Image Tutorial: Black Friday Auction

This year for the Black Friday auction, I am requiring that ALL images include basic information directly on the image.

You can opt to add additional information, but this tutorial shows you how to use the FREE, online photo editor, Picnik.com, to add the basic information to your item.

Please note, the only REQUIRED info is:

• Starting Bid: $amount
• Buy It Now: $amount
• Stocking Stuffer: $amount

If you are participating in either the Bargain Corner auction or Regular auction, please list the price with Starting Bid on it, so that the bidders know that the price is for bidding.

If you are participating in the Stocking Stuffer Comment Game, please list the price with the words Stocking Stuffer with the amount. This is a set amount, not a bidding amount.

If you are participating in the Buy It Now album, list it with Buy It Now and the amount.

As you'll notice, my photos list what the item is- you don't have to do that. You can list your shop name as well, if you would like.

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, below is the actual tutorial on just how to include the info on your photos easily, without an expensive editing program.


Step 1:

In your browser window, type in picnik.com (or click that, it'll take you straight to the page). You do not have to pay anything to use the page- you don't even have to sign up for a free account if you don't want to!

Step 2:

You'll land on the main page. Below is a photo showing what it looks like- click the photo to open it larger if you would like. On this page, there is a green button that says Upload Photos. Click that!

Step 3:

Once your photo has uploaded, you will re-direct automatically to the Editing window. Please look towards the top of the page for the TEXT selection, and click that- it's shown in the photo below with arrows, so if you are unable to find it, please click the photo to open it larger.

From the TEXT page, type in your chosen text in the TEXT BOX on the upper left hand side of your screen. Please note, I prefer plain, basic fonts. Please do not use fancy fonts, or anything that might not be as easy to immediately read. Below are several examples.

 

Step 4:

After adding the text to the image, find the SAVE & SHARE tab in the upper bar. Click that, and it will take you to the page where you will SAVE your photo.

The first time you save, please make sure to slide the JPG Compression Quality slide bar from 8 to 10- this keeps your image from being down graded in the SAVE process.

Click SAVE and choose a location on your computer to save the image to. You may wish to save it as a new file name, or in a new folder, to avoid over-writing your images.

See the photo below for details.

That's the end of the tutorial on how to add the info needed to your photos. Below are a few more quick photos showing  ways NOT to change up the image.

If you have ANY questions, just ask!

Product Photo Tips

If you own a shop, you take photos of your items to sell, right? Well, have you ever noticed some photos look better than others? Here are some quick tips on making your photos look nice every time!

Tip 1- Unless you have no other options, always chose a camera vs a camera phone. While many phones these days take nice photos, you CAN always tell a camera phone photo apart from a camera photo.

Tip 2- Clean your lens. Any eye-wear cleaning cloth will give great results, and even Dollar Tree carries them. Simply wipe finger prints and smudges off the lens before taking photos. That slightly blurred spot showing up in your photos is where you smudged the lens. Clean, crisp photos require a clean lens, so take a few seconds to inspect the lens before taking photos.

Tip 3- Lighting. Lighting is important. This will actually be a multiple part tip. First up?

1. Natural Lighting. If at all possible, always take advantage of natural lighting. You can do this by setting your 'stage' up near a window, or outside. Direct sunlight can be too harsh, though, so try to use indirect sunlight. Sunlight is only good when it's out, and somewhat bright, though- dark stormy days, or evening won't give the same results as you'll get on a nice, brightly lit day.
2. Flash lighting. When taking photos of your items, I strongly recommend using natural lighting during the day. However, this is not always possible. Even I have middle of the night moments when I just -have- to share a photo, and can not wait till morning. So, here's some tips when using flashes. First off, don't hold the camera an inch from the object with the flash on. Back up about a foot, then use zoom. Next up, if you have spots that appear faded from the flash, take the photo from a slight angle, so the flash is bouncing off the background and not the object.
3. Lamps. Unless you are using a bright white (not soft white) light bulb, without a shade, you are going to have a yellowed image with a lamp. If your only option is a lamp, wait until morning and go outside for natural light. The yellowing from the lamp will change the color of your item, and color is important if you are trying to sell something someone wants to match, such as a bow for an outfit. 

