Make a Light Box in 5 Minutes, and Easily Store It

Make your light box in 5 minutes, or as long as it takes your boyfriend to cook you scrambled eggs. Seriously. I just did it and wasn't even able to finish my morning coffee. Inspired by my trip to the Etsy Labs,  I put one together in a jiffy. Here's how:

Materials for Making Your Light Box for Product Pictures with White Backgrounds

• 4 pieces of foam core. The size is up to you on how big you want your light box. Get a plastic bag to carry it home in if you can.
• Strong tape. Could be clear packing tape or masking tape. Just as long as it will stick. White or clear is best in case it affects light creeping through the cracks of the foam core.
• Scissors, in case you need to cut the tape.

How to Make Your Light Box

• Put two pieces of foam core together in an "L" shape, or 90 degree angle. Tape the back of it. This is so that when you fold it up to store it, you will fold it backwards. Repeat with the third piece of foam core to the other side of the now center board.

• Do not tape the base down to the three boards. By leaving the base of the light box empty, this will make your light box portable or easy to store.

• Place the 4th piece of foam core into the center of the three pieces. Viola! You have a light box! The convenient aspect about my light box is that it is front of windows, so it gets natural light. See below for the difference between different light sources (natural and light bulb).

How to Store This Light Box

• Remove the base by sliding or lifting it out.
• Fold the foam core backwards on top of each other.
• Put the base on the pile of foam core.
• Slip into a plastic bag (ideal to use what they gave you at the store).
• Done! Slip it behind the couch and you're done.

How to Take a Product Picture in Your 5 Minute Light Box

• Use a digital camera (or film, your call) that lets you adjust your aperture and focal point. If you are using a digital camera, click the button to open the shutter and watch the screen for what the product will look like, then take the picture. You'll have to hold still if there is not a lot of light and you need to open the shutter very wide for half a second or longer. Below is a picture of a wide shutter with lots natural light coming from the windows behind the light box. See how it has no shadow. You could display the product like this, or use Photoshop to cut around the photo and remove all of the background. The product would look like this.
  

Best Digital Camera for Taking Product Pictures

I love my Cannon A610 PowerShot. It's manual, has a long battery life, 5 mega pixel, is true to the light when you shoot on manual, the Auto setting is great, you can direct what to focus it on so that the background is blurry (but I don't know how to do that) the flash is not so bad but you don't need it much thanks to the manual setting, and it shoots great movies. I just don't know how to compress them! Here's a detail picture of embroidered fabric. Scroll down to see the embroidered flower on the dress.

Happy product picting!

Meet the Havanese aka Ewokian Puppy Dogs in Pictures

Puppies!! These are Ewokian puppies, or a mix between Havanese and Pomeranian. Hypo-allergenic. Scroll down to see Granny Rose rolling the puppies around in their pram!

NOTE: As of September 2007, these puppies have all found wonderful homes in the neighborhood. I encourage you to continue seeking out puppy mixes, as you can see, they are just as good as full breeds!


This is Baby Kumba. Maybe the most mellow dog in the litter. Kumba is currently smaller than both of my mom's cats, but the same color as one of them, named Stinky.


On the back far right, with those black eyes, I think, is Baby Gina. As Rose says, she is so feminine, so delicate, that she is never in the mix to be picked up or making trouble. She just doesn't make herself obvious. Just perfectly sits sweetly all the time.



Here is Gina chewing on a sparkly FashionMista. So girly of her. So now I know that FashionMistas are not only cat toys, but puppy toys as well!


Ok. My first love of this litter was the guy to the left of Baby Gerdy. His name is Huck Fin because he slept on his back at all times, and was very much his own, relaxed guy on his own journey. He's the one with the white stripe down his chest, looking into the camera, like, "Let me out now so that I can strut around." Here's a picture of what he looked like at 1 week old, in my hand.


Escape artists. All of them. That's Huck Fin on the left, Baby Gerdy on the right, and maybe Baby Gina in the middle.


Baby Gerdy, practicing being a Big Girl under the table. She's a quick learner.


That's Dinah Bear watching Baby Gerdy from my desk. See how Baby Gerdy's tail is up? All of the puppies tails are up and wag like helicopters.


Baby Gerdy hoping that one day Gerdy will acknowledge her. But Gerdy is in her sacred spot in front of the couch, and not even me or David can disturb her without an offering of our dinner.


