Today's Friday Finds theme is "Happy Housewarming", in honor of my hubby and I sigining the contract to purchase our first home this week! I hope to decorate with as many handmade items as possible--maybe even a few of these :)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sneak Peek: New Work for 9/12 Show!
As promised, here is another sneak peek at my new work for the upcoming Designers' Downtown Market in Raleigh, NC on Saturday September 12th. This latest version of my Seahorse Bauble pendant features lovely labradorite faceted stone beads and dainty matching earrings :)Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wish List Wednesday!
Today's Wish List Wendesday pick comes with a healthy dose of nostaligia :) As a child growing up in my parents' Vermont farmhouse I often helped my Mom pick lilacs from our gigantic backyard lilac bush or peonies from the front garden to display in the antique pitcher and basin passed down through her family. Since my husband and I have just purchased our first home (a yellow farmhouse with black shutters, just like the house I grew up in!) this pitcher and bowl from floweringceramics on Etsy has risen to the top of my personal wish list :)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
It's That Time Already?!?!
Once again time has slipped by alarmingly fast, and I find myself with only a few weeks left before SmuTopia's next show! On Saturday September 12th SmuTopia will be setting up a booth at the Designer's Downtown Market in Raleigh, NC. As always, it is my goal to have as much new inventory as possible for the DDM to keep my returning customers coming back for more! :) Stay tuned for more sneak-peeks at my new work for this show!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Want-Monster Wednesday!
Every day on Etsy I find wonderful new handmade items, but every so often something catches my eye so strongly that my inner "want-monster" breaks free :) These shoes are a great example--they jump out at me every time I view my favs! If hubby asks what I want for my birthday next month these will definately be on the list!
What brings out your inner "Want-Monster"? Leave a comment sharing your current fav!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Smu's Friday Finds: Genus Hippocampus (aka SeaHorses)
For my fellow science-geeks, here is taxonomy of the SeaHorse:
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Syngnathiformes
Family Syngnathidae
Genus Hippocampus
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Syngnathiformes
Family Syngnathidae
Genus Hippocampus
Smu's Friday Finds: Lichen Lover
Today's first round of nature-inspired handmade items come from these excellent Etsy shops: ZenCeramics, MagdaLinen and Ottoman.
Linen Thread Lariat. Delicate Crocheted. Lighr Olive Green. 
Lichen Pincushion
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wow-Me Wednesday: Phototile
I found this incredible new etsy shop, Phototile, through a blog where I was previously featured, Exceptional Etsians. At first glance, I thought the images were fractals (which also would have been cool) but they are actually satellite images of EARTH! Amazing, right?!?! As I'm always drawing my own inspiration from nature, I love the concept of "Earth as Art"! Be sure to visit Phototile's Etsy shop to see the full selection--the images are truly incredible!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Happy Surprises
It's always nice to get a surpise gift, and this weekend I was the lucky recipient of several! My parents live in Vermont (I live in Raleigh, NC) so imagine my surprise when my Dad called on Saturday to say he was in Virginia on his way to my place! No only that, he was driving down and flying back so he could GIVE me his old car!!! It must be said, my parents rock! :) In addition to the big gift of the new-to-me Olds Intrigue my Dad brought along some surprises of the crafty variety (pictured above). The 24ga silver-plated copper wire is actually scrap from the wire factory where my Dad works--I love that I'm re-using something that would have been thrown away (and it just happens to be identical to the wire I've been using that I purchased from ACMoore!) All in all, as much as I loved the gifts, the best part of the weekend was getting to watch a baseball game with my two favorite guys, Hubby and Dad :)
Friday, August 7, 2009
Smu's Friday Finds Round 2: Fake Food!
Round two is one of my perennial favorites--things that look like food, but aren't :) Be sure to click the links above each pic and give these items some love!
Smu's Friday Finds: Baseball!
I am a BIG baseball fan (I bet it won't take long for you to guess my team!), and it always makes me smile to see baseball-themed handmade items :) Here are a few of my favorites in honor of America's Passtime.
Wooden Doll, Ball Player by TheEnchantedCupboard
B is for Baseball - Whimsical 8x10 Original Fine Art Print by MCKPhotography
Baseball Swing for the Fences Vinyl art sports decal by Wallspoken
Friendly Fenway- Print by Knight27
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I Snagged a Treasury! EtsyTwitter Team Pretty in Pink
It has been months since I last created a treasury (I never seem to be online at the right time) so I was thrilled to snag a spot in the main treasury on Etsy while I was home on my lunchbreak! The items featured are all from members of the EtsyTwitter Team :)
Messy Jessie Checking In!
After reaching a seldom-seen level of tidiness during my parents' weekend visit, my craft room has already started on the downward spiral toward messiness and disarray. This is nothing unusual as my creative process and organization tend to be mutually exclusive :)The head of the guest bed in the room is usually pushed up against the window, but I moved the bed a few days back so I could set up to take photos in the afternoon sun (natural light always gives me the best results for photos.) As you can see, I don't need much room for photo shoot--I just use a few pieces of my craft show display to put my props and tripod at the right height and I'm ready to go.
I've been tempted for awhile now to rearrange the furniture in the room to relocate the bed for easier access to the natural light from the window, but my kitty Cleo loves lying on the bed to watch the world outside the window which has prevented me from acting on the idea. I think a compromise is in order--maybe we can move the bed so only half of the window is covered :)
Monday, August 3, 2009
I'm so excited to be part of this EtsyTwitter Team Treasury! It is currently on page 2, ranked higher than any treasury I've ever been in! Check it out and add some clicks to help it rise to page 1!!!
Smu's New Camera! Canon PowerShot A480
After working on product shots with the digital camera received as an engagement gift for several years (hubby and I celebrated our fifth anniversary this summer), it was finally time for me to purchase a newer model camera :) When shopping for this new model, my main concerns centered around product shots and related issues with close-up shots of jewelry:1. Macro Setting! This is the setting on your digital camera that allows you to shoot extreme close-ups (i.e. the lens of your camera is only a few inches away from the subject.) It is usually represented by a flower icon.
2. Easy to adjust focus options! When using the macro setting, it is important to turn off the auto-focus feature on your camera and/0r use the spot-focus mode due to the short focal length (focal length = distance from lens to subject). Generally turning off the AF automatically puts the camera in "spot focus", so no worries if you don't see a "spot focus" option--this camera doesn't list "spot focus" as an option, all I had to do was turn off AF. This Canon powershot not only allows the user to easily switch focus options, but also shows a green regtangle around the focal point when in spot-focus mode (my old camera did not have this, and it is incredibly helpful!)
My advise to anyone shopping for a camera for product shots: get to know the camera you have before you shop for a new one! The more time you spend playing around the better you will know your needs and priorities come shopping time :) I adjusted settings on my old camera, played with props, lighting and camera angles for almost two years before finally buying this new camera, and armed with the knowledge I gained during that time I was able to find a camera that meets all of my needs and takes better pics than my old one for less than 1/4 the price of the camera I am replacing!
Here is one of the pics from my first shoot with the new camera--let me know what you think! The sun didn't want to cooperate, but the clarity is a huge improvement over my old camera :)
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