Why won't you feature my goods?

That is the question I got asked this weekend by someone that makes the most beautiful items that I would love to feature if only the photographs of them weren't so awful. Don't worry the person in question won't be reading this and saying "Well bloody cheek why didn't she tell me that instead of making up excuses?" because I did tell them that. You see, I don't see the point in making excuses if the persons items really are feature worthy and it is just the photos letting them down. Yes, telling them may hurt their feelings for a little while, but isn't it better to know the truth? I think so. Then they can do something about it and increase their potential for free publicity and also increase the chances of people buying their goods.

The main things I see wrong with photographs that stop me using them on the blog are:-

1. Bad lighting - This ranges from over lit to under lit, from items washed out by flashes to items you can barely see because the photo is so dark.

Use natural light if possible, but if not, try using "day Light" bulbs directed at the item through a diffuser from both sides and above to try and cut out any ugly large shadows. Avoid using a flash at all times as unless you are a very skilled photographer this will normally flatten the image and wash out colours or cause deep ugly shadows. Make sure your lighting doesn't affect the colours of your piece. If it totally washes out one of the colours it won't give a true representation of what you are selling.

2. Badly staged - If you are going to stand your item on some fabric as a background, make sure it is crease free, lint free, stain free and not a colour/pattern that fights for the viewers attention more than the item for sale. If you are using paper of card the same thing goes. Think about how it will look in the photo. That pretty scrap booking paper may look lovely as an A4 sheet, but if you close up on a small amount of it, as background to earrings, does it just look like toilet tissue with stains on? If your item is very large and you stage it in a room or outside, be aware of the items in the background. Do you really want people to see your rubbish bin in the shot, or your knickers on the washing line.

Just take time to set up an interesting shot that shows off your item to it's best. Don't be afraid to try taking the picture at lots of different angles to see which is best for making the item pop from the background of the photograph. Find a lay out that suits your goods and your over all brand look and perfect the staging until the item you are selling jumps out of the photo at you, looking all stunningly amazing.

3. Fuzzy focus - Sharp focus is a must when trying to sell goods on-line. People want to be able to see clearly what they are getting if the purchase from you.

Most digital camera's have a macro or super macro setting. This is usually represented on the camera as a flower in a box. Using this will allow you to get much sharper close up photographs. Try it out and see the effect. Set up the same close up shot and take one with the setting on and one with it off. You'll be amazed at the difference in clarity.

4. Cut out photos - These are the photos where someone has taken a picture of an item, found that the back ground looks too dark or has something in it they dislike, so they try to cut the item out and place it on a clean white background. The reason I dislike this kind of photo is because unless you are a photoshop master with wild wizardry skills in photographic manipulation you will just end up with an item that doesn't sit within the photograph at all and looks very wierd as the light and shade of the item do not follow through into the background and they look utterly unworldly.

I would advise against doingcut outs as it takes much longer to do them, usually, than just setting up the shot again and retake the photograph with a better backdrop.

5. Badly framed/cropped - When taking the main photograph of the whole item you are selling make sure you get the whole item into shot. Don't accidentally cut off the edge of a the item. If you need the item's photo to be square for the site you sell on, make sure you leave enough space around the item in the shot, so when you crop the photograph to be square you can do so without losing part of the item.

It is fine to have close up shots of parts of your item but in at least one shot we want to see the whole item and it just doesn't do it for me if that shot has a bit clipped of. That to me just looks as if the person hasn't taken care when shooting the photographs.

I know it is hard to get it right and in all honesty I'm still working towards that perfect picture of my own goods, but some of the photos people submit to me asking to be featured are so awful I just have to turn them down, even if I know the goods they sell are stunning. That's the way it is with promoting people on-line. Even if I like their goods I won't put them on the blog unless I thinks the photos are good enough. Beautiful pictures is one of the things that keeps people coming back to the blog.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Happy Koninginnedag

Tomorrow is the Queen of the Netherlands Birthday, so to celebrate their national holiday of Koninginnedag I've decided to feature some of the talented Dutch artisans I love the work of. All of these people are happy to post their goods internationally so you can all check out their shops and help them celebrate their national holiday with a sale.

