More on the junky tripod to super cool light stand conversion...

Ok, so maybe the light stand from a tripod is not super cool, but it was fun and more importantly it worked! So maybe fairly cool then.

Basically I had an old cheapy tripod that came with my Nikon F65 when I bought it for next to nothing. During November I needed a light stand to get my flash and shoot-through umbrella higher than an average cheapy tripod can manage, so I looked to the tripod that was too light to hold an SLR camera steady.

First I detached the head from the aluminium pipe it was mounted to and got this:

The black and white bits top and middle of the pipe will be explained soon.

I then took a piece of chromed curtain rod of the right diameter to fit the head mount and stuck the business end of the head mount into the pipe, drilled a small hole and screwed it in both sides like so:

See the screw? Easy, with only basic DIY skills needed... and a drill... with a suitable sized drill bit. If you don't know what a drill bit is just ask your friends and the first one that knows has earned the privilege of assisting you with this little project! ;-)

Next up I had to drill a hole into the head somewhere, without destroying the heads usefulness, for the umbrella shaft to be pushed in to. Time to ask the DIY savvy friend for help again... Here is where I put my hole, yours may be in a different spot. (You will have to use some common sense on this step.)

I chose that particular position because the drill bit could go all the way through without damaging any important bits inside. Make sure you get this right otherwise you may render you old tripod head quite unable to mount the flash. Also make sure that the diameter of the drill bit is the same as the umbrella shaft, too small and it won't mount, too big and it will fall out.

While it looks oh so neat from the outside, I'm afraid the same cannot be said of the inside, but heck, nobody looks in there anyway... except all of the readers of this blog. Darn!

This is what it looks like with the umbrella inserted into the hole. NICE!

Finally, in order for the curtain rod to fit snugly over the original aluminium pipe that the head used to be mounted to I simply wrapped some electrical tape top and middle and by simple trial and error got it just right:

So that's what those black and white things were! I wanted it to be easily portable, so that's why I didn't screw the curtain rod to the tripod. Now it simply pulls off!

Here's the whole lot together:

The dangly bit hanging from the umbrella shaft is a long balloon that I tie onto the shaft to stop it from sliding in when it is pointed up to use as a bounce umbrella, or I tie it on the other side to stop it from falling out when I am shooting through and it is pointed down. Simple is good.

Here is a pic of the set-up using this rig while shooting Santa in December:

It worked flawlessly!

Here is another shot taken with the same:

This last one was bounced to cover more area while the Santa shots were all shot through the umbrella.

I should probably have just gone and bought a light stand but hey it would not have been half as much fun!
(This was also free since I had all the bits...) (No, not drill bits... ask your friend.)

The Perfect Tonic

C IS FOR?

COLOUR AND CONTRAST!

On a chilly February afternoon I have been cheering myself up by sorting through my camera's captures of days when the temperature cracked the flags. This was clicked in the wonderful garden of 'Wildside', Devon, the creation of Keith Wiley.

Check out more Cs over at ABC Wednesday!

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day ~ February 2011

"From December to March, there are for many of
us three gardens:
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind's eye."
~ Katherine S. White, 1892 -1977.

More February musing can be found over at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago.

How Did I Miss This Magazine?

 I'm not sure how I missed Southern Lady Magazine because it's been around since 1999 but a good friend loaned me a copy yesterday and I just loved it!  It seemed like a smaller version of Southern Living without all the ads.  

 The current issue features a magazine version of Breakfast at Tiffany's breakfast providing ideas for the menu, table settings and appropriate attire (bet you can guess the dress)!    I loved the Tiffany blue felt rose napkin rings that were used at each place setting.  They're very easy to make but where do you find Tiffany blue felt?  

Save As Draft

Available Now!

  My friend Cavanaugh Lee, has a new book coming out on February 1st.  I did a pre-order on Amazon and got a shipping notice on Friday - just can't wait to read it!   Cavanaugh was a former actress, turned lawyer (which is how I met her), turned author.  She's now got a new book coming out and I'm so excited about it.  My book club will be reading Save As Draft in March, and Cavanaugh will be calling in to join the discussion!   If you are interested in a similar arrangement, please let me know and I'll see if the author can join your book club too!   Meanwhile I hope you'll read the book and support my good friend in her writing debut! 

Another lamp rehab…

Lamp hospice.

And yep…from my fave thrift store.

It was most certainly a homemade job

in all of it’s 70’s glory

A big glass water jug

hecho en Mexico

filled to the everlovin’ brim with dried and plastic lovelies.

and moss…lots of glued on moss.

Ooooooh she’s a beaut isn’t she?

~cough~

Piece by piece…the decades old dried and dusty corpses were removed...

Through a handy dandy leather wrapped hole

go figure!

This saga will be continued as we find the perfect shade

not the one she came with…

Maybe a drum shade

What say you…any grand ideas for this… cough…find?

Hmmmm?

Going,Going,Gone!

My gardening week started on a slightly sad note but has ended on a high. I will do sad first. On Monday we visited the allotment for the first time this year. We went to shift some odds and ends as work was due to start on removing out current perimeter fencing and replacing it with a 1.8 metre high steel fence. This is not by choice ~  the local council have decided that all the plots on our site will have standard fencing onto communal pathways. The council are paying for materials and all the labour involved. Whilst I can understand the logic behind this decision and think that the plots will be more secure, I think that the site will lose in terms of individuality and character. Maybe it's just me but I like the higglety pigglety appearance that exists now. There are all sorts of wooden fences - both brand new and old, recycled from pallets and planks ~ they are different heights and thicknesses and different colours. Other folk including myself have chain - link fences. Many plots have hand crafted signs with their plot numbers or names including gems such as 'Backacres'. You can see one such example in the photo at the top of the page ~ this artwork was created by my lovely plot neighbours. There will be less scope for such charm once we are all fitted with the same fencing and there will be no more passing plants and seeds over the fence quite so easily.

In the garden the snowdrops have made great strides in the last week and just need a bit more warmth to open fully. Some perennials are showing signs of new growth which is always encouraging. Meanwhile it's a waiting game to see what's happening with the contents of the cold frame - its occupants having the misfortune to have chosen the wrong year to overwinter in pots. In the greenhouse there are still no signs of the January sown batch (replacement for November sown losses) of sweet peas germinating but the 'Solent White' garlic I planted in pots is now showing green tips.

Now for the good news. This morning I had fun taking part in the RSPB Big Birdwatch ~ most of the usual suspects turned up and a little goldcrest sneaked in an appearance at the very last minute. Then this afternoon I was delighted to discover that I was a prizewinner in the Irish Times Christmas Gardening quiz which I entered at the very last minute. I have won a year's subscription to 'The Irish Garden' magazine  - what a surprise. My thanks must go to Jane over at 'One Bean Row' - the brains behind a most enjoyable quiz. What a good way to end the week.