Scrapbooking Info

Dream catchers are simple projects and candles closely identified with the Native American. The original web designed craft of the Ojibwa was used to provoke natural wisdom. These Native Americans see Nature as a complete teacher. This Native American craft is made of twigs, feathers and sinews and are woven by the Ojibwa people since the ancient times. They were created with the old people to protect newborn children. It is believed that it gives infants a peaceful and beautiful when it hung above the cradleboards.

The history of this original craft of the Indian tribes traces it roots to a vision of an old spiritual leader of the Lakota Indian tribe. Legend has it that this revered leader had a vision of Iktomi appearing in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to the spiritual leader about the beautiful ways of the cycle of life while spinning web using the spiritual leader’s willow hoop, feathers, beads and horsehair.

When Iktomi finished with his narration, he gave the web the spiritual leader. The finished craft was a perfect circle with a hole at the center. Iktomi instructed the elder to exhort his people to use the web for them to reach their goals in life by making good use of the ideas and dreams. Believing in the great spirit, the elder knew that the web can filter the good ideas and dreams from the bad ones as the latter will not pass through the web.

These Native Americans believe that wishes complete the night air. The happy wishes are believed to be clear and know the path to the dreamer. They descend upon the dreamer to the feathers. Any sudden change of these feathered is believed to an indication of yet another passage of a good dream. Bad dreams, on the hand, are considered an errant and confusing. Bad dreams are unable to locate the right path through the dream catchers and are finally trapped there until sunrise when they evaporate with the morning dew.

The original dream catchers were woven using the red willow twigs as frame. The string utilized comes from the stalk of the nettle. The twigs used as web frame are gathered fresh and are left to dry in a circle mold to achieve the spiral shape they prefer depending upon the intended use.

These ancient projects also became popular in the other Indian tribes like the Lakota, Navajo and Cherokee. Nowadays, it is usually created in every Indian tribe not only in the US but also in Canada. You can expect to locate some authentic native craft in any events or festivals of Indian tribes. So popular are these Indian crafts that they have been seen on television. It was seen on one episode of Star Trek-Voyager series.

However, its popularity has also become its bane as cheap imitations started to enter the market. The American attempts of dream catchers are now being produced by non-natives and even producers from as far as Asia. For those who would like to buy the authentic ones made by Native Indian craftsmen may have to purchase them online.

Besides the children nurseries and decorative candles, these Native Indian crafts are now commonly displayed in walls, headboards, windows and even in the rear view mirrors of our cars.

Today’s world is getting more high tech all the time. Products are mass produced. Goods that used to have individual character are being made into commodities. Manufactured goods getting slicker and slicker. What is this doing to our individuality? Individuality has not disappeared. The human drive for individuality is being encouraged by increasing interest in handmade crafts. More and more people are taking up the making of handcrafts as a way of expressing their artistic individuality. But these handcrafts can’t be just the same old yadda-yadda that your Aunt Myrtle made. No antimacassars here. New types of crafts are being invented every day. For example, what about the purse dangle ? No? It’s the same as a handbag pendant. Adornment for your handbag. Doesn’t that sound fun?

But there’s not really a bottomless chasm between the world of high technology and the world of handmade crafts. As it turns out, it is the world of high technology that is nurturing the world of handmade crafts. The most effective way to get handcrafts into the hands of the buyers is to sell them directly on the Internet. Sure, there are stores out there that sell craft items, but the buyers have to know where they are and have to travel there. And for the seller, the process from making the trinket to putting it in the buyer’s shopping bag can be complicated. The artist may have to meet with the store owner—on the store owner’s time. The store owner undoubtedly will want to evaluate the item and either accept it for sale or reject it. Then the artist must accept the terms of the sale. A store owner has overhead to pay. That overhead will consume a large portion of the artist’s profits. There can be additional complications in the contract, such as payments for promotional activities.

Selling on the Internet is much easier. The buyer can just sit at home and browse the sites. And even locating the online shops is easy. Just google the item that you are looking for, and the site where it is located will come up. The most widely known site, eBay, allows anyone to sell just about anything to any buyer. Its fame makes it a go-to place for people looking for handmade crafts. The artist doesn’t have to make herself known to the world because the world knows eBay. Other online shops are more specifically craft oriented. For example, Etsy is a site that is becoming more and more well known as a place to find just handmade crafts and vintage items. On Etsy, the artist has full control of a personal shop. She can create an identity based on a profile, a photograph, and a logo. The selling process is also inexpensive. The cost is only twenty cents per item for three months, and Etsy’s commission is only 3.5 per cent. The artist can upload multiple photographs of each item.

People are excited to find handmade objects because unique possessions allow them to express their individuality in a truly modern way.