Debbie didit

If you are a style maven who is a bit bored with the traditional then you might be interested in unique christmas tree themes. Here are some unique suggestions for christmas tree themes that are sure to be real conversation starters.The Christmas Cocktail Party TreeThis christmas tree theme looks great on both big and small trees. First, if your tree is not a prelit tree try stringing it with a string of novelty lights instead of the usual egg shaped lights. You can buy plastic novelty lights in the shape of Chinese Lanterns (for a 50's feel), chili peppers (for that modern martini bar feel) and Pink Flamingos (for that Tikki cocktail party atmosphere.)Then try decorating the tree with tiny...

We all have a favorite color right? Indeed this has become almost a cultural question for many of us. We're asked it at some interviews and it's even a question that could be used on a first date to break the ice. The question is this - have you ever wondered why a color is your favorite color or what impact it might have on your personality or even on your life?Let's have a look at how each color can impact your home decorating projects - both positively and negatively.Color can motivate us, change how we view something and even change our moods.White has been the color of purity for thousands of years. It's a color also associated with sterility which is why it's used so often in bathrooms for...

Don't under estimate your ability, grab a paint brush this summer and get out there and paint your house. Over the years I've been tempted to pay someone to do the job but after getting their estimate I decided real quick to do it myself.If you have vinyl siding painting the windows, trim and doors will give you a chance to be creative. You can design a color scheme by using colors that complement your homes exterior siding.Below I will give you some pointers on how to go your project.The time it will take to complete varies on your skill level, size of your home, how much help you have and how many coats you apply.Beginners will take about 8 to 10 hours Intermediates will take about 7 to 8 hours...

Could you imagine how much time and money you can save if you could do your own home repairs yourself. Well you can, if you have the right tools and some time on your hand.But most people are too busy or have no idea on how to fix simple things around the house. If you have a house, things will brake over time, which is only natural wear and tear. Your home will need regular maintaining to upkeep the value.When you first buy a house, it will need minor repairs, that you can do yourself. Some of the repairs may be; changing window blinds, doors locks, and painting. In most cases when you move into your new home, it might need a fresh coat of paint on the walls to make you feel at home...

In the past, we've, of course, had many occasions to make cash deals on our stained glass art and occasionally we've had a chance to barter our stained glass art for goods and services. Over the course of years, we've had some barters and trades that worked out well, but many trades seemed to go sour.Most started out with each party having the best of intentions to do right by the other, but our experience's were that each time the trade or barter was made, our stained glass went right out at the start of the trade and then we usually got our part of the trade after the fact. As a result, the folks we traded with were always sure of what they were getting, but we never seemed to know exactly what we...

There seem to be as many ways to purify air as there are contaminants to purify out of it. Herein, a peek under the hood at the rather complex business of keeping microscopic junk out of your lungs:HEPA and ULPA filters: There seems to be two definitions for the acronym HEPA; either "high efficiency particulate air,", or "high efficiency particulate absorbing." ULPA means "Ultra Low Particulate Air". Both kinds attempt to strain as many foreign particles from the air as they can and still let air through. ULPAs are tighter filters than HEPAs, though only by a few percents.Electrostatic Filters: Work the same way the static on your clothes do, only they use an electric charge on the filter to draw...

The watercolor painting workspace plays a vital part in the success of a watercolorist.It is easier and more productive having a private room to work. Some painters need more space than others. Having your own workspace is a great privilege. Not everyone has the good fortune to have even the desire to paint let alone their own workspace where they can experiment and learn to develop a God given talent.Adopt a permanent workspace if you can. At any time of the day or night the workspace should be accessible and allow freedom to commence work with immediate effect. There should be no need to ask others to leave or remove the belongings of others out of the way. The workspace should be set aside and...

You've all heard the phrase, "to see light". Everything that we see is made up of light. Light has direction, width, intensity and color. While understanding all the properties of light would be beneficial to the photographer/artist, it is just as effective to recognize the effect of light on a subject when you see it.Outdoors, sunlight shows crisp edges, creates dimensional shapes, reveals textures and outlines silhouettes. The color differences between direct sunlight and light from the open sky intensifies the feeling of outdoors, though this effect must be used with discretion. A cloudy day usually portrays a somber mood, lighting everything with a top-weighted blue cast. A warming filter...

