What a clever way to make the kids smile when you're taking photos! Via IlianaArevalo's shop on Etsy!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/30/11
Swell Inspiration of the Day
What a clever way to make the kids smile when you're taking photos! Via IlianaArevalo's shop on Etsy!
Until next time Swellions!
I really love creepy mannequins
So you may think them to be weird, but I'm actually quite enamoured by old mannequins. The other night my friend Silvia and I spotted them outside a local Fresno store. They made us laugh and laugh and laugh
I can't imagine sometimes what people are thinking when they design the faces for these things. I also don't understand what people are thinking when they dress them. In this store window, there were lots of feather boas, stuffed bras, and pimp hats on these girls. It was ridiculous!
And Silvia's pretty ridiculous too! We had a few minutes of fun admiring these strange ladies!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/28/11
Swell inspiration of the Day
Some of my personal candle holders. I need to light more candles, it's decided!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/22/11
Swell Inspiration of the Day: She Likes Cherries
I've decided to incorporate favorite blog finds into my Swell Inspiration of the Day series! Today I focus on the blog She Likes Cherries by Vivianna. She loves mid-century signs and design, photography, pop-culture and fun shopping destinations just like me! It's a super cute blog that I totally recommend. :) I totally dig the name of her blog too!
Here's a few great posts of hers...
– All the small things where she shares small and simple little daily indulgences.
– Collection time: vintage skipper outfits I love little collections like this. I've always wanted to start a Barbie collection, but Skipper might just be better!
– Wednesday Wonderfuls: Redheads Love this compiled photo essay of some great redheads. Very, very pretty!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
Cool new Blogger feature: Dynamic Views!
Check it out! If you are on Blogger, there's a really cool new ways to view your blog posts or the blog posts of your favorite Blogger blogs! It's called Dynamic Views!
You can view your blog in one of these different formats...
• Flipcard (seen above)
• Mosaic
• Sidebar
• Snapshot
• Timeslide
This is much more the vibe that I get from a Feed reader or a site like Pinterest. I think it is always cool to be able to view your information in the way you want to see it! I know I love scanning images over text anyday!
And shoutout to How About Orange where I first learned about this sweet feature!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
Mid-Century Modern Décor Love
where i plan, and what i'm planning for scottelbot
I am becoming more and more fascinated with mid-century modern design and décor. I love the era and the streamlined design that goes with it.
I love how people these days are mixing old pieces with new and I wanted to share a few of my favorite finds from the Mid-Century, Modern Interiors 1945 to 1973 only group pool on Flickr. I love how modern craft and DIY meets mid-century. Swoon!
living room, summer 2010 by stacy anne longenecker.
I did it again... by Fat Cat Brussels
kitchen wall by misspfui
Cado wall unit by Rinehart Retro
tuesday by kaylovesvintage
The one that almost got away by d a b i t o
Hmm, I guess I have a thing for orange chairs, huh?
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/20/11
Chloe's Photoshoot
On Friday after work, I did a photoshoot with my friend and co-worker Chloe! She's a copywriter at iLoveToCreate and we work in the same department. She just purchased her first home, so she wanted me to capture her with her new place as well as take some other photos of her. Chloe is so photogenic, so it was a breeze and delight to photograph her! Here's just a few of the photos from the day.
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
Swell inspiration of the Day
These cupcake toppers from the Fiskars.com remind me of Fruit Stripe gum! I love them!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/17/11
Craft Supply Eye Candy
One of my fave things to look at is craft supplies, do you agree? Colorful, sparkly, textured, intricate...all good stuff!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/16/11
Enlarge your photos in Blogger
As I've gotten better about blogging and the design of my blog, I've gotten pickier. One thing I'm super picky about is the size of my photos on my blog! The popular blogs that I love today usually have one thing in common, outstanding LARGE photos. I know that when you upload to Blogger, you have a Large and Extra Large option to upload your photos, but this doesn't work for me. I have to still size my photos for my blog. Yeah, it takes a little extra time, but the design payoff is worth it to me!
