You can purchase plan looking photo frames and with some creativity wand, you can turn them into unique gifts to friends. But when choosing photo frames, if you want to sew decorations on it, then you would need frames that have curls in which you can hook on. Like the one below:
The frame can be decorated with ribbon roses, beads- the type which you wire little glass beads using jewerly wire and make them extend outward like small branches.
Else you can also buy plain wooden frames and stick memorablias like buttons from your old clothings or vintage items to them:
Most people throw away odds and ends- but you can clean them and store them in a transparent jar- then stick them to wooden photo frames. Even if you collect buttons or beads, you can collect and stick them randomly together.
Here’s an example of a fridge magnet that I’ve made:
I’ve use the wire hair claws- and then I bend it into a circle. Why I used the hair claws is because it helps me to stitch all components together with ease. At first, I sew the ribbon roses. Then I take a branch from a small wired Christmas tree and curl it into a heart shape (or what that looks vagued like a heart shape). Some ribbons are sewn below the green Christmas tree. After that, the three ribbon roses (yellow, red and blue) are sewn on the green wire.
This little store is located alongside a highway stop on my way to Chiang Mai. The stop has a petrol station, 7 Eleven store and Amazon coffee.
When I asked permission from the owner, a middle aged lady to take photo, she promoted some of the items sold in her shop.
Compared to the prices sold in other craft shops. I remembered her price was cheaper. In Thailand, you can find decorative hanging items made from coconut shells- since coconuts are found in abundance in Thailand. The shop also sold other mass produced ceramic wares (probably from China).
Here is a picture taken from a souvenir or gift kiosk located at Central Airport Plaza, Chiang Mai.
The items here are mass produced- and a lot of places sell such items. But if you can find these items in a lot of shops, then usually people would not be buying it a lot.
When a person choses the route to sell mass produced craft items, he/she would need to bring the items ahead or compete in pricing. Usually, because everyone seemed to be selling the same items, the seller finds that he/she is tied down with stocks that cannot be sold- even when a sale is being offered. No doubt, one has the chance of making some quick buck if the item is appealing and other sellers had not managed to grab hold of the supplier- but it will always be a race against time.
When the cross stitch craze first started decades ago when I was very young, I remembered the cross stitch cloth and the threads specially for cross stitch are very pricey. Today, the price had gone down and I can find cross stitch kits being sold at some gift or stationery shops.
Above: Together with the cloth, threads and design (in colors), the kit above is sold for about RM20 plus at a shop in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Do you find that sometimes, the magnets fall off the decoration after a while? That is why I don’t really like to glue the magnets to the decorations- unless you are using super glue- but you may risk gluing your fingers.
Usually when I make fridge magnets, I do not glue- but I take the extra step to sew the magnet on whatever decorations that I am using. Below is some raw fridge magnets that I’ve managed to source after extensive sourcing (never give up and you can always find what you are looking for 
)
The magnets has no hole punched in the middle. After trying to figure out how to secure the magnets to items that I want, I came out with this idea- using a cross stitch cloth:
Everything around you can be an inspiration in your creative products. Product advertisement in the papers, billboards, magazines will give you lots of ideas on the colours you can use.
Years ago, I bought 2 Color Harmony books. Color Harmony contains ideas on combinations of colors that you can use. At the back, there are color squares that you can cut out.
Here are some fridge magnets sold in a gift store:
I have bought the purple and green tortoise fridge magnets because tortoise and turtles are some of my favourite animals.
Because I love beads, I’ve spent years scouting for them all over the place. For many years, it seemed that I never got tired looking at them- so I’ve amassed quite a collection and spent a little fortune just on buying beads.
When buying, you may be wondering, ’should I buy in bulk or buy in smaller quantities?’
Bought these beads, along side with other items during a shopping spree few years ago after an exceptionally stressed day at work. Till today, they still remain in the packaging, unopened
When I flipped on The Star dated 10 May 2010, I came across the high end jewellery collection by Faberge. So beautiful- the gemstones as well as the craftsmanship. I can’t resist to take a picture and post it here:
Isn’t it beautiful?
The bird as well as the flowers below are glitters of the precious stones.