Tiffany pendant lighting options are as varied as they are beautiful. The storied and infamous tradition of glass-art lighting creations has been carried on to perfection by such manufacturers as Medya Tiffany and Dale Tiffany, Inc. While these are not the only companies manufacturing Tiffany pendant lighting fixtures, both of these companies do employ the same techniques and high quality materials used over a century ago when Louis Tiffany was still creating his masterpieces. However, while the quality of Tiffany pendant lighting made by reputable manufacturers may not be in doubt, the type of fixture to purchase may be causing some confusion.Tiffany pendant lighting can be found in two basic...

Be it a Christmas Do, a Retirement Party, or a summer social event to thank staff for their hard work or recent sales figures, your get-together should be fun for everyone involved with the business.Your Office or workplace may be the cheapest but not necessarily the best venue for your event. Consider your staff too - would they wish to give up a sunny summers day or a cold winters evening to attend a function in the same place that they spend most of the days of the year? Probably not! Works parties should be fun occasions for people to relax after working hard, thus your office may not be the best place for this. If you have many sites dotted around the country a central location is essential to...

What could be easier than growing an herb garden with no effort? Of course, you'll have to harvest your weeds, but you would do that anyhow: it's called weeding.Spring is an especially fertile time for harvesting your weeds - roots and all - and turning them into medicines. Here then are some tips on how to find, harvest, prepare, and use a baker's dozen (13) of common weeds that probably already grow around you.To make your medicines you'll need glass jars of various sizes with tight-fitting lids. And at least a pint each of apple cider vinegar (pasteurized), vodka (100 proof is best, but 80 proof will do), and pure olive oil (not extra virgin) or good quality animal fat such as lanolin, lard, or...

When it comes to temporary tattoos, what should you know? Though I have no actual tattoos, I have certainly toyed with temporary tattoos many times. They are easy to get and can be a lot of fun to play with. Unlike a real tattoo, you know that you can always get rid of that temporary one so you have a tendency to be a little more adventurous and goofy. There are, though, a few things you should know about in terms of temporary tattoos. There are more temporary tattoo kits and home studios for them popping up all of the time. Not all of them, though, are for all ages and some are even inappropriate for children or even all adults. Take a look at some of these temporary tattoo sets that are on the...

Introduction:I was just studing a E-course about the amazing concept of Affiliate Marketing and decided I needed to get this info out to as many people as possible.We will take a short look at these three topics, the Who - What - Why, of Affiliate Marketing in reverse order.The Why of Affiliate Marketing:Whether it is extra income or full time income, one of the main reasons why, of course, is to make money. A second reason would be to try out different niche markets and some marketing ideas you may have for those niche markets.The What of Affiliate Marketing:For some of you affiliate marketing is a mystery or at least a not completely understood concept. Let me explain it to you with a story...

Cleaning a laser printer, fax, or copier of laser toner can be easy, provided you know what you're doing and use the right tools. This article will share with you some simple tips to help you clean your laser printers of laser toner like a pro.A word to the wise: Before I begin, I'd like to stress that this article is intended only to assist you with basic cleaning of the laser toner from your laser printer. If you're unsure of your ability to perform any sort of printer maintenance, or if performing such maintenance will void the printer's warranty, you should contact a qualified service professional.Some safety issues: Though laser printers come in various shapes and sizes, they all use...

Once the basic structure of your model airplane is completed, it's time to think about painting. Types of Paint Model paints are generally of two types: (oil-based) enamels, or aqueous (water-based) acrylic lacquers. The hobby enamels thin with mineral spirits, dry slowly and harden to a high-gloss finish. The hobby acrylics thin with water or alcohol, dry faster, and clean up easier. Never mix enamel with acrylic, and make sure that you use the correct type of thinner. Brush The paintbrush is the simplest method of applying paint. You'll need a broad flat brush for large area coverage, a medium diameter round brush for general use, and a fine-point brush for the smallest...

I attend business workshops and seminars every month in an effort to learn more about running a business. The one common question that I hear the most is how can I market my service or product. We often have students who catch the glimpse of how great it is to do glass and they start to imagine themselves doing glass work for a living. Some have been brave enough to ask us how they might be able to make money doing stained glass. We have many times replied that we don't know, if they find out, will they please let us know how? But here are some of the basics of promoting and marketing stained glass.Going To The Fair 1. We heard from several people that attending craft fairs would be the best way...