Here's how you can size your photos to fit your blog!
Note: It helps if you have some very basic knowledge of HTML. I personally work only in the Edit Html tab rather than the compose tab. I've come to understand Html over the 10 years or so I've been blogging. The more you practice with it, the more you will get the hang of it. Just remember to always preview your post rather than immediately saving if you are nervous about making changes and not knowing how to fix it.
I also find it easier to write my post, then upload each picture one at a time. After I upload each picture and make my sizing corrections, I'll copy and paste it into place. When several photos are uploaded one after another in the Edit Html code format, it is very confusing to navigate through and you can make mistakes a lot easier. One at a time is much more manageable.
1) Figure out the width of the column that you are posting your photo too. I'm going to focus on the column where the blog post/body fits into. In my blog, I've configured this width to be 500 pixels wide. So what this means is that photos that photos will look best (and flush with my body copy) if they are sized to 500 pixels.
2) Download/configure your photo. If you are working in Photoshop, you can usually size your photos exactly to size that you want them to appear on your blog. Size them down to 72 dpi (resolution) to make them smaller and easier to upload. If you notice it gives me the exact width and height of my pixels. I usually will write these down if I do size my photo in Photoshop. I'll refer to these numbers after I upload the photo (I'll explain in the next steps).
3) Upload your photo like you normally do. I don't pick a layout, it's not necessary if you are resizing.
4) Find the code highlighted as seen above. Normally when you upload to Blogger, it says /s400, but change this to /s800 as I did above. This should work for most people on their blogs. I could get into the nitty gritty details of what this does, but it's kinda convoluted. Trust me, this will work for you.
5) Now find the width code highlighted above in your html. If you notice in the above graphic, I changed it to 500px to be the width of my column.
6) If you know the dimensions of your photo (for example, if you resized it in Photoshop and have the exact dimensions), type that height in. If you don't know the exact dimensions, this is what I do (it can be a bit tricky until you get the hang of it). I personally will always make the width of my image 500 regardless if it is vertical or horizontal. I will guesstimate the height and then click the preview button and see how the photo looks in the blog post. If it looks a little squished or stretched, I'll change the height till it looks like the original photo. For example,the photo above you see in the preview was a bit too long, so I shaved off 10px in the height and it worked perfectly.
So there you have it! That's pretty much what you have to do to size your photos!
Lastly, I want to share with you an issue that you may encounter. If you notice, each day, I post "Swell Inspirations of the Day". I scour the internet and find images that will work. These images must be 500px wide though. Here is an example of what happens when you enlarge a photo that is small and enlarge it to fit.
Here's a photo of my friend Kathy I took at it's actual size:
This is what happens when I enlarge a photo that size to fit the width of my column...
As you can see, it enlarges to look very pixelated and blurry.
Be forewarned that smaller pics don't enlarge to look as nicely as one that has the correct dimensions.
Hope these tips help. Let me know if you have any questions!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/15/11
Make a Rainbow Starburst Totebag
I love starbursts, color, and a splash of glitter here or there! I combined all three to create this super fun starburst tote bag!!! I think it turned out really fun...definitely something I will be proud to carry around :)
Here's how you make it!
Rainbow Starburst Totebag
Materials:
– Tulip Soft® Fabric Paint in various colors (I chose a bright palette)
– Tulip® Fashion Glitter™ Shimmer Transfer Sheets
– Canvas tote bag
– Sponge or pouncer brushes
– Painters tape
– Paper towels
– Palette
– Water for cleaning brushes
– X-acto knife
– Cutting mat
– Iron
– Ironing cloth
– Pencil
– Ruler
Instructions:
1. Wash and iron tote bag.
2. Select where you want your middle point of your bag to be.
3. Use pencil and ruler to lightly make radiating rays outside from center point.
4. Determine where you want your colors place. You may want to lightly pencil them in as a guide onto the canvas bag (you'll be covering it up with paint or the shimmer sheet). I chose to do mine randomly, so I didn't really plan it out.
