I need your (little) help

Hello!

How are you?

Things are going very well here. 

I've just come back from a week spent in beautiful Ireland (take a look in my Flickr album) and now I'm ready to start the last part of 2015 (autumn? already??? °__°).

Before starting with my usual show&tell about sewing and creativity, I'm here today to ask you a little help.

I'm taking part in a photo contest called #vistidallalto. The game consists on uploading snapshots of Sicilian places taken from above. The prize? Two books about Sicily!

You can help me leaving a "like" to my photo on the contest's facebook page. Thank you in advance for you help!

About my photo...

... it captures a medieval church in the little town of Calatabiano, seen from the castle on top of the hill.

I wrote a post about this place and its traditions here.

Have a good day!

Sicilian spring

Sicilian sunny spring is here!

Mount Etna is still covered by snow and smoking, but the sky is blue blue blue and the fields are green and yellow.

So many yellow flowers everywhere!

They are the home of tiny snails sometimes!

Animals are happy and needs some snuggles.

Others give birth to their children, because spring is the time for love and new families.

April is probably my favourite month.

I'm happy to be and april girl. I'm turning 38 the next week (on wednesdey) and I hope the day will be sunny and warm.

I work at school as a teacher everyday. I teach italian, history and geography (+ legislation of tourism some afternoons).

I'm busy and often tired, so I'm neglecting a bit this blog and my creative journey (my list of things to try is growing, waiting for some free time).

But I'm still taking pictures to document my life.

I reach my school by feet and I'm noticing here and there some wild flowers I like. They are very small but strong. Some of them look like orchids.

My life is full of beautiful things and today I can't resist in show you some of them.

Happy Sunday!!!

Work in progress

I took this snapshots yesterday, while working to a custom order for my shop.

I like "work in progress" photography, I like documenting my creative process.

Looking at these simple images I thought our life is a work in progress. We evolve and change over and over again. And it's good.

This is probably the reason why I've apparently lost my interest in blogging. Something has changed in me. I can't find my blogging voice right now.

But I'm doing and making like a crazy girl and I'm happy.

Yesterday, after two months of no blogging, I felt the urge to share something with my readers.

I'm here again. Maybe.

Say "hello" in the comments if you are happy to see me again. I probably need some greetings to restart writing here.

Shop makeover: better photography

After defining the target of my shop and adjusting a bit my shop's banner and avatar, I decided to work on the photos.

You know, or you probably can imagine, how good photos are important for on-line shops! But we have to so some considerations about the factors that make a snapshot a good snapshot. 

Good light, no invasive elements, interesting composition, no mess, elements that "speak" about the dimensions of the photographed object ... these are of course things to work on when taking photos of items to sell on-line.

But we have also to consider what we want to communicate through our snapshots to our ideal customers. 

We haven't only to offer a clear image, but also a picture of the experiences or the sensations that are linked to our products and customers are probably looking for. We have to communicate a mood, a feeling, a style.

Let me tell something about my shop. 

My ideal customer is the eco-friendly and nature lover woman I described here.

What is she looking for when surfing etsy pages? What does she like best? 

My answer to these questions is ... something that offers a connection to nature, to outdoor free time, to a rustic and simple lifestyle.

And are my photos ready to communicate this to her? Not 100%.

An important part of my items were (and some still are, because I need other time to work) represented by impersonal snapshots with white plain blackground and nothing interesting. They didn't offer the sensation of being connected with nature my target is looking for.

But other snapshots were very good. I took them outdoor in our country home (after these tests) and have an old cement wall as background and other element like old wood boards or grey stones. 

They work very well! This is the style I need for my shop's photos.

So I took new photos of a lot of items which hadn't this style!

Here you can find a sort of "before&after gallery" that explains in images this change.

Before/after for "embroidered pincushion with red deer"

Before/after for "embroidered Moleskine cahier cover":

Before/after for "pink cat pencil case":

Before/after for "granny square coin purse":

Little flowers, old wood, cement, stones, retrò accessories... this is what works well in offering a clear vision of a "close to nature" lifestyle to my ideal customer!

Do you agree with me?

Taking photos on the beach + new items in the shop

The beach isn't only a good place to make art, but the special light we have there in the late afternoon, when the sun is almost gone, can be perfect to take photos.

