Taking good pictures...

I've been struggling with my photographic mojo lately, and thought I'd share some dismal failures in the photography department to show you what I mean.

I made a gorgeous headband/fingerless glove set for a client who didn't want the items worn by a model but did want pictures of the items. Given that I was in the throes of an intercontinental move and had no real work space, I pulled out my trusty camera, a suitably colorful last minute surface, and came up with...

This. What, pray tell, are those lumpish purple things? And the background? My bedsheets and other assorted messes. How dreadful.

My first thought was that maybe the shot would be improved by being a little closer on the items. So I tried again and got...

Well...it's certainly closer. At this point it was about 1 am, and I was rapidly giving up on consciousness, so I gave up and sent the client the second image and promised better quality ones when I had a chance to take some daylight photos. 

Surprise, surprise...she bought the items based on these images. 

I guess I'm making this post to reassure myself and fellow perfectionist crafters that sometimes, it's more important to get the content OUT there than it is to make sure it's perfect. In this case, the client had a pretty good idea of what she was getting and really just wanted a photo to confirm the order was done. There's no way I would use this image for an etsy listing or any other promotional effort if they weren't already spoken for...BUT I guess I'm learning that not everything has to be magazine ready to sell.

I still WANT everything to be magazine ready, of course. But it doesn't always have to be. 

Meanwhile, I am reading blogs and watching videos on how to become a better photographer. And sharing my mini-failure up here to solicit commiseration from other crafters, bloggers, and sellers...have you ever had something that you just *couldn't* get right?

Peace, beautiful people!

SweetShop Creations is still blogging...

Hey friendly neighborhood SweetShoppers! Don't know if any of you have had a chance to peek at the etsy shop or the Twitter lately, but I'm taking a little break from online sales. I've just completed a very definite intercontinental move and am thinking of doing some different things with the shop. That means there won't be any SweetShop items available in the shop until after Christmas, but never fear...you can always contact me for a custom order HERE if you have a specific item in mind or buy an Etsy gift card HERE.

I'll still be blogging here about all my personal crafting in the meantime. Trust me, now that I'm not making loads of ready made hats, I'll be doing TONS! I still haven't finished my winter sweater from last year!

In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of a crochet turkey courtesy of Crochet Spot and check out the pattern HERE.

Cute, isn't he? 

Peace, beautiful people!

Handmade Product Update: Pamper and Preen

So I thought I'd do a quick update on Pamper and Preen's Honey Caramel soap, which I reviewed last week. I've been using the soap about a week or two now, and a few things have become obvious;

1)I won't be buying this soap again. The next two items are why.

2)It is, ultimately, VERY drying. Although at first it didn't seem to have much of an effect, prolonged usage has turned me into Mel, Master of Ash and Flakes. Personally, I have dry skin and I HATE that tight stripped feeling I get after using a drying product. I've had that after every shower so far this week, aand I don't like it. Thank God for cocoa butter.

3)It doesn't last long. I've been using the bar of soap for two weeks, and it is less than half the size it initially was. I'm very careful to store my soap in a covered dish, so it's not stray water causing this.

Overall, this was nice to try, and I'm glad I could support a local handmade seller with a stray £5. But I won't be doing it again.

Peace!

I Buy Handmade: Pamper And Preen

Look, at this point I'm not even going to bother apologizing for how long it's been since I've updated this blog. I'm doing a full-time MA, I have a part time job, and I also have *Bill Cosby voice* FIVE other blogs. Count them, one, two, three, four, five! And while that's really no excuse for being a lazy and unreliable craft blogger...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So what's brought me out of Dreadful Blog Silence? Another excellent handmade vendor, that's what.

So, as you can imagine, I spend a lot of time on etsy.com, perusing other people's wonderful wares. As you can guess from the SweetShop mission statement, I am vey passionate about handmade items and supporting sustainable development, wherever that may be. The third leg in the tripod of my personal stance on buying and selling is supporting local makers and sellers as well. So, usually, my trip to etsy starts with me clicking the "Shop Local" button on the left hand side of the page.

And that is how I came across Pamper & Preen soaps. Usually I buy handmade items because of a personal connection to the maker or particular aesthetics or ideals. This time, it simply was a matter of hey, I'm out of soap, they live in Manchester too, and I have 5 extra pounds in my account this week.

I bought Pamper & Preen's Honey Caramel Cold Process soap for £2.85 plus an additional £2.46 shipping. YIKES at the shipping, right? Especially since they're right around the corner, practically. But because I've recently been all but forced to charge exorbitant shipping rates for my own products, I feel a bit more charitable about such things and went ahead and paid it. For the most part I'm glad I did.

The Honey Caramel soap looks pretty much it does on Pamper & Preen's site...so no surprises there. It has a deep, sweet fragrance with hints of vanilla and coconut as well as honey and caramel. The bottom edge is scattered with a sprinkling of black seens. I'm not exactly sure WHAT they are, but they're great for exfoliating and they haven't turned my skin green yet, so they don't bother me. This is what it looks like unpackaged;

I bought this soap because I have dry, sensitive skin and I need something that cleans my grimy self without turning me into Mel, Master of Ash and Flakes. This soap pretty much fits the bill...it gets me clean. It smells lovely, although the scent doesn't stick around for very long. And while I haven't been using it for very long, it hasn't dried out my skin, which I definitely appreciate it. I do slather on a thick moisturizer afterwards though, so if you aren't an after-bath lotioner, you might not have the same results.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm damning Pamper & Preen with faint praise...I'm not intending to. It's a beautifully made bar of soap, and while it doesn't exceed my expectations it meets them very well. If you like handmade soaps and want to pamper yourself with a lovely scented bar of soap, I'd recommend giving Pamper & Preen a visit HERE.

