Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Reasons to Buy Handcrafted Fine Jewelry

Besides simply wanting to accessorize, there are many other good reasons to buy handcrafted fine jewelry. Consider that your piece will always be unique. You’ll also have a relationship with the designer or creator. Finally, you’ll support small business, and you’ll look great while you’re at it.

Unique Accessories

It’s true that you can probably find inexpensive jewelry online or at department stores. But it is also true that there will be hundreds of others with the exact same piece that you bought, whether earrings or necklaces. There is something to be said about having something that nobody else has. In fact, it can be treasured and passed on from generation to generation. When somebody compliments your lovely necklace, brooch, or clutch, you can say that it is one of a kind. They may be disappointed that they can’t purchase the item anywhere, but they will envy that unique accessory that you have come to own. If having something valuable and unique is important to you, this is just one benefit of owning handmade jewelry.

Personalized Interactions

Another benefit to purchasing handmade jewelry is that you will more than likely meet the designer. Whether they are selling from a tent at a local fair or online, your interactions are often very personal, making exchanges with the actual designer. They may be able to modify a certain piece of jewelry for you. You don’t have to worry about having your name on an email list or your information getting sold, because these are just normal people trying to share their talents with you. Many of them also have generous return policies as well, since their main goal is customer satisfaction. You could even get deals and discounts for hosting parties or spreading the word.

Support Small Business

The final reason to consider handmade jewelry is that you are supporting small businesses. For big department stores, your purchase may not make a huge difference. But for somebody who is supporting a family or trying to make extra money for bills, your purchase could make a huge difference. Stimulating the economy is a worthy action. All of these are just a few reasons to consider buying handcrafted fine jewelry.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Easy Modifications: Picture Collage Maker Online

It used to be that you would actually have to have talent to take a decent photograph. Getting collages made was an expensive or time-consuming ordeal. Editing photos for flaws took expertise. There are lots of tools available to you now, though, that make all of these things easier. Read on for more information on how to edit your pictures, including using a picture collage maker online.

Use Filters

There are so many applications and websites now that can add a certain effect to your picture. This makes a huge difference. It adds certain tones to a photo that alter the colors in a certain way. Do an Internet search for the most popular photo applications, or just download one to your smart phone to see what filters are available. Popular filters include black and white or sepia tones. Black and white obviously adds more contrast and can make a mood more dramatic. Sepia can smooth out lines and make skin appear flawless. Other filters add effects that make your picture look like an old, discolored Polaroid. Play around with different filters to see how it affects your photographs.



Add Text and Edit

Another thing you can do easily is modify your photo with text. It is common to add an inspirational quote on top of a beautiful background picture that you took. Free applications make this easier and allow you to choose different fonts and colors. Another thing you can do on your computer is use the basic photo editor or viewer that comes with your computer’s operating system. This often enables you to remove red eye and crop pictures easily.

Collage It

Once you have cropped and edited your picture using free applications, you can make the presentation more exciting by using a picture collage maker online or on your phone. You can choose to have various amounts of photos in the collage, commonly anywhere from one to nine (or more). These are fun because you can use different photos from one occasion to make one collage instead of posting separate pictures to your social networking websites. All of these are just a few ideas to change the presentation and quality of your pictures.