Once the basic structure of your model airplane is completed, it's time to think about painting. Types of Paint Model paints are generally of two types: (oil-based) enamels, or aqueous (water-based) acrylic lacquers. The hobby enamels thin with mineral spirits, dry slowly and harden to a high-gloss finish. The hobby acrylics thin with water or alcohol, dry faster, and clean up easier. Never mix enamel with acrylic, and make sure that you use the correct type of thinner. Brush The paintbrush is the simplest method of applying paint. You'll need a broad flat brush for large area coverage, a medium diameter round brush for general use, and a fine-point brush for the smallest...

Lose Weight - Grab A GlassIn childhood, we heard it: Drink a glass of milk at every meal. Now TV commercials are touting the weight-loss effects of milk and other dairy products. Can dairy actually keep weight under control? How is that even possible?Michael Zemel, PhD, director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, has published numerous papers on this subject. He outlines his latest research in the January 2003 Journal of Nutrition, mouse studies showing the role of calcium in weight gain and fat storage.Too many people drop dairy from their diets when they try to lose weight, he says. "They're shooting themselves in the foot when they do...

Storage cabinets are a secure storage solution suitable for paper products, art materials, warehouse tools, and other miscellaneous items for schools, offices, institutions and residences. Storage cabinets can be kept anywhere in the house, and they allow maximum storage of things. They make full use of available storage area and offer easy access to stored items.A huge selection of storage cabinets with a wide variety of styles, shapes, and sizes is offered in the market. Storage cabinets made of wood, plastic, metal, durable fiberglass and steel are available at affordable prices. Based on the style and the quality of the material, storage cabinets come in variety of types. The most common among...

Halloween is a uniquely special time of year, regardless of whether you're a kid or just a kid at heart. It's a holiday time that offers lots of wonderful opportunities to decorate your home creatively, since the subject matter is different from any other holiday. If you're thinking about decorating your porch and yard for the spookiest night of the year, you can do it without having to spend a lot of money. Here are a few low-cost ideas for showing your Halloween spirit to the world:Crime Scene to Fright SceneYou can get rolls of yellow Caution tape (the type you see at crime or disaster scenes to keep people out of certain areas) fairly inexpensively at most hardware stores, and if you put it up...

Tips and advise when buying your bathroom suite: (part 1)POTTERY:Also known as sanitary ware, ceramics, porcelain and ware. There are four basic areas that affect the quality of pottery and its expected lifespan: The depth of the glaze: The glaze is the glass-like surface coating which is fired onto the pottery in the kiln when it is made. The glass enables the pot to be waterproof and protects it from chemicals, such as bleach etc, over its life. The thicker the glaze generally the longer the life. Once this glaze goes, wears out, the pot becomes porous, absorbs water and eventually cracks. The more you use and clean the pottery the faster the glaze wears out. To make the glaze...

There are many outstanding Scottish architects, but Mackintosh was one of the most talented ones. He was born in 1868. His works are the rebellion against the traditional architecture, which used to be influenced by the Greek and Italian style. His buildings were designed to reflect the present times and culture.Mackintosh was influenced by a new movement that was steadily growing in popularity on the continent, Art Nouveau. The philosophies of this new movement struck a chord with Mackintosh, as the artists who walked under the flag of Art Nouveau broke down the barriers between the fine arts and the applied arts and severed all connections with classical times, just as he wished to do. This...

Wouldn't you like to be able to create your own artistic silk scarf? Well, you can. With a few tools from the arts & crafts supply store and a little imagination, you can have a beautiful silk scarf in a few hours!Begin by using whatever supplies you might have at home already. Paint brushes, plastic pans and buckets, styrofoam cups and plates, sponges, rubber gloves, paper towels, white vinegar and salt crystals.Now go to the arts & crafts store and find three acrylic paints that you like, plus one or two metallic ones such as gold and silver. Then go to the fabric store and find ready silk scarves or silk fabric suitable for scarves, such as an 8-10 mm habotai silk.Prepare a well-ventilated...

Before refrigerators became widely available, one of the most common methods for preserving food was canning. Oddly enough, when most people say they can foods at home, they actually mean that they're preserving food in jars. The type of jar most often used in canning is the mason jar.People have been using canning jars since the 1850's. The term "mason jar" comes from the inventor of such jars, John L. Mason. Mason didn't invent the glass jar, of course. What he did was design and patent the metal screw-on lid for such jars, which made preserving food in them possible.Mason jars used for canning have three parts. First is the glass jar itself. They typically come in one of two styles: regular and...

