Hardware Store Love

The Lee Valley early Christmas gift catalogue showed up in my mailbox today and it reminded me how much I love this store. I am so sure I could spend a good part of the morning (if not more) looking through things, imagining what I could make with all the veneers, hardware, and tools. Shown below: Hinges, veneers, router letter template, crown molding hanger and cast iron wall bench & table legs. There's so much to take in (note their catalogues are all online); an artist/designer's dream!

leevalley.com

Save the Thread

The handmade community is joining together to help a Virginia-based artist get her studio up and running again after she suffered a fire in her studio/handmade goods shop a few months ago. A site, Save the Thread (led by Design for Mankind) has been established to help raise funds to help Angelina of Red Thread Studio get her shop back in order (you can read more about the fire here). Artists like Lisa Solomon and Will Bryant (to name a few) are contributing works along with a donation tier system has been set up which you can read more about here. If you are an artist and wish to consider helping out or you're a blog and want to pass the good information on, or you'd wish to make a donation visit savetheredthread.blogspot.com for more info.

Gorgeous floating flowers and embroidered voile place setting!

This is a mock up of a place setting idea we are doing for a wedding next february. Isn't it so fresh and pretty? The embroidered voile strip as a placemat was a cost saving idea (the fabric is so expensive but the bride loved it and had to have it!). Our bride also loves gardenias but they don't do well as a cut flower in Queensland's heat and tend to brown easily. Her mother has a garden full of them so we came up with the floating bowl idea to keep them looking fresh. We've also used our french provincial charger plates with our blue bordered napkin and a striped organza ribbon. For the glassware we'll be using our taupe stemmed Rafael wine glasses mixed and matched with plain glass tumblers and champagne flutes.

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Other options for arranging:

Things on the radar

We are slowly getting into the gift-giving season here. And this year I promised myself to try and have all my shopping done by the third week in November so I can have some time to order things online, receive them via the mail and then mail them out again (if need be). The plan is to do this so I can sit back and enjoy the holiday season for a change (it's never happened before)! So I'm realizing now I have to start soon (there's really only 20 days or so for all this to actually take place, eek!); so I'm starting to send out my radar detector. Also stay tuned for our upcoming Holiday Gift Guides coming this month starting with cards, decorations and then gifts. Love this time of year!

No. 1 Things I Like Tray by John Derian $145 CAD from The Cross (a local shop here in Vancouver which recently opened an online shop - and ships internationally).

No. 2 Leather-handled Wicker Storage Baskets from Canada's "designer guys" Steven and Chris's S&C line. 15" and 16-1/2" h. $120/pair. At retailers across Canada. See Canfloyd Trading for retailers. Image by Jessica Lin for H&H.



No. 3 Looking like an embroider sampler, these ABC pillows are from House of Hedda (Sweden) and a perfect holiday decor accessory. 50x50cm, 345 kr, houseofhedda.com.

No. 4 All You Need Is Love wooden sign by Box Brownie Trading and available through notonhighstreet.com. £170.00

Tips & Tricks: Oh snap! Taking great product photos

Inspiration Hoop from Bliss in a Teacup
We asked Becka from Bliss in a Teacup to give our readers a few tips on how they take their most excellent photo's for their online shop. She was kind enough to write a post to share here first on the technical side of things and will follow up with styling ideas in the upcoming weeks. Psssst! Bliss in a Teacup's style shots (like above) are the exact type of product photo's I LOVE for the blog. They are current, interesting (there's a cosy feel to them) and she's got good lighting and focus! A definite one to look at to help with ideas. Visit their Etsy shop to see more. Thanks Becka!

custom state/province outline via treefox

Hello! Becka here from Bliss in a Teacup. I must admit that product photography was one of my most daunting tasks when Richard and I first set up shop. As folks can't pick up, touch or try on your lovely items, the photos you take are hugely important in persuading them to buy from you. In fact, great photography isn't only useful for selling your crafty goods, but for creating that amazing blog post or putting together an awesome promo card for you or your business. The good news is, great product photography really isn't too tricky and you most definitely don't need a fancy camera (although we can all dream!) to do so! Of course there is no one correct way to take photos of your wares, but here are some tips to keep in mind, and I will go more into the product styling in my next post.

1. Natural lighting, natural lighting, natural lighting.

recycled canvas tote via forestbound

I can't stress enough how important natural lighting is to your photos. Colours look their best (and the most true to life), your images will be crisp and clear, and there will be a lovely depth to the shot if you play your cards right. Now, believe me I know that natural lighting can be hard to come by, especially in the colder months, but I highly recommending setting aside an our or two one morning or early evening to either practice or get your shots taken. It doesn't have to be blazing sun, it just needs to be light (in fact sometimes too much sun can make things tricky with shadows and the like). Also, natural lighting doesn't mean you have to take your photos outdoors, but a nice big window that lets in a good amount of light will do the trick nicely.

