Akers Arts and Crafts

The Return Of Arts And Crafts - New And Contemporary Style by: Amy Wells

2011-12-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

The terms Arts and Crafts and Objective Fashion are often utilized synonymously today. They refer to a style of house design and furniture emphasizing natural supplies, especially wooden, and showcasing a pronounced geometry in the style. Their tremendous revival in reputation stems largely from their association with hand-crafted components (although several knock-offs are produced by machine), a rarity in this technologically superior age. The items offer an heirloom high quality along with a patina that deepens with age. Arts and Crafts furniture and interiors are also usually extremely durable and traditional with a timeless appeal. They suit today’s wish to simplify and get back to basics. Arts and Crafts interiors are an perfect marriage of function and aesthetic; spaces are created to function for individuals residing there. To produce your personal Arts and Crafts inside, there are a number of components to consider, both in supplies and style.

The materials of an Arts and Crafts interior, although not limited to nature, emphasize wooden, jewel, glass (made from sand), ceramic tiles (made from minerals/earth), and textiles (utilizing wool, cotton, or linen fibers, and, of course, leather-based). Much with the visible pattern comes from the grain with the wooden selected. Traditionally oak was used, but currently natural cherry is frequently loved. The oak tends to have a golden brown gleam, although the cherry is redder. Each darken naturally with age, which would be to be expected.

Flooring, all architectural trim/molding, doorways, stair rails and stiles, and exposed structural supports are all typically wood, oak being most prevalent. Waxed or oil finishes prevail. Joints are pegged, or hand-crafted metal hardware is used. Door knobs, cabinet pulls and the like are once more hand-crafted wrought iron or bronze in black, umber, or verdigris. Several are square or rectangular formed and therefore are hand hammered. For a lighter appear, some home owners today are opting for a soft brushed pewter or nickel end instead. Once you have the guidelines, you can bend them to go well with. If an alternative to a wooden floor is desired, tile or slate would be appropriate substitutes. The tile ought to be big and laid inside a linear pattern, not around the diagonal.

To balance and enhance the visual depth with the wooden, walls are sometimes treated with a textured paint or plastered. (The previous bungalows have original plaster.) A good wager is the riv rock end that Ralph Lauren paint provides. Paint schemes bear an affect from dynamics with goldenrod yellows, burnt sienna browns, cimmaron and Indian reds, sage and moss greens, and a neutral palette of earthy tans, toasts, and beiges. The general feeling includes a harmony, continuity, with all components working together, none upstaging the other. It's about making an organic home, one that functions within its atmosphere and tends to make probably the most of its environment each outdoors and inside.

Fireplaces have wood or stone mantels, with stone, ceramic or sometimes brick surrounds. The wooden is again oak having a golden stain, usually waxed or rubbed, not polyurethaned. Satin or matte finishes rule. Stone is field stone-- stacked dry or with mortar, it presents a fantastic textural visual. RIV rock may be utilized as an alternative and also the spherical clean stones provide a counterpoint towards the rectilinear geometry otherwise current. Ceramic tiles will typically possess a motif from dynamics, perhaps a leaf or acorn, or be an iridescent end. These days glass tiles are also used to great advantage. Brick, when employed, is smooth faced and laid in clean horizontal bands. Once more, one of the clear features of an Arts and Crafts inside is the linear quality. The sensation that the house is component of a larger view, part of the horizon, is all an work to become from and of the earth.

Historically, many of the Arts and Crafts and Objective houses sported artwork goblet windows, or at least many panes. This enabled windows to be left uncovered and nonetheless seem ornamental. Today, artwork goblet windows can be price prohibitive besides in select areas, so if therapy is preferred for both privateness, light, or heat manage, easier is much better. This translates to either plain Roman shades, silhouettes, wood blinds, or panels on either tabs or rings on a ornamental rod (wooden or wrought iron) with finials. If tiebacks are preferred think about sisal tassels, easy and daring, or perhaps a band of the same material as the drapery. No trim or other decorative element is needed. Material patterns may herald nature, this kind of as being a leaf print, or be primarily based in geometry. There's a wide range on the marketplace these days including historical prints by William Morris and styles by Frank Lloyd Wright. The same might also be discovered in wall covering, though use it sparingly as it's often busy and distracting. Arts and Crafts and Mission Fashion these days each symbolize a wish to get a wholesome, hearty way of life, a return to yesterday’s values.

