Creative Business Tips: Taking Great Product Photos

Hello blog friends! I am finally back. I had such a long absence and sadly I have not shared anything here since last Thursday. May is turning out to be quite the busy month. Has it been for you? It has felt nonstop and I am shocked to look at the calendar and see that the month is almost over! Where did the time go?

I have always been very open about my photography setup and tried to offer tips and advice to you readers here on the blog. Pictures are so important, especially for handmade artists, crafters and creative bloggers. And even with some basic equipment, a novice can capture great moments. I am always trying to improve my own photography, so I am far from an expert, but I have learned a thing or two about setting up shots. I have shared some of my advice in these posts here:

Behind the Scenes: White Backdrops for Product Photography

Behind the Scenes: Mini Studio Setup 

I recently compiled my top five tips for taking great product photos and shared them with the Houzz community. Some of the advice I've touched on here but there are new tips as well and a lot of picture comparisons like this one:

Photography is all about practice and over time I have figured out optimum settings and conditions for taking photos that I love. But these five tips are the backbone to great shots and I follow this advice myself. If you are struggling with product photos, these tips will get you moving in the right direction and hopefully inspire you to experiment and practice with lighting and props and backgrounds too.

Small-Business Savvy: Photograph Products Like a Pro

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Accessories And Decor on Houzz- For Example:

Artwork · Home Fragrance · Indoor Fountains · Paints Stains And Glazes · Pet Accessories · Pillows · Throws · Vases ·

What are some of your favorite tips for capturing great shots? What have you learned as you practice your photography more and more? 

Also is there anything in particular you are struggling with? I am always looking for new ideas for posts and maybe there is a question I could answer here on the blog in my behind the scenes series. 

Whisker Graphics May DIY

Hello dear readers! Another month passed means another Whisker Graphics DIY. If you don't know, I create a monthly DIY project for the WG blog using their fabulous products which includes the amazing Divine Twine and Bitty Bags (the shop is filled with other great paper goods too so be sure to check out all that it has to offer). Their products are a go-to for cute packaging and I use Whisker Graphics constantly for personal and work projects. But for these monthly DIYs I like to envision their products in different ways, sort of rethink their traditional uses. For May, I transformed a Bitty Bag into a piece of home decor. It is super simple and it only takes a few materials.

Remember the green bottle from my Mother's Day polka dot vase? It is a recycled apple cider bottle. I recommend any repurposed glass bottle for this project, just anything you can give new life to.

So how does it go from Bitty Bag to flower? I cut the bag into strips and then fringed the pieces. Then I just rolled up the fringe to get a sort of paper pom. Fluff up the fringe and it looks like a full flower in bloom. Use hot glue to secure as you go.

I found a dried branch outside, placed it in the bottle and then glued the flowers to the branch with hot glue. The whole process goes very quickly and you can finish the entire project in under an hour. A super simple weekend craft.

I love this minimalist arrangement and the defined shape of the curving branch. And since there is no upkeep, it is quite the ideal floral arrangement.

Bitty Bags come in a handful of colors so you could match any color scheme that you have in your home. Compliment the colors of the flower with the color of the bottle. You could even spray paint the bottle a certain hue to get a matching look. Visit the Whisker Graphics blog to see other DIYs by the design team and other examples of WG products. I hope you enjoyed this simple project. Happy crafting!

Discarded but Still Beautiful

Hi friends! This week is still a little quiet here on the blog and for that I apologize. I am trying to be better but it is definitely a busy time with lots to do. I did not think May would be quite so crazy. Is your May like this too?

Today I wanted to share a few pictures I took while I was styling my Mother's Day polka dot vase last week. I picked flowers from our rose bush in the backyard. The light pink hues were the perfect compliment to the kraft paper and white polka dots and it was a sweet and easy DIY project.

Whenever you work with flowers, there are always discarded pieces that don't quite make the cut. You pick away leaves and wilting blooms so that the best specimens make the final arrangement. But these rejected scraps are still beautiful and last week I took a moment to appreciate the leftovers.

Sweet baby rose.

Even the discarded parts of life can be beautiful.

