FYI


Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Hello hello - yes, I have woken up from hibernation in Hibernia. It is quite evident - not only in the fact that I have already posted a crafty project this week, but that I could not rest until I had spring-cleaned my blog.

Well, it's a bit more than a spring clean, I guess. It's a complete make-over. I just couldn't bear the bright read any longer. Inexplicably I have recently developed a "thing" for bright yellow. I have no idea why. I never particularly liked yellow - too garish, too cold, too sour. But at the moment I simply cannot get enough of yellow. I have been posting quite a bit of that on my Pinterest boards. Maybe I am craving the colour of the sun after months of winter? In any case - since I cannot really re-decorate my house in bright yellow (it would just look out of place, I think), I am revamping craft-werk instead.



Grey is pretty much on trend, too, and doesn't it look great with yellow? I couldn't resist and drag the spring-theme even to the header and reappropriate one of my earlier projects, the bird magnets, for the header illustration. Read about them here.

Oh, and one thing hasn't changed: I am still a geek. And therefore I had to change my favicon from the white scissors on red background to a sleek little factory. (If you want to know how to make your own custom favicon, here's my post.)

That, actually, is my general logo for my RLW (real life work) as a journalist and photographer. Incidentally, if you wanna have a look, check my new photography website which I am currently revamping, too (so not entirely glitch-less yet). It's called imagewerk - of course...

Anyhow, hope you like the new look. While I was at it, I had to change my blog signature, too. After all, it all has to fit together, somehow - the organic look, so to speak. So I made myself a new signature on mylivesignature.com It's dead easy - so had over there and get yourself a personal touch, too ;-)



Best,

Saturday, December 31, 2011

A Nice End to an Old Year

Dear readers - I haven't been a good blogger this year. At least not on Craft-Werk. I have been very active in my photoblog 2picsaweek and have also started a German language blog on my life in love-exile. There was little time for crafting in my busy life between college, computer and home.


So a happy new year from moi to you ;-).

The mug you see above was a project I did a while back. You can read about it here. I am selfishly regurgitating it because it has just been featured in Jamie's fabulous blog "Sew Rockin'". Don't be fooled by the name of the blog - there is more going on there than just sewing. Her "Sew Rock Fridays" are a great showcase of projects that other crafters have done, so swing over there and have a peek ;-).

That concludes 2011 - let's see what 2012 brings. Lots of crafty love!


Best,

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Back with a Splash

Ah, it is wonderful to be welcomed back to the blogging community. I almost feel ashamed that I have been so quiet in the last while... Two of my favourite craft-bloggers have just posted my XXL star on their wonderfully resourceful sites. Thank you, Rayan from Design Confidential and Michelle from Somedaycrafts - I am more than chuffed that you found my project worth passing on...

If you don't know these sites already, then it is high time that you check them out, fellow crafters!

Design Confidential is a a great resource for anything a crafter needs. See those neat little boxes above the post? They will lead you to all kinds of projects, tutorials, links, before and afters, you name it. She covers a lot more than exclusively crafts - this is a one-stop-shop for all things design, DIY, craft etc. Go on, and spread the love ;-)




Someday Crafts on the other hand focusses on crafts. And especially on those that catch our eye. We bookmark them and decide to do them. Someday. :-) I love the do-ability and accessibility of the crafts Michelle features on her site. And you will, too. So have a little snoop-around and don't be surprised if you find yourself bookmarking half her site...



What a good start - I think I'll write another blogpost right now...



Best,




Don't forget to check this ouuuuuuuuuuut:


   

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Only 3 Months to Chrimbo...

Ok, Christmas sweeties are already in the shops here. I know, nothing new, happens everywhere. And yet every year I am surprised when I bump into gingerbread stars, Christmas puddings and chocolate Santa Clauses at the end of September. Frankly, I think it is sick!

However, today I am appealing to you to do some of your Christmas shopping early. My excuse is that I want to highlight an extremely good cause. I have just come across the etsy Europe for Charity store.


There is a large variety of beautiful, hand-crafted, totally individual items for sale in this shop, that the talented crafters have donated for charity. All the proceeds from the sales go to the flood victims in Pakistan.

Just at first glance I saw some must-have items for sale there, for instance the beautiful porcelain button by Annemiek from TwoTreesBelgium (whom I incidentally happen to know personoally and who is making the most amazing, delicate, yet cute porcelain pieces. She also keeps a blog where you can learn more about how she creates her pieces of art: Two Trees.) Or these lovely spherical earrings which would cheer up my day every time I put them on. Or the most stylish sewing kit EVER. Seriously, you can get your Christmas shopping done in a matter of seconds AND you are supporting a fantastic cause.

