Pin it to Win it: Giveaway time!!

I am starting a contest today where you have the chance to win a $25 gift certificate good towards spoon pendants in my shop.  

To enter the contest, all you have to do is create an imaginative Pinterest board using any product image from found on my web site, www.sunshynesilverwear.com Then post a link to your boards either here on my blog, or on my Facebook Fanpage. 


How the grouping is done is completely up to you. You could pin by color, or maybe based on the image and art inside the spoon, or even a board comprised of the perfect outfit for a picnic in the park. The possibilities are endless!  The best part is, you can make as many boards as you want to for more chances to win! So get pinning, and above all, have FUN! 


The winner of the contest will not only be judged on creativity and quality of the boards, but also on how many 'likes' and 'repins' your board has total. So dont forget to share, share share your boards with as many as you can. 

Not familiar with Pinterest? Pinterest is a virtual pinboard filled with interesting and beautiful images found all over the web. To read a little more about Pinterest's possibilities, read their 'about' page here.
As of right now, Pinterest access is by invitation only. If you do not currently have a Pinterest account, e-mail me at sunshyne_silverwear@hotmail.com and I will send you an invite.  

I also made a special coupon code for the run of this contest. If you would like to purchase a pendant, use coupon code 'BLOG' and get 20% off of your order! 

Details: Offer is valid for residents of the United States and Canada only. Contest starts 1/20/2012 and ends 2/02/2012 at midnight EST. The winner will be announced on 2/03/2012 on this blog and also on Sunshyne Silverwear's facebook fanpage. The winner will have until 12/31/2012 to redeem their prize. Gift certificate issued will be in the form of a coupon code that should be entered in at check-out and can only be used in one transaction. (example: if your total comes to $23, the remaining $2 cannot be used on a future purchase, the $2 will be forfeited) The gift certificate will be good for anything in my shop EXCEPT for custom made and made to order items.

Stay tuned for a chance to win a spoon pendant of your choice!

How to make a functional light box, on the cheap

If asked a word to describe me, I'm pretty sure my friends and family would include the word 'cheap'  (I prefer frugal, but whatever) and for this little project, I outdid myself.  I actually saved a minimum of $50, because this project cost me $0!! (thats right, not one red cent. I happen to have all the materials needed around the house, and I bet you do to)

Materials:
*Cardboard box
*White fabric
*Tape (I used a roll of electrical tape I had laying around, although I wouldn't recommend using it for your project. It doesn't like to stick to fabric very well)
*Scissors
*Clamp on light
* A bright white daylight bulb
*White paint and paintbrush
*White piece of paper/poster board

I happen to have this box still laying around from Christmas so I put it to good use.
First, I cut out the top and two sides, leaving about an inch border around each cut-out. (in the future, I would probably leave 2 inches around each cut-out, It would've made taping the cloth easier)DO NOT CUT the bottom or back of the box.
*save the cutouts! You will need them later...

This is what mine looks like from the top.
Next, you will want to paint the inside edges white.

Then find an old white shirt...here's one!

(yes, that is my explosion of a closet, even though my boyfriend would be mortified I showed you, lets take another look...)

Just for the record, I'm usually the chick who has a place for everything and everything in its place, but hey, something's gotta give...YIKES!  ;)

Ok, so I cut the shirt up the side and through the middle of the armpit. Then used the cut-outs I saved as a template on how big to cut my rectangles. NOTE: I cut the rectangles about an inch larger than the template on all 4 sides. (I did all of the cutting by eye, who has time for precise measurements anyway?)

(Side note: after I made the first cut into the cloth, I almost had a panic attack because I thought it was my boyfriend's shirt. A quick look at the tag, size small, confirmed that it was just a shirt I have no recollection of ever wearing. Whew!)
Anywho, back to the project...

Next, I taped the cloth pieces to the outside of the box, making sure that it was taught.

This is what the inside of your light box should look like at this point, well, hopefully a little nicer than mine.

Next, take your poster board and cut it lengthwise to size of you box. Place it inside the box, making sure it curves down to the bottom. If you crease or bend the paper in anyway, it will show up in your photos. 
 
 Clamp the light so that it is pointing down over the top of the box and you are ready to shoot! I clamped mine to a curtain rod which happens to be at the perfect height for my box. 
Here are some examples of pictures I took with my new light box.  I used absolutely NO Photoshop or enhancing in any way. 

Or how about this fun 'before and after'

Yum!!
Now for some real product shots...

Find pendants like this in my online shop