Posted by klewis | Coloring Pages | Sunday 6 June 2010 6:10 pm
Free Father’s Day Coloring Page & Card
My Daddy Is Number One Father’s Day card for kids
This Car themed Father’s Day Coloring Page by MomsWhoMakeStuff.com can be colored alone, or folded into a cute, do it yourself Father’s Day card. The illustration features a cute kid car and a daddy car and reads, “My daddy is number one!” Click the colored image below, or here for your free, downloadable Father’s Day coloring page.
Posted by klewis | Jewelry | Monday 17 May 2010 1:30 pm
In which I try (and fail) to get good studio quality shots on a jury-rigged stove top
As some of you know, I’ve been obsessed recently with making jewelry. I’m really still learning, and that goes for every aspect of making and displaying jewelry, including how to take decent photos of my work.
Everything I’ve read says to sell your jewelry online (which is a highly saturated market) you really need awesome product photos. Especially if you want to sell your jewelry on Etsy.
With limited lighting, no budget, and no props, my photos haven’t been magazine showstopper quality. Today I thought I’d try a different set up in the house and just play around and see what my camera was capable of.
Here’s where I set up my little photo shoot:
My studio…my stove top. My background? An old sheet of watercolor paper. My lighting? an old fluorescent overhead light and a couple of flashlights. Am I doomed to failure? Probably. Will I try anyway? You betcha.
Some of the halfway decent photos (with a mid-shoot interruption by Billy who insisted on posing too):
As you can see, my results still missed the mark as far as magazine-feature-ready quality. My next step on this learning journey is the get some pretty props (like fabric swatches, silk flowers, a nice display stand), build myself a light box, and buy some clip on work lights (which I need anyway for my desk).
All in all, not a bad shoot. I had fun (who knew arranging and photographing still lifes was entertaining?), and got some decent photos to list these earrings for sale in my Artfire store. If you’d like to see how I should have set this photo shoot up, please check out the additional reading links below.
-k.
Advice on Photographing jewelry:
Here’s an awesome blog post I wished I’d read BEFORE I started this shoot today:
Posted by klewis | parenting | Wednesday 12 May 2010 8:18 am
Tips for Picky Eaters
Not only does my son have several food allergies, he’s an insanely picky eater. Lately he’s been obsessed with Birthday Cakes (even though, for the second birthday in a row he wouldn’t even TRY his uber-expensive-special-custom-ordered-from-a-bakery-allergy-free-cake). So the other day, completely at my wits end because my son barely eats enough to keep a gerbil alive, I tried this bit of creative food preparation to try and entice him into eating lunch:
While he thought that having a hotdog birthday cake with pretzel candles was pretty darn cool, only a couple bites went into his mouth.
Like many other parents out there with a picky eater, mealtimes are a frustrating battleground. Mealtimes are skipped in favor of play times.
Not only is it a fight to get every morsel of food into my son’s mouth, the amount that ends up on the floor or in the garbage is extremely frustrating.
Young children tend to eat only when they’re hungry. If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force a meal or snack. Likewise, don’t bribe or force your child to clean his or her plate. This may only ignite — or reinforce — a power struggle over food.
2. Stick to the routine
Serve meals and snacks at about the same times every day. Nix juice, milk and snacks for at least one hour before meals. If your child comes to the table hungry, he or she may be more motivated to eat.
3. Be patient with new foods
Young children often touch or smell new foods, and may even put tiny bits in their mouths and then take them back out again. Your child may need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she takes the first bite. Encourage your child by talking about a food’s color, shape, aroma and texture — not whether it tastes good.
4. Make it fun
Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favorite dip or sauce. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters. Offer breakfast foods for dinner.
5. Recruit your child’s help
At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Don’t buy anything that you don’t want your child to eat. At home, encourage your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table.
6. Set a good example
If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your child is more likely to follow suit.
7. Be sneaky
Add chopped broccoli or green peppers to spaghetti sauce, top cereal with fruit slices, or mix grated zucchini and carrots into casseroles and soups.
8. Minimize distractions
Turn off the television during meals, and don’t allow books or toys at the table.
9. Don’t offer dessert as a reward
Withholding dessert sends the message that dessert is the best food, which may only increase your child’s desire for sweets. You might select one or two nights a week as dessert nights, and skip dessert the rest of the week — or redefine dessert as fruit, yogurt or other healthy choices.
10. Don’t be a short order cook
Preparing a separate meal for your child after he or she rejects the original meal may encourage your child’s picky eating. Keep serving your child healthy choices until they become familiar and preferred.
If you’re concerned that picky eating is compromising your child’s growth and development or if certain foods make your child ill, consult your child’s doctor. In the meantime, remember that your child’s eating habits won’t likely change overnight — but the small steps you take each day can help promote a lifetime of healthy eating.
Just based off this list, there are several things I can see we already need to work on. But sadly, unless I want to cut dairy, egg and nuts out of my diet, I’m still going to have to cook SOME separate meals.
So what do you guys think? Do you have any other tips on getting the picky eater in YOUR house to eat?