Also: There is another way of doing good. Chances are that you, dear readers, are gifted crafters, too. Have you thought about donating a piece of your work to the charity initiatives on etsy? It had passed me by that this was happening now, but a few months ago I took part in the Craft Hope for Haiti charity sale and within hours my flower corsage was sold.


Maybe I'll find something hand-made which I can contribute to the sale. Otherwise: Go buy and help!

Oh, and if any of you readers decide to put something up for sale in the Charity shops - please let me know. I would love to highlight the cause, the shop and of course you and your blog!

Best,

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Housekeeping

While making over my blog the other day, somehow the new template I used ignored my previous geeky additions. And so I discovered with dismay, that my pride and joy- the favicon - had vanished. Oh no! So I had to do a bit of housekeeping and re-launch my little badge of geekiness. Took me a little bit of time and effort to restore the scissors into the code, but I managed - not least with the help of my own post on the topic *haha*. Click HERE if you want to learn how to distinguish your blog with a favicon. 

And while I am at it, there is another little housekeeping item. I am happy to announce that my modest little project on lavender wardrobe fresheners was featured on Stephanie's Under the Table and Dreaming blog. *yay* Another button for my list on the left proudly displayed.


If you haven't yet discovered Under the Table and Dreaming, then take the opportunity and check the blog now. Stephanie hosts a blog linking party every Sunday - a treasure trove of cute and original ideas.

Ok, off now to think up some new ideas...

Best,

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Contributing Today over at Remodelaholic

Geeeeez, I am so busy these days, I nearly missed the fact that I contributed today to Cassity's fantastic blog Remodelaholic


She has come up with the idea of getting regular contributions to her crafty, beautiful and original blog. Not that she needs it really - I am totally amazed by the incredible remodels Cassity has shown so far on Remodelaholic. Truly professional. And what is even nicer is that she always shares tutorials how she made the projects she publishes. Honestly - Remodelaholic is definitely a site worth visiting. And it makes it even sweeter for me to have the opportunity to show one of my little projects among all the amazing ideas over there. Is your mouth watering craft-hand itching? Here is another little teaser - this is what I made:



Want to find out how I came up with this lovely little spot clock? Head on over to Remodelaholic where a step-by-step how-to is posted, complete with photos and a little bit of background. And if you are crafty - Cassity is looking for a few more regular contributors to her blog. Check out her site - it's worth it!!!

Best,

Monday, March 22, 2010

Oooops...

Hello everyone, something went wrong with the link party on Saturday. Apparently the widget didn't quite work. :-( And worse - I didn't notice it because I was busy all weekend, photographing and looking after guests. 

Big apology to everyone who tried to link up. I hope I get this thing working next week! Off to visit all comments and new followers now. But do stay and have a scone, please - they are freshly baked ;-)


Best,

Friday, March 19, 2010

Second Star on Saturday

Did you write and craft much this last week? Well, I got two little projects done - and wish I could have done more. But alas - life doesn't always let me do what I want to do. I am pretty busy with my college course at the mo, and then there is also family duties and a string of visitors who are staying with us. 

A big thank you, by the way, to all the nice people who took the time to leave a comment on one of my posts. I do try and return the visit, but it's entirely possible that I sometimes miss someone. Ooops. Not intentional! I know how GREAT it is to receive feedback. ANY kind of feedback - even just a one-word-post like "cool" can make my day. 
How about making somebody else's day next? Do you have a favourite project that you posted on your blog this last week? I'd love to see it. Please do post it here on "The Star on Saturday" linking party. And then visit the other participants' sites and leave a comment for them.


The rules:

  1. The project has to be yours. (But it doesn't matter whether it was posted on your blog or you posted it as a guest post somewhere else.)
  2. Only one link per week.
  3. You need to link back to the party via link or button.
  4. Anything vaguely crafty goes: Projects, re-dos, before and afters, recipes, how tos, also blogging tips.
If I were to add a link, it would be my Easter Eggorations... they were my favourite post this week, because it was such an easy craft and yet turned out really nice. 

What is your favourite post of the week? Please link up!!!


Best,















Sunday, March 14, 2010

Highlights of the First Star on Saturday

My very own little linking party "The Star on Saturday" took place for the first time yesterday. Many thanks to those select few who took part!!! I hope we can grow this together to a bigger event. Nonetheless it was great fun for me to see who would link up.


As announced, part of the linking party is a little highlights-post the following day. It falls to me to pick a few projects that I subjectively present as the highlights today. The decision what to display was very difficult, because I loved all projects. I seriously did! So here goes... 


As a confirmed bookworm, I completely adore Patrice's Book Art. Seriously, isn't this the most ingenious idea?




Check the how-to at Lemon Tree Creations.

Next I loved the seriously glamourous headboard that Jan created. Isn't this the most professional finish?