In my last trip to the beach (looking to Mount Etna on the left and Ionian Sea on the right) I photographed the last thing I made for my shop: a tiny coin purse.

I like to take photos of my items outdoor. 

I get better images than indoor, because the light is more clear and "clean" and spreads gently all around the object. 
Of course I'm writing about the light you have in the shade or when the sky is cloudy; you will have very ugly photos (in my opinion) if you take photos under the burning sun.

I like so much the light and the sharpness I get in my outdoor photos that I started to bring my handmade items in the country, in the garden and even to the beach hoping to capture a good image of them.

And sometimes I'm very pleased by the result, expecially when I find a beautiful and rustic background like in this photo and in this one.

About taking photos of my new coin purse... I'm not 100% satisfied. 

Although the light was just perfect (clouds!), the color of the sand and the stones was too much similar to to beige cotton of the purse. 

So I went on using the sky and the sea as background: they give an interesting contrast, but these kind of photos aren't the best choice to be published on Etsy and be included into treasuries (although some buyers use beach photos: this is lovely).

But, since I have no time to take photos again, I uploaded them the same in my item's page.

It's a little coin purse I made sewing together by hands two of the granny squares I crocheted last summer (of course I've been inspired by my mp3 readers' case, always with me in my bag).

I added a beige lining (cotton fabric) and a zipper.

I've also added a new embroidered moleskine cover in the shop some days ago:

Photos taken indoor this time.

This cover is one of my favourite pieces in the shop now. I've experimented with monocromatic embroidery for the first time and I love it!

Flowers are a very common subject of my drawing and my embroidery and, as usual, I realized these without a pre-traced pattern on the fabric. The embroidery is improvized at the moment. This is my favourite way to embroider: I simply "draw" with needles and threads.

I'm selling this cover with its journal inside:

So these are the news about my shop. But I'm going to leave my home to spend the holidays at mum's home, so I think I have to set the shop in vacation mode for a while.

July in 31 photos - days 6-10

Second step of my July photographic project.

I'm sharing with you today the photos about days 6-10.

I'm very happy that Pam decided to follow me in this photographic project and she's uploading daily photos into her Instragram album.
She is working very well, surely better than me (today is day 13, and I haven't edited and published my photos about days 11 e 12, I'm so late!!!).
Remember you can join, too.
Follow the (super simple) rules here!

Day 6: Sunday: some embroidery after lunch. I've experimented a bit with monocromatic embroidery - flowers totally improvised by me.

Day 7: Working from home. I'm preparing some of my lessons of the week (they are about tourism).

Day 8: I'd love to swim in the beautiful Ionian Sea (we live very closed), but today I can't, so I'm letting images and words speak about my needs :)

Day 9: Final exhibition for the girls who attend the school where I work ad a teacher. They were fabulous!!!

And S. and I spent a very fresh and funny evening outdoor, watching the show and meeting friends and coworkers.

Day 10: lunch with both my parents-in-law (and S., too) after a visit to the hospital for my father-in-law (nothing serious, don't worry). The right occasion to "inaugurate" one of the tableclothes I made by myself last month!

Happy sunday!!!

July in 31 photos: day 1-5

I started the new month with a new project in my mind.

Following my growing need to document my daily life, I decided to take one photo (at the least) everyday for the whole July and to publish it here and in my Flickr album.

It's a great way to see how the month is going and to sum up my summer (I'm starting with July, but my plans are to go on in august, too). 

You know that I have big expectations for this summer and I hope to see beautiful snaps speaking about fun, nature and summer happiness.

Would you join me in this project?
I've called it "July in 31 photos" (I'm not very creative with names)

If you wanto to have fun with me, the only things you have to do are: 

- capture an image of your day, everyday

- publish it where you like best (Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, your blog, ....)

- let me know in the comment where I can see your photos

I'd like to take a glance in your summer :)

I'll probably publish my photos by grouping them, because I haven't the day to edit and blog every day.

Today I'm sharing with you my first 5 days.

Day 1: S. transplanted some succulents (+ another unknown little plant) in our acid green pot:

Day 2: a mysterious little light in our lawn (a firefly, I suppose)

Day 3: olive plants took frangipani's place in front of our main door - from a tropical corner to a very mediterranean one

Day 4: new shoes for me!

