Better in Bulk - Family photographer with a large family » tutorials

How To Make Bouncy Shoes – A 6-Year-Old’s Tutorial

Lolli — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:47:56 +0000

While I am away from my computer for most of the day, enjoying my kids on their day off, I thought I’d share the tutorial that AJ, my 6 year old, wrote up yesterday at church.

How to Make Bouncy Shoes with Springs and Duct Tape

I have to be honest….he set out to make a pair of bouncy shoes as soon as we got home. He found two springs in old flash lights and taped them to his shoes. Sadly, they did not bounce. And believe me….he tried pretty hard.

Regardless of the springy shoes’ success, I do think that AJ has a future in tutorials. Yes?

Phineas and Ferb – DIY Halloween Costumes

Lolli — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:55:35 +0000

My kids are last-minute costume-pickers. They tend to change their minds on what they want to dress up as all October long. Luckily, the characters that two of my kids decided to be at the very last minute this Halloween turned out to be very easy (and cheap) for us to put together.

Phineas and Ferb is one of our favorite shows. Even my husband raves about the humor and stops his work to sit down with the kids to watch an episode.

My 12 year old Necco is a huge Perry the Platypus fan, and so she decided to put together a Perry costume. Here’s how it turned out:

What you need for a DIY Perry the Platypus costume:

Turquoise or green sweat pants
Turquoise or green hooded sweat shirt
Hat
Orange gloves (or “hands” cut out of extra orange felt)
Two 8×10 pieces of orange felt
One 8×10 (or smaller) sheet of orange craft foam
scissors
safety pins

Instructions for making a Perry the Platypus costume:

Cut one 8×10 piece of orange felt in half so that you have two 4×5 pieces. Cut a simple “foot” shape (each side will be the same). Safety pin or tape one foot to each shoe.

Cut a platypus tail from the second sheet of orange felt. Safety pin the tail to the back of child’s shirt or pants.

Cut a beak from the sheet of orange craft foam (ours was approximately 3 inches long by 4 inches wide, rounded). Safety pin the beak to the sides of the hood or tie a string to each side of the beak and tie around the child’s face like a mask.

Dress child in sweat shirt and sweat pants. Be sure to put the hood up and place the hat on top of the hood. That’s it!

What you need for a DIY Ferb costume:

My 6 year old son is a big Ferb fan. As soon as he saw us working on a Perry costume, he asked if we could make a Ferb costume for him. Here are the supplies you’ll need:

yellow t-shirt
blue pants
2 8×10 sheets of tan craft foam (or 3 sheets of 4×5 foam)
1 sheet of white craft foam
1 8×10 piece of green felt
glue, staples, clear packing tape
scissors
black sharpie marker

Instructions for making a Ferb costume:

Measure child’s head and make a “hat” with the sheets of tan craft foam. We used 2 and a half 5-inch-long pieces of foam and put them together to make one strip that was approximately 4 inches tall and 12 inches wide. We secured the pieces with staples and tape (to cover up the staples).

Cut randomly zig-zaggy hair from the green felt. Tape the hair onto the top of the “hat.”

Cut two circles using the white craft foam and draw a black eyeball on each circle. Glue or tape the circles onto the front of your “hat.”

Dress child up in yellow shirt and blue pants and Ferb head “hat” – that’s it!

Note: Multi-color packs or single sheets of felt and craft foam can be purchased at Walmart or craft stores like Michaels. I payed about 5 dollars for both mutli-color packs that I used and have a ton left over. The t-shirt, sweat pants and sweat shirt were the most pricey parts of the costume, but those can all be used for every-day wear since they are not modified at all as part of the costume.

Halloween Craft Idea – Cheap and Easy “3D” Paper Pumpkins

Lolli — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:05:28 +0000

Years ago, I made a wooden pumpkin craft at a church event. I have kept that pumpkin and displayed it every October-November since then.

Last night, as I lay un-sleeping in my bed, I realized that I could re-create that craft for my kids with hardly any cost. I couldn’t wait to try it out today!

