Taking Photos of the New Bathroom

<center></center>I think one of my favorite projects we finished recently was this little sink for the guest bathroom. I showed some progress shots <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2014/06/guest-bathroom-sink.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2014/05/bathroom-reno-progress-and-new-sputnik.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I am SO happy with how this one came together!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0091.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_0091.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />We've been enjoying the finished and installed sink for a couple weeks now, and I've been so excited to share. The hold up was I didn't have a lens that could capture the whole sink!<br /><br />Lately I've just been photographing projects with my old Canon Rebel XTi DSLR camera. I have a pretty standard EF 50mm f/1:1.8 II lens and a nicer mid-range zoom lens (EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM) that was a bit of a splurge last year. I've been planning to invest in a nicer camera body this year as well as a good wide angle lens.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0071.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_0071.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0070.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_0070.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Luckily <a href="http://bit.ly/1lWyUSV" target="_blank">Canon</a> reached out about to me about working with them on their new 'Bring It' campaign. They gifted me with a <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_rebel_t5i_18_55mm_is_stm_lens_kit" target="_blank">new EOS Rebel T5i</a> (which has great video capabilities - I was excited about that! Stay tuned for some fun DIY videos!) and their brand-spanking-new wide angle lens, the <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_s_10_18mm_f_4_5_5_6_is_stm" target="_blank">EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM</a>. I was SO excited to try out the new lens on our bathroom sink! Finally a lens that could capture the full space, tight angles and all!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_8074copy.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_8074copy.jpg" /></div><br />I thought it would be fun to show how different lenses capture the same space. Here's the sink, shot with the new EOS Rebel T5i camera and my old EF 50mm lens. I love 50mm shots. These are such affordable lenses, I think everyone with a DSLR should have one! They're especially handy for portraits and photographing kids. Every shot will be sharp and bright with a 50mm!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sink50.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda017/sink50.jpg" /></div><br />Here's the same shot, but using my EF 24-105mm lens, zoomed out as far as it will go.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sinkstock.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda017/sinkstock.jpg" /></div><br />And here's the <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_s_10_18mm_f_4_5_5_6_is_stm" target="_blank">new wide angle lens</a>! Ta-dah!!!! Look at that beauty! What's most impressive to me about this lens, besides how well it does in low-light situations, is that it shows almost no warping. There's none of that fish eye look that sometimes happens with wide angles.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sinkwide.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda017/sinkwide.jpg" /></div><br />On the other side of the room, we hung two Andrew Wyeth prints. Here's the 50mm version:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo lens501.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda017/lens501.jpg" /></div><br />The mid-range lens:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo lensstock1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda017/lensstock1.jpg" /></div><br />And the wide-angle again from the same spot. So pretty!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo lenswide1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda017/lenswide1.jpg" /></div><br />I've never taken a photography class, which makes me really appreciate how user-friendly <a href="http://bit.ly/1lWyUSV" target="_blank">Canon's lenses</a> are! I think it's so cool to see what a difference in perspective there is here between the three lenses!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0136.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_0136.jpg" /></div><br />I was shocked to learn that the new wide angle lens is less than $300! I don't know how I lived without one for so long.<br /><br />Also, I was surprised at how much I love the new <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_rebel_t5i_18_55mm_is_stm_lens_kit" target="_blank">Rebel T5i camera</a>. There are all sorts of amazing features that make it really easy to shoot in manual or program (P) mode, which is sort of the step between automatic mode and manual. The large display screen makes it so easy to preview how a photo will look with different settings <i>before you take the photo (!)</i>, which takes out a ton of guess work for those of us who are not pros!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_8050.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_8050.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_8048.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_8048.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />One of my favorite features of the Rebel T5i is the amazing touch screen display! With the swipe of my finger I can scroll through my playback and I can zoom in and out, just like on an iPhone.<br /><center></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_8064.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_8064.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another favorite thing is a setting that releases the shutter and takes a photo when you tap on the LCD screen! It makes for a very smooth and steady exposure if you don't want to set up a tripod and use a remote.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_8054.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_8054.jpg" /></div><br />I was SO happy to try out this camera, and especially the new wide angle lens. It's a major game-changer for me. I'm really looking forward to sharing a full house tour with wide shots so you guys can get a better sense of layout going forward!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0138.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda016/IMG_0138.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>A big thank you to <a href="http://bit.ly/1lWyUSV" target="_blank">Canon</a> for sponsoring this post! You can browse <a href="http://bit.ly/1lWyUSV" target="_blank">Canon's amazing lenses here</a>. Thank you for supporting our sponsors!! :)</i></div>

Taking Photos of the New Bathroom

I think one of my favorite projects we finished recently was this little sink for the guest bathroom. I showed some progress shots here and...

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An Update On My DIY Tufting Technique!

