Spring Celebration Giveaway!

Spring Celebration with
Lenox Knits! Ends April 25

Over $200 worth of Prizes! 9 Winners!

Come Celebrate Spring with me! Thanks to generous friends, I'm offering nine handmade prizes with a combined value of over $200. It is open to everyone and there will be free international shipping! See rules below.

Here is what you could possibly win:
A Crocheted Silk with Pearls Wrap Bracelet or Long Necklace-- WillOaks Studio $20

Wine Bottle Gift Bag with 4 Coasters-- Nature Acre $15

Three bars of handmade soap (your choice of scents)-- Happy Goat's Soap $15

Skein of Handspun/HandDyed Wool Yarn in Spring colors-- Split Rock Ranch $20

Seminole Patchwork Pillow in bold Spring colors-- So Many Colors $50

Antique Vintage Button Pendant-- Alterity Button Jewelry $25

Lime green Spring knit scarf with an appliqued XL tee-shirt from the remaining inventory of GrayEyedScorpio --Lenox Knits combined value at $35

Knitted Yoda Star Wars Golf Club Cover-- Tracey Knits $25

OR 2 like new craft books from my own library Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle & AntiCraft: Knitting, Beading and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister valued at $25.

You can enter in multiple ways, as follows (please include your e-mail address if there is not a link to it on your profile page):

1. For one entry you must follow my blog and at least one other participant site from the list below. If you already follow just let me know. You must do this to earn the extra entries mentioned next.

2. You can earn an additional entry for visiting another participant's site below and following their blog, hearting their etsy shop, or becoming a Facebook fan, for a total of seven more entries. Please leave a comment here for each site that you visit letting me know. Here are their chosen sites:

Alterity Button Jewelry's blog
Nature Acre's Etsy shop
WillOaks Studio's blog
Split Rock Ranch's blog
Happy Goat's Soap blog
So Many Color's Facebook page
Tracey Knit's Facebook page

3. You can earn another two entries for blogging about the contest. Please give a link to the blog post and leave two comments here.

4. You may earn up to 5 extra entries for tweeting about the contest, one tweet per day. Please leave a comment for each extra entry with a link to the Twitter post.

You may cut and paste the following for your tweet: Lenox Knit's Spring Celebration Giveaway with over $200 of handmade prizes! Ends April 25 http://bit.ly/9y5Sk3

5. You may earn one extra entry for mentioning the give away on Facebook with a link. Just leave a comment letting me know that you did.

NOTE: You must leave a comment, as mentioned, for each entry in order for it to count.

So there are a total of 16 possible entries. There will be nine winners, chosen on April 25 by random number generator. The first winner selected will be given first choice, with 48 hours to respond. After the first winner responds, I will contact the next winner, who will also have 48 hours to respond, and so on until all 9 prizes have been awarded. There is free international shipping, and the items will be mailed directly from the participating shop owner.

I will be featuring interviews and additional pictures of the items which can be won throughout the month of April. Stay tuned!

Spring has finally Sprung!

So, I actually sweated today for the first time in months and tomorrow it is supposed to get into the 70's. Can you believe that Spring is finally here! This has been one very long, very dark winter for me so to be mobile just as the spring arrives is such a great sign. I saw the first sign of a flower in my backyard this weekend. You can see it above barely visible under all the dry leaves and debris. Kind of like me this year. I'm ready to get rid of the dry skin and nasty walking boot and wear sandals and capris. Aww, how nice will it be to get a pedicure and put on my Birki's for the first time this year. You have no idea how sweet that will be for me.

I'm also sharing a few shots of the girls dying eggs at the farm from a few weeks ago. Kate was very carefree about the whole thing but Jess took it all very serious. As serious as you can be with bunny ear clamps in your hands that is. I'm getting really excited to start the Spring Celebration. I'll probably post it tomorrow so please stay tuned. It's going to be fun!

Budding Photographer

I hung out with Ani for most of the day today. We made it down to the Upcycle Exchange open house and got a bag full of crafting supplies for only $5. It was worth the drive in the rain for sure. We then ate at our favorite Chinese buffet. We came home and downloaded all the pictures she's taken with the camera I got her for Christmas onto my hard drive, ordered some prints and than went out into my swampy back yard and took some more shots. It was very near a perfect afternoon, which I am about to top off with a nap so I think that will complete the perfection.






