Estelle de Paris

My birthday is coming up, it is not quite here there yet but I can never pass on treating myself with a shopping spree when this time of the year comes around.

Treat #1:
An adorable liz clairbone leather wallet/clutch. I love that it has 3 different colors of leather, an interesting contrasting fabric and it smells so good.

Visit Estelle de Paris for limited time offer.

I’ve seen a lot of this kind fabric at the store, ready to sew and in different lengths but I never liked the styles. What about making your own? It is not as hard as it seems!

The tricky part is to deal with the elastic but the talented and generous lady at House on the hill road explains how to in a very detailed and clear tutorial here: Link

In this new episode, the threadbanger team is featuring a video of Jen, a talented seamstress that is full of nifty ideas!
See more of Jen’s creations on her blog: Link

Craft Fail is a new blog that I absolutely adore already. While we all post only the beautiful and successful finished objects we came up with, Craft Fail is the place to go when you messed up, both for the comic relief and the emotional distress!

After all, who never made something they thought would be awesome and turned out to be an epic fail. From cooking disaster, fugly knits, waste of good notions to mistakes in handling the materials. This is the place to talk about it. There is no need to pretend that it’s all rainbows and lollipops in the wonderlands of crafting! Not anymore! Thank you Craft Fail!

Apart from just talking about how we messed up, it can also be a place to share our experience on using specific techniques, chemicals and materials. After all, practice makes it perfect!

I already have an item ready to post, an epic fail in the art of knitting…
I need to take pictures of the disgrace!

This has to be the BEST all in one knitting accessory ever made!

It is called the Knit Kit. You can have a complete description on their website: Link

You know you are a knitter when you bring your project with you wherever you go, unfortunately it is always frustrating to postpone your knitting time because you miss one of the necessary little accessories such as a row counter or a measuring tape.

Those sad days will be over soon and I can barely wait until March to get one!!!

Collapsible Lightbox Tutorial

Collapsible Lightbox Tutorial: Link

–Why should I make a lightbox?
Taking good pictures is a key for an internet based business. Each shot needs to focus on the details that make an item unique and desirable. Your pictures need to provide the potential buyer with as much visual information as possible.

Remember that the only sense that is stimulated through internet shopping is the vision. Unlike at the store where the buyers can grab the item, feel it, smell it and turn it inside out!
The only way to give your customers an idea of the texture of your handmade items is to take macro pictures and this can only be done with a good lighting, a white environment and a tripod or something stable to rest your camera on (A pile of books?).

–The light

The idea is to use indirect light, so you have to point the light on the sides of the box. Direct light exposure tends to flatten the volumes by reducing the shadows. The amount and intensity of light needs to be sufficient enough so you do not have to use the flash. Basically what you want to reproduce is: A daylight environment.

I didn’t invest in good lights for the longest time and had to deal with a fluorescent light bulb and a halogen light. Fluorescent is just not working for this, I have to adjust the camera settings to balance the greenish tone it gives to every picture and fix them in an image editing program. What you need is a good old fashion lightbulb at least 100W and the best would be to use 2 light domes, this is the advice my photograph friend gave me.

So let’s do this!
So far the foam core panels (4) cost me $13.

It made a world of difference and it inspired me to retake pictures that were not doing any justice to some of my creations.

Here is an example of what I obtained, these earrings are really shiny and previous test with direct light never showed the creases in the wings. While now it shows the earrings just like I want!

I live in Washignton state, famous for its rain and therefore its cloudy days. If I wait for a nicer day to come around so I can take pictures, I might never take any^^
But it can also be a good alternative for the night owls from all over the planet and in general I find it to be a very easy way to take shots of your items.

Here is a picture of my new awesome macro studio and my old ghetto lightbox.

Funny thing: My dear cat tried to “rest” on top of my old crappy cardboard wannabe macro studio and fell through it. At least that box brought me a good laugh ^^

Pop Cultured featured my NES pillows in an article about strange throw pillows.

I am so thrilled about all the positive feedback I have had since then plus the few orders that came along ^^

Here is the list of all the websites that featured my pillows:

-Pop Cultured

-Apartment Therapy

-FHM

-Digg

-Geeky Gadgets

Isn’t it awesome when 2 things you love just do something together!?!

I am a huge fan of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! When I say fan I mean I watched all the episodes many many times, I have been signing their songs for days at a time and quote whenever the situation comes around.

And before that I have been signing on the top of my lungs most of the songs from the bird and the bee and absolutely adore their style.

And bam! They meet and make an awesome video for a terrific song all this for our enchantment:

The Polite Dance Song
Enjoy!

Lyrics

Give it up for me please
put your hands in the air
if you know what’s good for you
you wanna shake it like you just don’t care

would you please clap your hands
now get up on your feet
i beg of you to get up and dance
it’s such a crazy kick ass beat

[chorus]

pardon me
the music is moving
moving from left to right
apologies
for losing my cooling
losing the day to night

since i’m asking so nice
would you just entertain
there’s nothing left to hide you away
just show a little bit of brain

yes that is what i mean
that’s the nail that i hit
i try to be as coy as i can
but i wanna see your naughty bit

would you please, would you please
would you, would you please
(apologies)

[repeat 3x]

[repeat chorus]

would you be nasty with me
do you like dancing with me
i think we have a very special qaulity

i want to show it to you
i want to grow it with you

[repeat chorus]

Flight of the conchords is a fairly new show on HBO that features two main characters Bret and Jemaine, trying to make it to the top and putting their adventures in songs.

I had to share this one with you:

Fous de Fafa! Enjoy!!!