Technology stepped up its infiltration of our homes. In 1953 the Post Office in Britain issued roughly 3 million television licences, and about 27 million people crowded around friends’ and neighbours’ sets to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, an average of nine people per set. By the end of the decade, 16 million households had televisions, and it was possible to watch in a bit more comfort. In addition, more appliances (such as automatic washing machines, fridges and food mixers) had begun to creep into our kitchens.

The Festival of Britain in 1951 was designed as a ‘tonic to the nation’, intended to improve morale and help us forget the trauma of war. At multiple locations around around the country it celebrated Britain’s history, achievements and culture, and was a huge showcase for home-grown design, architecture and art.

Innovations in paint technology during the 1950s meant that the dark colours of the 1940s (usually applied by professionals because they were difficult to work with) could be abandoned and we could buy off-the-shelf vinyl paint and do it ourselves (the 1950s was the supreme age of DIY). Usage of bright colours reflected the optimistic feeling of the time. Bright pinks, greens, blues, yellows and purples are all absolutely authentic for a 1950s scheme.

When it comes to fabric of this period, the choice was very diverse – either bright, bold florals or abstract patterns inspired by advances in science (think startbursts and atoms) were very popular.

Inevitably, furniture changed too in the post-war years. Whilst 1940s’ sofas had bulky frames stuffed with hessian and horsehair, those produced in the 1950s benefited from innovations in both techniques and materials. New ways of working with wood allowed designs with light frames, sleek lines and elegant shapes. Scandinavian furniture, with its minimal adornment, was particularly popular.

For the authentic 1950s look, juxtapose wooden furniture with plastic, Formica and chrome, all popular materials at the time. Alternatively, source an original basket-weave chair, or a high-tech butterfly chair (a metal frame with fabric hung over it) to complete the look.

You can replicate the 1950s look very easy, with a bit of effort finding right style textiles and pieces of furniture. For finishing touches, pick up vintage details – craft signs, postcards and other knick-knacks. While not all came from 1950s, they cleverly mixed and matched to make them look related. The other items that say ’1950s’ are magazine racks and coat racks that incorporated bright plastic balls on the legs or hooks, examples of atomic-age design from the festival of Britain.

Try to find the crochet rugs at car boot sales. Or make them by yourself, just like the houswives in 1950s might have made. It’s definitely the little extras that make all the difference.

The photos featured Sudan refugees and were not manipulated like his previous work. One of the pieces in the collection, King, features a young man standing with his back to the camera and gazing into the distance.

Spencer lost interest in the South and traveled to Mexico where he became interested in the Day of the Dead festivities. The resulting Apariciones collection will be included in his first digital publication. He returned to the United Stated and began working on This Land, which features monuments and landmarks of the United States.

During this time, Spencer said he was disgusted with his home country and politics. He altered his photographs in the dark room and almost attacked them. Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota is almost unrecognizable. Only one face from the monument is visible, and the entire photograph is darkened creating an eerie image.

His work has been shown at the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Columbia Museum of Art, and the Louisiana Center for Arts and Sciences. His photographs were also featured in the book The South by Its Photographers alongside the work of influential artists such as Shelby Lee Adams (American, b.1950) and William Christenberry (American, b.1936).

Spencer has begun experimenting with digital media and has largely abandoned the darkroom. He is planning DVD compilations of his work and continues to live and photograph in Nashville, TN.

For this project you will need wooden beads, that can be find in any hobby & craft shop. Or you can find some old jewellery in charity or second-hand shops which can be recycled. The size of the beads is up to you, but if you do it for the first time you should use a bigger size – it will be easier to handle with. For this project we used eight 1 in wooden beads.

The important thing is to choose the style of your final piece – vintage, funky, black & white, embellished… Create your design in your head and then choose the fabrics. You will also need  some thread, ribbons and scissors, and – you are ready to have fun!!

How to make a fabric beads necklace?

1 Take 4½ in strip of the fabric and fold it in half  lengthwise, right sides together and pin in the place.

2 Sew a ¼ in along the edge to create the tube.

3 Press the seam open and turn right side out.

4 Fold the tube in half lengthwise to find the centre and pinch with two fingers. Insert a wooden bead into the fabric tube pushing it so that it rest against your pinched fingers.

5 Tie and firmly knot on either side of the wooden bead.

6 Insert two beads on either side of the central bead and repeat step 5.

7 Carry on in this fashion until you have inserted and knotted all eight beads.

8 Leaving the ends of fabric loose, trim so that they are equal lengths and iron them flat.

9 turn the raw edges of the loose fabric inside the tube and insert the ribon into the tube. The fabric tube may be wider than the width of the ribbon, if so, fold inwards any excess fabric, pin in place and stitch to secure (this can be a bit fiddly so take your time and use a decorative stitch if you prefer!).

10 Neaten a raw edges of the other ends of ribbon with a line of stitch to prevent them fraying and secure with two knots and a bow. Enjoy wearing your new beads!