First, I wanted to share some of my favorite shots of hers. I think she is developing quite an eye. She takes lots of bizarre pictures and gets stuck taking 20 shots of a plate of biscuits or her lips but that is part of the fun of discovering what your camera can do. Many of her best shots are of her animals. They have a zoo at their house which includes 4 snakes. This shot of her snake feeding is a bit disturbing but I think it captures exactly what she was going for. Then there is this one of her birds. Mike said she should be a National Geographic photographer with all the practice she is getting with animals. Finally there is the best of the countless lip shots. She is an interesting kid that is for sure.

A stroll through my sold listings

I was inspired by Nancy at Nfall2rt to take a stroll back through my sold listings on Etsy. I have sold 90 items although I'd say around 20 of those were actually trades. My first sale came only several hours after I listed my first item on Sep 2, 2007. It was one of my Indian Surprises from above. I sold 5 scarves my first year using the colorful sari silk yarn in bright bold colors. I don't know why I stopped making them to be honest. The last skein I bought on e-bay had a weird smell so I decided to not use it but I think it's time to look for another supplier. The colors really pop off the screen. I remember how proud I was of the pictures of this scarf with the Buddha head statue from my back yard.

I used a lot more props when I first started photographing my scarves. I was constantly bringing a vase or wall hanging or statue into the shot. I got lazy or perhaps more effective at streamlining the process a year into selling. I think it took some of the fun out of it for me and I do still like going back and looking at the prop shots from the past. This one used a moon plaque I had that I think set a mood. I sold this scarf on Dec 3, 2007.

The High Times Scarflette became the foundation for an entire shop makeover 2 years ago. I first sold it on Feb 17, 2008. I have since sold a number of them on-line and in person and it is still my bestseller so to speak. I've used up the last of the now discontinued yarn and I decided not to go in search for any remnants that might still be out there on-line. The colors captured the mood I wanted to express with my shop perfectly at that time and the pictures in my banner will live on until I decide to shake things up some day.
This last scarf, called Champagne Blush, sold on Nov 3, 2008. It represents the move away from using props in my shots and is a more straightforward shot. I like how well it shows off the details of the scarf and the eye is not distracted by anything else. The pure white background shows that I was getting better at using the light and my camera.

What do you think. Should I continue to keep it simple or do you like the shots with the props better? I'm still torn. I will need to do a big photo shoot of my inventory that I have left after last year's craft shows to be ready for next year.

Upcycle Exchange Open House

Let me start off by saying that I'm excited to be going to this month's Upcycle Exchange meeting this Sunday, which is an open house this time around. I joined in January and have missed every single meeting because of my broken ankle. I'm sure that I will bringing at least one bag of yarn and other supplies home all for $10. It is in South St. Louis city which is becoming the hipster mecca. It is where those who wish they lived in Brooklyn live when they are forced to settle in St. Louis. I'm not saying that in a bad way. It does suck that it is so far away from where I live though.

I would now like to interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to vent for a few moments. I'm really getting sick of waking up to banging as the siding guy drags his project on past 2 weeks. We got a deal on siding for the house but who knew it was going to be one old guy with bad knees. Once we got the siding and windows paid off in a year or so we were then going to remodel the bathrooms. Well, I now have a hole in my shower which Mike seems to think will require a major fix. I was holding onto the towel rack/soap dish for balance and the whole thing came off in my hand taking a chunk of dry wall with it the other night. We knew the whole wall was going to have to be replaced eventually but not necessarily so soon. So now I have to shower in Mike's annoying shower stall which I hate. He's going to Lowe's to try to come up with some temporary fix today.

My foot is incredibly swollen today. It doesn't hurt but there is fluid built up all around the ankle and even up into my calf. I think it's because I had it down most of the day yesterday and I was on walk-ins all afternoon with a constant stream of students. I'm wearing one of those tight white stockings today which I hate. I really should have gone to Physical Therapy this morning but I woke up with a sinus headache and just turned the alarm off. But then 15 minutes later the banging started and the neighbor dogs started barking so it was really not worth it.

I'll stop venting now. It really is a gorgeous day and since Mike is off for Spring Break I have him running my errands for me today. I'm thankful that I can walk now without my cane and that I have my independence back. I really can't complain about my job since I'm really thankful that I have one.

