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A Scrapbook Crafts Up Better Memories

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A Scrapbook Crafts Up Better Memories

A Scrapbook is a personal statement about what is important to you. It is your personal style showing through on every page. This is one fun project that lets you tell your history and feelings in your own words. It is a way to bring joy to you and those around you who happen to see your scrapbook.

Scrapbooks can be a very creative way to show off photos and creative layouts. From photos of wonderful vacations to family pictures you are on your way to creating and sharing your personal experiences. Not only is your signature is on this book you enable everyone to share your family through the generations. A scrapbook crafts up better memories with a picture to the past.

Introduction to the art of scrap booking with Creative Photos

Using photos in interesting ways in your scrapbook can be creative fun. You can make them as large as you like. Formal or informal, whatever mood suits you. Creative photos strategically placed in appropriate ways, and then framed or embellished using your artistic talent, turn your pages into a glorious trip down memory lane.

Make sure to get a scrapbook that has a binding that will fit additional refill pages. There are most likely photos you will want to add. Some scrapbooks have CD and storage pockets.Use top-loading page protectors because you want to protect the entire scrapbook page from fingerprints and accidental spills. The photos will then also be safe from wear and damage.

After you selected a theme start looking over your photos to determine the order you want them in. When you organize your pictures by date or event you will have an idea of page number and style. The page layout will dictate the appearance and feel of your entire project.

Use your best photos they are the heart and soul of the book. They link the past and present and record your life experiences. Your décor is the embellishments that you add to these memorable times of your life.

By cropping or cutting your pictures into different shapes, you keep your book from appearing cluttered. It can help you achieve a creative layout. There will be some photos that are not meant to be cut. These probably include older photos that you may not have negatives for.

When matting a photo on card stock you get to choose the color that compliments the picture. The single greatest way to emphasis the effect of the picture is by the mount you use. Resize the photo’s appearance by changing the physical dimensions of the mount. You can create photo collages from selected parts of multiple photos.

Creative photos mean it is not just the photos that standout, but the presentation is the creation. You can turn the photos into gorgeous works of art with ribbons, gift paper, and a stream of artistic talent. Have a unique presentation by finding patterns to print on the mounting of the photos. Then of course you can use an ink pad and stamp and embellish the photos background mount.

A scrapbook crafts your history as no story telling can. The art of scrape booking and the use of creative photos have made many enthusiasts glued to scrap booking.

[craftsguide]

Turn Your Business Cards Into Hardworking Little Salesmen! To Market and Sell Your Crafts or Services for Greater Profits

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Turn Your Business Cards Into Hardworking Little Salesmen! To Market and Sell Your Crafts or Services for Greater Profits

Marketing and Promoting your crafts can be just as fun as making them. It doesn’t make any difference how unique and special your handmade treasures are, if no one knows you are in business. What is so fun about marketing and promoting your crafts, home-small biz, is that you use the same creativity that you bring to your command, when you make your crafts.

Most of us home and small biz crafters do not have a blank check, to what ever amount we like advertising budget, so we need to come up with cost-saving ideas. There are many advertising and promotion companies out there competing for your advertising dollars. Some are better than others, and most of them are expensive.

Ads that tie up your advertising dollars, and may not be in print for a few months or more, or expensive coupon advertising, can deplete your advertising budget with one advertising campaign, and not return all that many new leads or customers. If an expensive advertising campaign doesn’t deliver, you don’t get your money back. Following I have included some:

Quick! Low Cost Ways to Turn Your Business Cards into Hardworking Little Salesmen!

Many people in business don’t use these to their greatest potential, even though most biz people do have them printed up. Business cards are your hardworking little salesmen, they are your mini billboards. They work for you 24 hrs a day, without pay!…

1. Hand them out! Always have some on hand, when you go out, and hand them out! This sounds obvious and it is, but many times business cards are left at home. They can’t be promoting your biz, left at home or in the car.

2. Use your biz cards as note cards… If someone needs your home address, and your biz is a home biz, hand them your biz card. Or write your home address on the back of your biz card. The same goes for your telephone no. This gives another person a reason to have your biz card.

3. Do a Business Card Exchange! Do a local mailing to businesses that are complimentary to your business. For example if you make candles, send a letter introducing your biz, to local beauty shops, with 5 or 6 biz cards included and offer a biz card exchange. You will hand out biz cards for them if they hand out yours.

4. Make Your Cards Do Double Duty As Price Tags… Make your biz card into a hanger that you attach to your handmade items or other products, with the price on the back of the card. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the corner of your biz card, and run a piece of string or small satin ribbon through the hole, and attach to your product.

5.Double-sided Biz Cards… These business cards may cost a little more, but you can make them work even harder for you. Instead of having blank dead space on the back of your cards, you can have that area working for you too. On the back of the biz card you could offer a special discount for a first purchase. This will motivate people to hang onto your biz card.

6. Mini Billboards… if you have a website and e-mail always make your biz cards mini billboards for your on-line marketing too. Always include your website and e-mail address, on your biz cards. This can be a great way to utilize double sided biz cards also. On the back of the card could be a “short attention grabbing ad” for your website.

What?! You don’t have a website and use e-mail marketing for your small or local home biz? If not, you are missing out on a great opportunity! The internet is where it’s at for small biz now! Find out how the Internet can help your business! with a gold nugget of a little book called “Insider Internet Marketing” An easy to read… paint by number little book that will get you started on the fast track to profitable internet marketing.

As you can see, your business cards can be tireless hardworking salesmen for your products and services. I hope the suggestions presented above, have sparked more ideas, on how you could use your biz cards to promote your products and services.

