Making a pinterest camera light box... the sarcasm way.

I aspire to take good pictures. So while I read through pages of technical jargon describing how my camera works (psh! 'Aperture' 'ISO number' 'focus', Made up terms all of them!) I decided to make something that I saw on pinterest.

I didn't actually pin it, and I'm not about to go digging through hundreds of pins just to find it again. The credit for the idea goes to some talented, creative, frugal person who takes good pictures and sets them up on THEIR blog. Argh! Crafty amazing people who are peppy, light-hearted, perfect and amazing. Anyway, the idea is simple enough, take a box, tissue paper, poster board and tape and make a light box.

I spent a total of $2.10 on tissue paper and poster paper. I didn't want to look for white tissue paper in the house and I got fancy and sprung for white AND black poster board, still pretty cheap. I had scissors, tape and a box. If you wanted to get those at the dollar store too, the total would only end up being $5.25. (Geez, it's getting at that weird time of day where my eyes can't focus right and the word 'dollar' looks really strange. I checked it on google; it is suppose to be spelled that way but wow.... weird looking word.)

Here my version of the cheapo light box!
Important Note: Ignore all statements regarding good lighting and do project in the middle of the night. 

1. Find box (The tutorial had said something about a square box, but eh...)
2. Rip off the flaps on top. Or assiduously cut them off. Your call.
3. Cut windows into 3 sides. (You can be an overachiever with a non-square box and cut ALL the sides.)
4. Mentally/ Actually curse when you cut through side supports. NOTE: This step can be omitted depending on your box-cutting skills.
5. Tape up cut sides and pretend you don't care. NOTE: This step can be omitted if you skipped step 4.
6. Measure and cut/rip tissue paper to fill in windows.
7. Remember that you are an aspiring photographer and grab your camera before continuing to step 8.
8. Measure and cut/rip tissue paper to fit remaining sides. Remember to look thrilled when significant other/dog/cat/etc takes picture of you doing project.

   

   See? Looking thrilled.

9. Tape in sides. And because you don't have 4 hands and significant other/dog/cat/ etc left, you can't take a picture of that.
10. Cut poster board to size. You don't want to mold it to the shape of the box. It has to fit on the top corner and curve toward the base all fancy like. Forget to take picture.
11. Cram in poster board. Also forget to take picture.
12. Wonder why you are even trying to take pictures.
13. Admire finished project.
14. Take picture of something in finished object. Quick! Find random thing on the table.

Success! You now FEEL one step closer to being a good photographer. It doesn't make you one; by no means, but it's important to feel like you've accomplished SOMETHING. 

How arbitary, to measure our lives by a calendar that means nothing...

If my readership of one is DYING to know, I've been busy these last couple of weeks. Yes, I was hit with the sudden and inevitable "Knit/ Crochet All the Things" before Christmas, but thankfully I was able to read the Yarn Harlot and realize that it's okay to feel this way and if I don't want to have a mental breakdown, I shouldn't push myself too much. I still have two Christmas gifts to complete. Since one of them is for Alpha and I will steal it, I don't feel too badly.

Alpha was really sweet this year. Since we are the unemployed, he spent very little, but he intends on making me a swift. He was so cute about it really. A couple weeks before Christmas he told me that he had an idea for a gift, but since he was completely illiterate in the ways of yarn and notions, he didn't know if it would be useful, so he had to tell me. I agreed that a swift and ball-winder would be nice and then he set about looking online for homemade techniques. It's almost done. I think he is holding the finishing off until I finally look over his grad school essay.

Alpha also bought a large wooden salad bowl and cut a curve in the side for a yarn bowl. It's very pretty and one day, when I am not so lax about taking pictures, I'll show it to you all.

I've been looking on Pinterest at geeky sayings, fuzzy animals and crafts. It's my internet crack. I surf this website for hours and pretend that I don't have job applications to fill out and a dungeon to clean. I can successfully put off being an adult until the next day, when I do it all over again.