Taking Better Pics For The Blog

One thing I would love to do is be able to take better pictures for my blog, be able to set up better tableaus, make everything look more vibrant,

I want to be able to style my pictures better. I look at the pics on favourite blogs like Lilabelle Lane, A Spoonful of Sugar, A House On The Side Of The Hill and the very talented Lisa at Cubby House Crafts & wish I knew where to start.

So tonight when I saw I had received an email from Craftsy for a Valentines Sale in their online courses, I took a browse through to see if there is anything to add to my wishlist.

I like doing online classes, they are a good price, I can go back to the information over & over again so learn at my speed, redo sections and I can do when it suits me - so if I want to start the next lesson at midnight so be it. It's hard to find an in-person class offered then! Every class also comes with a 100% money back guarantee.

I also learn much better by watching & doing so I can go away & try out what I have learnt before moving on. I signed up for the Free Motion Quilt class last year but didn't get far due to work commitments & the excitement of too many swaps. Never mind, it's still there ready for me to commence back again - just roll over that New Year Resolution..... It is called Machine Quilting, Free Motion & More and is 50% off at $19.39 in the sale.

So back to my photography dilemma - it's been in the back of my mind for ages so when browsing Craftsy tonight & I saw their new course 'Shoot It!' A Product Photography Primer - I was Ín like Flynn' as my mum used to say. 

This is how Craftsy described the course;

Shoot It!

A Product Photography Primer

with Caro Sheridan

You don't need expensive software or a super-fancy camera to take great photos - just the knowledge you'll get in this essential class,

If you've ever noticed the beautiful photography on someone's blog, book, published patterns or Etsy page, and wondered, "How do they DO that?" this is the class for you. Quality photos make the difference between marketing that sings and stuff that makes you look like a total amateur.

Knitter and photographer Caro Sheridan explains it all - from planning before the shoot to editing afterwards, and all the details in between. Whether you're looking to shoot product pics, or just want to learn more about photography, you will benefit from Caro's upbeat, irreverent and detailed instruction.

What You'll Learn in Shoot It!

• How to plan and execute a photoshoot from start to finishMaking a storyboard and shot list to create the story you want to tell
• What a pro keeps in her tool kit - from lipstick to legal forms
• How to capitalize on the fancy features of whatever camera you have
• Directing your model and getting the hero shot
• Photo fundamentals like composition and color
• The basics of digital editing - without expensive software

It is usually priced at US$49.99 but until Sunday midnight US time it is only $19.99. 

 

To check out this course & watch the video preview click Online Product Photography Class. Fingers crossed this leads to some better photography of my projects, decorating & Hun-bun.

A 'before the class' photo - see what I mean!

While you are there check out the free courses Craftsy offers on useful subjects like Sewing Machine Feet, Creative Quilt Backs, Bag Making Basics & my favourite, The Craftsy 2013 Block of the Month. I need to get more practice piecing & while I may not make the whole quilt, a few blocks that I can do at my pace & with a tutor and class mates to ask questions of is a fine idea. The price is definitely right too! 

I love Craftsy so much and recommend them highly so I have signed up for their affiliate program. That means if you purchase a class via my links, I get a commission to put towards more classes. If you would like to do this too on your blog or web site, then join the Craftsy Affiliate Program too. It's free, easy and they are quick to approve and get you started.

Happy learning
Tracee xx

Machine Quilting Online Course

First an update - thanks for the lovely comments & emails re my 'little man' Brutus. It looks like the news is all good & maybe he just had an abscess on his face. The swelling is reducing along with his lion looks & his eye has gone back to oval rather than round which is good as it was very freaky to look at.

Sticking so close to home & being a purrer not a fighter in his later years it has been a long time since he has suffered an abscess. Maybe he & his little 'big' brother got a little boisterous in one of their play fights & he got a nick on his little face. So at the moment no surgery or growths to worry about - yippee! He is currently having a nice nap on the bed, electric blanket on 1, in the far corner trying to get as far as possible away from the ducted air-conditioning while I try to sit under a vent to avoid the 33 degrees + Perth is having again today.

So back to the Machine Quilting Course mentioned in the heading. I would love to be able to finish my smaller items myself, like table runners, wall hanging etc but even after doing a 3 hour group workshop just don't feel confident enough to do so. I keep telling myself to practice but like most things, it is when I have a postal deadline that I suddenly want to be able to finish a project with some semi-professional looking machine quilting & can't.

So when an email from Craftsy popped up in my inbox for an online course at half price I decided to check it out. There looks to be about 5 hours of online video that I can go back to time & time again as well as access to the teacher Wendy Butler Berns & an online forum. All this for $29.99 USD.

It's the fact I can go back as many times as I like, repeat sections or the whole lot until I am confident that gives me hope this might work for me. So this is my plan for over the Christmas break. My company closes for 2.5 weeks so on a regular basis it will be aircon on, fabric I no longer adore sandwiched & ready to destroy, machine ready, bobbins filled & away we go. If I can produce one little mug rug in that time with machine quilting I am proud to show you all then it will be time & money well spent. I know I am not alone in this phobia so check out the course preview by clicking on the link above.

I've had a bummer of a week! I've done my civic duty doing four days of jury duty but while the process was interesting the actual case was my worst nightmare. Even the judge said it was the worst of cases - multiple child abuse charges over four victims, the earliest 50 years ago, the latest 26 years ago, lots of detailed testimony from the women involved who at the time were between 5 - 11 years of age, an 84 year old defendant with only his wife to testify for him and no other evidence either way other than police and their interview videos. Fortunately the interviews were damning although the defendant denied everything. After 5 hours of deliberation we found him guilty of all 11 charges. Now it just feels like it will take quite awhile for the nastiness to leave my mind & body. What annoys me is why am I feeling worried about such an old man going to jail, or his wife who was knowledgeable of the offenses being left alone, missing their 60th wedding anniversary etc. It makes no sense but I guess it's a lot different when its actual people rather than just the concept.

On a positive note, I told the two furboys on Thursday morning that mum would need lots of extra attention that night as I was bound to be upset by our final day in court. So Hun-bun who avoids my bed as it is closely guarded Brutus territory has come on the bed with me each night since, lay across me & had a cuddle for about an hour. Bless his little heart, but my 7kg donkey cat is heavy, though I have enjoyed every minute of it & Brutus has let it happen.

Brutus, who always sleeps beside me had his own quirky way of alieviating the tension for me. I went straight to bed when I got home Thursday night & watched episodes of True Blood on DVD to try & stop thinking about it (Vampires always help!). Brutus came up to nap beside me & every time I looked at him he winked at me, which cracked me up. This went on for hours & I even checked his eyes for something irritating them but he was OK. Even now as I type this & am getting upset again, he has come out of the bedroom & is sitting beneath my office chair leaning on my leg. Bless my little fur angels! And thank goodness there is now a rule that you only have to do jury duty every 5 years. I love crime fiction but I really don't want to hear sordid & sad details like that again.

Some nice binding to be stitched later tonight & two more True Blood episodes to watch. Looking forward to a normal, happy work week to come & lots of evening stitching.

Happy stitching
Tracee xx