Fairies Make Great Art

Fairies make great works of art as they should.  They excite our imagination and what they look like is limited only by our own creativity.  The fairy statues that we carry are incredible works of art.  Most are designed by artists who specialize in this mystical creature.

This got us thinking about the mythology of fairies.  Fairy folklore exists worldwide in every culture.  Descriptions vary from culture to culture but they share a common trait - fairies are creatures of magic.  They can tell if you have a good heart and reward you if you do by granting wishes.  They can play tricks on you if you are not good-hearted.  

It is believed that the ancient Celtic peoples are where fairies were first found.  They were worshipped there.  This society was matriarchic, so fairyland was seen as populated by females.  However, some depictions of male fairies can be found.  In fact, even though fairies are most often depicted as female, the term ‘fairy' actually refers to many types of supernatural beings of different genders and physical manifestations. 

For example, Gwyllion is a hideous-looking fairy.  Shefro is a male fairy who wears a green coat and red cap.  While most fairies are sociable Urisk is a solitary creature who lives by isolated pools of water.

Fairies are rich in culture and tradition. With the upcoming holidays, fairy statues and other works of art will make beautiful unique holiday gifts.

For more ideas about unique and special gifts visit us at http://www.uniquegiftsanddecor.com/.

Gift Idea: Bookends

If you are having trouble selecting a gift for someone we suggest bookends.  They are useful and the ones that we sell are artistic and of high quality.  Our brass bookends will last pretty much forever. They are hand cast, have nickel and bronze plating and are finished with an antique stain. This process gives the appearance of brass, without the continuous need for cleaning. Each bookend is hand polished to a perfectly smooth finish.  We are one of only a few select places where you can find this line of exceptional bookends.  They range from bookends for children to nautical bookends. 

If there is a doctor, dentist or lawyer in your life we have bookends for them that would make great gifts.

We also carry art deco and designer bookends.

Don’t forget about giving bookends as a gift.  They are not the first thing that comes to mind, but they are suitable for everyone. Great gifts for him or her.

Come to our Sale

It’s the holiday season so we are having a sale.  We have selected some of our most unique and unusual gifts.

We concentrated on some of our most popular categories such as sculptural bookends, decorative trinket or keepsake boxes, unique lamps and clocks and some indoor statues.

Holiday gifts should be special.  We have already noted our objection to gift cards other than for casual friends, workers etc.  These days teenagers seem to appreciate them which is fine because sometimes it is hard to figure out what they want if they already have an iphone, ipod, ibook,HDTV and other popular consumer electronic.  But for everyone else – a spouse, parent or special friend – the meaning is in the selection.

Only a few select items are on sale. We have hundreds of other perfect gifts for the holidays.  Drop on buy and browse our selection.  You might find something that is perfect for that special someone.

For more unique gifts ideas visit http://www.uniquegiftsanddecor.com/

Animal Statues as Gift Ideas

For half the price of an ipod or iphone you can give someone a gift of a unique animal statue. These are long lasting and they do not become technologically obsolete.  Also, they are works of art.  Many of the statues that we carry are hand crafted and hand painted.  They are not easily found.

A gift for him could be a Komodo Dragon.  Admittedly it’s not the nicest thing to look at but what guy wouldn’t want a replica of the world’s largest (and ugliest) lizard that can erase you with one deadly bite?  There is a “cool” factor here.  So as not to be sexist, woman may enjoy it too.

A gift for her could be a unicorn statue hand-painted in the soft palette of the dream world.  Again in the interest of equality it may be good for a guy (not really).

There are gifts that are suitable for both men and woman.  One is a beautiful majestic horse cast in quality designer resin with a rich bronze patina that makes it virtually indistinguishable from gallery originals. This one is more than an Ipod but it is everlasting.

Think about giving a gift of art that will be timeless.  You can get the ipod or iphone too, but don’t miss out on these.

For more unique gifts ideas visit http://www.uniquegiftsanddecor.com/

Back Away From Those Gift Cards

Every grocery store that I go to has a wall of gifts cards for sale.  Everything from Home Depot and Best Buy to The Cheesecake Factory.  The worst are the generic Visa, Mastercard and American Express Cards.  How much thought does it take to give one of these as a gift?

Admittedly if you are giving something to an acquaintance who you do not know much about these are a good idea.  But when it comes to someone with whom you have a special relationship – a parent, spouse, sibling, child – what does this tell them?  Maybe that they weren’t worth the time or effort to find something unique.

It’s not that hard.  How about a working, restored antique phone?   You can’t find these at many places.   Garden statues are appreciated by many.  Anything that adds to home décor is great.  The trick, however, is to show your loved one that you took the time and effort to find something that is uniquely for them.  Time is a valuable commodity.  Too many people do not use it for the people they care for.

We specialize in unique gifts.  We have hundreds of hard to find items.  Many are limited editions or created by known artists.  How unique?  Well we have a seven foot tall Brontosaurus Garden Sculpture.  But we also have “normal” type things – but unique nevertheless.

Come see our unique gifts at uniquegiftsanddecor.com.

The Process Matters

What sets several of our products apart from others is the type of casting process that is used.  Many of our scultures and even smaller items are made using the “lost wax” process.  This is a process that has been used by artisans for centuries.  Its main benefit is that it captures an artist’s intricate designs when they are reproduced in metal, resin or other materials.  Without using this type of a process a lot of detail in an artist’s original creation will not reproduce.  It is kind of like what happens when you make a copy of a copy etc.  Eventually the quality suffers.  This isn’t much of a problem when you are talking about copying a letter or other document.  But it is a big problem when you are talking about a work of art.  

The lost wax method originated in ancient times.  Early artisans found that making a wax model was the best way to capture every detail of creations.  This is still the case today although oftentimes clay is used instead of wax.  The process is more arduous than others, but the results are stunning when compared to those other methods.  Even dentists use this process for casting dentures because to the precision match that is needed.

Initially I thought that the name “lost wax” method referred to the fact that it had not been used for centuries and then was rediscovered.  However, this is not the case.  The name refers to the fact that during the process the wax is heated and escapes through a plaster mold, thus being “lost.”  There simply is no substitue when it comes quality of detail.

http://www.uniquegiftsanddecor.com/