Day 5: typicall sicilian breakfast for summer: bread and granita (granita is made of almonds, sugar, milk, ice and cinnamon... very refreshing)

And 5 days have gone!

The magic of dew

Yesterday morning I was feeding the turtles in the garden and I noticed something so beautiful in a flowerbed that I had to return into the home to take my camera and photograph it.

It was a magic show provided by Mather Nature... liquid pearls adorning leaves and giving them a gleaming look.

The magic of dew!

I did my best to capture that beauty and I want to share what I saw with you:

 

 

 

 

Mother Nature is the best artist ever!

Silver and gold

Look what AuntFran made for my shop these days:

 

 

Knitted cuffs in gold and silver with buttons!

Love them! I've just uploaded them in the shop (12 € is a fair price, I think).

 

My favourite is this one in gold:

 

 

I really like how the thread sparkles and, oh, I'm in love with that vintage buttons with their mushroom shape :)

 

 

Since I have a strong fascination for mother-of-pearl, this cuff placed second in my rank:

 

 

It's made of an interesting white thread with silver fibers, very soft and a bit sparkling. Less elegant than the golden cuff: I think it is for girls with a rocker soul!

 

Same thread (but more simple metallic buttons) for the second cuff in silver:

 

 

Aunt Fran knitted braids in both the silver cuffs, I'm not sure if the photos show it clearly or not. Taking photos of sparkling objects is not so simple as I was expecting befor starting, but I'm quite satisfied by my snapshots.

Here at my parents' home (where I'm still living now) I'm experimenting with a lot of rustic backgroungs like the old wooden board you can see in the photos above (and in this one). I'm taking advantage of the natural light I have in the garden... how beautiful is light in september! Still bright, but soft!

 

AuntFran is not the only one working on new things these days, of course!

After tidying up my sewing trunk, I've realized a pouch with fabric and leather leftovers I found in it:

 

 

I'm also embroidering and sewing new Xmas stars.

It's a "no-sewing-machine project", 100% made by hands, perfect for me in this period, when I'm trying to keep company with mum while sitting in the garden or watching together a tv show.

 

 

I'm going to write a blog post soon to show you the completed stars, because they are a bit different from the stars I made last year.

Speaking about Italy... (Pam's giveaway)

Dear friends, I'm here today to let you know that Pam is hosting a super special giveaway on her blog. Only 2 days remain to enter, so... hurry up!

The giveaway speaks about Italy and I'm part of it.

Pam is offering 30$ to buy what you like in one of nine italian Etsy shops she wrote about in her post.

A great price, uh?

The only thing you have to do is to write a comment sharing what you would like to visit in a journey in Italy.

I'm having a lot of fun reading all the comments and discovering what strangers love and imagine about my country.

The thing I love most is that people seem to appreciate very much italians' kindness and not only food and monuments.

If you go to Pam's post you can also see some photos Avital took during a long travel in Italy. They are so beautiful! Avital has a great eye and talent in capturing details and moments. Love them!

I can't resist in publishing here some of my photos of italian places.

You can see other shots here and here.

 

(Eolian islands from sicilian coast)

 

(Milan's cathedral from a window of "Museo del Novecento")

 

(Cinque Terre)

 

(Gran Paradiso National Park)

 

Well, what are you waiting for? Go to Pam's blog and enter!!!

New crocheted treasures

While she was teaching me how to crochet granny squares, AuntFran was also making new things for my shop.

She's so lovely and supporting! Oh, and so talented in crochet!!!

 

She made two purses in cream cotton thread.

One is a cosmetic purse:

 

 

The second one is a pencil case:

 

 

She made the exterior part and I added a lining and a zipper, as usual.

This kind of purses are becoming a very requested item in my shop and I'm very happy that people appreciate my aunt work!

 

I've also added to the shop this coin purse:

 

 

Do you remember it?

We made it two summers ago, using only recycled materials (t-shirt yarn and fabric from old clothes). I think it's the time to offer it to the world :)

 

So... new things in the shop!

And a new style for the photos, too. I'm experimenting with rustic backgrounds, a style I really like and I feel "mine" (flowers by dad). Do you like it?