Topic one: Following through.
I have never been good at following through with projects. I should really say that I don't follow through when I become "disenchanted" with a project. Lately, I have been trying to step out of the box a little in my creative endeavors, use different materials that I don't ususally use, different colors that I shy away from, things like that! I started a project last week that was very bold and colorful and ORANGE. I have never been partial to orange, but I found a wonderful dichroic cabochon that I really liked and decided to give orange a try.
The cab has various shades of orange, yellow, gold, black, and of all colors, hot pink. WOW, really stepping out of the box! Okay, so, gather all of the things you need and start! I got out all of my orange, yellow, gold, red and pink beads and set to work.
I sorted through the colorful confussion and came up with the selection of beads that I wanted to use. I put my selections into 2x2 baggies and set it all out to make my plan! Ugh! it looks like Halloween!
Okay, I'll be alright... After the initial shock , I actually started to like the colors. The cab has a sort of "patchwork" pattern,and I thought that it would be cool to do the bead embroidery on the bracelet in the same pattern. WRONG! I got part way into the pattern and and it was all wrong! It was too much! The cab is so pretty, I didn't want to overwhelm it with too much "stuff".
So, that got ripped out and I had to regroup. I decided to go with various stripes of the colors I had picked. I used different sizes of beads to add texture. This worked alot better.
I finished both sides of the bracelet and was less than enthused! It wasn't until I added the last finishing touches that I actually liked the bracelet. I wasn't sure how to clasp the bracelet and then I had a brilliant idea! I added four yellow glass rondelle beads as buttons and made four stretchy button hole loops with black seed beads and Gossamer floss. It looked so cute! Like the cuff of a shirt! I loved it! So my first topic is complete! Stick it out with a project, even if you decide that you hate it. Modify it, fix it, do what ever you have to do, but stick it out. You may be pleasantly suprised in the end! I will post pictures of the finished bracelet tomorrow, which brings me to my second topic: Picture taking tips!
I wanted to get this topic down because I have had some issues with picture-taking and I want to help anyone who has had the same issues.
I am a VERY picky picture taker. I will not use a picture unless it is clear and in focus. When I re-opened my shop after about a 8 month break, I had not been taking pictures and I had to re-learn the camera and the way to get good pictures. I have a "picture box". It is really cool. (I'll take a picture of the picture box tomorrow too!) It is made of white parachute-like fabric that light can difuse through. It has blue and grey backdrops, but I have found that the plain white of the sides themselves makes for the best pictures. I was having alot of trouble with lighting too. I have two lights that came with the photo box, but I still seem to get alot of shadow with these. I have found that I get the best pictures if I take them during the day. I set the picture box up by my glass porch door. I use two sides of the box and leave the side to the door open. The light from the door reflects off the white of the picture box and I get perfect pictures! So thats why I will be posting the other pictures of the bracelet tomorrow! I have to wait for daylight to take the pictures! So thats all for tonight! As usual, I have stayed up past my bedtime! Goodnight and sleep well, for tomorrow is another day to bead!
KC
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