Furniture in the Arts and Crafts house are again wood, occasionally with a wrought iron or ceramic tile accent. Goblet is hardly ever utilized. Tables, becoming functional too as great looking, frequently have a minimum of a drawer and a shelf for storage. Shapes are squares, rectangles and octagons. Today more rounds are available. Again, the geometry produced by edges is most obvious. Sofas and chairs are sometimes wood backed with uncovered wood arms and cushions that can be easily cleaned or modified out relying on the season. Flexibility and adaptability are prime features. Mission style goes a step additional and frequently offers sofas or chairs with a deep wood shelf surrounding them acting as the arm along with a desk (Frank Lloyd Wright design), which provides the illusion of the built-in item. Leather is frequently utilized or materials in natural fibers such as cotton, linen, or wool. Wealthy colours and geometric or patterns drawn from dynamics abound. Probably the most significant interest will come from the combination of elements, once more, no 1 piece dominating. Active habits are used sparingly, growing longevity and versatility of the furnishings. Resources for furniture consist of Stickley, American Impressions by Ethan Allen, and Cotswald Furniture, a superior useful resource for hand-crafted furniture and more in Atlanta.

Lights in an Arts and Crafts or Mission home is vital, especially with all the darkish woods and depth of color schemes well-liked. Although ceiling lights, including recessed, can provide a good common light, it's far more effective and pleasing to adopt a wealth of luminaries. Torchieres (flooring lamps that give uplight, and therefore are greatest positioned in corners) can provide valuable common lighting, while desk lamps and flooring lamps supply invitation and welcome. Accent lighting can be carried out with mantel lamps, sconces, and dresser lamps. The two most typical kinds of lamps are the mica and metal styles (the physique of the lamp becoming hammered bronze or copper, the shade a sheet of mica) and also the artwork glass lamps with wood or artwork glass bases and shades of glass in geometric habits along with a squared coolie form. Other lighting options include a prosperity of reproduction lights via several lighting sources such as Arroyo Craftsmen and Yamagiwa. (They are available via designers and also have an excellent line of Frank Lloyd Wright styles.)

Accents, equipment, and art work ought to be stored to some minimum to permit to get a fuller appreciation with the architecture with the home and materials of nature showcased. This is a good chance to supply balance towards the predominance of wood with components in goblet, ceramics, and metal. Each bowls and vessels are readily available in all supplies talked about right here. Iridescent ware in each ceramics and glass offers an airy complement towards the weight and depth of the wood

How to Make Money with Arts and Crafts by: Ernest Kent

2011-12-31T10:11:00.001-08:00

I have been to many arts and craft fairs and festivals in my life and there’s on thing I notice in all of them. They are busy. If you pay attention to what’s going on at these fairs and festivals, you’ll notice that people buy these crafts. I thought to myself “Why can’t I do this?” Well, guess what, I can do this and I do.

Let me tell you how I got started in doing arts and crafts. After I visited many of the arts and crafts fairs and festivals, I went home and decided get some e-books on making arts and crafts. The first e-book I got was about soap making. I got this e-book because at the last arts and crafts festival I was at, the soaps was the biggest sellers. I read the e-book and learned how to make soap. I got to work on making soap for the nest arts and craft festival. I didn’t want to make a lot of soap at first for fear of not selling it all. Well, I made about 100 bars of soap and asked a friend if I can sell at his book. He said yes. I ended up selling 75 bars of soap. I made a nice little profit from selling the soap.

After that arts and crafts festival, I went home and got a few more e-books. I got about gel candle making, bath salt making and perfume making. I read all the e-books and got busy with making some more soap, and I started to make perfume, bath salt and gel candles. With the research that I did by going to the arts and crafts fairs and festival, I found out what was hot to sell now.

Anyway, I went back to another arts and crafts festival and ended up getting my own booth. I ended up selling all but 10 bars of soap, selling all the bath salt I made, selling all but 1 gel candle and I sold all perfume I made. That weekend I made about $500 with only putting in $100 in products. I was happy. So I went home and ended up get another e-book. I got how to make a wind chime e-book. Well, to make this long story short, I read the e-book made some wind chimes for another arts and crafts festival. I ended up selling all of the wind chimes.

What You Need to Know to Make a Scrapbook By: Marcus Harbert

2011-12-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

The first thing you need to know about making a scrapbook is that it isn't a complicated process at all. Scrapbooking isn't just for the 'crafty' person among us either. In fact, you don't need to have any 'crafting' skills at all, in order to create a scrapbook of memories that will last for generations to come.

