Year in Review

Wow! I wasn't aware of how many projects I did this year! (And I did a lot more pillows! I just didn't photograph them all!)

Taking pictures....what I've learned.... so far

I read lots of other blogs, and really what jumps out to me most are eye-catching photos. Now, first of all, I am NOT an expert photographer....I so wish I was! But I also know there ARE secrets out there...tricks of the trade if you will....that can make normal ordinary people like me be able to take a pretty nice picture every know and then.

Here are some tips I've picked up along the way (and REMEMBER I am NOT an expert by any means....these tips have just been ones I find most beneficial in improving the shots I take):

#1 ~ Take photos and LOTS of them!

**A little secret....shhhhh, don't tell! This little On the Go baby shoes photo was was only 1 out of 21 shots I took of these cutie little feet.

I have seen quite a few bloggers (who's pictures are worth their salt) say they sometimes take upwards of 50-100 shots of one thing just to capture 2-3 GOOD shots! If you want a good shot....take LOTS of shots!! (Hey....my memory card can hold 500-600 shots....why not take more than 2?)

#2 ~ Don't be afraid to get in close on your subject. Or at least zoom in!

There's no law out there (at least I think there isn't...you never know) that says you have to get the WHOLE person in your photo. :o)

#3 ~ Get as much of a natural light source involved as possible. The best photos I've seen have been taken either A: Outside or B: Close to a window.

This photo, for example, was taken on a dreary day but it was taken right next to a window.

(Can you see the window screen in the photo? Hee hee :o))

And last but not least...

#4 ~ Don't be afraid of photo editing. It won't bite....I promise.

I chose this to be last because honestly photo editing was something I feared....well, maybe "feared" is not the best word....

Have you ever had that dream (nightmare really) where ALL of your photos were destroyed because you tried to edit them and they were completely damaged forever? Ok, maybe I'm the only one....

Seriously, it won't happen that way! You can edit and play around all you want! Take that baby out for a test drive!!

Now, currently there are only 2 free photo editing services I am familiar with. The first is Picasa by Google, and the second is Photoscape. I personally like both.

Of course if you have photoshop or something, then by all means use it!!

Well, that's all I've got....I hope you gleaned something what what I've learned so far. I know I have a lot of learning left to do, but hey....it's a start, right? :o)

New Project ~ Travel Bag

Here it is! My son's travel bag. It's amazing how doing a project teaches you what you do differently next time. For example, I used the same stitch around the travel bag letters that I normally use around my name pillows, and found that the stitch seemed to large (to me). Next time I will use a skinnier stitch, so the letters stand out more on their own. And I also want to figure out a different way to attach the straps. But overall, for a first try, I thought it turned out really well.

Lining of the bag....I loved this green stripe!

The travel bag actually traveling :o)

I'm going to do another one, and then these will be listed in my Etsy shop!

What happens when you stay up too late

What happens when you start craving a cup of coffee at about 11 at night? And then you drink said cup of coffee and suddenly start feeling crafty? What happens is that you end up staying awake till 2:30 AM working on a new project. Then when you realize how absolutely dog tired you are and you finally drag yourself to bed, all you can think about is your new project and how giddy you are to actually finish it!!

So the next day I finished my project, which is a travel bag for my son. Today I'm going to be working on one for my daughter and then I'll take pictures of both and share with you. I used my serger to make my son's bag, and WOW. I mean that thing is AWESOME. Literally it securely sewed the seems for my son's bag in a fraction of the time I would normally spend sewing a straight stitch and then finishing it with a zig zag stitch. It was incredible!! By the way, in case your interested this is the serger my Nana purchased for me. (Merry Christmas to me)

Pictures of my new project coming soon! If I don't blog beforehand, then Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Exciting Times

Some very exciting things are happening for me right now. First of all, I got a serger for Christmas! I am so excited to try it out, and I'm sure I'll post pics of my first serger project on here.

Secondly, I've been thinking about SweetSamantha....what I want to do with it....where I want it to go, and with the new year almost upon us it's a good time for goal setting....don't you think?

Oh, I'm getting tickled thinking about it all!! I can't wait to see what 2010 brings!

The Newest Creation ~ Savannah Safari

Created for a pre-teen who has a thing for zebra print, and is getting her room made over in zebra print for Christmas! Her mom has said she'll take pictures of the pillow in her room after it's all put together. I can't wait to see it!

Starting Off

As far as a "business blog" goes, I'm still really getting started. Oh, I've done the blogger thing and still do the blogger thing on my other blog.... NewsomeNotes.blogspot.com. BUT that blog is easy b/c it's mostly about my kids and my family and not much else. I had included some things from my business over there, but my family is really more interested in the kids than in my creations. (If you have kids, you are probably nodding right now in complete understanding). So, doing a blog that's for me, by me, about me is .....well....different for me.

So, starting off I guess I should share a little bit about me.....

My name is Michelle, I am the wife of Andy, and the mom of two precious children. Prior to having children, I taught school. I loved being a teacher, but I loved being home with my kids more.

Then came the point that I needed something "to do". I didn't want "a job"...I just wanted something that was my own. Something that spaghetti stained fingers and a sports crazy husband were not apart of.....I mean they cheer me on from the sidelines, but they're not helping with projects or anything :o).

As I said in the previous post, I have always been a crafter of some sort. I have taught myself how to make hair bows and how to crochet. I have learned how to make wreathes and how to fancy up a plain clipboard. I have taken my turn at scrapbooking and photo journaling (which may or may not be the same thing). Then, I learned how to sew, and I fell in love. And in fact SweetSamantha happened completely by accident. I simply started posting pictures of my creations on facebook, and suddenly family, friends, and friends of friends started asking me to make things for them. With that I discovered something else, I love making things for people. I love it when someone says, "it's perfect", "it's just what I was looking for", "it's so stinkin cute."

So, here I am. Making simply sweet creations for others and telling about it here. I want this blog to be an outlet for my creative process. To be able to share what's new, what flopped, and what's next. So hopefully, you'll come on this journey with me and maybe it'll inspire you to make something crafty of your own.