The moments that lead up to a wedding and the ones that follow are something most couples treasure throughout their lives. Some frame their wedding invitations, flowers, or even décor, while others hold on to their wedding attire and pass it on to the next generation. But one special keepsake that couples treasure is their wedding guest book. These books help couples personalize their big day and revisit and cherish those memories on anniversaries.

Design
Couples can design a wedding guest book in several ways. For instance, they could visit shopping websites to source personalized wedding guest books that include pictures of their liking. That said, there are a few essential tips to follow while designing the book.

A great way to begin is by writing the couple’s name, wedding date, and other details on the first page, like the lyrics from their first dance. While other information can follow, the pages should match the wedding colors or theme that is being planned. Moreover, the book’s design should complement the couple’s home, where it will be kept after the wedding. For example, if a couple wants to keep the wedding guest book on their coffee table, they should design it to complement their home décor. Most importantly, the book should have sufficient pages for the guests to write, doodle, or paste photographs as they prefer.

Presentation
Correctly presenting a guest book at the wedding is the key to getting the maximum number of guests to participate in the activity. One tip is to display the book near the reception entrance so guests can sign it upon arrival. But sometimes, the venue layout may make it difficult to do this. In such situations, couples can place the wedding book in an open space where it is easily visible. This location should be spacious for family, friends, and guests to hang out comfortably without being rushed or cramped for space to sign the book. Another way to get guests to sign the book is to dress the table with decorations to make it visually appealing. If possible, the couple should also designate a close family member to remind people to sign the book as they pass by.

Popular wedding guest book ideas
Traditionally, a wedding guest book is a bound book where friends, family members, and other guests sign their names and sometimes leave well-wished or inspirational messages to motivate the wedded couple. Using a bound book is still lovely, but couples have started personalizing this wedding detail. Doing so makes it much more fun and memorable for the newlyweds and the guests. Here are six non-traditional wedding guestbook alternatives to try:

Thumb impressions
Thumb impressions are among the most creative ideas for a wedding guest book. The couple draws a giant tree with several branches to set the idea in motion. During the wedding, the couple or the person in charge places an eco-friendly ink pad next to the artwork. Now the guests press their thumbs against the ink pad and make an impression on the tree’s branches, creating the leaves. They sometimes also sign over the imprint so the couple can identify who it belongs to.

Jenga set
Implementing this idea could make playing Jenga way more fun. The couple purchases a blank Jenga set (or two, based on the expected number of people at the wedding) and has their guests sign the blocks. Each time the newlyweds have friends and family over in the future, they play the game and revisit the wishes scribbled into the set on their special day.

Beach and nautical keepsakes
Couples who enjoy spending time at the beach love this idea. They use objects like a surfboard, a model sailboat, stones, oars, a wooden anchor, or seashells to collect signatures and written wishes from guests at their wedding. Some couples get friends, family members, and guests to sign on parchment and then put the paper in a bottle.

Signature tree
A signature tree is among the prettiest guest book ideas. Couples create a tree using craft paper and shape the leaves as hearts or another object of their choosing. At the wedding, guests sign on the leaves or write well wishes. Once the event is over, the couple frames the tree or hangs it on a wall to cherish it forever.

Wooden sign board
This type of signboard is a beautiful guest book DIY idea any couple could use. The craft requires the couple to purchase a large wooden board of a style they prefer and inscribe their wedding details. With guest signatures on it, the wooden board serves as an attractive piece of wall art at the newlyweds’ home.

Music records
Using records as a medium for a wedding guest book is ideal for newlyweds who are all about music. Couples create this keepsake by purchasing circular MDF boards from a local craft shop in a suitable size. Next, they paint the boards to make them look like music records and get their guests to sign them. The record labels include details like their wedding date, favorite lyrics, and the names of special dances.