Sweet Gerdy. Surrounded by 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 6 puppies.


Baby Kumba and my feet.


Oliver watching for if a puppy came out of the pen. Actually, he looks like he is taking a nap.


Baby Kumba on top of my shoes. Not just chewing on my shoes, but is as long as my shoes. I'm a 9.


OMG. Pretty much they all look like this, but again, it's Baby Kumba under the table.


More practice of hanging with the Big Girls.


Rose and her pram, with Baby Gerdy standing and giving directions. I know she's in all of the pictures, but 1. she photographs the best b/c she's not pitch black, and 2. she's the leader of the pack. So she's always there.

How to Get Nice Wavy Curly Hair with a Curling Iron

In a pinch, with minimal hair product, I created Goldie Locks curls for my friend's outdoor wedding with a drugstore curling iron. I have since replaced it with a ceramic Hot Tools curling iron which I love.

My stylist at the Laura Ouellette Salon in New Haven, CT gave basic instructions on how to get Kate Hudson wavy hair. She suggested a few main tricks about how to get long, wavy hair:

• use a fat curling iron, maybe a silver dollar in size
• use a ceramic based curling iron
• curl vertically, as shown in this picture
  
• curl the waves in alternating directions, so that when they get blended, or if you run your fingers through them, they will not all wave into each other.
  

Everything You Need for Creating Curly, Wavy Hair with a Curling Iron:
Hot Tools Curling Iron: Terrific curling iron.

Buy at Amazon >


Crew Texture Cream for Control and Shine: It's a man's product, but if you have bangs, this will hold and lift them. It will also hold your curl, and give your hair a better chance for good second, and even third day hair.

Buy at Amazon >

Aveda's Air Control Hairspray: A very light, aerosol hairspray.

Buy at Amazon >



Aveda Smoothing Fluid: A smooth fluid that is applied to the ends of your hair, to give a little extra shine and shape.

Buy at Amazon >

Directions for Curling Your Hair

• Long layered hair is great for curls.
  
• Plug in the curling iron before you wash hair to get it nice and hot.
  
• Apply Aveda Smoothing Fluid to wet hair with quick finger strokes. I use about 5 squirts. With the same quick strokes, apply a dab of Crew Texture Cream to end of hair, and to bangs if you have them.
• Blow dry your hair. If you have frizzy, wavy hair, don't worry about officially straightening it. In fact, leave the round brush at home! Your natural curl will add to the body. Try blow drying it by holding half of my your hair in a loose side-ponytail. Try to dry hair in the same direction.
• Take about 1/2" of dry hair and pinch it in the top end of the curling iron. I avoided pinching the very tip of my hair, which lets it be straight and funky at the bottom, and less cocker-spanielish.
• Curl hair half way up, so that it is straight at the top. That will give the illusion of longer waves. With the curling iron, make it a tight curl at first, then open the curling iron a bit to loosen your hair from around the hot iron.
  
• When done, quickly and gently apply about 3 squirts of Aveda Smoothing Fluid again.

Voila! Curling your hair with a curling iron makes for some great 2nd day hair.

NOTE: There is a difference between a nice curling iron and a cheap one. Here is the difference between the Conair iron vs Hot Curl iron. Notice the tightness and perfection of the curls. Now, it helps to curl a small amount of hair to get a perfect spiral.

Hot Tools
Look at that perfect spiral. And the grip of the curling iron is so nice.

Get a Hot Tools Curling Iron from Amazon >

Conair
Good curl, but too soft and round.


If you want to curl your hair with a flat iron, here's how!

Camp FashionMista for Ewokian Gerdy-Look-Alike Puppies

You may have noticed that there have not been many fashion posts here lately, and that is because it is June and June means that there are all sorts of crazy plans involving going out of town, and new adventures like...housing pups! I am officially an off the rocker animal person, but it's all quite normal really. Gerdy's dog sitter had these pups, as we know, and they needed a place to stay for a little bit while Rose set up house at her house, so with David out of town at Yale, and with the new space I made in the bedroom, I invited Rose and the Ewokian puppies and their mom and auntie to all stay over in air conditioning while I work and then go to a wedding over the weekend. The cats are taking it surprisingly well, but Oliver knows he's fine with his massive claws, so he just tortures whoever tries to stare him down.

