Cynthia Shaffer

Photography 101 Live Workshop Coming to Old Town Orange!

Hey Everyone! Photography 101 is coming to Old Town Orange! I'll be teaching at  Dragonfy Shops and Gardens on Saturday, July 16th!

If you have ever wanted to come to Old Town Orange for a weekend, now is the time! There is so much going on in this town, aside from my photography class! There are great antique shops, including Country Roads Antiques and Gardens, fab restaurants Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen (Need reservations!) and super close to Disneyland!

So is this class for you? Well ... If you own a DSLR, which is a digital camera that allows you to change out the lenses, and you want to learn how to shoot in Manual mode ... the only creative mode there is, then YES, this class is for you!

Come check it out! Here's a link to the the calendar for all the classes offered at the Dragonfly Shops and Gardens in the month of July ... and you'll see there my class on July 16th ... click on my class and a bunch of info is there for you.

So What are you waiting for? Now is the time to really learn how much your fabulous camera has to offer! 

Email me if you have question or if you want to sign up! You can also sign up through the link here! 

Happy Shooting! 
 

 

 

Macro Lens LOVE

Ok ... enough said, I LOVE my macro lens! 

So here's the thing about a macro lens ... your lens can be really close to your subject when you shoot. So all lenses have a minimum distance that you have to have between the lens and the subject before it will focus and macro lenses do too it's just that that distance is like super close ... like 8 inches or less! 

This lens that I own is a Canon 100mm f/2.8. This lens can be used just like any other lens, it's just that it's a fixed lens so you have to walk your body in to zoom in. It makes a good portrait lens as well although I prefer the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens so that I can have some  distance from the person I'm shooting and it also provides a range focal lengths with the zoom factor. 

Yes, these are socks that I'm knitting! 

Here are a few links to the Canon 100mm Macro lens. 

 Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens ... this one has IS or image stabilizing ... which I highly recommend!

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Fixed Lens ... This one does not have IS or image stabilizing which means you can practically see your pulse when you look throught he viewfinder. This lens works great in a studio situation where there isn't a breeze and you can use a tripod! 

Art by Jen Osborn @themessynest

I love the shallow depth of field that you can see so clearly here ... This was shot at ISO 400 f/2.8 1/400 sec. 

Happy Shooting and Happy Macro LOVE!

 

50mm LENS LOVE

Over in my online photograhy class, Photography 101: Through The Artisit's Eye, there is a lot of talk about the 50mm lens so I thought I would just take a minute to chat a bit about it!

ISO 100, f/1.2 1/800 sec 

Lenses are a personal thing ... Some feel really good on your camera and in your hands and others feel disjointed and awkward. Some photographers shoot with only prime or fixed lenses, like the 50mm lens (SO no zooming going on, you have to walk in or out to zoom in or out) and others prefer to shoot with zoom lenses, like the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens (one of my personal favorite go-to lenses).

ISO 100 f/1.8 1/400 Sec

Many people say that the 50mm lens is sort of what your eye sees when you look through the viewfinder but it really depends on what camera you are using. My Canon 7D has a cropped sensor so the 50mm is really like a 75mm which is pretty close to what your eye sees.  On my Canon 5D3, which is a full frame camera, the 50mm is a true 50mm, but then to me it doesn't feel like what my eye sees, the subject looks smaller than what my eye sees. 

The other thing about these 50mm lenses is that, as you can see, they have wide open apertures which means you can get that super super shallow depth of field. Lenses that have wide open apertures are also called 'low light' lenses because you can open up the aperture and then use them in situations where is only a little bit of light, hence allowing you to shoot without increasing your ISO, hence avoiding grainy photos! 

ISO 100 f/1.4 1/800 Sec

The 50mm lens that I use is the f/1.2  but I have to tell you I rarely ever shoot at f/1.2 ... the depth of field is sooo shallow that sometimes it looks like there isn't anything in focus! As you can see from the above photos ... that shallow deoth of field is amazing.