[craftsguide]

Play Is Serious Business For Childrens' Intelligence

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Play Is Serious Business For Childrens' Intelligence

Too many parents consider play as simply a means of diverting and distracting their children. Playthings are often seen as a means of keeping children happy, rewarding them, keeping them out of mischief, and giving parents free time. Not often enough do parents think of play and toys as fundamental aspects of a child’s education, as a means through which children learn to understand the world around them, and as the primary method by which children acquire many basic skills. Parents can help make their children’s play stimulating by doing three things. First, they can adopt an attitude of conscious, deliberate planning in which play is regarded as one of the most important aspects of their children’s environment. Second, they can see to it that their children are provided with the kinds of toys and playthings that will help develop the widest possible varieties of skills and abilities. Third, they can assume a direct, participating role in their children’s play. Planning a child’s play does not mean planning each activity for every moment of the child’s playtime. On the contrary, children should have maximum independence in choosing their own activities. And, within the limits of the daily routine of the home, a child should also choose the time for their activities, as well as the duration of each. Good planning makes sure that play is as varied and stimulating as possible. A child should play at different times, with friends, with parents, and by theirself. This play should include, within a period of about a month, all or most of the following types of activities, each geared to the age level of the child. Here are 5 of them: #1. Games Games are perhaps the most basic of all forms of play. From peek-a-boo to chess, from pat-a-cake to baseball, games occupy a central role in the lives of most children from infancy to adolescence. Games may be physical or mental. In general they involve the development of skills, although some lead to the acquisition of information. #2. Arts and Crafts Arts and crafts give children many opportunities to express their desire to make things. Crayons, paints, clay, construction paper, scissors and paste, wood, leather, felt, and cardboard are among the materials that help children develop their creative imaginative, and aesthetic abilities. Arts and crafts also develop skills in manipulation, perception, and analysis. #3. Construction Play Construction play involves assembling objects from what are usually prefabricated parts. It is less creative than arts and crafts, but is also useful in developing many skills. Putting together a set of railroad tracks and trains is a form of construction play, as is play with erector sets, Tinker toys, blocks and the like. #4. Projective Play Protective play is play in which a child adds dramatic and emotional meaning to activities with representative toys—dolls, trucks, soldiers, homemaking sets, and doctor kits. Its great value lies in the role playing done by the child rather than in the development of specific skills. #5. Hobbies Hobbies which cannot be otherwise classified will generally fall under the heading of collecting activities. Collecting stamps, coins, rocks and minerals, butterflies and insects, sea shells, and leaves are all common and popular hobbies. While some help in the development of certain skills, their greatest value is in the considerable knowledge a child can acquire in pursuing them. Most play can be classified in one of these five groups, and, ideally, play should include all of these types. Also, as skills develop, the activities should move to a higher, more mature level. However, a child does not automatically vary his play or develop in it. This is where the parent’s planning comes in —- continually making the child aware of the broad opportunities available to him in play; initiating certain activities during playtime; making suggestions when the child needs and wants them; buying toys that will, in themselves, lead to new pursuits; stimulating new interests and ideas in any of a variety of ways. The parent should not manage the child’s play, but should try to nudge it in the right directions.

[craftsguide]

Setting Up Your Craft Show Booth

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Setting Up Your Craft Show Booth

Have you ever walked into a store and immediately been so frustrated that you couldn’t even begin to think about spending your money there? Things are haphazardly strewn about, there is little organization, and then to top it all off, when you walk up to an item that you might consider – it has no price tag on it. Don’t let this happen to your craft show booth. You need to keep in mind the same principles of good marketing and merchandising when you set up for a craft show.

The first thing you need to do is have a plan. That means putting together an idea of what your craft show booth is going to look like in advance. I’ve seen so many people just lug their craft show items around in the back of a big van with a few extra stands and tables to place them on. These are the same people that ask, “why didn’t I sell anything this weekend?”.

Planning your craft show booth involves a couple of things: first, you want to talk to the craft show organizer to see how much space you have, and if there are any restrictions to what you can have in or around your booth. Also, ask if you have a reliable power supply to run your booth. This is important. The next thing you want to do is to get a floor plan of where your booth is located so you can figure out the best set up to keep people moving in and through your craft show display.

When you go to set up you craft show booth for the show, there are a couple of things you MUST keep in mind:

No clutter! Keep your crafts well organized into specific areas. If you are a knitter and you have sweaters for kids and adults, you don’t want them together because people will be frustrated with having to sort through the kids sweaters to find the one adult one in the pile.

Spend time perfecting your merchandising skills. If you have a special stained glass window hanging, it would be time well spent to purchase or build a window that you can display in your booth with one of your window hanging’s in it. When people see the item in action, they can picture it in their own homes, or they can picture using it. If they can do this, then they are more likely to part with the money to buy it.

Keep items no lower than waist level – No one really wants to bend over after they have been on their feet all day at a craft show. Keep items within a person’s reach and they will be more likely to pick it up and examine it closely – which leads to more purchases. Leave the floor area for extra stock (in boxes) that you can fill your racks with.

Price everything you have – Make it easy for people to buy your crafts. If you don’t have a price, they may think twice about taking the time to ask – they may just go elsewhere to purchase something at this craft show.

Eliminate log jams. There is nothing worse than having people frustrated by the lack of good flow in a craft show booth. Try and create a natural flow for people to look at your craft show items, be nudged along by others coming through, and right through to the till at the end. If you create to many spaces where people are bottle-necked or they have trouble maneuvering to see different crafts, you are limiting your sales.

Keep your aisles wide and keep everything streamlined. The frustrated customer does not spend their money in a craft show booth that frustrates them.

Remember, you are running a business. Think of that store that you despise going into versus the one where everything flows so nicely, the displays are appealing and all of the price tags are on the items for sale. Make your craft show booth resemble the store you like – and you’ll find that people will spend more money on your crafts!

