I celebrated another birthday this week. It was a pretty low-key kind of day. I spent much of it starting about 200 pepper and eggplant seeds. Yes, for me that is a fun way to spend my birthday, doing something I really enjoy doing! I did take a break from cooking. We went out for dinner that night, and I treated myself to some seared ahi tuna, which is something I don’t fix at home because it’s nearly impossible to get good fresh tuna here in the markets.
But the highlight of the day was getting the present my wife made for me. See, for Christmas we broke down and bought each other matching digital SLR cameras. We had been talking about doing it for some time, but after trashing my old point and shoot camera (I dropped it on the ceramic tile floor and it landed on the lens) we finally made up our minds and settled on His and Her Canon Rebel T1i’s.
We both love our cameras, and since both of us had used 35mm SLR film cameras for many years it was a natural progression. Then a while back, my wife made a really neat camera strap cover for herself. I liked it so much that I whined, begged and pleaded with her to make me one for my birthday. Ok, that’s not really true – all I had to do was hint, and she was kind enough to make me one of my very own.
camera strap cover (click on any photo to enlarge)
What she created was really a surprise to me. I just love the way it turned out. She made my manly camera strap cover using pieces from one of my old pair of jeans. Then for embellishment she added a few pieces of some fabric we bought in Hawaii on our honeymoon. The result is a very stylish, and practical, one of a kind looking camera strap. I will truly be shooting photos in style!
new camera strap cover for new camera
Now the strap feels soft and comfortable when it’s hanging around my neck, just like my old comfy pair of jeans felt when I wore them.
My old jeans have also been put to use in another project recently. Since Lynda dusted off her sewing machine a few months ago, she has been turning out a lot of interesting projects. One thing I have been using a lot are these pot holders she made. The denim material makes a nice backing for the pot holders. It’s heavy enough to protect from the heat, but soft enough to be pliable and easy to use. And I love the cat material she used on the front side.
stylish homemade pot holders
There’s nothing better to me than a homemade gift, and I love my new camera strap. It will see a lot of use in the months and years to come. What a great birthday I had this year!
Well Happy Birthday!!! I’m sure that you wil get a lot of use out of your gifts from your lovely wife.
My husband got me a new camera for my BD in December. Like you, I had a Canon Rebel 35mm. The new camera that he got me is a Canon Power Shot SX30 IS. This camera has been a bit of a learning curve for me. We didn’t realize that the lenses from my old camera could have been used on a new digital Rebel. I’m finally starting to get use to the new one. I have to say that owner’s manual has a lot to be desired.
Happy Birthday! I love the camera and the strap. Nice! I love how you recycled the jeans to also make the potholders. I will steal that idea!
Happy birthday, Villager! May you have many, many more, and may I be around to celebrate them with you! 😀
You’ve put me in the mood to make potholders today, and the jeans I spilled the Purex on last week will be perfect.
Happy Birthday. I love those ideas for re-purposing the jeans. I’ve got quite a collection but tend to use them mostly for quilts. Those are some great new ideas.
Happy Birthday…love the camera strap and pot holders.:)
Happy belated birthday Dave!! That’s a nice camera strap! Working with worn-down denim is something I enjoy too — love the faded-blue, especially!
I have some of that cat fabric — it’s so funny! I used most of mine to make potholders for my boys a few years ago. They decided they were too nice-looking to use. LOL Here’s hoping you put yours to good use!