Stamp Pads

I’m use a brand called StazOn (in black) and I haven’t had any issues with it.  The main reason I chose this over the countless other brands is because in a lot of my packaging (both for photography clients and rubber stamp customers), I’m using a few different types of surfaces (plastic bags, paper, muslin, and glossy boxes).  StazOn is perfect to use on all of these since its fast drying and good for “EVERY SURFACE”!  The downside to using this particular pad is that it will stain your stamp.  The ink is permanent!  However, as long as you still clean your stamp every now and then, especially right before you use another color, the black should not transfer at all!  My pad is actually a few years old also so in all fairness, I don’t know if the product has changed at all. My guess is a newer one would be even better because its nice, fresh, and full of ink!  I desperately need a new pad, but even the old one is working good.

I bought 3 other brands: Memento in gray, Memories in brown Papertrey in sorbet.  These worked OK but I found that the quality of the stamp result wasn’t nearly as good as with the StazOn in black.  I’m not sure if the color has anything to do with it, but I for one am thrilled with the results of the darker colors.  I have to test out a few others to be sure though!  The lighter colors seemed to bleed a bit more and smudge easier.  The black and brown both gave nice crisp stamped images!

A couple of things to keep in mind when choosing a pad: think about what type of surface you are going to be using.  Different stamp pads have different uses so be sure to read the label correctly before purchasing.  Unless you are embossing, avoid pigment inks  and pads specifically for heating.  These will all take much longer to dry because they need to absorb into the “surface”, you will run the risk of inks bleeding and/smearing.

Basic Stamping

Let’s put some of these things to use shall we?

Since quite a few people purchased Quote #16 last week, I figured I would order one for myself and test out a few packaging ideas!  So here is my stamp, my StazOn ink pad, a nice hard work surface, and a plain piece of paper.

Apply FIRM & EVEN pressure to the stamp, pressing down ONLY.  Do not rock back and forth or side to side.  Again, if the pressure is not even you run the risk of smearing, smudging, as well as getting ink on any edges.

Pick up the freshly inked stamp and take a quick look to ensure you have inked the entire image/text… reapply if you have missed any spots.  Then stamp your surface… again, apply FIRM & EVEN pressure straight down.  If you happened to get any ink on the edges (due to rocking when you inked), those will transfer to your stamp impression as well.  I think the key to stamping is applying just the right amount of pressure based on your particular stamp!

If you seem to be having difficulties getting ink on the sides or corners of you stamp, you can also try inking upright.  Doing this may allow you better visibility and ensure you are applying even pressure while inking.

** Please keep in mind YOU will be using TWO hands while doing this… I had to take the picture to show you what I meant!  One hand will be holding the stamp pad and the other hand will be holding the stamp, applying the pressure to ink **

Practice BOTH methods… hopefully one will work better for you and produce a better “stamp”!

Another problem you may encounter with a few stamps is if you left a lot of blank spaces on your custom stamp file you provided me.

** Please note I offer a file prep service for ALL custom stamp orders.  Having this service will ensure the stamp is made properly from the very beginning.**

Here is an example of a stamp that was made incorrectly the first time around.  ”Photography” was accidentally left off the first time around before production but its a good example to use to illustrate a possible issue!  As you can see, the rubber was trimmed as it would be with any of the stamps with a lot of blank space.

In the process of inking the stamp, if you rock even a little bit, you may get your ink along the edges.  Then if you rock again while stamping, that ink will obviously transfer when you stamp like below.

However, if you follow the directions and practice using your stamp properly… you can achieve a nice, clean “stamp” like this!

In the meantime… if you are still having troubles with the accidentally inked edges, there is an easy (but slightly messy) fix.  After you ink, turn the stamp upside down and simply wipe the edge a bit to ensure that it won’t transfer!  Kinda of annoying to do with every stamping you want to do, BUT it will work until you get the hang of inking & stamping!

The most important things to remember are for your custom stamp: #1 apply firm, even pressure when inking/stamping & #2 size your file/graphics properly.

Now how about a little practical use for Quote #16!!!  When I created this design, I had a very specific idea in mind for a packaging idea!  The last time I was at Staples for shipping labels, I had seen these adorable 2 1/2″ circle stickers.  I immediately knew I need to make a circle stamp and since so many people had requested a “do not bend” stamp, thats the direction I went!