Scrapbooking is a way to take those photographs, and things that hold special meaning, out from the standard, and (yawn) boring photo albums, and the boxes where they are being stored, to add personality to and truly capture the 'essence' of what these mean to you.

There are so many books, DVD's, software programs, scrapbook stores, and internet sites dedicated to scrapbooking that anyone can do it. In books, and DVD's about scrapbooking you will find ideas and tips on how to create personalized pages for your scrapbook, some even have patterns that are easily copied for use in the designing of your scrapbook. Most software programs have templates built into them for a fast and simple way to decorate your scrapbook. Scrapbook stores, online and off, and web sites for scrapbooking are all good resources to find design ideas for your scrapbook as well as the supplies you will need to complete your project. You will even find information on how best to join or bind your personal pages together once you have created them to make a lasting keepsake that you will cherish. With such a wealth of information, materials, supplies, and services available today: it is no wonder that scrapbooking has become so popular, and fun for so many.

Some of the unique supplies available for you to use in making a scrapbook and that also helps to make this such an easy and enjoyable activity for so many include items such as:

Stickers
Pre-Filled Labels
Patterns
Stencils
Serrated- Scissors
Designer Papers
Glitter Pens
Cut-outs
Ribbons
Buttons
Binders

Making a scrapbook of memories doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor either. You can find many of these things at discounted prices and you may already have some of these items around the house, in the kids craft box for example. Scrapbook making is especially fun for children. Let them get out the construction paper and cut out picture from magazines or old greeting cards to glue on their very own special pages. Encourage them to be creative using markers, crayons, glitter pens, stencils, buttons, small pieces of fabric, or whatever else you can come up with together. You can punch holes in the pages that they create and then let them loop the pages together with ribbon or yarn. This is an activity that will keep the kids busy for long periods of time and is also an activity that you can enjoy right along with them.

Once you have all constructed your own unique scrapbooks, you can share them with one another to get a different perspective on old photographs and memories. Recall the memories of the events displayed in your scrapbooks and share love, laughter, and life-lessons with each other.

It is time to bring those pictures and mementos that hold such precious memories, out from the confines of drab albums and dark boxes, so that they can be displayed in a manner that best represents their full meaning to you and those you share these treasure books with. Create your keepsake treasure by making a scrapbook today! Author Bio
This article was produced for www.Lostcrafts.com, a site which is dedicated to preserving the crafts and trades of yesterday.

One Step Ahead on Ebay! By: Kevin Anthony

2011-12-31T10:07:00.000-08:00

Selling on Ebay can be a good hobby or a nice profitable business for others. I like to sell on Ebay and other auction sites for both of these reasons. Below I will list some of the things that have helped me out enormously through trial and error.
1. Determine if the product that you are going to auction is a one time sale or if you have a continuous supply of this item. This means that if it is a one time item that you are going to want to get the best price for it. The best way I found to do this is to put a reserve price on the item close to what you need to get out of it. I know that alot of people say that a reserve price will hinder the chances of selling an item, but it won't if you try not to be greedy. If you have a continuous supply of a product, taking a $15-$20 profit is the way to go on something like a $200 Digital camera because you will have many more sales.
2. If you want a steady income on Ebay you need to find suppliers. The best way to do this is to determine what type of product you want to sell, and then start researching what that item is selling for on auction sites. Once you find a supplier that carries your product and you determine that you can profit at least 10% after your listing fees and Paypal fees if any, you are then ready to climb aboard the Ebay bandwagon.
3. The next thing you will want to do once you find the right supplier is to buy a few items to sell. This way you are going to test the suppliers quickness in getting the items to you. Also it is good if the supplier will dropship to your customers. The reason for this is sometimes you may get a item that is broke or scratched and you don't realize it until it is time to ship to your customer. A dropshipper can send this item to your customer just like it came from you.
I hope these few little tips will help you get started in a hobby on Ebay or maybe a lucrative business.
Author Bio
Kevin Anthony is an Ebay seller who makes a nice living selling consumer electronics. For Ebay products to sell try: www.bestwholesaleelectronics.com

Soap Making Can Be Fun And Profitable By: Ralph Ruckman

2011-12-31T10:05:00.001-08:00

If you have ever made soap from scratch or are thinking about it, you should probably know that it can be one of the most frustrating things you will ever do. After learning the process though, a lot of people find it to be one of the best hobbies or crafts they have ever done. Soap making can be a hobby for people, but it can also turn out to be a very profitable business. Before you go rushing into thinking that you are going to just create this beautiful and profitable soap making business, you had better look at some the important features regarding this business.

