Best Handcrafted Gift Ideas

Why settle for store-bought gifts when you can create your very own presents. When gifts are handmade, it has special meaning as it takes time and effort to make something extraordinary out of nothing. Handcrafted gifts carry a meaningful message as they are created with such passion and love, no matter what the occasion is. There plenty of creative handmade gifts for everyone and every occasion, from coasters to bowls, and even 3D Nautical Wood Chart. These gifts will surely be a hit to your loved ones. 

Here are some of the most creative handcrafts gifts: 

Coasters 

Here’s an easy DIY anyone can do within minutes – coasters. You can paint them, soak them in colorful resin, and decorate them. Another cool thing to do is to make coasters out of Popsicle sticks and thin boards. Want to make a unique design? Shape them into pallets and you’ll have cute mini pallet coasters, perfect for any cup. 

Decorative Sign Boards 

Do you have great handwriting? Then showcase it in making decorative signboards. Decorative signboards are a great way to personalized kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and powder rooms. Choose your favorite quote and write them down in plain boards. As everyone loves decorative signs, you will never go wrong with these as gifts. 

Painted Wooden Bowls 

Great for appetizers and nuts, wooden bowls is a simple yet very indispensable kitchen tool. They can also be used as fruit bowls and table designs. Create a simple masterpiece in painting these bowls. Consider designs like stripes, flowers, and polka dots, as these bowls are both functional and decorative these keepsakes will lasts decades. 

Coat Rack 

Coat racks make daily life convenient, as it’s the very first furniture that greets you by the door; you hang almost everything on it, from your coats, bags, and keys ready to pick up next morning. So, it’s a great gift to give to your loved ones. Switch it up a notch and make it as a smart décor piece, create a custom coat hanger in decorating the knobs and border to compliment any home. 

Wood art 

Wood art is one of the most unique gifts you can ever gift to your loved one. Woodworking has been around for centuries, ever since the first civilization flourished. Today, there is a wide variety of wood art to choose from abstract standalone art to beautiful maps. Carved Lake Art makes high quality of clockworks and nautical home décor. We even make a 3D model of your choice of maps, check our amazing products here. 

Great Home Décor Ideas for Small Spaces

Home décor plays a very important part of making a house – a home. Even in tiny spaces, home décor defines the whole vibe of your home. Most people think that their options are limited when trying to decorate a small home. But in reality, there are still plenty of ways and a wide variety of options when trying to make your tiny space look perfectly put together. The key here is to take advantage of your walls and lightning.

You might think about it much but your walls are the largest space you have in your home. These empty walls can be filled with endless possibilities from hanging art deco to making bookshelves and cabinets. With just a few additions it can make your tiny apartment into a cozy and stylish space living space. 

No matter your style and preference, some decors can make your living room space look more stylish. Here are some of the best decor ideas to incorporate in your home. 

Mirrors

Browse any magazine and you might find something in common in tiny spaces – they hang a lot of mirrors. Mirrors reflect light and can make a room look bigger than it is. Oversize mirrors reflect the open space of the room, creating an illusion of a bigger room. Hang a mirror in your powder room or a narrow hallway. You can also place a mirror in your entryway as it makes your guest feel more welcome. With the addition of mirrors in any room, it helps tiny spaces look more pleasant and beautiful effortlessly. 

Showcase a Fabric 

For centuries, people hang tapestries on their walls and they had been doing it right. Tapestry can add color and texture to the otherwise plain walls. It adds a sense of softness and coziness to any space. Another great deal about hanging tapestry is it can be moved when it’s time to move in your next home. 

Make room for shelves 

Installing shelves and cabinets can greatly free up space in your tiny living space. Not only it looks good, but it also hides clutters and serves as a great display area for your collection. Floating shelves and display hardcovers are indispensable furniture you can ever own. 

Get A Large-Scale Art 

If you are on a bold side, you might want to experiment with large scale art. An oversized art piece will immediately set the tone in a small space. Choose from a vibrant colored piece or a black and white minimalist portrait, either way, it will create a great illusion in your tiny space. 

Go Green 

Bringing in the outdoors into your home will not only make your home look great but will smell great as well. Snake plants and the likes produce oxygen, an all-important factor of healthy living. Don’t have enough floor space? Try hanging planters in your walls or windowsill. 

