Dec 30, 2010

2011 Calendars with Easels

I am selling a limited number of the *new* version of my 2011 calendar with these adorable little wooden easels!  They sell for $28 at my Etsy shop and are 5x7 inches plus border.  I also have them for sale without the easel, so you can clip them and hang them on your fridge, or display them how you please.  What do you think of this idea? I have one sitting on my desk right now!

Also, don't forget about my giveaway in the post below!!!

Dec 27, 2010

Contest Time!

WIN WIN WIN!!!
It's the end of a great year, and to show my appreciation for your support in my first couple of months in the Etsy world, I am holding a contest!

How would you like to win FOUR size 5x5 (or 5x7) CocoShack photos of your choice!?  All you have to do is "Like" me on Facebook (click here!), share my page as well (click here!), and leave a comment on this blog post letting me know which four 5x5 prints from my Etsy shop you like best!  I will randomly select a winner on January 6th, and that person will walk away with their four chosen prints.  Be sure to leave your name in the comments below as it appears on Facebook so I can contact you if you are the winner!  Good luck!


Post Christmas Blog

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families!

Mine was great, it's a shame how quickly it goes by though.  All of that preparing and waiting for the big day, and then it goes by so fast!  My fav part of Christmas has to be giving everyone their gifts!



D and I had a great first xmas in the new house together.  Our pets had a ball too!  They got spoiled with tons of toys and treats... and catnip!  Our newest kitty, who was a stray that was hanging around outside in the summer, must have been the happiest cat in the world.  It was so funny watching him play with his new toys and rolling around in delight.  Something he had never experienced before I guess!


How did you spend your Christmas? What did you get!?

footnote:  i wish i had a chance to take some proper photos with a camera that wasn't my phone camera. ;p

Dec 17, 2010

Dec 14, 2010

Wow two in a row!

My print "Blue" made it onto the front page of Etsy today.  That's two in two days, also my second time :)
Big smiles all around...

Pantone 2011 Color of the Year!

Pantone has released the hottest new colour of 2011, a bright, vibrant Honeysuckle Pink!! I love this colour for it's ability to be paired up with virtually any other tone! What do you think of it?!

Dec 12, 2010

First Front Page Feature

I have made my first appearance on the front page of Etsy :)

Dec 11, 2010

2011 Calendar


Newest Additions to My Shop...

The above are some select new additions to my Etsy shop!  There are a bunch more, so be sure to check out everything!

Dec 8, 2010

Winter Wonderland...

Oh winter.... You sure know how to make an impression...




Dec 7, 2010

Last year...

I was digging through my files and came across these photos from last year when D and I were home visiting.... I love the country.







Dec 4, 2010

what to do in a world of snow...

Well, winter has arrived!  Or shall I say, returned.  It made a brief stop in my town a couple of months ago in October, where it was not so happily accepted and told to come back at a more admissible time.  So here it is, trying again and doing it's thing.  It brought a nice foot or so of snow along with it, which I guess I should have been more prepared for as my driveway currently sits underneath it. Now I'm in a rush to find a snowblower because this shovel business just isn't working too well with a driveway made of gravel.

I attempted to go to the local Christmas craft show today, but wimped out once I started driving on the slippery roads.  They weren't really that bad, but it's the slushy layer of slippery snow that scares me away.  Probably because I rolled my car down a ditch a few years back driving on the damn stuff and have a constant "Caution" sign blinking in the back of my head every time I drive on it now.  Bummer, because I really wanted to check out the show and see what everyone was offering.  I hope I can start doing craft shows again one day and wanted to check out the scene beforehand.

So instead of enjoying the snow today, I stayed inside, wrapped up some Christmas gifts, and tried to get the house in order for my 1st annual Christmas party next weekend!  Oh the fun things we can do in this new house :) I can't wait!

How are you spending your December weekends?

Favourite photo of the moment, Vintage Story II by Natalie French:

Nov 30, 2010

Framing Square Photos

A lot of photographers produce square photos (including me), and sometimes it can be confusing when trying to decide how to frame them.  Should you buy a 5x5 frame? An 8x8 frame? What other options are there?!

In my own personal experience, square frames are usually a little tricky to find in your local department store. The only size I was able to come across was a 10x10 matted frame with a 5x5 opening.  Smaller sized ones like 5x5's are pretty much non-existent in my area.  So what to do???

