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  • The 6 must have arts and crafts supplies

    If you’re in a transitional phase of switching to a DIY Lifestyle, here are 6 must have arts and crafts supplies to be stashed in your home.

    Scissors and glue
    Found a one of a kind magazine photo, or want to cut off a part of a fabric, then scissors are your must have tool. You never know what you might want to add to the shoebox filled with an assortment of crazy materials. If you don’t find glue when you’re in a middle of putting together an artwork, it could prove to be a frustrating experience. So, make sure that you have one before starting a project. A little tip, always have an extra when it comes to these two.

    Pencils and colors
    Pencils are a crucial aspect of your planning and rough drafts, so make sure you keep these close. Colors on the other hand, are an essential portion of your execution, so make sure you have an assortment of crayons, markers and paints.

    Papers
    Having different kinds of papers like copy, origami, card, card stock, glossy or matte can always play as an advantage for certain kinds of projects. If you don’t have the right texture for your creation, it might not turn out the way it was supposed to be. So always have an abundance of papers according to the kind of craft you’re involved in.

    Ribbons and threads
    You want to make a wind chime or you want to bind that unruly scrapbook of yours, always have vibrant ribbons and threads. The best part about these materials is that you can find them at home easily. There is no need to bother your wallet so often, you can always reuse and create something exceptional.

    Regular tape and Washi tape
    You regular tape can help you fix a project if you run out of glue, so it’s indispensable tool. A Japanese Washi tape on the other hand, is any DIY project’s joy, because of its wonderful patterns and designs. It gives an impression of a regular tape but it is slightly different as it is made up of natural material.
    Packaging a gift or embellishing a journal, Washi tape’s simplicity is enough to turn anything plain into something special.

    Scrap Articles
    An unused ornament, pieces of bright fabrics, old Polaroids, or cassettes from the 90s, anything, almost anything that strikes a chord with your creative tune can be used to incorporate in your DIY Projects. If you’re wondering how to assess a scrap material’s worth, research about ideas online involving them, if you find it valuable you can create something marvelous using it.

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  • Arts and crafts as a therapeutic experience for adults

    Arts and crafts can be an amazing medium to help children communicate. But it’s not just limited to kids or artists, it is proven to be an effective form of therapy for adults as well. There are times in life where words spoken or otherwise cannot comprehensively express what one is feeling. The major goal of therapy program incorporating the use of arts and crafts is to help you acknowledge your uncertainties and fears, through a creative platform. It can be a refreshing experience for people struggling with depression and anxiety disorders. The best part about such kind of therapy is that it doesn’t label or quantify your state of mind. Human feelings are even more complex than rocket science, every person is different, and that is why the healing techniques also vary from person to person.

    One can easily seek the help of an art therapist who will implement a creative process for healing, depending upon their core issue. They deal with all kinds of clients who may have psychological, traumatic or physical setbacks. It is also used for couples and in groups. An art therapist aims to capture the crux of the client’s issue, by observing how the client responds to the creative healing process. But, anyone can enroll for an art therapy program. It is a great opportunity to rejuvenate and escape from the usual stress of life. In the past, few years art therapy has gradually gained momentum in medical facilities, educational and developmental centers and in cultural communities too.

    Depending on your problem, your art therapist will design certain forms of activities for you to do. They could involve drawing, painting, craft, maintaining a journal, anything that will allow you to have the freedom to creatively express the chaos you cannot articulate verbally.

    Art therapy is still an emerging form of therapy. Some people might feel hesitant about trying it, as it involves art and the most common misconception about art therapy is that you need to have a talent for it. For instance, if your creative healing process involves painting then don’t get worried, it’s your masterpiece with only one person as an audience that is your art therapist. Take advantage of this liberty. The key is to keep it honest and not perfect. Similarly, if you are told to make a collage or maintain a picture journal, go ahead and find that favorite magazine of yours. Find visuals that inspire you, that make you happy, and include them in your project.

    Remember anyone can seek out for the assistance of art therapy, so the next time you feel the dire need to get out the monotony go ahead, it’ll give you an opportunity for introspection and self discovery.