Check out the photos below ... there is almost no change in the overall look of the photos as I change from f/1.2 to f/1.8 but you may notice that as the aperture gets smaller, or is stopped down, the shutter speed slows down also to allow more light to come in through the lens. 

ISO 100 f/1.2 1/800

ISO 100 f/1.4 1/640

ISO 100 f/1.8 1/400 

Here are some links to the 50mm lenses that I recommend. Since I shoot canon cameras I can really only suggest canon lenses but I'm pretty sure that all the other camera companies make really good 50mm lens as well. Make sure that these lenses will fit your particular camera model ... they might have different fittings and all. 

Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 STM Lens

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens 

Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

Probably the most popluar is the f/1.4 ... I think you really get a better lens for just a little bit more money!

 

 

 

Fabulous bracelets are by Brooke Bock @ Artistic Endeavors 101!

Photography Gear I Can't Live Without!

I'm often asked about equipment and gear that I like and use. Here are just a few things that I think you might be interested in as well!

Cameras:

Camera's are a personal choice. Some people are Nikon types, others are only canon and wouldn't consider anything else. I have actually shot with both those brands and it is really just a personal preference. Of course the other thing to consider is just how much money you want to spend. Most camera makes come in a both a consumer body and then a professional body. I recommend purchasing the camera body and the lens separately. Our camera's have a limited life and plus with all the new features coming out yearly, you might just want to upgrade your camera more often than your lenses. I suggest putting money into your lens, hence the suggestion to purchase the camera body and lens separately. Crisp, tack sharp photos are captured through your lens, not your camera ... Purchase a good lens and you will be set for a long, long time!

Canon EOS Rebel T6s Digital SLR (Body Only) - Wi-Fi Enabled

 

Or ... better yet ... here is a package deal! 

 

Canon EOS Rebel T6i Digital SLR with EF-S 18-135mm IS STM Lens - Wi-Fi Enabled

 

 

Or

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame Digital SLR Camera (Body) 

Lenses:

When it comes to lenes it really depends on what you find yourself photographing all the time. Or maybe it's a range of things, or maybe you are just starting to learn photography and you really don't even know. I suggest a zoom lens like a 24-105mm (or the 18-135mm lens). This lens has a nice range, being a little wide at the 24mm end and then has the capacity of zooming in at the 105mm end. 

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 

Canon 24-105mm f/4

There are other lenses, of course that are super amazing ... like the 70-200mm, but now you are getting up into the pretty expensive range.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II

And then there are the prime or fixed lenses that do just one thing, like the 85mm!

Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM  .... while it only does one thing ... it does that one thing really well! 

Gear:

Tripods are a personal thing. It's almost like an extension of your body, or at least after time that's how it feels. This is the tripod that I use. I have different heads that I can put on this stand, depending on what I am shooting. 

SLIK PRO 700DX Professional Tripod 

Reflectors and diffusion panels:

Gear that I use ALLLL the time are diffusion or reflector panels. What they do is ... they either filter out that harsh strong sunlight or they reflect light back onto my subject. I personally own 3 different sizes. Here are the ones I own and use almost daily!

Small reflector and diffusion panel:

Neewer 43-inch / 110cm 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector with Bag - Translucent, Silver, Gold, White and Black 

Medium reflector and diffusion panel:

Neewer 5 in 1 Portable Multi 40"x 60"/100 x 150CM Camera Lighting Reflector/Diffuser Kit with Carrying Case for Photpgraphy

Large reflector and diffusion panel:

Neewer® Portable 5 in 1 59"x79"/150x200cm Translucent, Silver, Gold, White, and Black Collapsible Round Multi Disc Light Reflector for Studio or any Photography Situation

Museum wax:

Quakehold! 66111 2-Ounce Museum Wax

I use this stuff all the time. It's surprising how strong it is! This is the stuff that fine jewelry photographers use to make  that diamond ring stand up on a shiny surface! I mostly use it to curl book pages back or to lift something off of a surface by just a bit or even to keep, say an apron tie perfectly curled up and in place.