Peace beautiful people!

The Good, The Bad, and the Downright Frustrating...

Greetings SweetShoppers!

So let's start with the good...

Image Source: Councillor Simon Killane

 
--First of all, the SweetShop is back up and running! Check us out here, as always. You'll notice some big changes--there are some new and different items being offered and a pretty hefty clearance section. The biggest change for you(the customer) is that domestic shipping is no longer free and all shipping costs have gone up substantially. This was a big decision for me to make--I'd felt previously that international shipping shouldn't add a third or more onto the price of a wonderful handmade item, and local shoppers should be rewarded for their conscientiousness with lower delivery costs. However, it was taking an unacceptably long time for some customers to receive their purchases, and the budget shipping options I was using are untrackable. With that in mind, I've decided to send all parcels--international and domestic--using trackable mail. It's important to me and you that you receive your items on time and in one piece!
--The second good thing is that SweetShop Creations is slowly becoming tri-lingual! Listings on the etsy page are now available in English and French. SweetShop Patterns...most notably the Raspberry Beret..are now available in English on this blog and in Spanish translation thanks to the lovely  Hasta El Monyo. To see SweetShop patterns in Spanish, click HERE.

Es la boina frambuesa. Horale!

Now for the bad...and the downright frustrating...

--Really there's only one thing, but it's a biggie--I am having massive issues with my computer and camera. This is my usual bugaboo--my desire for technology far outweighs the level of what I can competently use or afford, for that matter. While those issues are being resolved, updates to the shop will not be happening at the grand scale I was hoping for, and they'll also be quite slow. (Although, that is nothing new at all...). Thanks for your patience with me, SweetShoppers...I guess this is my cue to step up my pattern writing and other skills. It's also your cue to buy lots of hats and earrings to help me reach my computer repair goals. (Was that begging? I prefer to call it needs-based advertising...I think...)

Stay tuned for more blogging updates, SweetShoppers! Peace!

A little sneak preview...

As some of you know, most of the items in the SweetShop are on sale right now, making way for new and different designs as of February 1st.

Oh. You didn't know that? Well, now ya do. Head over to SweetShop Creations, take a peruse, pick up a few clearance priced items. Aside from a few signature items, they'll be gone come the first of February.

Meanwhile, I'm working hard(ly?) creating new designs for next month. I just finished one that I thought I'd give a little sneak preview of...please pardon the blurry, sickly-lit photos.

Haven't come up with a name for it yet, but it's basically a cozy, snuggly shawl...

With a handy drawstring! This way you can change the fit depending on how you wear it...looser for a shawl or cape, tighter for a cowl...the possibilities are endless!

Speaking of which, I think I got a little carried away playing with the drawstring...

Hey, I'm warm!

Look out for this original item and more by SweetShop Creations in February! And meanwhile, head over to the shop and get the (old) good stuff before it's gone! 

No-One on the corner has(crafty) swagger like us!

*peeks from under quilt* Is it over? The holiday season, I mean. SweetShoppers, I was not even remotely prepared for the maelstrom that was this past Christmas season. I did no decorating. No Christmas crafting. No Christmas cards. Precious little celebrating. No, beautiful people, what I did was Christmas cooking, and Christmas eating, and Christmas (night job) working, and Christmas studying. Bah humbug.

But, that is all past, and I have no problem reaping the benefits of January sale. See below...

I know it doesn't look like much, but there are 5 skeins of yarn in that plastic bag in the rear of the pic, courtesy of Abakhan's 10% off sale. It's mostly Robin Acrylic Double Knit, but there is a nice skein of black woolen worsted and some sparkly lavender double knit in there as well.

In the front of the pic you'll see a hilarious crochet hook that I got at Fred Aldous in Manchester city centre, simply because it is large and traffic cone orange. I think it's a sign of obsession(or worse) that I find that crochet hook as funny as I do. There's also a gorgeous wooden 6.50 mm hook that I splurged on at Purl City Yarns as a treat--it's a gorgeous bamboo hook. I've never really crocheted with wooden hooks before, but I've always wanted to try, and this one happens to be my favorite size AND tie-dyed.  Like I said. obsession. Maybe worse.

Rounding out my Purl City haul is a handful of checkered and spotted covered buttons that I got for a pound. I have no idea what I'm going to use them for. But they were cute, and I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Total cost for all this future crafty goodness; 13.70, or thereabouts. God bless the January sales.

Speaking of sales, I'd be amiss if I didn't mention that SweetShop Creations, my very own etsy shop, is having one RIGHT NOW! Like huge. Major percentages off of everything. Check it out. Help me pay for my next yarn haul. *g*

Peace!

P.S. Not pictured is a copy of Stitch N' Bitch knitting I scored on Amazon for 3.50 or something like that. I'm not picturing it because every time I try to learn to knit, I embarrass myself. I'm mentioning it because, hey, humility is good, right?