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  • Be a part of the DIY culture of arts and crafts

    Do It Yourself, these words surely must be ringing some bells in your mind. A popular hashtag of the social media websites, DIY somehow translates into the Arts and Crafts Movement of our century. The Arts and Crafts Movement of the 1800s defied the factory production which was mediocre, both in taste and in quality. Today DIY is more about the unique creative expression, self reliance, building sustainability and a sense of self achievement.

    With the arrival of the Internet, sharing ideas and causes of creative nature gradually became simpler, and then the age of social media struck, building a community of like minded people all over the world. Anyone could build a blog and in a matter of months, gain thousands of followers and an impressive revenue. But more than making a career out of DIY, it is more important to recognize why DIY! Here are a few reasons explaining why you should be a part of the DIY Culture!

    Exploring yourself
    It is important to consistently seek and chase creative ambitions, as they are intimately related to our happiness. DIY will give you an opportunity to discover and develop a unique talent. As you keep learning new techniques, you can realize where your true passion lies.

    Sustainable approach
    Once you adapt yourself into the mold of DIY, you will tend to choose your products and brands with absolute precision. It’s but natural that you will want to be on the greener side of whatever creative endeavors you pursue. You will automatically switch to the agenda of reuse and recycle. That’s the power of making something, you want it to be a part of a better tomorrow, and not something that adds to the clutter.

    A sense of accomplishment
    How many times do you buy a product, and remember it because it has a special story related to it? When you do it yourself you have a certain emotional value and euphoria attached to it. It has a story and motive behind its existence. You don’t take on projects in DIY just for the heck of it. Your idea can be deliberate or accidental, but never random, and that’s its subtle beauty. As you progress towards completing a creative project, it will leave you feeling accomplished and fulfilled.

    Finding Value
    You will develop an ability to discern between what’s valuable and what just comes with an expensive price tag. You will not only save time and money but will also make a creative resource out of yourself. Although it cannot be guaranteed that if you will be able to control your splurging habit on arts and crafts supplies. It’s true once you’re hooked, there is no going back.

    Building trust in yourself
    Self doubt is often the primary reason because of which you constantly keep limiting yourself. DIY requires a lot of patience and the eagerness to try again. This resilient attitude will not only help you succeed in your personal projects but will also make you a person who’s afraid of uncertainty, but will try anyway because the curiosity within always wins.

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  • 5 easy sewing machine projects for beginners

    Bought a sewing machine? Excited and confused, isn’t it? Commencing new creative projects can often prove to be a perplexing experience. The first question that pops into a beginner’s mind is what should I make with my brand-new sewing machine? And this first attempt is extremely important, as it not only encourages the beginner but also deepens their interest.

    The key is to choose your first project smartly, so that there is no room for mistakes, and even if an error occurs it’s a negligible one. So, if you’re a beginner, clueless, but ready with your sewing machine in a mint condition to try the new world of designs, here are 5 easy sewing machine projects that you can start off with.

    • Pillow cases
      Easy to make, a pretty to look at, pillow cases can change the whole vibe of a boring couch or a plain bed. You can go crazy with the colors and kind of fabrics and patterns you would want to use. It could be your old bed sheets or curtains, or the floral or crochet mandala design freshly hunted from a flea market. Pillow cases are the ultimate game changers.
    • Coin purse
      An adorable little coin purse can be a great gift, or a delightful accessory for you to carry. They are inexpensive, simple and eye-catching. If you’re still getting accustomed to idea of adding zippers then an assorted set of colorful buttons can elevate its beauty.
    • Scarf
      Apart from saving you from the wrath of winters, scarves are an amazing accessory to make an uncomplicated style statement. You can start by making a regular scarf or an infinity scarf, the possibilities are endless when it comes to patterns and style. You can add thin or thick laces on the border of the scarves to make it more chic and unique.
    • Tote bag
      Functional and trendy, Tote Bags are every girl’s essential accessory in the wardrobe. They are straightforward and can be fun if you’re highly experimental in terms of colors and designs.
    • Simple skirt
      If you want to attempt sewing a piece of clothing, a skirt will be a safe first bet to make. They are easier than a shirt or a pair of pants. If you get the measurements, fabric and the style right, your skirt could be a wonderful addition to your closet.