Halloween/Fall Standing Paper Pumpkin Craft

Supplies needed:

Paper (card stock or decorated seasonal paper from a craft store…..if you don’t have fancy Halloween paper, you can decorate plain paper with crayons, markers, or stickers)

Scissors

Glue

Pencil for tracing

Pumpkin template (upload it below)

Pumpkin templates to print at home

Download the pumpkin outline (one large pair and one small pair), print at home, and use as a template for making your pumpkins.

6 Easy Steps:

Trace your pumpkin on a piece of paper (if you are using patterned paper, trace the pumpkin on the back side) – trace on with a stem and one without.

Cut out your two pumpkins.

Glue your cut pumpkins on the BACK side of another sheet of paper (blank side facing blank side).

Cut out your pumpkins (they will now be two-sided).

Place your two pumpkins together with the stem UP and the non-stem facing down. Cut a straight line in the middle of the pumpkins about half way up.

Slide the pieces together so that your paper pumpkin can stand up.

5 supplies + 6 steps + 10 minutes (plus, each pumpkin is less than a dollar!) = a quick and FUN Fall craft that many ages can do together. You also get happy kids who are excited to display their creations. (My middle school daughter was so excited, she plans on bringing her pumpkin to school to hang in her locker for the rest of the month).

Linked up with Blissfully Domestic’s Halloween DIY Round-up and VolunteerSpot’s Fall Class Party Ideas post.

If you’re looking for fresh classroom party ideas for the upcoming Halloween or Fall Party, please view and share the VolunteerSpot Classroom Party Guide with contributions from your favorite craft and party bloggers!

How to Make a Diaper Cake in Less Than 30 Minutes

Lolli — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:00:58 +0000

Recently, KitKat and I attended a baby shower for a friend of mine having twins. This is her first pregnancy – what a way to jump into parenthood!

Because the mother-to-be was my oldest daughter, KitKat’s, teacher at church, I thought it would be fun to come up with a baby shower gift that the two of us could work on together.

We took two packages of diapers, some streamers, baby spoons, hand sanitizer, rubber bands, and a little cup and turned it all into a very reasonably priced diaper cake.

In less than 30 minutes, the two of us (but mostly me) put the supplies together to make a diaper cake. It might not be the most beautiful diaper cake, but it was fun, cheap, and functional (and homemade gifts always get some extra attention!).

Easy diaper cake instructions:

Step 1:
Roll any size diaper (for this example, I used size 1), starting at the open end. Secure each rolled diaper with a rubber band. I used a little more than one jumbo package. The more diapers you use, the bigger your cake will be in the end.

Step 2:
Start with a round base. I tried an odd shaped bottle of lotion at first, but found that the round Ovaltine jar worked perfectly. Secure one layer of rolled diapers around your base with a rubber band.

Step 3:
Build your foundation base until it is your desired size by adding additional rows of diapers around the initial layer around your base.

Step 4:
Now work on your second tier by building another layer of diapers around your base above the first layer. Repeat with additional rows until it is your desired size.

Step 5:
Wrap a thick ribbon around the outside of both cake tiers to cover the rubber bands. I used tape to hold the ribbon in place (actually, I used baby shower streamers, but it’s the same idea).

Step 5:
Decorate your cake! Add fun things, like binkies, flowers, toys, etc to liven up the cake. Baby spoons work perfectly as “candles.”

And that’s it! In less than 30 minutes, you’ve got a fun baby shower gift.

10 Tips for Taking the Perfect Profile Picture – #bloghopcon

Lolli — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:00:24 +0000

The perfect profile picture is tough to come by – it’s natural to want to put our best features out there, but not all pictures were created to be profile shots.

#BlogHopCon

This weekend I am joining with a couple dozen amazing bloggers to present the BlogHop Conference – a free conference that anyone can attend from the comfort of their own home. We’ve pulled together two days worth of incredible learning. To see the 2 dozen + conference sessions, check out the BlogHop Conference hub at Blog Conference Newbie.

Have you ever heard any of these phrases at a blog conference or meet-up?