 A staging area- this shelf placed under a window is the perfect location for taking photos of your objects, just make sure you are closer than this to the object, or the object will be dark.

Lamp light tends to look yellow, such as the photo above. In the two photos below, only lamp light is used, and the objects and background take on a yellowed hue.

Please note- in the photo above, light blue felt was used- not grey, as the lighting suggests! This is to show how much of a color difference there is when using lamp light for your lighting!

 Everything around the photo is yellowed from the lamp.

 In the above photo, I used a flash in conjunction with the lamp light. The yellowing is gone!

Tip 4- Staging. Your keyboard, kitchen floor, deck, and any other flat surface you use are distracting, and tell the buyer you didn't put time or effort into your photos. Fabric squares or even rectangles of felt can make a decent backdrop for your pictures. But, word of advice- match the object with the background. You don't want to take a photo of a black bow on black felt. You simply can't see the item. Switch out the color of the backdrop to contrast with the item you are photographing. If you want a solid white background, felt works nice, but you can even use white poster board to take the photo with. Just avoid direct light with poster board, as it will reflect the sun, and change the items up. Felt, on the other hand, will absorb more of the light, so it won't reflect as badly.

My stage area- a tall shelf under a window. Most of my photos are taken in this location.

More staging- to help provide contrast, I use a felt "doily" shape to set my smaller bows & clippies on. This is left out of larger bow photos, and photos of white bows or clips.

The above photos are used to show off just how I stage items, NOT how I take the actual photos.

Tip 5- Save the fancy Picnik editing for photographs of people and memories, not your bows, and clips, and clothing you are trying to sell. If the photo is off color, or blurred from editing, it's harder to pin point exactly what the person is buying. Below is an example of a photo of a bow before editing, and after editing. I've seen countless shops do exactly what is shown in the AFTER image. Trust me- your photo is not going to sell your product when you blur it, obscure it, and edit it to death.

Tip 6- Blurry photos are a no-no when selling something. Here are a few tips on how to avoid that.

1. Distance. Putting your lens right up on the item can cause the camera's focus to not work. Your best bet is to have your camera 6"-12" from the object, then zooming in. 
2. Zoom- however, you don't want to be zoomed in TOO close. Zoom can also blur based on distance, so if your camera is too far away, and zooming in on the item blurs it, then you want to zoom out a bit, and bring the camera itself closer to the object.
3. When in doubt, click. Digital is free- you can take 2 photos, or 200 photos, and it won't cost you anything to "develop" them. So, I recommend taking 2-3 photos of each photo just to make sure you have a clear photo to enjoy. 

 This photo was taken 10" from the item, and zoomed in slightly. It does show off the item, but I recommend less blank space.

This photo was still 10" from the item, and zoomed in closer. This is the typical distance I use on my photos.

A closer image, such as this, can be used to show off your bow, or details of your item. In the photo above, I used off-centering to make it more visually interesting, but if this is the only photo of the object, you should make sure all of the object is in your photo.

 Zoomed in WAY too close- this photo, if clear, would certainly show off all of the details on the ghost, but it's blurry, and should not be used to show off your items.

In this photo, I brought the camera down closer to the actual item. I am much closer to the object- 3" away, with no zoom. This turned out fine, but don't count on close up photos to always turn out. Make sure it's clear, or take multiple photos before moving on.

Tip 7- Watermarks! It's always nice to include a watermark on your photo, but it should never be distracting, or take focus off your items. A small, opaque name stamp over the image and only marginally visible is a good way to go. Stamping a logo in the corner of the image is another good way to claim your photos. Stamping your logo so it half covers your image is not a good way. Remember, your item should be clearly visible still!

In the image below are 4 watermarks. 2 are not touching the bow. 1 is small, and while touching the bow, it does not obscure it. The fourth is slapped over top of the bow, and distracting from it. An image of what you should and should not do.

Overall, you want your photos to look nice, and professional. But, it doesn't take a $1200 camera to take nice photos of your items.  Take your time, and practice. Look at the photos on your computer and discard the bad ones. No need to save your blurred product photos!

Good luck! Please feel free to share, but give credit where credit is due.