    These were some hassle free and quick ideas that you can work with as a novice, as you advance towards a more complex style of sewing. You can find plenty of blogs and videos online to guide you with your sewing machine and innovative design ideas.

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  • How gold metal detectors work

    There are metal detectors that are specifically designed to sweep search for gold. Gold metal detectors work on the principle of cancelling out mineralization, so whenever you find a metal detector specifically for gold, look for the ground balance. The ground balance feature in the metal detector cancels out detecting minerals in the soil and focuses on finding the metallic objects beneath that are unnatural to the soil.

    As far as gold metal detectors go (although they might not be exclusive) they work on two principles; VLF and PI. VLF or Very Low Frequency metal detectors work in low frequencies unlike conventional metal detectors have a wider range of frequency to an extent that these VLF detectors can find a comparatively small nugget of a gold as compared to the other metal detectors. If you are searching for gold metal detector. There are two coil types; Concentric and wide scan. Concentric coils are preferred for differentiating between metals and minerals while widescan coils cannot do that.

    do check for the size of the searching coil, as smaller search coils are less sensitive to small pieces of gold as compared to the metal detectors that have large searching coils. Pulse induction metal detector are newer technology that work by sending short pulses of one type of polarity. When the search coil is encountered with a metal object (of an opposite polarity) the pulse indication detector sets off sensing the opposite polarity, sends the signal to the receiver circuit.

    Gold metal detectors can detect gold as small as the size of the grain and as big as an average nugget. The principle is that the gold as small as the size of grain is easier to find in the shallow depth (of 1 or 2 inches maybe) whereas, gold portions of the size of nugget can be search scanned at the depths of 1 to 2 feet.

    Some metal detectors have the ability to find common trash items such as iron and stainless steel. Pulse detectors cannot filter out trash items.

    Some of the popular choices for gold metal detectors include; Garrett GI 2500 metal detector, Marko Geotech, DRS electronics proradar X5 system, XP DEUS goldfield program etc. You can also look online for comparisons and reviews of several metal detectors that are projected to be good gold finders.

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  • Gold metal detectors – what you need to know

    Want to try your luck finding gold in an unclaimed land? All you need is a metal detector.

    Metal detectors work on the principle of electromagnetism. Every metal (in solid state) has its own electric and magnetic field. Metal detectors have 2 circuits; one circuit, which is connected to a small battery which powers it up. This circuit is called as transmitter circuit. It sends electricity down the shaft to the coil at the bottom. The coil gets magnetized (changes its magnetic field) when this magnetized coil is swept on the ground and if there is a metal object near its sweep area, the magnetic field of the coil charges the metal object. The magnetic field of the metal detector changes the magnetic and hence the electric field of the metal object. This change in electromagnetism of the metal object is picked up by the receiver circuit of the metal detector. Due to the change in the magnetism of the coil of the metal detector, the electricity flows up the shaft of the detector to the receiver circuit. This change in the electromagnetism registered on receiver circuit confirms a metal detected by the coil.

    Gold is not something that you can find in your backyard. And it is highly unlikely and improbable that you will stumble upon a pot of gold. Gold as metal can be found in the size of grain or even as big as nuggets. The place to find gold are the places where gold has been searched earlier and excavated from earlier. Placer deposits along the river streams and river beds can accumulate gold in small amounts.

    You need to consider those states in the USA that used to produce gold in the earlier years. You cannot expect to find gold where it isn’t to be found so, research your search area. You can head out to the regional libraries or look for details on mines and geological surveys that shed light on details about the type of land and what metal it is abundant of. Also, you need to consider the federal laws of the area you are searching for and the stakes that it will have on the gold you excavate. If the land has a certain ownership and patent, there is a good probability that you might have ‘struck gold’.

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