“Wow! You look a lot older in person!”
“Oh! I didn’t recognize you at ALL! Did you color your hair?”
“You don’t look anything like your picture!”
“You were in the same room as me? I didn’t see anyone that looked like you! I can’t believe I missed you!”
or “You don’t have a profile picture anywhere on your site. I always pictured you totally different.”

If anyone has said anything like this to you, it may be time to update your profile picture.

Here are a few simple tips for taking and choosing the best profile picture:

Have one! The first rule of profile pictures is to have one. Readers want to know who they are listening to.

Keep it real – Avatars and cartoon drawings are fun but they are not ideal for profile pictures.

As fun as it is to see myself as a Simpson, I don't want my readers to think I actually look like this...

Glamor shots are out – you might look great when you’re all fancied up, but is anyone going to recognize you?

Crop! Focus on the face – profile pictures tend to be small anyway, but remember that the more of your body is in the shot, the smaller your face will be.

I like this picture, but 2 key things make this shot less than ideal - my face is very small and I'm wearing shades. And people get intimidated by that lens.

Keep it simple – a simple background helps the viewer focus their attention on the subject – you! It’s really easy for a person to become “lost” in a busy background.

Who’s who? Group shots may bring back great memories, but are your readers (especially new ones) going to be able to pick you out in the crowd?

This group shot brings back wonderful memories of Type-A Conference. Can you find me?

Ask for opinions – it’s ok to ask friends or family to help you chose. Sometimes it’s hard to pick what looks most like “You” yourself, so get help from someone who knows you well.

Don’t hide! Show your face and let us see your smile! Don’t hide behind your favorite sunglasses or your hair.

Although this picture does show me on a good hair day, it doesn't really let you know what I look like

Be consistent! If you use a branding “prop” in your profile picture, be aware that people will expect that prop when they meet you.

I like this picture, but I don't want to be known as the "rain bonnet lady"

Update! If you drastically change your look – lose weight, color or cut your hair, etc. you might want to consider updating your picture.

I love this picture of myself, but people always tell me that I don't look like this picture (my hair was too straight or something...)

What profile pictures stand out to you? What types of profile pictures do you like to see on blogs? And how does yours measure up?

This post is part of the BlogHop Blog Conference at Home.

To see the full agenda of learning sessions visit Blog Conference Newbie. I’m thrilled to be participating in this Conference from home with so many of my favorite bloggers!

Crochet Headband Tutorial

Lolli — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:24:04 +0000

I am so thrilled to be featured for the second year on Skip to My Lou’s Summer Craft Camp. Last year, my super easy Kite Tutorial was highlighted during the craft camp. Today, my very first crochet tutorial is featured on Skip to My Lou, and I thought I’d let you guys know. If you like it, I might just have to do more of these crochet tutorials right here!

The best thing about this headband is that even a beginner can do it. And it only take a few minutes to make. Check out the directions on Skip to My Lou. I’ll be back later some fun posts and giveaways for Father’s Day!

Photography Questions….Answered!

Lolli — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:07:47 +0000

Today at 11:00am Eastern Time in the BlogFrog Coffee Talk Community I’ll be leading a LIVE Discussion about photography, where I will be available for questions and ready to hand out lots of tips to get better results with your camera. I hope you will join me there! (PS – if you can’t join this morning, you can go back through the saved discussion any time!)

In preparation for the live chat, I’ve compiled a list of my photography tutorials:

Where I store my photos online:

People ask me all the time where I prefer to store my photos online. I have used both Flickr and Photobucket, and though they are popular, they didn’t do what I needed them to. I finally found the perfect solution for me in SmugMug. (Want to check out my albums?) I love the way that I can organize, view, and share my pictures there. If you’d like to see what it can do, you can try it free. And if you want to sign up, here’s a $5 off coupon. I highly recommend it!

I hope to see you shortly in the Live Chat!

Oh, and I almost forgot! The BlogFrog got a beautiful new MAKEOVER last night! Go check out the new look!