The most important feature of a soap making business is going to be the legal disclaimers. You had better know what you are doing when you create your handmade soap. People can not just go out and buy the necessary materials, whip out a batch of soap, and then proceed to marketing or selling it. You have a lot of disclaimers and in some states, laws that you have to abide be. Each state, region, and country is different, so it is up to you to do your proper research on the matter and to complete all the paperwork necessary for you to proceed with your soap making business.

After you have cleared all of the legal necessities out of the way, it is all systems go for your business. Now you will have to think about your time planning. Time planning will be crucial to your business, as everyone that has made soap knows that it is a tedious process. Set yourself a schedule up and follow it. If you have soap curing, take the time to start mixing yourself another batch. By having a continuing process, you will be able to produce more soap and not fall behind, which will only lead to confusion and frustration.

Now that you have gotten all the legal stuff out of the way, and you have a good amount of soap made, it is time for you to sell your soap. People who sell soap are only limited by their imagination. Craft fairs are huge for soap sellers. Travel to a craft show and set up a booth to present and sell your soap. Not only can you make good money from this, but you can also get tons of ideas for more soap. People stopping by your booth will critique your soap. They will tell you what they do or do not like about it. Always accept the compliments, even if they seem rude. This is "critique" and it can either "make" or break" you.

Bath and Body work shops are a huge fan of soaps. Some of these store will allow a person to present their soaps inside their stores. This is where the legal disclaimers come in. You will not even get a blink from the manager if you do not have your legal paperwork. Also, this may cost you a fee to present your soaps in the bath shops. Always research and think the deal over before making your decision. If you do present your soaps in these shops, this can be huge. Try to provide some type of business card, or a website address about your soaps. Word of mouth is an enormous tool, and in bath shops it can be a viral one. You may not be able to sell your soaps in the store, but a nice presentation can yield results overnight that you never would have thought of.

Online advertising for your soap business is not vital, but it could be if you are not quite cutting it in the "real world". Just think of the possible number of people you could reach with your soaps. The numbers are endless. Have a nice little website set up showing all of your soaps. A first impression of your site is the critical part of advertising online. This will decide if a single person will ever return. It is good to have a description along with your soap pictures. You could explain what ingredients are in the soap, what fragrances are in them, etc...

These are only a few things you could do for a soap making business. This is assuming that either you know how to make soap or that you take the necessary steps to successful soap making. Once you have reached that point of success it will be time for you to think about broadening your horizons. A soap making business can be a very lucrative field for anyone to get into. Types of soap to make are endless, and the amount of money to earn is only limited to your willingness to make the soap and put it in front of the eyes of people.
Author Bio
Ralph Ruckman is the author of "Soap Making" a weblog dedicated for providing information on all aspects of soap making. Feel Free to visit the blog at: soap--making.blogspot.com Article is available for reprint as long as the author bio/resource text is left intact with the article.

