Photography | Lil Blue Boo

Pretty Party Table Decor

May 18, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 5 Comments

Today I went to a surprise luncheon/party for my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday. My sister-in-law Jen (“TT”) planned the entire event so I showed up early to take some photos because I knew the table would be amazing. Her tables are always amazing!

I loved the coral, gold and chevron accents. The party favors were little inspiration rocks and the card read: Thanks for being my mother’s rock.

My sister-in-law Carolyn, me, mother-in-law Gale and sister-in-law “TT”:

I love that TT’s dress even matched the party decor….adorable as always:

Here’s another beautiful table she did:

Filed Under: Party, Photography, Uncategorized

Twin Lens Reflex

May 3, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 4 Comments

Totally fascinated by this story of Vivian Maier:

See more at Vivian Maier Photography.

Anytime I see old photos in an antique store I can’t resist them. And I wonder about who was behind the camera……

I recently borrowed this old TLR Pho-Tak from Lisa and brought it out to show Boo how Vivian Maier would have taken her photos. The TLR camera is held at about waist height and you can see the image through the hood on the top. It’s only in focus if you look at it from that distance:

I cut a piece of cardboard tube to attach to the end of my DSLR camera so Boo could capture what she was seeing through the TLR lens:

We could only take a few before we lost the sunlight:

“Mommy taking a picture of me taking a picture of her”

I love the grainy, flawed photos that result from looking through the old, scratched lens.

I’ve got to make the tube to the camera light proof…..and then we can play around with it more.

Filed Under: Photography, Photos, Pinhole and Holga Photography, Things I've Made, Uncategorized

How to Import VHS Tapes into iMovie

April 25, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 4 Comments

I’ve been helping my friend Daren transfer some of his old acting demo clips from VHS to digital format. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to create a step-by-step tutorial for transferring VHS to iMovie because I know you’ve been asking for a while now.

First of all…..how cute is Daren?! I loved watching all of these episodes….brought back so many memories: Wonder Years, Hunter, My Sister Sam, Growing Pains. You can click the image below and see the clips on IMDB:

I’m still trying to talk Daren into letting me run his fan club.

Ok, on to the step-by-step:

First of all, it’s pretty easy to import a VHS tape into iMovie for editing….but it involves a few steps because the VHS has to be converted into a digital format first. I do this using my Sony Digital 8 Handycam. I record the VHS tape onto the Handycam and then import recorded footage into iMovie. I’ve got two tips to getting this done:

Ok now to get started! To convert VHS to digital format using a handycam you’ll need the following which you can probably find from a neighbor or friend:

Digital 8 Handycam (DVC)
Audio Video TV Out AV Cable
Any VCR
Fire Wire Cable
Fire Wire Cable Adapters (if needed)

The first step is connecting the Handycam to a VCR. This is done with a simple Audio Video TV Out AV Cable….you probably already have one sitting around somewhere. It has the 3 colored plugs on one side and an earphone like plug on the other side.

Here’s a closeup of where to plug each side of the AV cable into:

Next, insert a blank tape into the Handycam (DVC)….or one that you don’t mind recording over. Turn the DVC on to VCR mode:

Filed Under: Organization, Photography, Photos, Preserving Family Memories, Tutorial, videos Tagged With: organization, photo, tutorial, video, videos

Lil Blue Box for the Photographer Mom

April 17, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 1 Comment

The Lil Blue Boxes are filled with my favorite things!

I’ve assembled this set especially for the photographer mom…..ships in time for Mother’s Day!

The box includes these Hand Printed Vintage Camera Appliques that are ready to iron on. I’ve illustrated each one with love.

Just trim, iron and attach to a t-shirt, tote bag, etc. No sewing required unless the item is going to be washed.

Filed Under: Gifts, Lil Blue Box, Photography

10 Awesome Photography Tricks

April 3, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 12 Comments

10 Awesome Photography Tricks via lilblueboo.com

Want to try something new with your dslr? Here are 10 awesome photography tricks!

► Next

Water bokeh tutorial at The First Lime.