Holland is well know for being a country of bicycle riders and Picture Penelope had snapped this beautifully colourful picture of a bike leaned up against some very yummy looking wall art. Healthy transport and healthy food!

I guess the Queen of the Netherlands will live in a very grand home and will, in all probability, have a few mounted hunting trophies on her walls. Squirrellicious has created an animal loving friendly version of the hunting trophy. As a vegetarian this is the only way I would have a head on my wall.

If you are looking for beautiful lampwork beads and jewellery Oggi is the shop for you. I love lampwork beads. They have a depth to them that makes them very special. Being made of glass gives them a luminous quality that looks different in different lights.

Look me in the eye and tell me you don't think this is the cutest tissue holder you have ever seen. Swiedebie has lots of other cuties in her shop too. I picked this monster tissue case purely because I have a love of monsters and this monster if fantastic!

How could I pass this little kitty by without featuring her. She looks so like our cat, Weapon X, that it would have been a sin to ignore her beauty. Cat Tingles created this gorgeous needle felted cat and bead necklace.

So all you artisans in the Netherlands I hope you have a fabulous day filled with sunshine, birthday cake and dancing as if no one is watching.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

From yummy seeds...

This morning I logged onto Artfire and the first thing I saw on the front page was a giant sunflower. The bright orange colours made me smile a huge wide grin. Is there a happier, more heart lifting flower than a sunflower? I know they are big and brash, but for all that vibrant, in your face colour and size don't they just make you feel all summery and warm inside every time you see them? Add to that they have very yummy seeds to eat as Autumn arrives and I have to say I love you Sunflowers!

Deb Moran's photograph captures beautifully what I mean about sunflowers, their bright orange glow and their warm smiley face. I also love the reflection below the flower in the photo. It somehow shows the fragility of the flower and reminds us to enjoy it whilst it lasts as soon it will fade and be gone.

This sunflower from Anna Clifton Jewellery is just so beautiful, you would never realise it's petals was made from recycled aluminium cans would you? The patterned centre is sterling silver which contrasts beautifully with the delicate looking bronze like petals. Beautiful!

These beautiful baby ballet slipper from Pink Angel Wings Creations are just so adorable. Imagine a baby girl in a bright yellow dress wearing these little shoes and a pretty sunflower print summer hat. She'd look like a little princess fit to visit the Queen.

Kitty Linnington Art's sunflower card just shouts out "Yippee for the sunshine, long summer days and vibrant colours!" Do you know someone that's feeling a little bit down, or is having a hard time? Imagine the smile on their face if this card dropped though their letterbox with a personalised message from you written inside. Go on, send someone a smile in an envelope!

I have to be honest, I don't think I would want to poke pins into Sew Lucky Embroidery's pincushion, purely because it would obscure the beautifully embroidered sunflower. I guess I could put the pins in the back of the cushion. This little cushion would definitely make pinning those sewing patterns a much more jolly task.

So Sunflowers really are like balls of summer and joy to me. I hope you feel the same way about them and that today's article has given you a warm glow!

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

My first Sale on Coriandr

To celebrate my first sale in my shop on Coriandr I've decided to feature some fellow sellers from the site. If you have never heard of Coriandr I'd advise you to go and take a look at the site. It's easy to navigate, has lots of fabulous handmade goods and everyone I've had contact with from the site are friendly, helpful and very talented. Let me show you some of the goods on sale there.

Indie Café Lounge is the creator of this honey and almond soap. Due to it containing real honey it is bound to be very moisturising as well as smelling yummy. It has added oatmeal that acts as a gentle exfoliator. Handmade bath goods are definitely the best in my eyes!

I love the glamour of Kiss Curl shop. The hats, fascinators, and hair accessories are cute, sexy and fun. They have echoes of days gone by when style and romance went hand in hand. This feather fascinator is just gorgeous!

