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Arts and Crafts

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

Cool Finds

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

Cool Finds

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

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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

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The Timeless Art of Crafts

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