it! All done! 

If you have any questions on the tutorial, let me know! 

A handmade birthday present

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't realize how difficult it would be to teach my kids the values of gift giving. I admit that one of the best parts about Christmas has been watching them unwrap their gifts. But I don't like the message that they're getting from it. With two kids now, I realize they have a lot of stuff. It's pretty ridiculous. And every birthday and Christmas they just keep getting more.

Christmas at the grandparents

They expect the gifts now. Birthdays and Christmas are simply the days they get more stuff. And with some of the stuff they get, it appears there is no real thought when it comes to gift giving. My husband and I have limited the gifts we give to the girls. We're just hoping that we can convince others to do the same. And we hope to teach the girls that gifts, if given at all, should be meaningful.

Mila had a birthday party to go to this past weekend. We discussed what kind of gift we should get her, and she really didn't know. And I knew nothing about the little girl. So then I thought, "This is my opportunity to make this meaningful," and to me, gifts are much more special when they're handmade. I see nothing wrong with a store-bought gift, but if you have a thoughtful gift to make, it just feels more special. I wanted Mila to be as involved in it as possible, but I also wanted to make sure we made her something nice. We agreed on a pencil case, a little journal and some colored pencils. It's simple, but it's something my girls really enjoy and get good use out of.

Mila picked out the black and pink fabric for the outside and the polka dots for the inside. I used my own pencil bag/embroidering bag for size and found an easy tutorial on Pinterest as a guideline. 

I asked Mila to make a little design on the journal for me to embroider over, but she made her own pictures instead. The back shows a girl walking a dog (or probably a cat). 

I heard one of the other kids say, "oh cool!" and Mila was pretty proud of her gift. She wants me to make her one too now, of course. I thought it was cute that a lot of the other kids also made some type of picture to include in their gifts. The journal is super easy and fun to make so come back Friday for a closer look! 

Bug Love

Mila and Annabelle have really been into bugs lately. Mila learned all about ladybugs at school last week, and she's been making bug towns so she can keep all the bugs safe. Annabelle thinks everything is a spider and freaks out. But she is still so fascinated.

Mila's ladybug town.

They were really into this poor little moth. 

 So for this week, I found some of my own bug favorites.

Beetle Optometry Poster from Helen Gotlib

Mila thinks these are cool beetles and I agree. The fact that it resembles an eye chart makes it even cooler.

Brass Bee Studs from Annie Lesperance Jewelry

It's been awhile since I've worn earrings, but I would wear these beautiful bee studs every day.

Cicada Necklace from SPARKLEFARM

I love the sound of cicadas. It always brings me back to summers in Tokyo when I was in high school. We have a few here in Oklahoma too and I love finding their cool shells. Maybe that's weird, but I don't care.

Ladybug Linen Cushion from Die Naehfee Noir

I don't know why almost everything related to ladybugs always has to be so frilly and girly. I love that this pillow isn't that.

Butterfly Terrarium Kit from The Amateur Naturalist

I love terrariums and Annabelle loves butterflies. I thought one of the terrariums from this shop would be a cute gift to get her one day and it's pretty enough to display anywhere throughout the home.

I feel like going out on a bug hunt with the girls now. What are some of your favorite bugs?

Beard Man Pillow

I remember shortly after Mila was born my husband attempted to grow out a beard. Maybe his younger face wasn't beard ready yet, I don't know, but it just was not working out for him. Last summer, he spent nine weeks in China and I was surprised when he came back with a beard. And it actually looked nice on him. He shaved shortly after, but decided to grow it back out after realizing I was a little disappointed :)

I've been wanting to do a beard silhouette onesie since I've done the mustache onesie, but haven't had the opportunity to get around to it. My sister's been telling me that she wants another pillow and decided about a month ago that she wanted a beard pillow. My first thought was to just make a silhouette, but I just couldn't. I had to make it the most awesome beard possible.

My messy sketch. I wanted the stitches to look as much like hair as possible so they're stitched at random throughout the beard. I used two different browns to make it more interesting. 

Close up.  

Finally done! It actually didn't take as long as I thought it would. My sister visited for a week so I wanted to make sure she would be able to take it home with her. Once she has a pillow form and has him displayed in her home, I'll post an update picture!

I'm already working on a second so once I'm done with the next, I plan on moving him on to a hoop and listing him in the shop!