Jimbo's Lounge

Posts Tagged ‘Crafts’

Charm bracelets have always been fun to own, fun to wear and even more fun to share. Maybe you thought that the old fashioned charm bracelet was just a thing of the past. Don’t worry because now a Lovelinks bracelet is part of the latest wave in the rekindling of a time honored tradition.

Once upon a time, charm bracelets were passed down from one generation to another. A charm bracelet was more than just another piece of jewelry. It was a family album. Each charm represented a special moment in a girl’s life. Sweet sixteen birthday and high school graduation and marked some of a girl’s most important moments through the presence of a unique charm on her bracelet.

Charms also represented membership into special clubs such as Girl Scouts and cheerleading. A girl’s special interests were also represented on her charm bracelet. A miniature replica of the musical instruments she played were sure to be hung around her wrist. If she was serious about ballet a little pair of gold or silver ballet shoes told the story hanging from her charm bracelet.  Read more...

Choosing to have flashy fountain pens instead of having biros in the office or for that special meeting is a sign of class. However, you need to have pen cases for them.

To prevent the luster of your fountain pains from decreasing, try to protect the pens by holding them in a case and make sure the case is also flashy.

In order to preserve the precious sheen of the pens, keep your vintage pens housed in the well-crafted pen cases. These are actually a sign of having good taste

Pen cases are today available in a variety of shapes and sizes, the common ones being the closed cases. These ones were made to first of all serve the purpose of maintaining the pens. More so if you have a vintage one that you want to keep around at all costs. The open cases on the other hand will seek to highlight the beauty of the pens on display on a shelf or desktop.

Lately, you can get pen pillows, made from wood and Wajima urushi lacquer as pen cases. Their aesthetical qualities are a lot. The shapes may be triangular or alternatively, try out one of the well-done Japanese crafts works, with a coolly done smoked plastic cover.  Read more...

Admit it. We’ve all done it. You were nervous to get organized and you purchased those plastic or canvas shoe files, didn’t you? At first, they worked great. You had all of your shoes nicely sorted into the little pockets. You put the spring sandals first, followed by pumps, loafers and sneakers. Your shoe collection in no way looked better.

Within a week (or a few hours…in my case) your shoes were back on the floor, weren’t they? They were tucked underneath the recliner, sitting by the door or thrown haphazardly underneath the plastic organizer.

It’s alright. Your intentions were good. Now we just need to do something with those good shoe organizers that are being wasted.

Here are a few of the ways I use vinyl shoe bags in every room in my home.

Sorting Crafts - I placed paintbrushes, sponges, chenille sticks, pop-sicle sticks, scissors, left-over paints, ribbons, raffia and much more into the small pockets. The pockets are also the perfect size for storing craft magazines and pattern packets.

Childrens’ Accessories – my little girl has a plethora of barrettes, purses, scarves, tights, socks and shoes. Shoe hangers are ideal for ensuring that you keep the matching tights, barrettes and socks organized together  Read more...

The UK has been known as a place that has a had a long history of throwing costume parties for many different events and holidays. Nowadays, the popularity of costume parties is even growing in America at a very high rate. No longer are costumes only reserved for Halloween parties, they are used for many birthday celebrations, charity events and other holidays as well. So why is it that so many people love and dress up for costume parties?

One of the main reasons for this is that a typical person leads a typical and boring life. They get up for work and then later on come back home to see the family and will sometimes take a vacation, have a picnic or during the time of winter they might go skiing. These events and activities are a blast, but a costume party gives you the chance to become someone else entirely. This will give people the chance to become who they want to be without losing their families or jobs. For only a couple hours a few times a year typical Americans can become superheroes or arch villains. A person that is shy can become a huge flirt and a scholar can become a mighty barbarian.  Read more...

Whether selecting costumes for adults or children, most shoppers have a budget. Some are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to get the right look. Others are on a very tight budget and worry if they can come up with anything that will get positive comments and praise.

Of course everyone wants to feel really special when they’re dressed in a Halloween or party costume. Luckily, there are tricks for finding costumes that will fit any budget whether it’s lavish or low cost.

First, think about how many people you need to buy costumes for and be honest about your budget. Obviously, your budget will be a little higher if the whole family is attending a costume party than if just one person needs a costume.

Now think about the various places you might find good costumes. You might try looking in the boxes in the attic or raid your grandparent’s closet. Wearing turn of the century or flapper costumes are always a big hit at costume parties. With a little luck you will find things like funny ties, vintage coats, and old jewelry and not have to spend any money.  Read more...

