Photography! (For ultra-beginners)

Disclaimer: I am by no means a professional photographer. At all. These are just some sources I found that have really helped me.
On cell phone photography (and a bit on DSLR): linkbun.ch/immh. Before you get a DSLR, you should learn about macros, depth of field, ISO, et cetera. A great place to do that is camerasim.com:

Sorry it goes off the area for posting, you'll have to forgive me.
On your rights as a photographer: http://linkbun.ch/iron
Great overall sites:

• From my favorite blog: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/photography-tips-and-inspiration.html
• http://digital-photography-school.com/

A few tips:

• Be like me and once you find out about something (like depth of field) that you didn't know about before, search it up! Your current sucky camera or even your phone may have that function. (Especially if its an iPhone which I am in LOVE with. Sigh)
• Before I looked up cell phone photography tips, I didn't even know about the rule of thirds, aperture, ISO, or things like that. If I got a DSLR, like I wanted to, I probably would have been stuck in auto just like with my current point and shoot. 
• Look up different camera types. Not all DSLRs are professional cameras. You might not even need a DSLR, maybe you just need a compact/bridge camera (more megapixels and optical zoom than a point and shoot, no interchangeable lenses and easier to use than a DSLR) or just a point and shoot. Consider your needs and what you'll use the camera for.
• When you decide what camera to use, try snapsort.com
• Get some sort of account on which you can share your photos (Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, et c.)
• Lastly, and the most cliche, have buttloads of fun exploring! xoxo. Ife

My Baking Fail

A couple of months back, I decided to move the baking soda to an airtight containersimilar to the one the flourwas in. Today I decided to bake this cake recipe, because it was simple and I hadn't baked anything in a while. The recipe called for flour and I grabbed one of those airtight containers. I added all the ingredients and poured the batter into the cupcake panI tasted a bit of the batter and it tasted kind of bitter. I assumed it was nothing and popped it in the oven. Twenty minutes later my pan and oven look like this:

Poop. I added baking soda, not flour to the batter. And I get to clean it up. This is such a fail. Sigh. On the bright side, now I have to clean the oven, a task I've been putting off forever! xoxo Ife

P.S. What baking fails have you had? Tell me via email or comment!

EDIT: Baking soda is a great cleaning agent, and now the stainless steel shows through my otherwise burnt(?) cupcake pan

My Fall Wishlist

Fall's soon a-coming and I want... things. Fashion and decor things. I probably don't need them and definitely can not afford them. But I decided to spend my time on a post and this little image below anyway. 

i want: 1|2|3|4|5

one: Jensen Wood Turntable. Is this amazing or what? It also has a stereo output jack and a radio (!) Can I get an amen?

two: Free People Patched Skinny Jeans. This is a much better distressed than what is currently in. The patches are perfectly thrifty chic and the fit of the skinny calf looks fabulous. I love these patched skinnies!

three: 130 Denier Houndstooth Tights. Wonderful, yes? Yes. These FAB-MAZING tights would totally quirk up that rain coat. And with a plain uniform skirt? Yes, please.

four: Dr. Martens 1460. Durable and classic. And they toughen up and girly outfit, such as a floral dress.

five: Via Spiga Double Breasted Patent Rain Slicker. Normally I hate the look of patent, but this slicker won me over. It drew me.. to.. the ... dark.. side! Haha just kidding, but I really am loving that patent. And the double breast. They create an extremely nice effect.

xoxo Ife

Sparing my Sperry's

      I got Sperry Topsiders last year. They are in terrible condition. Don't get me wrong, they are great and durable shoes, but I was extremely careless with them. I wore them to gym, left them untied, threw them around, et cetera. I really love how Sperrys look on me, but I didn't want to get new ones since I had some that fit me at home. Plus it's usually really hard for me to find shoes with size 11 (!) feet. The perks of being tall, huh? Anyway, like I said in my Pinterest post, I am feeling really DIY ready so I fixed up my Sperrys and saved about seventy bucks. Sorry I wasn't able to get any before pictures or very many during pictures :/ For a tutorial with pictures, go here: http://snapguide.com/guides/clean-your-sperry-top-siders/

Steps:

1. Remove the laces. It might help to have a lacing needle ahead of time.

2. Put the shoe in a bucket or sink full of water. (I did mine one at a time.) Add some soap and use a scrubber brush to scrub the shoe as much as possible.

3. Soak a cotton ball (or ear-cleaner-thing in my case) in nail polish remove and rub on any spots that didn't come out with soap and water. (This works really really well on the lighter parts of the leather)

4. If you can, remove the insoles from the shoes. (I didn't because the insoles on mine were sewn/glued down.)

5. Pop 'em in a pillow case and put the pillow case into the washing machine along with detergent and such. Make sure it is the cycle uses cool water to avoid shrinkage

6. Stuff your  shoes with plastic bags so they will keep their shape and allow them to dry. If you don't want them to shrink, keep them inside.

This is the finished, clean product:

I apologize for the sucky lighting and lack of shoelaces. Anyway, they look really good! Not brand new, but pretty close to it. I just need to buy the laces and lacing needle

xoxo Ife

I'm in love with..

