Friday Feature: graduation cards

Thanks so much to everyone who linked up with me this past week for my Friday Feature link up!  Here are just a few of the great finds that were featured.  Click on the photos to check out the item listings, blog posts, etc.

I've found a variety of graduation cards to feature today.  Enjoy!

Graduation Card - Congratulations Card - Class of 2012 Card - Geek Card - Blank by maddesign

Funny Graduation Card for Boys, Handmade Graduation Card, Steampunk Graduation Card, Congrats Graduation Card by lstriadesign

Handmade graduation card, quilled, personalized by PaperDaisyCardDesign

 Graduation Card, Funny, "Workisms" (COE-G001) by NeatThings

OH the PLACES You'll GO Graduation Card by JerseysFreshest

Graduation card by nancygretch

Of course I had to find a med school graduation card.  (There aren't a lot of them out there.  Maybe I need to make some.)  If you know anyone graduating from any type of graduate program, they fully deserve a card, too!
Custom Graduation card to find... to save... to frame by bluedogcollections

I don't like to make a lot of rules for my link ups, but if you link up, please visit and comment on at least one other post.  No one benefits from linking up if we don't all support each other.  Thanks!

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Where else I linked up today:

2012 Christmas card preview

Yep, I've been plowing ahead with my goal to get some of my Christmas inventory finished ahead of time because we all know how crazy the holiday season can get.  Last year I was so busy from November 1 right through Christmas day, and I'm determined to enjoy it all a little more this year.  Determined sounds so festive, right?  Anyway, I already have a handful of Christmas designs and am slowly putting them together in between other projects.

This was one of my first designs.  I started with the dark green and then later made some with the lighter green, too.

I used the handful of larger titles that didn't fit so well in the original design for these cards.

As you can imagine, I had a ton of word scraps left over so I turned them into collages.

I have no idea where I get some of my ideas.  One of Jake's favorite parts about living in Milwaukee is Sprecher root beer.  We always have Sprecher root beer in the house.  I got inspired to make Milwaukee Christmas cards out of the cardboard packaging.

I think it will be a neat addition for my local holiday shows.

I made a set of Dwight Christmas cards.  There are so so many great holiday quotes from The Office.  It's been so hard to pick just a few favorites.

That quote is from this episode.

I've mostly been focusing on A7 size cards this far, but I will offer some mini cards (approximately A2) that can double as gift tags as well.  Among other things, I have a bunch of snow scraps that I'm going to use for some of those smaller cards.

It's hard to believe it, but July is only a little more than a month away!  I'm not planning to sell a lot of cards on Etsy for Christmas in July, but I am planning to re-stock my most popular Christmas jewelry designs and launch a few new designs.  As we head into June here, I need to start working on that.

Are you thinking about Christmas yet?

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I included this post in Michelle's Delicately Constructed Friday - 5/25/2012.

seeking camera advice

The time is coming....

I've held out with using a point and shoot camera for a long time now.  I've always believed that when you get started with any kind of photography, there is no reason to run right out and buy a high end camera.  I still believe this.  However, during this past year, I feel like I have completely maxed out what I can do with my point and shoot and that my photography is stagnating.  I'm just not sure what else I can learn about point and shoot photography with the camera that I have that will significantly improve my shooting.  I could invest in a higher end point and shoot, but if I'm going to upgrade, I feel like I should go all the way and finally jump into this venture with both feet.

With that being said, I am still in the very early stages of research of DSLR cameras and accessories.  I'm looking for tips for both camera bodies and equipment.  Here are my thoughts thus far.