Embroidered patches pronounce versatility. You can use them on clothing and hoodies to market your brand logo or you can simply add these patches on your denim and make your denim look edgy and quirky. Designing an embroidered patch might get overwhelming if it is your first time and you do not know how to get going. While it is a common knowledge that you need to decide the size, shape, and the design of the patches, here are four other undervalued factors to consider, while creating the perfect embroidered patch:

Choose the backing wisely– You can choose from different types of backing for your patch. One of the most popular backings is plastic. Plastic backing ensures that the shape of your patch is retained by adding stiffness. If you want to try something different, then you can consider going for a magnetic backing, in which the back of the patch is a magnet. Adhesive backings are another popular type of backing, but they don’t last long, especially if you plan to machine-wash your clothes. If you want the patches to stay for long, then consider sewing them or going for the heat-seal backing.

Determine the embroidery percentage– The percentage of embroidery on the patch decides the price of the patch. The higher the percentage of embroidery, the higher the price. Typically, an embroidered patch has around 75% of embroidery. If you go with 75% of embroidery, then the rest of the patch will be the colored background of the design.

Decide the right border– Along with deciding the shape of the patches, you must also pick a border for your patches. If you choose any of the basic shapes like an oval or a circle, then you can consider going for the most common border type, called the merrowed border. The merrowed border, also known as an overlock border, is a border that wraps the thread around the entire fabric of the patch. This type of border looks aesthetically appealing and it adds to the durability of the patch. Note that the merrowed border cannot be used if your patch has pointed edges or it has an irregular shape.

Go crazy with the colors– You are spoilt for choice when it comes to the color of the embroidery. You can choose the colors for your embroidered patch from the hundreds of threads that are available in the market. Try to go for designs that use flat colors instead of different hues or color gradients, as it is difficult to get the color gradients embroidered.

The most intriguing thing is that you don’t necessarily need to put these embroidered patches on your clothes. Today, many people don’t mind getting customized embroidered patches just to add to their collection. So, instead of sticking to the latest trending designs, experiment with the sizes and the shapes and come up with your own unique customized embroidered patches.

Don’t know how to make your plain denim look chic? Just add some quirky embroidered patches on them and you are good to go. Embroidered patches are very much in the trend and why would they not be? Apart from being cool, they are also extremely versatile. You can put these patches on uniforms, hoodies, denim, hats, overalls, and on any clothing of your choice.
If you have decided that you want your own customized patches, then here are four simple steps in which you can get them made the right way:

Decide the correct size– The size of the patch depends on what you are planning to put the embroidered patch on. When it comes to measuring the size of the embroidered patch, you need to decide the height and the width of the patches. If you are planning to put it on your denim or your hat, then a small-sized one, roughly around 2 to 4 inches, would be an ideal choice. Whereas, if you want it for a backpatch then you will have to go for a much bigger size, like something between 8 to 12 inches.

Choose a shape– Once you know what size patch you want to make, you can decide the shape of the patch. Some of the most basic shapes that you can go for are squares, circles, and ovals. If you want to go for any of these basic shapes, then you have the luxury of buying premade patches, where you simply need to create the design and the details you want to see in the patch.

Be clear on the concept– Most of the times, the designs of the patches are brand logos, symbols, or a message that conveys an event or a cause. So, it is vital that before you go ahead and design a patch, you are clear on what you want the patch to convey. You can use photographs or text to convey the design of your embroidered patch to the designer.

Finalize the design– Less is more when it comes to the designs that you select for your embroidered patch. If you go overboard and add too many things in the patch then it might end up looking chaotic. So, stick to one idea and turn it into a simple design. It is best to have a rough sketch of what you want the design to look like so that the designer knows what you are looking for. If you are getting an embroidered patch for personal use, then you can use your favorite quotes, movie characters, or a sketch you drew yourself.

Do your homework and be clear on what you want. Once you have a vision for how you want them to look, everything else will fall in place. Be up to date with the trending designs and shapes, so that you can take inspiration from them to make your own tailormade embroidered patch.