Studio lighting: 

StudioPRO 3000 Watt Photography Continuous Output Light - Three 20" x 28" Softbox Lighting Kit for Portrait, Photo, and Video Studio With Light Stand and Daylight Bulbs

This is a great start up lighting kit! The bulbs are daylight temperature, which is what you want and the fact that it's continuous allows you to use them to shoot video as well!

Ok ... hope this helps you to navigate this photography gear world ... these are just starting points ... as you get more and more into photography you will find your favorite equipment also! 

Want to take a class? Check out the list below!

Whimzy

Launch Your Creativity (Pre-Conference)

Photography 101: Through the Artist's Eye (Jeanne Oliver)

 

Lightroom Tutorial : : Photographers Workhorse

Happy Dance ... more info to come ... but for now, my online Photography 101, Through the Artists Eyes, is up and selling with a great Early Bird Special! Come check out Jeanne Oliver's site right here for details! Photography 101, Through the Artists Eyes!

I am often asked about how I edit my photos and what editing program I use. The HANDS DOWN best software out there is availble here ... Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6!

Heres a little tutorial on how I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6! This is just a quick overview of what Lightroom  can do and how fast adjustments and edits can be made.

  1. When you first click on the Lightroom icon, this is what pops up. (Ok ... you'll see here that I have not upgraded to Lightroom 6 just yet, be will be doing so soon!) 

2. So now you want to import my photos or maybe you just want to edit existing photos. A panel will show up the allows you to pick an existing catalog or create a new catalog. I tend to create a new catalog for new large projects. I do however have catalogs for my blog posts, family and so, where I then divide the content into different folders. 

 3. Once the photos have been loaded up you can then start to edit them. There are a few quick things that I do to almost all my photos. Here's an example:

The left side shows the photo as it was shot, right out of my camera. Because I almost always shoot in RAW, every photo needs some adjusting. The right side shows the photo after a few quick adjustments have been made. 

4. Here's a close up of a few of the sliders and adjustments that I use to make really quick adjustments to every photo. I usually check the white balance right away and then go from there. I could spend an entire day talking about on just white balance, but I'll save that so another post! 

Often the exposure needs to be opened up or increased a bit, as well as the contrast and sometimes the highlights can be taken down a hair and shadows are opened up or increased. I usually only add a little saturation, vibrance and clarity.

I can save the adjustments that I have made here as a "User Preset" and then give it a name and then batch all the photos and apply these adjustments to all the photos at one time! 

5. Lightroom also comes with some presets that are super fun to play with! On the left panel, there are a bunch of different combinations that have been put together and with just a click of the button your photo can have a slight vintage blue look to it ... as seen below!

6. Here you can see the photo before the preset application on the left and the after photo on the right! 

7. Of course there are many, many presets out on the market to purchase! I have bought a bunch in the past and use them on occasion. For this camper photos the "Urban Collection" seemed to be a good fit. 

8. Ok, so ... I have only scratched the very surface of what Lightroom can do for your photos! Of course you can crop, make black and white images, smooth skin, sharpen and create eyelashes, upload to social media, make slide shows, add text, make books and on and on! It's a big photo editing program and so much more ... but here's the thing! It's doable ... it's not a monster program like Photoshop! Yes, I use photoshop when I have to, but the majority of time I can edit my photos right here in Lightroom. 

If your considering purchasing Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, then you'll want to purcahse Scott Kelby's book on Lightroom available here!  

The way Scott explains how to use the program is simple and to the point! It's my go to manual when I want to learn and try something new or just need a refreasher course on something I don't do very often! This is a must have book! 

Ok ... hope this helped a little and don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions! 

Happy Shooting! 

 

 

 

Cut Out + Keep : : SEWING SUPERSTAR

  

A few months ago the kind folks at Cut Out + Keep contacted me to see if they could feature some of my sewing tutorials on their site and here it is! How cute that they are calling me a SEWING SUPERSTAR! Made me smile.

