Are you an avid crafter? If so, you may be searching for a unique way to set your crafts apart from the rest. While there are many new hobbies and techniques that you can learn to accomplish this task, stamping should be atop your list. Below are a few reasons that you may want to add rubber stamps to your craft drawer.
· Easy to Use
Unlike painting or other difficult techniques, stamps are often easy to use. You don't have to have a creative touch to be able to use rubber stamps. A few simple tips will have you creating great designs with ease. This makes rubber stamping attractive to those who may not be able to paint but still want to add color and creativity to their crafts. You will quickly find yourself wondering why you didn't make the decision to add stamps to your craft drawer long ago. Stamping is a simple, elegant way to add a creative touch to all of your crafts.
· Unique Designing
One of the best things about using rubber stamps is the ability to create a truly unique design. A combination of rubber stamps can give you access to one of a kind creations that others will envy. Whether you are creating a homemade card or a wall hanging for a friend, using stamps to get the job done will make a lasting impression like none other. If your mind can imagine it, there is likely a rubber stamp that you can buy to represent it.
· Endless Possibilities
Rubber stamps can be used in virtually any craft or hobby. Creating Valentine's cards, holiday cards, or birthday cards will be an interesting experience once you begin rubber stamping. Even something as simple as writing a letter to a friend can become a craft once you begin adding your own personal logo or signature to the letter.
If you haven't considered trying your hand at stamping, perhaps it is time that you take on the challenge. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy crafting with stamps. Explore the endless opportunities that this hobby can bring to your crafts, whether you enjoy making homemade cards, scrapbooking, writing letters to friend, or designing invitations and stationary for special events adding a collection of stamps to your craft drawer will without a doubt be a good choice. As you progress with this activity you will be pleased to learn that a number of specialist retailers are now offering you the opportunity to design and customise your own stamps, meaning that your designs can be truly unique.
If you want to give stamping a go then why not invest in a collection of custom rubber stamps, making your designs unique. Visit http://www.speedystamps.co.uk today.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lindsey_Watson
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6830281
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Learn How To Sell At Craft Shows And Turn Your Crafts Into Your Goldmine Of Cash
There are quite a few people who are wondering just how to sell at craft shows. They're making some cool crafts; their friends love their crafts, whatever they happen to be, and they've been told they really should start marketing them.
Well, once you've got some good crafts that people are willing to pay money for, usually the next step is setting up a craft fair display at some local craft shows. This helps you see if you have a wide enough market for your unique items and if so, you should make enough money to invest it into turning your crafts hobby into a nice little business to make some extra cash.
So how do you find out how to sell at craft shows? A couple of ways actually. The first thing you should do is visit some local craft fair events. This will give you an idea of what's selling and how other crafters are setting up their craft fair booths.
Once you're pretty sure that your craft items should sell, you need to know how to sell at craft shows so you actually will sell some of your items. So get a list of craft fair events around in your area. It's better to start out with some of the events that don't charge a lot for a table or space to set up.
One part of learning how to sell at craft shows is deciding what items to take and how many of them you're going to take with you. You want to have enough on hand to sell, but you also don't want it to take forever to set up.
Put together some test craft fair displays at home a couple of times to get a feel for how to set it up. You'll need to know how long it's going to take you get your tables ready for the public so you're ready by the time the event opens. You don't want to still be setting up while browsers are trying to see what you're selling.
This may be one of the key aspects in how to sell at crafts shows. If you're still setting up your booth after the show has started, you're not only jeopardizing your own sales, you may actually be disturbing your neighbor's ability to make sales too.
Browsers and potential buyers may avoid your corner because you're not set up yet, and that will actually deter some good foot traffic to those who are set up around you. So you want to be courteous - be on time, know what you're doing, and be ready for the potential buyers before the doors open.
You also want to make sure that your craft fair booth or table is inviting to the visitors, who are also your potential buyers. If your booth or table is attractive, people will be curious and interested in what you have to sell.
And if you've done your research and you've learned how to sell at craft shows, you should have very successful turnouts and cash for your efforts.
About the Author: Karen Musselman and her husband are avid custom niche crafters and have attended and been a part of many craft shows over the years. Learn how to sell at craft shows with their ebook, "Turn Your Crafts Into Your Goldmine Of Cash!" starting from what to make through how to display your booth.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_S_Musselman
Well, once you've got some good crafts that people are willing to pay money for, usually the next step is setting up a craft fair display at some local craft shows. This helps you see if you have a wide enough market for your unique items and if so, you should make enough money to invest it into turning your crafts hobby into a nice little business to make some extra cash.
So how do you find out how to sell at craft shows? A couple of ways actually. The first thing you should do is visit some local craft fair events. This will give you an idea of what's selling and how other crafters are setting up their craft fair booths.