[craftsguide]

Scary Halloween Crafts

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Scary Halloween Crafts

Looking for some great Halloween crafts for your Halloween party, haunted house, or just for trick-or-treaters? A fun craft is something that can keep you occupied for hours on end especially if you enjoy it. Here are some ideas that will hopefully set you on your way in preparation for your next Halloween… Halloween Crafts Part 1: If you live in a house that has a wood-burning fireplace, then chances are that you have access to tree stumps or large blocks of wood. These are great for making stands for your Jack O’Lanterns. You could use a chisel to slightly hollow out the middle of the stump so that the lantern can sit stably or simply use some Blu-Tack or Velcro. Get some small or mini pumpkins and hollow them out to use as candle holders. If open flames are out of the question, you can put glow sticks instead of candles for a different effect. You can carve, draw or paint faces on the pumpkins too. Instead of pumpkins, you could use apples as well. Ensure that you choose apples that sit well and flat or cut off the bottom to make a flat surface. Remove the stem and cut around it deep enough for the candle. It is best to use taper candles for a better fit. Get a large pumpkin and hollow it out to use as a salad bowl or to serve fresh vegetables. Cut off the top, hollow and clean it out and let it dry in the sun. You could carve a jagged edge design on the top. Do the same with some smaller or mini pumpkins to use for dips or salad dressings. Make a scarecrow in your front yard. You need two pieces of wood, one put into the ground and the other nailed across for the arms. Use old jeans and a shirt and stuff them with newspaper. Add some straw for effect. You can use a plastic pumpkin for the head and draw a face on it. This makes a great Halloween craft for the whole family. Tie glow sticks to helium balloons and let them float around the house. Ensure that some string extends below so that people can easily reach them if they get stuck somewhere or simply to play with them. Use publicly available Halloween fonts on your computer to make banners or invitations for your party. It’s a fast, easy Halloween craft you can use instantly to enhance your party theme. Print them onto inkjet iron-on transfer paper and put them onto your favourite t-shirt or Halloween outfit. Halloween Crafts Part 2. OK, Now We Are Getting Scary… A visit to your local hardware store for some basic items and you could make your own tombstones transforming your garden into an instant graveyard. Paint them grey to resemble stone. Do not worry about the details as it will be dark, but do put on some exciting or scary wordings. By the way, your local hardware store is loaded with Halloween craft ideas. Going trick or treating? Why not make a special jug to collect candies? Cut off the top two inches of a gallon milk jug. Soak to remove any labels. Paint orange. Once dry, paint or stick on eyes nose and mouth resembling a Jack O’Lantern. Use fluorescent paint for a nice effect. The jug can be kept for future reuse. Using six pipe cleaners, you can make your own skeleton. Bend one pipe cleaner into two for the backbone. Twist another around the bottom of the backbone to make into the legs. Do the same for the arms. Join two pipe cleaners and twist them around the backbone leaving some space forming a ribcage. Twist the last pipe cleaner for a head and glue on some eyes. Hang with a rubber band for a bouncing effect. Your kids will love making halloween crafts with pipe cleaners. But be careful when cutting and keep them out of their mouth. Using glue and food coloring, you can make a see through painting. Paint a Halloween image onto a piece of plastic wrap. Before the mixture dries, put another piece of plastic wrap on. Cut it out and hang it in front of a light source for a see through effect. You could also frame the plastic pictures using wood or cardboard if you want them to be longer lasting. Halloween Crafts Part 3. The Real Scary Stuff… Make some hand printed spiders. Apply black paint to your palm and 4 fingers leaving out the thumb. Place palm onto a piece of paper. Turn the paper 180 degrees and print again making sure the palm overlaps. Add some wiggly eyes using either paint or sticks. This is suitable for even 2 or 3 year olds. Make your own blood. It is less expensive than buying ready made blood from the Halloween shops. It’s not difficult; all you need is Karo syrup and food coloring. While you’re at it, why not make some slime using glue, water and borax powder. This is an advanced Hallween craft, so take your time and be careful. Using apples, you can make dried, shrunken heads. Peel the apples and coat with a mixture of lemon juice and salt to prevent browning. Carve out a face of eyes, nose and mouth. Do not worry about the finer details as they will probably be lost when the apple dries. You can use whole cloves for the eyes and rice grains for the teeth. Let the apples sit out in a warm place for about 2 weeks. If you don’t have 2 weeks, you can speed up the drying by putting them into an oven on the lowest temperature for about 45 minutes and then to dry out naturally for the next 2 days or so. Once dried, they shrink and deform into weird and scary looking faces. Says Angie Maroevich, “You don’t have to spend a fortune on commercial Halloween supplies to have a great party. There are many inexpensive alternatives laying around the house or at your local store you can use to create a Halloween theme that will impress all your friends.”

