The Easy Way to Make a Special Present

We all know someone who is difficult to buy a present for. Someone who has everything they need and would not appreciate 'normal' gifts. Often this will be your parent or an older relative or neighbor, and they can be a problem to buy something for.

Well, this is a simple way to make a unique gift that they will be happy to accept. When you take the time to produce something that relates only to them and their interests it will always be happily received.

The idea is to make a picture that includes something that they are especially interested in. This could be a hobby or any other interest they have.

This is a quick and easy technique. You simply choose your theme (their hobby or interest), paint a silhouette of it onto a colored background and frame it.

You could paint a colored background onto a canvas panel or use already colored paper. I noticed my local art store had colored card that had a range of colors merging into each other, this would be ideal for this technique.

The theme of your silhouette is really the creative part. The easiest thing would be to use their hobby as the theme.

Look through some copyright free clip art until you find an image that you could use for the outline of the silhouette.

If they like fishing it could be a fisherman/fish/fishing fly. For a golfer it could be a set of clubs/golf hole with flag. For someone who likes to cook it could be related to cooking. If they are keen church-goers a silhouette of their church may be appreciated.

A lot of people like to receive a silhouette of their home. For car enthusiast a silhouette of their car is a good idea. In which case you could use a digital camera and take a picture of their church, home or whatever you have decided to include in the picture.

You really can use your imagination for this. When using clip art you have a huge range of options (probably too many!) to choose from. You don't have to be great at drawing!

Also, you can use a computer graphics package to blend together two or three images for your final silhouette shape. Be sure to adjust the size of the final image to make it the correct size for the painting surface you have chosen, and print it out. As this is a gift you can make it whatever size you choose.

Once you have painted or found a suitable background, then trace around the outside edge of the image for your silhouette shape. Use carbon paper for this.

The silhouette shape can be painted in using acrylic paints ? don't make the paint too thin though! Another alternative is to use a permanent marker, not a normal marker as it will fade over time, and that would be disappointing for the person receiving the gift.

Silhouettes look very effective and traditional in black. However you could use a darker shade of one of the colors in the background for an alternative look. For example if the background was a pale green the silhouette could be in a dark green. This all adds to the uniqueness of your gift.

If you are using a colored card it will be better to use a permanent marker as the water in the paint may cause the card surface to buckle.

Fill in the silhouette shape and leave to dry. Then frame the silhouette picture.

**A distinctive gift for a special person.**

This type of personalized gift is always appreciated and shows that you have put some thought, time and effort into the present.

Another major benefit is that no one else will be giving exactly the same gift!

This is an excellent technique if you can't find a suitable card. You can make your own special card. It is most effective if you choose a very simple shape for the silhouette when using this method in card making. Cards are generally a lot smaller and look best when you use less detailed shapes.

Use this system and say goodbye to gift buying problems for that hard to please someone.

Catherine Calder is the author of the Acrylic Painting Course. This step-by-step course teaches you how to paint using acrylic paints. All stages of each of the 12 painting are illustrated. Ideal for beginners or anyone new to using acrylic paints. For a free preview of the course visit http://www.learnanddo.com/acrylic.asp Sign up for the free report on 'How to Paint Abstract Pictures for Pleasure and Profit' at http://www.AcrylicPaintingCourse.info

---

How to Use Feathers and Dried Flowers to Give Your Scrapbooks an Artistic Feel

Feathers make exotic and interesting embellishments and borders. Feathers add an air of softness. Feathers may be useful in scrapbooks with a freedom, peace, or quiet theme. However, colored or exotic feathers may... Read More

Scrapbooking Tips And Tricks For Photos And Images

When you're incorporating pictures of any kind into your scrap book, why not set them off with an unusual finish? This could be an original idea for a border or frame -- or... Read More

Treasure Hunting - The Unusual Ways

When you think of treasure hunting, maybe gold coins and precious stones come to mind, but it doesn't end there. You can start in your own attic to see what treasures you find.... Read More

Make Your Own Citronella Candles

Need a cost effective way to get rid of mosquitoes? Try making your own citronella candles and eliminate mosquitoes while providing a romantic, outdoor setting. Making citronella candles is easy and can cost... Read More

Sewing ? A Wonderful Pastime

To think that in the beginning the only sewing patterns used were to measure from ankle to dirt and chop off the animal skin so that it would not drag on the ground.... Read More

Getting Rid of Messes and Mistakes in Your Scrapbooks

No matter how careful you are, you will undoubtedly find a mistake, mark, or mess on your finished scrapbook page. This is just part of the process of making a scrapbook. If you... Read More

You Are A Diamond So Scrapbook About Yourself

As a devoted scrapper, you probably gain satisfaction from scrapbooking about others.Oftentimes, you are the one glaring missing light in your scrapbook albums. Simply because you're so caught up with hiding behind the... Read More

