I can’t even believe how much fun I am having with these classes.  It is SO fun to see how everyone is learning through their pictures and the questions and emails that I get.  I feel like I am making great new friends from all over the world!! It is so fun to share a common interest like photography and have a place to chat about it!

I have had several people ask and several register already, so I thought I’d let you know that if you are interested in signing up for session #3 enrollment is now open. Class will begin May 1, 2010 and run for 6 weeks. The cost is $200. I do keep class size limited so that I can answer questions in a timely manner and give the individual attention to each student.

If you’d like to join us for session #3 you can register securely through Paypal here:

This class is structured so that it is VERY flexible. The only time we have anything scheduled is Tuesday nights at 7PM PST for our weekly chat(I know, that’s right during American Idol for some of you!!! ) but if you’re not available at that time I am on the board daily to answer your questions that come up! We will cover getting to know your camera, focusing techniques, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, metering, lighting and composition. We WILL have you shooting manual and loving it by the end of this course!

I will be posting the lectures on Saturdays this session so that you have extra time on the weekends to watch and practice before the chats on Tuesdays.  

A few things people are saying about the class:

“Tammy rocks!  I definitely learned a lot and things I haven’t learned in other photography classes.”

“Thanks so much for doing this class. I have taken a few at the local community college and came away feeling like I should just sell this camera and pay for a good photographer every few months. Now I am actually excited to take my camera places and I’m not afraid of it anymore!! THANK YOU!!”

“I just wanted to extend another thank you for helping me to understand my camera.  It felt so good to leave class knowing so much more about my camera then before I took the class.”

“You just really teach this very well…you are addicting..you are easy to learn from .”

“I just wanted to thank you for all the effort you put into making this such a great class.  It was really easy to follow..leaving not too many question to be asked each week on the MB.”

have a great day!
-t

I am NOT a huge editor.  I prefer to know my camera and do my best to nail the shot without the aid of photoshop.  That being said, I do adjust ALL of my photos…just minorly.  There is something to be said (in my opinion) for making the image shine just a little bit more with two simple and quick tricks. 

The two most used combinations on my computer are control M and control U.  If you’re a Mac user they would be apple M and apple U for you.  Control M will adjust your curves (or the brighness of your image) and control U controls the hue/saturation of your image.  By nudging these measurements ever so slightly you can make a HUGE difference in your images. 

See what I mean???

The image on the left is my sooc image (straight out of camera) and the on on the right has a teeny bit of tweaking with those two measurements.  Pretty big difference, huh?  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Have a great weekend!
-t

This year my valentines have taken on a beach theme.  I didn’t really plan it, I was just working around things that I had around the house.  I’m fortunate in that both of my kids are at small schools with teeny classes…so I can make slightly more elaborate things without breaking the bank.  I definitely wouldn’t be doing these things for  a class of 35, but they are fun for the special valentines your kids may have.   The other thing I love about these is that they are both great for boys.  Girls are easy, because they can give things that are in primary colors and nobody thnks anything of it, but boys are hard.  So much of the valentine’s stuff out there is pink and purple and mushy.  I’m happy to say these are BOTH great for the little guys (and gals) in your life.

i dig u

i hit the dollar bins at michaels and found some cute shovels to make these with.  Here’s what you’ll need:

-inexpensive shovels

-small clear bags of some sort (clearbags.com is a GREAT source for celophane bags of all sorts.  you have to buy them in bulk, but they are relatively inexpensive and i use them for EVERYTHING!!)

-candy(i bought cady that had wrappers that were in primary colors so they would match my shovels…something to think about.  it’s a sickness…I know. )

-ribbon

-cut out heart shapes (an extra large heart punch or die cut machine of some sort works great for these!)

-alphabet stamps (or you can print on the paper with your computer before you punch out the hearts)

-a hole punch

-scissors

-tape

1. put you candy in the bags and seal.  punch two holes at the top of the bag about an inch or so apart.

2. string ribbon through hole on the right

3. place candy bag in your shovel and wrap the ribbon around the back of the shovel handle.

4. pull ribbon from behind shovel handle through the hole on the left hand side ofthe candy bag to bring the ribbon together in the front so you can tie a bow.

5. cut out your hearts and stamp with “i dig u”

6. tape hearts to front of candy bag

7. hand out and enjoy!

have a ball, valentine

supplies:

-beach balls

-tags

-ribbon

-string (i used embroidery thread)

-tape

-hole punch

these are super easy!  i found my beach balls at walmart for 77 cents each.  my ribbon is from a giant spool at costco and the tags I made in about 5 minutes in photoshop…good news…here’s a free download of the tags for your own use!

Have a Ball

1. take beach balls out of their package and roll up.  tape into place.

2. tie ribbon around balls

3. cut out your tags and punch a hole in the top

3. use the string to tie your tags around the knot in the bow to secure them to the balls.

done!

