Arts and crafts include a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's own hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" (doing things the old way) and the rest. Some arts and crafts have been practiced for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularizations of crafts which were originally practiced in a very small geographic area.

The specific name Arts and Crafts movement was also given to a design movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, whose proponents included William Morris and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval craftsmen achieved a joy in the excellence of their work, which they strove to emulate. These activities are called crafts because initially many of them were professionals. Youngsters were apprenticed to a master-craftsman, and they refined their skills over a period of years. By the time their training was complete, they were well-resourced to set up in trade for themselves, earning their living with the skill of their hands. The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanizations of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today 'crafts' are most commonly seen as a form of hobby.

Most crafts require a combination of skill and talent, but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by almost anyone. Many Community centres and schools run evening or day classes and workshops offering to teach basic craft skills in a short period of time. Many of these crafts become very popular for brief periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading rapidly among the crafting population as everyone emulates the first examples.

TYPES OF ARTS/CRAFTS:

There are almost as many variations on the theme of 'arts and crafts' as there are crafters with time on their hands , but they can be broken down into a number of categories as follows.

Textile Crafts

Clay or Glass Crafts

Paper or Canvas Crafts

Metalworking Crafts

Crafts Involving Plants

Wood Crafts

Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made wholly by hand or using only simple tools. Usually the term is useful to conventional means of making goods. Handicrafts are generally considered more traditional work, created as a necessary part of daily life, whilst "Arts and Crafts" implies more of a hobby pursuit and a demonstration/perfection of a creative technique. In practical terms, the categories have a great deal of overlap.