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Loving Your Hobbies More

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Loving Your Hobbies More

With the advent of technology that makes almost every chore less time consuming, more and more time may now be devoted to enjoying your hobbies. More people can now take on one or several recreational activities like photography, stamp collection, embroidery, handicrafts, etc. To provide more resources in the growing interest in having fun with hobbies, the web world has yet gave birth to a website that deals with anything about hobbies: hobbiesataglance.com. This everything about hobbies website has clickable sections regarding hobby supplies, hobby lobby, tower hobbies, collectibles and model trains. It is an online resource center promising hobbie enjoyment, satisfying your hobby needs and assistance in finding hobbies that suit you. On its hobbies updates and information part, it presents tips on how to find a perfect hobby or hobbies. For those looking for supplies, retailers or suppliers of hobbies materials are also found in this section of the site. If one is looking to buy some hand-made crafts or planning to grow some dough, many for-sale crafts and income-producing hobbies also shared the limelight in this website’s hobbies updates and information segment. On one’s prime years, a wide selection of suitable hobbies for those who already retired is also availed in this portion. Links, directories and forums that discuss and lead to other several crafts or activities that can be done leisurely are also provided here. This online hobbies spot also unveils a plethora of hobbies supplies resources. Most of the links found here lead to suppliers of excellent materials, indigenous and synthetic, that make the dream hobbies of a lot of people come true. Painting materials, flowers and plants resources, jewelry making supplies and picture framing materials are all available here. Other more unique hobbies like enjoying the nature through non-conventional methods are also supported in this section of the site through providing stuff like portable microscopes. For those more inclined to mechanical or technical hobbies, web pages and other sites on modeling supplies and aircraft materials can also be accessed on this portion of hobbiesataglance.com. Hobby lobby is another clickable link of this website leads to innumerable stores and shops and their locations with hobbies how-to’s, supplies, workshops and seminars. Craft store catalogs, online coupons and aircraft models may also be seen on this page of updates regarding hobbies. Creative centers, hobby lobby founder, workers and investors are also given ample chance to shine on this fragment of the site. Hobby lobby stores in various States are here too for those looking for their hobby shop within their vicinity. Those who are into tower hobbies are even given a special spot or link on this hobbies website. Building wireless towers that provide Internet access to a massive number of net users is one major feat. Links on other hobbies sites that deal with tower building, tower materials, and other tower crafts are also placed in this page of the site. Collectibles like antiques, figurines, stamps, novelty items and other collection-worthy items may also be found here. Resources on where they can be found or bought are piled on this site. Model trains also found their way on one of the links of this all about hobbies web site. So if you’re just one of those can’t-live-without-my-hobby kind of person, this website is made totally for you.

[craftsguide]

Holiday Gifts: Crafts

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Holiday Gifts: Crafts

Craft gifts are available just about everywhere, from small craft shops to large malls, to state fair craft booths. You can buy them, you can make them yourself or you can give a craft kit and open up a whole new hobby for the people for whom you are buying. There are specific “holiday” themed crafts such as wreaths for Christmas or Halloween, straw scarecrows and corn husk wreaths for Thanksgiving or more general crafts like birdhouses and dollhouses complete with miniature everything, which can also make great holiday gifts.

Ceramics is a relaxing hobby that allows for great creativity and personalization. There is enough in the way of simple projects that even the beginner can put together a beautiful array of holiday gifts. You can start from scratch using poured pieces (green ware); cleaning, painting, firing, glazing and firing again or you can buy pieces that are already cleaned and fired (bisque) paint and glaze them. There are an almost infinite number of different pieces to choose from. You can make statues, candy dishes, lamps or chess sets. You are really only limited by your imagination. Children love painting on bisque (much easier for a child to work with as it isn’t as easily broken as green ware) Check your local phone book for ceramic shops to find the ones that offer lessons and in no time you’ll be making gifts people will cherish. You can find Santas and pumpkins, turkey platters and figurines of Uncle Sam. You can put together a base topped with several figurines and make it into a night-light or dresser lamp. In fact you can find something for just about any holiday as well as for other gifting like showers and birthdays or anniversaries.

If you don’t have time or the inclination to make your own there are ceramic pieces for sale in just about every store you go into. There are decorative plates and glasses, vases and jewelry boxes, dolls and figurines. There are all kinds of sets of figurines; storybook characters, wild west towns, the entire cast of Star Wars characters, complete Christmas villages, entire renaissance worlds with castles, wizards, trolls, dragons, kings, queens, knights. The best part about some of these is that you can buy one piece for each holiday building the set slowly or buy it all at once.

Other great crafts for holiday gift giving are knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch and sewing. Scarves, sweaters, potholders, Afghans, dresses, shirts and the list goes on. Change the color and the design and you can have a gift for any holiday. When you knit, crochet, sew or cross-stitch a piece for someone you can personalize it in the colors and styles that you know suits them.

You can always hook a rug or pillow. There are complete kits that come with a preprinted canvas the hook and all the yarn you will need or you can buy a piece of canvas and draw your own design, buy a hook and your yarn and you’re good to go.

[craftsguide]

Displaying Your Arts & Crafts With Pinterest

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Displaying Your Arts & Crafts With Pinterest

Pinterest is a virtual scrapbook more than anything else. It allows people to share to the world their interest through pictures and other noteworthy pins. People use Pinterest to showcase their talents in arts and craft. Many users got hooked into Pinterest because they want to show their like-minded followers about their talent. Indeed, this site proved to be not only an avenue for businesses to generate traffic and build links for marketing purposes. Pinterest is first and foremost a huge art gallery where people can see other people’s artwork or crafts. People are given the chance to see art otherwise restricted by distance. Now anybody wherever he may be can readily display his artwork all thanks to Pinterest. If you are a dedicated artist, you would surely be interested on how you can display your craft or artwork on Pinterest right? Displaying is one thing but displaying it in style is another. Artists would always go for the best way to display their artwork. They know that the more interesting their pins become the more chances it would be re-pinned and liked. So if you are interested in displaying your pins with style then read on, you may get some pointers along the way. When pinning photographs it is important to move away from the normal. If you are going to pin photographs of crafts it would be better to give it a good backdrop. Try placing your basket amid an interesting backdrop of say a local lake or a local tourist attraction. This will make the photo of the craft truly unique and pin-worthy. Make sure that the backdrop will not steal the thunder from the craft or else it will end just a basket in the middle of a tourist attraction. It will not be much of a use to promoting your craft. Let us take a cue from marketers using Pinterest. There are marketers that use Pinterest in clever ways. They would often photograph their products how it is used in real-world situations. How do you make this idea work for you? Let small children be photographed looking at your sculpture. Photograph celebrities that are marveling at your new painting. Make fuzz about people taking a look at your creations. This will steer influence and will coax people to give a second look at your pins. Another great way to display your arts and crafts is through creative pinboard names. Brainstorm for catchy pinboard names so that people would be more intrigued and would drive their mice to click over and see what is in store for them. Catchy pinboardname suggestions are blue blueberries for blue paintings about still life or brownie baskets for brown baskets that you created as a basket weaver. Using photoshop and photofilters is another great way of putting something unique in the pins. Remember the more unique the pin is, the more likely it will get re-pinned or liked. Either way it will generate a lot of buzz for your pins. More buzz for your pins means more people getting interested on what you have to pin on your pinboard. Truly, Pinterest is a valuable platform to display your arts and crafts. It can become a virtual art gallery if you know how to harness Pinterest’s potential. It is important that you know what attracts people to re-pin your content so that you can get maximum exposure. The more exposure you get will give you a wider audience where you can showcase your talent. Now the world becomes your art gallery!