These Avery stickers come in a package of 225 (9 to a sheet) in both kraft (YUM) & glossy white.  My Quote #16 is actually only 2″ in diameter but I somewhat did that on purpose when I designed it because there are a lot of other labels and tags that are smaller than these guys… this way there are plenty of other options for using the stamp!  I for one am a sucker for kraft and natural packaging… and these stickers are too cute!

The tricky part about using these is that you have to try and find the center of the sticker while you are stamping!  After one or 2 mess ups, I got into the groove and figured out the placement!  A little room here, a bit of room here… perfect!

And here they are in use!  For those photographers who may send prints through the mail to clients and haven’t invested in any boutique type packaging/boxes, you can grab some plain envelopes at your local office supply store (they sell manilla, kraft, and white at my Staples), sandwich your prints in between 2 sheets of sturdy cardboard, then slip them inside the envelopes.  Then seal it with one of the sweet stamped stickers or simply stamp directly onto the front of the envelope!

Or if you have invested in upgraded packaging, use your stamped sticker either directly on the box OR fancy it up with some ribbon that coordinates with your branding!

Hope this helps some customers!  Be on the lookout for some more packaging & stamping ideas in the near future

Introducing Christie Brown Photography:

And here is her business set…

and again… the BEST part of my job… seeing the business set and brand come to life!

aahhhhh, LOVE that part.  Christie did such a good job putting it all together and making her vision & my design come to life!  I feel like her brand TRULY reflect her photography, her style, and most importantly… they reflect CHRISTIE!

I’m a happy camper

Here are a couple of examples of the stamps I am using on my packaging for stamp orders!

It’s been fun (and hectic) trying to come up with the packaging for these guys.  I think I must have gone through 5-6 different boxes/bags to use.  In the end I settled on something simple, classic, and easy!  Paper bags, plastic bags, and a cute little hand stamped tag!  This will have to work for now since my brain is officially fried!

I think they came out pretty cute though!  These are the single orders… only one stamp ships in this little bag.  Then I have boxes to ship multiple stamp orders.

Its been so much fun coming up with cute little sayings and quotes for photographers to use!  I have had so many floating in my head for the longest time, now I will actually be pushed to get them into Photoshop for something useful.

As of right now, I have 3 main categories available for the rubber stamps in the store: pre designed quotes, return address, and then an option for customers to use their own personal logo or tag line/quote.  Here are some samples of my favorites and that I think are super useful for photography businesses:

And I just had to make a return address one for hubby & I… love how this one turned out!  Looks adorable on envelopes!

And I have also decided that as I come up with new designs, I will most likely try to offer a flash sale here and there where a stamp will be on sale upon its release.  Last week’s sale was an absolute HIT!  This design was on sale for ONE HOUR only….

and this is 1/3 of the damage and what our living room now looks like.  I don’t think we will be playing any pool or ping pong anytime soon!

Here is another new stamp that will be hitting the store…. I have a good feeling about this one!

I was hoping to get my sample made to test out, but I thought they would be so cute stamped on 2″ stickers and then placed on client packages going through the mail!

This will be on “flash” sale tomorrow morning 5-1-12 for 25% off!  I will announce the start and end of the sale on my Facebook business page HERE so be sure to check in and snag one of these.

HOWEVER… want to win one of your very own?  How about a little giveaway?  Here are the details:

• Go check out the store and let me know which pre made stamp design found HERE is your favorite.  Leave your comment on this post with the Quote # you like the best!
• Visit my Facebook page HERE and leave me a comment on my most recent post shown on my wall!  Let me know which stamp is your favorite, where you are from, what type of photography you do, just say hello…. ANYTHING!  Just leave a comment
• I will pick 2 winners, one from my Facebook page and one from THIS post!

FACEBOOK WINNER:  Tatiana Fowler

IDENTITY BRANDING wait list UPDATE!

The following brand development spots are still available for JULY 2012:

Custom Logo Design- place deposit HERE

Mini Identity Branding- place deposit HERE

(mini identity branding includes a custom logo design and four business pieces)

Full Identity Branding- place deposit HERE

For more information and pricing, please check “identity branding services” in the menu here on my blog!

This is my studio space… it’s small, it’s cozy, it has a tremendous amount of natural light, and it’s just perfect for me!  I especially love that hubby built it for me, makes it even more special

This is my main shooting wall and where I take all of my bucket/prop shots, store about 50% of my faux flooring, rubber backed mats, etc.  I will normally decide which props and set ups I will be doing prior to my session and then leave those ones on top.  Then as I finish taking the shots, they will just get rolled up and put to the side.  My favorite vendor for my flooring?  PEPPERLU!  Amazing quality and great customer services!  Love them to pieces!