Dan Jackson's sense of humour is very similar to mine judging by his photographs. I think his ability to capture the essence of absurdity and put a new spin on everyday objects is fabulous. Check out his shop for "Death by Chocolate" and "Cereal Killer", hehehe!

I was so wowed by Frute Juce's fabulous baby vest I just had to share it with you. The skill Alison must have with a sewing machine to be able to freehand embroider this much detailed is amazing. It reminds me of the skilled etch-a-sketch pictures you see.

Now regular readers will know my love of the colour orange so they won't be surprised by the fact I have chosen to share this bracelet from Lilyja. Isn't the colour divine? Bright, cheerful and very pretty.

So that's just 5 of the gorgeous goodies you can find over on Coriandr. If you are looking for lovingly created handmade goods, talented crafts men & women and like the look of the items above, you'll love the site. Go along and take a look around. Just see how many fabulous items you can find.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

6 by 6 tag game.

I've been tagged by the lovely Michelle who writes the photography tips for this blog: the tag is to take part in the 6 by 6 game. Rules: choose the sixth image out of your sixth picture folder from your computer and blog it. Then tag six more people to do the same.

I've decided instead of tagging six bloggers I would just pick 6 peoples items that relate to the 6th file, 6th picture to show you.

Well this is it, the 6th of the 6th photo. It's me hula hooping on the beach. The photo was taken last year by Jon. We were waiting for friends to join us and I was hooping so they would be able to find us easily when they got down past the dunes onto the sand. The people in the background are attempting to put up a beach tent shelter because as you can see by the state of my hair although it was very sunny and warm it was very, very windy. It was a fabulous day!

I found this print of an original pastel painting in Art by Joni shop. Isn't it beautiful! There is a path like this down to the beach I'm hooping on in the above photo. Check out the rest of Joni's work. Her shop is well worth a visit.

Blue Gorilla Gallery has this burlesque hooper doing her thing. This bright and vibrant original acrylic on canvas painting could be yours. I think it would make a great talking point when hung on the wall. I love it.

Andy Fee's small original watercolour is just so much fun. People on the sand playing in the sunshine. I love days like that. This image captures that so beautifully, yet simply. I can almost smell the seaside aroma.

I picked Zozo Cards little Koala to share because he looks like he is having lots of fun and to me that's what hula hooping is all about. This print would make a perfect gift for a hula hoop lover or a Koala lover.

Mountain Brook Store created this fabulous wooden silhouette of children building sandcastles on the beach. It brings to mind my childhood looking through rock pools for crabs and other sea creatures. The little shovels are just perfect.

Boolady's shop is full of vintage pictures and this one just makes me smile so much. This is a photo from way back when hula hooping was in it's infancy and Boolady looks like she's really hooping it up! I'm loving the TV in the background too.

So there are my six choices that relate to my 6th of the 6th. All of these items have triggered much loved memories for me, so thank you for tagging me Michelle.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Our Sponsors

We have two Project Wonderful ad blocks on the top right of our blog. We are happy to say that the people placing their ads there are sponsoring this blog and allowing us to continue to showcase lovingly handmade goods to the world each day. As a thank you to those people we like to pick goods from their shops to feature on the blog every now and then. Today I thought I'd post up some items from the people showing up as I write this.

MNH Photography is a regular in our ad block, and I'm so glad that she is as I love looking through her shop at all the beautiful photos. At the moment her shop has lots of stunning photos of birds. I chose the Blue Jay to share with you because I have never seen one before. They are not native to the UK. I thought they would be a more vivid blue colour, but the delicate blue that they are is much more beautiful than the image I had in my head that they should look like.

Another regular is Sweet and Tranquil. The photographs of her soaps make my mouth water. If they smell as good as they look I'm sure you'd never get me out of the bath. These bars are chocolate and strawberry scented, 2 of my favourite things, yum!

Stonehouse Studios made these beautiful classy earrings and again is a regular sponsor of this blog. Her shop has some of the most delightful jewellery I have seen in ages. They range from quite complex pieces to simple elegant pieces like these earrings, which are on sale at the moment so why not go and bag something gorgeous at a great price.