My Unique Baskets Product Review

Over the past few weeks, I've been in contact with Karen from My Unique Baskets. Karen works primarily in plastic canvas (which totally brings me back to when I was about 12, and wanted to do something cool with plastic canvas, and ended up with something... horrible...), and crocheting. Both are skills I just don't possess, so I was more than happy to review these items.

Let's just start off by saying that me and crocheting? Well, if it moves beyond a basic chain, I'm lost.  The package I received included 3 items to review- technically 4 since one item was a 2 parter.

First and foremost, I'll start with the bow holder. Anyone who buys or sells bows has seen bow holders galore- I've seen tutus, I've seen boxes, picture frames, wooden animals, and so much more, but this one was a first for me.

The holder is small, and suitable for a small space. The shape is a heart with the middle cut out, and has a long yarn braid hanging from it, with a little bow attached. This would be a great one for all the little clippies. It's light weight, the stitching on it is impeccable, with the ends all tied nice and neat, and there is a small loop on the back for hanging the holder up.

Also in the package was a pair of crocheted flower snap clips. These flowers are roughly the size of a quarter, and are well stitched. They are dainty enough that most women would feel comfortable wearing them- I know that while I have nothing against wearing a big flower, not all women want a bow or flower in their hair. These clips are well made, dainty, and cute. I love the bright raspberry color of the flower, which matches the snap clips as well.

Last up in the package is a bun holder- this is larger, measuring 3.5" wide by 3" tall. The holder is diamond shaped, and has a crocheted rosette in the middle, with a small bow peeking out from the sides, and bead "pearls" hanging down. This bun holder, like the bow holder, was well made, all the stitches are nice and neat, and tucked away.

The bun holder has two slits in it, and a coordinating, painted Popsicle stick that slides into place. The stick was painted a nice pink to match, and feels like it was coated with clear coat acrylic to seal the paint. The nice thing about this? If you misplace the stick, they are easily replaced.

All in all, Karen makes some fantastic items, and her prices are not bad, either. According to her Etsy page, her Bun Holders are between $3-$3.50. 

She also has some ADORABLE Halloween items available in her shop right now, including:

She has those little candle cozies in lots of different colors and themes, but I'm totally a sucker for Halloween, and love that one! They slide around those little glass jar candles nice and neat.

Karen not only has a Facebook & Etsy shop, she also has a brick and mortar shop. If you are in the Fontana, CA area, you can find her shop at 9481 Sierra Ave, where she also sells gift baskets!

J'Marie Bowtique, a Product Review

Last week, I was in touch with Nina De, the owner of J'Marie Bowtique. J'Marie is a boutique on Facebook that sells handmade bows, flower clips, and dabbles in some resale with infant items, and children's clothing.

For her review, Nina sent me two clips. The first is a cute variation of the Korker bow done in Leopard Print, Black, and Red.

As far as traditional korkers go, this isn't it. But, I love how she did this one. The korkers are made with wider ribbon in smaller cuts, and the leopard print ribbon is even soft and fuzzy. The over all effect of using both wider ribbon and small cuts reminds me of a wild petaled flower. The ribbons span out from the center in wild dissaray that I think would work great for kids who are out of the cutesy pastels, and into fun, funky, and wild.

The addition of the leopard print just adds to the wild nature of the bow. This clip is attached to a lined alligator clip, and sat secure when I slipped it on. It would also go great with a brown, red, or black crochet style headband, and slipped onto my headband easily.

Overall, this was a cute bow, and I would totally recommend it. J'Marie Bowtique sells this style of Korker bow for just $5.00. A great statement bow!

Next up, I received a purple flower clip, complete with feathers. This clip uses a nice deep purple colored mum style flower, and has a button center that at first glance, looked like jet bugle beads coiled in a circle. This clip has a small array of super fuzzy and soft black feathers attached to one side as well.

My first thoughts on this flower clip was how sophisticated and beautiful it is. I could see a teen girl wearing this to her homecoming dance, or a bridal party wearing them to the wedding. This style really reminds me of the old flapper style from the 20's.

The flower is lined on the back side with a circle of felt, and attached to a lined double pronged alligator clip.

 In addition to the purple I as sent, J'Marie has these in Orange and Pink, and they sell for a modest $5.00 each. This clip would work equally great with a children's Christmas dress or Halloween costume, as it would on a Homecoming Queen.