Anyways ... todays featured project is this Receipt Caddy .... 

If you want out this site everyday and you'll see a new featured sewing project! 

Thanks Cut Out + Keep! 

 

 

Last Minute Christmas Gift!

You can hop on over to the Lark Crafts blog site right now and check out my latest last minute gift idea! The tutorial is all there and then of course you can attach the tag to my Simply Stitched Gifts book! 

These tags are the thing I do when I'm feeling creative but don't want to spend too too much time on a big project. 

And, add a few words of Thanks, Birthday Wishes or Encouragment and they'll make a nice little gift all by themselves! 

Click here is find the exact tag!

My Workhorse Camera Lens : : Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM

When I  teaching my photography 101 classes, Shooting in Manual Mode,  I'm often asked which lens I use the most; which lens would I recommend? I have a few that I really like, but as far as a good all around lens, I grab my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens! If I could only carry one lens with me on a shoot, this bad boy would be my pick and it's available here!

So I have to tell you something ... for about the past 6 months I was having a few issues with the sharpness and clarity with this lens. I was getting frustrated and yet all the photographers I talked to about the issues, just sort of brushed me off. 

So last week I jumped in my car and headed to the New Canon Service Center here in Costa Mesa. After chatting with one of the helpers and explaining my issues, off my lens went to be 'repaired'.

I just returned from picking up my lens and I could cry happy tears! My lens is back to it's beautiful self! Apparently a few things needed to be tightened and a few pieces of glasses needed to be realigned! Yay ... I am so happy! Immediately I went out and snapped a few photos of the last of the maroon roses that are blooming ... with a shallow depth of field and zoomed in pretty close! 

While the quality of the photos doesn't really show here in this blog post, you'll have to just trust me on this one ... these photos are crisp and clear and I couldn't be happier! 

I'm so excited to get out there and shoot again ... I LOVE THIS LENS AGAIN! 

Be warned ... the lens is a little pricey, like $999.00 but I promise you will not be buying another lens for a long time! This will be your go to lens for Portraits, Landscapes, Kids, Pups, Crafts, Food and on and on! 

Really interested now? Find it here! 

And So It Begins Again

Does anyone even read blog posts any more? I know this has been the question of the day for a few years now, but to be honest with you, I sort of miss my blogging days ... days of working on tutorials to share and snippets of life around my hood and all. I'm seriouly thinking to start blogging again on a more consistent basis! 

For starters I've been splitting my time between photographying craft books for Sterling Publishing and Lark Crafts, (just finished shooting a super cute book for Ms. Aimee Ray ... embroidery queen extraordinaire) and writing my own craft books AND ... photographing models! 

Check out this beauty ... Maddy ... we we're tired, it was getting late last Sunday night, Maddy still had homework to finish and guess what, the photo shoot happened anyways and we nailed it on a bunch of photos! 

At the very end of the night I let my pups into the room and of course the end result was lot's of kisses and lots of laughter! 

Okay ... Cheers to blogging a little more consistantly! 

 

Simply Stitched Gifts : : A Free Motion Stitching Book

Yay ... it seems like forever ago that I was working on Simply Stitched Gifts, a free motion stitching book ... It's finally out in book stores and being sold on Amazon! 

Here are a few of my very favorite projects in the book and actually as I was thumbing through it I was reminded that there really is something for everyone here ... and if you don't know how to free motion stitch, guess what ... instructions are included in the front basics section! Oh and thanks to Jen Osborn for contributing a couple of projects to my book. Jen's honey and wheat market tote is the best! 

 

As you can probably see ... free motion stitching or free motion quilting is one of my most favorite things to do ... it's like sketching with you sewing machine ... it's freeing and really, there are no rules! 

In Simply Stitched Gifts I've  combined a love of fabric, stitching, sketching and painting to create super fun mixed media gifts to give or to just make and keep! 