Remember this cute little <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/11/sponsored-post-how-to-upholster-framed.html" target="_blank">magenta velvet headboard</a> I made for the girls' room when we lived in the loft? I finally got around to tufting the matching twin headboard before the Domino shoot so we could make the headboards the sides of a daybed for the playroom.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 19.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/19.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 39.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/39.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 22.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/22.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Like I've mentioned a million times before, we were in such a hurry to get everything done. In an attempt to make this project go a little faster (tufting isn't all that hard... but it can be time consuming), I realized that I could completely bypass the whole threading-a-button-through-the-headboard-holes thing by just carefully screwing a wide-headed screw down in through the hole I had made in the foam.<br /><br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5615.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5615.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The only potentially tricky part is making sure you're putting the screw in the exact right place. I ended up screwing in pilot holes before hand, so I all had to do was find the pilot hole (blindly) with the point of my screw before using the drill to put in the screw.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5621.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5621.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />It's important to use screws that aren't too long (unless you wont see the back at all) and that have a wide enough head to hold back all the fabric from the tuft. I used a little bit of high-loft batting and linen in the same magenta color to back the headboard and cover any of the screw holes.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 21.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/21.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />This little trick saved me literally hours of labor time! And it looks great! I just used fabritac to glue in the buttons into the tufts and I think now it would be hard for even me to tell which headboard was the one I spent more time on! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 20.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/20.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 23.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/23.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Oh! I also wanted to mention another little tufting trick I discovered a week or two ago. My sister, Ali, is about to have a sweet baby girl (yay!!) and she wanted to redo her bedroom before the baby came. We made a tufted headboard and the velvet we were using was a little thick and it was getting tricky to make the fabric not look too lumpy. I cut deep grooves into the foam and that made a little pocket for the fabric to sit into AND it made it super, super easy to get the diamond shape perfect and nearly wrinkle-free every single time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5882.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5882.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5885.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5885.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Just a few little tips in case you're hoping to tackle a tufting project soon! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 24.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/24.jpg" /></div>

An Update On My DIY Tufting Technique!

Remember this cute little magenta velvet headboard I made for the girls' room when we lived in the loft? I finally got around to tuftin...

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One Ottoman, Three Ways

<script charset="utf-8" src="http://vc.cdn.fm/video_conversationalist/system/published/opportunity/87735276/508_725.js" type="text/javascript"></script>I feel like I can't leave <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?k1=cmx-metric&k2=508|276|725&k3=post&k4=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B283201733%3B106039353%3Bu" rel="nofollow">Target</a> without buying a pouf or an ottoman or a basket or some other adorable item that is practically impossible to pass up at Target's low prices! A recent purchase was two of <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Froom-essentials-storage-ottoman-orange%2F-%2FA-14713857%23prodSlot%3D_6_11&k4=8484&k5=%7Bbanner_id%7D" target="_blank">these little storage ottomans</a> from the new <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?k1=cmx-metric&k2=508%7C276%7C725&k3=disclaimer&k4=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B283201733%3B106039353%3Bu" target="_blank">Room Essentials line</a>. They are upholstered in the most perfect color of persimmon red felt and they have the cutest little accent of natural stained bent plywood that makes them look very Eames-y and vintage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0686.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0686.jpg" /></div><br />I love little ottomans like these because they fit in tight spaces and make for perfect extra seating in a pinch. We had a big family party at our house this weekend and the extra seats came in handy! I love that they look at home pretty much where ever they're sitting. So let's take a little trip with my new red stools and try them out all around my living room!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0691.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0691.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I love them as a pair in front of the fireplace (or how cute would they be in front of a bed?).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0693.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0693.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I like them layered in front of a side table too.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0703.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0703.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0714.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0714.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The interior storage compartment makes it easy to tuck in a couple of throws. You know, just in case you're a weirdo like me that can somehow manage to get cold even when it's 115 degrees outside.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0718.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0718.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0716.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0716.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also like one of the stools tucked under our antique secretary desk. Isn't the poppy red color pretty with the blue velvet sofa? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0742.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0742.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It seems like a lot of people buy vintage or antique secretaries and don't know quite what to do with the desk areas. Do you keep a chair there all the time, etc.? I think a little stool or ottoman is the perfect way to keep a desk seat accessible without taking up a huge footprint in the room. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_0743.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda018/IMG_0743.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What's your favorite way to use little benches in your home? Have you found any Target treasures lately? Last weekend I scored a really great basket for one of my indoor trees and some <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fhook-rack-re-metal-1-number-of-pieces-in-set%2F-%2FA-15102559%23prodSlot%3Dmedium_1_53&k4=8483&k5={banner_id}" target="_blank">cool hooks</a> for a mudroom makeover that's coming your way later this week! :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?k1=cmx-metric&k2=508|276|725&k3=logo&k4=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B283201733%3B106039353%3Bu" rel="nofollow"><img class="nopin" nopin="nopin" src="http://vc.cdn.fm/video_conversationalist/system/published/opportunity/87735276/TargetLogo_125x125.jpeg" /></a>This post is sponsored by <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?k1=cmx-metric&k2=508%7C276%7C725&k3=disclaimer&k4=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B283201733%3B106039353%3Bu" rel="nofollow">Target</a>. Shop <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?k1=cmx-metric&k2=508%7C276%7C725&k3=disclaimer&k4=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B283201733%3B106039353%3Bu" rel="nofollow">Room Essentials</a> to make modern life easier.</div>

One Ottoman, Three Ways

I feel like I can't leave Target without buying a pouf or an ottoman or a basket or some other adorable item that is practically imposs...

Read more »