In addition to looking cute alone, I also attached it to a black crochet style headband, and it also rocked that.

I love this flower! (and I'm totally considering ordering one for myself!)

My interactions with Nina from J'Marie Bowtique have been easy, and she has great customer service. Her shop has a good selection of kid oriented items, and items suited for the older crowd as well.

Her shop receives 2 thumbs up from me- Nina, I love your work, keep up the good job!!

Find J'Marie Bowtique on Facebook!

Check back later this week for details on TWO giveaways! One for each of the clips above!

Advertising Your Items

As a photographer, I often order bows to use in shoots. Sure, I make bows, too, but when you see something cute, you just have to have it. As a buyer, a seller, and a crafter, nothing irks me more than getting a package and having no idea where it came from. The return address is a person's name, not a shop name, and there's nothing in the package indicating who sent it. And have you seen how many shops there are on Facebook alone? Trying to remember just where I got something is hard to do.

Here are some tips on what you can do to make sure your shop name is remembered!

1. Invest in ink for your printer. You can print out a simple sheet that has 4 'cards' on it simply saying, "Thank you for your order, from !", or how about "Enjoy your new from !" Get some card stock, print it up, cut it up, and insert one in each package you send out.
2. Put your stamp collection to use, and buy unlined index cards. Stamp em up, leave space for a personally written message, and again, include them in each package.
3. Visit VistaPrint and pick up inexpensive business cards or post cards with your logo, your shop name, your web address, etsy page, etc. Put one in each mail out!
4. For those of you who also participate in craft shows, here's another tip. Cut two slits into each card, and snap your alligator clip into it. Or, get a "ribbon" hole punch- it punches out two side by side slits, perfect for slipping the alligator clip on. Most craft stores have punches in the scrapbooking section, but I found mine for just $.39 (cents! Yes, cents!) at an outlet store, and they're the long handled kind like the old fashioned hole punches teachers use.

Right now, Vista Print is running a deal. Order 250 business cards for free- just pay shipping. I just ordered some tonight for my shop. Now, a few days ago, I took the time to design really cute, Halloween-centric cards. They were $5.99 for just 25 cards through Vista Print. I opted to hold off, and not get them. Boy am I glad! The cards for free do not allow you to customize them, but for free, who can complain? They have a lot of templates to choose from. Just plug in the information you want, and click order. I selected the cheapest version of shipping (21+ days- but, as a hint, I always do that, and sometimes, I have had my items in less than a week, and I have NEVER waited 21 full days for a shipment!) and paid $5.67 for 250 business cards. It goes up from there.

Tips on information to include:
Name of your shop
Facebook address page of the shop you run
Email address
Your name
Small blurb about what you sell

I would hesitate to include a phone number or address, unless you deal primarily with off-line orders. I, myself, do not include a phone number or mailing address.


Good luck, and happy "bowtiqueing"!

Photo Displays

If you own a shop, you take photos of your items to sell, right? Well, have you ever noticed some photos look better than others? Here are some quick tips on making your photos look nice every time!

Tip 1- Unless you have no other options, always chose a camera vs a camera phone. While many phones these days take nice photos, you CAN always tell a camera phone photo apart from a camera photo.


Tip 2- Clean your lens. Any eye-wear cleaning cloth will give great results, and even Dollar Tree carries them. Simply wipe finger prints and smudges off the lens before taking photos. That slightly blurred spot showing up in your photos is where you smudged the lens. Clean, crisp photos require a clean lens, so take a few seconds to inspect the lens before taking photos.

Tip 3- Lighting. Lighting is important. This will actually be a multiple part tip. First up?

1. Natural Lighting. If at all possible, always take advantage of natural lighting. You can do this by setting your 'stage' up near a window, or outside. Direct sunlight can be too harsh, though, so try to use indirect sunlight. Sunlight is only good when it's out, and somewhat bright, though- dark stormy days, or evening won't give the same results as you'll get on a nice, brightly lit day.
2. Flash lighting. When taking photos of your items, I strongly recommend using natural lighting during the day. However, this is not always possible. Even I have middle of the night moments when I just -have- to share a photo, and can not wait till morning. So, here's some tips when using flashes. First off, don't hold the camera an inch from the object with the flash on. Back up about a foot, then use zoom. Next up, if you have spots that appear faded from the flash, take the photo from a slight angle, so the flash is bouncing off the background and not the object.
3. Lamps. Unless you are using a bright white (not soft white) light bulb, without a shade, you are going to have a yellowed image with a lamp. If your only option is a lamp, wait until morning and go outside for natural light. The yellowing from the lamp will change the color of your item, and color is important if you are trying to sell something someone wants to match, such as a bow for an outfit. 

