Arts and Crafts

"Everything is awesome," Lego executives might as well be singing.

North America Is Crazy For Lego Toys and the Manufacturer Can’t Keep Up

The bricks keep kids and adults coming back for more

"Fading Thoughts" by Andrew Myers

Please Touch the Art: This Artist Creates Tactile Portraits for the Blind

Andrew Myers uses screws to make 3-D masterpieces for curious fingers

The sensuous curves and subtle walnut grain of Maloof's rocker just seem to beckon and say “Come on in a sit a while.”

Famous for His Rocking Chair, Sam Maloof Made Furniture That Had Soul

A centennial appreciation for this master of mid-century modernism is underway with a California exhibition and an upcoming seminar

Tara Locklear makes jewelry using recycled skateboards.

Calling All Those in the Market for Skateboard Jewelry, Czech Marionettes or Other Quirky Crafts

The annual Smithsonian Craft Show features 120 of the best craft artisans from around the country

Pile of yarn or unknotting opportunity?

Tied Up in Knots? Call a Yarn Detangler

A niche group of knitters specializes in wrangling disobedient skeins

Katya and Blanca Canto pose with their carved gourds at their home in Cochas Grande.

A Look Behind the Peruvian Art of Gourd Carving

With magnificent hand carvings, artisans craft stories of celebration and tragedy into dried gourds—a tradition practiced for more than 4,000 years

The Birth of Eve by Judith Schaechter, 2013 was recently added to the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery.

This Stained Glass Window, New to the American Art Museum, Is Like Nothing You've Ever Seen Before

Artist Judith Schaechter is pushing the boundaries of her craft, adding her own twist to age-old techniques

Batchelder tile from the lobby of the El Dorado Lofts in Los Angeles.

Saving Los Angeles’ Batchelder Tile

Arts and crafts enthusiasts are waiting for a recently rediscovered landmark to reopen

Flower Garden Brooch

These Artists Turn Trash Into Wearable Treasure

Scott and Lisa Cylinder use retooled or found objects to create their clever, one-of-a-kind baubles.

Suspended clock made from walnut, cherry wood, white oak and box elder

James Borden Doesn't Just Build Clocks, He Creates Sculptures that Tell Time

At the 32nd annual craft fair, the art and craft of the traditional clock takes on a whole new tick tock

The Original Grenade Mugs

This Steampunk Pottery by a Man Named Beer is Not Your Usual Craft Fair Fare

Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul's unique, hand-hewn stoneware will be showcased at the 32nd annual Smithsonian Craft Show

An X-Acto Knife with size 2 blade.

For 80 Years, X-Acto Has Been on the Cutting Edge of Edge Cutting

From its debut as a surgical knife, X-Acto's precision blades have been the Kleenex of cutting

This Paper Chameleon Robot Is Surprisingly Lifelike

At first glance, you might mistake this chameleon for the real thing. But this little green lady is made out of paper and gears.

"Cherry Tree" by Zandile Ntobela, 2011

Painting with Beads: A New Art Form Emerges in South Africa

"Ubuhle Women" at the Anacostia Community Museum showcases the work of a community of master beaders

The craze for collecting toy soldiers began with the French in the 18th century. In this scene, British foot soldiers attack a French officer.

The Great Battles of History, in Miniature

At a museum in Valencia, Spain, over one million toy soldiers stand at attention, prepared to reenact the wars that shaped the world

None

The Science of Shrinky Dinks

"Magic" is a mere marketing ploy

Graphic designer Jessica Helfand collected over 200 scrapbooks dating from the nineteenth century to the present.

The Cherished Tradition of Scrapbooking

Author Jessica Helfand investigates the history of scrapbooks and how they mirror American history

David B. Gamble house, Pasadena, 1907-09.

The Splendor of Greene and Greene

A new exhibition celebrates the work of brothers Charles and Henry Greene, masters of American Arts and Crafts architecture

A Turkish carpet could be the ultimate souvenir of your trip to Istanbul.

Buying a Carpet in Istanbul

A guide to types of Turkish carpets and techniques that go into making them

None

The Timeless Art of Crafts

Page 4 of 4