I think that is an important sentiment to remember as we hustle and hurry through life. Don't you? It is natural to discard and forget things but even then there is a lovely simplicity that we should all try and appreciate from time to time. The little things can sometimes be so big.

I hope this gives you a bit of pretty inspiration on this Wednesday. Happy day to you!

My Week Through Instagram: Week Nineteen

Happy Saturday all! Are you having a nice Mother's Day weekend so far? I just want to drop in quickly and recap this last week which was week nineteen of 2012. Week nineteen was a busy one for me and unfortunately the work kept me away from the blog, twitter and the internet world most of the time. But I still managed to capture my week through the Instagram lens.

Sunday: It was back to work after Saturday which was entirely devoted to my brother's graduation. Sunday was filled with wedding preparation and that included the making of these tags which got attached onto the pennants.

Monday: I spent the morning working on a DIY which involved these green glass jars. Beautiful morning light was streaming through my bathroom window and the jars caught the light perfectly.

Tuesday: A quick capture of the placecard display I put together for the wedding. I hung peach and pink ribbons from a branch and then the watercolor placecards were attached to those. This is the display just lying on the bed but it looked pretty impressive when hung vertically. I cannot wait to see pictures from the wedding.

Wednesday: Thursday was the big delivery day of all the wedding decor so on Wednesday I spent a lot of time boxing everything up and getting it ready for transport. Here are the programs and pennants getting ready to go.

Thursday: I finished my wedding stuff on time and headed to LA to drop it all off with the bride. David helped me celebrate afterward and we picked up lunch at a favorite burger joint, Apple Pan. I had to snap a picture to make one of my East coast friends jealous. These are the best burgers.

Friday: On Friday I shared my special Mother's Day DIY which shows you how to make a cute polka dot packaged vase of flowers. If you are looking to make something sweet for your Mom tomorrow, this project is quick and easy.

Saturday: At the end of the week my new Minolta film camera came in the mail. I have been eyeing this camera for a long time now and I finally ordered one on Ebay. I am so excited to start shooting with it and experimenting more with film.

So that was my week nineteen. What did yours look like?

Follow me on Instagram if you like. My username is laurenelisecrafted. Or see all of my pictures on the computer through Followgram.

Mother's Day Polka Dot Vase DIY

Happy Friday friends! I have been so absent from the blog this week and for that I am sorry. I feel like everything is happening all at once right now: deadlines, family stuff, work. Do you ever feel like that? When it rains, it pours! But blogging will be back on track next week and today I have a lovely Mother's Day DIY to share with you. Of course Mother's Day is falling during this crazy time so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do for my Mom on Sunday but the good thing is that my brother and I will both get to see her, give her a big hug and thank her for all that she does for us. 

And you can't go wrong with a few flowers. Flowers for Mom is a pretty traditional gift but that doesn't mean you have to present them in a traditional manner. I came up with this project that is simple but still sweet and a lovely way to show your appreciation for your own Mom on Sunday. 

Materials:

• green bottle
• white paint pen
• kraft paper
• washi tape
• flowers
• scissors
• cotton twine
• shipping tag

Recycle a used glass bottle for this project. Apple cider bottles, sparkling water bottles and wine bottles are all possibilities.

Soak the bottle in hot water for ten minutes. This will saturate the glue and label and make removal easier. After soaking, tear away the label and scrub the bottle with a washcloth to remove glue residue. Dry the bottle.

Cut out a square of kraft paper that is big enough to wrap around the bottle. 

Use the paint pen to dab on the paper, making a white polka dot pattern. Let dry.

Wrap the bottle with the polka dot kraft paper and adhere with washi tape.

Embellish with some cotton twine and a stamped shipping tag for an extra personalized detail. Fill with Mom’s favorite flowers and some water and gift to her on Mother’s Day.

This is a pretty effortless project. The materials are either recyclable or easily found at your local craft store. And even a small bouquet from your own garden can be the unique touch that Mom will love.

What are your plans for Mother's Day? How do you tell your Mom how special she is? 

Happy weekend! {especially to all you beautiful Moms out there}