Your Home Based Business on a Shoestring Budget By: Stone Evans

2011-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

Whether seeking a supplemental income or a full-time income, many folks have undertaken the task to discover a viable home based business solution to meet their personal needs.
For most folks who contemplate a home business, a low-cost or no-cost solution is not only nice, but also very necessary. Many also seek to find a home business that will permit them to maintain their regular day job in order to protect their base income.
Taking the cautious approach to a home based business and keeping one's job during the start-up period is often a very good decision. By maintaining one's job, one can maintain the health of their personal finances while permitting their home business grow healthy and strong.
Fortunately, most home based businesses can be started with little or no cash, can be maintained on a shoestring budget, and can be operated successfully with only a part-time investment.
One day, the business will be strong enough to support itself and its owner. When that time comes, it will make good sense for the business owner to leave his or her outside job to dedicate more time to growing and maintaining their new thriving home based business. You will know when that time has finally arrived.
The nature of a home based business makes it easy and very realistic for most folks to take the plunge into home business ownership.
Yet, many folks put off starting their own home based business, because they have the misconception that they will have to risk thousands of their own hard-earned dollars at start-up. Then later, if their business fails, they fear they may be forced to take out a second mortgage on their house just to stay out of bankruptcy.
Are you one of these folks? Do you let your fears of failure keep you from reaching for your dreams?
If so, then allow me to introduce you to a few home business ideas that you can start for less than $100 and can be started and operated very profitably as a part-time business.
THE LIFEBLOOD OF ALL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
First of all, let me advise you to search out a business model that will deliver steady and repeat business. It is the one thing --- above all others --- that will assure that your company can survive the test of time.
HOME-BASED MAIL ORDER:
Home-based mail order is a good example of how one can quickly grow a home business income. Mail order is a low cost start-up business that can be launched for around $100 USD.
With proper planning, your home-based mail order business will not require up-front inventory purchases. In the mail order business, it is not uncommon to rely upon drop-shippers for product fulfillment services.
By utilizing drop-shippers, we can sell the products, collect the money and then purchase the products from the wholesale outlet. The wholesale outlet will then put a return address for your company on the product packaging and deliver the product directly to your customer.
By using the following link, you can explore the drop-ship directory, which will let you explore the drop-shipping companies that will enable you sell 500,000 products from over 1,000 brand name manufacturers:
http://www.home-business.com/dropship.html
Your primary expense in the mail-order business is advertising. Classified advertising tends to be a relatively inexpensive form of advertising with thousands of outlets available to the small business owner.
WHOLESALE BUSINESS:
Buy low --- sell high. You can acquire high quality, top-of-the-line merchandise for a fraction of the retail cost. Starting a wholesale business would require a Wholesale Dealers Directory as your source for merchandise, such as the one above or the one listed here:
http://www.home-business.com/auction.html
AUCTIONS:
Auctions can be an excellent source for buying cheap and selling high. Both government auctions and Internet auctions can lead to some excellent profit opportunities. Auctions are an excellent tool for both acquiring and selling merchandise.
MAKE AND SELL YOUR CRAFTS:
Crafts are a hot seller at country fairs, swap meets or anyplace where people gather. Make your own crafts and sell them for a tidy profit!
SELLING INFORMATION:
Selling information by mail is another good example of an inexpensive home based business start-up. One can gain the resale rights to information for usually about $50 USD. Other costs will include printer cartridges, paper and postage. There are plenty of free classifieds sites on the Internet, in which to successfully advertise your information.
WRITE INFORMATIONAL BOOKLETS:
Write and publish your own informational booklets; sell them at a high price! All you need is a little know-how, a printer, paper and stamps. This is a GREAT home business idea! You can also sell the resale rights to others, for extra profits. In this age of the Internet, you may also take advantage of the fact that selling information is one of the most profitable endeavors one can pursue online.
OFFICE SERVICES:
Offer office services for hire in your local paper. You'll be surprised at the amount of regular office business that can be gleaned from one little classified ad. Word processing, typing, accounting, data entry, proofreading, transcription, promotional letters and newsletters. All these tasks can be accomplished right from your own home office.
AVON REPRESENTATIVE:
Yes, Avon's been around for eternity, hasn't it? Then it's not such a bad prospect as a home based business, is it? I once knew a woman who did so much business as an Avon rep. that she had people calling her and knocking at her door wanting to order products at all hours of the day and night! Once you are an established Avon representative, you, too, will turn a good profit.
CONCLUSION:
On your search for the ideal home based business, try not to get caught up in any scams that will run off with your money. There are thousands of scam artists out there just waiting for the next sucker to come along. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Just use your good judgement and invest wisely in proven methods of earning extra income.
Author Bio
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy can help you launch your very own money making website today that's 100% ready to take orders and pull in massive profits for you right now ... guaranteed! Visit: http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-9322