Spring Flowers

I haven't really spotted many Spring flowers yet for some reason around here. I'm hoping this weekend we might start to see some colorful bursts that I can capture. The top shot is from last Spring on the farm with the girls. It's one of my favorites and it always puts a smile on my face when I see it. The daffodils are going to bloom without me this year on the farm I'm afraid.

The second shot is of a knitted wire wrist cuff for sale here on my Etsy site. It is a perfect spring accessory in great pastel colors.

I'm so thrilled with the response to my Spring Celebration. I thought I would give you a hint at some of what you can expect starting April 1. I will have interviews and a few tutorials from the participants. So far I have a selection of handmade soaps, a quilted pillow, a spring pearl necklace, a gorgeous pendant, an appliqued tee shirt, a novelty knitted item, a skein of handspun yarn in Spring colors, some knitted Spring accessories, and a selection of DIY craft books from my library.

Something for everyone if I do say so myself. Many of the participants are blog buddies of mine and there are a few new faces that I'm excited to introduce to you all. If you are interested in participating there is still time to let me know. I will need to know by March 30 and you can e-mail me at lenoxknits@yahoo.com to get more details.

I've decided that I'm going to spread the joy and have multiple winners. I think that I've decided to have one big giveaway with a first prize winner who gets the first choice of item and on from there, instead of a series of small giveaways. It will be easier to keep the buzz going for everyone and easier for me to promote it. My main goal for this week is to get the interviews done and to come up with a graphic for the giveaway.

Enjoy the Moments

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” Robert Brault

I took Kai out for Indian buffet today and a little shopping. When I was in the restroom at the restaurant I saw a sign that had the top quote on it. I stopped and thought to myself that I need to really appreciate this day. Kai has been doing so well in school this semester and has been finding new ways to get his adrenalin running, rather than getting in trouble. I feel really blessed to have he and his sister in my life and to have developed the relationship that we have. It was a good reminder that life really is all about those moments. I think we miss that when we are checking our cell phone for a new text or multitasking through our lives. Because I don't have kids of my own I really appreciate the moments I have with my nieces and nephews more than most.

The top shot is from the farm this weekend of Jess and Savannah having a moment and the bottom of Kate sharing a moment with Mike.

When I was searching for the origin of the quote above I also found these two which I thought were appropriate.

"Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don't collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything."

- Lear, Norman

"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching."
- Sivananda, Sri Swami

Happy Birthday Mike & other updates

Today is Mike's birthday. So now I will no longer be 2 years older than he is anymore! Yes, I robbed the cradle. The months from November to March are always annoying since he can say that he is 2 years younger than I am. The top shot is him with his beloved poodle and the second shot is from a year ago at their last show with his other beloved. The Bloolights have been starting to play again and hopefully there will be some more live shows this year as Mike looks forward to them so much. He told me not to get him anything for his b-day since there is nothing he needed and he was perfectly content right now. Next week is his spring break and the weather should be such that he can get at least a few rounds of gold in with Chris so life is good for him.

I walked today for the first time without any assistance. I used my quad legged cane coming in from the parking lot for balance but I've been walking around the office without it. Yesterday was a real turning point for me in Physical Therapy. I finally got my Achilles tendon loosened up enough so that it doesn't kill me whenever I put all my weight on my ankle. I will have to wear my walking boot for a few more weeks but that is fine since none of my shoes will fit on my bad foot yet anyways. It is still at least a size larger than my good foot. I just bought a pair of Keens on-line with good support and an adjustable strap that will hopefully fit. Mike said that I betrayed him by buying a pair of Keens since we are always making fun of the cult of Keen wearers but difficult times call for difficult measures.

I'm happy about the response to my Spring Celebration idea so far. I have eight really amazing prizes lined up and 1 more maybe. I'm going to wait until April 1 to kick it off to give myself plenty of time to organize it. If anyone else would like to be involved please let me know. The more people involved the more buzz it will generate for all of us. If anyone can come up with a catchier title I would be happy. For some reason I'm drawing a blank.

My Spring Celebration

So I was thinking about ways to shake things up a bit around here and bring some excitement back to the blog. I thought about having another giveaway for a Spring accessory like the lime green scarf here with wood beads. Then I got the idea to open it up to a few other shops that might like to promote their spring items with a giveaway and make it a Spring Celebration. I would of course want to keep it to handmade items or supplies and you would need to be open to shipping internationally if necessary.

