How I Do Pottery Barn

April 30, 2014

Today I'm going to share some tips on how to know when to DIY it, versus when to break down and buy it at Pottery Barn.
 
Pottery Barn store front

How to Get DSLR Quality Photos From Your iPhone

April 22, 2014


 
{I put this in my shop recently and it sold right away.}
 
As a vintage jewelry artist with an Etsy shop, I value having the ability to take great photos to share with my customers.  In the beginning I started out with a full-sized DSLR Camera.  I took some great pictures with it, but let's face it: I was intimidated by it.  I took a photography class, read a bunch of books and even scoured tutorials online, but I never felt like my photos were ever getting any better.

Enter the iPhone.  It's been a year and a half and I couldn't be happier with it and how I can use it as my go-to camera on a day-to-day basis.  Whether it's Easter photos of the kids or jewelry photos for my Etsy shop, I can count on the iPhone's quality picture taking ability .

My only reservation was that I wanted to take even better close-ups of my jewelry.  Knowing this, my husband surprised me with an ollocip lens package for Christmas.  I'm still getting used to it, but I think I know enough about it to be able to say that for me, it's a great alternative to a traditional DSLR camera for close-ups.  Right now I'm working on a ton of new jewelry pieces to add to my Etsy shop, and I'm loving the convenience and ease of taking great close-ups.  Here's a few sneak peaks,  just to let you see how nicely their macro lenses really capture all the details.

 
 
 
 
Aren't they awesome close-ups?  As you can see, I really do rely on being able to capture some pretty tiny, delicate details on my vintage religious medals.  The olloclip allows me do that.
 
The 4-in-1 lens package (works with iPhone 4/4s and 5/5s) comes with their quick-flip case and pro-photo adapter that allows you to mount your iPhone to a tripod or other accessories. The four lenses included are a fisheye lens, a wide-angle lens, a 10x macro lens and a 15x macro lens.  
 
And as a DIY home décor blogger, I've ways envied those other bloggers who take great whole room shots. Up until now I haven't been able to accomplish that.  But the olloclip wide-angle lens really seems to work and I'm looking forward to using it once we get settled in our new home (whenever that finally happens...) to share even more of my DIY home décor journey with you.
 
So no, I wasn't compensated for this post.  But I did like the olloclip enough to spread the word in case any of you out there are in the same boat, looking for an easier way to take better photos.    
 
I can't wait till I get my Etsy shop updated. So stay tuned for the announcement!  And in the mean time,
 
I'd really love for you to stay connected and follow me via Google Friends Connect, Bloglovin' or e-mail subscription (all in my sidebar) if you haven't done so already.

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Don't miss another thrifty DIY home decor post!

xoxo

Happy Sunday and Some Minimalist Easter Decorating

April 13, 2014

I know I've been pretty scarce around here lately, what with not being able to do much decorating or start any big projects due to the impending move. Sigh. What's that they say? All work and no play makes Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home} a dull blog.  So I wanted to at least stop by and say hello while sharing a little bit of spring with some Easter thrown in.

Sadly, the Easter season is quietly passing my house by with absolutely no very little fanfare. 

 
But I really do love tulips around this time of year.  They say Easter to me.  So of course I had to pick some up at the grocery store the other day.  Here they sit in my thrift store ironstone pitcher. 

 
I also picked up a few "bunnies," since all of my Easter decorations (of which there are MANY) are packed away in storage.  The bunnies came from the Dollar Store, five bunnies per package.
 
But I needed something to put my bunnies IN. 
 

 
World Market to the rescue.

 
Aren't these moss "nest bowls" adorable?  I'm not sure what they called them but they were inexpensive, and I'm on a moss kick so I thought they would be perfect for a little Easter decorating.

 
I just placed the bunnies in the "bowls" and grouped them with my spring cloche. 

 
I filled the cloche with some shredded raffia on the bottom, then layered some moss balls from Hobby Lobby with a nest on top.

 
I'm loving this look. And I know it will be around for quite some time even after Easter is over.
 
Did you have a happy Sunday?  I hope so!
 
 
 
Here's to a great week! 
 
I'd really love for you to stay connected and follow me via Google Friends Connect, Bloglovin' or e-mail subscription (all in my sidebar) if you haven't done so already.

You can also follow me on Hometalk.

I'd also love to see you follow Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home}'s Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter pages, too! Just click on those really pretty-colored icons below:

CLICK ON ONE OF THESE:)

Don't miss another thrifty DIY home decor post!

xoxo

Creating Beautiful Watercolor Reproductions of Your Favorite Photos Right on Your iPhone

April 7, 2014

I really want to use my iPhone more.  I mean, it's great for so many things other than the obvious "phone" thing, right?

No one was happier than I was when I finally got an iPhone about a year and a half ago.  Prior to that, my kids loved to point out that my phone was actually on display at the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago serving as an example of OUTDATED technology.  I kid you not.  Ok, so it was a flip phone.  And I didn't even know how to text.  But that was then.  And this is now!

As far as apps go, I've never been one to pay for them.  There are just so many free ones!   However, every once in a while I'll see an app that isn't free but looks kind of good and I start to wonder.  That's what happened when I saw an app called Waterlogue.  It said it could turn your iPhone pictures into watercolor art.  I read a few decent reviews of it and, as a Photoshop-phobe, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Here's a before picture taken from my last blog post:



I thought it was a particularly pretty photo to try Waterlogue out on.

And here's what I got.
  Since spring has nearly sprung in these parts, I thought this might make for some great framed seasonal wall art.  

I tried it out on a few other photos just to be able to show you how it works.

Here's another photo from a recent post of mine.


Now here's the Waterlogue version.


I really love how the Madonna and Child turned out.

The textures are amazing.


This apples-and-cinnamon shot is one of my all-time favorite
 Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home}'s
{Check out the post for a great mulling spice recipe!}


And I love how this one turned out, too.

You can buy the app in the iTunes store for $2.99, and it's compatible with your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (with iOS7).

I didn't like how some portrait-like photos of my family turned out.  But in all honesty I haven't used all their "filters" yet (there are 12).  I've stuck to the first option called "Natural."  But there are 11 more you can choose from and play around with to your heart's content. 

Photoshop can do this, and I believe there are other apps out there that can, too.  But Waterlogue has gotten the best reviews I've found.  And even though I have Photoshop, I'm sad to say that I was so intimidated by it that I never figured out how to use it!  This is, by far, the easier option.    

Have you tried it yet?  If you have, I'd love to hear about it.

 {This was not a sponsored post. I just wanted to share a great find with you all.}


I'd really love for you to stay connected and follow me via Google Friends Connect, Bloglovin' or e-mail subscription (all in my sidebar) if you haven't done so already.

You can also follow me on Hometalk.

I'd also love to see you follow Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home}'s Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter pages, too! Just click on those really pretty-colored icons below:

CLICK ON ONE OF THESE:)

Don't miss another thrifty DIY home decor post!

xoxo
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