Things to remember - Avoid direct sunlight and using your flash, as you'll get scary shadows and anything light coloured will become rather bright. If you feel like the light is still a little dark, you can always increase the EV levels found in your camera menu as this will up the 'whiteness' in your photos. If you're unsure, not to worry! Most things can be tweaked and fixed once on the computer! You'll do this by increasing both the brightness and the contrast (or by using the 'curves' tool) in your photo editing program. If you're really having trouble finding natural light, check out the Strobist's Lighting 101 to get some ideas for lighting indoor and outdoor shots.

2. Work your angles.

tiny house cube necklace via JDavisStudio

Often online you will have space to show a few different shots of each product, and using angles is a great way to give your photos depth as well as making them dynamic and interesting to look at. Also, by playing around with various shooting angles you're more likely to find the very best perspective for showing off your products. As I mentioned earlier, customers aren't able to handle your products, so showing them from different angles enables them to fully appreciate what you've made. I think it also instills a bit of confidence, as they know that all the seams have been tucked in, no hot glue is showing and the earring posts look firmly in place.

Things to remember: Angles can distort the perceived size of what is being photographed, so make sure there is one or two shots that make it clear how big or small your object is.

3. Crop it good

georgette skirt via littleocean

Oh, how I love the crop function when editing photos! Knowing that I can do a wide shot in order to get all in want in the frame, and then cut out the edge of my fridge that has snuck into the shot makes taking photos much less frustrating. But cropping isn't only good for cleaning up shots, its also useful to draw the viewer in and pique their interest a little. You don't need to show the whole product in order for someone to click on your listing, but a shot of the hem of a skirt with a great print, or the beautiful pattern on a ceramic bowl could entice someone to want to find out more about the product.

Things to remember: When cropping, you still want to have some balance in your image otherwise it can look a bit squished or overwhelming. A good way to do this is to make sure you leave in a little background, either next to the image or in each diagonal corner. Also if you're cropping from the top and bottom of a shot (and cutting out just the top and bottom of your product), make sure to bring in at least one of the sides also, again to avoid looking squashed. Finally, if you're selling on Etsy, remember that they crop your thumbnails for you so take this into consideration when choosing how much to crop.

4. The close up.

magical good luck acorn badges via oh my cavalier!

If you're photographing jewellery, or other small items, the macro function is going to be your friend. You can find it by looking for the flower icon on your camera, it usually looks like a little tulip, and it will give your products a nice crisp outline. Close up photography can be tricky, especially if your hands are a little shaky, so you may also want to consider using a tripod to help keep things steady. Keep in mind that close ups aren't only for small items, you could use it to show off a bit of detail on a larger item also. The close up is a perfect opportunity to use your angles, too, and a shot where your product is in sharp focus and the rest fades out a little draws the viewers eye directly to your product.

Things to remember: Like when cropping, you still want to try and keep the shot looking balanced when shooting close ups.

5. Let's get digital.

computer circuit board nightlight via GeekGear

Having some way to digitally edit your images is really important, as it means you can do so much more with your photography! It enables you to crop, sharpen, lighten, resize....the list goes on. Thankfully, there are now some great free programs out there so you're not limited by shelling out for Photoshop. Don't get me wrong, Photoshop is fantastic, but is also rather expensive and can be a little more tricky to use. Here are some of the free programs I would recommend, and please feel free to leave any other suggestions in the comments!

Picnik Picnik is an awesome photo editing website and perfect for those of us with little digital editing experience. It is really self explanatory (most things happen with just a click of a button) and has a ton of fun effects for playing around with on your photos. The one downer is that you can only upload 5 photos at a time, but I have never really had a problem with that. There is an upgrade option (around $2 a month) that will allow you to upload more images, and you`ll also have access to more collage, effects and editing options.

Picasa Picasa is a Google based photo editing program that requires a download. It is a little more hands on than Picnik, but still usable if you don't have any Photoshop knowledge. You can also use Picasa to create a web photo album, if you're not already using Flickr.

Gimp If you already know or are familiar with Photoshop, then I would recommend downloading Gimp. It is really similar, and comes with lots of support. Plus, its free! We all love free!

That's it from me for today, I really hope I have been of some help in your photography endeavours! I will be back with another post all about product styling, where I'll tackle backgrounds, setting up your 'set', choosing props, and more. Happy snapping!