Here's the thing ... I love to teach ... be it free motion stitching, sewing, quilting, or photography, I just love to teach and I feel like with all my books, that's exactly what I'm doing! I hope you enjoy this book and I hope that you enjoy learning this fun technique ... free motion stitching! 

 

 

Free Motion Stitched Girls : : Greeting cards : : Tutorial

It's always a thrill to be asked by Stampington & Company to submit art projects ... in fact I'm working on a batch for some upcoming article as I type! 

Here's the funny thing about the Guest artist post I did for Stampington Place. I was poking around the internet one morning and I came across Stampington & Company's blog! I didn't even know that they had a blog! So I was looking and ckickin here and there and thought, WOW this is really a fun blog that I need to check often. 

I got up and went outside to water the plants ... you, know, it was Tuesday morning and that's one of the two days that us Californian folks are allowed to water the plants and lawn! 

I came back inside, check my emails and sure enough there was an email from a Sarah that works at Stampington. So I opened up the email and it was from Sarah, Stampinton's Blog editor and she was asking me if I'd like to be a featured guest artist on the Stampington Place Blog! SERIOUSLY, I kid you not ... that's how it all started! 

Hope you'll hop on over to the Stampinton Place Blog and check out the entire post. You'll soon learn that these free motion stitched girls were inspired by an online class I was taking through Jeanne Oliver, by Danielle Donaldson. Thanks friends for allowing me to post and share these girls! 

She's a little awkward ... She's my favorite free motion stitched girl! 

 

 

50 Fat Quarter Makes : : A Fabulous New Book and a Blog Hop

What a sweet book to be involved with! When Ame Verso first contacted me to see if I was interested in contributing a few projects to this book, I didn't miss a beat ... and responded with a huge YES! This book is sold right HERE!

What was a bit different about this book is that we were given access to all the wonderful fabric that the FW community sells and were told that we could only use those fabrics. While it was fun selecting fabrics, it was also a little challenging to use only those fabric assigned to the project! But, I love a good challenge!

Oh and look ... My craft bucket is right there on the cover. Always a thrill to be a cover girl!

So, I have been sewing all my life, well, not ALL my life, but I start sewing with a big machine when I was just 7 years old. I soon learned that what thrilled me the most about sewing was the precision and the details. I LOVE detail! 

The fabric I used here for the sewing machine cover is way too cute for words, and then paired with what looked like a chain link fence print fabric ... Sweetness happened!

With just one fat quarter cut up and rearranged ... this cute little mug rug make the prefect gift for that new office mate!

And of course every well loved apron has a handy pocket on it will a little extra stitching at the top to reinforce the outer upper edges ... Right?

This apron can be worn 2 different ways ... 1. With the bib up and over your head and 2. with the bid hanging down and to the inside. Super cute! 

Truth be told ... this little dolly quilt was work. As much as I try to use softer more pastel colors, I'm a bright or dark color quilter ... that's just what feels right to me! 

Ok, hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of the details of the projects I contributed to 

50 Fat Quarter Makes ...

Available on Amazon and anywhere craft books are sold! 

In case you missed all the previous blog posts ... here's a list to check out of the other contributors projects and giveaways! And thanks to Jo Avery for coordinatingthis blog hop!

Monday 1st June - Jo Avery -  myBearpaw 
Tuesday 2nd June - Liz Betts - BetsyBetts
Wednesday 3rd June - Ali Burdon - VeryBerryHandmade
Thursday 4th June - Jesse Fincham - MessyJesse
Friday 5th June - Louise Horler - SewScrumptious
Monday 8th June - Kevin Kosbab - Feeddog
Tuesday 9th June - Emily Levey - StrawberryPatchRamblings
Wednesday 10th June - Cynthia Shaffer
Thursday 11th June - Kaye Prince - MissPrint
Friday 12th June - Ame Verso - StitchCraftCreate

 

Coastal Crafts : : Decorative Seaside Projects to Inspire Your Inner Beachcomber

Look what just arrived from Amazon! Coastal Crafts! 

I'm so excited to share this book with you! 