I have had three giveaways in my year and a half of blogging. I've been really happy with how they have worked out. My first blog giveaway was called Lose the Winter Blues just a little over a year ago and was my biggest prize to date. I gave away a $50 spring accessory set in hemp and I had 133 entries into the giveaway. I then had a smaller one in the summer called Summer Fun and gave away a scarf and headband set worth $25. I had 60 entries into this one. I did not promote it quite as much and did not have as many ways to enter so that is why there weren't as many entries. My most recent giveaway was a little different. I had a specific goal of getting newsletter subscribers for this contest. I gave away a $40 gift certificate to one of my newsletter subscribers and I was successful in growing my list from 30 to 117 with the contest this Fall.

I would like to get my blog followers over the hump of 400 and spread some of the love around with other crafters. I would promote the heck out of the contest and would also promote the shops of those participating. I can't promise you a sale if you donate an item but if you want to get some blog followers, Etsy hearts, or Facebook fans I think I can help you with that goal. And who knows if that could translate into a sale in the future. If you are interested please e-mail me at lenoxknits@yahoo.com and we can work out the details.

Portrait Lens

We made a quick trip to the farm this weekend as my nieces were passing through on their spring break. I only saw them for about 24 hours but it will hold me over until May when I will be going down for Kate's first communion and birthday. It was the first time that I had an opportunity to try out my new lenses on the girls and I have fallen in love with the little Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. Henceforth it shall be known as my portrait lens here. It is so tiny but captures such amazing closeup images of faces. I just set my camera to the portrait setting and let the lens do the rest of the work. I cropped the top shot pretty tight because I could and I thought Savannah's eyes were absolutely amazing in the shot.

The next one is more natural of her and the playful spirit she is developing. She is only 3 and I was really afraid that with them moving so far away I wouldn't develop the same relationship with her as I have with the other girls. We really seemed to bond this weekend and I will continue to talk to her as much as I can on the phone so that she can have the full crazy Aunt Paige experience as the other girls have known.

I really liked this last shot despite or perhaps because you can't see their faces. I was putting my camera away when I saw Savannah sitting up on Grandpa's lap with her little legs crossed just so.

I'll share some of the pictures of our Easter egg dying when it gets closer to Easter. I hope you are all having a nice Monday. With the glorious sun shining and spring in the air I really can't complain too much about a sore foot now can I.

Craft Revolution!

This weekend is the St. Louis Craft Mafia's spring craft show called the Indie Craft Revolution. "Over 65 vendors will show off their fabulous wares within the historic and beautifully preserved St. Louis Artists’ Guild and Galleries. The event takes place Saturday March 13, 2010 from 10am to 6pm and Sunday March 14, 2010 from 10am to 4pm."

I will unfortunately be unable to attend but there is an amazing roster of vendors, many of whom I have either seen before or worked with at other shows in the area. Indie Craft Revolution is also going to be the first collection event of 2010 for Upcycle Exchange!

I thought I would showcase a few of the vendors I'm familiar with and admire.

South City Studio is obviously very proud of her roots in St. Louis as the necklace above reflects. She's a member of both the St. Louis craft mafia and ShowMe Etsy. She sells cute jewelry as well as fine art prints many of which were taken here in the St. Louis area.Courtney of TwIsTeD makes the coolest bracelets out of 100% upcycled telephone and data wire. They are so colorful and fun especially when you wear them in a bunch. At the last show I did, the Big Ass Indie, I watched her go through her inventory with piles of her wire jewelry in bundles stacked up all around her. I was going through my scarves at the same time so I understand how much work goes into keeping her inventory up to date. Her booth at the Strange Folk Festival was also the most memorable and interesting of all I saw. It was a real inspiration to me and I hope I will be able to up my game for next year's show.



Beqi clothing is probably the most prolific and recognized crafter in the St. Louis indie community. She makes colorful creations in gorgeous color combinations and isn't afraid of bold patterns. I'm always amazed at how many different mediums she works in . I've helped separate inventory at three of the indie boutique style shows now and her pile is always the most varied at the end with pieces coming from the accessories, clothing, and even housewares sections.

The lotus at dusk top is a hand made kimono top with sizes up to XL, not just the tiny sizes you see in most handmade clothes.
She sells her jewelry line on etsy as Beqi.

If you are in the area I hope you will come out and support the St. Louis handmade community. I'm always so inspired by the talent and creativity on display at these events.

