Road Trip: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

This will be the last post from our road trip that's this long. The National Park was just so wonderfully lovely I couldn't help taking so many photos. And the sky!! Such gorgeous long views and incredible clouds. Enjoy!

Model photo shoot

A while ago I posted this about my explorations of getting good photos of jewelry without any fancy equipment. I also promised that I'd post about my outdoor shoots with someone modeling said jewelry.

It didn't really work. I've come to the conclusion that I need to find someone who is either ridiculously photogenic, or has some modeling experience before I try to get some really good photos of jewelry/hats/scarves actually *on* people. It's very hard. Not only do I have to figure out how to put into words what I want out of the photo (very difficult), my 'model' also has to be able to interpret it in the same way I meant it, and then give me that expression/pose/mood (extremely difficult).

So I will not be posting any photos of my attempted photo shoot. They're really not that great, but also not bad enough that there's anything you could learn from me showing them. Instead, I will just talk about my discoveries on what I need to do differently.

I really need a nice big blank background. I did some searching of product photos on Etsy and other places, trying to decide what it was that I really liked about the good photos. Some of the outdoors/busy background photos are really lovely, but they're usually showcasing entire outfits, and are quite obviously taken by professional photographers/models (at least the ones that are my favorites). On a more do-able level, something with a blank background - not necessarily white, but light colored - seems to work well.

Something about a very neutral background lets you take photos that focus visually on the item you're selling, and are easier to manipulate on the computer to make the colors of your item correct.

Also, children. Small kids modeling hats are adorable. And they instantly make anything look ten times sweeter and more adorable..

Moral of the story: I need to find (not necessarily in this order) a large blank wall of a pleasing neutral shade, a smiling photogenic person who maybe has some modeling experience, and an adorable child.

Any takers??

The ninth doctor

I have a new tablet, and it is wonderful. It's a Bamboo Create, and loads of fun. It certainly takes some getting used to - what with having to draw on one surface while it shows up on another! I'm slowly learning my way around this new technology - including what I can do with the software that came with it.

So here's my first finished piece:

Etsy shop is open

As of yesterday, my Etsy shop has re-opened! Everything that was up there before I moved is there again. I've also been working on some new crochet projects. It gets a bit chilly in the evenings here, and makes me want to work with yarn again - a welcome change from 95 degree weather when I don't even want to think about having a lap full of yarn. So I have a grey and purple striped hat, made partially out of yarn I spun, and a matching set of hat and wrist-warmers in a soft green wool-blend. Pictures coming soon!

They will also be up on Etsy for sale soon.

Oh, and also, I got to raid my grandmother's yarn stash!! Granted, it was living in her basement, and there were quite a few manky bits (not to mention one small box I *think* a mouse had a nest in at some point).... BUT it was still lots of fun. There was some fun wool yarns, one small skein of alpaca(!!), and a couple bags of this cotton/linen/acrylic blend that's part matte and part satiny, and rather soft. Some of the skeins are white and some are pink - I think I like the white ones better.

I'm thinking I'll have to learn how to knit lace, and maybe make a shawl out of it.

Road trip: North Dakota

This is the first of several posts about my moving/road trip with M. We spent seven days driving from Minneapolis to Portland, Oregon. It was really cool, and great fun to see so much of the upper midwest - an area I hadn't really explored before. There is still a lot that we would like to do, but will have to wait for another trip and another time.

Western North Dakota is really really beautiful. Fields of rolling grain, grass, and sunflowers, and the biggest skies I've ever seen. Especially from the road, I had the widest view, and we watched storm clouds chase each other across the sky. I saw where they were raining, where the lightning strikes were, and kept an eye on the storms that seemed to be moving in our direction. 

Of course, we also crossed through much of oil country. There were oil rigs everywhere along the road, pumping away. Many of them also had open flames on site - to burn off byproducts?  Some of the flames were really fascinating - I could see them off in the distance, really bright against the rest of the dusty and hazy summer landscape. They also kind of reminded me of the signal beacon fires in The Lord of the Rings...

Beautiful stormy skies

There were also a fair amount of dilapidated/completely collapsed buildings in fields along the way. I've always been torn in my feelings about buildings like this. On the one hand, it's sad to think that it was once a used, thriving structure that has fallen into disrepair, possibly through disaster or financial difficulties leading to abandonment. On the other hand, the softened curves of bent beams, weathered grey wood, and different silhouettes are absolutely gorgeous. 

A side point: when I was in Ireland, I was told that one reason there were so many buildings falling apart in fields is that the owners would have built a new shed/barn/etc next to the old one, take what they needed and leave the shell to the weather. It's an interesting addition to my thoughts about the subject.

More than I can chew..

As I'm sure you can guess, I didn't get around to finishing that costume. I *way* overestimated my abilities to fit everything into a set amount of time. I did finish the corset (white and pink) and a patchwork-style petticoat, but made absolutely no headway on the dress itself. Luckily, the friend I was going to make it for is the best, and doesn't mind that it's now turned into a I-don't-know-when-I'll-finish-it project, due to us being almost 2,000 miles away now.

Yes, I have arrived in Oregon. M and I had an epic road trip (pictures and stories coming soon), and are now entering the great job search. So I'll try to keep things updated here as I work on projects, but I may be  somewhat intermittent in that regard.

New Project (also why I'm crazy)

Yes, I think I have officially gone crazy. I've always had the tendency to take on too much - too many projects that are time intensive, on short order, when I'm busy with other things. BUT this one might just be the craziest. 

I'm moving with M across the country in less than two weeks. In this time I need to pack all my stuff, say goodbye to everyone, celebrate my birthday, AND make a new costume. It's for a friend of mine whose been my roommate since sophomore year, and she really loves this dress:

from here

It's a painting called Springtime of Life, by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. So yes, this is my plan. Luckily, we have all the fabric, and I made the corset yesterday. The fabric is really lovely - a pair of huge curtains from the local thrift store, in this dusty rose fabric that looks like textured silk (it isn't silk, but it looks neat).  The curtains also came with lining in a sort of stiff white cotton thing, which I'll be using for petticoats and the corset. Unfortunately, though I managed to make the whole corset yesterday, I think I misjudged my seam allowances, so it's actually too big for her. Since I've already put in the boning and the grommets, I'll be attacking it with tucks and darts to try and slim it down without starting over.

I'll keep you updated on the progress of this crazy project!