experimenting with macro (I)

Hi!
It's been while now that I'm thinking about taking macro pictures, for some time I've wanted to buy a 50 mm lens, my photography teacher told me not to buy a cheap one, better to invest in a good one....
as I haven't got £300 to spend on a good lens at the moment, I decided to investigate around the internet to find other more affordable alternatives, I came across some very interesting articles, on how to take the lens off the camera and turn it around to make the picture.. the examples I saw looked amazing,
..so today, I decided that I had to do it, after work I came home to give it a try,
 I thought it would be a good idea to start with fruit, so I gathered some of the fruit we had in the fruit bowl and got started! :)
after a few photos, couldn't find anything really exciting about a plum and the banana :(
I have to say I've really enjoyed taking this pictures, and definitely will be doing this many more times in the near future...maybe next time with ...flowers? :)
I also took some pictures of my earrings (glass) and a coral bead bracelet I bought last year in Venice
I know the light is not correct, some of the pictures are underexposed or overexposed, grainy & shaky
 I'm still working trying to figure out how the ISO really works ..
 there are lots of things to take into consideration, plus, the lens of the camera is not attached to the main body, and my thumb was in lots of pain at the end of the evening, anyway...well happy with the result!

night night x

I like summer

Hi!
Summer in London is the best,
the weather this year is great, we've had a few grey and rainy ones, but also very hot and sunny days,
I live in an old house, in a quiet neighborhood, and we've got a garden, a lovely garden...
when the weather is this good, we make full use of it, and try to spend as much time as possible outdoors,
we like having dinner parties in the garden,to invite friends over for barbecues or just for a tea and a chat...
I really enjoy making flower arrangements and having fresh flower bouquets in the house, so this year I started planting some flowers, I think I planted the seeds a bit too late, as much of them still haven't come out, and the ones that have, they are haven't got any flowers yet...oh well...still a bit more of summer left, hopefully they will blossom soon!

love the fairy lights! my friends laugh at me because I always want to take millions of pictures!

night night x

how to sew very simple leggings

Hi!

When I got offered my current job, as a treat I bought myself a sewing machine, I didn't invest a lot, it was the cheapest I could find...and it's doing its job,
and last time I went to Spain I brought with me my overloker sewing machine ...happy days!

This bank holiday I decided it was about time to make use of both machines, and got out some elastic fabric I bought a few years ago...
the pattern I used was a pattern I copied from an old pair of leggings from my niece, added some length as she has grown quite a lot in the past few months!

to cut the pieces, place the fabric double, right sides facing each other, pin the paper pattern to the fabric and cut. seam allowance was already added to the pattern (1cm)

take the paper pattern off the fabric, and as it is, sew the front and back seams, as per below picture:

after sewing the front & back, its time to sew the legs

hems and waist band will sew much better if the garment is ironed first

 to sew the hems and waist I used the double needle, it was my first time using this needle and loved it, very easy to use, and  so quick, although it turned out a bit wonky, but was okay, totally recommend it!

leggings done! only elastic needs to be added on the waist at this point! I am well pleased with the result!

night night x

Pretty Flowers

Hi!

I bought a reflex camera in August last year, after all these months fiddling with it, still don't know how to use it properly, how to set up the light, iso, speed, shutters... there are so many things to take into consideration!

 that's why after a lot of thinking and searching on the internet, I enrolled on a photography course for beginners (had my first class on Monday) so hopefully by the end of June (that's when the course ends) I will be able to make full use of it...

my parents live in Spain  and every time I go to visit them, I cannot help taking loads of pictures of everything out there.. family & friends, dogs, cats, chickens.....even Fortunata the donkey gets a couple of photos taken every now and then... 

my favorite pictures are from the flowers my mum grows in the garden,  they're so colorful and pretty!! :)

night night x