Show and Tell: Playing With A Green Screen

A few months back my husband the musicmaker met a few arty guys. They filmed a little promo video for a concert he was doing. He learned that they were just getting into working with green screens so he asked them if they'd be up for a music video.

They were, so we picked the lovely Lauren, the other half of Dani Lion (on of hubby's music projects) up one Saturday and they filmed a bunch of weirdo stuff in front of a green screen.

Daniel also did an outting to the woods to film background and cityscapes and the boys went to it and did their editing magic. This is one of their first green screen attempts and it's definitely goofy, but I still think it's pretty fun. So without further delay, here's the video.

Listen to to the whole album or download it for free here. If you like the song(s) feel free to "like" their facebook page and spread the word (they don't post too much). They'd really appreciate the support.

Utah Blogger Meet Up

 (picture borrowed from Crafty Cupcake Girl after some of the ladies had to take off)

Last week was a really long week so I was really looking forward to the blogger meet up. I was not disappointed. I was so so much fun to meet and hang out with a bunch of crafty ladies! Seriously. I know Lilli and Mariel are planning on doing another meet up in the future so I will definitely keep you posted because you should totally come.

Here are the cute girls I sat with (yeah I need a better camera suggestions welcome). Sarah was by me and was awesome. Across from us were sisters and friends Julie, Sherry, and Larissa. It was lots of fun to connect with Jennifer from All Things Belle she was so cute with her triathlon registration numbers on her arms, I dorkily asked her what her tattoos meant haha.

They had made the cutest table decorations (it looked like a fancy bridal shower) and the most darling name tags.  There were so many neat ladies I didn't do a great job at taking pictures but you can see everyone who was there and tons of pictures at this post from Lilli of Crafty Cupcake Girl.

Costume Cut Off Set: October 5th

Just a quick note to let you guys that have been thinking of ordering Halloween costumes know that October 5th will be the last day to order costumes without paying a rush fee for Halloween deliver. If I think I can manage a few more orders at that time I will continue taking orders but there will be a rush fee. Orders placed on October 5th will ship on the 24th so if you have parties to go to the weekend before Halloween weekend you need to get your orders in this week.

What's for Dinner: Week 100

(poutine)

So I'm a dork and forgot a couple of dinner plans from last week including the fact that I was supposed to/did make a big turkey dinner on Saturday. We had an almost 20 lbs bird so we've got a lot left over.

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	Poutine with the turkey gravy	Grains and nuts: granola bars, ww pasta Veggies: lettuce Fish: Crab
Monday	Jalapeno Mango Chicken Sausage with Mac and Cheese
Tuesday	MIL bringing dinner
Wednesday	Eat Out
Thursday	Creamy Enchiladas
Friday	left over remake
Saturday	Turkey and Corn Soup with Jalapeno Rolls

Halloween Brainstorming: Mary Poppins, Bert and the tapping Penguins

As many of you know one of my all time favorite things to do is to make costumes for my husband and nieces and take weird pictures as evidenced here, here and here.

This year for Halloween I think I want to do Bert from Mary Poppins and the penguins. L has an awesome penguin walk down already. And lucky for me she was really into the idea. T on the other hand has not agreed to be a penguin but she did seem cool with being the little girl from the movie (you know frilly outfit and parasol). I do plan on making myself a Mary costume but I will leave that to last and won't be disappointed if it gets dropped after all it is my busiest time of the year for the shop (I might just do a real basic thing, most places we'll be it'll be dark anyways and I can carry a parasol).

This is what I'm thinking. I saw some absolutely awesome animal coats from Little Goodall on Etsy. The panda above was the closest to the penguin idea that she has in her shop. Every year I want to make the girls coats but I never get to it. And as fun as costumes are, besides Snow White (which is still worn almost daily 2 whole years later) the Halloween costumes (since they are usually weird ones I convince them of) don't get much action. But I figured they could use the coats all winter or longer if I make them long and a little loose. 

So yeah I may be crazy trying to make two kid coats and a full sports coat during my craziest time of the year but it sounds really cute. Plus the musicmaker's jacket just has to look decent and stay on ;) .

I'm pretty excited. But I figured before I set sail on this adventure I'd see if you guys have any suggestions. For the penguins, I'm thinking of doing the hood kind of the the head of this cute penguin, have an outlined white tummy (so some black on the front but mostly black) the back and sleeves all black and definitely orange or/and yellow beaks. And bow ties probably ones that can attach to a top button or just be safety pinned on.

I've got some bright stripe that I could use for Bert but I'm not sure If I should just use white and then sew some ribbon on instead, that's probably overkill right? And of course he needs the blue tie. (Yeah don't mind the pebbles and bam bams they're all over my house.)