Why are Great Lakes so Important?

The five Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario hold the largest freshwater on earth. Interconnected by natural and artificial waterways its very formation is so large it can be seen from space. 

Since ancient times the Native Americans first inhabited the Great Lakes. The five great lakes played a very vital role in forming the early civilization, wherein 120 bands of native tribes occupied the surrounding of the great lakes throughout the course of history. Some of the notable tribes inhabited the Great Lakes include the Sioux, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Chippewa, Fox, Iroquois, and Huron. Their civilization was significant in its own way event the Great Lakes was named after them. Native Americans also had an important role when the European explorers arrived in the country in the early 1600s, which help flourish the fur trade economy. 

Home to Millions of People 

Located in North America, within the US and Canada boundary the Great Lakes watershed houses about 40 million people. In the US alone, four of the twelve largest cities are located around the shores of the Great Lakes, they represent around 10% of the U.S. population. As the lake provides faster travel within and about the Great Lakes, it constitutes inland water transportation system in the world. The lake also played an important role in the economic development of the two countries. 

The Great Lakes also serve as a great recreational place for people living in the US and Canada. The Great Lakes even has its own thriving boat industry solely for recreation, as there are a lot of newly constructed canals catering vacationers into the region. Even secluded lake wilderness areas attracted people seeking out natural health benefits from mineral waters. 

The Lakes Supply most of the Natural Resources 

Covering about 94,000 miles and holding 5,500 cubic miles of freshwater, the Great Lakes provide drinking water to millions of people living in America and Canada. They contain about 18% of the world’s total fresh water. But people don’t just rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, as the lakes also have a diverse ecosystem and produce food for its inhabitants. A staggering 37% of the total land area of the lakes is devoted to agriculture and supplies tons of food sold in local supermarkets throughout the US and Canada. 

The Lake Weather is Perfect for Making Wines 

The Great Lakes is so huge that it even has its own Microclimate, and this is ideal for making wines. Apparent to this lake weather, hundreds of wineries scattered within the boundaries of the Great Five Lakes. As land and water have different characteristics, this fact is known to the ‘lake people’. Water takes longer to cool down and warm up; winemakers take advantage of this lake weather in creating the world’s best wines. As a result, this particular wine making draws international attention. Every year wine tours attract millions of people, even creating a particular wine tasting tourist industry. 

What are the Best Areas in your Home to Decorate?

People spend time, money and a lot of effort in making sure their homes will look spotless and well maintained. So, mounting wall art whether a sophisticated looking sculpture or a great painting masterpiece show your artistic prowess to friends and family. Wall art needs a specific space, the perfect height, and the right amount of light to get the full dramatic effect. As you have a basically unlimited option where to hang your wall art, there are certain rooms that can really get it noticed.

Here are the top three areas where you can hang your wall art. 

Kitchen 

Most people overlook their kitchen as an ideal place to decorate. Considered as the “heart of the home”, kitchen needs to be incorporated to the total look of your home. It is not just an area for cooking and dining, we spent most of our time here. This area longs for art since time immemorial, but nevertheless, you can still make up for it. To keep up with the artistic realm of your home, choose smaller pieces of artworks that you can put on top of your counter tops and table. Smaller pieces can complement but not overwhelm the space. 

Bedroom 

There are no surprises that people put a lot of effort decorating their bedroom. Since the bedroom is your retreat and resting place for relaxation, an artwork can make the room more inviting and pleasing. Choose an artwork that will best reflect your personality; after all, it’s your sanctuary after a hard day of work. You don’t need to shy away from large scale pieces of artworks, as your bedroom is the perfect place to display such amazing masterpieces. Lean towards soothing color, landscape or a subtle colored portrait. Keeping the frames minimal can really help a lot in focusing more on the pictures, making it more elegant looking. 

Living Room 

One of the most exciting yet intimidating rooms to decorate is your living room. Your living room is where you entertain your guest, so it’s best to choose unique and interesting art pieces. This will help break the ice to some of the awkward silence during a visit. For your living room, you can choose one large scale piece or a gallery styled paintings, the key is to think outside the box. You may want to consider choosing a customized wood art carving like maps and clockworks. Check out some of our amazing wood art collection here.