Raggedy Andy is a rag doll with red hair and traditionally wears a sailor outfit and hat and so this is the effect we are going for. The stand out elements of the costume are the red hair, the clothes and the makeup on the face to recreate the rag doll effect. His trousers are blue and he often wears black shoes or boots which has the beneficial side effect of being easy to recreate..

So here are the 3 easy steps for creating an authentic looking costume:

1) To make a convincing Raggedy Andy costume we will need to recreate the red mop of hair and the easiest and cheapest way to do this is to visit your local joke shop and purchase a red wig. Another good alternate if to buy a mop and dye it red and then put this over you head as a homemade wig. Dying your hair is another alternative although this is messy and harder to remove.

2) Once we have the red hair in place we need to recreate the sailor suit. This can be done easily by using a loose fitting, baggy white shirt and pairing it up with stockings with red and white horizontal stripes. Blue jeans go well but you can also wear shorts held up with braces. Finish off the clothing with black shoes. Most people should have these items of clothing lying around the house so there is often no need to go out and buy specialist clothing for this costume.

3) Finish the costume off by painting your nose red with some make up and apply round spots of red makeup on your cheeks as well. This will really apply the finishing touches and ensure your costume is as authentic as possible.

This is all you will need for an authentic Raggedy Andy costume for Halloween this year and you will have saved money as well as had a lot of fun in the process. It will also ensure you have the most original costume on the whole street.

This guide showed you how to create a simple, yet effective, Raggedy Andy costume using simple materials you have around the house and an inexpensive wig – I hope you have fun this Halloween and really enjoy making your costume.

Visit Raggedy Andy costume for more great advice on Halloween costumes this year.

Some artists are able to reproduce many paintings because the stretcher frames make painting easier to do so. There is no worrying about your art bending or wrinkling up because the frame will keep it pinned and in place. So, what is it exactly that canvas stretcher frames do? They make what is called an underpinning beneath your canvas. It helps keep your canvas stretched and tight that way your canvas surface is ideal for painting. The canvas is typically stretched tightly over the frame and then stapled in the back.

Some artists staple the canvas directly to the back of the frame. However, it’s better and cleaner to staple it beneath the frame of the canvas to hide the staples. Having the stretcher frame makes your art work ready for framing. Or, you can skip the frame altogether and hang it simply as it is. The wood of canvas stretcher frames is very important. You want to find a sturdy wood that will keep your canvas stretched without problems.

Make sure the wood isn’t warped. Warped wood can make the stretcher bars create uneven pressure to the surface of your canvas. This can create rips or tears in your canvas. If you use damp wood that may already begin to rot, it will discolour any surface of canvas you pull over it. So, avoid these types of woods when looking for materials for your stretcher frames. Also, while solely depending on the artist, it’s wise to not use wood cuts over 3 inches. This can cause problems when trying to frame or hang on a wall later.

Frames that are cut between 1.5 inches and 3 inches are ideal for canvases. It’s not a good idea to use canvas stretcher frames that are below an inch for larger canvas. This is because the canvas pressure can be too heavy and cause it to warp or snap. Crossbars or ‘window’ stretcher frames can be made to give your canvas more support. However, these typically aren’t used on paintings smaller than 30 inches. But, they work perfectly for canvases that will be possibly adorning the majority of a wall.

Troy Truman is an online publisher providing great tips on canvas stretcher frame reviews. To learn more about the topic visit http://www.GetCanvasPlus.co.uk today!

Why would you use your favourite art canvas print on the wall at home? There are many answers to this. The first of which is that is allows you to personalise your space. When trying to find the right picture to hang on the wall in the past, you had to scour every frame shop, gallery or home decor store to find the exact image, which you had in mind for the required space. This was somewhat limited with respect to choice. Now through art canvas prints, the photograph of the elephants that you took in Thailand looks ideal in the jungle-themed nursery, the still life photographs of the homemade preserved pickles looks fabulous in the kitchen and the annual family shot looks awesome in the living room.

Perhaps it is not the image itself that you need to match but the colour in the room. How often have you found an ideal print with respect to subject matter only to find that the red and brown colours in it clash with the blue and grey hues in the room it is to occupy? Art canvas prints solve this dilemma by giving you the flexibility to customise the colours to suit your colour scheme.

Through correct size and image decision, you can really make the art canvas print the feature of the room. It will be a piece that a person is drawn to and initiate discussion about how exemplary it is and who took it. Even if you decided to not print your own work and use a standard picture as your reproduction, who would be none the wiser? Careful manipulation of your answers needs no lies to be told. Hence another reason to use canvas art prints is the limitless amount of possibilities that you have at hand. It will mean that you are guaranteed not to double up with any of your friends.