The easiest thing to do is to purchase a mat for your photo.  In my shop, I have two mat sizes, one of them being an 8x8 mat for 5x5 photos.  8x8 frames seem to be a little easier to come by, and adding a mat simply finishes off the look of a photo.  There are also sellers on Etsy who sell square 8x8 frames or may be able to custom make some for you.



No luck with the square frames?  You could also always opt for a standard 8x10 mat with a 5x5 opening, as shown below.  Hung vertically or horizontally, 8x10 picture frames are very common and super easy to find anywhere.  With this option, framing and hanging your square photo is a piece of cake!  Check out the Matting Services in my shop!

Nov 25, 2010

The FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF ETSY ARTISTS EXPOSED!

I am so excited to be a part of this and am glad to see it up at last!  Some of the ladies of the fPOE team (Female Photographers of Etsy) including myself participated in this special Artists Exposed treasury created by Vicki Diane

Vicki creates these highly viewed treasuries "exposing" the creators behind the many Etsy amazing shops and I am so glad to be a part of this one!  We made all of our self portraits festive for the holiday season and I think it came together wonderfully.  What a great bunch of ladies!

Check me out, I'm second on the page :) 

Nov 24, 2010

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales!

The Etsy team I am a member of, Female Photographers of Etsy, has complied a huge list of all of the wonderful photographers having sales this weekend!  Stop by their shops to save and pick up some great gifts for the holidays!  Coco Shack will be having a BOGO sale this weekend as well. Buy any 8x8, 8x10, 5x7, or 5x5 and get another print of your choice in the same size for FREE starting on Friday until Monday! Just visit my Etsy shop to purchase at http://cocoshack.etsy.com!

Click here to view the other sales!

Nov 20, 2010

Share The Love...

I've created these cool photo sheets of my Nostalgia collection that you can purchase at my Etsy shop!  They include four 4x4 photos which are perforated so you can tear them from the sheet!  Give one to a friend, save the rest, or give them all away!  This is a great value at only $28 for the 4 prints, check out this listing in my Etsy shop!


Nov 17, 2010

Send a Note...

With e-mail and instant messaging taking over the world, receiving an actual hand-written card or note from someone is sure to put a smile on your face!  A personal touch and a little effort really can go a long way and show someone you care.

Some of the more recent additions to my Etsy shop include these cute postcards.  They come in either a set of five, or as singles.  I currently have them available in two styles, shown below:




Not the postcard-sending type?  Keep them (or give them away!) to frame as art!  It's a cheap way to score a little taste of my photography.

Coming soon: a limited number of cute Christmas cards!

Nov 16, 2010

Light Wishes...

I want to do the Christmas lights on my house like this one.  I love the look of the icicle lights mixed with the standard red/green ones!


One problem though... it seems impossible!  For the past week I have been trying to get our lights up, but our house is too darn HIGH!  I was finally able to find a ladder tall enough to reach the top peaks, however nerves got the best of me and I just couldn't climb all the way up.  My fiance won't go anywhere near the ladder and is protesting having Christmas lights all together haha!  Oh, the joys of the season....

Think of Ice Cream....

When I was younger, I remember a girl telling me that if I was cold, to think of ice cream. I thought, "Think of ice cream?! Ice cream is cold too!" She then told me that thinking of ice cream would make me think of summer, and thinking of summer would make me think of the hot sun and I would no longer be cold!

This print entitled "Milkshake" does just that for me this time of year. What do you think of when trying to warm up!?

Nov 15, 2010

Doe, a Deer....

I just got this little lady and she quickly became the subject of these new photos:

Nov 10, 2010

Winter Spirit

I love the magical feeling of winter air!  I can't believe that Christmas is next month. Where did summer go?!  We had a huge snowfall here in October that came out of nowhere.  I woke up early, dug out my snow boots, and headed to my backyard....




Nov 9, 2010

Hi ho!

It's off to blogging we go!

Welcome to my newly created blog.  I am Dana and I create fun photos inspired by all things shabby chic and vintage, with a touch of my love for country thrown in. 

You can check out my official website at www.cocoshack.ca, or check out my Etsy shop, http://cocoshack.etsy.com

Stay tuned, I'll be posting some of my stuff here soon!