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Creative Business Tips: Taking Great Product Photos

2012-05-23T17:24:06Z

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

2012-05-17T16:03:01Z

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

2012-05-16T16:26:18Z

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

2012-05-12T22:39:01Z

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

2012-05-11T15:39:11Z

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}

A Preview of Things to Come

2012-05-08T15:57:21Z

Hi dear readers! I'm just dropping in quickly today to say hello and give you a preview of what I will be posting tomorrow. I have a floral post to share, a Mother's Day DIY that can be quickly put together in time for Sunday. Flowers are a very traditional gift for Mom but I took some simple blooms and packaged them in a not-too-typical fashion. I think it is important to show Mom how special she is and a lovely little bouquet like this would be a good place to start. Be sure to check back tomorrow.

Thank you for your patience these last few weeks as I finish up all these wedding details (see my progress here and here). I am turning everything over to the bride on Thursday (the wedding is Saturday) and I cannot wait to be completed with everything. It has been really fun making it all but it is always a relief to finish a big project. Next week I can devote a little more time to blogging and get back on track here.

So be sure to visit tomorrow for my Mother's Day DIY project.

What are you planning for Mother's Day?

My Week Through Instagram: Week Eighteen

2012-05-07T06:28:13Z

Week eighteen of 2012 has come and gone and tonight I'm going to recap it. But first, how was your weekend? For me, Saturday was completely devoted to my brother's graduation from LMU in LA. I am so proud of him and cannot wait to see where life takes him next. He is so amazingly talented and creative so I know his journey will be exciting to see. I'll share pictures from the graduation this week. Today I continued work on my big wedding deadline. Sadly I discovered a minor error (fault completely my own) and so it's going to take me a bit longer than expected to get everything done. It's a bummer but I'm so close to finishing. Just a few more days work.

Here was my week:

Sunday: On Sunday I was preparing a DIY project which involved my air plant. I was letting it soak up some water before shooting pictures. I'll share the project this week. I just love air plants. I think I'm going to get a few more. They are almost easier than succulents to maintain. So that basically means they are the easiest plants ever.

Monday: I styled and shot some packaging pictures on Monday. I made up this paper pom flower with red stripe waxed paper that I found at Michaels. It is quite the simple gift topper.

Tuesday: The Lakers' second playoff game against Denver was on Tuesday and I just had to support my team. I am a pretty passionate fan so I go all out. The Lakers shirt wasn't enough. I had to compliment it with my purple cardigan too.

Wednesday: A huge stack of wedding programs getting completed. They have burlap covers and are tied with pink string. Here are a few behind the scenes shots.

Thursday: Putting the place cards in alphabetical order and getting them ready for display.

Friday: The place cards will hang from this cascading ribbon display branch. I love the two-tone colors of light pink and peach.

Saturday: A scene from LMU's packed graduation. It was a beautiful day in LA and I think everyone was enjoying the nice weather and optimistic atmosphere. An atmosphere of possibilities.

So that was my week eighteen. 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.

Wildflowers & Fields Inspiration

2012-05-04T18:59:34Z

Happy Friday friends! Are we all looking forward to the weekend? What are your plans? I am so, so excited because my little brother graduates from college tomorrow! As of tomorrow, he is officially out of school and officially an adult. Yikes! I couldn't be happier for him though and cannot wait to share more about his big day next week. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures.

This morning I was needing a little inspiration so I started perusing through these pictures I took awhile ago. They are from the photoshoot I did with my brother and his girlfriend. The shoot was for a feature that will appear in a magazine (yep, a real print mag...eek!) so I cannot reveal too many pictures quite yet. But I did share a few sneak peeks here and today I'm going to divulge a bit more. We took the pictures in this lovely field near our home with an abundance of wildflowers. It was such a serene and untamed location. It felt like it was out of another era. I have been meaning to go back actually and just reflect. It feels like a good place to be alone with your thoughts.

So here are a few of the shots. I'll let the picture speak for themselves. Hopefully they can give you a little bit of inspiration on this Friday. And just maybe you'll be encouraged to take a walk yourself and enjoy your own local landscapes.

In the last one I'm styling my brother and getting him all ready for the photos. No I'm not chocking him.

What is a serene place that you like to escape to?

Happy weekend!

Behind the Scenes Wedding Details

2012-05-03T19:29:59Z

Today I'm sharing some more behind the scenes shots of the details I'm putting together for an upcoming May wedding. I already posted these pictures of the pennant flags and place cards and a few months ago I even shared the custom burlap banner I made for the bridal shower. So you have come along on this journey a bit with me, seeing all the handmade details as they develop. This morning I took some pictures of the programs and menus. The menus are done (big thanks to my Mom for tying most of those bows) and the programs are just about finished. Just a few more days of work.

Here are the printed programs, ready to go into the burlap covers.

This is a small stack of bound programs. They are all hand-bound with pink embroidery floss. All they need now are the muslin labels.

When they are all finished, the programs will have these muslin labels attached to the front. The labels have the couple's names and wedding date stamped onto them. I think these will be such a nice keepsake for the guests. And to the right is my Trader Joe's bag stuffed with completed programs. There is probably 75-80 in there.

And the big box of menus. We had to make 200 of these!

Everything looks great in my home but it will look even better at the wedding mixed in with all the rest of the decor. I cannot wait to see the professional photos from this event.

What are you busy working on this week?

New Discovery: Red Stripe Waxed Paper

2012-05-02T18:07:34Z

Happy Wednesday everyone! We are half-way through the week. How is it going for you? My to-do list is still pretty large but I'm making really good progress on all my wedding crafts. Yesterday I got a big chunk of the programs done (I shared this sneak peek on Instagram) and I'll share more official pictures on the blog soon. So I'm feeling good there. But once that is done (hopefully by this weekend) it will feel so good to devote a little more time to blog posts and DIY projects. And hopefully incorporate a few fun photography projects in there too. A few days of rest are definitely needed.

The other day I was styling and shooting a few packaging projects in my studio and in the process I made up this paper pouf gift topper with some fabulous red stripe waxed paper. I bought this material awhile ago and kind of forgot about it.

It was the perfect material for these poufs because it is thicker than tissue paper but light and airy and still easy to fluff up the fringe. You might remember the black stripe pouf I made for Whisker Graphics a few months ago. I made that out of a Bitty Bag which is a lot like a glassine bag which is essentially waxed paper so these two poufs are similar in material. Check out the tutorial on the WG blog to see how to make these poufs yourself. They are so easy! You just need three components.

I am pretty excited about creating some other things with this waxed paper. I think it is technically meant for wrapping up sandwiches and foodstuffs. It would be a fun accent at parties to wrap up treats in. But I can imagine other innovative ways to use it too. The red stripe is so simple and definitely the thing that attracted me to it at the craft store. I bought it at my local Michaels in the packaging area (it's by the brand Celebrate It) but I also found this sweet paper goods and party supply shop Hooray Design Co. that also carries it online.

What would you make with this waxed paper? Or what would you like to see make with it?

Did you like that font I used? It is called Jacques and Gilles and it's my new favorite thing.

Do you like that cute little squiggly arrow you see? That's a free (and awesome!) download from Ez of Creature Comforts. It is a set of arrow brushes that you can download and load into Photoshop for personal use. So fun!