Mark K Samuel asked:




Handmade bags seem to be all the rage right now. Everywhere you look somebody has one slung over their shoulder or sitting on their laps. They’re often colorful, sometimes quirky, and always deeply individual on a personal level. In short, handmade bags are just great.

But what many people seem to be overlooking is that not every bag is a fashion accessory. People do use bags for other things like carting groceries, hording everything that just can’t fit in their purses, and even storing knitting. So the next time you see people rocking handmade bags, think twice about how you could use such a thing. Not only are you helping the environment and cutting your dependence on nasty plastic bags, you’re also showing your personality.

For instance, let us take a look at the versatility of handmade tote bags. Totes can be used for anything from bringing home the bacon to carrying all of your baby supplies-and who’s not going to ask you about your handmade tote bag when you pop over for coffee to show off the baby? Most of the store bought bags you find are canvas, ugly, and bland. Handmade tote bags on the other hand are anything but. You can find them made from just about anything ranging from dyed canvas to plastic and even burlap!

You can even find recycled bags that will do the trick. They’re usually made from industrial cast offs, reclaimed post-consumer product, or cloth but some are even made out of recycled bags-plastic ones like you’d find at the grocery store. Sure plastic bags aren’t exactly the greenest of the green but anything that keeps that plastic out of landfills is a step in the right direction. And if you’re crafty, you can even make your own recycled bags. Just have a look around the Internet and you can find dozens of sites dedicated to do-it-yourself recycled crafting.

Natural fiber or fabric handmade handbags really are best. They are strong, colorful, and can hold a lot of weight. They’re perfect for carrying all that extra “junk” that you can’t live without (but somehow can’t fit into a purse. Another advantage of fabric handmade bags is that they can be when they get grungy-and they will. You can also find them made from all sort of wild and fun fabric. In my opinion, handmade bags are really a necessity unless you want to shell out for a backpack.

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Gary Harbin asked:




Whether you are a history buff or simply seeing handmade beaded jewelry worn by your favorite actresses, it is hard to look at the jewelry from the past and not take a look at the handmade jewelry that was worn then. While some of these pieces look unbearably clunky and old fashioned now, some would look right at home on today’s top fashion catwalks and expos. Jewelry, in all of its forms, has had a strong effect on the world and the fashions that were based off of it.

Early in history, jewelry was a mark of status of some sort. Perhaps the only people who could wear it were of religious importance, or perhaps they were the only people who could afford it. You’ll find that even though the handmade beaded jewelry from early eras seems primitive to our eyes that it was still crafted with care. For instance, the twisted torques, close fitting necklaces that were worn by the Celts, was often a sign of both manhood and wealth.

Later on, jewelry was a mark of privilege and leisure; it was a show that not only could you afford to feed yourself and your loved ones, but that you could spend a lot of extra money on beautiful things. For instance, in many parts of Europe, there were sumptuary laws that forbid people of a certain class from wearing things that were too extravagant, whether that was cloth, jewelry or special leathers. Often though, people would ignore these rules and the fact that they had to pay a fine was also seen as a mark of status and wealth!

During the Victorian age in Europe, handmade beaded jewelry started taking the shapes that would be very familiar to those of us who wear jewelry today. The Victorian era had a very strong interest in death and funerary arts, though, and this was often eerily represented in so-called mourning jewelry, where people would snip hair from their departed loved ones and weave it into lockets, broaches and rings. Sometimes this jewelry would get very elaborate and it could be quite beautiful, especially when different shades of hair were used.

The beginning of the twentieth century saw the beginning of costume jewelry. Costume jewelry, far from being as cheap or as disposable as the name implies, was actually meant to be jewelry that complemented one particular outfit. Various precious metals and gems could -and often did!- go into the production of costume jewelry.

Today, we are experiencing a real renaissance as far as jewelry goes, and whether you love fine handmade beaded jewelry or simply love adorning yourself with something new every day, take a look and see what sort of impact the right piece of jewelry can have on you!

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Tom S Powers asked:




Sandals from a major discount store are more affordable and common, but they cannot compare to the luxurious comfort and elegance of handmade leather sandals. Handmade sandals can be worn during all seasons, and despite the strange looks I get, I think you would understand my reluctance to part with them if you’d ever tried a pair.

When I wore mass produced sandals, I wasn’t very pleased with their level of quality. First, they made my skin itch. Second, they caused can cause problems with some feet. Finally, after getting a giant blister, I decided not to wear sandals any more, assuming that all sandals were made like mine.

My best friend used to kid around with me, mocking my dislike of sandals. She insisted that I should put on a pair of custom leather sandals like hers, because their great quality would make me want to wear them forever. I didn’t believe her, because the memory of my bad experience was too fresh in my mind.