Just how gorgeous are these bunny hair clips from Glamasaurus? My niece would have loved some of these when she was little. She was obsessed with rabbits from the age of 3-12. Glamasaurus has sponsored us pretty much from the day the Ad boxed from Project Wonderful appeared.

6060 is a supplies seller. She sells mainly animal facial features for soft toys, like these eyes and animal noses, she also has findings for bear joints. There are loads to choose from so go and take a look. I picked these blue ones to show you because they remind me of a small blue eyed bear I had as a child.

CJ's Fine Designs makes and sells lots of cute baby goods and some handmade jewellery. The funky monkeys on this waterproof bib caught my eye, so I thought I'd share them with you. There are lots of lovely cloth diapers, baby wipes, booties, sleep sacks, changing mats and much more. If you have a baby to buy for, check out her store.

Thank you to everyone that spends their hard earn cash on our ad blocks. You're sponsorship gives us the chance to surf the net to find lots of gorgeous goods to share with all our readers and to give exposure to a lot of great handmade goods.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Slugs

This morning whilst putting on my Wellie boot to go out and get some coal for the fire I squished a big leopard slug. It had slimed into my Wellington boot some time in the night and sadly for it, my big cheese foot came down and squished it. Poor little slug. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of slugs as they eat their way through loads of the veggies, but that has to be a really horrible way to die. In honour of the dead slug I decided to find some handmade items that celebrate slugs.

Bianca Venice photograph shows off this European slug in all it's glory. You can see all the amazing details and texture of it's skin. This one is a really dark black colour, the one I squished was a light tan colour with dark spots, hence the name Leopard slug.

Late Night Knitting has come up with a pattern to knit this cute little slug. I've never seen a slug with such big lips and even if I did I don't think I'd want to kiss it. This cutie is sure to get many cuddles and kisses.

I've never thought of giving a slug as a Valentines gift before but Mathaland has made me think what a great idea it would be. A "love U" and a pretty little card would be a fabulous gift for a loved one that isn't into all that schmaltzy lovey dovey stuff. It's sure to raise a smile.

Odd Imagination has created this vibrantly coloured polymer clay slug. This one is more like the poor departed slug, well it is except for the colours. It was less vibrant than and more camouflaged. I think this one might get spotted by the birds too easily.

I love the work of Loopy Boopy and have featured her work before but Slug Boy was a must for today's feature. Sadly Slug Boy doesn't have many slug friends, so he hangs out with the worms. Now they are a whole other kettle of fish. Worms help the soil and that helps the vegetables to grow, which I guess makes the Slug Boy happy.

Slugs are the bane of most gardeners lives. They nibble their way through everything and can decimate big leafy green plants in a night. They chomp their way into lettuces, cabbage, hosters... well anything juicy really, but despite all that I still feel sorry for the one I squished. I guess I'm just a big softy.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Vibrant Vintage

Today I thought we would show some of those talented vintage sellers some love. Some people think selling Vintage goods is easy peasy, but I'm here to tell you it really isn't. It takes many hours of searching, researching and skill to become a good vintage seller. You need to be the kind of person that can sort through piles of goods to spot the gems that might otherwise have ended up in landfill. Quite often vintage sellers have to become good restorers too. They fix small flaws in the goods they find to give the items new life. It takes a good eye and patience to find the perfect goods to put in their shops.

This beautiful butterfly from Royal Pink Vintage is just one of a set of four printed and hand pencil coloured, framed pictures. They would look great as a set hung on a plain coloured wall to add a bit of interest.

Hey good lookin has these eye catching vases. They are such a fabulous rich orange colour of the base and the blue/green stylised leaves. I'm so glad that HGL found them and rescued them. I hope they find a good home where they will be treasured and used.

Being the pirate loving person that I am, when I saw these boots in NStyle Vintage shop I jumped for joy. Sadly they aren't my size, but they would make some other size 7 footed pirate a great buy. I hate wearing in new boots, so vintage boots would be perfect as someone else will have softened the leather up first.