• Camera body: Almost everyone I know who does similar shooting to me (lots of photos for blogs, product photography for an online shop, article photography, and/or some recreational/family shooting) has some type of Canon Rebel.  I have been very pleased with my Canon PowerShot and am inclined to stick with Canon.  If you own a Canon Rebel, I'm interested in: 1) your opinion of it and 2) whether you think it would be a good fit for me.  If you don't but own another body that you think would be a good fit, let me know.  I'm not too concerned about specific models at this point, as I most likely won't be making a purchase for another 6 months and there will be new ones available at that point.
• Lens(es): I'm sure it's not a surprise that my biggest focus with photography is macro photography.  I've heard mixed reviews about the body/lens packages that some web sites and stores offer and would like opinions on that.  Share any and all information that you have about your favorite lenses, particularly those that you use for macro shooting.
• Camera bag: I know that a lot of women photographers love Jo Totes and Cheeky Lime.  I really don't want anything that large.  Period.  If you have something smaller that you love, do share. Something in a cool color and/or handmade is nice, but a classic black Canon bag is just fine, too.
• Camera strap: I understand the importance of having a comfortable strap and don't mind spending a little more to get a high quality, comfortable strap.  Do you have one that you really like?  I'm all ears.
• Memory card:  You can laugh at me, but I'm currently using a single 4GB memory card.  Honestly it has been plenty of space for everything that I do on a weekly basis.  Now that Jake is almost done with intern year and will be getting his life back this summer, we will be taking more trips again, and it would be nice to have some more memory space.  We have some reward dollars at Best Buy right now so I may decide to upgrade my card within the next month.  I've heard varying opinions about different brands and sizes and am not sure if there's any truth there is to it, particularly for those of us who are not professional photographers.
• Photoshop: I seriously have no idea what my hang up is with Photoshop is because I obviously am pretty fearless when it comes to learning new things on the computer.  Even the basic Photoshop terminology overwhelms me so I've just avoided it until this point.  I feel like part of making this photography jump includes finally buying and learning Photoshop.  Do you have any favorite beginner Photoshop books and/or web sites?  I know that there are tons of tutorial sites out there that will be helpful, but for now I'm looking for something that teaches the basics really well.

Is there anything obvious that I'm missing here?  Don't be afraid to let me know.  Thanks in advance for your feedback on this topic!

color combination inspiration revisited

I got a lot of awesome color combination suggestions last week in response to my favorite inspiration challenge post.  Thank you!  I thought that it would be fun to find some examples with these color combinations to provide further inspiration.  I've done my best to include a variety of items/examples, as one of the best ways to take inspiration from color is to look for potential combinations everywhere.  Enjoy. :)

Purple/Yellow/Silver from Grace

Source: projectwedding.com via Leona on Pinterest

Blue/Brown from Paige (brown isn't one of the color choices)

Source: furniturefromhome.com via K on Pinterest

Turquoise/Brown from Ann

Source: thegloss.com via Charleigh on Pinterest

Yellow/Gray from Paige

Source: goo.gl via Jennie on Pinterest

Purple/Brown from Sharla

Source: nywithlove.tumblr.com via Avalon on Pinterest

Blue/Orange from Kaili

Source: bippityboppityboo.tumblr.com via Anderson on Pinterest

Teal/Pink from Kaili

Source: tumblr.com via Kelsie on Pinterest

Pink/Brown from Ann

Source: google.co.uk via Sara on Pinterest

Dark Green/Mauve from Linda

Source: google.com via Annie Tobiasz on Pinterest

Blue/Green from Margaret

Source: etsy.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

In case you don't have enough to work with already, check this out.

10 Color Combinations That Every Artist Should Attempt

What other color combinations do you like and/or what combinations would you to like to experiment with more in the future?  This could be a fun semi-regular feature.

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Where I Linked Up Today:

Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro on Monday (5/21/12)

Welcome to another edition of the photo Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro!  Enjoy!

1) Rainbow

I have two big boxes of buttons like this.  The other one has a more random assortment, but the organizer in me had to arrange part of this one in rainbow order.

2) Fluffy

A few people commented that I haven't included Angel in a few weeks so here she is again.  Often my best opportunities to photograph her aren't when I have my camera in hand so sometimes I shoot these Angel pictures with my phone.

3) Letters

I love sending mail almost as much as I love receiving it.  We recently got invited to a med school graduation for an old family friend.  Unfortunately there's no way that I can go to the ceremony or party so I sent her a little card.  I made that envelope for my magazine article.

4) Metal

I'm sure it's not a surprise that I use a lot of jump rings for some of my jewelry designs.

I'm also using this as my submission for I Heart Macro this week.

5) Tree(s)

I took a little excursion to the park this week after I had to run an errand in this area.  See the baby geese?

I took a picture in almost this exact spot back in the fall.

Check out Ashley's blog to see what other people submitted for the themes this week.






Finally, don't forget to check out my May Photo a Day Challenge Board on Pinterest.  I'm continuing to get that updated at least once a week and will share the highlights from that challenge here at the end of the month.

Where else I linked up today: