Embellishing - The Heads Up on Giving handmade Projects the Edge

Seeing your handmade scheme favorite and coveted by the masses is an astonishing thing, but how many of us in the real world, surely get that opportunity? I remember when I sold the very first garment that I had made, a poncho, hand sewn from some old tweed fabric that had been stuffed in a box in my craft room - I sold it for a song, because, in reality I was a microscopic bit guilty of not putting the finishing touches on it. Not because I didn't want to, or even because I couldn't afford the sorts of things I had seen in my local craft furnish store. No, it was plainly because I did not know how or where to begin.

The biggest private of embellishing, is that microscopic is more. You do not need to alter the whole dynamic of a scheme by overkill on the pretty things. A kit-form tissue box cover is gorgeous when painted in a single colour, with a complimenting braid around the belly of it, as an example. To paint a myriad of flowers and leaves all over it, may find the box lost in value and design, detracting from its original purpose. The idea of embellishing is to enhance what is already obvious: the scheme itself.

Poncho

I have a very straightforward method of embellishing projects, that extends to pre-existing projects (things that are already made but need a bit of a zing to them!) I call it my Cpr for Handcrafts because it surely does bring the projects back to life!

Let me lead by some examples:

Consider your outcome. What is it that you want to achieve? Take a greeting card as an example. If is it for Christmas, then pick an positive colour card stock - lets say red. Then, take one of the other two colours that are at once recognizable as Christmas colours: white and green. Lets say white in this instance. Once we have gotten the first considerations underway, we can expand to the next step. Plan your design. Use thumbnails and work out how you want the card to look. If you turn it to characterize a portrait orientation, think the limitations of width against length. The opposite considerations for a scenery orientation. Rehearse your designs by placing a piece of plastic over the card. I use an A4 piece of laminate (I surely located a laminating sheet in the laminator and let it laminate itself!). That way, we not only keep our designs and ideas removable and plan-able, we also keep the card stock clean while we make a layout. Once you have your create the way you want it to be, determined lift the laminate off and determined start construction your card.

Now all you have to do is one finishing touch. The one thing that will zing-a-zing-zinggg your card into the memory banks of the one who receives it. Sounds simple? Well it is!!

All you need to do, once you have practiced Cpr on your card, and it is almost finished, stand up. Turn around and look away from your project. Close your eyes for one second and think of the one thing that comes into your head that you can remember seeing on something similar, someone else card, or maybe a gift wrap. Lets say in this instance, you remember seeing a gold gift wrap curling ribbon.

Take your scheme and place a piece of gold ribbon in a spot where it will accent, not overtake your design. Maybe it is as a scrunched up piece at the very lowest of the design, in a row to form a border over the bottom. Maybe it can be shredded to seem tinsel and then scattered freely over the whole card, or maybe it needs to be stapled in the shape of a bow, or a star to one corner, with some glitter or label pen dots around it? possibly even crochet some and make a faultless frame for the design, oval, square, scalloped, or round.

Can you see the card now in your minds eye? With just a straightforward technique as Cpr, your projects, no matter what they are, can accomplish a Wow factor that will set them apart from any others, and seal your credibility as a crafter who surely has that cutting edge!

Embellishing - The Heads Up on Giving handmade Projects the Edge