So. Here are the Ewokian Puppy Pictures

OMG. Gerdy is checking out the little Baby Gerdy. This Baby Gerdy is the leader of the pack, and super smart.


Here are the puppies play fighting in their little pen. They are about 5 weeks old right now, and looks like baby bears.


Snuggle Muffins. All of them are snuggle muffins. That's the mom, Oolie.


Even though they are snuggle muffins, they are little escape artists. Here, they are plotting to get out of the giant pen.


And remember, an Ewokian is a mix between a Havanese and a Pomeranian. Woa.

Birthday, Paris and Dairy Queen Cakes

My birthday week/month has been a roller-coaster. That must be what happens when you A.) have a birthday in June which is when big film jobs start and people have weddings and B.) on a Tuesday, which means that it can last and last because it wasn't on the weekend or at least a Thursday. It included a French dictionary and itinerary (!!!), almost having a vacation in Newport, RI but ending up in a La Quinta in New Haven, a splurge hair cut also in New Haven (I was stuck there), and a Dairy Queen Cake.

This blue star want is my Magic Birthday Wand sent by my godmother, and it makes sparkling sounds when you even breath on it! So there were many sparkles to be had as I brought it with me to the park to meet friends, and it sang the whole way. As well as my official Singing Balloons that David sent, which the cats thought were bewitched.

David, at my request, did find a Dairy Queen birthday cake, which is almost impossible in New York. He was coming from Yale's campus, and it took 2 Dairy Queens to find one that made cakes. But then he had to find ice, which required a call to his Yale contact for local sources on where to find dry ice, which involved a killer dog who had to be restrained. And voila, a cake!

A special package arrived mid-day from my mom and godmother, that had that wand in it, and a French pocket dictionary, and a guide of what to do, and an itinerary!! They pooled their miles together and we're going to Paris! But I failed French, so I'm not sure how I'm going to do! In the spirit of it though, I've started eating croissants for breakfast, in the spirit of the French Diet or whatever that is.

So David and I were supposed to go to Newport. He had a trip planned that involved a B&B and scooters. I took the train up to Yale where he's working on the hot shot movie that is filming there (they are obsessed with secrecy, so I dare not mention it here on this widely read blog ;) ) where we were going to drive to my 30th birthday weekend vacation. Rose, Gerdy's favorite dog sitter came over and I was all set. At 7am the morning we were supposed to leave, David got a call that he had to work over the weekend, and that all of the hotels were booked (we were in a Marriott) and poof, there went our vacation. I ended up in a La Quinta on the industrial edge of New Haven, CT while we paid Rose to walk Gerdy. The craziness! Plus, I was PMSing, so there was one "Katie Kaboom" and many trips made to the train station in my weak attempts to flee the La Quinta and spend the weekend at home on the couch.

Thank goodness that Yale is wireless cafe friendly, (and thank goodness for boyfriends that can handle PMS induced kabooms and buy a girl earrings, which is the proper thing to do) and I parked myself there for two days while David worked. And thank goodness for the hair salon Laura Ouellette Salon where I got a great cut and color in their small-town-feel-salon. The super nice dog-friendly owner told me to check out a secret place just 5 or so exits up. Enter Thimble Islands on the Long Island Sound, the new place I want to move to to be close to New York (note 30th Birthday Resolution). Here's a picture of one of the 25 or so houses on their own islands. No, I don't want to live on an island (we learned about he hardships of bringing running water and electricity into the house) but I want to live in a neighboring town.

Here's David walking down a nice path near the docks of this little town on the water. Looked just like Maine. Loved it.

We continued driving through the neighboring towns, pretending like we would buy a house there, and stopped for some seafood. I had a fried oyster sandwich, and David had a fried clam sandwich. He says that his fried clam sandwich looked like this manicured bush/tree thing.

This would be my dream house on those shore towns, or whatever they are called. The houses were all dotted all along little side streets, with no care as to their layout, except that they all fit. LOTS of flowers. It was heaven.

Kathy Griffin's D-List While Dusting

Ok, so apparently I've missed a whole first season of Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List, which is really sad because all while walking through the subways, I'd see her posters with her in the seafoam prom dress hanging off the Hollywood sign and want to watch it. What is tonight, Tuesday? It's Tuesday, which means that I was watching Gilmore Girls and then promptly switched the TV off. Bad idea!

