D Whynn Designs

Behind The Scenes: A Photo Shoot

Anyone who has any kind of internet presence - blog, Facebook, online store, Etsy shop - knows how important good photos are to grab your audience. Unfortunately, for me, my skills in this area are lacking to say the least. I have no patience whatsoever for setting up the perfect photo scene and usually end up with the attitude  "just take it and fix it in Photoshop." So when Estelle of EZ Photography offered to take some photos of my new boutique children's clothing line, I jumped at the opportunity.

Estelle has the talent and the ability to not only capture the perfect lighting, the perfect background, the perfect mood for the photo, she also finds the unique beauty in each of her subjects, be it the special smile, the eyes, the laugh, that certain look. But what I find most captivating in her photos is that she is able to portray the personality too -- all that makes one special! I knew she was the right professional to show off my clothing and bring out the best in our models.

Estelle arranged for us to meet at a time when the light would be just right, at the perfect location, with our beautiful models and we anxiously crossed our fingers that the ever-changing, unpredictable Florida weather would cooperate.

 I have watched Estelle work before but never on such a personal level! And this is where the fun started.  Estelle is all giggly fun sunshine and rainbows looking at our little ones through the viewfinder and at the same time behind the scenes (that would be to me) she is like a drill sargeant barking out orders.  "Move to the left, move right, stand behind me, fix the bow, do you like her hair, fix it, be funny . . . .. ." I don't know when I've had so much fun being involved in a photo!

Because from this:

 

You get this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And from this:

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 You get something that looks almost like this:

 

And when you are behind the scenes you get my most favorite shot of all -- leaning over Mom's shoulder while she's at work: (Aren't they beautiful?)



An 18-month-old strutting her stuff:



The bubbly personality of a 3-year-old:

 

Check out EZ Photography's website to see examples of all her photography, from newborns, little ones, families and couples celebrating their anniversaries.

It's not too early to start thinking about Christmas photos ---- hmm, something like a couple of siblings on the beach that would be the perfect gift for a mom (and the grandparents and, and . . .) for the holidays - HINT, HINT, you two!!!!

All clothing designed and created by D Whynn Designs.  Visit my Etsy shop here.



 

 

 

 

 

Something New

I will be the first to admit that I have wasted way too many hours this summer watching glued to bad TV, but I am pleased to report I have accomplished a few things.

I have always loved quilting, sewing, creating, and many kinds of handiwork.  Creating  clothes, mainly children's clothes, has always been a passion of mine.  On that note, I'm pleased to announce my new project D Whynn Designs Just for Kids.

 

 Comfortable and stylish clothing just for kids.  Lately, I have been working on styles for sizes 2 through 5/6 and due to interest I'm going to be adding some infant styles as well.

Finished outfits will be listed in my Etsy shop (DWhynnDesigns).  Shop update pending and outfits will be available soon.

For those of you who love to sew your own creations, I am currently in the process of converting some of the styles into sewing patterns which will be available as PDF downloads.

 

 A sweet little model in the drop waist seahorse dress.  Drawstring waistband is completely adjustable and the straps button in the back.  Straps have been left long so the buttons can be adjusted as necessary grows. 

I think this style would look adorable with a pair of leggings and a t-shirt underneath when the weather is colder or the dress is shorter!

    
 

 A monkey dress!

  
  

Doing the monkey dance!

She looks so cute that for a second I thought I might look cute in a monkey dress but then I quickly remember that would NOT be the case at all!

Dress pattern mine.  Applique patterns available through the following Etsy shops:  EtsyKim and Precious Patterns.

If you happen to be trolling around on Facebook, please stop by and "Like" my new D Whynn Designs page (that I had to have my eldest set up for me as I have such limited patience in that area!)

New styles will be shown as soon as the pictures are ready.

 

Summer Solstice

The longest day of the year! School has been out about a month now which means I'm not working and have fully slipped into summer mode. So what does one do in summer mode?

Reading

Just finished reading A Visit from The Goon Squad. Entertaining read but I'm not sure I get the Pulitzer Prize winning part. Today I started Ten Thousand Saints.

Drinking

Blueberry mojitas! We used a recipe similar to this one with a few modifications. To this recipe, we also added Stoli Blueberry and mulled a few blueberries in with the mint and sugar. Cool and refreshing! I figure it must be healthy too with all those blueberries!

Wasting

Way too many hours of my time glued to the Casey Anthony trial on TV. This is local news to us here so all the local TV stations show it, uninterrupted, all day long. Watching the legal proceedings has been fascinating. Judge Perry is my hero. Honestly, I would invite him to dinner but I think he's probably way too busy right now for dinner invitations! I wonder if he likes blueberry mojitas.

Loving

The new fabric lines that are hitting the stores like Prince Charming, 1001 Peeps, Coastal (coming soon), and so many many more. . . . . Must finish a project or two so I can decide which one to order first.

Bummed

About the moronic sewing mistake I made not once but twice. Not only was the mistake stupid (twice) but I used up (as in wasted) a ton of fabric.

Wishing

It would rain!

Unhappy

About the black snake that has trapped itself on my enclosed screen porch right now. I know he's harmless but that doesn't mean I want to be the one escorting him out the door.

What are you doing with your summer?

Messenger - ing

A few months ago we were preparing to leave for California and I decided I needed a new bag. I hadn't made a bag for myself in forever and I would certainly need something for the trip.  It had to be large, with lots of pockets and comfortable to carry across the country and then all over.

