There’s less than a month left until Christmas, and my Christmas shopping IS NOT finished yet! The poor economy and the fact that my hours at work were cut drastically (I went from 21 hours a week to nine during the course of two semesters) is not helping. However, I have been pretty smart with my Christmas gifts this year by buying presents that I know people will enjoy and use a lot (I hope!). Along the way, I have been buying my own presents. I know, I know, that is bad, but sometimes, the only way to get what you want is to buy your own gifts and give them to people to give to you. Therefore, anyone reading this blog, here are some books I want for Christmas that I have not asked anyone else to buy me. I am dropping a hint, not completely asking for these items! *HINT HINT*

Amrita- Banana Yoshimoto (this is the only book besides Lizard that I do not have by her)

Waiting-Ha Jin (I started reading this at Borders Books a week ago; I love it)

Amrita is out of print and needs to be special ordered. Borders has Waiting, But I am not HINTING at anything!

Speaking of gifts, Christmas is a great time of year for buying art supplies. Why? If you stock up on Christmas, most of us art-minded people have our supplies throughout much of the year. Books and artist tools are really all I need to be happy all-year-round. If you know an artist or if you are one yourself, art-related gifts are probably the best gifts ever. For those who are art-minded, I have compiled a list of art-related gifts under twenty dollars that are great to give this Christmas. Heck, with the economy as bad as it is right now, creating art and buying supplies that will last awhile might not be a bad thing. Find some solace from art and improve your home with your art. Yeah! So, without further ado, here is my top ten art gifts under twenty dollars. My items are in no particular order, so please ignore the numbers. The numbers are there so I can keep track of my ten gift suggestions.

1) Sculpey III 10 Pack Clay Sampler: This is a great set for anyone who loves working with clay or is just learning how to use it. You get ten basic colors that you can use for any project, and the set comes with a booklet that teaches you how to make pins, earrings, and statues. PRICE: $14.49-$16.99

2) Creating Life-Like Animals in Polymer Clay by Katherine Dewey: I SO want this book for myself! I flipped through it at Borders and fell in love with it! Not only does this book teach you how to make your own clay tools, but it also offers easy steps on how to create realistic animals. Katherine Dewey is an awesome teacher and I recommend this book for clay-workers of all ages and skill levels! PRICE: $15.93 (Now only available at Amazon!) Also, check out Dewey’s Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay book! PRICE: $14.93 (Now only available at Amazon!)

3) Prismacolor Verithin Art Set, 24-Color Pencils: This is the least expensive Prismacolor pencil kit I could find. For those who want to try out Prismacolor pencils (or have tried them out, but can no longer afford them), this is the set for you. This kit comes with 24 of Prismacolor’s most popular pencils, which makes this kit a great starter set. You will love Prismacolor pencils because of their smoothness and easy blendability. PRICE: $8.00-$15.00

4) Prismacolor Pencils Individual Pencils: If you have a JoAnn’s or Michael’s craft store in your neighborhoods, I highly recommend you go there if you want to find Prismacolor pencils. Why? Michael’s and JoAnn’s sell Prismacolors as individual pencils; this means you can pick and choose the colors you want most without having to buy an expensive set. You can get 20 colors you want or need for $20 without an issue. Plus, you can also buy the blending pencils for fifty cents to a dollar.

5) Art S. Buck Female Artist’’s Figure Model: Okay, this is actually a dollar over $20, but it is so awesome, and I wish I had one! These mannequins are more flexible than the traditional mannequins are, and they are helpful when learning how to draw anatomically correct. PRICE: $21.99

6) RoseArt Fuzzy Brand Posters Value Set: Who does not remember these from when we were younger? With this set, you get five posters, six markers, sequins and glitter! The RoseArt Fuzzy Velvet Poster set is great for kids of all ages, especially the younger kids. PRICE: $10-$18

7) Paper Stained Glass: Another great gift for children from the ages of 4-7, the paper stained glass book is a color-by-number book that uses transparent paper to create suncatcher effects. You may use any type of colored pencil to color these pages. PRICE: $13.57

8 ) Fashion Your Own Beaded Jewelry Kit: This is a “Best-Bang-for-Your-Buck” gift right here. For anyone who loves jewelry making, the Fashion Your Own Way Beaded Jewelry Kit comes with many items for a low price. This kit includes needle-nose pliers, wire, seed beads, strings, a handy jewelry making instruction guide, carry case, wires, clasps, and wire-cutters…WOW! This is a jewelry maker’s dream-come-true! PRICE: $18.21 (Only available on Amazon!)

9) Origami Fun Kit for Beginners: I just recently got into origami, and I have to say, it is quite soothing. This kit comes with three how-to books and 96 pieces of origami paper. Origami is challenging and fun. Give it a try! PRICE: $10.17

10) Premiere Acrylic Set of 24: This is a great set of paints for anyone who loves to paint! You get a wide-array of colors. You get bright, basic, and pastel colored paints in this set. PRICE: $19.99

There you have it: My top ten gifts under $20. I hope this list gave you ideas on what to give the artist in your life. Have fun and Merry Early Christmas!

Love always,

Marisol

Tags: $20, Amrita, Bad Economy, Banana Yoshimoto, Gifts, Pencils, Velvet