My best Dressed list!

I spent most of the weekend working on my craft show booth which I think I have finally worked out for this year's Strange Folk display. I have everything painted in my earth tones and I still have paint smudges on my hands and feet. Yes, I paint barefoot. I promise to share pictures tomorrow.

Last night as I was painting the last of my Styrofoam heads I saw the stunning Rutina Wesley above from the show True Blood rocking her handpainted dress from designer Douglas Hannant. Mike and I have this show on our Netflix que but since we are right in the middle of Mad Man currently it will be awhile. With his attention span we can only watch one series at a time.

I also really liked her costar Carrie Preston's look below. She has my current hair color and she's not afraid to wear a bold custom made print from Japanese designer Makoto Takada. I love everything about her look from the hair to simple shoes. I actually found both of these looks on a lot of the worst dressed lists which says a lot about my fashion sense compared to the "authorities" in the fashion world. I love when someone wears something that was made just for them and shows their individual style whether it be a student in my office or on the red carpet.

I prefer watching the Emmys over the Oscars since I actually have seen most of the shows unlike the Oscar nominated movies. And I think the fashion tends to be more diverse and accessible. Did you have any favorites from this year's emmy awards?

Headed in the right direction.

Because I've gotten so much great feedback from you all about the last scarf/hat set pictures I thought I would throw another set of pictures at you from last weekend. It's a more grown up style made with an organic cotton yarn. The hat is my new favorite pattern that I came up with in a fun lace stitch.

This is another example where I can't decide whether I like the one on the torso or the one on the head better. The consensus from the last set was that you liked the head shot best but I'm not so sure in this example. I really wish that I had a mannequin that actually had a head or that I could stick the head on the torso but it doesn't work that way.I will probably enlist Ani one of these weekends to do some modeling for me. I just don't know how people feel about hats being worn to be photographed. You see it all the time on Etsy but I think it could be a turnoff to some potential buyers.

So which one gets your vote in this round. The head shot or the headless torso?

More Picture Questions than Answers...

I'm having a hard time photographing my scarf/hat sets for some reason. You have to get both of them at their best and finding a unique angle with everything clear isn't easy. I don't know whether I prefer the torso shot with the hat stuck on the top or the head with the scarf wrapped around the neck better as a first shot on Etsy.I understand that someone browsing online wants to see exactly what they are getting before they make a commitment to buy. But I wonder what causes someone to click more, a straightforward shot like the second one or something a bit more creative like the top one. I cropped more of the hat than I wanted in order to get a square in the first shot but I think you still get the idea a lot more clearly than the closeups from yesterdays post.

I've decided to focus my energy photographing and listing on Etsy with the sets. I am much more confident that I will be able to sell my reasonably priced scarves at my craft show so I'm not going to waste time photographing them. I would love to hear which of the two shots above would most likely cause you to look further and click on the listing.

Aperture Survey

I did a quick aperture test on a hat/scarf set this weekend and I would love to get some feedback. I shot on a tripod in every possible aperture to see what my favorite would be. There is a definite difference in mood as you get higher depths of field and more of the hat in focus. I chose three to share that I think reflect the different depths of field and the different moods.

The first is a the the smallest depth of field of any of my lenses with an f stop of 1.8. It is Mike's favorite and the most arty of all of them with just the front of the hat in focus and the rest blurry. I think it would make a good 2nd or 3rd shot in an Etsy listing but then again maybe it would catch someones eye as a first shot.
The next one is at 5.0 f stop which is a pretty typical setting for me. Since learning more about the different settings on my camera I usually have it set on Aperture Priority and depending on lighting conditions I tend to have it set around the 5.6 stop. It's a good middle ground spot as whatever you are focusing on is nice and clear and just the outer limits are out of focus. This would probably be my choice for a first shot on an Etsy listing I'm thinking.

The last shot is at the largest depth of field this lens shoots f stop 22. Everything is in clear focus and I think the eye doesn't really know what to focus on. I would probably use this more for a full shot of both the hat and scarf but I don't think it works for the closeup on the hat. Especially for this wild hat with all of the colors and textures as I think it all is to much to take in but I could be wrong.