Change.org . I know I say this alot, but I really mean it. Change.org allows you to sign petitions that, well, change the world(!) If you start a petition you have to get a certain amount of signers. Much like fundraising sites like Indiegogo and such, yes? I love Change.org's UI and design. Change.org is a really cool site and I just wanted to blog about it.

xoxo Ife

Stick to it.. and learn how to make white glue

I told y'all about my room make-over in this post. I haven't been able to find a cheap or free dresser so I've put that project on hold in favor of a project that will take less time: customizing my switch-plates and outlet covers! I liked the one with the pages of books and it looked relatively easy, so I said, "Why not?". I decided I would post a how to with how it worked out for me, so I went and gathered materials, only to find that I had no white glue. I was going to give up, but I decided I would find out how to make my own white glue. And I'll share how to do it with my lovely and faithful readers. So here's how:

1. Materials: coffee filter, baking soda, vinegar (I used apple cider), milk, measuring cup, tablespoon, and two bowls or cups
2. Measure out 1/4 cup of milk and pour it into a bowl
3. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the milk
4. Mix it until it starts to curdle (For about 1 minute)
5. Put a coffee filter into the second bowl and pour the curdled milk into it. What I think is vinegar will drain and you will be left with what it apparently "whey" after about an hour (it took 50 minutes for me)
6. Pick up the coffee filter, hold it in one hand while you attempt to rinse out the bowl you just used or get a new bowl and scoop the whey into it. Add a pinch of baking soda and stir it up. If you don't get desirable results check out this site for tips.

I hope you got great glue! Maybe use it to make a custom switch-plate. Does this Spark an Idea? (If you don't get this reference, open up any article on Ehow.)

Until next time, 
xoxo Ife

Tips for Productive Shopping

I went shopping on Saturday and got loads of cute stuff. A lot of times when I go shopping, I don't get very many things because I don't know what I need/want. I used the below book to decide some necessary clothes and made a list of things I wanted based on that.

My list included:

• Jeans (1-2)
• Graphic Tees (4)
• Belts (4)
• Casual Dresses (2-3)
• Skirts (4)
• Neutral Cardigans 
• (P)leather Jacket
• Shirts (5)
• Rain Boots
• Boots

I didn't get everything on my list, but it's alright. Here are some tips to make the most of your shopping trips:

1. Decide how many of each item you want
2. Define which items you want
3. Wear clothes that are easy to change into and out of
4. Start the day off with a hearty breakfast, especially if you will be walking around a large mall or store
5. Think of what you can wear a piece of clothing with
6. Search for inspiration on blogs and cool websites like this
7. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes

I'll post what I got later today.. Stay tuned 

Pinterest

I decided to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon. And guess what? I am loving it. I used to have all sorts of fanciful ideas for crafts but never really completed them. Now, with Pinterest it all feels so do-able.

I am going to give my room a make-over! I am starting with my dresser. I am going to buy a cheap plain dresser:

Like this 

And transform it with chalkboard paint that I might tint purple to match my room decor:

Add cool drawer pulls:

.. And yeah. That's all I've got so far. But I will definitely keep y'all up to date on my progress. If you are going to make-over your room, and need some dresser inspiration, check out this website: http://www.casasugar.com/How-Transform-Dresser-17903149

 

How to make an English Binder Cover

I'm sure you guys saw my previous post on my binder covers and were jealous, angry and confused. Don't worry; I am here to show you how you can get binder covers as awesome as mine.

Final Product

Materials Needed:

• Photoshop or Microsoft Word (Photoshop preferred. Remember that you can download a free 30 day trial.)
• Creativity
• Starting Picture

Directions:

1. Download your starting picture. I am using one from deviantart.com: http://ome-13.deviantart.com/art/English-Binder-179043247
2. Open the picture on Photoshop.
3. I will assume you are using my starting picture. So crop out the binder spine with the crop function (The fourth button.)
4. Right now the picture is pretty boring. It needs some color. What I did is highlight random words, but you can also add a border, underline, or whatever. Since we didn't take the time to type this ourselves, we'll have to add a shape, which will require finesse and precision. Haha just kidding, it's not that hard.

• Create a new rectangle shape. 
• Drag it over one of the words you want to highlight. 
• In the layers path on the right, bring down the opacity until it is to your liking. 
• Duplicate the layer and move it over whatever other words you want highlighted. 
• To change the size, transform the shape (Ctrl-T) and drag the corners to an appropriate size. The process is similar for an underline. (If you want to underline, do the same thing just create a line shape instead of a rectangle.
• Add your name, using the Arial Black font. If you want it to be similar to the text "English.", make it all lowercase and don't forget the period.
• Do the same thing in Word, but copy and paste instead of duplicating the layer and all that jazz.

   

Why I love Photoshop

Hello world! The school year is fast approaching, and I was looking for cool binder covers. Thanks to the vastness of the world wide web, I was able to find some great inspiration and key pieces for awesome binder covers for my core classes. I figured you guys might be looking for some binder covers as well, so I says to myself, I says, "I should post the binder covers that I made with the wonderful Photoshop CS6." So here they are, along with links to great websites. I will provide tutorials later.

Links:

http://www.deviantart.com/

http://www.dafont.com

http://www.rgbstock.com

http://www.patternoftheday.com
http://modernkindergarten.blogspot.com

http://www.sodahead.com

English

History

Math

Science

 Jealous? My binders are going to be really cool! These inserts were really easy to make though. As I said earlier, I will be providing tutorials in later posts. I hope you guys like them!