Taking pictures of the pretties

[simbel-myne.livejournal.com]

I've been a crafter all of my life. (Heck, for a while I thought of myself as an artist) But recently, I've really wanted to start getting stuff out there for people to appreciate.

I've had a few thoughts about photography, but nothing novel. I really want more information about the art of taking pictures of jewelry and little things. Because, bleh, my efforts are only so successful.

(this evening, I want to take the time to go trough the archives here and see how many of you all have posted usefulness)
Can it really be done successfully with a plain old digi-cam?
What are the best ways to focus attention? Is it essential to get the entire piece? Or can you focus on details and let the imagination fill in the rest?

Anyway, what are people's goals with their stuff? I love making things for myself and family, but only so much is useful to me and I just keep making things.
What do you do when your gift list is saturated, your house is full, and your friends are tired of being shown that one new thing?

( reposted, here are the wonderful comments I've gotten so far )

last night's journal page

[bestill.livejournal.com]

I did this spread in bed last night, before going to sleep. For those of you who have read the book Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis, you probably read my article about making art in bed, and know that I LOVE to work in my journal in bed. It was the first time I had an art casualty while working in bed. Somehow I got ink from a stamp pad on the inside of my quilt. I use permanent stamp pads, so it's there for good. But, considering how much I work in my journal in bed, it's pretty good that this is the first time anything like that has happened.

Anyone familiar with the use of rhinestones?

[diamondxavenue.livejournal.com]

I have a costume I'd like to cover with Czech (Preciosa) or Austrian (Swarovski) rhinestones, preferably Preciosa. The part I'd like to stone has nude colored lace, very pale gold, and I was wondering what color you'd recommend to use: I want a gold color that doesn't look like flesh-tone! Topaz, Topaz AB?

Hole Puncher

[shadowshow.livejournal.com]

What kind of hole puncher would be best for small holes (less than .5 cm) in materials such as thin wood or very thick cardboard (like, puzzle-piece-thick)? Thanks!

(no subject)

[cutesickle.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone,
I'm new :)
Here are some stuff that I've made...


( Read more )

flaming lips birthday cake

[orphantree.livejournal.com]

my boyfriend is a huge flaming lips fan, so for his birthday i made him a cake (lemon, his favorite), and tried to copy the cd artwork from yoshimi. it's not perfect, but i think it turned out alright!



he's turning 29, which is why i changed the 2-5 to a 2-9.
( another pic here )

A Craft Idea

[arian-diana.livejournal.com]

Last weekend my kids and I went to a small restaurant in town, and I noticed their placemats. The place is decorated with pictures from magazines and such, and they extended that to the placemats.

( One cell phone pic under cut )

(no subject)

[pterizzidactyl.livejournal.com]

hey everyone! I was thinking about trying to make those bamboo tile necklaces...
( bamboo tile necklaces examples )

I know that I can get the bamboo tiles from Pier One for a placemat or something, is there anywhere else?

I bought some glaze at Michaels, but what do I use to do the image transfer?
Is there something I can buy from Michaels? I used to work there, so I should know, but I have no idea.

thanks!!

(edited to add lj-cut.. sorry!)

There's too many headbands!

[sarahsaloser.livejournal.com]

Hey crafty ladies! I come seeking your help!

I have a LARGE collection of little plastic headbands. Just about every color in the rainbow. I love them but storage has become a real problem. ATM I have them wrapped around this cd holder thing (round holds blank discs) but it's not working very well and they will pop off without any provocation at all.

So my question is. Do you guys have any suggestion for a cute simple way to store and show off my headbands? Something that might work for both thin plastic and large clothe ones as well? I was thinking maybe foam rolled up and then covered in clothe? I don't know! I'd love some opinions.