Some information on it since I will probably get asked…. I have a TON of light in the studio, too much on most days here in San Diego.  The large slider is South facing, large window is West facing (makes it really difficult to shoot in the afternoons but since I only do newborn sessions in the AM while my kids are at school, it works out perfect).  I have 2 small windows (on either side of the slider) and then I also have 2 sky lights.  I have recently been playing with my bean bag set up in a way where I get more interesting light so images aren’t quite so “flat” so the place where you see the bean bag is not always where I will do my bean bag poses.  Speaking of… my bean bag is from Mindy with Newborn Nest, made right here in the United States and one product I could NOT live without for newborn photography!  If you are looking for a great quality bean bag, she is your gal!  Prior to each session, I always have the blankets and props I plan on using (doesn’t always end up the way I plan since you never know with babies), but I do have plan of in mind for colors, textures, themes, etc.  99% of the time, I start with a neutral backdrop and then move into colors.  I find that most of my babies are best right at the beginning of the session and having the more neutral colors will allow to me to get a lot of “classic” images right from the start.  Everything else will just be icing!  I have 2 space heaters (only one is shown here), but the other one I keep on top of my shelf pointing towards the other end of the studio space.

Ok on to more shots… my favorite part of the studio!  Blankets, buckets, & all things prop related!  This is actually the majority of my blanket and fabric stash, but only about 65% of my prop collection.  I have a small storage area just outside the studio that is filled and I also take up a small part of the garage (sorry hubby!)… a newborn photographer can NEVER have enough things to play with though and luckily he understands that!  Then just behind where I do my bean bag work, is the majority of my headbands, hats, wraps, and handmade prop items.  I also keep a few albums and products I offer in here… most are in my office though at the moment!

A couple of odds and ends pictures…  Smarties candied, a MUST when working with the smaller kiddos!  These are my life savers when I have to bribe a little one  Also, next to my bean bag area is my wipe warmer and hand sanitizer.  I have bottles in every corner of the studio as well!

Thats it for the studio… small, sweet, and again, perfect for little ole me!  Could not have made any of this possible without my amazingly supportive and handy husband! I don’t know where I would be without him…. I could never have dreamed of having a partner who sometimes dreams bigger than I do.  I am one lucky gal!

Thats not it for my work space though!  Since both my photography & design business are somewhat intertwined, it kinda makes sense to show my office space as well!  I do all of my design work here, fill orders, and it also houses all of my new packaging goodies!  Each and every brand I create is done right here!  You can catch me in that chair every  Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm…

And no office of mine would ever be complete without my overflowing collection of all things sewing and arts & crafts!  This holds the majority of that stuff, but I had to make room for the new packaging items so another cabinet in the garage houses my excess items  It may look fairly neat here, but don’t be fooled… boxes and things are bursting at the seams!

Four more 16×16 canvases and this wall collection will be complete!  When I first started investing in these, I had no idea how I wanted to display them.  Then I found one that would work so every now and then when the lab has a sale, I will grab one for the office or my house!  I also just recently purged my inspiration board so it’s kinda bare right now… won’t take long to fill it up though!  I should have taken a picture of it before I cleared it, oh well, next time!

My office is actually our “den” and I LOVE that it has the peek a boo walls so I’m never 100% cut off from the family when I am working if they are around and in the family room.  It’s nice being able to see them and still have conversations without yelling through walls and doors.

And because hubby bought these for me, I had to take pictures of them.  Super cute pencil sharpener & one of my regular coffee cups you can catch me with each morning!  Hubby is very thoughtful with his gifts… always nails “me” when making selections!

And here is the new sewing machine that I am head over heels over!  It was far too pretty to NOT have it out!  The other image is just the other corner of the office…. love my vintage “princess” sign… I never quite figured out what I wanted to do with the old window I found, but maybe one day I will!  And the apron was the first real sewing project I ever completed… I was hooked after that!

And last, but certainly not least… probably my most prized photo.  I keep it on my desk and spend a couple of minutes every day before I start working just looking at it, reflecting about my life.  This is a picture of my dad and I, taken by my bestie in Miami while we were in high school.  Back then, it was just a random picture we took during lunch, just because.  Today, its one of the ONLY photos I have of my dad.  It speaks volumes about so many things in my life.  Who I was, who I am, why I am, who I want to be, where I came from, where I am going. It’s been 5 years since my father passed away. He was my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the best father a little girl could ever have.  This is my papa.