When used correctly, they can suit any theme in your house. Modern and contemporary through the use of current subject matter in black and white, old fashioned Victorian or country cottage by using sepia and bright and cheerful via primary colours.

Art canvas prints are a modern twist on an old way of filling in a blank wall. It is for this reason that their popularity has and will continue to increase as we head into the future. They are the perfect personal finishing touch to any family home.

4cprint is an online company that will be able to help you find the perfect Art Canvas Prints to be able to help you improve your home. For more information visit the website at http://www.4cprint.co.uk/

To knit mittens, you will need the following items: the template of the hand you will be building the mittens for, double stitch needles, extra needles, yarn, extra yarn, and either stitch markers or paper clips.

Making the Pocket for the Fingers

1. Cast on your stitches by wrapping thread around two needles in a figure eight shape. You will determine the number of stitches to make by how pointed you want the final hand pocket to be.
2. Knit one row, placing a stitch marker at the end to mark it.
3. Knit a second row, adding four stitches and another marker.
4. Continue knitting rows, adding four more stitches on every other row as you go.
5. Measure against the template periodically.
6. Mark your last row with the stitch increase when you are ready to move on to the thumb, after achieving the right finger pocket width for the hand you are working on.
7. Knit straight, following the template, until you get the correct thumb webbing angle for the hand you are working on.

Making the Thumb

1. Move the finger pocket onto either stitch holders or additional needles.
2. Cast on your stitches by repeating step one from the finger pocket. You will want to cast on two stitches for the first row.
3. Knit a second row, adding two stitches as before, on every other row.
4. Continue adding rows and stitches until you’ve built the right size thumb as according to your template.
5. Move the thumb to stitch holders, and put the finger pocket back on to the needles.
6. Add the thumb to either the right or left of the mitten, depending on which hand you are working on.
7. Attach the thumb to the finger pocket of the mitten using four stitches.
8. Three needle bind the number of stitches you like after lining up the thumb and the finger pocket.
9. After finishing the attachment of the thumb, mark the start row,
10. Decrease a stitch each row to form the glove fit.

Making the Cuff

1. Continue knitting rows until the mitten’s palm matches the palm on your template.
2. Knit two additional rows after reaching the base of the palm.
3. Knit in your ribbing until you have made a cuff sized as you like.
4. Bind off.
5. Weave in the ends.

Repeat these steps, attaching the thumb to the the opposite side, for the second mitten in the pair.

Mittens make a great gift, especially handmade ones, Learn how to knit mittens at: http://HowToKnitMittens.com

Step One: Choosing Your Thread

Choose the thread you want to use to make your sock. Using a thick yarn will make a better slipper than a sock, so you want to be careful with your choice.

Step Two: Choosing Your Needles

You will need double pointed needles to work with this particular sock pattern. You will need five because the symmetrical nature of this pattern calls for four needles to hold the work as you build the sock and one needle to work with to build the sock.

Step Three: Cast On to Avoid Having to Sew the Toe of the Sock

Using two needles, wrap the thread around them in a figure eight shape. All of the loops you create here will turn into stitches of the sock later. If you are making a small sock, use eight loops, but for larger socks, use 10 loops.

Step Four: Adding a Third Needle

You will need to use a third needle to knit all of the loops on the first one. After you have knitted all the loops on the first needle, take it and knit all of the loops on the second needle. The end result of this step should show all of your stitches on the first and third needles. Don’t worry about the stitches being loose because they will be tightened later in the process.

Step Five: Building More of the Sock

With the third, or floating needle, follow the knit one, make one pattern until you have reached the halfway point over the needle. Now, you will want to add a marker to indicate the back center point of the sock.

Step Six: Adding a Fourth Needle

Add another needle into the mix and continue the knit one, make one pattern until there is one left, knitting the last stitch.

Step Seven: Continuing the Pattern to Build the Sock

Repeat these steps with a second casting on needle. If you are knitting a large sock, count on having six stitches on each one. If you are knitting a small sock, count on having five stitches on each one. Continue this knitting pattern until you have built the entire length of your sock. You should continue knitting until the sock is about two inches away from the back of the heel. Make sure to have foot measurements if you are making the sock for someone else.

Step Eight: Build the Heel of the Sock

Knit short rows, using only two needles. Using the knit and purl techniques, knit back and forth tightly to keep from building large holes in the sock.

