Unique "Suitcase" End Table

A friend of mine posted some pics of a purchase that she

had just made...of an old suitcase.

As soon as I saw it, I knew what I would do with it.

I would make a table!!

Since this isn't actually my suitcase, I can't show 

you what I would do...so I'll tell you ;-)

I think I would start by covering all the hardware with tape

and then spray painting it with

whatever color would look good with the handle...

Maybe a little darker color blue.

Or leave it like it is...

If you wanted to, you could recover the inside...if it was something

that you thought you would store things in.

I'm sure Joann's has some cute fabric.

I would then cut a piece of wood a little smaller than the

bottom of the suitcase and would attach some

cute legs to it, and attach the wood piece to the bottom of the suitcase!

I've seen many different versions of this...so it's all up
to your imagination!

and now I'm on my way to the thrift stores to see what I can find 

Another Fairy Garden

Yet another version of a fairy Garden 

from our local greenhouse

Village Green

check out their website above for more pictures of
their wonderful gardens....under the tab "garden"

sorry these are a tad blurry....they were taken with my phone...which is not "smart"  lol

I think I may move some of my things to a potted fairy garden...

These are the same blue stones that I got for mine....they weren't such a good idea for outside....because when it rains....they tend to go places.... ;-)  

I was just thinking that the other alternative would be to

make a creek bed....my manufacturing it in some way and gluing

the rocks to it and then putting it in the garden....that way they would stay put...

they sell all the little plants to go in your pot...so many fun things to put in there...

I love little things...

 I love the little house made out of wood....

Taking Great Pictures

We have a wonderfully talented friend who has a special talent for taking pictures and for teaching others how to do the same....I asked her if she would share some of the info that is on her blog and she said yes....so....welcome my guest blogger 
Carolyn.  

What Makes a Great Photograph

Let’s be real. Anyone can take pictures these days. Everyone has a cell phone, a point and shoot, or a fancy DSLR. That’s why it’s so hard to break out into photography…because everyone can be a photographer. Do you wonder how the photographers that have successful businesses make it past the “everyone can do it” to “people are coming to me so I can do it for them?” Well they have talent, they’re very business savvy, but they also know The Secret. Instead of setting their camera on auto and shooting aimlessly, they know the secrets to what makes a great photograph.

Composition:
As a building needs a strong foundation, so does a picture. You need a good composition that will grab the viewer’s eye from afar. Does your picture have interesting shapes? Lines? Contrast? Take for instance the picture below. Your eye is drawn to the contrast of the yellow leaf against the gray background. The line of the stick leads you right into the picture. Once you are drawn in, you then notice the other details. Like perhaps the small water droplet at the tip of the leaf.

Perspective: If you use the same perspective in every picture you take, every picture you take is going to have the same perspective. Well, duh! What I’m saying is- if you want to have new and exciting pictures every time…you have to change it up. Shoot above your subject, below them, to the side. Make your subject switch positions. I know some people take 5 pictures of the same pose. Don’t do that! Every time you hear the shutter click, switch up your position. You may be getting an awesome picture you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. 

First picture I’m crouching down with my subject.  

 Second picture I’m standing on top of my fiance’s shoulders! Oh the possibilites…(and the things you’ll find to use!) 

Framing:A subject standing against a plain background can be a very effective picture, but sometimes you’re looking for that extra spark. Sometimes your picture just needs that special something. Framing is using shapes and lines that draw your viewer to your subject. Here I used the four windows to frame our guitar player.

Here you have the doorway to bring your eyes right in to this charming senior.

There you have it. The Secrets. Not so much a secret because us photographers don’t like to share…but more a secret because not many photographers know. When you look at a picture and decide whether you like it or not, I can guarantee it has something to do with these 3 tips. If you find you’re stuck in a rut and aren’t getting the results you want…don’t go out and buy tons of expensive gear. Go back and learn the basic of a photo. This will help you learn what makes a great photo, and help you to re create it. Now these are just my 3 ideas…what are yours?

Happy shooting,

Carolyn

Check out Carolyn's Blog or

visit Carolyn on Facebook

Painted Refrigerator

Well...I was looking at my refrigerator and thinking..

how ugly it was and why not 

paint it black with chalkboard paint...

so here is the adventure...

This is the frig before....ugly almond ...that didn't

really go with the kitchen at all...you

know...90's  almond... yuck!

So we started out by using a regular primer on the whole refrigerator....

and then applied the chalkboard paint...it was

the Disney brand.

We let it cure for 7 days before priming it with chalk,

which is basically, lightly rubbing the chalk on the fridge

on its side and covering the whole surface and then

wiping it off....then it is ready to 

accept the chalk without staining it...

To clean...just use water on a soft sponge and wipe clean...

I think it looks so much better in our kitchen with our stainless appliances

and darker cabinets...much better than

Almond.

Another Fairy Garden update

A new obsession...is trying to find really tiny things....

cheap....

I got the rocks and the lady at the dollar store...also the Styrofoam moss covered 

rocks were from 4/pk

Dollar Tree

I still have some work to do and may line the whole thing differently...

I guess these are meant to be in a container...not actually in a garden...

a container would be much easier to weed and I know the local

greenhouse had lots of little plants for $4 a pot.

I bought the blue glass pieces at the garden store for 

a reasonable price.  I think I need some more... :-)  

 I want to pick these all out (sounds nuts) and line it with something so they 

don't sink down in the dirt.

Fairy Garden Update

As soon as it decides to be spring again outside

I will take some more pics of the additions I added 

to the fairy Garden...

I got a little garden lady I put in there and something else...

can't remember what it was.

But right now it is cold and rainy and even some 

snow in the air yesterday.

For those in the Rockford Area there is a

Fairy Garden Make and Take event

happening at Pepper Creek this weekend...

Looks like fun!

until then....we have been enjoying indoor activities like the discount day and 

butterfly exhibit at

Nicholas Conservatory

I got a "ride along" Cabbage butterfly for a while,

which was fun...although

I was afraid he was going to get smashed with my purse... hee hee