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Shopping For Local Products In St. Thomas

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Shopping For Local Products In St. Thomas

St. Thomas has long been known as one of the best shopping destinations in the Caribbean. With numerous malls and markets catering to resort and cruise tourists, you can find almost anything you want at a great price in the island’s bustling capital – Charlotte Amalie. However, not all travelers are aware of the wealth of incredible locally-produced products available in St. Thomas. From folk arts and crafts to handmade food products and spices, there are plenty of ways to shop for the best products St. Thomas has to offer.

The best location to find Caribbean folk art and local products is the Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative. Featuring the work of nearly 100 different locals throughout the year, the Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative is the largest shopping center devoted to local artisans in the Virgin Islands. Conveniently located next to the tourist information office in central Charlotte Amalie, the Cooperative allows locals to sell their artwork and handmade products directly to the public from the former United States colonial courthouse.

One of the most popular booths within the Cooperative belongs to Gwendolyn Harley, the artist behind a very popular series of hand-sewn dolls. Throughout the years, Harley has maintained an adoption log and seen her historically-minded dolls travel throughout the world in the hands of tourists and collectors.

For those in search of unique food products, a stop by Cheryl Miller’s booth will yield a number of award-winning flavors. Besides the popular jams and jellies handmade by Miller, five of her sauces – known by the label “Cheryl’s Taste of Paradise” – have taken home trophies from the National Fiery Foods Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can also find Miller’s products within the store she maintains in conjunction with her kitchen at the Compass Point Marina.

One of the Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative’s strangest booths belongs to Justin Todman, known locally as The Broom Man. Utilizing traditional Caribbean methods, The Broom Man weaves date palm fronds in intricate patterns and attaches all lengths of handles to create brooms for every possible purpose. Todman’s brooms are also very popular with couples getting married in St. Thomas, supporting African and Caribbean tradition of newlyweds symbolically jumping over a broom to start their life together.

Art collectors will also want to visit the gallery and silkscreen studio located at Tillet Gardens. For nearly 50 years, Tillet Gardens has served as the home of St. Thomas’ vibrant art community. The gallery is full of paintings and prints by the island’s most talented residents with work available for all budgets and interests. Housed in an old Danish farm, Tillet Gardens is also a great place to spend an afternoon as the site features a great outdoor restaurant and occasional performances by local musicians.

As you walk through the streets of the capital city, you will also see several additional art galleries selling the work of local painters and sculptors. Outside of Tillet Gardens, the best selection of artwork created in the Virgin Islands can be found at Mango Tango. Like Tillet Gardens and the Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative, the work available at Mango Tango and other galleries throughout Charlotte Amalie is reasonably priced, with unique pieces for all tastes and budgets. Also, keep an eye out for artisans selling their work in the small, open-air markets of the city. Many talented individuals sell directly to the public each day and all love sharing their stories with visitors.

St. Thomas is also one of the best locations in the Caribbean to find exotic spices. Much like the fabled Caribbean spice markets of the colonial period, today’s spice markets offer visitors the chance to taste and purchase exotic flavors and gourmet products. The best assortment of Caribbean spices can be found at Caribbean Marketplace, a sprawling emporium that specializes in bulk spices and gourmet condiments. Spices, teas and condiments can also be found at Down Island Traders – a popular store in Charlotte Amalie that also carries locally-made jewelry and crafts.

Like many other islands in the Caribbean, St. Thomas has plenty of talented individuals creating distinctive products by hand. Wherever you travel in St. Thomas, you will be able to find a piece of the island to take home with you. Most importantly, in most cases, you won’t be able to find these special treasures anywhere else.

[craftsguide]

How To Sell Your Crafts

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How To Sell Your Crafts

The cash register rings, and the person across the counter from you smiles as they take the bag you’re handing them. As they walk away beaming with excitement, they’re chattering with their friend that this is exactly what they were looking for, but just haven’t been able to find.

You’re beaming with that deep sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing someone else just walked away with one of your crafts, with a big smile on their face. You’re reminded again that starting your own craft business was one of the best things you ever did.

For years people were telling you that your crafts were wonderful, and you should sell them. They told you that you had a real gift and that you should share it through your own craft business. Turns out they were right, and you’re sure glad you listened to them. Now you’re doing what you love, and making money at it.

As you read the above paragraphs, do you have that sense of longing to have your own craft business? Do you want to be the one hearing the cash register ring and watch people walking away with your crafts smiling as they go?

The difficult part can be just knowing how to get started. How do you go from the idea, to actually selling those crafts. While I can’t cover everything in this article, I can give you some basics as to how to get started.

Decide On A Craft To Sell

One of the first things you need to do is come up with an idea of a craft to sell. If you don’t already have an idea, there are lots of things you can do to get an idea. Here are just a couple of ideas.

* Solve an everyday problem – Look around you and see what it is around you that’s a problem, and come up with a solution for it. It doesn’t have to be complex, just something simple. For example, at our house, we always have tons of pens everywhere. You could come up with a great idea for a nice looking pen holder. There are lots of everyday things like this that can give you ideas.

* Improve on an existing product – Look at at a product you already own, and do a variation of it. Take the idea of a paper towel rack. You could make really fancy paper towel racks and sell them. Maybe make a set of kitchen items centered around a theme. Paper towel rack, napkin holder, salt and pepper shaker holder. This would be improving on something that already exists.

