Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Dalicious - Challenge 1

Dear Readers,

The theme for the first challenge of the Dalicious Photo Contest was MAGIC!  It took me a few days to figure out what I wanted to do and then I had to wait until I got the time to set up a photoshoot.

As you know from my last blog entries, I was stressed out because of my mom's death anniversary and my son's birthday so I didn't work on the photoshoot until Sunday which was the last day to submit the picture!

The most difficult task was to occupy baby so I could work in peace.  It was not easy.   My daughter is very attached to me because I work all day long so when I come home (or during weekends), she sticks to me like a magnet on a fridge!

So whether I try to cook or do the laundry, or read with my boy, she will want to be with me.  My husband tricks her away by taking her out on her tricycle or letting her watch Peppa Pig.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and she would sit there and cry until I pick her up. 

Well last Sunday was one of those days when it would not work.  She kept running back to me while I was setting up the background for my photo and it was really difficult to focus amidst her screams and tears but I had to do it or I would be eliminated from the contest.

My home situation surely matched my scene because Scout (DAL Tweety) was dressed as Cinderella crying on her Fairy Godmother's knees.  The Fairy holds a magic wand and is about to transform one of the little mice who are hiding behind a pumpkin.  Do you recognize the mice?  They are the Sylvanian Families Norwood Mice children :)

The pumpkins are real by the way.   I bought them at the grocery store so we can use them as home decorations and for carving Halloween pumpkins later.  The broom is a Madeline toy from Eden.

The wand was made with a Q-Tip covered with glitter.  I had glued the glitter a day in advance so it would have time to dry but tons of glitter kept coming off during the photo shoot anyway.  It landed everywhere: hair, dress, grass.  I constantly had to blow them away or pick them out of the picture scene.

The two dresses actually belong to a Snow White Disney doll.  I had the Cinderella dresses as well but they looked way too big on my DAL doll.  The Snow White's poor dress was however smaller and simple enough to look like a common rag dress.  The Fairy Godmother is wearing a Snow White Winter Gown.

I took about 20 pictures with my camera and they turned out all blurry >.<  I then took 10 pictures with my Samsung Cell Phone and I ended up using one of those photos.  I don't have Photoshop so I could not edit or change anything to my picture.  I wished I could have photoshopped some tears on her cheeks.  But to be honest, I was already so relieved at least ONE photo came out clear enough!!! 

I then had a mild panic moment when I realized my photo was not the proper size requested for the contest.  Good thing that Chloe from Moonrabbit_Ly's Miniature World had told me about iPiccy a few days ago.  I used that program to resize my photo to the correct dimensions!  Thanks Chloe!!!

The next day the contestant's photos are posted on the Dolly Market Forum.  You can view them on the discussion thread of the forum.

I must say I was floored to see the quality and creativity shown in those photos!  I knew I was nowhere near as good.  I really have to work harder on my setup and my photography skills!  But it was a fantastic experience and I am really looking forward to the next challenge.  I certainly "played" with my dolls more than I did on a regular basis and I had to think about using objects I have at home as props in my scene.  I didn't want to go buy extra material (there was no time for that either) so it was great to look into my existing stack of toys!     

I heard some websites can help photoshop but I really don't have much free time to explore!  I will try my best with unedited photos at first and then look into photoshopping if I have time left!  Wish me luck!






30 comments:

  1. I think your photo is terrific! So cute.

    I don't have Photoshop, either. I use Picmonkey, though, which I really like.

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    1. I just heard about it a few days ago! I will take a look! Thanks Danzel!

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  2. Aw, the Norwoods! :D I like your picture very much! It's a beautiful setting and it also fits perfectly to the season/or coming season :). I don't have Photoshop either. I would love to have it, but, like you, I don't have time for it.

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    1. It's a struggle already to have anything accomplished for the scene setup! I don't think I could actually do any photoshop!

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  3. This is so adorable, Jane Cherie! I love everything about it! You used your awesome creativity and made something wonderful! Give yourself a pat on the back for creating something so beautiful even with a lot of challenges, such as the baby, a full-time job, etc. It's really stunning, and I look forward to seeing your next one! xo Jennifer

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    1. Thank you Jennifer! I hope the next photo will be ok :D

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  4. Hello from Spain: this scene is fabulous. Great picture. I like pumpkins much. Lovely pups. Great job. Keep in touch

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  5. This picture is lovely and creative, I like the accessories you used, the bright colors and the cute mice :-).