Jan wrote a step-by-step tutorial on how to glam up your bed on Bobbypins Boardwalk.

What about glamming up yourself for spring? Jerri has just the right thing for you - pretty, pastelly spring earrings.
There are more to see on her blog Simply Sweet Home.

Right - those are today's picks. I hope next week will see lots more nice projects that are stars in their own right... For now I can say that all projects certainly get 5 stars from me...
Thanks for taking part, guys!!!

Best,

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Star on Saturday

I love linking parties. My God, how many nice, inspiring, interesting, unbelievable ideas have I discovered through linking parties... I had no idea these things existed when I started blogging last June. And I remember totally not copping the concept when I joined my first link party at DIY Show Off. I just left my link - but didn't realize I had to leave a link to the party in my own post... Actually, I think that happened several times, so Roeshel (who is the woman behind DIY Show Off) must have had to remove my links more than once. Apologies... ;-)


Can there ever be too many linking parties? Noooo - and that is why I have decided to give it a go and start one myself. You see, I have noticed that most linking parties seem to happen during the week. That's all very well, of course. But I would love to see more stuff happening on a Saturday cos that's when I get a bit of time to play with my blog... 

I like it when blog parties have a particular slant - whether it is a theme like Michelle's from Someday Crafts recently started Categorically Crafting. Michelle sets a theme for the week and the linked projects have to reflect that. Or even once-off events like Beth's at The Stories from A to Z. She is hosting a "Show me your shoes Party" soon. Ok, that's not necessarily crafty, but you get the drift.

Sooooooooooooooo, to come to the point: I am starting a "Best Post of the Week"-Party. The reason behind it: I have noticed there are a lot of crafty people out there who post more than just one ingenious project per week. I try to be one of them (but have lately been sucked into my college work again...). However, there is usually one post in any one week which I particularly loved or am especially proud of. And my new link party The Star on Saturday is meant to be a platform for those star projects that you want to highlight especially. In my case, for instance, this week I particularly liked my silhouette mugs. If you only wrote one post the previous week - doesn't matter, it is automatically your star post and you can link up!





The rules are:

  1. The project has to be yours. (But it doesn't matter whether it was posted on your blog or you posted it as a guest post somewhere else.)
  2. Only one link per week.
  3. You need to link back to the party via link or button.
  4. Anything vaguely crafty goes: Projects, re-dos, before and afters, recipes, how tos, also blogging tips.

I know this is an experiment - I need to get the word out that there is a new party on the block  blog. It would be great if this took off. The plan is to have the party open for links on Saturday and then I pick some highlights for Sunday.

So, let's just give it a go - please take part, link your (own!!!) star post of the past week, stick a reference to the party in your post (either with the button or by link back) and spread the word.  





Best,

Monday, March 8, 2010

Shout Out: Someday Crafts

Chances are you already know Michelle's brilliant and several times daily-updated blog Someday Crafts!?

 
Well, if you don't, now is the time to check her site out. I love it - there are beautiful, practical, easy, inspiring craft projects on her site every day. And today I am getting a mention with my bottle bottoms creations. Remember them? I cut off the bottoms of old fizzy drinks bottles and made flower decorations from them. I still have a few unfinished ones lying around on my desk, and tonight they came in very handy as bead trays while I was making some of my bead ball objects. So versatile *haha*...
Anyway, go on over there and leave her a comment - tell her I said hi ;-)...
I have a couple of projects in the pipeline here. I am working on a charity shop find... Not really sure whether I like the outcome, but I will show it in due course. Meanwhile I have also (re-)activated my etsy shop. If you scroll down you can find the widget at the end of this blog page. - Etsy is dangerous, though - I have just shopped around there and ordered a few bits and pieces for crafting. Hehe, and then my Paypal somehow closed on me, and I couldn't go through with the second order... Well, maybe it is better this way.
Best,

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Photography Tips for Bloggers - Part 2

Geek Week continues. I am not done yet with photography tips, so here is part 2 of my do's and don'ts when it comes to taking pictures for your craft blog. In yesterday's post I suggested what you can do to get rid of unsightly shadows in your pictures, how to use flash correctly and explained why a calm and clean background is so important. If you missed the post, click here.

Today I want to look at other common mistakes. Let's jump right in...

4.    Take note of the minimum distance!
Many pictures I see in blogs are blurry close-ups, accompanied by a note “Sorry for the blur; I don’t know how that happened…”. I can tell you how: You probably came too close to your subject! Automatic cameras will snap anything that you point your camera at. However, all cameras have a specific minimum distance between the lens and the object which the camera is shooting. Moving closer than the suggested minimum distance will result in blurry images. 