Hope you have a happy valentine’s day!!

-t

I can’t believe that this week marks the fourth week of class!!  I am having a blast and it is SO fun to see how everyone is learning through their pictures and the questions and email that I get.   We have been having fun chats on the message board and I feel like I am making great new friends from all over the world!!  It is so fun to share a common interest like photography and have a place to chat about it!

I have had several people ask and several register already, so I thought I’d let you know that if you are interested in signing up for session #2 enrollment is now open.  Class will begin March 8, 2010 and run for 6 weeks.  The cost is $200.  I do keep class size limited so that I can answer questions in a timely manner and give the individual attention to each student. 

If you’d like to join us for session #2 you can register securely through Paypal here:

This class is structured so that it is VERY flexible.  The only time we have anything scheduled is Tuesday nights at 7PM PST for our weekly chat(I know, that’s right during American Idol for some of you!!! ) but if you’re not available at that time I am on the board daily to answer your questions that come up!   We will cover getting to know your camera, focusing techniques, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, metering, lighting and composition.  We WILL have you shooting manual and loving it by the end of this course!

have a great day!
-t

Pictures and tutorial courtesey of Skip to My Lou one VERY crafty girl and blog.  You will LOVE it.  She has all kinds of wonderful tutorials for you, especially if you’re not a lazy seamstress like me!!!

Problem is, I’m too lazy to make all the ones I have seen until now.  I found the perfect, cute, easy to make with little sewing tutorial.  Since I am a fake seamstress this works out well for me.

You need three pieces of wool felt 6″ X 16 1/2 (pocket), 5″ X 16 1/2″ (outside), 5″ x 16 1/2″ (inside). Another plus about the felt from Prairie Point Junction is that the sheets are 12″ X 18″.  Not only are the felt sheets at the craft store not as durable they are too small for this project.  I thought about using the felt on the bolt, but again I was wanting something that would hold up to little hands and it seemed too thick.

Take the 6 X 16 1/2 piece (pocket) and fold it in half length ways. Lay it on top of the 5″ X 16 1/2 (inside) piece. Starting over 1 1/4″ from the edge stitch from top to the bottom on the pocket piece. Then continuing stitching every 1″.  Back stitch at the top of each stitching line to reinforce.  You will end with 1 1/4″ on the other side.

If you want the outside of your roll to have any embellishments make them now on your outside piece. It would be beautiful to use some of the felt scraps for applique or do some embroidery.

Place the pocket piece that you just sewed on top of your outside piece (wrong sides together). The pocket piece might be slightly smaller from all of the stitching of the pockets —-I just gave mine a little stretch (gently) to match everything up. Pin to keep it all in place.

On the right edge at the middle insert a 30″ piece of ribbon folded in half. Insert the folded end about 1/2 an inch.

Sew all the way around the outside 1/4″ in from the edge.

A nice blanket stitch would dress up the edge or you can use pinking shears (make sure they are for fabric and they are sharp). Be careful when you come to the ribbon you will have to do each side separately.

Note:
I doubled the pocket to make it sturdier and give the crayons extra padding to make them stay in.  This seems to work well, however you could always use a 3″ X 16 1/2″ piece for the pocket.  I would sew a ribbon across the top edge for extra stability before I make the pockets.

These would be cute valentines for your little ones!!
I’ll post pictures of mine when I get around to actually making it. 

Have fun!!
-t

Materials:

1. Paper punch I used a heart for valentines, but with the number of punches on the market, the possibilites are endless!!
2. You can use any papers ou have on hand for this craft. Vintage sheet music looks really cool for a more elegant versin. You can find it at flea markets, thrift stores, yard sales or etsy.com.
3. Ribbon
4. Glitter
5. Scissors (if you have pinking shears those would add a fun look too)
6. Clothespin or binder clip
7. White Glue (I use aleene’s tacky glue, elmer’s would work fine too I’m sure)
8. Hole Punch
9. any fun embellishments to hang from the ribbon

Directions:

1. Roll one sheet of paper into a cone shape, gradually working with it to get it to taper off to a point. Glue with a thin layer of tacky glue, using a clothespin, binder clip or paperclip to hold in place until dry.
2. Punch or cut heart shapes from coordinating paper and glue around rim or down the front seam of the paper cone. To create three dimensional look, I folded my hearts slightly in the middle so that they stuck out from the cone,   Apply a thin line of glue along edge and hold in place for a few seconds until the glue begins to dry.
3. When completely dry, apply white glue to desired areas and dust with glitter.    4.   Punch a hole on each side of the cone and thread ribbon through holes to hang.    5.   Fill with goodies and enjoy!

Obviously you can make many different variations of this.  Just think of the posibilities.  How cute would these be made in the theme of your choice, hanging from the backs of chairs as place card holders.  So fun!!

enjoy!!

-t

Ash doesn’t care much about the football, but hanging out with grandpa…nothing beats that!