I really only watch Kathy Griffin when I'm flipping channels and see a Kathy Griffin clip and think: "Oh, there's that Kathy Griffin from Suddenly Susan. She's so funny." Flip. But I don't think there was ever a whole show with her on it. I guess there was Curb Your Enthusiasm. But I didn't watch it. Well tonight, I'm dusting the bedroom again because A.) I'm home alone because David is working on the big hot shot moving filming on Yale's campus and has to sleep there and B.) the stupid Building Blaster Guys are still blasting and I didn't turn the fans off in the windows, so I blew all of the building dust into my room. Enter Pledge, Windex, and Kathy Griffin.

I've been doing SEO stuff all day (yes, even designers who quit their day jobs still have to make other people's websites shine and rock the SEO world) and had to see how Kathy Griffin's website did. At first it didn't do very well, because I spelled her name wrong (kathy griffen). But then it did very well. And she's searched for at least 9,000 times a month on Yahoo, and people want "kathy griffin nude." Not 9,000 times nude, but they want it. So, this means that I need to Netflix her last D-List season. Oh, and here's her posting about the episode I just watched on her blog. And then there's her roommate Tom. I'm all typed out, but I had to mention him.

iPhone Crazy

As the littlest orphan in Annie said: "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!"

I'm so excited for the iPhone, I could just cry! Cingular/AT&T sent me the email today to start the anticipation for the iPhone. Words cannot express. Ok, maybe a few. They are: Calendar, Mail, Address Book, real live mini Internet, slide scrolling (never had a pen slider thing, don't want one). People get this way over bands. I'm quivering for the chance to sync all of my numbers in my Address Book program on my Mac with the phone in one click! Or slide! And no more keeping 3 calendars! Maybe I'll just keep 1! But how could I lose the Google Calendar. I do love it so.

Oh my goodness. And I just remembered. I think I'm eligible for a partial upgrade.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I'm 30!
I am a big girl now! An official adult with adult things to do like make birthday cakes and beg someone to bring me a Dairy Queen cake from somewhere not Manhattan because apparently there are no Dairy Queens in Manhattan!
Being 30 means I can:

• Hire a cleaning woman once a month. I snuck it in after the bedroom got painted because it was sooo dusty, and let me tell you, it is always worth hiring a professional do to something you are not a professional at. A professional will not overlook dusting books like you will, 30 times.
• Own property! It was my vow to invest in real estate when I am 30. So here I am. Where will I move to? Upstate NY? Charleston SC? Will David come?
• Be like Brangelina and expand the family. There may be a Baby Gerdy in the future, like if Gerdy could have puppies, but adopted, this little "Ewokian" would be her adopted dog. See pictures of the baby Ewokian here.
  
• Make my wardrobe a priority, because I'm 30 now and I'm worth it. I have a pretty good wardrobe thanks to mom, but the time has come to step it up.
• Continue expanding Katie James because it is just so fun, and I meet so many great people.

Ok, reflection time is over. Back to conference calls, building web pages, making a delish lunch, showering after my run (shh, don't tell), and maybe making the cats a new FashionMista (the term FashionMista was first coined as a plush cat toy for Dinah).

Should Gerdy Get a Baby Gerdy?

Being so close to my birthday (and now is my birthday), David is actually entertaining the idea of adopting a puppy from the litter of Havanese/Pomeranian mixes that Gerdy's much loved dog walker had. Rather, that her little dog Oolie had (no idea how to spell that...sounds like "ooo-lie"). I was really pushing for a little dog for my mom. One of the little black ones who I call Huck Fin because he lays on his back all day and has not a care in the world.

This dog, which is called an Ewokian b/c it is a mix between a Havanese and a Pomeranian, could be a Baby Gerdy. This picture is from two weeks ago, and her fur has sprung to life, much in the fashion of a baby chic. Here are pictures of them at 5.5 weeks.


And here is lovely Gerdy, who also has fur like a chic, or a lamb:


Gerdy is so maternal, and can only play so much with the cats, especially when Oliver doesn't swat at her. I think she could really have fun with the little pup. Or she could really not like the little pup! We will officially live in a Zoo, a fact which I have denied up until this point.

But if we do get her, then Gerdy might really like her and have a whole new life experience. She would be tiny, so would be portable in cute Juicy Couture dog bags and such. I think my mom is going to adopt Huck Fin, so the whole family can stay together!