Every sports card collector will have their own category of baseball cards. It is common for them to categorize the cards according to their preference. Most of the sets that are common for categories of baseball cards have come from a vintage card and the popularity the card carried into this age. As there is a different category according to every collector, it is significantly difficult to keep track of the baseball cards and which category they fit in. Following is a list of the most common categories that are used to make sets of baseball cards.

Rookie card
For such a common term of the set, the rookie cards are generally hard to define. Rookie cards, in simple words, are the first base cards of the players that later went on to be legends of the game. A Mickey Mantle rookie card will be more precious than the achievement baseball card of the player. These cards are the Holy Grail of card collecting due to their unique mystique and the investment potential they carry with them. According to the definition, the parallels, inserts, and sub-set cards do not qualify as rookie cards as they come under “rookie year cards”.

Sub-set card
Sub-set cards are theme-based cards of the players as well as teams. They include types of cards like all-star cards, league leaders, and World Series or playoff cards. For a card to qualify as a sub-set card, it must be included and must be numbered as the base set. These cards are different from the base as they have a different theme or design element from the conventional base cards.

Inserts
Insert cards are similar to sub-set cards in terms of theme and design, but they are not a part of a base card set. They are sold separately. Even the numbering on these cards is different from the main set of baseball cards. In some cases, the base cards do not even follow a numbering pattern. They are scarcer as compared to the base cards and are produced on the basis of ratios, for example, 1 in every 6 packs.

As a kid, all of us wanted the best of baseball cards and the craze did not fade away even as we grew up. The want for baseball cards does not see an age or era, no matter how young or old you are, you are likely to have a fondness for baseball cards. Most people are grasped by the hobby of collecting baseball cards. Some of the most famous baseball cards can also fetch prices that go up to six or seven figures. If you are a baseball card hoarder, the following are some of the most valuable baseball cards of all time.

1909-11 T206 White Border Honus Wagner
One of the rarest cards on the list and one with an easy price tag of $1 million, these cards are considered as the Holy Grail of all trading cards. The 1909 American Tobacco Company T206 Honus Wagner card is still the symbol of the trading card collection. Most of the cards from the T206 set are not rare, but the Honus Wagner cards are rare as their production was stopped earlier than expected. There are only 50-75 copies of the card in circulation today.

1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle
Being one of the rarest baseball cards, it is the price value of this card that usually determines the overall health of the sports card market. This card is popular because 1952 was the first year for Topps in the baseball card and this is a part of the primary collection, many cards from this collection were dumped in the ocean reducing the number significantly, and it is a high number card which means that very less number of copies were printed for this card.

1933 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth
There are four cards in the 1933 Goudey set for Babe Ruth cards, and all of them are among the most valuable baseball cards. The #53 is also known as the “Yellow Ruth” card and is one of the most difficult cards to find among the four cards. The 1933 Goudey is not the most expensive card for the baseball player as it is not his rookie card or the scarcest one. It is, however, one of the most valuable cards to baseball card hoarders.

We all know coin collection is a hobby among many and started back in the fourteenth century by the members of elite groups and royal families. However, gradually this hobby started getting popular even among the middle class with the rising availability and interest in history, symbolism and art.

There are a lot of reasons for starting this hobby. Also, there are many benefits and advantages of collecting coins as a hobby. Many hobbyists have confirmed that soon after they took up collecting coins, they see lot of changes in them. Let’s talk about these changes and the improving mental health from collecting coins.

Hobby of kings
Back in the 14th century, this hobby was not popular among all classes. Only the rich and royal families could afford to have this as a hobby. But today, everybody can develop it, and despite the commonness, it’s referred to as the hobby of kings. You will always get the rich and royal feeling if or once you develop this hobby.

Increases your knowledge
It’s true. The more you collect, the more you inquire about the background of the coin and get deep in the history. One piece of information that you find will lead to another, leaving you highly informed about a lot of things from history to the present.

Help you travel
Nope, we don’t mean having an interest in coins will take you places for free, but it will definitely raise your interest in knowing about other cultures and countries, and that will build your interest in wanting to see the place you have been reading up a lot about. This interest will work well with your subconscious and can lead you to many foreign lands.