Have you ever thought about fixing a broken window in your house, but didn't think you could do it because nobody ever taught you how to cut glass? Well, you really don't have to know how to cut glass in order to repair your window. If you knew how to remove the frame, you could order a replacement piece of glass from your local glass shop already cut to the proper size. Then, it's just a matter of installing the new glass into the frame. But, there are so many different kinds of window out there, there is no way i could explain them all in one article. So, this is going to be the first in a series of articles describing the repair procedure for each type of window.There are really two categories of...

For those renters who do not have the option of making permanent changes to the walls, woodwork, floors or architecture of their home or apartment, there are several quick fixes which can be used to dress up or hide the 'uglies' or to create more storage. All of these are affordable and within the abilities of everyone.One of the most useful is screening. You can buy or have decorative room screens made, but they are very expensive and have some drawbacks. You can also go to your local home store and in the section devoted to closet doors pick up pre-hinged, bi-fold doors in various widths. These come in plain flush doors as well as louvered, paneled and even mirrored. They come finished and...

Antique glassware needs a gentle hand. This month we'll give you some useful tips to help you care for your antique or modern glassware.1. Avoid putting glassware into direct sunlight or near any other heat sources such as radiators.2. Avoid slippage by using two hands when carrying delicate items. Remove lids and stoppers to be safe.3. Avoid stains in vases by changing the water every two days and removing any flowers or leaves before they dry onto the vase. Keep in mind that any liquid will stain glassware if it remains over a period of time.4. Avoid temperature extremes. Very cold or very hot water is too taxing on antique glassware. Sudden temperature changes can stress the glass.5. Avoid the...

Glass beads present an artistic spectrum of beauty with value. They come in vibrant colors, shape and finishes, and add a magical touch to the product. There are different types of glass beads like Czech glass beads, handmade dichroic glass, Millefiori, lamp work beads and even bumpy glass beads. They are available in different colors and sizes which artisans pick up to complete their canvas.These beads are sometimes given different types of fancy finishes like Aurora Borealis or druk glass. Where druk glass beads are perfectly rounded and optically polished, multi-colored lamp work bead strands are in shapes ranging from fishes to twisted ovals. Luminous dichroic glass is another bead type which...

Back in the early to mid 1980's a few of my friends and I entered the Beer Tasting Club (which would account for my haziness of specific dates in time) at the Parting Glass Pub on Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. One only had to "sample" in the neighborhood of 200 beers in an approximate 10 month period and grade it on a scorecard. If you could preview 2 to 3 beers a night, 2 to 3 times a week, this great gift to mankind was very do-able; without requiring emergency room treatment. And do it we did. What a great time we had sampling beers from all over the world. From little 7 ounce Pilsners to the 25 ounce Fosters Lager can, we finished the important job with time to spare. We built many...

Any wine collection is not complete without a collection of wine glasses with which to drink the wine. Wine glass racks can store your stemware easily and elegantly. Not only will a wine glass rack save cabinet space, but it will also help keep the wine glasses dust-free.For a small wine and wine glass collection, consider buying a wine rack and glass combination. These cost under $50 and hold around six bottles of wine and a modest wine glass collection. Serious wine collectors should avoid hanging the rack in the kitchen because wine should be kept in cool, dark areas without strong odors. By the way, you should never store wine on a refrigerator. It spoils the wine.Separate wine glass racks are...

Painting birdhouses can be a fun hobby! Most unpainted birdhouses range from $5.00 to $20.00 at Michaels, a chain craft store here in the U.S. For the most part, they keep unpainted birdhouses in stock year 'round. Birdhouses can be purchased from art and gift stores, craft shows, garage sales, antique stores, and even thrift stores. They are plentiful, once you get an eye for seeing them. Thanks to birdhouses, I have slowly and gradually improved my artistic skills. You might wonder, why birdhouses?Since birdhouses are made out of wood, they can be painted over and over. They are great to practice on. In fact, the more paint, the better (especially if they end up outside). Another reason why I...

Make your craft projects extra special by applying glitter.Glitter is fun and easy to use. It is also inexpensive considering how little it takes to cover an item.Here are some suggestions to easily apply glitter:For precise glitter placement, use a glue pen. Other options include using glue sticks, or cotton swaps and a puddle of glue. Just "paint" where you want the glitter to be.For full coverage, use a can of spray adhesive or a Xyron machine. To use your Xyron machine, just roll the die cut or item you want to completely cover through the machine with the piece face down (just opposite of how you normally do it), then apply the glitter. For extra ease, now run it through the normal way and...