Decide On The Price Of Your Craft

Something else you will need to do is price your craft. This is where a lot of people make a mistake. They don’t consider all of the expenses really involved in producing a craft. You need to consider not only the cost of the supplies, but also the cost of being in the show, gas, and lodging if you are staying away from home. Make sure that you take into consideration all of your costs when coming up with a price.

You also need to determine how much you want to pay yourself an hour. You certainly have to be realistic, but you don’t want to short yourself either. You really do need to get paid.

When you come up with a price that you think is realistic, compare it to other products that are similar to see if you are in the ballpark. Also, ask friends and family for honest feedback. This can be a great way to get an idea if your price is likely to work.

Decide Where To Sell Your Craft

Third, you are going to need to decide on where you will sell your crafts. You need to consider the types of crafts you are selling, and fit them to specific shows. If you are selling items that don’t fit into the show, you may spend money for space, and end up not selling anything.

There are lots of smaller shows that you can get started with, in order to keep the costs down. This will also enable you to test your products and prices without too much investment.

There are lots of websites that will help you locate craft shows. Just type craft shows into Google to find some of these sites.

You can also check with schools, churches and farmers markets to find more possibilities to sell your products.

Once you get rolling you will have more ideas than you can follow.

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Fun Crafts

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Fun Crafts

Many things are made simply for decoration like dolls or flower arrangements. These are great little things to do, however you might want to try out some things that you will find not only decorative, but some that will be functional. Functional craft items are sold at craft fairs and showers, so you will find that by going with functional crafts you will be able to make a lot of money. You will find that there are various crafts that you can do that are functional, but you will want to make sure that it something that you would like to have in your home or office so that you can find a craft idea that you like.

If you would like to find a craft that will be functional and crafty, you will find that making blankets will help you fill your hours with fun and then give you something that you can really use. There are so beautiful, however, you will find that you can show off your creativity, but you will also find that you can build something to keep you warm at night. Quilting is one of the best ways to make a beautiful blanket that can keep you warm at night. If you are not already familiar with quilting, begin with a simple design Rag quilts are fun and relatively easy to make. With only a few instructions and some pieces of fabric, you will be able to create a beautiful and warm quilt. However, if quilting is not your craft of choice, you can use knit, weave, sew, crochet or otherwise craft a blanket.

You can also create rugs for your home to pass the time and to make something functional. Braided rugs are fun and easy to make with a little patience. You can use them on carpet or wood floors, or as welcome mats. Children might like to latch hook. This simple craft can be done by almost anyone, but produces nice rugs and mats. You can always customize the rugs by using colors of materials that will match your home or a loved one’s home. They make great gifts.

If making rugs don’t appeal to you, you can always go with rubber-stamping. You will then be able to create a lot of functional crafts and gifts. Could be more functional than stationary and greeting cards? Instead of purchasing letterhead for your company, make it, using colorful inks and pretty rubber stamps. The nicest part of rubber stamping is that you can order some of the stamps to have your name and address so that you can make some lovely letterhead and so on. Greeting cards can be stamps with your logo on the back so that you can use them to send out at birthdays, but also they become an advertising tool.

There are lots of functional crafts that you can learn and you may be able to make some money or boast your ego by mastering a functional craft. You will find that when you make your own clothing, you will be able to put that old sewing machine to good use and you will be able to make some great designs. When you make your own clothing you will be able to save a lot of money and you will be able to make clothes that custom fit you. If you learn how to make your own clothing, you will be able to make your child’s wedding even more unique by making the wedding dress for your daughter. You have complete control on the way your crafts look and how they function for you.

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Getting Your Craft Show Business Off The Ground

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Getting Your Craft Show Business Off The Ground

For years, family, friends and even people who you just meet, have really liked the crafts you produce. They are the centerpiece for conversation at holiday dinners, or the, “that’s a great idea” thing when neighbors come over for a coffee. So, you’ve decided that you might be able to make a profit off of selling your crafts to others. Great! Here’s what you need to do to make it work!

1.) Have a plan – Even if you just scrawl it down on a piece of loose leaf paper, that will work – but you should definitely go into this with a plan. You will plan for things like: how many craft shows you will attend, the cost to make the craft and how much you should sell it for, craft show expenses (they vary from show to show), how many crafts you want to produce, and so on.

By going into this without a plan, you are essentially going in blindly, without a path to follow. This can be a precursor to failure – and that isn’t what we want. Set some goals, determine a few craft show costs and you are going to be much better off.

2.) Search the markets – A lot of people have expressed an interest in your craft, but are they going to buy it at craft shows? In order to find out, you need to go to a few craft shows before you start out on your own and decide if this product you have will sell. Are others selling it? If so, how is it selling?

Further, you can talk to craft store employees, other crafters, people at the craft shows – essentially anyone who might have an interest in your product and see if your craft is something they would buy. This is a slimmed-down version of market research – but it will be valuable to help you get your craft show business off the ground.

3.) Present well – If you have put together a plan, done your market research and you are ready to take this crafting business to the next level, then here is something you need to think about – presentation. If you just have a few tables with your crafts strewn about on the table – people will be less likely to buy.

However, if you create an attractive sales area, make your products easily accessible and provide a simple transaction for the customer – they are far more likely to buy!

4.) The price is right – You bet it is! You will have to do a little bit of price discovery when you start, just to see the price when most of your crafts are going to sell. Some tips for finding the best prices are: go a penny lower than the next highest number; for example $9.99 instead of $10. Ask people what they would be willing to pay for it. The question may come as a surprise to them, but chances are they will give you an honest answer.

The above points are just the tip of the iceberg. If you are starting a business to sell your crafts at craft shows, you need to do a little bit of groundwork before you start. Talk to others who are in the business and you will find out more along the way. Good luck!

