Last month two of the kids and I took a quick trip to the mountains near the Georgia / North Carolina border. After a few days we headed toward the Atlantic coast and stopped in Charlotte, NC and St. Augustine, FL for before heading home.

 

 

While we do still have our pop up camper we opted to do tent camping and hotels for this trip. We were going to try mini-van camping (it's a real thing ... facebook groups and all!) but Kadedn thought that was too off the wall so we tented. And can you guess which child ended up sleeping in the van while River and I were in the tent??? Go figure :)

We did a lot of driving on this trip and very little picture taking, but it was still a much needed respite. I don't think I'll ever get enough of the mountains and waterfalls.

 

I just relisted this camera strap with it's stars and arrows in the Jude Harbor shop.

It joins the 15 other camera strap styles available there - some more feminine, some more masculine, some just plain fun.


I'm hoping to play with some of the new fabrics I've been "investing in" (I wish!) lately and add a few more straps in the next few weeks. Gotta put this fabric to use so I can add more. :)

 A few months ago Because I'm Me branched out and created a second shop named Jude Harbor.

Jude Harbor is your small town gift shop brought to the internet. Currently, the shop is carries camera straps, camera strap covers, crayon and pencil holders, small quilts, coasters, handbags, and fabric pieces.


The reversible cotton camera straps are the newest addition to the shop and are decadent and well worth checking out, whether for yourself or to give as a gift. They're reinforced with nylon strapping on the inside to prevent any stretching and the ends are all stitched multiple times so there won't be any risk of breakage.


Opening this second shop allows Because I'm Me to focus solely on ties and accessories and to add in our new pet line. Over the next few months look at Because I'm Me to expand both the traditional ties lines and the pet tie lines.

To introduce our new shop and welcome you to it we're offering a 20% discount on all purchases made through the month of July. Simply use coupon code JUDEHARBOR20 when you make your purchase.

Jude Harbor can be found on Etsy, and be sure to follow us on Instagram (JudeHarbor) and Facebook to be the first to know about new items, sales, and contests.

I've been busily restocking the shop's supply of camera strap covers, having run out of quite a few styles during the Christmas season.

I love making ties, but I have to admit it was wonderful to get to play again with big prints and girly fabrics. Pinks, reds, lots of lime green ... way fun!

The majority of these fun prints are from the Lili-Fied line. The prints are just as bright and rich as they look in pictures (always a worry when buying site unseen).
The strap covers are reversible and have a lens cap pocket, which is so super handy. And, of course, they're available in the shop.

(a.k.a. - I Got a New Lens and Had Way Too Much Fun)

 I was contacted recently to make a camera strap cover. When asked I immediately jumped at the chance. Mostly because the person who asked has been a very wonderful source of support for me over the years but also because I've been wanting to make one for myself but just hadn't.  I knew if I made one for her I'd make one for me too. Plus, I just accepted the role of Historian in the Cub Scout Pack, which apparently means I'm in charge of taking pictures, so I needed a pretty camera strap cover.

After making one for my friend, which I'll share after she receives it, I set out to make one for myself. I'm not going to post a tutorial, that's been done and done well ... here and here. I altered the tutorials I found by omitting the batting and adding fusible interfacing instead. Living in Florida I didn't want to add anything that would produce or retain heat (trust me, it's hot). I also stitched through all three layers (fabric, interfacing, lining) with long parallel lines. I didn't stitch up the sides with an edge stitch but I will next time because it will give a more polished finish.

Whatever tutorial you follow, or don't follow, a bit of color and style is going to be a much better look than an old black camera strap!


A few thoughts on getting the strap on ...

Using a rubber band to hold the leather end bits in might be a very good idea, especially if your strap isn't extra wide.

I attached a skewer to the adjustable webbing on my strap and easily ran that through the strap cover. Something similar, or a crochet hook, makes putting the strap cover on much easier.

See:


Making this took a total of about 15 minutes. Seriously. And I've already started on another for myself.

Oh, and the fabric came from ... WalMart. Apparently, and I really don't know the story behind this, they're bringing fabric back and this is one of the new prints they'll be carrying. It was less than $5 per yard. I can't stand WalMart, but I'd go back for more of this fabric.

If you make a camera strap, or have made one, please leave a link in the comments. I'd love to see.

Happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all the soldiers who've ever served our country.

This week I am featuring photos taken by my children. I often use images they've captured, but don't credit them enough for their work. This is their week.

The other day I found my little camera - my basic not DSLR camera and it was loaded with great images taken by my oldest son at the craft show I did in Alachua. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

Seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to move to Alachua if the opportunity presented itself. Such a beautiful town.


Please, share links to your kids photos in the comments. I'd love to feature some of them.

I'm sure I'm not the only one constantly seeking photo tips ... especially for items I'm selling online.

This brilliant blog post by Liz at Mill Girl tells how to take awesome pictures with an ordinary digital camera.  I'm so excited by this and can't wait to give it a try!

Found via the etsy facebook page.

I'm not sure how to become a better photographer.

I mean, I know I need to read the camera manual. I know I need to learn about ISO and lenses and aperture and all sorts of other stuff like that.  And I know I need to learn more about lighting, especially when taking pictures of things to sell.

But it's something else I'm lacking right now (although after writing the above I can't help but wonder if learning that stuff would help with the rest ...). When I take a picture the camera is a foreign object held to my eye. It is not yet my friend, or an extension of me or my thoughts.  I feel like I think too much when I take pictures ... think too much about the mechanics, getting the right angle, the right zoom (or not), the right everything. But what I really want to do is take a picture because I simply want to share or remember what I see, I want to feel like I'm using the camera to express myself.

My daughter has an eye for a picture. She uses the camera, gently, to tell a story.  She doesn't mess much with shutter speed, or light, or any of those fussy details.  She just seems to feel it and go with it, and her pictures have such awesome depth. When we went camping I took a lot of pictures, mostly of things and of River, just playing with that camera, becoming more familiar with it. Cassie asks for the camera midway through the weekend to take a picture of the mirrors in the bathroom.  The mirrors in the bathroom?  I'd seen them, I'd used them, but I hadn't noticed them, and I certainly hadn't seen them as photo worthy.  She did. And she was right.  There's a story there.

This is her photo, unedited.

Cassie could take a generic disposable camera and get a great shot. Like I said, no fussing. She's just got that something. I love to look at her pictures.

I, on the other hand, feel so mechanical behind a camera lens. So I keep practicing. And practicing. And practicing. I want to "own" that camera (this is where reading the manual would be wise, huh?). I want you to know the bathroom is quirky and tired and soothing and quiet and bland and safe all at once, through an image. I want you to know that my son gave me two special little weed flowers and they are the most beautiful flowers ever because they are pretty and simple and the day was sunny and tranquil, and mostly because I love him and he thought of me and gave them to me.

And on the way there I take a ridiculously large number of photos (and thank the computer geniuses that be for inventing the digital camera so I can take all the photos I want). I know I'll never have that "eye" ... I'm totally ok with that, I'm just searching for what works for me. And it really is a delightful journey (and I need a manicure).