Apps that can make taking pictures even more fun

I love pictures and sometimes I get really bad ones.   My sister says it's better to have a bad picture of an important event than no picture at all.   However with some apps, you can take a really good picture and make it better or a really bad picture and make it usable.    There are way over three quarters of a millions apps out there and finding ones you might like can be tough.

Last week when my friend Barb was down to Key West, we went to the Butterfly Gardens.   They have two flamingos that were performing nicely for tourists.   Here is the original picture I took on my iPhone.

Fairly nice picture and could be used as is.   However, let me give you some other choices. 

This is a watercolor done with an app called WATERLOGUE.   There are lots and lots of choices with this app and the following is just one of them.  

 This postcard was done with an app called  MOTIVATIONAL.    It would be nice to announce an opening or a birthday or some other event.  

 

 

 This one was done with an app called SKETCH.    This makes a bad picture usable and is a lot of fun to see the results you get.

 

This was created on an app called SNAPSEED.   This is the HD portion of that.   Again lots of possibilities with this app. 

The following is one that is called WORD FOTO.   You can type any message in the app: "Best Friends Forever" used here. 

 

The following was done on PENCIL CAMERA HD,  This picture has a wood floor background.  You can do watercolors, pencil sketches, black and white and many other applications. 

 

This one was done on COLORBLAST HD.   You can see the flamingos were highlighted as well as a couple leaves at the bottom.   They others are gray.   Works great if you want to highlight your child in a picture with all his teammates etc.    Lots of applications here as well. 

 

The following two pictures were done on INSTAFRAME.   You can pick how many pictures on a page and size; background color; and frame.   

 

 

The folowing has 3 petal shapes with pictures show above added to each petal.  Gray blue background.

 Same pictures in 3 rectangles with dirty brown background.    You can add text to any of these frame methods.

 

Almost all of these apps are available for free or up to 99 cents.   They are basic apps.   If you like them you can pay for the extended app and they are generally less than $5.    Lots of possibilities and lots of ways to make a ho-hum picture usable and in some case spectacular.   Some work on iPhones only and on iPads only, but most work on both.   

Enjoy.  

FInally a container for my little house

You've seen this house on several posts in the past.   It was a cheap little house.   I thought I had it finished but it wasn't accessorized.  One pictures, light fixtures, lamps etc added; it finally look like a home.   It never really fit anywhere.   Well, I like bargains and found this great little lantern container.   I didn't need a lantern container but thought it would be a perfect home for this little house. 

 

 

I was really pleased with how it turned out, but didn't have a good place to show it off. 

 

  

  

 

 

I cut some foam core and landscaped it with cacti and shrubs.  Stone path and smaller stone growing area for the cacti.

 

Here is the little house in the container.   

Good way to display house without worrying about dust collection.   

 

When you see containers, take a look at it for possible use with your minis.  

Cupcake Bakery Shop Quarter Scale

Some projects seem so exciting and then they linger and linger and l-i-n-g-e-r.    My cupcake shop was one of those.    I purchased this container about 2 years ago with my friend Barb K.   She bought one too and guess what - hers had a case of the lingers too.   She recently took the KW Express from Ft. Myers to Key west and we had a day and half to talk, play tourist and work on minis.   She brought her cupcake too and great progress was made by both of us.   It goes to show that one doesn't finish anything without STARTING something.

After talking and discussing how we would do a wall and an opening we got windows cut in the container.

This is the container.   Such a sweet cupcake.  You wouldn't think I would let it lay around the house for 2 years. 

Here is the inside after wallpaper and flooring.   A test layout of furniture.   I added a little flat wall in   the back so it would hang things easily.

Okay - it needed to be lighted. Makes everything look so much better.   Here is a test run.   Wasn't spectacular way to light but confirmed it would be lighted. 

See the little light - its mounted in a clear piece of Plexiglas.   Easy to cut and easy to put a hole in it.   Mounts the light just where I wanted it. 

Another view of the light.

Furnishings.   Two pastry display cases - a long counter, two tables 6 chairs, a rug and 4 pictures for the walls.  Long counter is highlighted with pink paper trim. 

Everything in place.   It has Plexiglas over the hole to keep dust out. 

Here is the almost  final view. 

Final view. 

Quarter Scale Antique Shop Cottage

Well, if you have been following this blog for awhile you know I love junk shops, yard sale, etc.   I also love antique shops.   My mom sold antiques for years and I'm always find them enchanting and almost always a trap to get my money.   In January at the Sarasota Miniature show I purchased a little antique cottage.  Now I know I didn't need another kit - but life if not aways about what you need.

The kit is a Jill Castoral Kit.   I've done several markets stands in various scales along with a toy shop.   Love her work.  

Signs, Signs and more Signs

Recently I attended a miniature show and workshops in Orlando.  One of the course I was going to take was Connie Reagan's sign class.    We had exchanged several emails and I told her a sign or two I would be interested in.   To make a long story short, she was unable to come to Florida due to health issues.   She gave me several choices including her sending me completed signs.   Well, I'm kinda a do-it-yourself girl so she sent me the signs along with another project that I ordered from her.   This week I decided I would just do the signs.   Stay tuned for the other project. 

I hope you enjoy these signs.

 

The Rusty Anchor is one of my favorite restaurants in Key West.   When I was talking to Connie about these signs I told her one that had that name on it would be fun.   It was.  

This works into a 3 shop corner scene that I am going to do. 

 

Don't know what I am going to do with this one exactly but I bet I figure out something.  

I ended up doing 8 signs and I love them all.

 

The Beacon is also a sign I requested -  I told her a lighthouse would be nice.   I love it.  

 

Connie is teaching at the Lakeland Miniature Guild Show in June and she can be contacted at grandgirlminis@gmail.com