5. Use painters tape to mark off areas to pounce in.
6. Pounce your paint into the taped off areas. Peel tape up and do tape down another section until all desired areas are painted. Touch up any details with a smaller paintbrush. Let dry.
7. Measure the rays that you plan to glitter, I used an X-acto to cut the Shimmer Transfer Sheet to fit. Since it was just cutting straight lines, it was super easy to do.
8. Peel adhesive backing away from transfer sheets and position in place. Apply ironing cloth over glitter sheet and iron until adhered to bag. These sheets are super cool cause you get full glitter coverage, without mess or the need to shake on glitter over glue! Oh and I apologize for lack of photos showing you how easy it is, my camera was acting wacky and I lost all my step by step photos applying the shimmer transfer sheets!
9. Cut out a small section of the shimmer transfer sheets in blue and red glitter. Fold in half and cut out a symmetrical heart and heart overlay/outline. Iron in place. The heart helps cover up any weird meeting point mistakes you may have created with the paint!
10. Iron your bag one final time and it's ready to be your go-to accessory!
Here's a few cute detail photos and another final look at the bag!
If you are interested in purchasing the Tulip® Soft® Fabric Paints of Tulip® Fashion Glitter™ Shimmer Transfer Sheets, they are available in Michaels stores or to order at ilovetocreate.com.
Hope you enjoyed this summer totebag project!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
P.S. I linked this project at:
Blue Cricket Design
Sew Woodsy
Someday Crafts
Sew Much Ado
Fave Crafts Blog Hop
Tatertots and Jello
Craft Schooling Sunday
6/13/11
How to Look Thinner in Photos (Revisited)
Note: I was looking through old posts and came upon this one that I thought was worth a reshare! Above, a day I felt fat, but my pose made me look much thinner!
I found this on a yahoo page, but I thought it might come in handy for some of y'all camera obsessed peeps like me...
I'd be lying if I said I've never been tempted to destroy a picture because my eyes were closed or because the camera definitely added those ten pounds. I came across a few articles that answer that nagging question most of us have contemplated: Why does the camera add ten pounds? Blame it on lighting.
Slate says "The flat, even illumination on the red carpet makes it hard for the camera to capture dimension, unlike in a photo shoot with flattering soft lights. Cast from an angle, light creates shadows that sculpt the face and body by hiding unwanted flesh. Softer lights can hide wrinkles and smooth out the skin for women, while harsher lights on male faces exaggerate lines for a chiseled look. Without the aid of shadows, however, light exposes the imperfections of the face and body and makes the resulting image bigger and flatter." Thanks for the insightful explanation, Slate!
Unlucky for us, we don't have the luxury of having our own lighting technician casting light in all the right angles. Thankfully, the beauty section over at About put a list together revealing five red carpet secrets to looking thinner in photos. Here's the gist of the list:
- Turn partially sideways, planting one foot in front of the other.
- Pull your head forward to eliminate double chin.
- Hold arms slightly away from the body.
- Take a deep breath as you pull your shoulders back, chest forward.
- Look away from the camera, then turn towards it, breaking into a smile before the camera clicks.
- Wear an entire outfit of just one color.
Here's what I say: You're beautiful. Embrace every bit of yourself. Ten years from now, those "extra" pounds are not going to matter. What will matter is that a special moment with your friends and family was captured on film.
But...if you're really that worried about looking slim in photos you could always try out one of those cameras that digitally enhances your figure, or this Photoshop tutorial. Any professional photographers out there willing to gives us a few more tips?
Until next time Swellions!Alexa
Swell Inspiration of the Day
I love the way dye looks when it soaks through paper towels! Such vibrant colors! Photo by me!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
6/12/11
Color Outside the Lines Free Printable
Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! One thing I did this weekend was create this Printable art. And if you want, feel free to download this printable here it and print it out! Yay! A fun way to boost your spirits this week.
How do you color outside the lines? I do it by being wacky/zany when everyone is quiet. It keeps things interesting!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
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