Tuesday, November 29, 2011

We're DIY'ers 'Round Here

Wow, these last few weeks have just flown by! I have been focusing on gearing up the shops for the post Thanksgiving rush. I worked on my keywords and tagging on Etsy and used the Etsy on Sale site to do my mass changes. If you have an Etsy shop and haven't used the Etsy on Sale site, give it a try. It is super easy to make mass tagging changes and to start/stop store sales. They charge a nominal fee and you can try your first few changes for free! Check it out here....Etsy on Sale website. Full disclosure, if you click through the link and sign up for a free test drive, I do get credits in my account, but Etsy on Sale has no idea who I am. Um, wow, I just said Etsy 6 times in that paragraph. Too bad they aren't paying me for the mentions!

I have been playing with my new camera and am still pretty confused on the majority of the settings. It is a Sony a55. A friend of mine made her own photo studio in her home and I was looking to do this on a smaller scale using a photo booth or light box type of set up. I could buy one on ebay with lighting for about the 40 dollar range. But being the thrifty person I am, I decided to try the DIY photo box first. You can find tutorials for this via a Google or Etsy blog search. Or you can link to one of my follower's blogs, Six Balloons, where she shares her DIY light box.

This is what I've come up with...so far:



I spent just over a buck for 2 pieces of white poster board (1 size cut for a horizontal fit and 1 size cut for a vertical fit), the rest, a plastic storage bin and sewing interfacing, I had. The *possible* Sonneman lamp is coming in handy, as well as some other vintage lighting fixtures from around the house. I have tested it out and I can see an improvement but I need brighter lights. Next time I am at the Goodwill I will pick up some of those clamp lamp things and put in some 90 watt lights. That should do the trick! Oh, and if you are liking the vintage Early American Pyrex in the light box, you can see more photos here in my shop.

Mr. TP worked on his own DIY project this past weekend...


A garden in our laundry room! I picked up this old school grow light at the same yard sale I found the lovely Herman Miller chair duo, and now it's being put to work. We are trying lettuce and Roma tomatoes. I'll keep ya'll updated on the progress.

No thrifting this past weekend, total bummer. But, I did step into a mall for the first time in at least 4 months! I took advantage of the Old Navy pay $10 get a $20 voucher Groupon X 2 and ended up with 2 new sweaters and 2 new shirts for just under $24 bucks!

Hopefully I will be able to rustle up an Estate or Yard Sale this weekend so I have some fun new stuff to show off next time :)

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog!


8 comments:

  1. Sweet deals! Glad you went to the effort of making it yourself too.

    I did the same, and posted a little tutorial:

    http://sixballoons.blogspot.com/2011/04/diy-light-studio-tutorial.html

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  2. I've been toying with the idea of making a diffuser box for a while now. I just broke my Nikon Coolpix the other day decided to spring for a "big girl camera." You've inspired me to go ahead and make the box before the camera comes.

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  3. @Anon...I have no idea if I had my camera on a special setting or not. But the pic of the doggie did turn out really cool!

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  4. Photo tip: Switch out your regular bulbs for daylight bulbs so there won't be a yellow color cast in your photos. Also be sure to select the correct white balance setting on your camera to also correct for color cast. Clamp lights should work well for the box, am interested in seeing how your photos turn out. :)

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  5. @ The Thriftaholic, Leilani...Thanks for the recommendation. I will be on the hunt for daylight bulbs asap!

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  6. And if you use your box during the day, with the lights, your pics will be gorgeous!

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  7. LOVE your DIY photo tips! My biggest challenge is lighting as well--when sunlight isn't available. I guess I'll have to keep me eyes open for clamp lights next time I'm at the thrift store.
    THanks!

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