Step Nine: Returning the Needles Back to Normal to Finish the Sock

Go back to your five needle stance to finish building the remainder of the sock, the area that goes around the ankle and up the leg.

Step Ten: Cast Off

When you have finished building the sock and done your ribbing of knit two, purl two, you will want to cast off loosely to ensure the sock is easy to put on and take off. If not, it can result in an uncomfortable sock.

Handmade socks make a great stocking stuffers, especially soft, fluffy warm ones! Learn how to knit socks at: http://howtoknitsocks.org/

There are additional reasons to send or give one of these cards to someone special in your life, and most will find as they log onto the Internet, there are some great thank you cards that are available online for you to choose from. Many of these different cards can be bought in bulk for as little as a minimum purchase that will be declared by the website itself. This avenue will produce many different detailed product descriptions of the thank you cards and the greetings that are inside. Thank you cards are just the right way to do things after someone has done something nice for you or someone else.

There is so much death and destruction in this life that we do not complement our fellow man enough in what they do and what they have achieved. Now if you would like a little bit more personable message in your card that you send, there are many different sites available in general that will have a customization tool available for you to use to customize the card and purchase it afterwards. With the Internet changing every day there will be new ideas in thank you cards that will peak your curiosity and make you a happy consumer.

Logo designs for the cards are available in the package as well and if this is something that you feel like doing then you will have to give the manufacturers more time to get the order together for you and have the images digitized to be able to use them on the computer. If you sign up on one of your favorite sites to get these types of cards make sure you get put on the websites list for sending you an email if there are new products introduced that week. This is the best way to get updates and even have a chance to get some new cards for making the perfect complement to someone for their hard work, thoughtfulness towards you and for their dedication.n

For more information about Thank You Cards, please visit our website.

When money is tight, people are understandably less willing to buy non-essential items like jewelry, ceramics, windchimes, and other handcrafts.

Unfortunately that can mean long, discouraging days for artists and crafters trying to sell their work at shows and festivals.

Try these ideas for profiting at craft shows, even when people are reluctant to buy:

1. Problem: The show is poorly attended, and even your own customers that you mailed postcards to aren’t coming. Sales are dead.

Possible Solution: Take this opportunity to get good deals on some of your own shopping for upcoming gift occasions, by bartering your items in exchange for handmade goods from the show’s other vendors.

Bartering is a fantastic win-win solution where each party gets a wonderful item for just their own cost of the piece they trade. This is a great way to take care of your gift shopping!

Tip: Be sure each artist bases the value of the trade on the full retail price of the items being traded.

2. Problem: Economic uncertainty – people are attending the craft show, but no one wants to spend any money.

Possible Solution: Even when finances are tight, other people still have to give gifts too.

Consider creating some low-priced “giftable” product lines that are nicely profitable for you – and putting signs next to them such as “Perfect gift for teens!” (or whatever type of person is appropriate for the item).

At one craft show where most vendors weren’t selling anything at all, I made a few hundred dollars just from my $3 line of cell phone / bookbag charms. I could easily have earned even more if I’d anticipated the market for these, and had been prepared with signs and more inventory. It also would have helped if I’d made these charms the focal point of my booth instead of having them at the end of a side table.

At the show where I sold tons of these, one girl picked out more than a dozen of these charms and her mom gladly bought them. They were great inexpensive holiday gifts for the girl’s friends – and a bargain for Mom.

Bonus: Sometimes people get roped in by your low-priced gifties and wind up also buying one or two higher priced items as well!

3. Problem: Craft shows are overrun with other booths selling the same category of items you are, either as the focus of their booth or as a sideline.

Possible Solution: Consider using your supplies to create some useful items that are outside of your main category of craft. For example, a jewelry artist might create beaded ceiling fan-pulls or wine bottle stoppers.

4. Problem: Prices on your raw materials have risen to much that you have to raise the prices on your finished products – just when your customers are tightening their spending.

Possible Solution: Lower your costs by designing some product lines that use more recycled and found objects, or a “trash to treasure” approach. Find ways to acquire and use raw materials that are super-cheap or even free – and devise creative, useful products from these materials.

See Rena Klingenberg’s 7 top tips to make your craft show booth more profitable – and 10 alternative craft show ideas where you’ll have practically no competition from other vendors.

