I was afraid of that, SG. I don't think that's going to work for me. Nothing at the office store nor dollar store. We'll see what the people at work come up with tomorrow. I might have to end up saving different kinds of things, here and there over the year. Does your coldframe regulate the temperature? If not, what do you have, or what you can make for a removable coldframe cover? (I'm thinking of something like a wooden doorframe). You might want to consider something that you can lift off easily. I don't know much about coldframes at all but had a homemade one for years here. t was just a box in the ground, about 6 foot long, 1 1/2 feet deep. It was sectioned off in 3 sections (I could fit 2 flats in each section). I covered my frame covers with plastic. I didn't put holes in them but boy, stuff could cook really fast in the box! I never used it to grow stuff. When I took my covers off of my WS pots early on in the season, I'd put them in there. I'd toss the cover over them when it rained really hard. I'm just thinking aloud here that if your holes aren't quite right, you might not be able to tell how hot it is inside and cook your babies. If you have a way to prop open your cover then you can lift it in an emergency. It sounds like you found a good deal on plastic. I have used the really heavy mil drop clothes for my pot covers. I got a huge sheet for about $10 at the hardware store. It's holding up from year to year without any signs of wear.

Antiquesilver...I imagine that ISO is not changeable when in any semi automatic mode. The camera wants to do that for you so it will most likely be automatic. However you should be able to raise the EV just one notch up to +0.3, or get a stronger light bulb. Also try substituting the thin cloth with white tissue paper or tracing paper. The cloth might be cutting out too much light. I know what you mean about too strong a light blowing out the detail on the silver pieces. But keep experimenting to get the right combination of camera setting, light and diffusor. If you are interested in reading photography books, I can highly recommend this one "Light - Science & Magic. An Introduction to Photographic Lighting."" by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua. There are detailed explanations of setting up tabletop lighting with a whole chapter dealing with how to photograph metal objects. You might want to have a look in your library or bookstores. The ISBN (I have the 3rd edition) is: ISBN-13:978-0-240-80819-2 , published by Focal Press. Tutorial number nine will be a few days late this week. Probably have it ready for the weekend since we had a lot to do this week, including rescuing our new cat from a neighbour's locked backyard LOL. (All turned out well there.) SharonCb

thanks so much, ya'll. i really loved the rusty look to some of these. most were made with old cards, they're sturdy and easy to cut apart for dimensional pieces. but some sepia tinted photos would be such a great project here...for mother's day or valentine's(add heart charms)grandparents day, add some pretty paper or brown bag paper to the back, or another photo. kudzu

LOL I just reread what I wrote and my grammar isn't very good. LOL I had fun opening the boxes to see what Martha had sent. I knew of some of the items like the books and the dessert set and crystal and I knew she was sending me some Christmas decorations but not as many as she sent. LOL Except for the glassware I have to hoist all this stuff up to the attic tomorrow. I still have my Christmas decorations up but I think I will take them down now because the rooms look so cluttered with all this extra stuff. I can pack away the decorations with my own decorations. I'm not sure where or if I want to hang the prints yet and may wait until Spring to decide. I also have 2 stitched pieces I inherited and I just received in December so have to decide where to hang them too. I am very sentimental. My Grandma had all kinds of Royal Doulton figurines and Royal Doulton Toby Jugs and I would sit and look at them and let my imagination take me away. I would think of stories that told tales of the Balloon Lady, Ribbon Lady and the Pot Maker and the Rug Seller selling their wares in the market. I had stories of the Robin Hood and Beefeater Toby Jugs along with many others whose faces I didn't know. Grandma also had a Royal Doulton BullDog with a Union Jack on his back which represented Winston Churchill and a little white bone china dog who stood playfully looking at the ladybug on its tail. I imagined all the pretty lady figurines dancing away and their children - Hummel kids swinging on their tree branches. I drank tea from the finest china with tiny shamrocks on them and lined up the highball and shot glasses of men in their tartan kilts. Whenever I gazed upon the 2 dimensional large plates on Grandma's kitchen wall I used my fingers to cross the drawbridge and climb the steep stone palace stairs and I would stop next to the man in armour who stood guarding the palace door. I so wanted to see his face - my knight in shining armour you know. LOL My Grandma's things are priceless to me. My cousin only visited once or twice a year so has no attachment to these things and it is her right to sell them if she wishes or give them away. I can still have my memories of the things and the stories they told. LOL I was just tickled to received some of the things she did decide to part with. Anne