Mixing Art Styles at Michigan Craft Shows


Michigan is known for quite a lot of things. It is a melting pot of many different things. The fields in which a person could get a job in could be in the heavily technical automobile industry or maybe even work on growing fruits in the flourishing farms. It's interesting to note that even the people of Michigan are able to work in both fields. Michigan is one of the leaders in the American car industry, and is also the leading distributor of some types of fruits.It is this obvious mix that shows the state of Michigan in its entirety. They have shown that they can take on difference facets almost simultaneously. It's like being back in school all over again. Michigan is like that cool classmate of yours that excels in both Math and Sports. It's a rare thing to be, indeed; two polar opposites co-existing in one being in near perfect harmony.Now, speaking of the crafts industry, the residents of Michigan are really no different. They are very capable indeed of mixing two distinct styles and meld them seamlessly in a single piece of work. I have seen masterpieces in wood, carved into an elegant shape. Then, that talent is show once again in the fragile art of glassblowing. It's really a remarkable thing.It would be such a waste to let these things escape the public eye. But, there are quite a lot of craft shows that happen around Michigan on a daily basis. They're pretty fun, even if you'll just be there to look around or try the traditional fun activities at the fair. If you're lucky, you'll take a shine to a particular crafted piece or two.Experience the duality I've been talking about by visiting these craft shows. It's simple; just go online and search for craft shows around Michigan. Search engines will make life easier and you'll definitely find the information you need. Then, just gear up and go over to a craft fair nearby.

Baby Shower Invitation Trends For 2009 And Beyond


There are almost limitless theme possibilities when it comes to planning a baby shower, but there are three trends that stand out from the crowd in 2009.The Retro ShowerThis trendy baby shower has really taken off in 2009. It incorporates retro fashion colors into a fun and unique baby shower with a theme that everyone can enjoy. Retro furnishings and colors are popular in homes, hotels, and even automobiles, so it makes sense that this trend would extend to baby shower invitations. Simply choose a retro era, like the 50s, 60s, or 70s, and choose colors and shapes from that time for party decorations. Right now, color trends combine pastel pinks, blues, lime greens, light browns, and red earth tones into stripes for the ultimate retro baby shower invitation. Any combination of these colors was popular years ago and represented optimism and rebellion. You could also choose a bold geometric pattern, particularly if you are planning a groovy 60s or 70s retro baby shower.Scrapbooking ShowerScrapbooking itself has catapulted to the top of the arts and crafts world, so it only makes sense that baby showers now incorporate this trendy theme. Choose baby shower invitations that mimic this theme, either with a colorful background layered with a photo and embellishments, or an embellished baby shower invitation designed to look like a scrapbook page. In the baby shower invitation, mention this theme and invite each guest to bring enough scrapbooking materials to create two layout pages for the honoree. This way, after the baby is born, the pages are already created by her friends and family, ready for those precious first photos of her child.People are so busy these days, especially mothers-to-be, that having this type of baby shower not only provides her with meaningful keepsakes created by close friends, but helps her prepare for her child’s arrival in other ways. These pages could be framed instead of included in a scrapbook, so she can decorate the nursery with them.Bold and Eco-FriendlyEnvironmental issues are receiving tremendous attention lately, and another trend in baby showers combines bold colors with eco-friendly habits. Using recycled paper for baby shower invitations and choosing bold color combinations are a popular trend. Consider fuchsia, pink and lime green for girls, while turquoise, light or dark blue, lime green, and yellow are great for boys. Yellow, aqua, and lime green for gender neutral baby showers are all the rage. These colorful yet eco-friendly baby shower invitations set the tone for a "green" shower that is still tons of fun.Guests might be asked to bring a book in lieu of a card to begin the baby’s library or asked to wrap gifts in colorful baby fabric instead of wrapping paper to reduce waste. Then, the decorations all comprise of reusable items like baby bottles filled with colorful jelly beans and colorful pacifiers piled in glass bowls for a centerpiece. Any of these baby shower themes can be tailored for a boy or girl, yet work well for the gender neutral shower as well. Choosing one of these trendy themes for your baby shower invitations will guarantee you a memorable celebration.

What to Look For When Buying Cribs For Your Day Care Center

Running a day care can be a very profitable business, but when first starting out, the daycare provider must take a lot of factors into consideration. One area that they really must look at would be day care furniture. Although a lot of day care furniture would need to be purchased to run a profitable as well as effective daycare, one of the most important pieces of furniture that would need to be purchased would be cribs.There are many different types of cribs that could be purchased. They come in a wide variety of sizes as well as prices. In recent years different styles have also been introduced as well. When considering purchasing cribs for your daycare, there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration. You would need to know your budget for these purchases, the age and development of the children who will be using this piece of furniture as well as the size of the space that you will need to house all this furniture. If you have a small space where you will be placing these cribs, then you may want to look at purchasing some convertible baby cribs. These types of cribs come in all types of different styles and colors.They would be ideal for any daycare that has a small space or that uses this space for other activities. Because they are convertible, they are portable as well and can be moved from room to room when needed. These cribs are made the same as the larger cribs and still require that the manufactures of these units follow the correct safety standards. And if you need an extra regular bed in an emergency, these cribs can be turned into a regular bed with side rails quite quickly. If you have the luxury of having quite a large space where you will be placing these cribs, then you would probably look at cribs that are larger in size but cannot be moved if the space is needed for something else. These types of cribs in a daycare are most useful for older or bigger babies. They give a lot more room for the child to move about.As in any daycare furniture purchase, these types of cribs come in different sizes, colors and shapes. Price could also be a big factor in determining which type of crib you will end up purchasing. There are many types and styles of cribs on the market these days. So purchasing cribs for any daycare can be quite easy and economical as well. It would be quite possible that your decision which cribs to purchase and how many would depend on the price of the cribs.For some daycare providers, finding cheap quality cribs can be one of the hardest decisions to make. There are a lot of crib providers on the market today and they are all competing for your business. Because of this competition, it could be possible to find really good deals on the items you need. With proper research and determination, this purchase could be one of more profitable purchases for the business.