 A staging area- this shelf placed under a window is the perfect location for taking photos of your objects, just make sure you are closer than this to the object, or the object will be dark.

Lamp light tends to look yellow, such as the photo above. In the two photos below, only lamp light is used, and the objects and background take on a yellowed hue.

Please note- in the photo above, light blue felt was used- not grey, as the lighting suggests! This is to show how much of a color difference there is when using lamp light for your lighting!

 Everything around the photo is yellowed from the lamp.

 In the above photo, I used a flash in conjunction with the lamp light. The yellowing is gone!

Tip 4- Staging. Your keyboard, kitchen floor, deck, and any other flat surface you use are distracting, and tell the buyer you didn't put time or effort into your photos. Fabric squares or even rectangles of felt can make a decent backdrop for your pictures. But, word of advice- match the object with the background. You don't want to take a photo of a black bow on black felt. You simply can't see the item. Switch out the color of the backdrop to contrast with the item you are photographing. If you want a solid white background, felt works nice, but you can even use white poster board to take the photo with. Just avoid direct light with poster board, as it will reflect the sun, and change the items up. Felt, on the other hand, will absorb more of the light, so it won't reflect as badly.

My stage area- a tall shelf under a window. Most of my photos are taken in this location.

More staging- to help provide contrast, I use a felt "doily" shape to set my smaller bows & clippies on. This is left out of larger bow photos, and photos of white bows or clips.

The above photos are used to show off just how I stage items, NOT how I take the actual photos.

Tip 5- Save the fancy Picnik editing for photographs of people and memories, not your bows, and clips, and clothing you are trying to sell. If the photo is off color, or blurred from editing, it's harder to pin point exactly what the person is buying.

Tip 6- Blurry photos are a no-no when selling something. Here are a few tips on how to avoid that.

1. Distance. Putting your lens right up on the item can cause the camera's focus to not work. Your best bet is to have your camera 6"-12" from the object, then zooming in. 
2. Zoom- however, you don't want to be zoomed in TOO close. Zoom can also blur based on distance, so if your camera is too far away, and zooming in on the item blurs it, then you want to zoom out a bit, and bring the camera itself closer to the object.
3. When in doubt, click. Digital is free- you can take 2 photos, or 200 photos, and it won't cost you anything to "develop" them. So, I recommend taking 2-3 photos of each photo just to make sure you have a clear photo to enjoy. 

 This photo was taken 10" from the item, and zoomed in slightly. It does show off the item, but I recommend less blank space.

This photo was still 10" from the item, and zoomed in closer. This is the typical distance I use on my photos.

A closer image, such as this, can be used to show off your bow, or details of your item. In the photo above, I used off-centering to make it more visually interesting, but if this is the only photo of the object, you should make sure all of the object is in your photo.

 Zoomed in WAY too close- this photo, if clear, would certainly show off all of the details on the ghost, but it's blurry, and should not be used to show off your items.

In this photo, I brought the camera down closer to the actual item. I am much closer to the object- 3" away, with no zoom. This turned out fine, but don't count on close up photos to always turn out. Make sure it's clear, or take multiple photos before moving on.

Tip 7- Watermarks! It's always nice to include a watermark on your photo, but it should never be distracting, or take focus off your items. A small, opaque name stamp over the image and only marginally visible is a good way to go. Stamping a logo in the corner of the image is another good way to claim your photos. Stamping your logo so it half covers your image is not a good way. Remember, your item should be clearly visible still!

Overall, you want your photos to look nice, and professional. But, it doesn't take a $1200 camera to take nice photos of your items.  Take your time, and practice. Look at the photos on your computer and discard the bad ones. No need to save your blurred product photos!

Good luck! Please feel free to share, but give credit where credit is due.

Photos & tips are courtesy of Heather from Heather's Frugal Bows.