I would love to get some feedback. You can see more of the detail if you click on the picture to zoom in on them. Which of the three shots most catches your attention? Which of them would you use as a first listing shot on Etsy, if any?

Back to Knitting!

Since getting admitted to the Strange Folk Festival again this year I have been knitting my fingers to the bone. It was exactly the motivation I needed to get my business act together. For some reason my knitting has been on the back burner this year. I guess my enthusiasm for my new DSLR and learning more about digital photography has caused me to be distracted. I used the shot above as one of my texture shots for my Image Within Class a few weeks ago. It's a lacy mohair blend scarf hanging on a little mannequin.

It's funny because I initially wanted to learn more about photography so that I could take better pictures of my knitting but before I knew it photography had overwhelmed my free time leaving little time for my knitting. I know I'm going to have to strike a better balance next year. I didn't realize how much I had missed my knitting time until I started doing it full force about a month ago. I never really stopped knitting but I didn't have the passion that allows me to sit and knit for hours at a time almost in a meditative place.

I'm also getting excited again about trying new stitch patterns and coming up with new designs for the first time in a while. I'm really enjoying creating my hat/scarf sets which is something new to my collection this year. I'm having trouble with the pricing issues but that is for a whole other post. This weekend I plan on getting a lot of pictures taken of my inventory before I start tagging things for the show. I hope to have my Etsy shop back up and running with all new pictures by the beginning of September.

Handmade Back to School 2

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  iPad/ Netbook Sleeve in...

  BagDuJour

  $22.50 USD

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  Sandwich and Snack Bag ...

  JulieMeyer

  $16.00 USD

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  Lime Green and Paisley ...

  Chromotherapy

  $20.00 USD

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  Set of 3 - 5x8 Notebook...

  everleedesigns

  $5.00 USD

Yesterday I shared some of my favorites from my Handmade Back to School treasury. Today I want to share a few more that I think are both cute and practical. I read an article yesterday about how some school supply lists are getting a bit out of control. Some schools are even requesting kids bring in toilet paper and trash bags. Who wouldn't want to brighten up their school supply list with a few handmade creations to add that one of a kind style to their locker.

Every kid should have their own unique lunch bag with a squirrel or some other pattern from Julie Meyer's shop full of Insulated Lunch Bags and Eco-Friendly Reusable Bags. Or how about that very retro Eclectic pencil holder from Glitter Bits.

What strange requests have your kids come home with on their school supply lists?

Handmade Back to School

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  VINTAGE Style BACK TO C...

  vintagegreenl...

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  Iconic Red Camera Carry...

  mediumcontrol

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  4 in. x 6 in. Wood Note...

  quotesandnotes

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  Bright Read Necklace - ...

  gibberish2
  

It's that time of year again. Our classes start next week but most of the public schools in the area are starting this week. I put together a treasury of handmade back to school items which you can see in its entirety here. I particularly like the "Great Rules of Writing" by Quotes and Notes. You should click on it to read it in it's entirety especially if you are a grammar nerd.

Kai actually started last Wednesday. He starts High School this year which seriously blows my mind. His Mom let him get his eyebrow pierced when he turned 14 so with his mohawk he looks like a real trouble maker. When you get past all of that bravado he is the sweetest kid I know whose family is the most important thing to him. He actually enjoys hanging out with his uncles playing Dungeons and Dragons every Sunday night in our basement and isn't too cool to be seen with his Aunt at the mall. He already has his college picked out and I'm really hoping that the momentum he had last year will continue into high school.

He is with my other nephew Graham in the shot above. Graham is starting kindergarten this year which also is mind boggling. It seems like just yesterday that my sister in law told me they were going to start trying to get pregnant. She got pregnant the first month. We started trying around a year later so that the cousins would be close in age. The best laid plans...

I've been thinking a lot about our decision not to pursue fertility treatments and to just accept whatever happens. As I get closer to the big 40 it seems more and more like a final decision. Having such special nieces and nephews like Graham and Kai help to fill whatever void might be there but I still feel it now and again.