I was astonished when she bought me a pair of “handmade leather sandals” for my birthday. I was a bit agitated and dumbfounded, to be totally honest. She was adamant that I would love them, and nobody would ever be able to talk me into removing them once I put them on. To humor her, I put them on my feet to try them out.

My facial expression made her burst out laughing because she knew I was instantly addicted. I never knew that sandals could feel so good. It is not an overstatement to say that my feet felt better in these sandals than they feel when I am barefooted.

If you are one of the lucky ones to have a spring birthday, handmade leather sandals are the best gift to receive. Enjoy them through the spring and summer. You will be tempted to wear them in the winter because you love them so much. Go ahead and pack them away during the winter, because sandals usually are not worn in the winter.

My friend thankfully assisted me yet again. She revealed to me that her sandals were worn all winter without being uncomfortable. At first I felt weird by not packing my sandals away and tried to wear them only on pleasant, springlike days. I soon found myself missing my sandals, though, and trying them out as the days got progressively colder. Now I always have comfortable feet because I always wear my sandals, no matter what season it is.

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Shane Hester asked:




Do you have a friend or family member that’s expecting a newborn baby soon? If so, you’ve just got to think about handmade diaper bags for a great little gift for the soon to be mom (or dad too). We always get lovely gifts for the baby – and that’s still important too – but don’t you think it would be fun to include mom and dad too when sending your special intentions?

So, why do handmade diaper bags make such great gifts for new parents?

Well, first of all, for the next couple of years, they are going to be toting around a small arsenal of diapers and baby care products with them practically wherever they go, whenever they go. After all, that is just part of taking care of a new little one!

Now, some of the typical, ordinary discount store diaper bags aren’t all that bad, but they just lack that special character that only unique handmade diaper bags will have. And chances are, whether or not they already have children or are just expecting for the first time, the new parents have probably purchased an ordinary diaper bag already.

It’s time to help them accessorize! I know it sounds kind of crazy at first, but think about it – who says handmade diaper bags can’t be the perfect accessory? Custom purses and handbags certainly are. Heck, even briefcases and laptop bags are usually chosen with a keen eye towards style. The days of boring diaper bags have got to come to a halt already.

So soon to be parents will almost certainly remember your gift of a handmade diaper bag as one of the favorite, most memorable gifts they will receive at the time of the newborn’s arrival. Have some fun when choosing the perfect handmade diaper bags for gifts.

You will find all kinds of great diaper bag designs – from the quilted material look, to great bold animal faux fur prints, to all kinds of other fun and funky fabric choices in soft cotton. Keep the intended recipient in mind while choosing just the right handmade diaper bags for them. They’ll absolutely love the gesture!

Mom and dad shouldn’t have to feel like they are lugging around all of that important baby stuff without and sense of style. That just would not be fair for them or for the little one, would it? If a special friend or family member of yours is expecting a child, do something truly special for them. Give the gift of handmade diaper bags – they’ll totally love it.

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Shane Hester asked:




Unique handmade handbags are all the rage these days. And it makes sense – after all, why carry the same old, same old when you can stand out at what often amounts to just a fraction of the price of being just like everyone else? By the way, customized handmade handbags are also the perfect gift idea for that friend or loved one you’re probably thinking about right now who already has everything!

A Touch Of Luxury Everyone Can Appreciate

Sporting a unique purse or handbag that’s guaranteed to be luxurious, yet plenty different from the store-bought purses it seems practically everyone else in town has, is just something each and every one of us can appreciate. Just think, with a handmade handbag, you’ll never have to worry about showing up to the big social event of the year, or even just to work, with the same handbag as one of your friends or coworkers.

Unique Handmade Handbags Are Truly “Giftable”

As much picking up a beautiful and unique handmade handbag for ourselves sounds like a really appealing idea, the reality is that with a tightening economy, sometimes we’re just too budget minded to spend a little extra for that “little something extra.” For this reason alone, custom handmade handbags make really excellent, much-appreciated gifts. And with the holiday season continuously approaching faster than ever, it’s never too early to begin shopping.

Be Different And Stand Out

With a unique handmade handbag featuring special stylish fabric in the print of your choice, it’s incredibly simple to express yourself and be different. Just think, with a custom made bag, you’ll be able to choose from prints and designs ranging from classically luxurious, to retro funky, to super modern – your choice, of course. Just try finding something that really stands out this much off the shelf. it’s practically impossible.

Handmade Handbags Are Surprisingly Affordable

It’s easy to imagine that something as unique as handmade handbags would be very expensive. Well, when it comes to the price tag, you’ll probably be surprised at just how unique handmade handbags actually are. in a good way of course! Let’s just put it this way, custom handbags are often much less expensive than even the designer knockoffs on the department store racks. Now that’s something to consider!