And to celebrate my birthday and my business I have a new Exclusive Download available on my Facebook page!  An adorable little mini accordion album template!  Perfect for client gifts or as a promotional item!

Make sure you “like” my page, then just click the “free download” button to take you to the link!  ENJOY

These last two blogs posts are both dedicated to my father.   I owe everything in my life to him and without his constant unselfish love, his support, and his dedication to raising me I have no idea where I would be in life… he taught me to work hard, to fight for what I believe in, that I could do anything I set my mind to, and that no matter what… I will always be good enough.  Not a day goes by that he isn’t with me.  It’s only fitting I start each day with him just like I did before he passed away.

With that… just a final though.  I started both of my  businesses kind of on a fluke and never dreamed that I could be so lucky to truly love each and every moment I spend “working”.  I’m truly blessed to be doing things every day that truly leave me satisfied and fulfilled.  My businesses have evolved and grown so much more that I could ever imagine.  At this point in my life, I really feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world.  There isn’t anything I would change.  There isn’t one part of my life I don’t love and I think thats mostly due to both my husband (and family) and my father.  Both have taught me that life is too short to ever be unhappy.  Enjoy every single day, seize every opportunity, shoot for the stars, and most importantly…. MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT!

When I first started to brainstorm ideas, colors, graphics, etc. for the new look, there were a couple of things I had to keep in mind.  #1 I run TWO extremely busy businesses (photography and my graphic design/branding services).  I knew I had to come up with colors and a style that would lend itself to both.  #2 I am a TRUE believer in the “less is more” philosophy so I knew whatever look I went with it would be clean, tailored, and incorporate a lot of white space.   The main reasoning behind this is I ALWAYS want my images, graphics, portfolio to grab clients attention FIRST in both businesses.  Having an overly busy brand will only detour people away from what the focus should be… YOUR work!  However, that being said, to stay true to myself, I knew I also needed COLOR!  I’m a color fanatic…. the more the merrier in my opinion!  So I decided on mainly white with lots of pops of color to run through the entire brand.  This is what we came up with after about 15 drafts or so!

The last thing I knew 100% I needed to incorporate that would run through my entire brand was hearts.  Ever since I was a little girl, you could always find me drawing hearts.  I drew them EVERYWHERE I could, in every color there was.  I know some will find the graphic a bit cliche & overly done, BUT the hearts really mean something to ME!  I sign all my letters and cards with either a heart or XO, so having the heart present in my brand was a MUST.  Didn’t need my family to decide that one

Once the logo and overall look was done… now came the fun part!  Packaging and all of the little details!  This was seriously the BEST part of this whole process, dangerous, but definitely fun!  For 2 weeks straight, FED EX, UPS, and USPS were dropping things off left and right!  In the end, I am thrilled at how it has all turned out and very excited to show it off!

Can I just say every time I look at these little bundles, I can’t help but smile?  These are the packages that I now send out for my digital collections.  Included are the files clients have ordered on a custom USB drive, client care cards, 5×7 thank you card with a handwritten note on the other side of whats shown, a little thank you goody bag from me, and I also include a little box of sweet treats!

Probably one of the items in my brand I am most proud of and I puffy *heart* the most… my new USB drives!  These guys took the most thought for my husband and I.  I had decided earlier this year that I no longer wanted to do the custom CD’s & cases I had been doing since I started my photography business.  I hated having to take the time to prepare the files for the lab and then having to wait for them to send them out.  My husband had a pretty strong opinion that USB drives just made more sense for clients… so we went on the search for a custom one for me!  After many many days, countless quotes from manufacturer’s, back and forth emails with them about my customizations, this is what we ended up with!

Originally, I was fighting to have the “real” logo on them with all of my colors but most USB companies will either only do a 2 color process OR a 4 color process.  I was bummed that it couldn’t be done, but I love these all the same!  It’s convenient, adorable, and most importantly…. I feel like its REALLY unique.  When I did searches for inspiration, I found a lot of photographers had pretty simple swivel thumb drives and although I was originally going to go with one of those, I got the idea for the heart and was lucky enough to find someone to do them!  So happy with the final product!

Another item I was sure I needed to include was a little thank you package to each client.  Nothing big, just a sweet gesture from me to them.

Included in the lithe canvas pouches are a set of wallets (I will most likely pick my favorite image from the session for these OR one I know they love), a magnet with my business information for them to hopefully place on their fridge, and then a keepsake keychain with another favorite client image.  And again… to make sure my brand is incorporated, hearts were a must!  Luckily, I found the exact colors of my look in card stock and I was able to use one of my many heart punches from my scrapbooking days to punch them out!  The canvas pouch also has a hand stamp I made with a thank you banner on it.

