Photography

One of my few hobbies that doesn't take up a lot of space is photography. I love taking photos of everything- whether it's interesting or not- and recently upgraded to a Canon Eos Rebel T3 (or as I call it in my head sometimes, the "Terminator 3000" because I'm a nerd).

A park near my house

It takes crazy detailed photos and because I am somewhere between 'beginner' and 'amateur' in my skill level I'm learning my way around the camera as well.

The camera I'm using for my photography class. Using real film instead of digital is so nerve-wracking.

Mostly I just wanted to show you some of my pictures I've taken with it.

One of my classmates. He has the Canon Eos T2, and it's his fault I couldn't wait for the T3 for Christmas like my original plan had been.

Hopefully I'll get the dress I made tailored a bit to fit and photographed for this blog soon, or at least finish a craft at all. Photography's taken over. That's all for now, folks!

Fake flowers

My mom tries really hard to have flowers in the yard, but due to weather and squirrels it never lasts. For years, she'd plant flowers all around the house and they'd look gorgeous for a month or so, until it had either flooded, droughted, hailed, or the petals had been eaten off by woodland critters. One day she came home and said "I found flowers that those damn squirrels won't eat," and pulled out these lovely pink blooms. She arranged them in hanging pots on the back patio and they've been there for years, blooming all year long. Many friends have been fooled into leaning up for a sniff only to be confused by the lack of a scent.

And Mom was right- squirrels don't eat fake flowers.

Key Necklace

I love looking at jewelry! Recently I bought several old keys of various shapes with the intention of doing this exact project to them- this is the key I have done so far.

First, I traced the key shape onto the surface of the design I wanted, and then cut it out. (Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for "big cats" that have been recovered from abusive situations or retired from active life, such as smuggled illegal pets and circuses. More info on that here.)

I used tacky glue to glue the image onto the key, making sure it was on there evenly so that the next step wouldn't be messed up by bumps.

Carefully pour Mod Podge Dimensional Magic over the image-side of the key.

I glued a small loop on the other side so that I can put the key on a chain, and then waited for it to dry.

And BAM! New necklace.

Sewing 101: Apron

One of the things I had wanted to do in college but didn't get around to was take a photography class, so this summer I am finally doing that. As it turns out, I am allergic to film developing chemicals (mostly the 'stop' but also the fixes), but I digress. Those same chemicals that make me get hives also are very bad for clothing, so aprons are required. Instead of using the ugly school aprons or buying one, I'm whipping one up this afternoon while enjoying my only day off from everything.

The pattern I chose was See N' Sew B5551 because I didn't want to have to concentrate on details on an apron I'm going to spill things on, but also didn't want a shapeless sheet. I picked a sturdy fabric from the red tag bin at Joann's, and had the project done in about 1 1/2 hours (because I'm slow).

I deviated some because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on detailwork for what is essentially a smock that prevents chemical stains, but I had to add the squiggly ribbons for a little detail. I love squiggly lines.

Quilts #2 and 3

I've got two quilts this time that I'm working on. One is for me, and one for a friend as my half of a craft swap. Mine's farther along because I started earlier, and my friend's....well, I bought the fabric and figured out the design. That's a good start. Here are the fabrics for the quilts!

My friend's quilt, which will be navy blue and white (or perhaps navy blue and tie-dyed white and grey), and all the patterned fabrics will be cut into owls and handstitched on. She likes owls.

My quilt, which will be more geometric.

Upcoming projects

Main Street in Grapevine, Texas (where I was raised from age 2- 11)

I don't have any completed crafts for you this week. My summer job is in full swing, and 20 hours of my week are now taken up with part-time employment. My photography class starts on Tuesday, which will take up about 25 more hours of every week in July, and unfortunately craft time is getting cut down dramatically in order to cope.

Now, having said that:

1. I cut the pieces for a swishy, fun bohemian skirt. All I need to do is sew them together!

2. All of the fabric is purchased for my next quilt, so once I finalize my design I can get started on that.

3. More jewelry! I purchased a bunch of Scrabble tiles at a junk store and more Dimensional Magic at Joann's awhile back, as well as some beads recently. Added bonus: I now have one of those jewelry display boards so that future photos of the finished craft won't be so bad.

3D Collage Frame

I have some 5" x 7" prints that I purchased on sale that have just sat around in the corner of my room for years. I've never hung them up despite how much I love Audrey Hepburn because generally I find frames boring and don't like shopping for them. The idea of a fabric backing around and behind the photo and adding 3-D elements to a photo was appealing, and that is what I am attempting today.

I picked up a suitably deep photo frame (I keep referring to it mentally as a 'deep-dish pizza' frame) at Joann's and a pretty fabric in the remnants bin. I cut the fabric to fit the back cardboard side of the frame and then left a few inches along all sides.

Lay the fabric out and glue the back of the frame to it so that the side that faces the frame glass is against the back side of the fabric. Make sure the fabric isn't bunched up or bubbled anywhere and let it dry for awhile.Next, cut the edges off the fabric so that there are four panels of fabric that go past the edge, then turn and glue those down. Again, let it dry.

Above: Helpful hint- use spray glue. I used Tacky Glue, which, though very effective, showed through the fabric. If you do this it isn't really an issue since the fabric will be covered with stuff later.

Below: If the frame has a little hanger on it already, just cut the fabric around it.

Now for the super fun part- decorate! I found ribbon and lace and random little things in my craft drawer to make my print photos interesting, and glued them all to the fabric. Let it dry as well, and then hang up the frame and enjoy a completely unique piece of homemade art!