I feel like I gave birth to this book years ago ... seriously, it feels like a lifetime ago that I was stitching fish garland and painting seashells! 

Here's a few fun facts about this book ... First, it's a multi craft book ... so it's not just sewing, or gluing or painting ... it's all crafty things in one book! And second, I intentionally created every project from supplies and materials that can be purchased at your local craft store like Michael's or Joann's! How fun it that? 

Yup, I painted shells all nice and white to make this heart shaped hearth wreath ...

 

These candlesticks were one of the first projects I created for the book and I think they may be my favorite too! 

 

And I covered these chuncky letters with glue to adorn my front porch! 

Here are just a handful of other projects offered in the book to really get you into that beachy, coastal mood ... you know, cause summer is here, right, and who doesn't like a little coastal craftiness in there home during the warmer summer months?

LOVE this lampshade covered with the antique nautical map! LOVE!

And ... Nautical flag garland anyone? Yes, PLEASE!

And of course ... Linen pillows with huge stenciled shells are the perfect coastal touch for any window seat with a garden or beach view!

Oh, and a little embroidery on a few dishtowels make just the perfect hostess gift! 

Or how about a little plaster and sand memorabilia!

Ok, so ... what are you waiting for ... seriously ... grab your copy of Coastal Crafts here on Amazon or anywhere craft books are sold, and get your craftiness on! Also, check out this nice post that Lark Crafts has up on their site today! 

Enjoy!
 

 

The Stash-Busting Blog Hop!

How fun to be a part of this amazing blog hop for Stitch, Craft, Create. With these 2 fabulous books coming out soon, 50 Fat Quarters Makes and Retro Mama: Scrap Happy Sewing ... A blog hop is the perfect way to catch up on what's going on out there in the blog world of some of the most talented designers/stitchers/crafters!  

Look how fresh this cover is ... Oh and lookie there, how cute, my craft bucket is right there on the cover! 

So spring is officially here and if you're like a lot of people that usually means spring cleaning! But wait ... that does not mean that you need to throw out your fabric stash ... Oh No ...it just means that you get to paw through it all as you are orgnizing it and you get to imagine all the fun projects waiting to be created! 

You see, I have soooo much fabric but nothing is more inspiring to me than to just sit on my craft room floor, pull out the bins of fabric and scarps, and to fold and organize those bins ... it's like I discover all my favorite fabrics all over again! 

So, as some of you know, I LOVE sewing details and I LOVE to hand sew ... so here's a peek at some of the details from the projects I contributed to 50 Fat Quarters Makes!

Just a little stitching detail on the pocket of this fabulous apron ... did you know that I used to manufacture a line of activewear back in the early 1990's? It was all about the details and the stitching quality!

 

Oh, um ... just a little snippet of a mug rug made with just 1 or maybe 2 fat quarters ... Ugh, can't remember!  

Ok, how cute is that pig, rooster, chicken, sheep and fence fabric? I mean seriously!

 

Ah ... the craft bucket ... Mixing and matching of all those fabulous fat quarters and scraps! What fun!

And the baby doll or Teddy Bear mini quilt ... perfect for a spring picnic with your favorite little girl or boy!

Ok ... hop along to the other blog posts and check out what's going on ... rumor has it there are even several giveaways going on with books, fabric and fat quarters to be won! 

 

Fat Quarters; Small Fabrics, More Than 50 BIG IDEAS ... The Book

This little (8 x 8 inch) book, Fat Quarters; Small Fabrics, More Than 50 Big Ideas,  is just packed with wonderful, creative and inspirational stitched projects! Amanda Caretsio and the entire Lark Crafts team did an amzaing job pulling this book together ... Bravo Team! It's a must have and a go to kind of book for those of us that collect Fat Quarters! Yup ... I love the size of a Fat Quarter! 

Also, not going to lie,  I had the amazing opportunity to contribute a handful of projects to this book! Oh and ... I actually lived with and handled every projects while photographing this book! You guessed it ... I fell in love with so many of the projects ... All of them were so well constructed ... made my job as photographer, way easy! Thanks to all the designers!