In 1999, Jenne moved to San Francisco where she participated for many years in the art underground scene; here she learned to costume, perform, & work with experimental installations. While apprenticing for 5 years in architectural metalworking, Jenne was commissioned to create principal large-scale interactive installations for the annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada from 2000-2003.

In 2005, Jenne started her own business, Ink Operated.  Seeking a new medium to work with, she discovered fiber and the art of sculpting with wool & water.  Jenne is self-taught through online research/books & experimentation. In 2007, she launched Harlequin Feltworks, a business specific to felt scarves which is perhaps best known for its innovative Rose Scarf design.  In 2010, she published Felt Fashion: Couture Projects for Garments & Accessories combining pattern-making, sewing & felt-making techniques.

Jenne says, “Fiber has been a very rewarding medium, albeit completely unexpected. I found myself in need of a new art form and “discovered” the potential of wool by happenstance.  Why I had no no awareness of fiber as an art material, after years of immersion in fine art, was a bit of a mystery in itself.  Discovering the artistic possibilities of fiber opened the door to a vast realm of novel techniques & materials, unlocking, as well, a window to new ideas and to past history.”

Jenne’s work with felt paintings & soft sculpture is a return to conceptual, fine art work. “It is perhaps difficult for me to separate my art from my experience as a woman in a dichotomized world, but I strive for more universal concepts that can reach across differences of identity.  My work is primarily motivated by the desire to introduce small riddles embedded in the conceptual fabric of the piece;  these loose threads might hopefully snag in the minds of others, unraveling a new awareness in those who interact with my art. “

The first step is to decide exactly what you are looking for in furniture. You will need to know in advance where the piece of furniture will be placed and the approximate dimensions. The next step is to decide would you try and do it or you will hire professionals to do it instead . While there are many carpenters that will make the piece for you, you may want to make it yourself. You will need to take precise measurements and know the best pieces of material to use.

After you have determined the style and size of the piece you can start construction. Be sure that you are using sturdy materials. If you have never made a piece before, you should start with something small and simple. You will not want to start on a very large project or piece unless you are confident in your skills. If you truly want to make a piece, but are unsure, hire someone to help you or do it by your specifications. A carpenter can help you with the more difficult aspects of the molding of the piece.

When the construction of the piece is finished , you have to choose varnishes, cloth for upholstery and other finishes. For most people this is the favourite part of the whole process. Try to choose a high quality fabrics. These can be found at most fabric stores and even online.

Many people choose to have their own furniture made, because they are unable to find the colors and fabrics that they want. This is your opportunity to truly step outside the box and choose fabric that is fun and edgy.

The cost of having your own furniture made can be substantial. Just keep in mind that you may need to hire someone to assist you. Do not be afraid to call someone in if you feel that you have gotten in over your head. Ultimately you will have a piece that is fun, comfortable and one of a kind. Both the experience and the piece will be incredibly memorable for you.

As with traditional coat of arms, it is lovely if your design reflects your intended recipient’s name or occupation. Divide the shield into quarters and fill each section with little trinkets or scraps that suit the knight you have in mind. old badges, beads, buttons and braids, anything that have metallic thread, monograms, name tapes or old jewels all look great.

Use an embroidery hoop to keep the background fabric taut while you embellish it, and securely sew on each piece using embroidery silks. When you have finished you can make your design into a cushion or stretch it over a canvas.

Material You Need

Paper for template

Pencil

Paper scissors

Ribbons, lace and fabric scraps

Beads, badges, broken jewellery  and buttons

Monograms, name tapes or school badges

Digital camera

Thick blanket or woolen fabrics

Tailor’s chalk

Silk embroidery thread

Embroidery hoop

How to Make It

1 Draw out the shield on paper and cut it out to make your template. lay out all the pieces that you want to add onto it. Arrange and move pieces until you are happy with the plan. take a digital photo as a reminder of what goes where.

2 Draw out the shield shape directly onto the right side of the fabric using tailor’s chalk. later you can brush marks away. Define the outline of the shield and the quarters in running stitch or by sewing on beads or ribbons or quarters of different woolen fabric cut using the template. You can use a sewing machine to put these background pieces in place if you wish. Then put the shield into an embroidery hoop to make the rest of the process easier.

3 Sew on all the other pieces that you have collected until the whole of the shield is bristling with reclaimed bits and bobs. Use embroidery silks and simple stitches to add detail in any blank areas or to sew initials, names, dates or mottoes in your design.

4 You can cut out the finished shield and hand stitch it to a cushion cover or staple the finished fabric into a suitable frame for hanging.

Luke says about his art: „Within contemporary quilt making people are exploring ways of using fabric as a medium for both functional quilts as well as wall hangings. The resultant dialogue between quilting as a pastime of assembling purchased fabrics and quilting as a skill of constructing usable objects from unusable cloth reflects a current societal tension.”

