Thoughts on Stock Photos

The other day I saw an item in the Etsy Finds email that rubbed me the wrong way. It was a stock photo from another website that the seller could purchase said item from. It wasn't something they had made or something they had photographed, but it still made it into the Etsy Finds. I see this all the time with lasered items and it really bothers me.

There are so many items I'd love to add to my own shop, but I don't agree with using stock photos. In my opinion, they don't give an accurate representation of the sellers work. I've had the wine box pictured above in my inventory for way longer than I'd like to admit! But I don't feel right adding it to my shop because I haven't engraved one for myself yet. There could be unforeseen problems that I haven't thought about. I would hate to sell one and then run into trouble!

Don't get me wrong, I understand why sellers use stock photos. Just look at the two photos above. The stock photo is clearly "better" than my photo. But I feel that my photo better represents my work and buyers will know that I made that product. They won't see that image in any other shop.

And sure, it would be great to add all the items I could make, but I'd rather show the beautiful items I have made :) It makes me feel better about my work. And though my photos leave much to be desired, they are still my photos and they are of my work!

What are your thoughts on stock photos? Do you like seeing them in seller's shops?

Brick Engraving

Something I've been wanting to try for a while is brick engraving. Businesses do this a lot for dedication bricks or donor bricks. When I was in 3rd grade, they tore down my elementary school and built a new one. They engraved a photo of the old school on the bricks from the building along with the name and dates it stood. I always thought these were cool :)

I finally got to try my hand (or should I say laser) at some bricks. Before I left work, a friend gave me a brick paver he had from a landscaping job he had done. This was the first brick I tried. As most of you know I'm not a gardener, so I didn't know that pavers are just painted/stained concrete! The result was pretty good and had good contrast, but I need to find out if it's safe to laser concrete with all the little pieces flying off! If I find out it's safe to use these, I think they'll be a great idea for gardens.

The next brick I tried came from an old building that was torn down in town. I had been told that clay bricks will turn a nice black color when engraved. From what I could tell, this brick was solid clay. It had cracks in places, so I could tell it wasn't concrete. The result was a nice solid engraving, but it didn't turn black. It's more of a gray color, but it still looks good.

The last brick I tried was also one that came from an old building. A friend wanted me to engrave this brick which came from her dad's old homestead. This brick looked much like the one I had engraved before, but the results were different yet! Again, good results, just different.

I still have some research to do before I offer these on a larger scale. I've been happy with the results, but I want to get a consistent engraving. And I want to find out why they don't turn black. I'm afraid my laser might not have enough power to turn the brick black. In that case...gray will work just fine :)

Teamwork

I'm so excited, my friend Dave from Sawdust Explosion sold his first item on Etsy this week! Dave makes beautiful pen and pencil sets (as well as MANY other awesome wood working items)! Each set is made completely by hand!

His Bamboo Set was the first to sell and the buyer asked if he does engraving. Lucky for him, he knows someone with a laser engraver...wink, wink :)

We ran a few test pieces and decided on the best format for the engraving...it turned out great! I can't wait to hear how much the buyer loves the pen and pencil set! She bought them for a friend who writes music, so we know they'll get a lot of use :)

Dave and I plan to work together on a lot more projects. He just built an awesome CNC router from the ground up! Check out the video on his blog! I already have several items on order! And I hope he continues to sell more items on Etsy as well...I love engraving new things :)

Engraved Gun Stock

The title of this post should actually read: How to fit a 31" gun stock in a 12"x18" laser...LOL :)

I had a man contact me on Etsy recently wanting a gun stock engraved. This is something I'd wanted to try for a while, but hadn't had a chance yet, so I was excited to give it a try. When he told me it was 31" long, I wasn't quite sure how that was going to work in my laser! But I told him to go ahead and send it and I'd work my magic :)

There is a front door the opens for cleaning. I found out how to bypass the latches so the machine would run with the door open. I made a stand with pieces of scrap wood to level out the stock. I manually focused the laser and viola!