Of course I had favorites projects ... these cone hats are timeless! Too bad my kids are all adults now! 

But I think this is one of my favorite photos in the book! 

So, something you might not know about me ... I love to create patterns for 3-d things! It's a challenge but I totally love to think in 3-d terms! And I love little birds! 

Perched on a mantel or sitting on top of a pile of books on a bookshelf! 

And is it just me or do we all LOVE flying geese? Check this out ... Geese flying up the side of a denim skirt! I say YES!

Um ... ok, well ... I have about 15 pounds to loose until this skirt can zip up but stay tuned ... I'm getting there! Seriously I am! 

How cute is this? And how easy is this? Pretty darn cute and super duper easy! 

So, I love this photo for a few reasons ... Ok, as the photographer you get to pick the models you use to show off the pieces and yup ... that's my baby, Cameron! Oh and ... he loved this tie and said he would definitely wear this tie!

And this Boho bag is a favorite project in the book ... well, the project and the model ... Thanks Monica Mouet! 

So as you can see from this very small sampling ... this book is just packed with fun! If you are a beginner or an experienced sewer, there are tons of things you can make with the FAt Quarter stash ... for sure! 

Glitterfest ... Did you go? It was Great!

I'm thinking this is the 5th or maybe 6th time I have attended Glitterfest ... and I have to say it never disappoints! The artists that work for months, days, and hour upon hours to bring to the show the best of the best!

I am always blown away by the jewelry that Kerri Smith creates for the show ... She has a tyle that is so recognizable ... I almost always come away with a new favorite piece! I'm thinking these are this years new favs! 

Oh, I don't know, maybe this one is my new favorite? 

And every year this vendor is here at Glitterfest! I have yet to shop at this booth  because I know I would probably drop a few too many bills, or be so inspired and then take up a new craft! (BTW ... Do u see something funny going on in this photo?)

And then there's Lisa Loria's fabulous work! I have been stalking her art all week long, leading up to today ... seeing her pieces in person ... wonderful! 

Unfortunately I didn't get the contact information for this booth ... but I do so love the tied button necklaces! 

So, stay tuned for the next Glitterfest ... the October show will not disappoint ... It never does!

Coastal Crafts and Childhood Memories

It's been almost a full year now, maybe longer, since I was out and about photographing Coastal crafts. I remember on some days it was all cold and windy and on other days the sun was just perfectly warm and soothing. I was reminded that I loved it all!

You see, creating a book full of projects that are inspired by the beach and the coast seemed like a natural fit for me. While I did enjoy making the projects and being creative with sand, shells and jute, what I enjoyed the most was thinking of all the childhood memories that were made at the beach. 

My parents once rented a beach house that was right on the boardwalk in Newport Beach CA. It was a slice of heaven ... the warm sand, salty air and ocean waves were all right there outside the front door; a huge inviting playground for me and my sisters to explore.  

We took take the ferry across to Balboa Island and walk around eating our frozen bananas, strolling really, visiting with others who were strolling and walking their dogs. We would peer into the small houses that lined the narrow streets and imagined someday living that type of life. 

And then there was the time when I mom decided she was going to learn how to sail. She did well from what I can remember ... she learned all the terms and mastered a few things nessesary to be let loose in the bay on her own. And the end of the story ... well, let's just say that she arrived back home soaking wet and wrapped up in a beach towel!

Ah, and then there was the time when just my dad and I took a weekend long vacation to San Diego to visit the area and to chat about whether I should go to college after high school or join the Navy. 

 I went to college, (Cal State University Long Beach) studied textiles (surprised?) and guess what ... I lived right on the boardwalk in Seal Beach and loved every single day of it ... Probably not surprised! 

BTW ... Coastal crafts will hit the book store and crafts stores in your area on May 26th! If you want to pre-order a copy, Amazon is selling it right now! 

