This is how I decorate

I made an Etsy treasury with items I'd decorate with if I could afford them all. Each listing was taken from a member of Metro Detroit Etsy. They're fun items and (of course) reflect how much I love Michigan and cats.




Clicking on an individual image will take you directly to that item's page, so have fun!

Smitten in the Mitten

I’m extremely excited to show off my most recent cardmaking efforts. I created two designs for a Michigan themed Valentine’s Day card. They have different looks and feels but both say “Smitten in the Mitten,” a nickname for the Great Lakes State.

The first card has a red background with a very subtle heart pattern. I had a lot of fun arranging the words in different fonts and colors. I went through so many drafts before reaching a point where I was okay with not tinkering with it. The second card is far simpler with a plain cyan background. The state is solid red and has “Smitten” written across the Upper Peninsula and “in the Mitten” in the Lower Peninsula. I started out by testing different fonts but finally decided to make use of my unique handwriting. (Side story: I’ve gone years without using a mouse, despite doing so much artistic stuff on my laptop. I finally got a mouse six or so months back and I love that I can write out words and it looks so much truer to my handwriting.) Once I completed each card, I couldn’t decide which one I liked better. So I put them both up on my Etsy shop!

Click on the images above to view the respective cards on my Etsy shop!

Free shipping at Becklo Photography and Design

I hate calculating shipping charges when I'm planning on ordering something online. It makes a good deal turn into a not-so-good deal fast. I have to imagine I'm not the only one. So I've officially removed any and all shipping charges from my sales - both domestic and international orders.

"Our Captain" Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wing

I sell photographs. They are incredibly lightweight. Shipping costs are probably attributed more to the packaging to keep said photos safe. Even when an order contains multiple items or larger prints, it's not that bad. I can swing shipping costs if someone is willing to pay me to display my art in their homes or to give as gifts.

Elephant Footprint, a special piece of Detroit Zoo history

Besides, not only will customers not have to think about shipping costs when they buy from my shop... I won't have to think about shipping costs when I sell something!

Who?

My newest item on Etsy, the Who? Owl, is a 11" x 14" print that still makes me laugh.

But then, I'm easily amused.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87140537/who-owl-11-x-14-photograph

Meow meow, kitty kitty! - An Etsy Treasury

'Meow meow, kitty kitty!' by becklo

Etsy items that bring out the crazy cat lady in me.

Vinyl wall art decal--Kitty ... aluckyhorsesho... $12.00	Kitty Cat Face - Handmade Mi... BlossomStamps $	Am I in trouble - Little Kit... tanyabond $45.00
Isabelle. Limited edition 8... matteart $	Chocolate Brown Greek godnes... ZoeChen $	My Little Kitty - Antique Br... morikaty $10.00
Red Lucky Kitties Tshirt Dre... cathypeng $	SALE Pencil Roll / Makeup Br... jcskyline $	Two Brothers Debating ChingLevyStudi... $20.00
Cat Art - SOMEBODY has got t... amberalexander $17.00	Hals Laughing Cavalier Cat F... edithpiaf $9.99	Original pen and ink drawing... DeanDymentStud... $50.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This is such a cool idea to be able to list treasuries from Etsy like this! I made this one about some really cool cat items I've found, and after seeing the posts from MelJoy Creations, I figured I'd give it a shot. Are there any treasuries you've made, been featured in or just enjoy in general?

Steve Yzerman: Our Captain

It's a cold day in Michigan. Well. "Cold" being, "It's 68 and rainy after a week of being in the high 90's oh god oh god I'm so burned."

I optimistically reserve June for a Stanley Cup parade in Detroit each year. That doesn't always happen, but considering the Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups in the last 14 years, it's not completely unrealistic for me to think about. And although Steve Yzerman is no longer the captain — or even in Detroit —  he is still in the hearts of Red Wings fans everywhere.

This is one of my newest prints available on Etsy. It's a mounted chromogenic photograph printed on Kodak Endura metallic paper. Translation: SO SHINY. It has the texture of a glossy photograph but the reflective shine of something that may be embossed. It's still a fairly new type of paper that isn't seen frequently, so that makes it even more fun to look at!

I wish this photograph of the finished product could do it justice. Obviously, the metallic aspect does not translate through a static, 2D photograph like this. The paper makes the photograph pop, almost as if it were 3D or lit with LED lights. This particular one measures 10.75" tall and 14" wide, so the size just adds to the intensity of the photo's presentation.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74837734/steve-yzerman-detroit-red-wing-11-x-14

Rest assured, I had fun with this photograph!

New Etsy Listings: Spirit of Detroit and Welcome To TIger Stadium

I'm being extra productive today, probably because of the beautiful weather. It's 72 degrees outside right now! So I'm out in the sunlight, making progress with my Etsy shop. I'm in the process of renewing old listings and creating new ones. Sports fans in Detroit will be particularly interested in these two:


Spirit of Detroit : http://www.etsy.com/listing/72940120/red-wings-spirit-of-detroit-4x6-mounted

This 4x6 print features the Spirit of Detroit decked out in Red Wings gear. It's the best way to tell when playoff season is here!