This groovy vintage 1960's Kay Selig dress in Tialey Vintage shop is a fabulous find. Bright and vibrant, funky and fun. I think it would look great as an every day dress or dressed up for a night out on the town. The Joy of vintage clothing is you are very unlikely to bump into someone else with the same frock on.

Vintage isn't only about saving things because they are pretty, it can also be about saving things for historical purposes. Sharon Foster Vintage has a group of 4 vintage French postcards that show close ups of The Notre Dame Gargoyles. It's good to have records of the way wonderful buildings such as this looked over the years. I'm guessing the dates on the cards indicate the date the gargoyles were carved or put in place, because photography wasn't around in the 1700's. They are fabulous records or a gorgeous building.

Vintage is a specialist area of recycling and I'm very glad there are people out there taking the time to save all the fantastic items that others discard. Long may they carry on rooting and rummaging around for the pearls that nearly got away. I'm off to search for a pair of size 5UK pre-owned pirate boots and maybe a nice vintage military dress coat to go with them.

Written by Lynne of the Hyperloop Hoops and Pirate Pixie Crew

Artisan of the Week, Tracey of Random Hamster

I've always wished I was better at taking photos than I am, so have always had a great respect for those that capture those perfect images. One of my all time favourite magazines is Wanderlust, and it's mainly due to the amazing pictures. So, when I found Tracey's shop on folksy the photos encouraged me to do a bit of research and found her website and was utterly wowed. I was so glad when she agreed to be an Artisan of the Week.

1.Could you please introduce us to who you are and what you do?
Hello. Random Hamster photography is the rather odd name given to the photographic side of my life. I'm based in Bristol in the UK at the moment, a great city that is constantly changing and from which you can easily escape to the surrounding countryside!
My photography is my passion, I take a camera with me everywhere I go but I like to focus on the details around me. Sometimes a detail in a larger landscape, sometimes just somewhere most people overlook. I also like to capture an idea, a mood, letting peoples imagination play a part in the picture. Although I work in both digital and film, I often prefer film to digital, especially for more atmospheric work and still think it has a big part to play in photography today.

2.What led you to take up your craft?
I have played around with photography from my childhood when I used to steal away with my grandfather's cameras. My work as an archaeologist has led to my doing both record and publication shots and first introduced me to digital. Over the years I have used many different cameras and as my interest in photography grew into a passion I started Random Hamster to enable me to sell my images through market stalls, my website, galleries and sites like Folksy.

3.Which part of your work do you most enjoy?
That's a difficult one. When I am out with the cameras I think that's the part I enjoy most, but then when I am working on an image and can see it coming to life, achieving the idea I had when I took it or finding something completely new, then I think that's the best bit. I also really like doing my weekly market stalls; chatting to people who regularly stop by is great and selling my images to people who like what I do is a buzz!

4.Which part do you find hardest?
Getting inspiration when I'm not in the mood. A photograph can be carefully set up and every detail worked out but I prefer to wing it a lot of the time, I like the unpredictability that can cause. I can find an idea for an image on the tip of my lens as it were but not be able to achieve the final shot. Very frustrating.

5.Where do you hope to be in 1 year’s time?
Urgh, I hate this kind of question, because I never know. I'm not a planner ahead, I tend more to drift along and see where things take me... can be to some very interesting places! I suppose I would like to be selling in more galleries, ultimately to be a known photographer, someone whose work is recognisable. That's a long way away though and I don't think I will ever make a real living from my photography.

6.What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Hmmm... to play around a lot more with cameras. Don't take them too seriously, but do what you want to with them. So much of yourself goes into an image that I think you can't do a shot just to sell. Probably why I wouldn't want to be a commercial photographer. Oh and something a friend of mine once said years ago, that people get old and boring when they grow up so her advice was to never grow up! I like that, you should never loose that child-like enjoyment of something.

7.Name other artisans sites/shops would you recommend are worth a visit?
I have a slightly darker side and like the surreal, which can be seen in my work sometimes, so I really like 'Art and Ghosts' work. Also Bespoke leather as I have a thing for natural materials and leather. As for photos, I love unravelling images, light and airy and beautiful and Touchpapers work on clowns...captures the mood perfectly.

