Frugal Still Life Photography

I've wanted to "learn" how to take better pictures, from time to time, so when this opportunity availed itself I decided there is no time like the present!  Well, I don't really know anything about camera settings, etc, but I used a couple of the different settings from my "point and shoot" camera, which is what I will be doing, I think, for the most part, with this course!

Cheryl McCain is doing the course, which is now closed to sign-ups.  She is going to have another workshop beginning in March, I believe.  You can read more about it here:

So, without using a "soft box" for lighting, I decided to go with the light that was coming in through the dining room window.  Here's the "pull back" shot showing the dining room table, my blanket I used for the "backdrop" and how the light is entering the photos from the right side.

Here are the shots I took:

The very first one I took, I decided I definitely didn't like the zip loc bag container, LOL!

So, I switched subjects!  :D  I liked Cheryl's idea of the glass jar, so I searched through our game drawer and found this jar of colorful dice (which I got the dice at $$ Tree, btw!).

These first 2 shots were taken using the "party" lighting setting on the camera.  The colors seem to be a little deeper/richer to me.

The rest of these shots were taken using a "food" setting, which spoke more of a "still life" setting.  But, what do I know, LOL!

So, I really don't think I like any of them.  I'm thinking I have LOTS to learn!  What do you think?  Thanks for looking!