How to Avoid the Red-eye Effect

Lolli — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:02:38 +0000

Help me win the Amazing Avocado Big Hit Grand Prize ($5000!) for my yummy Avocado recipe by voting daily for me at http://www.theamazingavocado.com/bighit/vote.php?id=8

How many times have you taken a photo with the flash and come back with something like this?

Megan and Allison from Mom Central with me in Baltimore for the Aquafina party

Red eyes might be fashionable for Halloween, but I don’t know of anyone who wants to be remembered with blood-red eyes. So we’ve either got to avoid red eyes or correct them. Just the other night, after taking pictures at a night time wedding, CandyMan asked why a few of his dancing pictures had such hideous red eyes. He was curious why the red-eye effect happened, and I figured a few of you might be wondering as well.

It’s relatively easy to correct the red-eye effect in your post-processing routine, but it’s always better to start with something good. I typically only have problems with red eye when using my little point and shoot. Most photo processing programs have a handy red eye tool. If the red eye tool doesn’t do the job, another quick trick is to convert the photo to black and white.

Why do eyes turn red in pictures?

The red-eye effect occurs in photographs in low light when the flash is very close to the lens. Because the flash of light occurs too fast for the pupil to close, a lot of that light from the flash passes through the pupil and reflects off the fundus (at the back of the eye) and out again through the pupil. The main reason that the camera records this as red is because there is so much blood located behind the retina.

Kind of gross, isn’t it?

How can I avoid red-eye?

Use a bounce flash, ie: point your flash away from the subject so that it is bouncing off the ceiling or a wall. This ensures that only diffused flash light enters the eye.
The closer your flash is to the lens, the more likely you will be to catch some red eyes. That’s why point and shoot cameras are more likely to have the problem than SLRs, whose lenses pop up further away from the lens.
Shoot flash pictures from an angle, rather than looking straight into the subject’s eyes (have the subject look away from the camera lens).
Take your pictures without flash. You can increase the lighting in the room, open the lens aperture, increase your ISO, or reduce the shutter speed to accomodate.
You can still use the flash indoors by increasing the lighting in the room so that the subject’s pupils are more constricted.
Use the red-eye reduction function in your camera. Red-eye reduction lets off a series of short, low-power flashes, or a continuous piercing bright light triggering the iris to contract before the actual flash goes off and the picture is taken.
Having the subject look away from the camera lens.

What photo trick or technique would you like to learn about next?

Photography Tips for Rainy Days

Lolli — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:46:02 +0000

Today’s quick photography tutorial is inspired by our current wet weather. It has been raining here for the last 2 days, and after the dry spell we’ve had for the last little while, it has been quite enjoyable (albeit quite WET). The rain inspired me to start my regular photography tips back up. After a nice Summer break, and a 3 month Budget Bootcamp, I am actually itching to get back into camera-talk!

Following are just a few tips to make the most of your rainy-day pictures.

1 – Shoot some photos through a window. Not only will your camera equipment stay dry, but raindrops splashed on a window can be very fun (and they tend to stand out better than raindrops falling from the sky).

2 – Instead of trying to capture an entire rainy scene, focus on the smallest details, like the raindrops on a leaf or flower petal, or shoes splashing through a puddle.

3 – Don’t be afraid to get out in the rain and catch people getting wet. Rain has a tendency to make people loosen up and have fun. Just bring along an umbrella for the photographer!

4 – Be on the look-out for rainbows. Rainbows are tricky to capture, and their intensity varies, but they are worth the effort.

5 – Colors tend to be more saturated when it’s over-cast and rainy. Colors will appear more intense on a camera than they will to the naked eye. Take advantage of the colors!

6 – Storms (before, during, and after) have a uniquely photogenic quality. Some of my favorite pictures have been taken right before a storm begins or right after it ends.

Have you tried taking pictures in the rain? What are your favorite rainy day photo tips?

