Crafty Dad

My New Studio Assistant

I've been trying to figure out a good way to photograph tote bags for my etsy shop and ran across a site on the web that had them positioned on mannequins.  What a great idea, right?  You get a much better idea of how the bag will hang on your shoulder.  Or how an apron (the green one is a prototype I'm working on) fits around your waist.

So...it was off to eBay to see what I could find.  (You can find anything and everything on eBay, you know?)  I came across this one and promptly hit the 'buy it now' button.  A few days later, she appeared on my doorstep.  My wife wondered what the heck I had ordered and I told her, "It's my new girlfriend."  My wife looked at me like she does many times, with that "what the heck?" facial expression.  She suggested I give the plastic form a name.  Hmmm, good idea.  So without further adieu, I give you "Mandie".  Yep: Mandie the Mannequin.

Here's her debut photo shoot.   What do you think?

                        

Beach Essentials

The beach at Cedar Point.

Around the house

More flower garden shots from around the house.  The hydrangeas are the best ever.

Purples, Pinks and some Blues



Such soft colors.  These are the BEST flowers we've seen since we've lived here.

Echinacea around the patio.


Daylilies are looking good this year too!


My wife's favorite: geraniums.

Vacation - Almost Over

Yes, the week zoomed by (as all vacation weeks do). 

We're home.  Safe and sound.  I have lots of stories and tons of photos to share with you.

We had a FANTASTIC week.  Perfect weather (albeit very hot) but no rain.  Always a good thing when you're camping.  :-)

Lots to do today, so the details will be shared later.

Ahhhh, it's good to be home.

Happy Sunday

Cute little bird's nest from the zoo.  I think there are 4 or 5 baby birds in there.  What a fantastic nest made out of mud.  Amazing.

Vacation - Day One

First stop: the Toledo Zoo.  And what a great zoo it is.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  Here are a few photos from our day:

 

One of my VERY favorite shots. In ALL my shutterbug days, this one takes the cake.

A little something for your flower fanatics.  These were spectacular.  Pretty much everything was spectacular.

In addition to the great selection of wildlife, there is a butterfly exhibit that is SO cool.  And the plants (trees, wild grasses and flowers) are second to none.  Wow.  We had a great day.

 

Oh, I love my camera.

See ya soon!

Tomatoes from the garden

My first crop of tomatoes from the potted plant we bought at the greenhouse early this summer. I am so excited. It has been YEARS since I've grown my own.

There's nothing like the taste of a home-grown tomato.

I used to carry a salt shaker out to my grandpa's tomato patch. I'd pick one, wipe it off, take a bite, sprinkle on some salt and ... enjoy. I'd eat them one after another. Probably too many to tell the truth. But...they were the very best. And I couldn't resist.

Gotcha!

Echinacea with butterfly
Originally uploaded by crafty dad

I lucked out and captured this on Sunday when we returned from the lake.

I'm lovin' it.

I have a ton of photos from the 4th of July but have been so busy with work and getting ready for V A C A T I O N next week that I just haven't had the time to get my blog-act together.

But..I at least wanted to share this with you.

Cya,
Mike

Happy Fourth of July !

To:  All of you

From: the Crafty Dad Family

Have a fun and safe weekend.

Some Stuff on the way to my shop

Some Craftiness:
Two pin cushions (made with the 1940 Singer)
Two honey bee tissue holders (made with the 1940 Singer)
A baseball Hall of Fame-themed can (for trinkets, pens, coins, etc.)



Four Melmac-like pear plates.  Very cool.



Four vintage tea tins (with lids) in very good shape.


Cute black on off-white rooster sugar bowl (w/lid) and coffee creamer set. 
In excellent shape too!

I will be adding these to the shop soon.  If you see something you like, and just can't wait, let me know and we'll work something out.