Hats Off

I was going to post this on Saturday and call it Haturday but the weekend really got away from me. That is actually a good thing. It was the first full weekend I've had since the fall/surgery with tickets to the Rep Saturday and some shopping on Sunday with Ani. The top picture is one my friend/former colleague sent me of the twins in their hats I made them. She says they get compliments every time they wear them but I'm sure they get compliments on anything she puts on their adorable heads.

The next shot is of Ani goofing around with the hats I made while laid up on the couch. It's kind of a sad number but a few of them are more intricate than others. The organic wool one in gray has cables throughout and actually took me well over a week to make. Unfortunately it has no give and will only fit a small adult head or child. When I took this shot of Ani she said, "Wait, I think I blinked."

I'm getting much faster and more knowledgeable about which stitch patterns are best for which hat. I've started using ripple stitches as it gives a cool effect especially with variegated or space dyed yarns. And since hats are not reversible like scarves I can use some cool stitches I like that are only interesting on one side.

I know that hat season is basically over but it's all about building up the inventory. It's time for me to really start thinking about next year's craft show season and what I want to focus on. I'm going to have the hats and the high and low end scarf price points. I will whip out a bunch of $15 scarves for 2 months right before my first show but between now and then I'm going to focus on hats and more upscale scarves to match the hats. I'm also thinking about how to sell them in sets. I'm really starting to come out of my creative slump which is definitely a good thing.

Staying Positive

As I was dragging myself into the office this morning with my old lady walker a colleague commented that she couldn't believe how positive I was staying about the whole situation. I had mentioned that I had started physical therapy yesterday morning and was really sore today but it was a good kind of sore. I told her I couldn't really believe it myself.

The little memento box and journal are from a new charity shop I discovered on Etsy recently called Haiti by Hand and all proceeds go to goes directly to the relief and rebuilding efforts of Haiti By Hand in Despinos, Haiti. The Remember Moments Trinket Box was made by Jennie Thompson. The Becoming Who We Are Journal was made by Ludid Ryu.

The past two weeks I've been working my regular full time schedule. Last week I was having someone come out and wheel me in but this week I'm making the long trek from the parking lot to my office all by myself, just like a big girl. It's a slow process and I have to keep at least a partial smile on my face because everyone wants to help me and smiles at me encouragingly. I just can't be the crabby faced lady using her walker as I would feel even more pathetic. My students are all curious about what happened and why I was gone so long so I have to smile and talk to them as I make the 15 minute trip to the bathroom all the way done the hall a few times a day too.I decided to make a list as I was walking to my car last night, about a 20 minute process, of the good things that came out of my fall. So here goes:

1. I found out that I am a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. When I tell people I drove myself alone to the ER with my multiple fractures they give me this look like they can't believe it. Who knew I would be able to drag myself through the snow and fight the pain to get help? Certainly not me, as I tend to think of myself as physically weak and with no pain tolerance.
2. I have showed those around me that I'm not as helpless as I sometimes appear. I tend to give up on things that I don't know how to do quickly and just let other people do them for me. My family has been pretty shocked by how I've been able to adapt and do things for myself. Mike pu t a bag of Cheetos on the top shelf fairly early on in the process thinking I would never find them. I manage d to get myself to a stand and knock it off with a spatula to get them when he was gone at work. From then on Mike would say to think of it like a bag of Cheetos when I said I couldn't do something. He knew from that point on that if I really wanted something that I would find a way to do it.
3. I have developed a greater appreciation for how lucky I really am. I have a quite but still interesting life and I forget how many people can say the same in the world. Mike and I are very content in our little house with our hobbies and our families and friends who live nearby. We both have secure and supportive jobs that allow us to pay our bills and still have enough to treat ourselves to vacations and other things we want but don't need. Mike was very supportive and although there were times when we drove each other crazy I think this brought us even closer. He comforted me when I was crying and helpless and pushed me on when I was unsure of myself.
   
4. Which brings me to my greater appreciation for having a job that I can stand and colleagues that have gone out of their way to help me through this process. I have had to lean on certain friends at work a lot to fetch me files or carry my lunch for me, not to mention the days that I had to be driven and pushed in from my car in the wheelchair. They have made it much easier than it could have been for me which I'm very grateful for.
5. I have developed a much deeper understanding for people with disabilities. I don't know how this will translate into my life in the future but I hope I will find a way to express it and put this knowledge to good use.
   