“For each viewer the alchemy is within the craftsmanship and creative eye of the quilter and their work, as demonstrated in the Gee’s Bend quilts. They were brought into national attention as they toured the country through contemporary art museums and galleries. Those quilts constructed for warmth from overused cloth became intriguing art objects.“

„I am interested in the choices we make to express ourselves to our world. The most apparent form of this is our clothes. We create an environment around ourselves to inform others how we desire to be perceived. By quilting I am initiating a dialogue between the immediate environments we create for ourselves, and the environments we inhabit.”

“Where cloth, what we know to respond to as clothes, becomes the language of my work. The cloth becomes the medium that I use to create images and scenes rather than conceal and contain.“

His solution was to produce the cards by hand and this led to the first exhibition of 1200 cards in 1997 in Zurich where visitors were able to create their own cards and trade for his.

The ethos of ATCs is based on exchanging creativity and there is no monetary value to the cards, nor should there be. By taking part in a swap, you can build up your own creative reference library and share your talents with others without leaving the comfort of your studio or keyboard.

Freida Oxenham produced over 1000 of these little gems and has set up many swap groups around the globe. She says that there is nothing quite like the moment of receiving and opening an ATC received in the post. Sometimes ATCs arrive unexpectedly in the post, unprompted. They are spontaneous gestures known in the ATC world, known as RAKs or “random act kindness”.

Freida described the process of making ATCs as a great way to “flex your creative muscles”, particularly if you have a large project on the go and stumble upon the creativity block.

Her designs, whether they be created using ink, paint, felt, beads, fabric, embroidery thread, buttons, lace, ribbon, photographs, metal, paper… all of the above are transferred to the standard sized card which can be purchased in packs over the internet. Each card once completed must fit into a plastic sleeve to ensure protection and conformity to the size limits.

In much the same way as collectors store collections of football cards or playing cards, the finished ATCs can be put into plastic sleeves, safe from coffee cups and eager fingers. Every ATC should carry the name of its creator, the date, a title and reference i.e. 1 of 6, to indicate a batch. You can even buy pre-printed labels online!

In EarlyAmerican homes, reading material was limited, but the one book that could usually be found was the Bible. Bible stories wee told to children from their earliest years, and Biblical names were very much a part of everyday life. As the variety of quilt patterns proliferated, it was natural that many of them should take on names with religious significance.

Among the earliest of these patterns was the Star of Bethlehem, a large and showy arrangement of 45º diamonds. Others were simpler block designs such as Jacob’s Ladder, Crown of Thorns, and Hossanah, or The Palms. The favourite appliqué design – in all its many variations – was Rose of Sharon. These Bible-inspired patterns are no less popular today and are often incorporated into presentation quilts for ministers or banners for churches, as well as into family album quilts.

Aside from the quilts that illustrate Bible stories, there are many other quilts with religious and moral themes. Some have verses or sayings in either pieced or appliqué letters. They are almost certainly designed by the makers and created with endless loving labor, probably in many cases for a young person going out into the world for the first time and presumably needing this moral encoragement.

There has been at least one very good book devoted to them, “Creative American Quilting Inspired by the Bible”, by Murwin & Payne (1982), unfortunatelly now out of print, but possibly available in libraries and Amazon website.

Candles are used for decorating rooms, too. The choice is yours, and you have a wide array of colours and shapes to choose from.

Nothing says relaxation and romance like a candle lit room. It seems to make the rest of the world disappear from sight, so you see only that which is in the candle’s light. This is a good way to forget the worries of the day, and is an inexpensive way of doing so too. Give it a try one evening when you feel stressed and feel the tension disappear in a puff of smoke as you light your candles.

Candles are available for purchase in a variety of places, from basic emergency candles in the local hardware stores, to wide selections in the local dollar store, to beautiful artistic creations in home decor stores. There are candles for every occasion too, for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc., and for people with a variety of interests. Some candles have flowers in them as decoration, others are decorated with shells, or imitation fish or … there is a lot of choice out there.

Along with the huge variety of candles, and the ability to make your own custom scented candle, comes an equally large variety of candle holders. To make the burning of candles as safe as possible, they need to be in a safe holder, or on a plate or in a tin, but even so, there are candle holders that appeal to all sorts of different tastes. There are wall candle holders as well as candelabras, and numerous glass containers of various shapes and colours that, provided the candles are inserted properly and the glass placed on a flat surface, will be safe for you to burn.

Another advantage of candles, is that you can easily make them yourself, decorating them, colouring them, and adding essential oils to make a custom scented candle to help set a certain mood. Candle making is a good project for a family and a way of making inexpensive gifts at any time of the year and for any occasion. You can also make candle gift baskets with the theme, or colour scheme of your choice.

You can vary your candles too by using soy instead of paraffin wax, or bees wax for more environmentally friendly candles, or you can use gel for candles. This is available in many different colours and shades, and is very effective. Of course you can use different shaped containers for the wax, tins or jars and you can decorate them as you see fit. Or you can make floating candles, using a wide base for the candle to help it float.

The choices for candles are many, but there are advantages to a custom scented candle. You can make it the shape and colour of your choice, and with the scent of your choice, or you an use essential oils to  turn it into an aromatherapy candle. Make your choice and enjoy!