Photographing Cards

I have a lot to learn about photography.  While I feel like I know how to compose a good photo, I know very little about how to translate my vision to a well-taken photograph.  I've read quite a bit about the basics and have done a lot of experimenting with the manual mode of my little point-and-shoot, but I'm just barely learning how much there is I don't know.

I usually scan my layouts, but I prefer to photograph cards.  Since I often use dimensional elements on cards (and almost never do on layouts), a photograph is a better way of showing off a card.  Except my pictures always looked flat and distorted.  I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. 

So I finally asked my husband for help.  Steve is a very knowledgeable photographer and immediately identified my main problem.  After putting the card in the light tent, I was standing very close and using the macro setting, which led to distortion.  He told me to back way up and use the zoom.  The difference was immediately apparent.  This photo won't win any awards for Excellence in Card Photography, but it's one of the better pictures I've taken of a card, especially considering that it was taken on a dark, rainy day:

I showed Steve a few blogs I follow that have excellent card photography.  He noticed something they had in common and gave me another suggestion.  Look closely at the back of this card:

See the way the back is ever-so-slightly elevated?  A lot of the best pictures had that in common.  Steve had an idea to test.  Here's a side view.  Propping the card up on a very thin Lego both keeps it stable and creates dimension in the photograph. 

Two little changes and already my card photography is improved.

An Open Letter to Inventors

Dear Inventors of Products for Scrapbookers,

As I've been adding things to my Christmas wishlist, I can't help but notice that some of the things I want most of all do not appear to exist. I'd really appreciate your help. Would you please make the following items in time for the holidays?

*A 12x12 scanner
     I know that you must not think this is cost-effective to make, but I swear to you that thousands and thousands of scrapbookers will buy one.  Please.  If a 12x12 scanning bed isn't feasible, can you at least make one with that's 12 inches in one direction, so I only have to scan twice instead of four times before stitching?  Most scanners already have an 11.5 inch bed- could you just make one 0.5 inch longer?

*Self-sharpening blades on all trimmers and electronic cutters
     I have had a self-sharpening Fiskars guillotine trimmer for years.  It does not get dull.  I love it.  It is incredibly irritating that the blades in my my other trimmer and my electronic cutter get dull so quickly.  Could you please be the one who invents a self-sharpening blade for other applications beyond the guillotine trimmer?

(Self sharpening blade.  Awesome.)

*Adhesive that starts out temporary and becomes permanent over time
     If such a thing exists, I have not found it.  I want to be able to apply an adhesive, put the element down in the correct spot, move it if I make a mistake, and then leave it in place once it's perfect and have it there permanently.  I do not want to use temporary adhesive, put it in the correct spot, then lift it off, add permanent adhesive, and hope I put it back in exactly the right place.

*Ink that can be erased with a special tool
     I love the look and ease of stamping, but hate that it is so easy to mess up a project with my lousy stamping skills.  I want an ink that I can erase if I mess up, but that will stay permanently if I happen to stamp it correctly the first time.  I'm thinking there would be a special tool that would erase the ink so that there wouldn't be any accidental erasing or smearing. 


                                                                                           Sincerely,
                                                                                           Cindy deRosier

Another Use for Foam Dots

When I make cards, I frequently use foam dots (affiliate link) to pop up an element on the card. Here's one of many sheets of dots that live in my adhesives basket.  

Years ago, I used to throw out the sheet when I used up all the dots. Then I realized I should save the unused parts to cut apart to make pop-up strips for larger items. Now I've discovered another purpose for used-up sheets of foam dots.

They make a perfect template for rows of Stickles!  Here's a card I made using that technique. Check out the perfectly even dots of Stickles on the background cardstock.

"A friend is a treasure more precious than gold." Happy 30th birthday Courteney!

Expect to see many more dotted Stickles backgrounds from me in the future!

Rice Chowder

As I've mentioned before, I'm cooking my way through several decades' worth of recipes I've torn out of magazines. I decided to try a recipe called "Wild Rice Chowder." Well.... I started out with the good intentions of actually following the recipe, but that was immediately foiled when the grocery store didn't have wild rice. They had rice blends that included wild rice, but no stand-alone wild rice.  At that point, all hopes of following the recipe were over. You can't make something called "Wild Rice Chowder" with no wild rice. 

So I made up my own recipe that was loosely inspired by the original. VERY loosely. Here's what I made. It was SO good. Definitely a new family favorite.

Rice Chowder

                                       1 T. oil                                                         1 c. water

                                       3 oz. ham, chopped                                 4 c. vegetable broth

                                       1 stalk celery, chopped                            2 T. flour

                                       3 carrots, chopped                                   2 c. milk

                                       1 garlic clove, minced                              1 c. swiss chard, chopped

                                       1/2 c. uncooked rice                                1 oz. Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large pot. Add ham, celery, and carrots. Saute over medium high heat about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and rice; saute 2 minutes. Pour in water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Combine flour and milk, whisking thoroughly.  Add to soup.  Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Add swiss chard and cook for 5 more minutes.  Ladle into bowls; top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Why I Don't Believe in Providing Patterns When Kids Craft

I've briefly mentioned before that I do not provide kids with patterns when making crafts. There is a time and a place for patterns... sewing, for example, where the fit of a garment matters. Patterns are great when you want every project to turn out exactly the same, but that isn't what I want when teaching crafts to kids. Half of the fun is seeing how each person's turns out. Back in my teaching days, my class of 5th graders would produce 32 different projects that reflected their unique personalities. Walk into a classroom where the kids used a pattern on a project and you'll know it immediately.

But surely that only applies to older kids, like 5th graders, right? Absolutely not. I introduced Trevor to scissors at age 2 (safety scissors, of course) and helped him learn how to cut basic shapes. Now that he is 5, his motor skills have improved and he is more competent with the scissors. When we do a craft, I show him what the general shape should be, demonstrate how I cut mine, then give him the freedom to create. Sometimes he is frustrated with his motor skills and feels like he didn't cut it the way he wanted it to look; in that case, I provide him with more paper to try again. 

Here are the pandas that we made in May. Trevor's (age 4) is on the left. Mine is on the right. Notice how different they are. If I'd provided Trevor with templates to cut nice round eyes or a triangle nose, he would have never created his awesome panda. I love his. In fact, just about everyone who feels comfortable being honest with me said that Trevor's is cuter. My mom told me that mine looks deranged! 

Here are some monkeys we made, also in May. Again, Trevor's (age 4) is on the left and mine is on the right. Trevor really liked mine and wanted to trace the pieces so that his could be the same. I told him that he had to make his own first, then he could trace mine if he wanted to make another one. Well, wouldn't you know it... he cut his freehand, loved the results, and chose not to trace mine. 

And here are the turkeys that we just made. Trevor's (age 5) is on the left; mine is on the right. I had Trevor sketch out the basic shapes of the turkey body parts on the back of the construction paper, then make any modifications until he was happy. He then cut around his sketched shapes. It would have been faster to give him a pattern to trace, but speed is definitely not the goal. He's far more proud of his turkey knowing that he did the whole thing 100% on his own.