I am shooting with a Canon 350 digital SLR. On the lens it tells me the minimum distance I can shoot an object from: 0.28m/0.9ft. What it means is – if I am any closer than 28cm/9 inches to my subject, the lens will not be able to focus on it clearly and the image will come out blurred. Check your camera for the telltale note – or look up your manual to find out.

5.    Frame the subject as big as you can!
If you followed my advice from number 4, you will end up with a focussed picture that has your object in the centre - but a lot of unnecessary background around it. And again I am not happy - frame closer! This tip came from the camera manual of my first “proper” automatic camera, a Pentax. The advice is priceless: Whatever you are photographing, whether it is an object or a group of things – try to get them as big in the frame as you can. That way your readers can see the object clearly and in detail. Alternatively… (read on to number 6).    


6. Crop for best results!
Tip number 6 follows from tip 5: If you have taken a picture that has too much background showing, just crop it down closer to the object. For best effect, leave the same amount of space on opposite sides of the image. 


Compare the next two images:

 Isn't the second one more pleasing to the eye? Plus it gets more detail across to the viewer.

7.    Minimal PS-Intervention is fine!
Let’s face it: We are crafters, not photographers. Your photo optimization should not take longer than the time it took to make your craft object. Bearing in mind that photos look pretty good on a computer screen even at low resolutions, there is not that much you need to do. For general purposes it is fine to use the “auto correct” button in MS Picture Manager or in online applications like Picnik. This will automatically set the exposure, colour and contrast on an assumed ideal level and usually takes out the dullness from pictures. I find that it is quicker to use auto correct in Picture Manager than to wait for Picnik to open up on Flickr. So I quickly auto correct my images on my laptop and then upload to the online album where I am hosting my images.
Here is an example where the auto correct chose a better white balance for my image:


This was just done with one click on the auto correct button! Yes, I do know that the pros use Photoshop - but to reiterate: This is photo optimisation for amateurs and not for geeks.

And finally an appeal:

Less is More!Please don’t overload your post with pictures. Concentrate on a few good shots for illustration. Pick out the ones that show your object clearly and attractively. No need to show every single shot which you took during your 3-hour-shoot. – Your readers just get bored having to scroll down your post over shot next to identical shot next to identical shot next to... Either they just scroll without looking properly and will miss the really good shots. Or if worse comes to worst, they get frustrated and jump blog ship mid-post. So keep it sweet - it also makes posting quicker for you!


Ok - sermon over! As you can see, I do not always adhere to my own rules. Of course I have pics on my blog which are washed out, badly composed, full of hard shadow or unnecessarily large background. You can't follow every photo rule religiously. But maybe my tips have made you more aware of the importance of good photography? Give the tips which you found interesting or helpful a shot - quite literally! I would love to hear about your experiences! And if you have any particular photo-related question, please drop me a comment or send me an e-mail.


Happy snapping, everyone!
 

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wake up Sonja!

OMG - I have just realized that it totally and completely passed me by that my living room re-do was featured on The Best of your Before and Afters. Jeeeeeeez, how could I have missed that? Lindsey's Blog is one of my daily stops! I think I was a bit preoccupied with my college exam at the time...

Anyway, you can see the post and Lindsey's kind comments on her blog here. There is tons of other very cool before and afters on her blog - so good and inspiring, in fact, that I regularly turn green with envy.

As regards the mysterious "sugar soap" that Lindsey refers to: It's a cleaning concoction that we used when preparing our otherwise untreated walls in the living room. According to Wikipedia it is most widely used in Commonwealth countries - hence you American readers may not have heard of it before. It gets its name from its similarity in looks to sugar. But it is actually sodium carbonate. Wikipedia informs me that it is comparable to TSP in the United States...

Off to change my notification settings now...

Best,

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Inspiration Lists

Oh my, I have only just copped on that a few of my past projects had been mentioned in Jan's Boardwalk Blotter.


This blog pretty much does what it says on the tin banner - it is a uncommented list of interesting and inspiring projects and tutorials that Jan finds in Blogworld. I have to say I feel quite honoured in the company of some truly cool projects there. From my blog Jan picked the bird magnets, the paper stars and the designer lampshade. Check it out - there is some fantastic stuff in there!!!


 My list of "featured"-buttons is growing *yay*. It is so good to get feedback like that. No, I am not crafting to be loved - I craft because I like to be creative (and because I am a cheapskate *haha*). But it's great to know that others like what you do.

I would actually love to know if any of the readers here have ever recreated something that I posted on this blog? If you did - please take a picture and show me!!! I am so curious! And I would love to feature your craft-werk creation on the blog! Hehe, I would even consider coming up with a button for future features!!!

Edit: I have actually just added my e-mail address to the ABOUT ME section. From now on I can be contacted via craftwerk(at)ymail(dot)com. Looking forward to hearing from you!!!

Best,