Wednesday, June 26, 2013

I'm Back

If at first you don't succeed, try again.  Here's the photo I promised in my last post:
My friends flew to the Dominican Republic Saturday, and the last time I talked to her was when she called from the airport.  For some mysterious reason she hasn't been able to contact me since then, even though she'd promised to get an international calling card and call me the following day.  I've been receiving their mail in my care, and two important pieces of mail have arrived since they left, so I really need to speak with her.  A while ago I got the bright idea of emailing their congregation there in an attempt to get the communication wheels turning.  I know, from having lived overseas, how communications to and from third world countries can pose a challenge, but waiting for her to call is nonetheless frustrating, so I'm hoping my email will end up generating a call from my friend.

Time to close for now.  Take care, and I ptromise to be back soon with a recipe (no time to find any lately).

Been Too Busy to Post

Hi, everyone!  I just checked the date of my last post, and to my dismay I discovered I haven't posted here for 3 1/2 week (sorry about that).  I've been so busy, between processing what I took to calling my Big Kahuna order, helping a dear friend get ready for her and her husband's move to the Dominican Republic, etc.  I've finally been able to "come up for air."

Last Monday I mailed the Big Kahuna order, consisting of five items for the buyer's three dogs: the Executive Dress Shirt & Blue Tie and the pansy print harness for two of her dogs and, for her other pooch, a pink flannel butterfly print harness (doubling as a recent sample listing, pictured below), the dress with a baby blue bodice, three vertical rows of lace and yellow flowered skirt, and the flannel Poky Little Puppy Dress.  I was soooo excited when I checked my Shop Stats the day she ordered them, and saw what she'd ordered as well as what she paid for them!  She wanted a D-ring and closed neck front on each garment.

The dress with the lace-trimmed baby blue bodice and yellow flowered skirt took the longest to make - six hours for a tiny dog's dress! - because, being meticulous by nature, I wanted to make absolutely sure the rows of lace were centered just so and applied securely with Liquid Stitch fabric glue (which, by the way, I swear by for application of trims).

I know I'm admitting to a stereotype - especially because I'm not of pure Swiss ancestry - but some years ago a friend and I saw a diorama, displayed at a museum, of a finely detailed wooden farm, made by some Swiss people.  According to the legend, the Swiss are noted for excellence at precision work, which came as no surprise to my friend and me because of the precision timepieces for which the Swiss are renowned.  When it comes to exactitude in measuring and creating dog apparel, my middle name should be "meticulous," which makes me well suited for the handmade dog apparel business.

I usually have orders ready for mailing two days after receiving them, but preparation of the Big Kahuna order took just five days, since I didn't want to keep the buyer waiting too long.  The first day was devoted to measuring and making a pattern for each dog's garment, then sewing the following four days.

I'm having a problem posting text underneath the photo, so I'll have to close for now.  Be back shortly.






Sunday, June 2, 2013

And Another Style!

Hi, everyone!

More brand new stuff in my Shop!  Yesterday I listed a short version of the "Juicy" and "Violet" clothes, a harness with an almost 2" ruffle.  Doesn't Dominique look adorable in it?

When it comes to refinement of photos, the expression "live and learn" just came to mind.  To come up with a decent pic I had to suffer through five shooting sessions, as I kept ending up with an infuriating yellow shadow.  What was most maddening was that the more I tried tweaking on the photo editing site, the worse they came out.  But with what turned out to thankfully be the final attempt (what you see here with Dom modeling), all I needed to do was increase the contrast , do the invariable cropping, and sharpen.  My sigh of relief could almost be heard in Moscow!

This experience has taught me to avoid posing Dom in such a way that a shadow would result.  As I knew before, the time of day is also important; never when it's dark, even with artificial light, which can impart an overall yellow tint to photos.

To change the subject, it's getting to be really hot here in Florida, yet from what I see in Etsy Expat Team members' posts, it's still cold in France.  Their posts take me back years ago to the time my then-husband and I were in London in June.  It was so cold I had a terrible time using the camera's controls to take pics of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace!  We couldn't believe it!

Speaking of weather, my heart goes out to the people in Oklahoma.  Natural disasters have become much more frequent than they used to be.  Christ accurately (not surprisingly) foretold that in Matthew chapter 24.

Other responsibilities beckon, so I need to sign off for now.  Have a glorious day!