8.What is your favourite sandwich filling?
At last, an easy one. Cheese and chilli sauce! I'm a fan of chilli sauce with anything though.

Tracey, your photographs are very varied, but they all have one thing in common. They all make me want to see more. Thank you very much for being involved in Autonomous Artisan and for allowing us to share your photos with the readers here. I too plan on never growing up. Growing up is sooo over rated. I strongly urge all the readers to surf their way over to your website and look around. The stormtroopers are worth the visit alone. If you live in or around Bristol in the UK you can see Tracey's work up close at St. Nicks market, Bristol.

Written by Lynne of Hyperloop Hoops and PiratePixieCrew

Project Wonderful

On the left hand side of this blog we offer people advertising space through Project Wonderful and I'm happy to say that many handmade goods makers take the opportunity to promote their goods using the space. Project Wonderful is just one of the many ways to run ad campaigns on-line. I like it because it is fairly simple to use and even if you have a very small advertising budget you can find yourself some spaces to place your ad's to gain exposure. It is run like an auction and you bid on spaces to place your ad's. Many places that offer ad spaces don't put a minimum bids on their boxes, so you can even find spaces for free. You can track how well your adverts are doing and see how many click they are getting, so you can tell if the ad's are working or not. Here are a few items from people that have recently placed their handmade ad's on this blog.

Stonehouse Studio has a shop filled with stunning jewellery. This piece is the one I liked most when I visited her shop. I love the way each handmade bead is slightly different in shape and the subtle colours you can see in the polymer clay. Very stylish.

Ollie the owl caught my eye in East Coast Kitsch's shop. Such a cute critter. He looks very happy in this tree, but I bet he would be equally happy being cuddled up with a new owner on the sofa watching TV.

This fabulous photo was taken by Infivision. I chose to feature this one from the many amazing shots in his shop because of the minute detail you can see of this ant. Whilst many people find insect horrible or scary they fascinate me. They have such varied but amazing life cycles.

Jennifer Ladd is a regular advertiser on this site and I'm so glad, because she has so many gorgeous bags in her shop. I'm always clicking on the ad to see what's new. I picked this scarlet red clutch because of the cute bicycle and trees, but there are many more I adore.

This beautiful under water scene was drawn in pen and ink by Tamara Garvey. The fantastical creatures are varied and interesting and every time I look at it I see another fishie or starfish. It's truly delightful.

All these people are using Project Wonderful to drive traffic to their shops, join in the traffic and click on those ad boxes you see on the left at the top of this page. There are so many amazing shops behind those 125 x 125 pixel boxes. Click a few and see.

Written by Lynne of Hyperloop Hoops and Pirate Pixie Crew

More Flickr Finds

The Autonomous Artisans Flickr group is still going strong and you are all welcome to join, put forward photos of handmade goods and chat about items you love, crafts you enjoy, artisans you admire or just sit and stare at all the gorgeous photos of goodies that people have made. If you haven't been over there to see all the fabulous items yet, I've picked out a few to share with you.

Glamasaurus made these cookie earrings that look good enough to eat. You might have to fend off hungry passers by when you wear them.

Dangerous Mezzo is a very talented lady. This is one of her collage paintings, but she also creates gorgeous jewellery.

Are you looking for a warm hat for this winter. Dread Nought Designs has just the thing. Made from flannel and fleece it is bound to keep you feeling cosy.

Meero made these stylish fresh water pearl earrings. They have a simple elegant stirrup shape that would look fabulous hanging from any ear shape.

I love Venice and this picture from Sounds Like Rain reminds me of a happy afternoon laying in a gondola. Kay is an amazing photographer as her shop will show you.

I'm so glad I set up the Flickr group as it has turned up many wonderful artisans and given me the opportunity to share them with you. Please spread the word about it so that we can give exposure to many more independent artists and crafters.

Written by Lynne of Hyperloop Hoops and Pirate Pixie Crew