► Next

Filed Under: Photography, Roundup Tagged With: photo tips, Photography, roundup

How to Make Photo Pillows

February 25, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 4 Comments

These might look familiar. I’ve made them before….but I made a few more. I love making photos into pillows, sachets, paperweights….they make perfect gifts….and I even use them as pattern weights. CONTINUE READING

Filed Under: Gifts, Instagram, Photography, Photos, Things I've Made, Toys and Accessories, Transfers, Tutorial, Uncategorized Tagged With: DIY, gifts, instagram, photos, tutorial

A Beauty Salon Glam Birthday Party with Mini Doll Salon

February 13, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 25 Comments

I can’t believe Boo is six years old!!! First off, I want to put a disclaimer on this post to admit that this party is just a little over the top. I’m not really a party planner…..I don’t entertain a lot…..so Boo’s yearly birthday party is something I really love putting energy into. Boo knows that while the party is centered around her…..it’s also about bringing our friends together, entertaining them and sending them home with some fun handmade swag. She also knows that I reserve the right at any time to decide not to throw a party, serve $5 pizza and stick a candle in it! I love coming up with cute ideas and sharing them with you…..and there are many ways to make a wonderful fun party with only a few elements from this post!

Boo wanted an American Girl themed party (shocker) so we talked about doing something interactive with lots of activities that her friends of all ages would enjoy and came up with the Beauty Salon theme….complete with American Girl-sized doll salon. I always borrow, recycle and improvise for parties and all of that will come in the “behind the scenes” post to follow this one. I will say one thing about this party…..the doll salon was a TOTAL hit. I was actually surprised…..but the girls had so much fun putting capes on their dolls and primping and fixing their hair. It was totally adorable and definitely something I’ll put together more often for playdates!

So here we go! I had a vision of what I wanted in my head for the graphics and Stephanie Corfee brought it all to life with her graphic design! It turned out so amazingly cute that I convinced her to offer it to everyone as a printable in the shop complete with extra graphics to make it fully “do-it-yourself” customizable.

Just a note: we called it a “DOLL” salon party…..and invited Boo’s friends to bring any favorite doll for the salon…..because not everyone has an American Girl (Boo’s only had one for 2 months). A few friends brought extra American Girl dolls too for those girls that didn’t have one.

Oh my….the day before the party the wind in the desert was over 30 miles an hour! I couldn’t set anything up until the morning of the party!

Filed Under: American Girl, Birthday, Children's Clothes, Contributing Authors, Digital Graphic Projects, doll clothes, Gifts, Graphics, Holidays, Kids Projects, Lil Blue Boo Digital, Party, Party Printables, photo props, Photography, Photos, Printables, Stephanie Corfee, Stephanie Corfee, Things I've Made, Tutorial, Uncategorized Tagged With: american girl, birthday party, party, party printables, salon party

I Love You to the Moon and Back

February 12, 2013 By Lisa 2 Comments

New I Love You to the Moon and Back dress with coordinating leggings now available! Beautiful artwork by Little Light Prints and photography by Tickled Pink Photo.

I Love You to the Moon and Back dress with Easter Bunny Applique via lilblueboo.com

Handmade I Love You to the Moon and Back dress with Easter Bunny Applique via lilblueboo.com

Filed Under: Easter, Easter, Holidays, LBB Clothing, Photography Tagged With: bunnies, clothing, Easter

How to Make Simple DVD Labels and Case Covers (with free templates)

February 4, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 3 Comments

A follow up to my last home movie post….this is how I label all my home movie DVDs. I print them all in black and white so that they all look the same and use the same template over and over:

Every disk is labeled and not at risk of being thrown away or misplaced:

I attached my templates at the bottom of the post so you can download them. Here’s the steps I go through when making my labels and covers plus a few extra tips and ideas:

Filed Under: Getting Organized, Gifts, Holidays, Photography, Preserving Family Memories, Recycled, Tech Tips, Things I've Made, Tutorial

#choosejoy

February 1, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw Leave a Comment

photo of you choosing joy #choose joy via lilblueboo.com

Want to share your Instagram photos with me? Use the hashtag #choosejoy and tag @lilblueboo. You might see them featured on Lil Blue Boo! Learn more here.

Remember to share the link to your photo on Twitter if your Instagram account is private….otherwise I can’t view it!

Want to add effects to your photos? Read the post on Instagram and Smartphone photo effects!

Click here to view all #choosejoy roundups……you might even see a few celebrities!