Andy on the other hand…takes his football VERY seriously.  What can I say?  We start them out young in this family!!!

Singing the fight song after another Cougar touchdown…

This little cutie came all the way from Utah to cheer on her cougs.  She wasn’t too sure about me but she sure loved Andy!!

When I realized Saturday morning before we left that we were seriously lacking in the little girl “football attire” department, I whipped up this headband and tank ina few minutes.  Seriously…the tank was SO easy.  A  $3 target tank, 30cent piece of felt, some appliKay wonder, a hot iron and a zig zag stitch.  You can totally do it too!  Make your favorite team letter for your next sporting event!  I free handed this “Y” but ou could even print one off of the internet if you wanted a perfect replica.   How about creating these for the sports FANatic in your life for Christmas?  Wouldn’t that be a fun, personalized, inexpensive gift?  Maybe I’ll have to write up some instructions for you all…what do you think?

We LOVE college football!!  Hope you had a great weekend. 

***DON’T FORGET to enter the GIVEAWAY for  PINK PEPPERMINT DESIGN goodies!!  WINNER will be announced TUESDAY night!! ***

Happy Monday!

-t

How cute is that armchair simply covered with a sheet with some felt eyes and a mouth attached??  I LOVE no sew projects that use things you alreadyhave around the house ina creative way!!  And the best part is there is nothing extra to store once it’s over!  Just put the sheet back in the linen closet and throw the felt peices away…**Idea**…how cute would it be to actually MAKE some sheets like this though and put them on your kids bed!!  So easy to make a mouth and some eyes and stitch them on.  The kids would LOVE it!

I love these treat cones for any holiday…here is a cute halloween version from Country Living Mag.

YOU WILL NEED
-11″ x 14″ card stock
-1 yard each cream and black bookbinding or construction paper
-1 yard each assorted ribbons
-spray glue
-1/4″ hole punch
-stapler
-scissors and pinking shears

Cut 10″ squares of card stock and black and cream Japanese bookbinding paper (source: talasonline.com) or construction paper. Adhere the black paper to the card stock with spray glue. Wind black square into a cone and staple closed. Cut across top to even out the opening.

I LOVE these little frankenstiens and the mummy cupcakes.  The best part is you DON’T have to be a cake decorating genius to do it!  That is NOT one of my talents!!  

Witch-on-a-stick how to:

1. Cut off the tops of pretzel rods and set aside.
2. Melt one cup of white chocolate chips, 1 Tbs shortening and a few drops of green gel food coloring and stir until smooth.
3. Dip the cut end of the pretzels into the chocolate, covering the top 2 inches. Place the sticks on wax paper and sprinkles the sides of each with coconut  flakes to form hair.
4. Top each with a Hershey’s Kiss and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened. Draw on eyes, nose and mouth with black decorating icing (available in tubes) and fisih by covering the Kiss too with black or purple. Yum!

Frankentreats:

1. Start wtih a packaged (or homemade) Rice Krispies Treat, and push each one into a wooken skewer; set aside.
2. Melt one cup of white-chocolate chips and one Tbs shortening; stir in green or neon-green gel food coloring (colored melting chocolate is available at most craft stores).
3. Spoon melted chocolate over all sides of the treats or brush them with a silicone brush then place them on wax paper, upright, to dry.
4. Embellish them with M&M eyes and ears, gummy worm mouths, Jujubes neck bolts and then refrigerate them until the chocolate hardens.
5. Top them off by drawing on hair with black icing and doting the eyes.
6. Finally remove the skewers and serve!

Mummy Cupcakes:

      1. Bake regular old cupcakes out of a box…homemade if you wish, but I’m trying to make it easy folks!!

      2. Dot icing on backs of 2 skittles for eyes and place on cupcake.

      3. use a decorating tip that will give you straight flat lines (available at michaels for about $1, make sure you get a coupler too, also about $1) make straightlines of icing all over the cupcake, overlapping them and just letting the skittles peek out of the “wrapping.”  Eat and enjoy!

And finally one of my favorites…

 Sorry for the fuzzy pictures…I found this on the internet and the picture quality is TERRIBLE!!   I LOVE white pumpkins!!  Unfortunately they are usually the most expensive…so why not paint a few??   A cheap bottle of white acrylic paint and you’ve got yourself a great set of white pumpkins!!  Take them a step further and once the white paint dries, have a little fun with some black paint.  I LOVE the spiderweb and zebra stripe idea!!   And you know I’m loving the polka dots…I LOVE anything with polka dots!!

Hope those ideas help to bring a little extra fun to your holiday!

Have a great day!
-t

I LOVE this site and look at it all the time, but I had never seen this tutorial until I was searching specifically for craft ideas….can you imagine these hanging from the trees at a party???  SO COOL!!!

Instructions over on Once Wed.  

have a great day!
-t