26 August 2010

Giggle Girls


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I had the wonderful occasion to do business in my Etsy shop with Stacie from Giggle Girls. Take a look at this beautiful shop and all the gorgeous goodies she has.

If you are looking for something special for your little girl you will surely find it here. She has sweet glitzy tops and boutique bottoms, preppy pillowcase dresses, sassy jeans, rompers, dressed up flip flops, frilly boutique hair bows, and check out one of her newest items, the Fabulous Flower Necklace.















Stacie made this beautiful necklace using the Fabric Flower Bib Necklace PDF Tutorial I have offered in my shop. I think it is wonderfully perfect and would be fabulous on your own giggle girl.

All of Stacie's items are pretty awesome, but if you would like a custom Giggle Girl item she can do that too! Just contact her about that.

She also has a Giggle Girl blog where you can read about her creations and keep in touch with the latest.

21 August 2010

Computers, Cameras, & Photos


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I have a definite love/hate relationship with computers and electronics. I'm sure most would agree that it's all something you can't live with and you can't live without. But since I have an online business it's a necessary evil.

I have a desktop computer that runs well, it's dependable, but it is very slow. I definitely need to get a tune-up on that one. I have been using only a desktop computer for a number of years and they have served me well. However, I admit that a couple years ago I was really seeing the need for a laptop. I mean how convenient it would be to sit in bed or a recliner and write blog posts! And what a boost in productivity to be able to tote around a mini workstation. Well needless to say it didn't take much to talk myself into buying one.

That was 2 years ago. During that time my poor desktop was rarely used, it was saved for the big boy jobs that I couldn't use my laptop for because it didn't have this or that particular program. Over the last few months my beloved laptop started showing me signs that it was on its way out.

First my battery AC adapter quit working. It was replaced by the manufacturer. Then it quit again, this time after the warranty expired. I replaced it. Then my wireless card quit. I decided to get an external contraption so I could get online. And all during this time the laptop was making loud noises and getting very hot and I actually had to quit playing Farmville, lol. I bought a fan and it helped some. I also had the forethought to buy some other contraption to back up all my files, which proved to be genius on my part, lol. And then the AC started acting up again until one day when it wouldn't charge my battery at all. So when the battery died, so did my ability to use my laptop.

Decisions, decisions. Should I get this one fixed or put out the money for a new one? I decided to get a new one. I bought a Toshiba and it has Windows 7 on it. That is a new OS for me. And Toshiba is new for me too. So I spent the last couple days getting used to it and putting some files on it from the old laptop. While I was at the store I bought a wireless printer, scanner, copier thing. It's still in the box, though, mainly because I haven't found a spot to put it. I wonder if I could keep it downstairs in my studio and expect it to print out stuff from upstairs. That's a thought I will have to investigate.

I also shopped around for a new camera. I found the Nikon D90 and boy oh boy, that would be nice. But unfortunately it is way out of my business' budget. And besides I am not a professional photographer, I know very little about it actually and I don't think I could ever take pictures worthy of that camera.

I have been working a little on retaking photos for my Etsy shop and I've been doing pretty good, if I do say so myself. I am trying to be very conscious of my background and of lighting. My next hurdle is to get pictures of  live models wearing my items and to have interesting and appealing props. I am not doing to well with that. And actually I am almost to the point of hiring a professional.

Here are some examples of my pictures using live models.

































































































I like the look of the black & white photos and only having the flower in color. I wish I could do that a little better. I am not entirely convinced they make good product photos though. And wow! how difficult it is to take pictures of a bouncing baby.

So I think that is next on the agenda~~a professional photographer. In the meantime I will continue taking pictures of these 2 beautiful models. Thank you Patience and Aurora Sky, you guys are great!!

14 August 2010

Meet jp pinkdaisy


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Recently I have asked my customers who have purchased my tutorials to join me here on my blog where I can talk a little about them and show off some of their treasures. 

I'd like to introduce you to Judie, a fellow Etsian, and her darling Etsy shop, jp pinkdaisy. Judie has handmade, wearable art that is unique and vintage inspired. 

Judie has some sweet hair accessories in her shop, so shabby and chic. She's got handmade hair clips and fantastic crocheted headbands and more. Take a look at a few here.
















This beautiful Kanzashi style fabric flower clip is called The Camilla. I just love the colors! You can find it here. Judie used my Folded Fabric Flower PDF Tutorial to make it and it would be perfect for your little girl. 
This little beauty is a rolled ripped fabric rosette hair clip in pink and green camouflage. I think it is too sweet! And you can find it here. It is a one of a kind and I bet it won't last long! 

Judie is currently working on new designs for necklaces and belts which she will be adding to her shop soon, so stay tuned for those. And she loves doing custom work as well and welcomes your requests. 

She is always working on new things and many are one of a kind so head on over and grab your goodies before someone else does.



03 August 2010

Crafting With Patience


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Today Patience and I decided to make some quick and easy flower hair clips. She found some artificial flowers at the craft store that she liked so we brought them home.

This is definitely a project she could do mostly by herself so I let her have at it. After all, she is the designer behind my Miss Patience Bag which is for sale in my Etsy shop. And she is 9 years old, I'll have her on a sewing machine before long.

What you need to make the Miss Patience Flower Hair Clip is a small artificial flower, a small scrap of felt, a shiny rhinestone, a snap clip, needle and thread, scissors and glue.









You have to remove the hard plastic parts from the middle of the flower. Then keeping the flower layers lined up, sew the layers together with a couple of stitches close to the middle.










Now glue a small felt circle onto the back of your flower.











Pick out a shiny rhinestone and glue to the center of your flower.











Now glue your snap clip on the back.










And that's all there is to it!












Miss Patience and her flower clip.
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