Be Your Own Designer

Everybody has a touch of designer in them. And who says the famous runway fashionistas should be the only ones to have all the fun? Custom handbags allow the designers in each of us to choose from a special combination of unique designs, fabrics, and even handles too. Unique handmade handbags bring out the designer within each of us!

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Christine Pinkston asked:




Creativity has its own rewards. Not only does it satisfy your creative juices but also gives you the pleasure of seeing something that you created. These days you can get everything in the market. From food to shoe laces. However, nothing is as fulfilling as creating something on your own.

It doesn’t need to be elaborate or very fancy. For instance, you can create a simple hand made jewelry box. It will not only be an inexpensive way to store your jewelry but also be something that reflects your personality. You can make it according to your requirements and style as well.

Many people think that making a jewelry box is a big headache. However, nothing could be further away from the truth. Handmade jewelry boxes are easy to make and can be decorated in a million ways. You can choose if you want many compartments for different pieces or a single or couple of compartments.

Here are some of the different kinds of handmade jewelry boxes you can make. However, if you don’t have the time and the energy to do that, then you can buy one of the many handmade jewelry boxes available in the market and pass it off as your own creation!

The most common kind of handmade boxes available are generally made of cardboard. You can even buy a simple cardboard box and decorate it in your style with different kinds of embellishments, ribbons, laces and stamps and colors. Card board boxes don’t cost much and don’t even take much time. If you want to gift a handmade jewelry box for your teen, then a cardboard box with a lot of compartments is a great idea. Your child will surely think about you each time she uses it.

Some people prefer wood over cardboard. Wood is more durable and long lasting than cardboard and has more options for decorations than cardboard. However, if you want to create your own handmade jewelry box out of wood, then you need to know the basic techniques of working with wood. If you don’t like the idea of a box, then you can even make pouches out of satin or velvet for your jewelry. These pouches can easily fit into your purse and can be a great way to store your jewelry while traveling. They are easier to decorate as compared to wood or cardboard jewelry boxes and can be adorned with crystals, beads, sequins and even stones of your choice.

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Kathy Burns-Millyard asked:




One of the best gift ideas you can give anyone you love this year is something that you have made yourself by hand. Combine that with one of the most popular gifts: personalized pictures, and you have a fantastic combination. Parents and grandparents particularly love receiving pictures as a holiday gift, and they also love handmade items because they know how much time, effort, and attention went into making that gift for them. They also see it as a gift made with love, and they tend to cherish it for many years to come. Combining pictures with handmade items is quite easy to do, and it’s fairly inexpensive as a gift giving idea too.

The simplest way to give a picture of the gift of course, it simply select one of your favorites, get a print of it, and place it into a nice frame. We want to get a little more creative though, and add some handmade touches too.

Try making a collage of pictures instead. Decide how large your picture will be, then you’ll know how many photos you can place into that area. And get them printed at different sizes. Then either by a plain piece of wood, or choose one from a scrap pile of you have one. The piece of what it should be the size of the frame that you wanted to use for your pictures. If your wood is not yet smoothed then you’ll need to send it down. Now you simply arrange the pic shares on the wood in the order and style you would like them to be. You might want to actually do this on a piece of paper that matches the size of your wood instead, that way you can arrange and rearrange as needed until everything fits properly. The next step is to simply clue your photos onto the piece of wood in the order you have arranged them. Once you have all of your photos placed, let the glue dried fully. Now all you need to do is put the finishing coat of clear polish over the entire arrangement. The clear polish will feel both the pictures and the wood into one piece of wall art that will be an amazing gift idea someone will cherish for many years to come.

You can make a picture collage with how wood glue and clear coat polish too. In fact you can simply cut out a piece of paper, or some differ cardboard type paper in a size that will fit into a frame of your choice. Then you simply paper glued your pictures in the arrangement you would like on the cardboard paper you’ve chosen then insert that into a standard photo frame.

Collage pictures are excellent to use when you want to group photos of several family members together into one, and they can also be used to show various stages of life for an individual person. You could start with a persons they be photo, then include pictures from their preschool, elementary, junior high, and high school years. Or you could create a collage which features a grouping of all their various activities they’ve done throughout the years, such as a high school student who is played many types of sports.

Another great gift idea you can create yourself by hand using pictures, are simple picture Christmas ornaments. Like the above, this handmade gift idea can be done in a variety of different ways. One of the simplest is to simply buy some thick card stock, or some thin bits of wood and cut them into small shapes. You could use simple basic shapes the two circles and squares, or you could try using a Christmas themed template to make things such as Christmas trees, snowflakes, and snowmen. Then you simply clue a picture onto the piece of wood or card stock and seal it with some type of clear coat finish. You might even want to paint your pieces of card stock or wood before you add the picture to them, and they knew it had a Christmas ornament which acts like a frame for the photo. All you need to do to hang these Christmas ornaments, is true or punch a small hole at the top of them which you can then thread some festive Christmas ribbon or cord through.