Scrapbooking on a Budget

Memories are priceless, but the cost of preserving them can be high. Here are nine tips for making the most of your scrapbooking budget.1.Be on the lookout for scrapbooking supplies everywhere you go.... Read More

Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving. Even kids would want to get into the picture. Giving gifts to their friends and loved ones. Now what gifts can kids give that... Read More

Bookmarks As Unique As You

Racks and racks of bookmarks ranging from funny to inspirational are available in most bookstores. But for a truly unique bookmark, make your own from a treasured digital photo.This idea came from my... Read More

Tooling Leather

Use vegetable-tanned, light-colored top-grained leather for tooling leather. If you're not sure what you have, test the leather's ability to take a pattern by wetting a corner and making lines with different objects... Read More

Rubber Stamps : 10 Great Tips For Making Multiple Cards

You know the feeling. The kids have tons of demands, vacation is just around the corner, that big project at work is eating all of your free time. How will you ever make... Read More

Making Hemp Jewelry Is Fun and Easy

Making our ideas come to life and creating them with our own hands is a great source of satisfaction for many of us. Handicrafts such as making hemp jewelry have been and continue... Read More

Embroidery Stabilizing for Machine Embroidering

Here are some tips to get good results with your embroidery designs sewing.1. When it's possible, run your outline stitching first, this will help stabilize your fabric even further!2. I prefer layering solvy... Read More

Spruce Up Your Pages with Scrapbooking Embellishments

Having this nagging doubt that you may upstage your precious photos or clutter your pages with scrapbooking embellishments?One moment you're just so tempted to paste the embellishment onto your page, and the next... Read More

Russian Nesting Dolls - The Beginning

According legend, first nested doll prototype appeared in Russia in the late 19th century (believed to be year 1890), it was figurine of bold headed old man, Buddhist sage by the name of... Read More

Rubber Stamps and Scrapbooking ? Keep Kids Busy with Crafts This Summer

They're out of school and back to torment the neighborhood this summer. You remember the days. Boredom is a common thought, even with all the stuff to do. Mow the lawn, go to... Read More

The Easy Way to Make a Club Logo

Are you a member of a club or association? Have you ever thought how much better your letterheads would look with your own club logo? How about a sign for your club with... Read More

The Unusual Characteristics Of Reverse Painting

By stepping backwards in time one can discover an important part of art history associated with reverse painting on glass.It was an era that heralded the use of this art form 'en masse'... Read More

The Leather Look, Accents, and Punching for Your Scrapbook

A leather look can add elegance to your scrapbooking page.To create a unique leather look, simply distress cardstock. To do this, grip the cardstock in your hands. Then, with a gentle circular motion,... Read More

Robotic Vacuum Cleaners: Perfect for Cleaning Pool Tables

A friend of mine bought a robotic vaccum cleaner as a gag. It's actually pretty fun to watch it semi randomly roaming around the room. It seems to have about 15 different direction... Read More

Are Your Collectibles Valuable? Heres How to Find Out

The first thing you will need to do is check out the condition of your item, be it a train, collectible Barbie doll, Disney collectible, or some other collectible item. Is it scratched,... Read More

Depression Glass Companies

Just before the advent of the Great Depression, more than a hundred companies manufactured glassware in the United States. At the end of the Depression, fewer than fifty percent of these companies remained... Read More

Are Your Airbrush Products Selling? If So, Here Are 3 Ways To Further Skyrocket Sales!

One of the biggest challenges faced by airbrush artists are proof of what you say is true! The potential customer is going to find it hard to believe you. Whether it is, if... Read More

The Proper Use of Comic Book Supplies Will Help You Maintain a Top-Notch Collection

If you want to keep your comic book collection in tiptop shape, comic book supplies will become part of your collecting life. As soon as a magazine is printed there are natural environmental... Read More

10 Slam-Dunk Crafts For Little Kids -- And Bigger Kids Too!

Crafting with young children really isn't about creating something in particular. Most young children don't have the foresight to see what a project is going to be.For young children it's more important that... Read More

Green Thumb Not Required

Ah, the sweet smell of fresh flowers, herbs and fruit. But what if you don't have room for a flower garden or a fruit tree? What about if you always over or under... Read More

How to Value Your Jewelry at Home or Work

Many thanks for taking the time to read this compact jewelry article entitled 'How to Value your Jewelry at Home or Work'. You are about to discover the intricacies and formulas that highly... Read More

Embroidery Sewing Quality of Machine Embroidery Designs

Many new to embroidery have experienced numerous problems because of the inferior quality of free embroidery design files that they downloaded over the internet. One of the biggest mistakes that many new sewists... Read More