Solid, sturdy frames are usually made out of Fir or Rosewood. These woods tend to be much firmer and stronger for canvas pulling. Also, they have a less chance of warping than regular pine stretcher bars do. Many canvas stretcher frames are dried or heated in order to remove moisture from the wood. Taking the moisture out of the wood helps your frame from bending or warping. Check canvas stretcher frame reviews for companies that heat or dry their stretcher bars to remove moisture. Also look for packaging care. Most stretcher bars are ordered in large quantities. So, look into a company that packages your bars with care to prevent the corners from chipping.

Good, quality stretcher frames will not have any sharp edges on the face or profile of the bars. Well made stretcher bars have the face of the frame rounded. If the face of the wood is left with a sharp edge, this will cut into your canvas and ruin your art. Canvas stretcher frame reviews can reveal if certain stretcher frames don’t have their bars sanded or rounded. Sometimes, the less expensive stretcher frames can be appealing. But, it’s not worth it if the profile of the frame isn’t rounded. Check for the thickness of the frames. Some consumers will note which thickness is the best they found to work with. Others may suggest the typical 1.5 inch standard. However, others see the 3 inch box cut as a little more creative and even fun to paint.

The ultimate decision relies on you and what stretcher frame you require for your unique project. Canvas stretcher frame reviews are just that; a review. It only offers opinions, thoughts and comments by other consumers to know answer question you have on a product. Each review must be taken lightly. Because one person may have had a bad experience with a certain product, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will as well. Test out stretcher frames for yourself and stick with a company that provides high quality stretcher bars as well as good customer service.

Troy Truman is an online publisher providing great tips on canvas stretcher frame reviews. To learn more about the topic visit http://www.GetCanvasPlus.co.uk today!

The larger canvas stretcher frame sizes can be anywhere from 30 inches to as large as 72 inches or even more. Generally, the larger the frame becomes, the more support it will need. Stretcher frames that are larger than 40 inches tend to need a crossbar or window-like bar in the centre to keep the frame from bending. With most canvases the typical width for the wooden bars are 1.5 inches. You can have the frames cut up to 3 inches, but then these are used for 3D canvas. Although, it is fun to paint the sides if the wood cut is thicker.

Medium sized stretcher frames can vary. These canvas stretcher frame sizes generally fall into the category of 30 – 40 inches. Typically, these are used for landscapes or large portraits. They are commonly seen in hobby stores in the canvas section. The sale price for the medium sizes can vary greatly. While it’s convenient to purchase canvas stretcher frames from your local hobby or framing store, you tend to save a little money by making your own stretch frames. However, if you don’t know what type of wood to look for or you are unfamiliar with the cuts, it may not be a good idea.

The smallest available canvas stretcher frame sizes are between 6 – 25 inches. The rounded or oval frames which are available in six to twelve inches are often seen used with embroidery. Of course, you can use it for canvas and smaller pictures. However, smaller frames are ideal for stretching small, oval portraits that can be hung or framed later. Most of the stretcher frames will come with interlocking corners that allow the pieces to be easily glued or nailed together. This makes putting the stretcher frames together much less time consuming. Also, it’s important to make sure the profiles on your stretcher frames are rounded. This way, when you pull your canvas over it, the indentions of a hard corner will not be visible in your painting.

Troy Truman is an online publisher providing great tips on canvas stretcher frame reviews. To learn more about the topic visit http://www.GetCanvasPlus.co.uk today!

Now the first set of benefits of polyester canvas come into play with regard to printing images onto canvas from a printer. Not only do these inks often work poorly on the traditional canvas materials such as linen and cotton, but when you use them in a printer on a roll, they do not crack as much as those other kinds can. When you are able to see the professional, amazing results that polyester canvas can provide, you too will understand why they are so much better when it comes to using a printer.

The second set of benefits of polyester canvas is for artwork. The reason that art restoration has become such a big business is that the old canvases, created out of linen or cotton, are failing to maintain art that is centuries old. If polyester can help restore and help maintain the art of past centuries, imagine what I can do on its own merit. Polyester is a highly durable fabric that will last for a very, very long time. Using it is one way to ensure that if your work of art is kept forever, it will stay the way you meant for it to look. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some of the world’s oldest art, some of which is deteriorating due to the materials that were used at the time.

The benefits of polyester canvas are numerous and very good. As you can see, whether the reason for the use of the polyester canvas is for modern-day printing, art restoration, or new art creation, the art in question will no doubt benefit from its use. Some types of polyester canvas are more suitable than others for certain projects, but this will be a good starting point for anyone in the art field to learn from. Using polyester canvas will prove to be sufficient and beneficial.

Troy Truman is an online publisher providing great tips on polyester canvas. To learn more about the topic visit http://www.GetCanvasPlus.co.uk today!