Tools of the Trade

2010-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

There was a time when I was younger that tools were the last thing on my mind. I did not grow up being crafty and I wasn't considered handy by any means. Over time I acquired a desire to create and to make old things look like new. Slowly but surely this desire turned into a passion. It started out very primitive by me just doing repairs around the house. Then it grew into taking on more ambitious projects like building furniture. I built all types of tables, shelves, chests, etc. and during that time I realized that you are somewhat limited by the tools you have. The first dozen projects or so the only tools I had was a jig saw, circular saw, a few hand tools and I picked up a used router to make my furniture look more complete. As time went on I found myself becoming obsessed with tools. I wanted tools for every aspect of the building process. I bought a table saw, a bandsaw, another router, sanders, drills etc. It was getting to the point that with the tools I had bought and the jigs and fixtures I had built I barley had to touch the wood anymore. I also began noticing that I was enjoying it less and less with every project. I was always looking for ways to make the process faster, more accurate, more detailed. Where is the fun in that? I enjoyed doing more hands on than automated but furniture building doesn't lend itself to minimum shop tools being a positive. Then I discovered rustic furniture. You know, the kind built with twigs and branches and stuff like that. Now were talking! I could build a table with a camp saw, drill and a few wood screws and the branches I used had more say in how it was going to turn out than I did. The only problem was finding others that appreciated the pieces I built when they were finished. I did sell a few pieces but the fact that the pieces were pretty much in the raw as far as finishing went, most pieces looked like they belonged outside so my enthusiasm was somewhat dampered. My next big interest was airbrushing. Someone I knew taught me how to draw a pretty sweet skull ,which I never considered myself artistic until then, and since I was an auto painter by trade airbrush seemed a natural choice. I put out some pretty cool stuff but it was very easy to mess up a couple hours of work with one spit of the airbrush since I was working on hard surfaces so I tried airbrushing t shirts. That was going pretty well as far as hobbies go but I still felt like I didn't have enough control over the situation. The air brush was always a couple inches away from the surface and if you made a mistake the shirt was trash and you had to start over. I also found out that even though I was a painter for so many years I didn't really care for all of the bright colors involved with painting t shirts. I took a stab at wood carving and except for a few wood spirits and a couple failed attempts at bird carving that never really went anywhere. Then, last Christmas I got a scroll saw. This is, for me, the one most creative tool I have ever owned. I can make endless amounts of different styles of art with this and it is a very cheap hobby. I paid less than $200 for the saw,the blades run about .20 cents each if you buy in bulk and the projects are usually pretty small so that means a low material cost. Another advantage to this type of art is that it is shipping friendly so you can sell your work online. So looking back I have spent quite a bit of money on tools to get to where I am at but a lot of them I rarely use if ever. I would conclude this post by saying that if you are interested in crafting there are a lot of ways to craft with little or no tools. Having every tool you think you may need can actually take you further from your craft and closer to maintaining a lot more tools, a bigger space, a lot more noise and a lot less fun. I like dabbling in several different crafts so it doesn't hurt to have some tools of the trade but I know that you can do a lot with a couple saws and a few hand tools. Remember this: Use your head before you use your cash!

Do something that you love!

2010-02-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

When it comes to your free time, you know that few little hours that you get between your job and your life, make sure you are doing something you love. That is what arts and crafts is all about. You need to be proud and happy about the finished product but as they say life is a journey, not a destination, so you need to enjoy the process of creating the product or your crafting hobby will be short lived. Do you like being detailed or do you prefer to the bulk of the work out of the way quickly? Do you like to make useful things like furniture or jewelry, or do you like to make things that are looked at and admired like drawing or painting? Take your time and try several things. Heck, try everything! I have made a lot of different types of crafts and have slowly whittled it down to a few things that interest me on a pretty regular basis. I still like to try new things but a few just keep coming back time and time again. Do not spend your life's savings on one creative outlet. Dabble in a little bit of everything and the few things that you are truly interested in will rise to the top, then you can spend your hard earned cash to expand your resources in just those areas. In closing Explore your talents to find what fits. Oh, and along the way, let me know how it is going and don't forget to have fun!

Be creative with your materials

2010-02-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

Now more than ever it seems that money is tight and people are looking for ways to save. Well, when it comes to arts and crafts there are a lot of ways to do it for next to nothing. Every time I run out of my materials of choice I am usually able to come up with something to use that is very inexpensive or free. Hear are a few ideas for you. First, twigs and branches are very useful and almost everyone has access to them for free. I have made a ton of rustic items out of twigs and branches. Another method of saving money is yard sales. They are a great place to find old items that may end up in the trash unless you snag them from the claws of death. A Few things to look for are dishes, old hand tools such as saws, old clothes for the material etc. I bet you can think of several other things if you let the creative juices flow. I like buying old handsaws to paint on. What kind of things have you came across that would be great for arts and crafts? Don't forget about thrift stores, flea markets and items that you already have that just screams "make me something beautiful!" I look forward to hearing what you have come up with. Remember , the world is a canvas waiting for you to personalize it.

Welcome!

2010-02-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome all to the beginning of Akers Arts and Crafts. This blog is purely devoted to arts and crafts of any and all kinds. (Family friendly of course :) Feel free to comment at will on any and all subjects discussed on this blog. I plan to have photos of work I have done along with how to videos and articles so check back often to see what is new. If you have a craft that you would like to share let me know. I would live to have other crafters how tos on here with mine.I look forward to learning a lot from you all and making some good friends along the way!