whatcha doin’ tomorrow?

i’ll be at the riverside marriott from 9:30 to 3:00, selling my goodies, as will a host of other wonderful crafters. look for your favorites as well as some newbies!

{p.s., tomorrow’s a big day downtown: there’s the farmer’s market as well as two awesome activities at noon: the easter egg-stravaganza and the peep show, involving real live peeps. wish i could be there for that one! so come and stay a while. breakfast at simple simon’s too?}

 

i’ll be here

havasupai falls

boutique wrap-up

for those of you who couldn’t make it to the little penelope lane boutique this past weekend, i wanted to share a few photos of my booth {the pared down, less-is-more, easier-on-the-back version}. check out those doily runners i finished up on friday.

i was working solo {the hubby was out of town} so i didn’t get a chance to take photos of all the booths, but i was able to shoot my neighbors.

and what fine neighbors they were {some of my favorites!}: justin & lisa of lint & buttons, april of marine parents, and brittany & heath from a handcrafted home.

lint & buttons {crochet & leather fabulousness}

the fabulous things from lisa & justin of lint & buttons. {i came home with a new red leather cuff}

{cotton beauties} from marine parents

the lovely pouches and camera straps from april of marine parents. {i picked up this yellow & grey camera strap}

{great home decor} at a handcrafted home

and the amazing home decor from brittany at a handcrafted home. {no room in the car, otherwise those chairs…} i wish i’d gotten you a close-up of the pretty tiered trays she makes, though, they’re really fabulous. for more goodness, check out brittany’s blog. it’s filled with good ideas for diy home rehab.

a big thanks to sarah {of little penelope lane} & nancy for putting this show together. look for more little penelope lane boutiques coming soon!

couldn’t resist

you know how you sometimes stumble across something so fabulous that you think you’ll burst if you don’t share it? theron humphrey’s photos of his coonhound, maddie, on stuff have me positively gushing. check out every image here. then maybe order one for your house. just an idea.

if you’re feeling particularly love-y towards dogs today, check out these brave life-saving dogs then vote for your favorite. so many inspiring stories. so hard to choose!

i’ve never done this before…

but here goes. i love the photo i took of the cambodian nun so much that i’m entering it in a photo challenge over at i heart faces. {they’re having a black and white challenge.}

i hope the image speaks for itself, but i want to give you a little back story: we were walking through a temple early in the morning, and we passed this woman giving luck/friendship bracelets in exchange for a donation. i didn’t want a bracelet, but i marveled at how her face lit up when she smiled. i kept walking and realized that if i didn’t go back and get her picture, i would regret it. thankfully she lit up again and let me take her photo. {i gave her a donation afterwards.} i played around with the grayscale settings in photoshop and added a pretty heavy vignette so that all you would see is her face. it’s funny that with all the notions i have of beauty {none of which include wrinkles or missing teeth}, hers is one of the most beautiful faces i’ve ever seen. so glad i got this shot.

want to see more of my faces? i’ve got a flickr set dedicated to them.

wish me luck! also, if you’re looking for tips on becoming a better photographer, check out i heart faces. i’ve found tons of good ideas as well as some inspiration there. and you should definitely check out some of the beauties from the black and white challenge!

spring cleaning

{oh, no, not that kind. my house is a wreck!} but i’m spiffing up the etsy store with new photographs. since i first started shooting my work, i’ve learned a thing or two. like how to set a custom white balance and how to get the most from my kit lens. i’ve also got a homemade cardboard box lightbox now, built somewhat on this principle. and–oh! it makes all the difference in the world: soft light, plenty of time to focus and get lots of good shots, and i can do it anytime i want!

garnet hoop earrings

i used to have to wait for the {natural} light to be just right. then i would rush all my supplies to that corner of the house and shoot in a panic. i could never get as much done as i wanted, and i certainly couldn’t do it when i wanted. now i can shoot in the middle of the night or in the pouring rain, and i can leave it set up when i’m done {it’s in the garage}. happy hubby, too, cause it’s not on the dining room table.

so i wanted to share some before and afters. because while the photos are good now, some of my old ones weren’t even in focus. oh what a difference hard work makes. and some new backgrounds.

mixed greens bali bracelet

why now? well, the spring issue of sweet paul magazine is coming out this friday, and it’s got my ad in it. i’m pretty excited, even if i did misspell a word. {that’s what i get for late night photoshopping!} hop on over to his blog right now for some cute spring inspired wallpapers. and be sure to check it out friday at 8am, when the spring issue goes live!

sunny skies turquoise earrings

if you get a chance, swing on by the shop and check out what has a new lease on life, as well as some new pieces i’ve recently added. if you notice that something you loved is missing, let me know. i’m clearing out some old stuff to make way for the new, so i’ll eventually get that stuff into a sale category.

coming up!

omigosh, this craft show is next weekend! loads of fun vendors–including yours truly–will be there with their handmade wares. check out the other vendors at the little penelope lane blog. hope to see you there!