Macro Photo Studio!

a.k.a. Cardboard Light Box!

Work in Progress, but thought this was a neat little (free) project.
Thanks to this helpful link: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html I decided to try and make my own as well - figured it would make some ebay photos look a little clearer then thrown on my bed for a quick photo.

I used an old Zappos Box (already white!), some leftover tracing paper, and tape. Voila! Purchased an 88cent piece of poster board to place inside of the box, and now just playing with lighting.

Here's my box:














Nothing too fancy really.

First attempted picture - just a couple starwars miniatures, not great quality as I used no lights to test:














I can't wait to get lighting on the sides of the box to brighten this up! Yay!

Tutu Cute

Had to share these cute little tutus I made for a 6month old baby for her first halloween.

I think the pink is my favorite, but I liked the idea of the orange with green ribbon representing a Pumpkin for halloween. Hard to see the details but I sewed little pumpkin, bats and ghost buttons onto the Orange tutu.

I have a spool of orange and pink colored tulle now, I think I should make a few of these for my girls' bears and dolls; I know they'd just love it. I need to invest in a better sewing machine though, because right now I just have a small handheld one, so trying to keep the material straight and leaving enough thread to go behind and tie a knot in it can get annoying. The down side is I have no idea how to use a sewing machine anways, so not sure if it be a wise investment at this point.

"Cinderelli, Cinderelli, Night and day it's Cinderelli"

Alright, I think I went a little overboard.

Everytime I finish, I do just "one more" thing.

The Birthday Exchange idea for the past 5 years is you get matched up with a birthday buddy and exchange one gift.I am so excited to be paired with a Cinderella lover, I made her a Plaque as seen below. But because I knew she couldn't play with it, I also wanted to alter a purse for her as well especially since she is going to Disney World this month. Then added a Pen to go in the purse, and made a little Tag to her from my daughter.I'm quitting before I go overboard.

The purse is originally a little handbag from Lillian Vernon.com - some decoupage and finish later, it's Cinderella themed with her initial on it.

I can't decide if it's too gaudy, but my daughter loves it, so hopefully the little girl will too.

I found some "Glass Slipper" backpack clips at the store, so removed the cheap plastic piece and attached to the zipper for a nice little pull.

I hope she loves it.

The pen is one that has a hole in the cap so you can attach to your key ring and not lose. So I attached a regular key ring, added some ribbon, and using a couple more stickers from the sticker pack (purchased for the wall plaque) added an eyelet and made it into a miniature tag.

The tag beside it is a large sticker (From same sticker pack) affixed to cardstock, some birthday ribbon stapled on for looks, and written on the back.

Art is the Music my Soul is Singing

From Archived old blog 9/2006

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I saw this quote today and thought it was beautiful and so fitting, I just had to come write it down before I forgot it.

I finished the Cinderella wall plaque I wanted to make for a birthday girl next week. I have a couple pictures, but again, the colors look off in my orange lighting house and cheap camera.

Here's what I came up with, the glittery sparkles on the paper look much better.

Because Playing is Fun

Repost from old blog - condensing everything to one blog 9/26/2006

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Some days I get in the mood to craft. It can be something simple like working on a few scrapbook pages, or it can be an elaborate project like working on altered cigar boxes that take days on end because of the time each layer takes to dry.

I say "some days" because I'll get in a mood where I don't craft or scrap anything, for as long as 2 years because nothing suits my mood.

Right now I'm in a "crafty" mood the past few weeks. Since I'm in that mood again I figure what an opportune time to start blogging a few of these crafts if it gives other people ideas/inspirations.

Once upon a time I was a community leader for a messageboard on iVillage called Crafts for Kids. I designed and kept up to date a website for all the craft ideas posted or found online. It was a handy guide for anyone who worked with or had children of their own. From arts and crafts for holidays, spring breaks, gift ideas, use once and toss to recipes for foods, playdoughs, easy bake ovens. I stopped editing it when the Host ivillage quit hosting messageboards, and everything was transfered over to Tripod. Somewhere with half the links changing and not being correct, I lost interest in keeping crafts for kids up to date. Somewhere around that time I also decided I wanted to do crafts for Me as well, not just for my children.

Some of my previous layouts and altered books and purses I have previously posted at Two Peas ina Bucket. But since I can't really blog about them, they are just there, but not at a place anyone will really see. (I can be found here: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/userprofile.asp?user_id=138638)

So here I am now, my own little arts and crafts page on the web. Right now I'm on an Altered Canvas Kick. I've been designing Door/Wall Plaques for a few of my friends baby girls. They show me a picture of the room/motif and I create a plaque unique for them.The Pictures do NOT do the wall canvases justice, trust me they look 1000 times better. The recipients have loved the plaques which has been my main reason for doing them.

Two previous ones I've worked on (these are 9"x12" Canvas):

Like I said, my pictures do not do them justice.

I have 2 more I am working on. One will be a Cinderella theme for a birthday present, and the other will be a "girlie" themed one. So far these have been really fun to make.

As I mentioned before, I have eclectic crafts I do depending on my mood.

I have made a new cork/messageboard:

And I've made tutus on these little stuffed bears:

Who knows where my next crafty whim will take me.