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Gail Leino asked:




A lot of couples love to celebrate their anniversary with crafts. Although it can be really thoughtful to buy your spouse a gift from a store, handmade things how a lot more care. You can also combine the two to make a fun statement. All in all, celebrating an anniversary is all about love. Choose themes that are indicative of the love you have for the one you married.

Young love means thoughtful crafts for a fifth anniversary. If this is the celebration you are having, then the traditional gift would be that of wood. Wood is perfect for handy crafts. You could make a plaque devoting your love to your spouse. You could also create a spice rack or other useful item they have been longing for.

If your spouse likes diamonds, you can make a great anniversary craft with this theme. This is perfect if you plan on mixing the occasion with store bought and handmade items. A diamond ring would go well with a handmade diamond shaped ring box. Traditionally, diamonds are appropriate for the sixtieth wedding anniversary. By modern standards, it’s also appropriate for the thirtieth anniversary as well. But then again diamonds ARE a ladies best friend anytime!

If you are a newlywed, then you should know that paper is the traditional craft material of your first wedding anniversary. A lot can be done with paper, so use your imagination wisely. You could do something simple, like make a homemade card, or go more bold with your options. It’s up to you!

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Sarah Maria Williams asked:




Canvas Prints

A canvas print makes a superb looking piece of wall art that would take pride of place in any room of any recipient’s home. Choose a photo and the photo gift service will print it directly onto the canvas before stretching it over a pine frame and sending to you. Ensure that the canvas and the frame are a very good quality in order to ensure that it will last for many years to come.

Photo Calendars

A photo calendar enables you to pick twelve photos, one for each month of the year as well as accompanying captions for each of these pictures. You can also choose a picture for the front cover, a title for the calendar, and the months in which the calendar will start and finish. Rather than using a single picture for the front cover you could have a photo montage created in order to make the most of all the pictures you want to use.

Montage Prints

A photo montage is a collection of pictures and once designed it can be added to any of the photo gifts in this article. One of the simplest but most effective uses of a photo montage is to print it to canvas in the same way you would a canvas print. The size of the canvas will usually determine the best number of pictures to use but if you’re not confident in creating the montage yourself you can have a professional designer create one for you using the pictures you provide.

Pop Art Prints

Another great use of a portrait photo, in particular, is to create a pop art version of that print. Pop art prints are extremely colourful and very personal and the most famous of this style of art is the Warhol picture of Marilyn Monroe. Another popular form of pop art is Banksy and you can pick any picture and have it converted to pop art before being added to photo gifts. Typically, though, a portrait shot of a single person works best with this method of photo treatment.

Customised Bags

Laptop bags, shopping bags, makeup bags, and even handbags can be customised with photos, design, and text. Choose to have a single picture printed on one or both sides or two different designs, one on each side of the bag. Photo bags are also a very good and striking use of a pop art conversion.

Handmade Gift Ideas And More

Handmade gift ideas really do carry a lot of appeal but getting just the right balance of personalisation with good quality is very difficult for the majority of people. Photo gifts are a good combination and they enable you to give a personal gift to any recipient while ensuring that they are very good quality and will last for years to come while being appealing and heartfelt.

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Gijo George asked:




Handmade crafts can make a unique statement. These crafts can be excellent gifts also. Good handmade crafts are in great demand worldwide. Gifts made out of natural resources are greatly pursued by people around the world for gift giving purpose. Each is unique in its design and appearance. As far as gift-giving tradition is concerned, handmade crafts occupy an important role. It shows your special care by choosing a handmade craft as a gift.

The intricate designs, carvings on the craft etc. are the product of creative and talented people working number of hours to produce these crafts. Different medias such as paper, wood, clay etc. are being used to create handmade crafts. Each and every one gets special attention from its maker and quality is assured during the manufacturing process itself.

Handmade craft is a great choice in decorating your office or home. They can bring more pleasantness and relaxation in a busy environment. Including these in the corporate gift list is an excellent idea. It pleases your clients and they will definitely admire the selection of those gifts. Handmade crafts as toys for kids makes them more creative and imaginative.

Handmade greeting cards are products of pure imagination and talent. Handmade greeting cards make use of various medias that comes from Mother Nature. When you select these types of greeting cards, you can impress the receiver of those greeting cards with your selection. These greeting cards have got a personal touch in them and help the relation ship to be growing stronger than ever before.

Handmade crafts are a true reflection of nature, culture, history and tradition. Next time when you are giving a gift, choose a handmade gift. They are unique and it creates an impression, which is beyond compare.

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