Each box is closed and then sealed with my “address return” sticker…

Another custom stamp I made that I figured would come in handy, just to add a little special touch here and there where I may need it!

As for clients who order print packages… these were also really fun to create!  Just deciding on what color boxes was a big task though!  I had seen a lot of photographers who used different colored boxes and while I REALLY loved them and how bright they were, I had already decided that I wanted to use different colored yarn to tie things up.  It wouldn’t have looked right on the colored boxes, so I went with clean, white boxes and then found the colors of yarn used in my branding.  Again… I had to tie hearts in though!  I had seen lots of packaging ideas using doilies, but I had to take it a step further and find something with hearts  I was lucky to find this shape and in all of the colors I use in my branding!  Last but not least, I have always been a fan of my MOO Mini cards so when I was designing my business pieces, I came up with about 10 different designs that I include on all of my packaging!

My print packages then get sent out in white padded mailers, topped off with a cute sticker!

And for clients who are lucky enough to get both a print & digital collection, this is what their packages look like!

Here is a little closer look at my stickers and MOO mini cards.

You may also notice the little quotes I have included here and there.  Of course there is a rhyme and reason to that as well.  I searched high and low for quotes that were special to me AND that would relate really well to my business.  The main one I use on a lot of my pieces is “Make every moment count.”  People who are close to me, know I don’t take myself too seriously.  I love to laugh, I love to joke around, I love my husband & family, I love my life.  I have been very blessed with everything I have been given in my 34 years and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for everything.  I can literally catch myself daily looking around and thinking, “Damn, I am one lucky girl”.  I don’t take ANYTHING for granted, ever.  I also know that in the blink of an eye, your world can get turn upside down and all of the things that should be most precious to you could be taken away.  Because of this, I have always tried to live my life with the “Make Every Moment Count” attitude.  Whether it be my work moments, the moments with my friends, the moments by myself, or most importantly, the moments with my husband & family you can rest assured that I am living each of them to the fullest AND thankful IN those moments.  It only made sense that I try and relay that message to my photography clients as well.

And last, but not least for today… because I LOVE these so much, I thought I would show them off as well!  My custom stamps!  I’m sure I will be adding to this collection, but to start myself off, I went with a couple of thank you stamps, the round one I use on my packages, and a return address to use on my envelopes and what not.  Call me crazy, but I adore the old wooden handles on them!

Stay tuned…. next post I hope to share my studio space as well as my office space where I do all of my design work and store all my packaging goodies!  Until then, I hope you enjoyed seeing me new look and are hopefully inspired for your own businesses!

DOWNLOADABLE JPEGS FOUND HERE

As always I create these guides for my clients as well as for other photographers.  You may use these images on your blog & social media websites without having to give credit to me (although it would be nice)!  If you do use my text, you must provide a link/credit back to me/my blog!

Enjoy!

Business Set

Blog

And again, the BEST part of my job… seeing all these gorgeous printed pieces!  Anne did an amazing job bringing it all together with her packaging & presentation!

Truly amazing!  Thanks so much for sharing with us!  I hope I was able to bring your business vision to life

]]> http://corinanielsen.com/blog/%e2%80%9canne-herbert-photography%e2%80%9d-client-design-feature/feed/ 4 http://corinanielsen.com/blog/upcycling-inexpensive-easy-and-unique-props/ http://corinanielsen.com/blog/upcycling-inexpensive-easy-and-unique-props/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:49:48 +0000 corina http://corinanielsen.com/blog/?p=3905 As a newborn photographer, let’s face it… we are all props junkies.  We are constantly on the lookout for new blankets, headbands, buckets, baskets, and of course the cutest hats.  It’s kind of a job hazard in my opinion.  I can’t go into any store now without trying to find something I can either stick a baby IN OR stick ON a baby.  I stalk ETSY and of course a few of my favorite vendor sites daily looking for all things cute.  After all of this shopping, things can get rather expensive when most hats alone range from $20-$50+.  You want something new and fresh for each session to keep your work interesting and current, but it gets costly.