Mary and little Jane will be 'fast' dresses. And I'm going to trick T and make her a penguin coat and since it's almost always freezing on Halloween here she'll still be a penguin bwahahahaha. Oh well I can't find a good picture of Jane, but I think a white dress yellow sash, parasol and a hat will do, but I'll consult the trusty VHS. And for Mary a white dress with some lace and red around the waist and little red ribbons? I'm totally open to suggestions -especially good ideas on how to cheat and get the look but fast and easy.

So we'll see what really ends up happening, but right now I'm excited to try these.

Customer Appreciation Pic: Snow White Ruffle Diaper Covers

One fun part about my job is working with customers to make them something that they want but haven't been able to find anywhere. These little bottoms were the brain child of this little lady's mama who had the idea to do a fun twist on Snow White. She saw my Lime Pie wrap around diaper covers and asked if I could do a yellow pair.

I've been really loving the new trend of tutus versions of Halloween costumes and I think using ruffled bloomers is a super fun twist on that.

And how cute is little Snow White with that apple and those darling toadstools? Any ways if you're interested in my ruffled diaper covers I've got all sorts and color combos in my shop.

Help: DSLR Buying Tips and Preferences

(this is my current camera, I love it, it is a great camera but inside pictures could be better and pictures of the nieces are almost always blurry unless they are posing outside in the sun)

So I'll be paying off the last of our non-house debt (my student loan) this week. That means we'll be debt-free except the house (Dave Ramsey shout out). But I've been wanting a good camera for a while and I'm thinking that I may use some of my Halloween costume earnings towards one this year. But I'm not sure where to start. So I figured I'd reach out to you guys. Here's a bit about how I take pictures and what's important to me.

What I want out of a camera

• I'm not going to be a professional photographer, I'm not going to ever want gigantic prints. I just want to take better quality pictures.
• I take pictures of clothing for my Etsy shop (but really I think my point and shoot is adequate for that)
• I want a camera that can take pictures of kids well. They move so fast and I want less blurry pictures
• I want to be able to take decent pictures inside (again of kids that won't stay still) 
• I want to be able to take pictures in low light/not the best light circumstances without that hideous flash look 
• I want something that if I notice I want to take a picture I won't miss the moment while the camera is getting ready, turning on, etc.

The questions I can think of

• What cameras do you love and why?
• Are there certain places I should look for a camera, places I should avoid? 
• What what would you consider a good deal or package?
• What lenses, other accessories (bounce flash?) do you find you use a lot? What are fun to have? What do you think is a waste of money?
• Do you have any links to things I can read or opinions of cameras?
• Are some just easier to use than others or is it just a matter of what you're comfortable with and what you want to invest time to figure out?
• Do you have questions for me to think through when I'm thinking about what camera is for me?
• For those of you who aren't photographers how offend do you really use your DSLR, do you find it annoying, heavy, big to lug around?
• What do you think of the other brands (like not canon or nikon)?
• What are long term things I should consider (maybe price of lenses, stuff like that that I have no idea about yet)?
• Do I want a DSLR or maybe just a more fancy regular camera?

What's for Dinner: Week 99

I have lots of tomatoes growing but we don't really eat tomatoes. I should probably make some sauce or freeze them or something. Yesterday though I made fried green tomatoes for dinner with a big salad and they were pretty tasty. Finally I can justify have tomato plants for more than just how pretty they are.

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	Stew	Grains and nuts: granola bars, ww pasta Veggies: lettuce Fish: Crab
Monday	Jalapeno Mango Chicken Sausage with Mac and Cheese
Tuesday	MIL bringing dinner(i think)
Wednesday	Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Thursday	left over remake
Friday	Eat Out
Saturday	Crab and Corn Soup with Jalapeno Rolls

Show and Tell: Wonder Woman Costume

My exercise buddy Tricia was running in a race last year where they were encouraged to wear costumes so she asked me to help her out. It was so much fun and as I was going through my pictures I realized I'd never shared the pictures.

I ironed on some stabilizer and then cut out the Wonder Woman emblem. She didn't want to make her running shirt unusable so we just tacked the emblem on in a few places. I  used the same gold and stabilizer to make basic arm cuffs and a crown and just cut some white stars on my cricut using my iron on technique and added it to a simple elastic waist skirt we made. It was actually a lot of fun.

 She looked so cute. It was insanely cold if I remember right. I think she wore some running tights and had a cape. She was such a sport when she came to pick everything up the girls were over trying on their bull costumes so they had some fun running.

Fall Crafts I Need To Find Time For

 (Trick or Treat Eye Chart (they've got a printable) from lolly jane)

I have been loving all the Fall and Halloween Crafts that are popping up all over blogland. I've had lots of fun pinning them.But do people really already have Halloween stuff up? Not that I'm judging those who are all Halloweenified maybe I'm a little jealous. I kind of want to but I don't know it feels kind of early, am I wrong?

(book page pumpkins by creations by kara )

I will be pulling out fall stuff though, as soon as I find a second. I've still got decorations from Harry Potter's B-day up, no seriously. Any ways I just wanted to share (and make myself a list of Fall and Halloween  projects I'd really like to get to this year).