Help me win the Amazing Avocado Big Hit Grand Prize ($5000!) for my yummy Avocado recipe by voting daily for me at http://www.theamazingavocado.com/bighit/vote.php?id=8

Outdoor Photography Tips

Lolli — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:35:19 +0000

Did you know that June 15th is National Nature Photography Day? Today is the day to not only hug a tree….today is the day to photograph it!

The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), which established National Nature Photography Day in 2006, encourages everyone to do some of these things on June 15:

• Get your camera out and visit a park – even if it’s just 10 minutes at lunch time
• Learn about and photograph a species of plant or animal that is native to your region.
• Teach a child how to take a picture of flowers or trees in the backyard.
• Read about the life of a famous nature photographer, such as Ansel Adams. (Or you can count reading this blog post as part of your National Nature Photography Day homework)

NANPA promotes the art and science of nature photography as a medium of communication, nature appreciation, and environmental protection. In honor of NNPD, here is a list of Outdoor Photography Tips:

Lighting is everything! It is generally recommended that the best times to capture outdoor pictures (both those of nature and those of people in nature) are the approximately 3 hours surrounding sunrise as well as the hours surrounding sunset. The typical hours of “running around as tourist” are between 10 and 5, and are some of the worst times in terms of lighting to take pictures. The sun creates contrasty images and shadows that are often undesirable.
Your digital camera’s worst enemies are dust, sand, water and extreme temperatures. Avoid them!
Pick your subject and focus on that. Is it a person outside, a flower, or maybe a landscape? Make sure that your main subject is not only prominent but in clear focus. Landscape shots typically look better with an extended depth of field, but close ups of flowers are more appealing with a shallow depth of field. Not sure about those terms? Check out my tutorial on Aperture.
Try different viewpoints and angles. Stand in the same spot and rotate your perspective. Stand up high or crouch down. Sometimes the scene changes drastically as you change your point of view.
Use the flash in back lit conditions outside (in other words, when the sky is very bright in the background) or when the there are many shadows. Use the built-in flash on your camera to fill in the shadows.
Eliminate distractions around your subject. Be aware of the other objects, people, shadows, toys, etc. in the frame and either move them, move the subject, or move yourself!
Not every landscape photo looks best in landscape mode. Try rotating your camera and taking a few pictures in portrait mode.
Many outdoor photos require a tripod, especially when you are taking an extreme close-up (macro shot) of a flower or bug (etc). Don’t have a tripod? Make yourself into a tripod by holding your elbows close in to your body and leaning against a tree, railing, or building (if standing)…or if you are sitting, rest your elbows on your knees to create a triangle of sorts with your arms and the camera.
Be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes it all comes down to being ready. Nature is unpredictable, and some of the best nature shots are the ones that nobody planned.
What is the most important part of a nature photo? The person behind the camera. Cameras are not creative. A picture taken with a cheap point and shoot camera by a person who knows a little about composition will look better than a picture taken with an expensive SLR by a person with no sense of creativity.

Better in Bulk - Family photographer with a large family » tutorials

How To Make Bouncy Shoes – A 6-Year-Old’s Tutorial

How to Make Bouncy Shoes with Springs and Duct Tape

Phineas and Ferb – DIY Halloween Costumes

What you need for a DIY Perry the Platypus costume:

Instructions for making a Perry the Platypus costume:

What you need for a DIY Ferb costume:

Instructions for making a Ferb costume:

Halloween Craft Idea – Cheap and Easy “3D” Paper Pumpkins

Halloween/Fall Standing Paper Pumpkin Craft

Supplies needed:

Pumpkin templates to print at home

6 Easy Steps:

How to Make a Diaper Cake in Less Than 30 Minutes

Easy diaper cake instructions:

10 Tips for Taking the Perfect Profile Picture – #bloghopcon

#BlogHopCon

Here are a few simple tips for taking and choosing the best profile picture:

Crochet Headband Tutorial

Photography Questions….Answered!

The Basics:

The Technical Stuff:

Extras:

Where I store my photos online:

How to Avoid the Red-eye Effect

Why do eyes turn red in pictures?

How can I avoid red-eye?

Photography Tips for Rainy Days

Outdoor Photography Tips