Remember how fun it was to make bead necklaces when you were a kid? Well you can have that fun today but with a more updated and stylish bead than the plastic ones your mom bought for you. Beads are back in fashion and leading the way is the Biagi bracelet. A unique concept that allows everyone to create their own little piece of wearable art to show off and express themselves.

This style of bracelet has its roots in Florence, Italy, one of the best known places for craftsmanship when it comes to jewelry. They are made with the best sterling silver and 14 karat gold available. The bracelets are created in a rope design that allows beads and charms to slide on or to be twisted on. And when you move, the charms and beads spin on the wrist, casting an elegant and graceful look to the piece.

You can build your own in a few minutes once you know just what kind of design you want. The starter pieces come in a variety of sizes for you to consider. There are hundreds of beads and charms for you to choose from to form the pattern you want, each with its own personality, like a bikini charm or sunglasses. Whatever you can imagine, you are most likely to find. You can make the design as simple or as complicated as the mood you are in.  Read more...

Swarovski is one of the world’s most recognized manufacturers of crystal items. It is a company that has grown to astronomical proportions after getting its start in a small family-owned and operated business. The business came into being during the latter part of the 19th century and has successfully made its way into the 21st century.

The founder of Swarovski is Daniel Swarovski who began his journey as an apprentice to his father in a Bohemian glass foundry. Bohemian glass was well known in Europe and America at the time for its unique and intricate style of crystal glass. The affordability of Bohemian crystal initially made it what it was but the Swarovski name and talent added a degree of sophistication and craftsmanship to the designs that rivaled the most well-crafted crystal in the world.

One of the critical elements that determined the outcome for Swarovski crystal is the innovation Daniel Swarovski put in place. He introduced an electric cutting tool to the process used in creating crystal products, and revolutionized the practices and eventual outcomes of the crystal industry for all time.  Read more...

Room dividers are a clever way of creating additional sections to a large room and also to prevent light from flooding the room. Any time a homeowner wants to divide a room, the easiest way is to use a screen because they are stylish and popular.

Most screens have beautiful designs and make an important part of home decoration. Many styles are available to choose from considering that one must select the kind of patterns and shades that will match their dcor preferences.

If you are after a divider screen which goes well with the rest of the furniture items in your home, you should actually go for one of the two types available in the market. Normally one would find the three-panel and the four-panel screens to choose from.

The styles are varied, designs extraordinary and unique, shapes are all types and the sizes are many. A good selection will see you adding something beautiful to enhance the look of your home. The divider screens are made from various types of material but the most common are wood and metal. What will determine the choice of material is just what one would view as befitting the existing dcor of the home.  Read more...

Groomsmen gifts basically should not be expensive. However, they should bear significant meaning why they are selected to be given away to groomsmen. Remember that the purpose why grooms give gifts to groomsmen is they like to express their gratefulness in the most creative way as possible aside from doing the shaking of hands and saying the words ‘thank you’ personally.

Ideally, groomsmen should be well treated on the wedding event because the grooms choose them for some reasons which are personal. They become groomsmen because they are true and loyal friends.

Their presence is important not only before, but on the event of the wedding as well because they extend a hand in helping out things needed for the occasion. From decorating the reception tables to choosing the grooms’ outfit, they help make weddings unforgettable. Hence, the beautiful planning and handsome execution would not be plausible without their help.

By giving the creative groomsmen gifts to them, the grooms can express their gratefulness for having them around. It has been a long-running tradition to give gifts to groomsmen. Several grooms definitely try their best to give something, even if it is not expensive, just to fathom the time and effort the groomsmen have shared.  Read more...

Fundamentally, bridesmaid gifts are important to the planning of a wedding. Even if it is universally true that the wedding is all about the bride, it does not mean that the bridesmaids do not get to be appreciated. For one thing, a wedding would not be complete, technically, without their presence. They are considered as right-hand ladies who have been with the bride through thick and thin of the events. They set all the important things aside just to attend the wedding day. Hence, it is but right to give them something that will compensate their sacrifices. They should receive something that will convey the message “thank you” to them.

But being a bride and being the one who will be taking cared of the bridesmaid, it would be a sense of gratitude if you would think of the kind of gift that could last when you give it to your bridesmaid. It is really a good to value someone’s service. Here are few tips to consider in choosing the kind of bridesmaid’s present:  Read more...