Storytelling skills
Everything has a story. Every coin also has a story. With your keen interest of knowing more about the symbols and pictures engraved in each coin, you will come across many stories, which you can tell other people in social gathering. People are interested in knowing interesting and lesser known facts from the past.

Eye for detail
You will develop an eye for detail once you are into coin collection and numismatics. There are also many health benefits to it as it calms you down. But with the art and story behind every coin will give you the skill of giving attention to detail that can be helpful in your normal day-to-day life as well.

Coins are more than just a legal tender or currency for most people. They are memories, histories, symbology, souvenirs, mysteries and because of these things, a hobby and/or business. We all know someone who collects coins as a hobby or who loves to research on coins and is really interested in knowing about different coins of different places of different times.

But, there is always a start and we are going to discuss about numismatics, that is the word used to describe study of coins but is also colloquially used for coin collection. This hobby or interest of collecting coins came only after the iron age in Anatolia (which is today called Turkey), that is when coins were first developed. They started rapidly around the world and each empire or kingdom would have its own unique coin(s). People started collecting coins that we discontinued soon after they were initiated, making them rare and hence, invaluable. Such coins were also a potential source of money as many would pay a fortune to possess rare yet artistically and historically strong coins.

The hobby of collecting coins started gaining popularity in the fourteenth century. It was during the Renaissance, when numismatics became a fad among people from the elite classes, especially kings and queens. In fact, today, collecting coins is called the king of hobbies’ as in the old times it was called hobby of kings’. Study of coins or numismatics became a part of academic discipline in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. And hobbies were later turned into serious studies and became more systematic.

Numismatics helped people understand the history and culture of different places. There were hidden meanings as well that these hobbyists found and that helped in many discoveries as well.
As time moved ahead, this hobby started spreading among people from the middle class as well as things started getting more accessible. Today it’s not just about ancient coins, people keep coins from different countries they have traveled as a souvenir. Storytelling also emerged from the collection of coins.

Today you will find books that have been written on coins and the collection of coins, shows that have been conducted on the same, and there are a lot of people who are interested in this and devote great amount of time to numismatics. Coin collection also brings or unites the world as understanding culture of each other is a great way to mend countries.

Coin collection, or numismatics as it is known, is one of the oldest hobbies in the world. This fascinating hobby of collecting coin requires a lot of patience and a good eye for detail. You have to be quick to identify the value of a seemingly innocuous coin and be obstinate enough to know the history of the coin.

Numismatics is a hobby that can be picked up by anyone irrespective of age, gender, profession or socioeconomic standing. It is something that can be pursued by people across demographics. If you thought collecting coins is for those with too much time on their hands, you are wrong. Here we list 5 famous people who have been and some still are ardent coin collectors.

Nicole Kidman
This Hollywood superstar is very much into the old-school and old-fashioned hobby of numismatics. It is rumored that the Moulin Rouge star collects Judean coins. Judean coins are ancient Hebrew silver coins that originated in Judaea, which was a part of the Persian empire in 6th century BCE. Although Kidman’s connection to these ancient coins is a gossip column rumor, it never hurts to speculate on the numismatic side of the actress.

Thomas Jefferson
The founding father of USA and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence was known for many things, numismatics being one of them. The third president enthusiastically collected gold coins. The period of these coins ranged from contemporary Europe to ancient civilizations from the past.

Franklin D Roosevelt
Roosevelt was another president who was an enthusiastic numismatic. He was an ardent collector of coins and later became associated with the humble dime. Roosevelt started the March of Dime, a fundraising campaign to fight polio. This program invited people to contribute at least a dime to help find cure against polio. To commemorate Roosevelt’s legacy, the US Government and the US Mint decided to put Roosevelt’s image on the humble dime (10 cent).

John Quincy Adams
The sixth president of United States was also a keen collector of coins. Adams’s specialty was collecting ancient Roman coins. He was known as one of the most prominent coins collectors in America. His interest in coin collection began in Europe when he started collecting coins from Greek and Roman civilizations along with his father John Adams, the second president of the country. The great coin collection of the Adams family was acquired by the Massachusetts Historical Society. In 1971, this collection was auctioned off.