The laser has a little red light pointer that you can turn off and on. I ran the machine with just the red light and the laser beam turned off to get an idea of my alignment. I wish the image would have been bigger, but I was worried about it being too big and not fitting inside the carved out area. So I'll take small over big :)

 

Not too bad for my first attempt! And the owner of this gun stock is part of a gun club! There might just be more gun stocks in my laser's future :)

Wordless Wednesday - Dramatic Design

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

Or in my case...turning a ruined photo album into something even better and more beautiful :)

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A while back, I had a brain drain while trying to engrave one of my leather photo albums. I didn't focus the laser properly and ruined not one, but two albums before I figured out what the problem was *headdesk*! I thought I might try and decorate these with some flowers and scrapbook embellishments and still be able to use them or give them as gifts. But I came up with an even better idea the other day :)

I made this beautiful Wood Photo Album! I love the bigger size and all the possibilities it holds! I cut the inside photo pages from the "ruined" albums and bound them in the wood album! Genius!

I love this design, but don't want to ruin anymore albums to be able to make more! So I went in search of more pages like these and was able to find some double photo pages like these from one of my suppliers! So I'll be able to make many more of these :)

And of course, I'll be able to personalize them any way my customers like!

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Have you made any "lemonade" lately?

Wedding Bells

Ever since attending the bridal fair a couple weeks ago, I've had wedding projects on my mind! I have a huge list of ideas I want to make for wedding decor and I got a few done this week! Rustic, shabby wedding themes seem to be very popular, so these items should fit in well!

First up is a Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Banner. I'm selling these both as premade banners as well as custom banners. Make them as long as you like! (And for any occasion!)

Next I made these Engraved Table Numbers. These can be customized as well with any font or graphics the couple would like. Seating charts at wedding receptions seem to be more and more popular lately.

I'll also be adding 4 more Wood Guest Book/Photo Albums as well. Here is one of my new designs.

And for those not into the rustic, shabby chic theme...how about some color! This Double Name Guest Book/Photo Album would be the hit of any wedding (or other party)! The inside pages can be formatted so many different ways!

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I still have a list a mile long of wedding items I'd like to get made and listed! And I'd also like to take a few new photos with more than just a white background. I love the look of wedding items at actual weddings. Do you think I could show up at a wedding and start snapping product photos...LOL :)

Belle's Bell

Have I mentioned how much I love custom requests! (oh, I did!) This is just one more reason why I love them :)

I was recently asked by the owner of the winery where I sell some of my items locally to engrave a special item for her parents. Their dog recently passed away and her name was Belle. She found a really neat handmade bell on the internet and wanted me to engrave the hanging wood pendant that came with the bell.

I was a little nervous because it was an unusual shape and I wasn't sure what type of wood it was or how the engraving would turn out. But the more items I engrave, the more confident I become in my work :) And this turned out great!

I love that the bell is handmade...and now it is personalized too :) She said this will hang in her parent's back yard where Belle loved to run and play :) How perfect!

Keepsake Boxes

I recently made three more Keepsake Boxes all with different styles and photo compositions. I love that these can be used for so many things and that the ideas for the styles are endless!

The first box didn't have a photo, but had a simple and sweet message on the top of the box. Then, on the inside, a special quote/poem for the recipient. How sweet :)

The second box had a photo that had heads already partially cut off. Photos like this can be hard to work with when engraving. I added the oval border to keep the heads from "floating" on the box. I really like how it turned out!

I used the same idea for the third box and like how the border just draws everything together. I added this photo (as well as the previous one) to my listing to show that you can have any number of people in the photo being used. This photo has 5 people and looks just as great as the box that just has one person.

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The recipient of the last two boxes loved them so much that he ordered two more :) He said his sister cried when she received her box and had the idea to make memorial boxes of their dad with a quote on the inside of the lid. I ♥ this idea :)

I'll be sure to show those when I get them done!

