Product Photography

When I first started Dreaming in Craft I bought a small light tent to take pictures of my products when I couldn't get outside in the natural light.  I haven't really used it much because I have been able to take most of my pictures outside.  This weekend we finally got rain in Texas after months of nothing!  Everyone was really excited!  But, I had a problem.  I had a new plushie and a contest that needed to be posted on my blog and it was way too gloomy and wet to photograph anything outside.  So, I set up the light tent.

This is a picture of Rio that I took with a white fleece backdrop outside earlier this year.

It's not bad.  I always wished the backdrop was brighter but it was good enough to use.

This is a picture of my new plushie that I took using my light tent with the exact same white fleece backdrop.

Can you see the difference?  I'll put them side-by-side for you so you can compare better.

I can't believe how much brighter it looks in the light tent!  I will be using it from now on for all of my product pictures.  I'm even considering retaking my other product photos after the holiday show is over.  

If you have a small craft business like me and have been considering buying a light tent but didn't know if it was worth the money, I can tell you that it is.  I got a whole kit including the box, backdrops, camera stand and two lights.  It even folds into a nice little package for easy storage. 

My kit looks a lot like this.

{source}

It's nothing fancy but it does what I need and it's the perfect size for my products.  I found mine on ebay and it really didn't cost much considering how much you get with it.  I recommend looking around the internet to see what you can find in your price range.  You will be so happy you did.

The Name Game - Part Two

I have been trying to come up with a brand new mini plushie for the holiday show for weeks.  I tried drawing lots of mini monsters but I didn't really like any of them.  So, I decided to try something completely different.  

This is what I made!

Felt will always be the main fabric I used to make my plushies.  I love it way too much.  But, I am hoping to try incorporating some other fabrics into my designs next year to expand my plushie collection.  This plushie is made of furry fleece (aka the messiest fabric ever!).  It works great for making something look furry while still keeping it soft and cuddly.  :-)

I was inspired by two things when I made this plushie.  Last year I made a chibi plushie for my friend's daughter and I really wanted to figure out a fun way to make Soot Sprites.

I started to make one out of yarn but I really wanted to make them out of fabric.  I got busy and never got around to it.  Then this week I was taking a little break and playing Chuzzle on my phone (I'm hooked!) and thought it might be fun to make a furry little plushie that looked a bit like a Chuzzle.

And that is how my new plushie came to be.  :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I need your help.  I don't know what to name this plushie!  Will you help me?   I decided to have another contest like I had for the Love Bites and ask for suggestions.  I will then open it up to a vote and the winner will get one of these little guys for a prize!  What do you think?  Do you want to play?

Here's how it works...

1.  Comment on this post with your name, name idea and an email address where I can contact you for shipping info if you win.  Names will be accepted until Thursday, October 13th.

2.  Voting will open on Friday, October 14th and last through Sunday, October 16th.

3.  The winning name will be announced on Monday, October 17th.

p.s.  I have been having trouble finding more colors of the furry fleece.  I have tried the fabric stores I know of in Austin and I tried to find some online with no luck.  Do any of you know where I can find some?  Your help would be much appreciated.  :-)

Blue Toucan

You may have seen this shop this morning on Etsy because it was on the front page, but I had to share it in case you missed it.  This shop is called Blue Toucan Creative and it sells fairy doors!  Yes, I said fairy doors.  It's such a sweet idea!

Look at this cuteness!

{source}

This one looks like a little mushroom!

{source}

Wouldn't these be a fun gift for someone who loves to garden?  They would be really cute for a kids room, too!

Blog Action Day 2011

Last year I participated in Blog Action Day for the first time.  This is a day where bloggers come together once a year and write about the same topic to raise awareness about it.  Last year the topic was water.  I wrote a post about an organization called charity:water.  I also made Rio, a plushie to raise money for charity:water.

Rio is still available at Dreaming in Craft.  All money made from the sale of this plushie will be donated directly to charity:water.

This October 16th bloggers around the world will come together to talk about food in honor of World Food Day.  There aren't a lot of people registered under the craft category so I hope you will join in.  You can register your blog on the Blog Action Day website and also find resources to help you with ideas and information for your post.  This is a great way to connect with other bloggers, too.

Have you participated in Blog Action Day before?  What did you write about?

You Make Beautiful Things

Happy Monday!  I mean...happy monday?  Yeah, I think this is going to be a good Monday.  :-)

A few weeks ago some friends told me about Gungor and I wanted to share this song with you.  It's called Beautiful Things.

New Zipper Pouches

While working on my zipper pouches for the Austin Craft Riot Holiday Show I made two new designs.  I love designs that are cute and simple so I decided to make zipper pouches with two of my favorite cute and simple things.

Balloons...

and bunting.

These will first be available at the holiday show but I will have them available at Dreaming in Craft after that...just in time for holiday shopping!  :-)

What projects have you been working on this week?

Where am I?

I'm over at Punk Projects!  I wrote a guest post for Katie's blog about some homemade craft show displays I made using picture frames.  Do you remember these?

Be sure to come back tomorrow.  I have TWO new zipper pouches to show you!