My Etsy Photos: Before and After

I began selling jewelry on Etsy in May of 2010. When I first opened my shop I owned a fairly decent point and shoot camera, but didn't know how to use it to my advantage. My shop was open for a few months before I actually made any sales, and I attribute my lack of sales to the pretty awful photos that I took. Don't get me wrong, I spent hours trying to find good places to take photos, arrange props, and "edit" my photos. They simply weren't good enough.

Yikes. Way too much yellow.

Very busy background.

As the years have passed, I have researched different photography tips and techniques. I learned to take advantage of natural light and the importance of simple backgrounds. I bought another point and shoot camera about a year ago that somewhat helped improve my photos, but they were still missing something.

A little better, but still not great.

This year for Christmas Sam got me a Panasonic FZ60. I have been playing around and doing lots of research and finally took some good photos today. I still haven't even scratched the surface, but I am really enjoying taking photos with this camera. It doesn't seem like such a chore anymore!

New pressed flower necklace

Squirrel necklace

I found the blog Click It Up A Notch when I was browsing photography tips on Pinterest a few days ago. She has a great post about shooting in manual mode. I read this a few times, took notes, and printed out a little cheat sheet to keep nearby when I am taking my photos. This helps a lot!

I'm still learning and am by no means a pro, but am really pleased with the photos that I took today. Please share any photography tips that you have picked up!

Oh, and big thanks to Sam for the best Christmas present ever! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, friends!

Easy TARDIS Book Page Print

Guys, I am so excited. I have seen these cute book page prints for a long time and never thought to try making one for myself. Tonight I'm stuck at home because I'm semi-sick (dull headache, dizzy sick but not sick enough to lay in bed all day without feeling guilty) and thought I'd take it easy and work on some projects I've wanted to try for a while.

Here's how I did it:

1. Find an old book or dictionary that you don't mind cutting up. I used my old copy of Man and Superman that I had to read in high school. Carefully tear or cut out the page as evenly as possible.

2. Find an image online of what you'd like to print. You will need something isolated with a white background so that it pops off of the page and isn't too busy.

3. Change the picture to greyscale if you'd like, or use the original colors. I'd love a blue TARDIS, but I didn't have any color ink. Work with that you've got!

4. Measure your book page. Mine was around 7x4.5", so I created a custom size in my printer properties.

5. Print your page. Make sure to center it, fit to page, and change the settings to print on the size of paper that you have available.

6. Frame it. I framed the first print in a frame on hand, and then purchased a frame for the second print. The frame was plain black and was $3.99 after the 50% discount at Hobby Lobby. I picked up the closest thing to TARDIS blue that I could find in the store, which is Anita's All Purpose Acrylic in Twilight Blue.

That's it! This was my first try and it was a bit off centered, but once I trimmed and framed it you can hardly tell.

I hope that you guys have a wonderful weekend! Let me know if you try printing anything. I'd love to see your creations!

P.S. If you haven't watched Doctor Who and have no idea what a TARDIS is, you're missing out. Check it out. Now.