[craftsguide]

Holiday Crafts: Thanksgiving Decorations Kids Can Make

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Holiday Crafts: Thanksgiving Decorations Kids Can Make

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday! What a spiritual renewal to take a day to reflect over the past year about just how good God has been to you and your family, to give you harvest and shelter, health and hope. To get the most out of this joyous occasion, make some holiday crafts with your children. These days, Thanksgiving often gets squeezed out by Hallowe’en’s spooky decorations and the lights and gala of Christmas. With the following holiday crafts, your home can be decorated for this quieter but important celebration.

Turkeys are a natural choice for decorations. A familiar project at this time of year is for a child to trace around her hand and make the resulting drawing into a turkey. The thumb is the head and the fingers are the tail feathers all displayed. While many of the turkeys that are raised for food are now the domestic white variety, the turkeys eaten by the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving were the wild brown ones. The tail feathers on a wild turkey are brown, but they are iridescent. catching light and appearing to be multi-colored. This is why children color the tail feathers in bright colors.

The turkey’s head has a wattle under the beak. This is a vertical flap of loose skin that is red colored. Be sure to draw this in order to make the hand turkey look like a turkey. Add skinny legs and bird feet. When done, the children can cut out the turkeys and hang them on the wall. It’s really cute to make a whole flock of these turkeys in the sizes of all the hands in the family. The little hand shapes are particularly sweet.

Another nice turkey decoration to make when making Thanksgiving holiday crafts is a turkey door decoration. Make a brown construction paper body and head of a turkey. Now make a large number of colored feather shapes. Each family member writes on a feather something he or she is thankful for before attaching as part of the turkey’s tail. Repeat until all the feathers are used, and hang the turkey on the front door to greet visitors with a message of gratitude. Make a sign to accompany the turkey that says “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!” or simply “Be thankful!” or “We’re thankful for you!” or whatever you like.

Children love making construction paper chains. To further decorate the house for Thanksgiving, let them make a paper chain in fall colors as one of their holiday crafts. Using 9 by 12 inch construction paper, cut the paper in half across the long side and cut the halves into one inch thick six inch long strips. Use a stapler to attach the ends of the strip into a circle. Loop the next strip into the circle and staple it. Continue the process alternating colors of brown, red, yellow, and orange. When the chains are long, you can drap them along the ceiling or stair rail. If you don’t make the door turkey, the children can write something they’re thankful for on each strip of paper before adding it to the chain.

Thanksgiving is too nice a holiday to let the other more commercial holidays crowd it out. By making holiday crafts to decorate the home for Thanksgiving, you can keep this day special, too. The extended family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc., will be pleased to see the holiday crafts the young ones have made to decorate the house and make it cheerful for their visit.

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Review Of The Hidden Secrets Of Needlework

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Review Of The Hidden Secrets Of Needlework

I hope this article brings to those who appreciate the real value, the joys of creating pretty and exquisite pieces of work from vintage, old-fashioned craft patterns.

With the introduction of machinery to produce items that used to be created by hand, the life and soul of these products have been lost. I find the satisfaction of producing these items by hand is something that cannot be compared. Also society has been over run and inundated these perfectly reproduced garbage they no longer appreciate the beauty of hand crafted items.

In the late 19th century a design reform and social movement “The Arts and Crafts movement” was coined. These activities are called crafts because originally many of them were professions under the guild system. The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanization of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today ‘crafts’ are most commonly seen as a form of hobby or art. They look hard but they are actually an easy craft project to make.

Some crafts have been practiced for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularizations of crafts which were originally practiced in a very small geographic area. These activities are called crafts because originally many of them were professions under the guild system. Most crafts require a combination of skill, speed, and patience, but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by virtually anyone.

Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework. Needlework is a term applied to two classes of handcraft involving fabrics. Embroidery was being done long before its name was derived, by way of medieval French from the Anglo-Saxon word for “edge. The first, embroidery, is the embellishment of a fabric by designs worked in thread with a needle. Some embroidery techniques produce a basically flat surface; others produce designs in relief.

Antique crochet has enormous character which is displayed in various forms and styles and so antique patterns are sought after by those looking to recreate classic items from a past era. Fortunately there were a lot of books, magazines and patterns published between 1850 and 1950 that have preserved the diversity of crochet creations that represent the peak period of this craft.

Tapestry art was even thought to have covered the walls of the Parthenon. Tapestry crochet is relatively easy and inexpensive; a perfect vehicle to the introduction of fiber art. Tapestry crochet is the art of crocheting with different colored strands of yarn while carrying the yarn, produces woven-like results. Fine Art Great works of art are sometimes reproduced as wall tapestries. These beautiful tapestries have a distinct and extraordinary quality.

Have you ever wondered what Tatting was? Tatting is a form of lace making made up of knots, which are done over a carrier thread. Tatting is a type of knotted lace. Tatting is made up of knotted rings and chains. Two shuttles are used in tatting when the little rings are not to be connected together at the bottom by a thread, when you want to hide the passage of the thread to another group of knots and when threads of several colors are used. Today antique tatting shuttles are highly collectible, as are old patterns and bits of lace.

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Kids and Crafts

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Kids and Crafts

Are you a parent and you find that one of the most rewarding things that you can do with your children is to put crafts together? The people who work with children on a regularly basis is able to find great benefit form the world of crafts. You will find that crafting will help children to show some creativity and be able to show off some skills. You don’t even have to be crafty to enjoy making things with your children.

You will want to make sure that the crafts that you do with your kids are appropriate for their age and also their skill level.. This can be difficult when you are working with a number of children in a classroom setting or when you’re working with your own children and they are of multiple skill levels. It can be impossible to find a craft that you can work your way into more difficult techniques, but the most important part of crafts is something that you will be able to enjoy with your children.

When we were children, one of the most basic craft projects we learned to do is coloring with crayons and markers. This is something great to do with children because you can find many educational coloring book pages. Instead of just having simple construction paper pictures on your fridge, you may want to think about encouraging your child to do more complex projects. Use them to decoupage or make them into greeting cards. Grandparents love getting birthday cards featuring drawings from their grandchildren!

