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CustomMade is an online matchmaker connecting Buyers who want one-of-a-kind Creations with professional and passionate Makers.

A Change in Color: Opals in Custom Jewelry Design

Posted by Pedro in Custom Inspiration, For Customers on February 29, 2012

Although the origin of the word “opal” is subject to debate, the meaning of the Greek term opillos, “to see a change in color,” is an apt description for the visual impact of this gemstone.

The International Colored Gemstone Association describes the opal’s splendor as a reflection of nature: fire, lightning, rainbows, and seas:

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Custom Finds To Keep You On-Time

Posted by Marcie in For Customers, Our Favorite Custom Finds on February 29, 2012

Thank Julius Caesar for this intercalary day every four years.

Adding a leap day began as a way to bring the calendar and solar year into perfect harmony. Well almost perfect. The exact length of a solar year is 6 hours, 11 mintes, and 14 seconds less than 365 days (according to those who did [...]

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Doug’s Top Eleven Fundamental Marketing Techniques for Small Business Craftsmen

Posted by Marcie in For Makers, The Pro Shop on February 27, 2012

The following article is written by CustomMade guest blogger Doug Turner of Turner Custom Furniture. Through his own experience of running a successful custom furniture business in Atlanta, GA., Doug shares his effective marketing tips with you.

I consider the following marketing techniques absolutely fundamental– things all business owners should do [...]

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A Mac, a CT Scanner, a Custom CNC Machine, and a Stradivarius

Posted by Pedro in For Customers, For Makers, The Wide World of Custom Making on February 26, 2012

“If Stradivari was working today, I wonder what he would do with an Apple Mac computer, a CT scanner, and a CNC machine.”

One amazing violin.

Violin maker John Waddle asks this question from a special perspective.  He and fellow violin maker Steve Rossow and radiologist Steven Sirr have reproduced a celebrated Stradivarius violin, the [...]

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Go Outside the Lines with Custom Kitchen Cabinets

Posted by Pedro in Custom Inspiration, For Customers on February 25, 2012

Shopping for kitchen cabinetry? Cabinets can occupy a great deal of space physically and set the tone stylistically for your kitchen, that all-important workspace and gathering place.  Whatever variety you can find among available retail pieces will be dwarfed by your material and design options when you have custom kitchen cabinets built specifically to fit [...]

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Save Energy and Money (and Look Good) with Custom Window Treatments

Posted by Pedro in Concepts & Buyer Guides, For Customers on February 24, 2012

Going custom not only can make your home look fabulous, it can save money.  High quality custom pieces built to last are a wonderful long-term investment, and custom window treatments can also help lower your energy costs year round.  In the press release, “Custom Curtains Save Energy, Cut Heating Costs–and Transform a Room,” Jan Jessup of [...]

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For No Other Purpose Than to Enjoy: Custom Glassworks by Rakshasa Glass Studios

Posted by Pedro in For Customers, Maker Spotlight on February 23, 2012

Creatio Ex Nihilo: “Creation from nothing.”

For custom makers, there are no pre-existing plans or designs to follow, no patterns that must be emulated, no products that must be built per schedule and then sit on shelves, real or virtual, waiting to be purchased by consumers.

For custom consumers, their projects begin with a single [...]

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For the Hockey Fan, Custom Furniture and Accessories Made from Reclaimed Sticks, Pucks, and Shirts

Posted by Pedro in Custom Inspiration, For Customers on February 22, 2012

Have a man cave or a boys’ room to redecorate? Sports themed rooms can be a fun addition to your home or, for the die-hard fan, just the first step on a long journey.  While you’re thinking of what to pack, consider choosing a material for your custom furniture and custom accessories that will not [...]

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Share Your CustomMade Project Contest

Posted by Marcie in Company News and Info, Contests and Giveaways, For Customers on February 22, 2012

Did you create a custom piece through CustomMade.com? Share your story for a chance to win $500!

We’re working hard to spread the word about our marketplace and would love to show the world the one of a kind ring, table, pendant, bench, built in bookcase or other project you had made.

Submit a [...]

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Finesse With a Chainsaw ?!?!

Posted by Marcie in For Customers, Our Favorite Custom Finds on February 21, 2012

To some, chainsaw carving may sound like a gimmicky parlor trick, a world away from fine art design. Long considered one of woodcraft’s more interesting (and more dangerous) methods, chainsaw carving is a precision technique used to create ornate, custom wood sculpture. This hazardous approach to wood carving produces pieces that are unquestionably fine art.

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