New Glassware

I've finally started adding my new glassware to my shop!!! A good friend of mine was so kind to take photos for me and they turned out great!!! She did a much better job than I ever could have! I've made wine glasses, champagne flutes and beer mugs in both premade and custom options. Here are some of my items: Green Champagne Flutes - Peacock Design Bride and Groom Champagne Flutes

Custom Monogram Wine Glasses I am always looking for new ideas (especially premade options). So if you have any ideas that you'd like to see engraved, please let me know :)

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This is my favorite post from last week, so I'm linking it up at Arful Rising! Come join the Party!!!

Just Around the Corner

I know it's not even fall yet, but before we know it Christmas will be just around the corner!!! I have already started receiving a few orders for Christmas presents! I think people are trying to spread out their shopping this year and are starting earlier :)

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I recently started making Custom Photo Ornaments

I have already sold one of these at my first craft show last weekend and hope they do well on Etsy as well :) Everyone loves custom items and this one is extra special with the photo :) I know it would be my favorite ornament!

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What holiday items have you started listing?

Cute Kitty Alert

Okay, so maybe I should use the word handsome instead, but Simba is stunning none the less :) After hosting a giveaway over at Beaded Tail's blog, I had the pleasure of working with the winners, Simba and his mom, to create a custom pet engraving!

Here is the original photo:

And here is the engraving:

I took out the background and edited the photo as needed and Simba's engraving turned out great! It helps that I had such a handsome subject to work with :)

And I know I don't have any kitty samples in my shop, so I'm happy to now have one I can add to my listing :)

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This is my favorite post from the week, so I'm linking it up at Artful Rising! Stop by to see others' favorites from the past week :)

Newest Rotary Engraving

I've been having more fun with my rotary this week! I LOVE colored glass as it really makes the engraving/etching stand out. This blue glass looks amazing! (I'm still working on my photography skills!) I can't wait to find more colors and glass styles!

I've also been trying to focus on items that I want to add to my shop so my photographer friend can come help me with pictures :) I'll definitely be adding these Bride and Groom champagne flutes. And I'll add Mr and Mrs flutes as well. (Do you think the words should be closer to the top of the glass...please let me know your thoughts.)

Wine glasses will also come in several custom choices as well as premade options as well. This monogram glass turned out well. I think I'll make the engraving a tad smaller so you can see the whole thing. These will come in different font options as well as first names/last names.

I tried engraving a larger candle votive, but didn't have much luck. I'll be trying again soon. I've had a lot of interest in these, so I'd like to have several options :)

Here is one of the premade options I'm thinking of offering. I'll be making the feather larger and maybe put it on both sides? Or all the way around? Still thinking of other premade options as well.

What do you think? Let me know how I'm doing and add any suggestions you have too!

Friday Features - Family Crest

I've had a couple of interesting orders lately that I thought were pretty cool. I lasered 10 set of coasters for a coworker to give as Christmas gifts and he wanted his family crest put on them. And I also got an order for a pin engraved with a family coat of arms on it. The bride is going to give this to her fiance' at the wedding and he will give her a sash with his family crest on it. Very unique and very cool :)

This got me to wondering if there was a market for this type of work. I went searching on Etsy to see what other Family Crest and Coat of Arms items I could find. There are some really talented artists in this area!

Johnson Family Crest

by ohsocreations

Custom Drawn Coat of Arms / Family Crest / Heraldry

by JamieHansen

Commission Your Family Coat of Arms - painted on slate tile

by Ainigmati

Do you have a family crest or coat of arms? Have you ever seen it or done anything with it? I'd love to know :)

Beautiful as a Butterfly

I had a fun custom order this week for an Engraved Baby Photo Album. The customer wanted a scrapbook style album instead of a photo album and I happened to have this cute album on hand!

There is a magnetic flap holding the album shut with the word Baby stitched on. It's a cute album by itself, but the engraving adds so much! And you can't go wrong with a personalized gift :)

I've had really great luck with all kinds of photo albums. I love how they laser a pretty brown. These butterflies came out so great!

You know how much I love custom work and this album was so fun to make!