(Give Thanks Tree another goodie from the lolly jane girls)

I think this tree could be cute through Halloween and Thanksgiving. Such a cute idea to get visitors involved

(Coffee Filter Wreath by Craftberry bush)

And it's not like I need another Fall Wreath but I am so in love with this one that I may just need to find a place to put this (or boot one of last years). It's made out of book pages, sticks and coffee dyed coffee filters.

(Apple Scary Mouths by Family Fun featured along with a bunch of other ideas at Six Sisters Stuff)

Whether I get around to having a Halloween party or just take this to one of our destinations this Halloween I'm totally loving all the party food ideas that have been floating around. Six Sisters Stuff has a great round up of lots of fun ideas.

Girls Night Out Hope to See You There

I am so excited that Lilli of Crafty Cupcake Girl and Mariel of The Tootsie Wootsie invited me to their blogger girls' night out. And it's on a day I can actually go woohoo! I met Lilli at a craft fair a couple years ago, such a nice gal. I'm totally looking forward to meeting up with some local crafty ladies and I hope that  that I will see  those of you who live in the Salt Lake area there. If you think you can make it I'd love you to comment here so I can be on the look out for you and also be sure to call Lilli or Mariel so they can get the count right for the table and the party favors they're making. See the invite above for all the details.

What's for Dinner: Week 98

My MIL decided that until Halloween (aka crazy costume making time) is over she's going to bring us food once a week (well she said twice first but I told her once was plenty). Well this week she showed up with a massive amount of one of my favorites -Swedish Meatballs. This was made complete with mashed potatoes, green beans, snickerdoodles and zucchini bread. Yeah so we basically ate all of that all week long. I guess that breaks our no left overs trend.

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	Dinner at My parents, roasted pork and shrimp lettuce cups	Grains and nuts: granola bars, ww pasta Veggies: lettuce Fish: Shrimp
Monday	State Fair
Tuesday	MIL bringing dinner
Wednesday	left overs
Thursday	Mushroom Soup with Jalapeno Cheese Bread
Friday	Eat Out
Saturday	Big Salad

Babbles 20 Best Halloween Costumes from Etsy

I feel so honored to have two (maybe three) costumes featured in Babbles Top 20 Kid Halloween Costumes. How cool is that? It's a really lovely article about how the author wants to keep the tradition of Handmade Kid Costumes strong in her family and even for those how don't have the abilities or time to do the hand making themselves (or have family members to call on for the task) Etsy provides some great options. She picked some amazing costumes. Check out the full article here.

They picked my Pebbles and Bam Bam Costumes pointing out that people can buy them together or separately.

And my new for this year Harry Potter inspired Gryffindor Student Costume which I do with or without ruffles for both girls and boys.

And a big shout out to Marci of Lilikins who gave me the heads up about the article. If you guys ever see me featured anywhere please let me know since usually I have no idea. Most bloggers don't have time to notify everyone they feature and even though I have a little google alert but many times that doesn't work so I really really appreciate it when some tells me.

Craft Lady Horcrux Craft

It is so fun when worlds collide. My hubby the musicmaker has a relatively new friend named Blair who he shares a love for bizarre records and super weird movies. Well apparently Blair has been doing these weird (but so funny to me) spots for Robert's Craft (he's Ida). Any ways it turns out another of the guys on there is from  a band we've played with and loved in the past, Hot Parents.  Small world.

More than that my love for Harry Potter meets the craft and music world. So I just had to share. Just to warn you though it's not your typical funny that everyone will say haha, it's weird funny, but I think those of you who are Potter freaks and are a part of this fun craft world would appreciate this, maybe.

Treasury Love: Sunny Children

Fellow EtsyKids team member KleintjeHandmade made this darling treasury featuring my Lovely Showers ruffle diaper cover bloomers as well as a number of other teammates' goodies. I love the blues and yellows, so cheery! And I think I may need that little giraffe hat, man it's cute! Check out the treasury here where you can get links to all the items featured and see more from these talented artists.

What's for Dinner: Week 97

(one of the food table's from L's birthday party)

The trip was so much fun! We ate a lot of yummy food. We got back late on Monday and I didn't bother to make a plan for the week. It was the first time in like 96 weeks that we were in town without an eating plan. I have to say even if I don't always stick to my plan I much prefer having one so that I can use it if I want to.

Today was L's birthday party and it was so delicious a bunch of Mediterranean food like falafels, and yummy grilled chicken and pitas and dips and grilled veggies. It was tasty and some of L's favorites.

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	L's b-day party	Grains and nuts: granola bars, ww pasta Veggies: zuccs, spinach, lettuce Fish: Crab
Monday	Crab and Corn Chowder and Jalapeno rolls
Tuesday	MIL bringing dinner
Wednesday	Eat Out
Thursday	Jalapeno popper Buffalo mac and cheese
Friday	Hamburgers and fries
Saturday	Shepherd's pie