You will want to research some fun projects for you to teach your children about the importance of recycling and how they can use recycling to make beauty objects. Use newspaper, for example, to do paper mache projects and create candles out of old crayons. You will be able to go online and also purchase some craft books to give you plenty of ideas on how you can recycle things like tin cans and tissue boxes (things that you would normally throw away) and make beautiful projects out of them.

It is important that you do projects that are safe for children. You will want to keep in mind that your child is till developing mentally and physically. You do not want to subject them to harmful chemicals that may make them vulnerable or hurt them. Learn what chemicals to avoid and check labels. This is especially important for paints, glues, and clays. Make sure to watch younger children very carefully, as even non-toxic substances can be harmful if they get into a child’s eyes and, in any case, can be difficult to remove from carpets and walls!

If you really do not like doing crafts, you may want to change your mind for the sake of the children. You will find that the craft projects that you do don’t have to be expensive or even messy or difficult. They can be simple, but because you are doing them together, they can be extraordinary. If you notice that your child is taking a real interest in art and crafts you may want to get them enrolled in classes so that they can enhance their skills and embrace that aspect of their world.

[craftsguide]

Free kindergarten apple crafts

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Free kindergarten apple crafts

Fall is a great time to look for some great free kindergarten apple crafts since fall is when apples come into season! You can make some great craft projects that revolve around apples. In fact, many teachers specifically teach the story of Johnny Appleseed in the fall so they can use all of the free kindergarten apple crafts that are available to them. There is no reason that you can’t do the same thing at home! Here are some of the free kindergarten apple crafts that we have found and that you can do at home for a little weekend fun!

Did you know that when you cut an apple in half, it can make a star shape? Set the apple right side up on the cutting board and then cut across the middle. That means you will cut right in the middle below where the stem is. Once the apple is cut in half, remove the seeds, and you will have a star. Dip the apple into some washable poster paint and then press the apple onto construction paper to make some fun star designs. Let your child be as creative as they want to be, but be sure to cover your work area with newspaper so the paint does not damage anything!

Another one of the great free kindergarten apple crafts that we found is really cute and easy. Give your child some brown construction paper and have them tear it into pieces. Then help them glue it onto a piece of white construction paper in the shape of a tree. Take a small sponge and dip the edge of it into green washable paint. Dab it onto the branches to make leaves. Then, using red paint, have your child dip the pad of their index finger into red paint and place “apples” all over the tree. For a fun little twist, have them draw happy faces on the apples.

Another of the great free kindergarten apple crafts that we love to use is to make stained glass apples. These are especially easy and perfect for the kindergarten age. Draw the shape of an apple on a piece of red construction paper. You can probably find pictures of apples someplace on the Internet. Just print it out and trace it onto the paper. Have your child cut out the apple. Then – you will probably have to do this part – about an inch away from the edge of the apple, cut out the center. Have your child apple glue with a glue stick all around the edges and place a piece of tissue paper or cellophane over the glue. Press to make sure it sticks. Then trim around the edges. Add a stem by gluing a piece of pipe cleaner at the top and you have a stained glass apple! Make sure to hang it in a window so the sun can shine through it!

Finding free kindergarten apple crafts is not difficult. There are many that are online on the Internet if you take the time to search for them. Then have fun!

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Romantic Boyfriend Crafts Send A Message Of Love

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Romantic Boyfriend Crafts Send A Message Of Love

Are you looking to design romantic boyfriend crafts? Perhaps his birthday is coming up and you want to make him something unique. Or, maybe it’s Christmas and your budget for gifts is a little thin. In either case, romantic boyfriend crafts send him the message that you love him enough to put some thought into his gift.

It is sometimes stressful to try to find the right kind of gift to give your boyfriend. A romantic gift is even tougher. Consider forgoing stressful trips into stores looking for the right gift and make it yourself. Romantic boyfriend crafts are an inexpensive and creative way to show the man in your life that you appreciate and love him. Often, if you make a gift yourself, it can be more personal and more romantic than a gift bought in a store and he will appreciate it more.

Romantic gift ideas don’t have to be expensive and you don’t even have to buy one. Use the resources you have at your disposal to make the perfect gift for your partner. While there are many romantic gift ideas are available in stores, what makes a gift more romantic is its originality. You don’t have to give the usual gifts that almost every man receives during special occasions such as ties, books, and clothing. You can use your creativity to make a unique and very romantic boyfriend craft for the man in your life.

When you choose to do romantic boyfriend crafts, you should think about him as an individual and the relationship the two of you share. You want this gift to speak not only to the inside jokes, experiences, and memories you share but also to the man’s personality. Ideally, the gift works on a number of different levels and shows the person that you have listened and know what they are passionate about.

Consider making your romantic boyfriend crafts say something about the person and your relationship. A scrapbook with images that track the passage of your relationship can be a great gift. Write in inside jokes and especially important or hilarious moments in the scrap book. Some of the most romantic gifts capture the things that make you both laugh.

Another idea is to sew a quilt with your man’s favorite sports teams or inspired by his favorite books.

Personalized coffee mugs, picture frames, collages, and embroidered handkerchiefs are some of the most creative and useful romantic boyfriend crafts you can make. Give them to the special man in your life and he will love you forever.

Consider where your boyfriend will use the gift. If the mug is meant for use in the office, don’t use risqué images or any anything that might be ruin his professional reputation. If the gift is meant for private use such as a memory book, you have more latitude to play around and bring in tongue-in-cheek jokes, memories, and even some silly or outrageous photographs.

Taking the time, thought, and energy to actually make a gift yourself is often more romantic than buying yet another tie or book in the store. Romantic boyfriend crafts show the man in your life that you truly care. When you put a lot of time and effort into this gift, he won’t soon forget it.