I tried my hand at making my own headbands and that worked out rather well I think.  I liked being able to raid my own stash of old scrapbooking stuff (silk flowers, ribbon, buttons, fibers, etc.) and it’s always nice just to play and get your hands dirty… kinda therapeutic if you ask me.  Well, after I got tired of whipping those out, the next logical step was to make a hat.  I knitted and crocheted a few and they were alright, but seriously… I do not have the time to spend a few hours on ONE piece.  There has to be an easier way.

Recently, I started seeing a few photographers using “upcycled” props and being the boho chic kinda girl that I sometimes am, I fell in love…. not only with the idea behind upcycling and reusing/multi purposing BUT what I loved most about it was the fact that no matter what, the props would ALWAYS truly be 100% unique.  I wouldn’t ever find someone else with the same hat and since I like to customize each of my sessions as much as I can, making my own would easily allow that.  Don’t get me wrong though… I won’t ever stop buying headbands and knitted hats, but I think I came up with a way to do it LESS and kill a few birds with one stone.

First stop… raid the closet!  I went through my old stuff as well as my daughters since her clothes are always much cuter than mine!  I looked for sweaters first since my favorite hats to use are always knitted.  I didn’t find much so I took a little trip to Good Will and a couple of my favorite thrift stores.  JACK POT!  I hit the mother load!!!!  Every color I could imagine, different textures, thick, thin, and a ton of my favorite… CABLE KNIT!  Yum.  I was in heaven.  Best part is that each sweater was less than $4.  Even if I only got one hat out of it, a new prop for under $5?  Yes please….

I’m also going to preface the rest of this post letting everyone know that I am in no way shape or form an expert when it comes to sewing.  Aside from knowing that I can put 2 pieces of fabric together with a machine that has a needle and thread on it, I don’t really know all that much in terms of technique and making things “perfect”.  Fortunately, I already had a sewing machine and I have made quite a few things like aprons, purses, and small craft things.  I at least know my way around the thing, at least a little bit.  Again, there are probably better techniques, but this is what I know and how I did mine.  I will actually be showing a couple of different ones you could make from 1 sweater… and for those who do not have a sewing machine, don’t you fret, there is a super simple no sew one below as well  Lets get started!

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are some materials that have a bit more stretch to them so always try to go with these when making things like hats that obviously need to fit properly on a baby/child.  You will find much more allowance for sizing when using a sweater!  After you make a couple of these and are able to text them out, you will know what adjustments you need to make to ensure proper fit every time!

STEP 1: make a template

After you have gone and found some sweaters, its best to make yourself a little template to use.  This is something you will be able to reuse each time you get adventurous and want to make a hat so don’t trash the template  Again, you may need to adjust sizing and make a new template, but for the most part the basic shape and size should be here!  I used a sweet little hat that was given to me by one of my branding clients last year.  You could more or less use any hat you have in your prop stash but I suggest using a simple one like an elf hat or even just a beanie until you are comfortable with the sewing machine and learned how to adjust sizing with the hats you make.

** Please check with the creator of the hat you are using to ask permission before you make your template… We don’t want to break any TOU terms.  Some people may have rules that would prohibit you from making a template using their product… respect their terms & wishes***

OK.  Turn the hat inside out and grab a piece of paper.  Trace along the outside of the hat.  This will give you the basic structure of the hat.  Cut your template out.

STEP 2: map out your project

Depending on the sweater/clothing you are using, you will more than likely have enough material to make at least 2 hats just from the body.  You can either choose to make a girl & boy version OR do 2 different styles of hats (i.e. elf and plain beanie maybe).  I chose to do TWO elf style hats so I made TWO templates.  Turn your sweater inside out, grab your template/s, and some pins.  Beginning pinning the paper template to your sweater.  I added a bit more length to my template/hat just to be sure it would be big enough.  The hat I chose to make the template with was always a bit small on my babies so I figured I would add an extra 1″.

STEP 3: cut out your hat/s

As you can see we still have quite a bit of material left!  You could choose to trash the rest, but I always feel bad wasting stuff, so I went a step further and tried to maximize my prop output!  If you have chosen a sweater/material that has enough stretch to it, you can easily turn the sleeves into a NO SEW newborn hat!  Using the sleeves of the garment, simply cut about 10″ UP from the bottom of the arm.  If you want to finish off that top edge, add another 1″ or so BUT if you don’t have a dewing machine or just don’t want to sew it, make sure you cut really straight across the sleeve so there are no jagged edges.

But wait… you STILL have a lot of material left!  Why stop now right?  If you were able to cut the sleeves off to use as hats, this is what your sweater should look like more of less.  Since I loved the color and texture on this sweater, I thought I would try a couple of headbands as well!