Once you're pretty sure that your craft items should sell, you need to know how to sell at craft shows so you actually will sell some of your items. So get a list of craft fair events around in your area. It's better to start out with some of the events that don't charge a lot for a table or space to set up.
One part of learning how to sell at craft shows is deciding what items to take and how many of them you're going to take with you. You want to have enough on hand to sell, but you also don't want it to take forever to set up.
Put together some test craft fair displays at home a couple of times to get a feel for how to set it up. You'll need to know how long it's going to take you get your tables ready for the public so you're ready by the time the event opens. You don't want to still be setting up while browsers are trying to see what you're selling.
This may be one of the key aspects in how to sell at crafts shows. If you're still setting up your booth after the show has started, you're not only jeopardizing your own sales, you may actually be disturbing your neighbor's ability to make sales too.
Browsers and potential buyers may avoid your corner because you're not set up yet, and that will actually deter some good foot traffic to those who are set up around you. So you want to be courteous - be on time, know what you're doing, and be ready for the potential buyers before the doors open.
You also want to make sure that your craft fair booth or table is inviting to the visitors, who are also your potential buyers. If your booth or table is attractive, people will be curious and interested in what you have to sell.
And if you've done your research and you've learned how to sell at craft shows, you should have very successful turnouts and cash for your efforts.
About the Author: Karen Musselman and her husband are avid custom niche crafters and have attended and been a part of many craft shows over the years. Learn how to sell at craft shows with their ebook, "Turn Your Crafts Into Your Goldmine Of Cash!" starting from what to make through how to display your booth.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_S_Musselman
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Christmas Craft Materials
Christmas crafts are a wonderful way to share the holiday spirit with loved ones. They are a perfect way to involve children, parents, grandparents, siblings and even friends in making special gifts for the holiday season. After all, I think the best gifts are homemade ones! Also, making these crafts can be a lot fun. I like to gather friends and family, serve apple cider and cocoa, play Christmas movies and make crafts. It is a wonderful holiday tradition my friends and family have been doing for now.
A popular Christmas craft material would be felt. Felt is a basic necessity in several different kinds of crafts. It can be used in everything from ornaments to making stockings. Another great thing about felt is it is very inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors! There is not a shortage of Christmas craft fun that can be achieved through the use of felt. It is perfect for making crafts with kids too, as they can cut the fabric with the utmost ease.
Another great vessel for making fun yuletide crafts would be beads. Beads and other pretty and sparkly embellishments are wonderful for decorating ornaments, stockings, door hangings and more. I love to make simple Christmas balls using pretty beads to decorate them. Also, if using felt to make a stocking I love to use beads for extra embellishment. Every year I like to make a felt stocking for a local child or pet in the neighborhood. I then pack the stocking with candy for kids, or bones for dogs, and take it to the family.
Glitter is also a great item for making Christmas crafts. Again, this is perfect for making Christmas ball ornaments. You can buy simple glass balls and roll them in various shades of glitter. This is perfect for entertaining the children. If glass is an issue craft stores will also sell a variety of plastic and other kid-friendly ornaments for decorating.
However, I have to say my favorite Christmas craft materials are the edible kind! I love to make gingerbread houses first and foremost. After purchasing a house you can pick up frosting, sprinkles and edible garnish that children will love to make! Another great idea for some edible crafts is to make edible Christmas trees. All you need is a foam cone, and some individually wrapped candies. You simply pin the candies on the trees and you have a wonderful edible Christmas craft!
Christine is a professional writer who provides information on Christmas craft materials for All Christmas Crafts - your premiere online resource for Christmas craft ideas!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Rankin
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6755473
A popular Christmas craft material would be felt. Felt is a basic necessity in several different kinds of crafts. It can be used in everything from ornaments to making stockings. Another great thing about felt is it is very inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors! There is not a shortage of Christmas craft fun that can be achieved through the use of felt. It is perfect for making crafts with kids too, as they can cut the fabric with the utmost ease.
Another great vessel for making fun yuletide crafts would be beads. Beads and other pretty and sparkly embellishments are wonderful for decorating ornaments, stockings, door hangings and more. I love to make simple Christmas balls using pretty beads to decorate them. Also, if using felt to make a stocking I love to use beads for extra embellishment. Every year I like to make a felt stocking for a local child or pet in the neighborhood. I then pack the stocking with candy for kids, or bones for dogs, and take it to the family.
Glitter is also a great item for making Christmas crafts. Again, this is perfect for making Christmas ball ornaments. You can buy simple glass balls and roll them in various shades of glitter. This is perfect for entertaining the children. If glass is an issue craft stores will also sell a variety of plastic and other kid-friendly ornaments for decorating.