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  6. The whole idea of Photo Challenges is to challenge and you have certainly taken this one by the horns! I love that you created this scene using things you had on hand rather than "photo shopping", it shows great ingenuity. WELL DONE!! :)
    Hugs,
    X

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    1. Thank you for your encouragements! I did not want to buy any new items just for a photo either! That's the hardest part because I have a lot of ideas but not the props to make it happen!

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  7. Lovely photo! I love the little Norwood Mice in the background! XD My family just purchased a bunch of little pumpkins as well, it's so fun to decorate for fall! I don't have Photoshop either, I use the app Superimpose instead and edit photos on my iPad. It works well for what I need it for. :)

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    1. Thank you Paige! I thought of the Norwood Mice right away when the idea of Cinderella popped up! I will look into the app you just mentioned! Thanks for the tip!

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  8. Your photo is wonderful. You are full of creativity.

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  9. The photo is adorable, Jane. It's a very creative scene and I love the pumpkins and mice. Congratulations on a job well done (especially with all you had going on that day). You should be very proud of yourself. :-)
    Hugs,
    Lisa

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    1. Thank you Lisa! I am more relieved than proud! LOL I was so afraid to be out of the competition on the very first round!

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  10. Brie Maces's heart skipped a beat when she saw those poor mice whimpering behind a pumpkin - I hope they escape! Great photo, I love that idea, and I'm so glad you are onto the next round :)
    Just to let you know, I sent your parcel about four days ago, has it reached you yet? I'm so sorry it's so late coming :0

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    1. LOL poor Brie! I didn't tell her about the skit. I am sure the kids had fun running behind the pumpkin. I did not receive your parcel yet! It usually does take a while to reach me from Europe. I will let you know as soon as I receive it though! Thanks for letting me know.

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    2. :D I'm sure they did, it looked fun ;D Ok, I will try not to worry! Great :)

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  11. I LOVE the photo! It's a great scene!! With the cute mice and the real pumpkins! Really something to be proud of!
    I worked a little with photoshop in school, but it's really expensive, so I never had it at home. But I use a simple editor, paint.net I like it, I can add my name to all photos and I could edit, but I'm so bad at it, so I have no clue how too, but my husband shows me sometimes =)
    My daughter can be like that too, she is use to be with me all day and if I want to do something on my own, she is like a magnet... But I work on my minis while she is asleep.. or try to involve her, giving her something to hold or look at =)
    Are there more parts of the competition? Looking forward to see more pictures from you =)
    Hannah

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    1. Good strategy Hannah! But I am so exhausted by the time my daughter sleeps that I go to bed too. I wake up around 3am to feed her again and then I wake up at 6am to go to work. I really wished I could sleep longer!

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  12. A fantastic scene! Its hard to be a busy mom and have time for yourself but you completed the shot and it looks wonderful!

    Hugs~J

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    1. Thank you Jane! I am wondering how I will make the next scene happen! I think I will ask my husband to take her out to see the ducks and then start setting up the scene!

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  13. Ta photo est superbe, surtout qu'elle n'est pas retouchée! En plus tu as beaucoup de mérite de faire tout ça avec un bébé qui te réclame sans cesse... je t'admire!
    Je pense qu'au delà du concours, le vrai plaisir est de pouvoir jouer avec ta poupée... je suis certaine que cela va t'apporter beaucoup de bonheur! ;)
    Bonne chance pour les futures photos ! :)
    bisous

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    1. Merci ma belle! C'est vrai que j'ai aimé la chance de jouer avec ma poupée!!! D'habitude c'est rare mais j'en profite pour ce concours!

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  14. Great photo! You are too humble Jane. I am glad you think iPiccy is helpful.

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  15. Ohhh this photo is really magic, I cross my fingers ^^
    And your Dal is really pretty ^^
    Hugs from France!

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    1. Thank you so much! I hope I will do well for the upcoming challenges as well! 4 more to go!

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