First you need to get a nice straight edge.  With a long ruler, go ahead and cut along the width of the sweater.

Next, measure about 1″ above the cut you just made… something that is wide enough to be used as a headband but not too wide.  Just like this… but watch your puppy’s nosey nose or else you may cut it off

Cut those pieces in half or to something that measures about 12″ or so.  Again, depending on the type of material/sweater you have the finished size of the newborn headband should be around 14″ I think.  My cuts weren’t very straight on my last cut so they are thinner… probably won’t use those ones  But try to get 3 nice even pieces for one headband.

You should end up with pieces that look similar to this depending on what you have decided to make.  On the main hats, remove the paper template and then repin your front and back pieces of each hat together.

STEP 4: It’s SEW time

Starting at the bottom base of the hat (place hat upside down basically), begin sewing until you go all the way up to the top of the hat and then back down the other side.

I used a basic straight stitch on this one since thats what most people will have available on their machines but if you have some type of finishing stitch or serger foot, feel free to use that for a nice polished, clean edge.  If you used the straight edge like this, simply just trim off any excess to reduce the bulk before you turn it right side out.  Once you do that, you should end up with something like this!

Time to tie your cute little knot at the top…. and viola!

STEP 5: Personalize & Decorate

You could easily stop where you are now and have a super cute hat all ready to use for your next session, but why stop there?  Let your imagine run wild!  You can add some trim, flowers, buttons, beads… the sky is the limit!  Since I made 2 of the same hat shape, I thought I would leave one nice and plain and then spruce up the other one.  I grabbed a few things from my stash and pieced together a little something.  Now is definitely the time to grab the hot glue gun!  You could hand sew things, but seriously… Im all about easy!  Hot glue=a crafty girls best friend!

One finished prop that was inexpensive, super easy to make, and nobody else will have anything else like it

Here is my hat in action…

But wait… what about the NO SEW version of a hat and the headband?  Don’t fret…. here you go (and it does NOT get any more simple than this)!

Grab one of the sleeve cut outs & some cute coordinating ribbon.

Leaving about a 1 1/2″-2″ margin on top, tie the ribbon into a pretty little bow.

Um, yeah… you just made a hat in about 2 minutes!

Again, you can totally finish off that top edge if you want (and have a sewing machine) or add some cute touches to the base.  However, if you have a sweater with neat texture and color, absolutely NO need to do anything else!

And for the headbands?  Easy peasy…. another under 10 minute project!

Lay 3 strips down and be sure they are about 14″ long or so (again, this depends on your material and how stretchy it may be).  If its super stretchy, 14″ should be good… if its not quite as elastic, add on an inch.

While trying to keep the braid nice and somewhat tight, begin to braid the strips from one end to another.  You want to make it tight enough so that its not bulky, but not so loose that you do not see the shape & braids.  Continue until you have about 1″ of fabric left.

You should have something that looks like this.  Now you need to sew the ends together. 

Grab each end and hold them together.  Run the pieces through the sewing machine using a nice straight stitch.

Trim the excess off and turn to the “right” side.  It should look like this now.

Finish off your new head band with a silk flower, trim, buttons, etc.  I used a little fabric flower from another sweater I had.  You can either hand sew your embellishments on OR just hot glue them to the headband.  I used hot glue on mine  Just make sure you place your embellishment RIGHT on the seam.  This way the seam is totally hidden!

Upcycled hats & headband COMPLETE!

And here are a few other hats I made last week.  Please take note… upcycling can be addictive!  You have been warned

Totally addictive!  Yeah, I couldn’t stop myself!!!

Hopefully everything I have done makes sense and you are now inspired to make your own unique props!  If you decide to give any of these projects a whirl, I would love to know about it!  Please feel free to go ahead and post them on my Facebook wall HERE!  Looking forward to hearing and seeing your projects!  Happy propping!

For those of you on Pinterest, I decided to make a board for people to see my projects as I make them!  Just have to add everything, but feel free to follow me there!

UPCYCLING PINTEREST BOARD

I was skeptical at first but the moment I went to visit one, my mind was made up.  It was a week before Christmas and I found Second Chance Rescue and the cutest little puppy ever.  Wasn’t the breed we were looking for, wasn’t the right color, but something in her eyes tugged at my heart strings!  I made an appointment to go visit her immediately.  However, once I got there, I picked her up and she was adorable BUT then I saw this little black fur ball hiding in their crate and once I picked up her brother, I was SOLD.  No more looking… this was our puppy!  I filled out the paperwork and that was that.

