Before and After

The first image was one I actually posted on Etsy when I first started out. Surprisingly, I sold 2 of these necklaces, despite the dreadful presentation! Both buyers gushed in my Feedback about how much prettier the piece was when they received it, and I thought at the time that they were just being kind. But now I'm thinking that hey! maybe I should get the photos to look as pretty as the pieces....ya think? So this is my new attempt.

If you want a snicker, look here- these are on my Etsy site now! I didn't take into account the crop that Etsy does for their gallery view at all! And at the time I wondered why everyone snatched these up at my studio but ignored them online. Now compare this!

I did my photo makeover in Photoshop Elements 5. I did a better crop, and clone tooled out the uneven neckline on my daughter's shirt. I balanced the lighting in levels, my new best friend. Then I selected the shirt and jumper and changed their colors to warmer tones, which make the jewelry pop out better.

So I guess I'm not an old dog after all.

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. ~Attributed to Harry S. Truman

Making a Banner for an Etsy Shop

It wasn't enough to be a potter AND a jeweler, and a mom, wife, small business owner, domestic diva, and volunteer-for-everything recovery candidate. I am now an Etsy banner designer! So, okay, I'm not hawking myself as a pro, but after a gazillion attempts, I finally like the banner I made for my Etsy shop- please check it out! It's easier to see Etsy-sized.

Here's how I did it:

I found these wonderful templates by Janet's Glass. She made them specifically for Etsy banners and offered them for the taking. Thanks, Janet!

I downloaded that to my computer, and then opened it in Photoshop.

I took out the imagery that didn't work for my shop with the clone stamp tool. Then I put photos of my work where I wanted them, by opening the photos I already had, and using the move tool.

I used the magic extractor tool on the necklace and mug. I also set the opacity of the mug at 60% so that it recedes into the background somewhat.

Then I selected a typeface, white type, and typed OneClayBead and my description. Since the template was already sized correctly, I uploaded it to Etsy, and Poof!

I am a banner designer! How do you like it?

Did You See That!!??!!!

I uploaded galleries of my pottery to FlickR yesterday, and of course I had to cruise through the spectacular eye candy by some seriously talented pro photographers. I'm never content just to look, though. I've got the worst case of "gee, I could do that" syndrome. My imagination runs wild; I am now a world traveling photographer with a portfolio of soul-inspiring shots! It's amazing what confidence owning Photoshop gives. So I messed around with masking and hue changes and came up with this piece, Datura. It's an evening-blooming huge trumpet flower that grows in the faraway place of my garden. I rather like the results, even though I may never be a famous art photographer in this lifetime.

I enjoy having a memory of summer's abundance on a wet winter day. Daturas are like God's magic show- right before your eyes, these ethereal beauties burst forth from unremarkable plants with cumbersome protrusions. Voila!

Did you see that!!??!!!

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”

Albert Einstien

That's what I'm talking about!