However, I have to say my favorite Christmas craft materials are the edible kind! I love to make gingerbread houses first and foremost. After purchasing a house you can pick up frosting, sprinkles and edible garnish that children will love to make! Another great idea for some edible crafts is to make edible Christmas trees. All you need is a foam cone, and some individually wrapped candies. You simply pin the candies on the trees and you have a wonderful edible Christmas craft!
Christine is a professional writer who provides information on Christmas craft materials for All Christmas Crafts - your premiere online resource for Christmas craft ideas!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Rankin
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6755473
Thursday, 24 November 2011
How to Learn Any Handicraft ?!
Perhaps you've noticed a revival of the classic home arts like knitting, crocheting and quilting that has taken place over the past ten or twenty years. Many people are looking to reconnect with their past and enjoy the satisfaction and stress reducing benefits of handicraft, but aren't sure where to start.
In days gone by, needlecraft skills were passed down from grandmother, to mother to daughter, but today, most of us must look outside of our homes for instruction.
Craft Shops
Quilting, knitting, craft and fabric stores are picking up the slack, offering in-expensive classes in all types of crafting. Experienced teachers give hands on training as students complete projects under their helpful supervision.
Search the term 'quilting store' 'craft classes' or 'fabric shop' in one of the online search engines to find locations in your area. Most shops will have an online presence where they list the various classes they offer and when they are taught.
Even if you don't take a class, feel free to drop in to your nearest store and ask for help getting started. The staff at most crafting shops can demonstrate everything from threading a sewing machine to how to a cluster stitch in crochet, and they are happy to do it.
Online Tutorials
If you want to learn how to do just about anything these days, you can probably learn it on the internet. Tutorials both free and at a minimal cost abound for almost any craft you can think of. Search 'how to...' and you'll be amazed at the many options available. Are you a visual learner? Then search Google under the heading of 'video', and watch a skilled artisan demonstrate anything from making a rag rug to how to knit a sweater.
Clubs and Socials
Church groups and specialty clubs routinely hold meetings to sew, quilt or stitch together. Some of these are sponsored by private individuals, and others are associated with fabric or yarn stores. Generally they are free and open to the public.
Many churches still hold quilting bee's that donate their finished quilts to new moms who are part of the congregation or local charities. Joining is a great way to learn from seasoned experts, help out a worthy cause and enjoy some fun conversation at the same time.
If you have an interest in learning the domestic arts practiced by your great-great grandmother, don't delay. There are so many ways to get started, and who knows, you may be the one to pass these skills down to your own children and grandchildren.
Deanne Blackhurst is a freelance writer for Creative U Studios. We are a unique creative arts studio and craft shop, featuring dozens of designer yarns and the widest variety of classes in the Santa Clarita, California area. Come browse our yarn selection at http://www.creativeu.net/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deanne_Blackhurst
In days gone by, needlecraft skills were passed down from grandmother, to mother to daughter, but today, most of us must look outside of our homes for instruction.
Craft Shops
Quilting, knitting, craft and fabric stores are picking up the slack, offering in-expensive classes in all types of crafting. Experienced teachers give hands on training as students complete projects under their helpful supervision.
Search the term 'quilting store' 'craft classes' or 'fabric shop' in one of the online search engines to find locations in your area. Most shops will have an online presence where they list the various classes they offer and when they are taught.
Even if you don't take a class, feel free to drop in to your nearest store and ask for help getting started. The staff at most crafting shops can demonstrate everything from threading a sewing machine to how to a cluster stitch in crochet, and they are happy to do it.
Online Tutorials
If you want to learn how to do just about anything these days, you can probably learn it on the internet. Tutorials both free and at a minimal cost abound for almost any craft you can think of. Search 'how to...' and you'll be amazed at the many options available. Are you a visual learner? Then search Google under the heading of 'video', and watch a skilled artisan demonstrate anything from making a rag rug to how to knit a sweater.
Clubs and Socials
Church groups and specialty clubs routinely hold meetings to sew, quilt or stitch together. Some of these are sponsored by private individuals, and others are associated with fabric or yarn stores. Generally they are free and open to the public.
Many churches still hold quilting bee's that donate their finished quilts to new moms who are part of the congregation or local charities. Joining is a great way to learn from seasoned experts, help out a worthy cause and enjoy some fun conversation at the same time.
If you have an interest in learning the domestic arts practiced by your great-great grandmother, don't delay. There are so many ways to get started, and who knows, you may be the one to pass these skills down to your own children and grandchildren.
Deanne Blackhurst is a freelance writer for Creative U Studios. We are a unique creative arts studio and craft shop, featuring dozens of designer yarns and the widest variety of classes in the Santa Clarita, California area. Come browse our yarn selection at http://www.creativeu.net/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deanne_Blackhurst
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Thai Silk and Umbrellas - Unique Chiang Mai Handicraft
On average we tend to think of umbrellas as mundane things churned out from a factory, made of stainless steel and a bit of plastic, usually cheap flimsy things you buy in a hurry when it's starting to rain and dispose of with quickly. Or maybe you have a favorite one inherited from your grandfather. But for the most part umbrellas are just, well... umbrellas! You don't think about that stuff anymore than you would a fork, a knife, or the office chair you are sitting in reading this article, browsing the Internet, chatting with friends on Facebook.