He was scheduled to get fixed & chipped the following day and then they would want us to pick him up.  Um, but wait, Christmas is still a week away!  Crap… what to do!  Luckily one of my amazing friends offered to keep him for us for the week so the kids would be able to “open” their gift on Christmas.  Little did either of us know then that we were in for a VERY long week.  Our puppy “Tannenbaum” (yeah, what a name the shelter gave him right?) was doing great for a couple of days at my friends house.  I was visiting and spending time with him every day… then all of a sudden he got sick.  Wasn’t eating, threw up, diarrhea, would barely wake up.  We gave it a couple of days just to see if he would get better then decided he had to be seen.  Ended up testing positive for Parvo  I was devastated.  Vet said 85% of puppies with the virus don’t pull through.

It was a horrible 2 days not knowing if the little guy would make it or how he was doing, but thanks to my friends AMAZING TLC and keeping him hydrated every 2 hours for the couple of days he was showing signs…. our puppy completely pulled through!  It was Christmas Eve and although we hoped to give the kids the puppy Xmas morning, we didn’t have a choice but to do it a bit early!  I picked him up from the hospital and put a big red bow on him…. then had the kids come into the garage to see their Christmas Eve present (we let them open one every year anyways, so it all worked out)!

Meet Comet

He constantly looks like he’s sad or deep in thought, doesn’t like having his picture taken, eats a ton of grass, digs holes in our yard, doesn’t like taking walks and prefers we carry him, looks nothing like we thought “our puppy” would…

He has a knack for finding the coziest spots to sleep.

He has surprisingly done GREAT at crate training.  The first couple of weeks Comet was waking up every couple of hours during the night to use the bathroom (or at least to make sure we were still alive and close to him) but didn’t have any accidents.  Having a puppy is definitely a LOT of work and Im glad those first few weeks are over because there were a couple of nights I was ready to give him back lol!  Things are better now and he stays in his crate with no problem from 10pm until about 7am.  During the day he naps in his crate like this… Im convinced its because he doesn’t want us to close it on him!

… he knows how to SIT, LAY DOWN, and ROLL OVER also!  Picks up training really easily it seems.  Now if I could just get him to STAY and COME on command, I would be 100% happy!

… all in all, I think he is one wonderful puppy!  And he adores being outside!  He could spend all morning out in the grass playing around by himself.

… then when he comes inside he either goes to his crate OR finds a lap to relax in.  Kids have been thrilled and great with him too.  Very helpful and ready to lend a hand taking care of him.  Not sure how long that will last, but I will take what I can for now!

Comet doesn’t quite know what to think of my studio yet though.  Anytime I have taken him in there while Im setting up a session, he stands right by the door eager to get out!  Perhaps he is guarding it for me?

He didn’t think I would let him get away that easy though right?  Nobody around me is exempt from an embarrassing picture

That’s Comet… our amazing miracle puppy!

I instantly thought of cookies (or cupcakes) after my mouth watered for hot chocolate that is!  As it turns out, I didn’t have an original idea BUT I was still on a mission to make something with these amazing little nuggets of love.  I tried to find a good recipe that I could tweak a bit so of course I first did a search on Pinterest.  I actually didn’t see much that peaked my interest, but as I started hopping from one baking blog to the next, I came across exactly what I was looking for… well kinda.  These were close, but I still had to change a few things!

This is what I came up with and everyone in this house agrees… this one is a KEEPER!

Super chewy (how I like my cookies), great texture, & good chocolate flavor.  Sounds like a good combination for a cookie to me!  This is the tweaked recipe:

Hot Chocolate Cookies

• 2 1/2 sticks room temperature butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 4 packages Hot Chocolate Mix (not sugar free)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used Ghiradelli’s)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used mini’s but don’t think I will again… bigger pieces of chocolate sounds good to me!)
• 1 cup Kraft mini mallow bits (found mine at Target but have also seen them at Vons/Safeway)

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together (flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda) and set aside.  Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy in a stand mixer.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each.  Add vanilla.  Once well blended, slowly add the dry ingredients.  I always do this in thirds and mix after each addition.  Dough will be really thick… don’t worry!  Add chocolate chips and mallow bits and mix until just combined.  Drop my rounded tablespoon (or cookie scoop which is my preferred method to get them all equal).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-11 minutes.  I did mine for exactly 10 minutes and they were PERFECT!  Again, I like mine chewy!  Do not over bake these…. like at all!

Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk or some hot chocolate