Field Trip to Etsy Labs in Brooklyn

Back in March, my Mista in Creative Crime, Little Evey, and I printed ourselves out a Map Quest to the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, fueled up at Duncan Donuts, and took an official and inspiring tour of the newly launched Etsy Labs, a physical extension of the Etsy shops at Etsy.com!


It's $20 a month to be a member, which is just fabulous because there are all sorts of neat things for you to use in the labs. Donating is encouraged, like if you have fabric you're not going to use anymore, so as a result, there are many very fun donated items. Learn more about an Etsy Lab membership here. Plus all of the classes they offer. Like a Kite Making Party.

Behind the Scenes at Etsy

This is inside of the elevator. We are trying to give you the full picture, from start to finish.


The doors! We made it! We were a little unsure at first of exactly where we were, but these grand doors called Executive Offices were it.


Mary Andrews, pictured here in her office at the very end of a very long hall, opposite the very grand executive doors, was our official Etsy tour and inspiration guide. Mary loves Etsy, and got the job of her dreams when she approached Etsy, offering her services while being a jewelry maker for her own Etsy shop, which is appropriately named Contrary. Notice the sewing machine table that is part of her desk !?!


This is Erin, in Etsy's customer service. She is an actual person answering actual question from actual Esty users. She is not a robot, and she is not based in India. In fact, here is her etsy shop. She sells paintings, and actually this painting is behind her here.


This is another Etsy office. Can't remember who works in it. Mary is sitting to show where an actual person would sit.


This is the very important Brainstorming Board. I'm not sure if that's really what they call it at Etsy, but it's what I called it in my notes, and what I would call it if was in my office.


This is the conference room, where Etsy's many full time programmers come in and combine brains. It is a very important room with a view. Actually, it should be noted that all of the rooms in Etsy's suite have views.


The kitchen. It does have a window, in that it is in the open area of the main Etsy Lab room that has a wall of windows, as you'll soon see...

Making Things at Etsy Labs

This here is the grand Etsy Labs shop room for making things. There are lots of neat things in here, including the area you see behind Mary which merges a skateboarding ramp and a cutting board area, craft supply shelves, button and sticker makers, looms, shelves of fabric, and more and more.


This is an "On Air" sign. I don't know what it does, but I do like it. It hangs on the edge of the grand Etsy Labs shop room.


The jewelry making room. I'm not a jewelry maker, but there were lots of tools that real jewelry makers would know how to use.


The screen printing room. A very popular request. It was still under a bit of construction at the time of this picture. You can sign up for lessons by contacting Etsy Labs, which would really pay off.


My favorite: the button maker! I vowed to get one with my tax return money, and part of that vow was getting this post up. So now I can get one and join everyone else who is making cute buttons. I think I will try for fabric buttons. Here's a cheap button maker from Amazon, but I really have no idea if it's good or not. But it is cute looking. :)


My other favorite: the sticker maker! Those are my hands trying to crank through a yellowed page of a book onto the sticky paper, but I broke it. The we discovered that I didn't break it, it just ran out of sticky paper. But once you have something stuck onto the sticky paper, you have a sticker that you can then cut out and customize. Look what I made from the book page and put in my Etsy shop. This sticker maker is the Xyron 900, which you can buy at Amazon.


Etsy Labs scissors. Not only do the handles have different colors, but their blades cut in several different shapes. Large zig-zag, small zig-zag, swirlls, etc.


Etsy Labs wall of supplies. Very fun for a person to go exploring in.


Etsy Labs displays some things that Etsy Labs members come and make. These are some of those designs.

Tip from Etsy Labs

Part of the fun of becoming an Etsy Labs member is that they help you to get your designs ready for your Etsy shop. Taking pictures is a very important part of selling your product. No good picture, most likely no sale. Etsy made a picture area out of a cardboard box lined with white paper. I placed a little charm into the center of it and took this picture. The lighting on this little charm is all natural light coming from windows behind the box. If you shined a light into this box, and maybe two lights - one on each side - you could have a very clean and smooth white out area for a great product picture.



If you're in New York, and need a camp like activity to sign up for to keep your mind healthy, sign up for Etsy Labs! I have signed up for a pottery class, unrelated to Etsy Labs, and am loving it. Very refreshing.