This Week from Lisa Congdon: Christopher Bettig//the Mountain Label

by Lisa Congdon



This week I bring you an interview with one my favorite artists and designers, Christopher Bettig of Los Angeles. Christopher is known for his bold, colorful, graphic work in numerous mediums, and, for those who know him, his kind personality. He grew up between the US and France and share with us here a bit about his background, his inspirations, and his hopes and dreams.



Lisa: Hi Christopher! Thanks for talking with me today. How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an artist?

Christopher: Actually,  I still don't know if I want to be an artist,  I just became one. I would always draw and make stuff as a child. My parents were
really big on educational / construction sorts of toys so I would build stuff all the time. I also remember trying to make enough drawings of trees on 8x11 paper to entirely cover my walls of my bedroom to make it into a forest. My first attempt at a wallpaper. But I don't think there ever was a singular moment where I decided that I wanted to be an artist. I was really into indie rock and making zines and stuff like that in high school, and was very anti-establishment and all teen angsty so there just has never been a point in my life where a "normal" job was ever something that I wanted. I think I just have always really enjoyed working with my hands and just making things, anything. So, until that changes, I am an artist.



Lisa: Did you study art in school? If so, how do you think that has helped you? How (if at all) has it hindered you?

Christopher: I did go to art school, but only after having gone to a variety of other schools, first for writing & history and then I eventually got my BFA in
painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. I did learn a lot about composition and a lot of technical things in art
making be it processes or color theory etc., but MICA was a very traditional painting school at the time I was there and I was always
battling through my critiques because I didn't think Lucien Freud was the greatest painter ever. The school was about 75% painting majors so, the one thing I regret was that the program wasn't a bit more progressive and would have allowed painters to work with graphic designers etc. It was very much a us vs them mentality "us" being "fine artists" and "them" being "commercial artists" but at the time, to be fair, there wasn't really this massive blurring of those lines. I am happy that I went there, I did learn a lot.



Lisa: How many hours a week do you spend making art or working on your art business? Do you wish it were more or less or is it just right?

Christopher: I am working all the time it seems. If I'm not in the studio making artwork for shows, then I'm at the computer designing products or graphics, or just doing the day to day business stuff like invoicing or blogging etc.  I love what I do, I just wish there were more hours in the day, or that I had an intern.



Lisa: Are you a morning person or night person? How does this effect your creative work?

Christopher: NIGHT PERSON! I love it. It's quiet, no distractions. It's the best.



Lisa: Describe a body of work you have just finished or on which you are
currently working.

Christopher: I'm in the middle of making a bunch of new stuff for a show in NYC @ Giant Robot & for one in Ottawa @ Canteen Life . It's continuing in the themes of the last few years, a lot of geometrical shapes and repeating patterns while all the imagery fits, loosely, under astronomical stuff. These new pieces have a lot of really bright colored paper collaged & sewn elements that are sort of meant to be representing things like nebulas or the ever
expanding universe, and sort of flow and overlay on top of each other and just pour off the panels. There are some screen printed patterns furthering this idea of infinity and expansion as well as some circle shapes made of paper with hand drawn imperfect patterns over them. I'm also using spray paint and pencil to draw some more subtle shapes in the backgrounds as well. The overall finished pieces are more abstract then anything else, and don't really look like as outer space as I'm describing it.



Lisa: What are your dreams for your art career?

Christopher: To be an installation artist like Jessica Stockholder or Phoebe Washburn would be absolutely amazing. Their works are so different but I'm just really attracted to the way the build & assemble things. It would literally be the peak of everything that I am doing, it completely encompasses all the little elements of everything that I make and incorporates them into a single unit & it looks like fun.



Lisa: What/who are your greatest influences?

Christopher: As far as artists go : Jessica Stockholder , Phoebe Washburn , Charles & Ray Eames , Geoff McFetridge , Christian Marclay , Alexander Girard , Piet Mondrian , Christian Boltanski , Richard Diebenkorn . Astronomy, music, traveling, my dad & growing up constantly going back and forth from France to America was also very influential.



Lisa: What are the three most important things you want people to know about you as an artist and/or your work?

Christopher:
1. That I have never really felt American or French and as a result I sort
of have an identity crisis which also leads me to feel disjointed and
always on the outside.. Im a bummer basically, and I think that comes
through a lot in the things I make.
2. I really like Geometry and Astronomy
3. I don't know anything about Geometry and Astronomy



Lisa: Lastly, what do you believe in?

Christopher: Long live Science!

You can read more about Christopher and see more of his stunning work (including his amazing patterns) here and visit his shop here .

top ten vintage wedding items on etsy: nov. 1st

{each photo links to its shop}