DIY Light Boxes to Take Better Photos when Selling Your Jewelry

Not only do we we teach jewelry making techniques at NYIAD in the jewelry design course, we also teach students how to photograph their work. Something simple like a DIY light box can make all the difference in taking a great shot of your work. Thanks to a few bloggers willing to share their DIY light box tutorials- learning how to make and use one, does not have to be such a mystery. 

plussizebangles.com

You control the amount of light to use by placing lamps around the box. You can even use tissue paper and natural light like Karyn at plussizebangles. 

backtoherroots.com

Proper lighting can make the difference in your photo looking like the one on the left, or the one on the right. These were taken during the same time of day, one with regular house lights, the other with a light box. See how they made their light box at backtoherroots.com.

Samet Cicek's DIY light box.

You will need a cardboard box, white paper, lights, tape and either a scissor or x-acto knife to cut out the sides. Samet Cicek shares his step by step tutorial of cutting a frame from a cardboard box.

cheriquitecontrary.blogspot

cheriquitecontrary.blogspot also gives a step by step using a glue gun and three lamps to diffuse the light from all sides. Light that is too bright will wash out the detail and create heavy shadows, which is why you diffuse the light with the white paper. Not enough light will not show detail, and lighting it from all sides eliminates shadows.

Ninth and Bird shares DIY secrets for taking better photos by assembling a home made light box by joining separate pieces of board to form a box. 

Hopefully one of these great tutorials inspired you to try making your own light box, so you will be on your way to taking more desirable and professional looking photos. 

Are you interested in taking a great jewelry design course and learning more about how to make your own jewelry or get started professionally in this creative field? New York Institute of Art & Design began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

 

Request a free New York Institute of Art & Design catalog describing our distance education courses.

 

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Planning an Outdoor Wedding

Raj Tent, courtesy of Pavilion Tent Company

If an outdoor wedding is the stuff of dreams for you, but stormy weather gives you nightmares, then consider the following tents for your back-up plan.  You don’t have to settle for plain-vanilla tents when planning outdoor weddings. There are exotic and unique designs to satisfy all kinds of wedding styles. 

Maharajah Tent, courtesy of Pavilion Tent Company

From the Pavilion Tent Company, we have the Indian-style tents with arched cutouts, as seen above and below. They can also line the inside of the tent with colored fabric such as this brilliant red, providing instant sophistication to the setting. Tassels can also be added to the edges of the tent for a whimisical touch!

Clear span tents, courtesy of Starr Tents

If you don’t want to block your guests’ view of the incredible outdoor setting of your wedding, consider using a clear see-through tent.  Whether it’s a majestic mountain lake setting or a sleek city skyline, these Clear Span tents from Starr Tent will frame the outdoors perfectly. 

Clear span tents, courtesy of Starr Tents

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Vintage Botanical Dinner Party

photos courtesy of Meghan Sadler

Are you planning your next dinner party and have no clue what theme to choose?  Check out this beautiful yet low-key theme for a backyard party. The design team of Yeti & the Beast chose vintage and botanicals as its running motif.  They brought in honeysuckle vine from the backyard for the table centerpiece and berries and flowers for spots of color. 

photos courtesy of Meghan Sadler

The designers were inspired by vintage prints of florals and insects and used those images for the invitations and table decor.  They transformed simple wood planks to serving trays, tying together their simple rustic feel.  

photos courtesy of Meghan Sadler

photos courtesy of Meghan Sadler

photos courtesy of Meghan Sadler

photos courtesy of Meghan Sadler

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

Wedding Inspiration: Reception Dinnerware

I think details like tabletop decor and place settings make all the difference in a well-planned wedding. When guests sit down to their table at a reception venue, they'd better go "Oooh" and "Wow" or else you're not doing your job as a wedding planner! We tell our wedding planning students to pull out all the stops with creativity on the job, and in many cases, that involves encouraging your clients to put on their DIY hats and contribute something to the special look of their own wedding. Look at the setting above, for instance. The vintage dinner plate is paired with a salad plate that boasts gold-enscribed hearts and a "Just Married" message, with gold utensils completing the coordinated look.

I've chosen a few noteworthy dinnerware choices, and all you have to do is click on each photo to see more about the real-life weddings they came from.

Click to read more ...

Wedding Cakes with a Twist

 

Need some inspiration for your wedding cake? Take a look at these unusual designs.  Above we have a beautiful ombre effect with the layered ribbon frosting instead of the usual flowers and leaves. A pair of love birds to symbolize the bride and groom is the crowning touch for a very different look.

For a rustic touch, we have a wedding cake decorated with fruits and herbs from the garden. This wedding boasted a farm to table theme, a truly bountiful feast from nature.

And for the truly different, a cheese cake for cheese lovers! Yup, that wedding cake is make of wheels of cheese from cheddar to stilton to cornish yarg (that's cow milk cheese from Cornwall to you!).  Got cracker?

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.