Imagine receiving a colorful little envelope inside your mailbox? Unlike emails, getting a personalized birthday card delivered to your mailbox is a deeply personal experience, which makes it all the more welcome to the person that gets it. If you’ve always wanted to know how making your own birthday card helps, here are top three benefits of making your own birthday cards.

Nurtures Creativity
Most people argue creativity is an innate talent. That’s not true at all. As Picasso once said, we’re all artists, the problem is it’s difficult to maintain that motivation as you grow older. Making your own birthday cards can bring out and nourish the artist in you. You have to nurture it, and the best way to get started is by making your birthday cards yourself. You can learn to draw on top of your birthday cards, make origami appliques, or make cut-out details, paint, add stickers, and play with mixed media and much more. Creativity has no boundaries, especially when it comes to birthday cards.

Saves Money
It’s easy to pop into a store and buy a birthday card. Although this is easy, it’s not really personal. These are based out of templates that are produced in the thousands.
Plus, they can be expensive, money that you can put to use on other things. Learning to make your very own birthday cards teaches you to be resourceful. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you have to spent it. By learning to make your own birthday cards, you learn to be a lot more resourceful in other aspects of life as well. You can even start your own birthday card business if you feel you’re good enough. That’s an alternative method to making money. There’s definitely a career path there for yourself if you feel that you can take it to a professional level.

Adds A Personal Touch
Here’s another fact with store-made birthday cards: they’re store-made or manufactured. But by making your own birthday card and sending it to your friends on their birthdays, you deliver a positive and personal message. That personal feeling touches people’s hearts and they appreciate your gift even more, especially since they know and understand that you’re putting that much effort into their special day. That’s a feeling that money can’t buy, especially not with mass produced birthday cards.
It’s pretty easy to buy a card from the store and send your friends and family a present through that. But that’s not something that’s very memorable or efficient. By learning to make birthday cards, you learn a skill that you can use for the rest of your life, save a lot of money, and make a lot of memories doing it.

Whether you are an enthusiastic numismatic or a novice, or whether you are into American numismatics, world coins, bullion or ancients, there are probably certain coins that are you covet than all coins. There are some coins that are the crème de la crème in the world of numismatics. Not only are they significant in terms of their value, but these coins are quite rare.

Each of these coins have interesting stories attached to them, which adds to their value. Avid coin collectors covet these coins not only for their artistic value, but also for their historical significance. It is quite interesting to note that all these coins are worth more than their face value.

1955/55 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent
This coin is an error coin. Nonetheless, keen Lincoln penny collectors have an avid interest in this coin. This coin was the result of a simple error during minting. While minting this coin, the United States Mint used a coin die that had two impressions that were offset from each other. After minting, a batch of this coin (about 20,000 to 24,000 coins) were mixed with a batch of correctly minted coins. Since, it was not worth melting the whole batch of pennies, the mint decided to keep the doubled die cent in circulation. However, after the story was published in newspapers, many people pulled the coin from use.

$1 Million Gold Canadian Maple Leaf
This coin is the first, and perhaps the only, million dollar coin to have been ever minted in the world. With 3cm thickness and diameter of 50cm, this coin was minted by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007. It is made of 3527 ounces of 99.999% pure gold. On one side, the coin has an impression of Queen Elizabeth II. On the other side, it has three maple leaves printed on it. There are five of these coins, owned by investors all over the world. The last of these coins was auctioned at a value of approximately $4.02 million in June 2010.

1974 Silver Dollar
The first dollar coin minted by the newly formed US Federal mint is worth approximately $10 million. This coin made of 10 percent copper and 90 percent silver was issued by the US Federal Government in 1794 and 1795. Also known as the Flowing Hair dollar, this coin has an image of the bust of Liberty with flowing tresses. The most expensive coin possessed by a private collector, this coin is quite significant historically.