Welcome to Tiger Stadium : http://www.etsy.com/listing/50773784/welcome-to-tiger-stadium-4x6-mounted

This 4x6 print was taken on Michigan Avenue prior to Tiger Stadium's demolition in 2009. While the stadium may be gone, it will always invoke fond memories from the millions of people who attended events there in the past.

April Giveaway Contest!

It’s giveaway time at Becklo Photo and there are two ways to enter the drawing for a chance to win a mounted 8” x 10” of your very own!

About the photo

This lion is part of the intricate James Scott Fountain on Detroit’s Belle Isle. A black border surrounds what would almost appear to be a black and white photograph if not for the yellow sky of dusk falling behind the fountain. The photograph is a glossy chromogenic print on Fuji paper. It’s mounted on 3/16” black foam board which has a metallic green ribbon threaded through for easy and adjustable hanging. A small hole behind the knot of the ribbon has been carefully carved into the foam board to hang without a ribbon if desired.

This print would sell on Etsy for $30 plus shipping, but the winner of this giveaway will receive it at no cost. I'll even mail it for free! Participating in this contest requires nothing on your part but a couple minutes of your time.

How to enter

What is Etsy? Etsy's website states: "Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice: Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Etsy features many traditional artists who paint, draw and (like myself) photograph, but there are many other things offered. Woodwork, clothing, music, food and more can be found here!

I am a strong supporter of Etsy, a website for people who make things and the people who want to buy those items. I’ve sold a variety of photographs via Etsy and also have a wish list going of things I’d like to buy. I owe a lot to Etsy and would like to give the good people there some exposure.

Step one: Sign in to Etsy or create an account (which is completely free, quick and painless!). The only information you're required to give Etsy is your email address, the user name you choose and the password you decide on.

Step two: Add my Etsy shop at etsy.becklo.com to your favorite stores by clicking on "Add to favorites" near the bottom of the left hand sidebar.

And that’s it! I’ll send you a message through Etsy, called a conversation, to confirm you’ve been entered in the drawing. And if you're interested, you can go for the...

BONUS ENTRY!

Step three: Find an item on Etsy from a shop other than my own that you would consider purchasing. Favorite that item and send me a conversation with the link to it. You will be entered in the contest a second time and I will make a treasury collection of all the items that have been sent to me. This will help other Etsians out by featuring their shops and wares.

A detailed display of how the ribbon is threaded (above)
and what the print looks like from the back (right).

How to win

On Sunday, April 24, I will randomly draw a winner from those who participated. I'll make the announcement here on blog.becklo.com and contact the winner with a conversation on Etsy. Make sure to check Etsy often and/or enable Etsy to notify you via email when you receive a message. If I don't hear from the chosen winner within three days, I'll redraw the names for another winner.

I hope this contest will encourage you to explore Etsy as well as help promote some amazing people selling things they've made by hand. I've encountered inspiring sellers who live in far away time zones and others who live only a few streets from me. Creativity is everywhere you look and I can't wait to see what you find!

4/04 - ETA: This contest is open to all people in all countries. Good luck!

Moo + Etsy = new business cards for Becklo!

As a seller on Etsy, I keep my eyes open for special deals. Moo.com does a great job of making exclusive offers on business cards and I pounced on their latest special: 50 business cards for just shipping costs ($5.50). It took a couple days longer to receive in the mail than I anticipated but it was well worth the wait!

The packaging is a lot of fun. I opened the box with careful deliberation so I can save the Yay! sticker – I think I’m going to put it on the steering wheel in my car.

And even the inside of the packaging features some great advertising. These are clever people over at Moo.

Cards can have as many different designs per order as desired, even if you want to use a new design for each one. I chose nine different images for this order and the back of each card has my name, email address, URL and a banner logo.

The one caveat to this deal is a small banner across the front of each card that advertises both Moo and Etsy. I actually designed the cards specifically to be able to crop the banner off without losing any details from my own contact information. But the nice thing about the banner is each one has a unique code for 10% off Moo orders for first time customers. Since I imagine that could benefit some recipients of my cards, I think I’ll leave the banners on after all.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar

I was debating making this an Etsy listing because I wasn't sure how well it would go over.

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." - Sigmund Freud
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68297734/freud-cigar-mounted-photograph

I decided to go ahead and list it today because if nothing else, it makes me laugh. Freud could point out what he thought was psychologically wrong in anyone, but he saw himself to be normal. I'm inclined to believe that obsessing over other people's obsessions makes a different case. But who am I to say? I take pictures of action figures and tampons!

A pair of cats!

It's the newest item on Etsy - Cat: Part 1 and Part 2! $15 for the set, which saves you a dollar from purchasing separately.
These photographs were taken a few years back when I was practicing studio lighting. I inherited these small cat figurines from my grandmother and they are always a blast to play with.