Archive for November, 2009
When it comes to popularity as a craft or hobby, scrapbooking is right up there with the top favorites. Creating memories for ourselves and for future generations is not only a fun pastime, it is also a very rewarding and practical one. A scrapbook will be looked at and enjoyed many, many times as the weeks, months, and years roll by.
For this reason, it is important to produce an album that is neat, attractive, and of high quality. One important feature that many people often forget to include is journaling. The photos you include will tell only part of the story. Allow a space so that you can write a few words to explain the things that are happening in the pictures. This will complete the story you are trying to tell and bring back more memories.
Not only are candy bouquets fun and easy to make, they make neat decorative table settings for parties and other banquets. Just picture in your mind how your table will look with an assortment of candy bouquets scattered across your table(s) as centerpieces. You may have to instruct your guests that they are not there to eat, but to look at!
If you have an occasion with door prizes, consider giving these beautiful arrangements as your door prizes at the end of your meeting. What a treat that would be to take home!
Regardless of how you do your scrapbooking – traditionally or digitally – Christmas is a great time to make a record of your holiday gatherings and events. Just snap pictures of any interesting or unusual moments that catch your attention. Later you can sort your photos as you see fit and decide on a theme (or multiple themes) for your pages.
When it comes to scrapbooking themes, there are a vast assortment of them available to celebrate the Christmas season. With a little research, you can find quite an abundance of ideas and free digital scrapbooking themes on the internet to get you started.
Can you remember a time before computers? Or perhaps you recall a time when computers were in existence, but only a few large companies had them (and they were monstrous in size). I can remember at one time someone said, “Someday there will be computers in every home.” I just could not imagine that day ever arriving. BUT here we are; we not only have one computer in our homes – many of us have several.
That being said – with the arrival of computers, we now have a whole new world opened up to us. Among the amazing new opportunities available online is digital scrapbooking. Digital scrapbooking allows us to accomplish pretty much everything electronically that we would otherwise do manually, making the process much easier. It makes one wonder what further developments are in store for us?
When it comes right down to it, you may find that scrapbooking requires a lot of time, space, and dedication. One of the first things a beginner scrapbooker may learn is that it can take quite a bit ot time to finish an album. The next thing a newbie must consider is the amount of supplies (albums, paper, stickers, glue, tape, rubber stamps and pads, scissors, pens and markers) needed to finish an attractive scrapbook, and along with that, the space needed to store these items.
The perfect solution to these problems ( if they are problems to you) is digital scrapbooking. Do not feel intimidated if you are a little lacking in computer skills. Digital scrapbooking is easy to learn, and you’re sure to find that designing pages and creating albums will run much more smoothly for you.
Scrapbooking is such great fun, a hobby with great rewards. It involves making a visual memory (in album form) of the activities and experiences of one’s life while interacting with family and friends. It is a permanent way to keep cherished memories alive and also to pass them on to future generations.
Most of us enjoy looking through photo albums, but photos alone do not give us the complete story. Creative scrapbookers can take a photo (or several photos), add a bit of journaling, and a few other embellishments, and tell us a complete story of a special event on a page or two.
With Thanksgiving just 3 days away and Christmas not far behind, hopefully your holiday crafts and other projects are close to being completed. If not, you still have a few weeks to catch up.
While many people enjoy making their own Christmas cards, I’m afraid that I haven’t been that ambitious this year. It is just too easy to buy nice ones so I’ll just admit I have been remiss in that area. However, I’m not behind in everything. I got an early start on decorating and put my tree up last week – something I don’t usually do until after Thanksgiving.
There’s Nothing Wrong with Some Window Dressing
The proposition of painting glass windows is a tricky one for several reasons. First, it’s crucial to select an appropriate piece of glass and a type of paint that will show up well and behave the way you want it to when applied to glass. In lieu of a palette, you’ll want to use a spare piece of glass – perhaps an old dish or glass cup. Test out your colors on that surface first to see the way they will appear on the glass window.
You’ll also need to decide whether to employ opaque colors or transparent ones. It really comes down to the question of whether you want to be able to see out the window at all. If the window is being used strictly for artistic purposes, opaque paints should work fine. The final consideration for painting on glass windows involves the issue of permanence. An air-dry paint might suit you well for the purpose.
With the development of new paints, painting on glass has become much easier. In the past, some of the glass paints were not permanent unless the finished painted glass item was baked in an oven. Other paints for glass required that a clear layer of some sort be applied to the surface before painting, and other paints were just plain runny.
While browsing Wal Mart one day, I happened to pass the wedding department and spotted these cute little goblet candles. They are about 3 to 4 inches tall and have a tiny white ribbon with silver bells attached. Well, I bought several of them ($4.99 for a set of 4), brought them home, removed the ribbon, and painted a small flower design on each of them. I then attached a small colored ribbon to match the paint of the flower. Now this is where the new paint came in handy. Can you imagine what would happen if I tried to bake these in order to set the paint? Melted Wax!
If you are interested in these, it appears as if Wal Mart has discontinued these. (They do have plastic ones – not as nice.) However, I did find similar ones in a craft store in the candle department. In fact, these were even nicer as the wax in the goblets comes in a variety of colors.
These make dainty inexpensive little gifts for a favorite waitress, friend, etc.
Would you agree that woodworking designs can make the difference in how your finished item turns out? You may have a world of experience as a woodworker, and your work may be excellent, but the lack of a good design can ruin your best efforts.
There are numerous woodworking designs available in books, magazines, and online – some of them free. Do a bit of research to find one that is pleasing to the eyes and fits your needs. Then gather your supplies and begin your project.