6. I have been forced to slow down and not rush through life so much. I tend to walk to and from my car talking on my cell phone or checking messages like most people in this modern world. The weeks on the couch and now the long, slow walks to and from my car have given me time to actually stop and think and sometimes even enjoy the moment. I can't say that I enjoyed all the down time but there were some good times at home reading, helping to plan Chris and Tif's wedding and our trip to New Mexico this summer. And when I'm walking outside now I try to enjoy the brisk Spring air and be glad that it's not 4 weeks ago with the bitter cold.
7. I've actually lost a few pounds and developed some calf muscles and upper body strength that I haven't had in years. I've been unable to go out and get the fast food that I too often indulged in for lunch. Many people gain weight when cooped in the house but Mike really didn't bring much into the house for me to get to minus those Cheetos I managed to find. I plan on going on walks and bringing my camera along to make the time go by quicker as I am able.

So that's my list. I'm actually surprised that I was able to come up with 7 things, some of them pretty important revelations about myself. I remember when I was lying in the ER and I called my Mom crying. I told her I didn't know how I was going to make it through this, especially at my current weight. At that moment I couldn't imagine anything good coming out of it. It's funny how life works out.

UPDATE to yesterday's post about my lens purchase. I went ahead and bought myself the refurbished Canon EF-S 17mm - 85mm f/4.0-5.6 USM IS Image Stabilized Autofocus Zoom Lens which is the lighter one made for Canon Rebels that should be a good all around lens as an upgrade to my kit lens. The only problem I could find about it that concerned me was that it doesn't perform well in low light settings without a flash. So I also bought the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II which is a small prime lens, meaning no zoom, which is ideal in that exact setting. I can carry them both in the new bag I also got which does not look like a camera bag at all, important for when I 'm traveling and I don't want to be carrying my Canon bag that screams "STEAL ME, EXPENSIVE CAMERA INSIDE!" I choose the jill.e camera messenger bag with polka-dots. Although it's not handmade jill.e is a small woman owned company that I can feel good about supporting.

Photo Fever

I am so itching to get out there and start taking pictures again. Being confined to my couch for 5 weeks so soon after getting my new DSLR Canon Rebel XSi was such terrible timing. I had to postpone the photography class I had booked for January/February and have barely taken it out of the case all year long. I had just bought the camera strap from Lucky Straps and it came a week before the fall so it's still waiting to be put to use.

Last night I discovered that I have never processed my check from the last craft show I did. I didn't get it until January and it has sat there all this time. That is actually a good thing because it probably would have been frittered away by now if Mike had deposited it when it came. I've decided to put it towards a new lens or glass as the pros call it for the camera. They say the quality of your lenses is more important than your camera in terms of picture quality.

Right now I have my kit lens and a few attachments I had from before, including a wide angle and a telephoto no name brand. I have over $400 to spend which sounds like a lot to anyone but camera geeks. Lenses can be so expensive and I've been torn about what to put my money towards as I want it to grow with me. I think I need to take the step up from my kit lens and get a good all around lens that will be appropriate for most situations. I don't see myself carrying tons of lenses with me everywhere and changing them out for each environment.

I've read really good things about Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens.
It is actually the kit lens on some of the professional cameras Canon makes and can be used on film as well as digital SLRs. The biggest complaint I read about it is that it's heavy. This concerns me enough to think about the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Image Stabilized USM SLR Lens which is lightweight because it's made especially for the Rebel cameras. The reviews for this one are not as good and there are concerns with it's wide angle and low light capabilities. They both have a good zoom and Image Stabilization which means I won't have to carry a tripod around everywhere.

If I get the refurbished by Canon lens for either of the above I could also get the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II which is only $90 and is considered the best deal in a Canon lens out there. It is perfect for Portraiture and low light settings which should lesson the problem of the second lens from above. Adorama has refurbished lenses which have been inspected by Canon and have a full year warranty on them for around $100 less than the new lens. Most people have had fine experiences buying refurbished from Canon but there is a slight hesitation for me as I've never done it before.

I know there are some photography freaks out there who check in here. If you have any advice for this glass buying novice please share. I'm wanting to stick with the Canon brand as I trust their quality. I'm really hoping to get out there soon and figure out what my camera and I am capable of.