What if I told you that in Chiang Mai making umbrellas is an art form, and that each and every one has been crafted with loving care so that no two of them are quite alike?
In places like Baan Bor Saang in the San Kam Paeng area in Chiang Mai, there is a vast cottage industry built around mulberry paper products, one of which is the belle of the ball: parasols made of bamboo wood and mulberry paper. Commonly called jong in the regional Lanna dialect of the north (the dialect itself is named kham mueng, literally "city language" in relation to the old Lanna Kingdom as the center of the north). The parasol itself is considered a symbol of prestige, having been the province of aristocrats, nobility and monkhood in feudal times: the more elaborate one is, the higher one's status.
Parasols were often used during ceremonies for blessing, engagement, and state occasions presided over by the reigning monarch: the parasol-bearer was considered to have the same honor as a standard-bearer during wartime. Common patterns used to decorate each parasols were auspicious Buddhist symbols, colorful flora, and fortune-bringing animals such as birds and turtles. Flowers and leaves were also a common theme.
Today the artists of Baan Bor Saang continue to craft these highly exceptional works of art. While the common tourist souvenir tends to look cheap, some of the best works done in this village turn out truly memorable patterns done on silk and mulberry paper: both of which are materials that have also been handmade in the cottage industry ecosystem of Chiang Mai. Silk of high quality is dyed and woven with beautiful threads to create astonishing, shimmering effects to catch the eye and hold the attention. The mulberry paper itself, far from being common factory products, is individually dyed sheet by sheet into batik patterns or elaborate scripts in the Lanna alphabet telling local folklores, stories, and legends.
This entire process helps support the highly creative concentration of artists in Chiang Mai, maintaining a self-sufficient system where there is little to no need to import materials from outside the country or even the province, as both bamboo, mulberry paper and silk are grown in Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces such as Lamphun and Lampang. The history of parasol-making in Baan Bor Saang can be traced a hundred years previous thanks to the cultural and intellectual exchange of a Thai monk and a Burmese craftsman that made the village one of the most productive and prestigious when it comes to the making of Thai umbrellas.
Visiting Chiang Mai, Thailand? Find more information about the city in our tours and sightseeing guide and our Chiang Mai accommodation choices.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6429265
What if I told you that in Chiang Mai making umbrellas is an art form, and that each and every one has been crafted with loving care so that no two of them are quite alike?
In places like Baan Bor Saang in the San Kam Paeng area in Chiang Mai, there is a vast cottage industry built around mulberry paper products, one of which is the belle of the ball: parasols made of bamboo wood and mulberry paper. Commonly called jong in the regional Lanna dialect of the north (the dialect itself is named kham mueng, literally "city language" in relation to the old Lanna Kingdom as the center of the north). The parasol itself is considered a symbol of prestige, having been the province of aristocrats, nobility and monkhood in feudal times: the more elaborate one is, the higher one's status.
Parasols were often used during ceremonies for blessing, engagement, and state occasions presided over by the reigning monarch: the parasol-bearer was considered to have the same honor as a standard-bearer during wartime. Common patterns used to decorate each parasols were auspicious Buddhist symbols, colorful flora, and fortune-bringing animals such as birds and turtles. Flowers and leaves were also a common theme.
Today the artists of Baan Bor Saang continue to craft these highly exceptional works of art. While the common tourist souvenir tends to look cheap, some of the best works done in this village turn out truly memorable patterns done on silk and mulberry paper: both of which are materials that have also been handmade in the cottage industry ecosystem of Chiang Mai. Silk of high quality is dyed and woven with beautiful threads to create astonishing, shimmering effects to catch the eye and hold the attention. The mulberry paper itself, far from being common factory products, is individually dyed sheet by sheet into batik patterns or elaborate scripts in the Lanna alphabet telling local folklores, stories, and legends.
This entire process helps support the highly creative concentration of artists in Chiang Mai, maintaining a self-sufficient system where there is little to no need to import materials from outside the country or even the province, as both bamboo, mulberry paper and silk are grown in Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces such as Lamphun and Lampang. The history of parasol-making in Baan Bor Saang can be traced a hundred years previous thanks to the cultural and intellectual exchange of a Thai monk and a Burmese craftsman that made the village one of the most productive and prestigious when it comes to the making of Thai umbrellas.
Visiting Chiang Mai, Thailand? Find more information about the city in our tours and sightseeing guide and our Chiang Mai accommodation choices.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6429265
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