Meet Kitty & Bear Bear!

I would like you to meet two of my newest creations, Kitty and Bear Bear. They are best friends and they love cuddlin'! I created them for my daughter because one of my favorite toys growing up was a fabric doll that a dear aunt of mine made for me. Her name was Priscilla and she was so soft and cuddly. I do not know how many nights I went to sleep with Priscilla.

I have lots and lots of fabric left over from projects and these are great for my critter projects. They have embroidered faces so I don't have to worry about my 20-month-old ripping any buttons off and choking on anything. I designed their clothing out of more soft, toddler-friendly materials- Fleece, felt, and chenille. They are also the perfect side and width for carrying around and snuggling. I have had so much fun making Kitty and Bear Bear I'm thinking of adding some to my etsy shop, possibly themed critters... I have to think about it!

Also check out my birdie earrings that I made for myself. I know there isn't a lot to them but I like them. And it isn't often that I make something just to keep. I think maybe I need to do that more often. The necklace is from my new line of photography pendants. It's a nature photograph that I took and then baked it on translucent polymer clay. :)

A Handmade Challenge

Okay. I'm going to play a little game. I'm going to see if I can find a handmade outfit, from head to toe including accessories. Money is no object. And it all has to be stuff I would actually wear. So let's start with the shoes.

This is probably going to be the most challenging because you can find lots of vintage shoes on etsy, but not so many handmade ones. Ahh, here we go. Some sexy red platform pumps by zerkahloostrah for $365.00

Next up either pants or a skirt. Let's see what I can find....

Okay I like the shape of these made to measure jeans by trapperjane, $95

Now I need something for my top.....

I like this simple black top with just a little bit of ruffle on the sleeves. By CrowsCloth for $45

Now I need something to match those shoes....

This awesome "scarflette" will look great with my outfit. irregularexpressions, $56

Now let's bring on the jewelry!

Red Hot Candy Resin Bracelet by AardvArt, $15.99

Vampire Earrings from WaveCloud, $11.50

Aloha Cameo Ring katinkapinka, $21

And I said head to toe so I guess I better find something for my head....

Yeah I couldn't resist.... Beret by craftyoma for $17.50

So there you go, head to toe, all handmade!

Achieving More Professional Looking Pictures

When I ask for critiques of my etsy stores, I always hear that my pictures could be better. I've learned a lot about photographing items since I started selling in February; I've learned about macro mode for small items, and lighting. A few months ago when my primary craft was making jewelry I made a light box/macro studio from a tutorial I found on the web. It worked fairly well, definitely better that my first shots, but I was still having a hard time getting enough lighting into my photos.



So when I opened up my second store that focused on teeny tiny polymer clay jewelry, I wasn't sure how to photograph it. I started by going outside when there was a lot of light and taking pictures under natural sunlight. The problem with this is that I can't just drop everything and go take pictures when the sun is shining. By the time my husband wakes up to watch the baby for me, the sun has gone down. So I finally broke down and bought one of those studio in a box things that I've been looking at on the Internet for months.




I purchased the American Recorder Studio in a Box- on their web site it sells for $120, but I got it from amazon.com for just under $60. It comes with two lights, two backgrounds, a light box, tripod, and it all folds up neatly into a carrying case. I really like it. I don't have to edit my photos at all, just crop and I'm done. The only thing that I don't like about it are the background colors. You have a choice of cobalt blue and gray. The gray makes everything look horrid. The blue is what I'm using for most of my photos. I found that I could get white/black backgrounds from their web site for around $20, and I might do that later on.

They say that better photos will lead to more sales, and hopefully with my new camera and studio I can achieve that. We'll see.

Favorite Color Pick of the Day

Today's Handmade Pick of the Day features my favorite color- PINK! There was so much to choose from but I chose this "I heart mix tapes" pendant from tizzalicious because it took me back to high school when boys used to make mix tapes for me. And it also got me thinking- what do guys do now? Mix CD's? Trade flash drives? Hold Ipods over their heads while playing Peter Gabriel? I doubt it.