Here we have a messenger style bag with lots of inner pockets for my iPad, pens, pencils, cell phone, camera, Kleenex and all my hubby's junk.  Drink holder on the side and zippered pocket on the front for Important Stuff.  I knew I had a cool charm to use as a zipper pull but of course that was no where to be found.

 

An inside shot.  You can tell by the collection of assorted junk in there that I've been carrying it for a while.

 

 

I love going through my old bags and finding all that "bonus" money collecting on the bottom and in the pockets.

Fabric: Assorted Amy Butler prints

Pattern: My own design

And also not one other person in Carmel, CA, was carrying a bag like this. Or even anything close.  I could say because it was unique and original, but I think the truth of the matter is that designer leather bags were The bag to be carried.

Hello? Hello?

The other day my daughter told me that I hadn't updated my blog since November -- of 2010! I told her No Way, not November of last year, but sure enough she was right.  I'm not quite sure how I went from November - of last year - to almost halfway through this year but it seems that I did.

So in the last seven   few months I've been sewing up a storm, organizing, overseeing and feeling the frustrations of some home renovations, knitting and even picked up a crochet hook again. 

In the spring The Hubby and I visited family in Northern California.  It was just as beautiful as Northern California is, but boy it was cold and wet and boy did we eat -- ALOT!  We did not have a bad meal once the whole time!  Nor did we skip a meal once the whole time!

 

My friend who would visit me each morning on the balcony.  Okay, I know it wasn't necessarily the same "friend" and I know he wasn't visiting me in particular, and I know that mostly he was looking for FOOD!

 

Beautiful old tree.  Cold, gray and wet sky!
 

 

I think I'll go take some pictures of some of my projects so I have something to share!

New Pattern

 

Ribbons and Bows Wall Hanging or Table Runner is a quick to assemble fun pattern featuring three-dimensional bow ties.

Makes a great gift or a quick decoration for your own home.

Pattern is listed in the shop.

Check out the pretty fabrics my mother used - a totally different look.  All it needs is a little quilting and some binding.  Great job, Mom! Love the fabric choices and it looks perfect!

 

If you are looking for the pot holder tutorial I'm putting the finishing touches on the tutorial and I'll have it up over the weekend!

 

A Winner!

Congratulations to Barbara G. who said:

Cute potholder. The Insul-Fleece is a great idea. I'd really like to try it. Pot holders, lunch bags and trivets would make some really cute Christmas presents! Love your blog

Send me your address and I"ll get this in the mail to you:

 

The potholder tutorial is almost ready to post.  Just a few more photos.

Will be up in plenty of time for you to put together some holiday gifts.

 

 

All Good . . . . . . Giveaway Good

 
Whoops - sorry about that little blogging break right in mid project but I received a last minute unexpected opportunity to go to Houston.  Not the Texas part - the International Quilt Market part! More on that later.

In my last post I talked about the great new Insul-Fleece from C&T Publishing that I used to create two failures of a potholder.  However, my third attempt was a true success!

 

I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo but this potholder is designed with the pocket to slip your hand in.  Size is just right and I still love that fabric. 

I used a layer of Insul-Fleece and a layer of fusible batting.  We removed a cooking sheet baked at 450 degrees with no heat discomfort.

I'll write up a tutorial for this project and post it here.  It's an easy and quick one. I'm thinking of that gift giving time of the year!

To make it even sweeter I have an extra packet of Insul-Fleece to give away.  Leave me a comment. I'll pick a winner Monday at 5:00 p.m.

 

 

The Good . . . . . and The Bad

A bit ago the fine folks at C&T Publishing sent me a package of their new Insul Fleece insulated batting and asked me to try it out and see what I think.

 

I love the idea of using insulated batting and have used tons of it in the past, so I was anxious to experiment with this new product.  I am highly impressed!  It is soft and flexible and much much easier to sew with.  Hopefully, you can see how soft it is from this photo:

 

This is the GOOD!

I decided I'd start with some potholders. They are fast and easy - a great way to test the insulated batting.  Plus I had been dying to use this new fabric, Domestic Divas by Riley Blake Designs, that I just LOVE.

I pieced together some fabrics and used a spray adhesive to adhere it to a piece of the Insul Fleece:

 

Quilting through the Insul-Fleece was a breeze.  I added a back and there you have it:

 

Loved the softness of the potholder, it doesn't make that crinkly sound and how cute are those fabrics?

The potholder itself ---- perfect . . . . . . . . . . .  if you have the hands of a giant:

(Honestly, what was I thinking, the thing is huge - makes a great hotpad though.)

 

Finished Potholder 1 --- The BAD.

Back to the drawing board, re-sized and we have Potholder 2:

 

Size is perfect but Potholder 2 ---- FAIL!  Yikes!  Look at the workmanship on that thing. 

Note to Self:  Trying to design and sew, while making dinner and feeding the dogs and doing all that other household stuff at the same time NEVER works!

Once again it's back to the drawing board . . . . check in tomorrow - It's all GOOD!

 

A Ba-zillion Hours Later

Hundreds of little crab legs . . .

 

and many, many hours later . . . . . the sand castle block from the McKenna Ryan Beach Walk quilt.

 
I love this one! The colors are gorgeous. I have some big black beads for the beady crab eyes once the free motion quilting is done.

(Okay - maybe it wasn't hundreds of crab legs but it sure seemed it when I was cutting them out.)