 

 

 

 

Free Motion Stitching, Free Hand Applique and a Little Bonny Bird

Stitchy, stitchy goodness ...It's all I want to do these days! I love to free motion stitch ... ok, not that perfect type stitching where you have to follow a pattern and all but that freehand type of machine embroidery, where you let down your hair and let loose!

About a week ago I joined a friend of mine, Tracy Schultz and off we went to LA to take a class at French General.

 

Mandy Patullo was teaching here in the states for the first time ... The Bonny Birds! What a treat and what a delight to hear her story, inspirations and to learn a bit about her finger turn applique process while creating a bonny bird on an antique quilt square. 

Here's how my bird started out ... didn't finish the bird that night cauase of course I started chatting with some of the gals including French General owner Kaari Meng ... only to find out that she's working with the same editor I'm working with at Sterling Publishing in NY ... Small, small crafty world! 

So I pulled out my Boony Bird last night and I just started adding bits of fabric here and there to make a wing and an eye.

Added a little chain stitch around the eye and popped in a little button, right there in the middle!

Nexted I added a few French knots to the under belly and the wing, oh and embroidered a couple of bird feet as well.

The little tail was missing something so I grabbed some gold metalic thread and added a few sparkly feathers to the end.

And then the most fun part of this whole project ... a little free motion stitched tree with branch for the little bonny bird to perch on! 

At this point I walked away from him for a few hours ... went to a football game then came back and without even thinking, I started painting the tree teal! I was moving so fast here that I didn't even have a water bowl around so I was using my ice tea to water down my paints and to clean my brushes! 

 Truth be told ... this is not the first time nor the last time I'll be using my tea as water ... gives it all a little antiqued look, don't you think?

I love the teal painted tree!

And branches!

Filled in a few little dots with red paint and set it all aside to dry.

At this point I'm not sure where this quilt panel will end up ... I may mount it to watercolor paper or even stitch it to this tote to carry my knitting supplies back and forth from my knitting group! 

Stay tuned ... More stitchy, stitchy goodness to come ... for sure!

Halloween Craft Book : : Felt-o-ween

Turns out that last year at this exact time I was very, very busy ... photographing like 4 books at the same time! This book, Felt-o-ween, was just one of the favorites ... or at least one of the first book that I received this season ... yup it takes about 1 full year for a book to hit the stands after I finish photography!

I hope that from the cover shot alone you can see how fun this was to shoot and, how wonderful it was to create a few projects for the fabulous Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio ... 2 authors that I am fortunate enough to call friends!

Here's a few of my favorite projects. How fun are these cupcake toppers by Laura Howard? 

Here's one of my contributions to the book ... oh, along with the black birds on the cover!

This fab bracelet and necklace combo is one of Kathy's projects ... just how fun is this? Seriously!

 

And these ... Yup, I made them ... and now looking at them again after a year has gone by, I really don't even know where they are! Darn they are cute with these old Doc Martins but will be even cuter with my new Doc's I just bought in London!

Okay so ... as you can see, this is sort of a must have book wouldn't you say!

I promise, it will not disappoint! 

 

SERGE IT!

I'm so very excited to share with you my latest book that I co-authored with Jenny Doh ... SERGE IT!

Inside these pages you'll find some new and fun projects to make with that serger you bought, that you just knew you had to have! Right? Well, you were right! You need a serger to make these adorable trivets!

Ok, so this is not a book about how to use that serger. Oh sure we do have a pretty hefty basics sections that walks you through the parts of the serger and talks about  the stitches that a basic serger will make, but also ... I give you a little tip on how to change the thread on that darn machine that's makes it easy peasy!

So check it out here on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and everywhere else books are sold. I don't think you'll be disappointed. The projects I designed and made are resfreshing, fun and of course, some are made from recycled garments, like a skirt that's make from a discarded man's sweater!

And then a cute, not so little, ruffled purse can happen also! So dust off your serger, or take it in for a tune up and start serging!

Happy Sewing ...

HAPPY SERGING!