Christmas Gift Ideas: Interior Décor Presents

Ceramics

Christmas Gift Ideas: Interior Décor Presents
Author:
Choosing a gift for someone to display in their home can be frustrating. On the other hand, if you're shopping for a friend or family member, you can give a present that will be appreciated.

When to Not Give Home Décor Presents

If you've never been to your friend's home, I would definitely not give a household item unless it's for a recent bride with a gift registry. Even if you're gift shopping with your friend and she points out a darling framed picture or frilly pillow, that doesn't mean the item will fit in her personal interior décor.

Perhaps you know your friend collects figurines like I do. Because of my last name, I started collecting fish years ago. However, I collect tiny glass antique fish, about one inch tall. The large wooden fish my mother gave me just doesn't fit my interior décor.

How to Give Home Décor Presents

If you have been to your friend's home and know she needs to complete her home decorating with accessories, here are some gift ideas:

1. Double check your friend's color scheme. Your gift doesn't have to match perfectly to blend in.

2. Make sure her home isn't too crowded with many small decorating items. Many small accessories make a home feel cluttered.

3. Make something yourself that has meaning to you both. For instance, make a stained glass icon to reflect light in her bathroom window.

4. Find an old snapshot of you two from the past. Get the picture touched up professionally and frame it in a frame that blends in with her home decorations.

5. Give your friend a huge candle dressed up with pearls, sequins, or seashells with a base that matches her style. For instance, if she loves silver, crystal, ceramics, or brass, choose that material.

If you give thought to your gift with these interior decorating tips, you will make your friend happy.

Copyright © Jeanette J. Fisher.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Free holiday decorating ideas teleclass, "Interior Design Secrets to Glorious Holiday Decorating" and more holiday decorating tips Joy Holidays Decorating JoyHolidays.com

...

Children's Birthday Party Locations and Ideas

Pottery

Children's Birthday Party Locations and Ideas
Author: Ellen Zucker

While most children's birthday parties are held at home, you may want to consider an offsite location.

For starters, you won't have to be concerned about the current state of order and tidiness of your house. Plus using the cultural and recreational resources of the community will broaden your child's horizons and introduce him or her to some wonderful experiences.

Ask your child what she would like. Usually the party theme will reflect her interests, hobbies or sports.

Here are some ideas to jumpstart your creativity.

If your child loves sharks, what better place to be than the local aquarium where he can see sharks up close and personal.

Then, there's the zoo, if he or she loves elephants and wants a jungle theme. Or maybe the local museum of natural history.

Local history museums can make history real.

The local art museum is a great place for the budding artist, a concert for the budding musician, the planetarium for the budding astronomer... you get the idea.

The best part is that many such institutions have activities designed especially for children. Ask.

There are entire institutions, like the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, designed for children.

Other cool ideas:

Have a Pottery party:
Facilities have opened up that allow you to paint on pottery. When you are finished, the staff will put it into a kiln for you. Most will host parties and many have special children's birthday party packages.

A Day of Beauty:
Recently, our local newspaper had an article about the popularity of makeovers as a party idea for preteens. Mom arranges with a local beauty school or beauty salon to have the group come in for an afternoon, where they have the run of the place.

Roller skating rinks have packages where you can rent the use of a private room for an hour to enjoy light refreshments and cake. Then they are free to enjoy the facility. Keep in mind that rinks are very strict about scheduling.

Ice skaters might enjoy a trip to the ice rink.

Facilities like Chuck E. Cheese cater to birthday parties for young children.

A group of girls may enjoy a luncheon in a neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

Little Ladies' Tea Party:
Many hotels will host teas. And they are happy to accommodate children. The kids can dress up and be princesses for the day. Many invite their favorite stuffed animals to the festivities and they can get important lessons in etiquette.

In the summer, you may want to use your back yard for your children's birthday party. But if you don't have a large yard or you don't wish the event to be held there, check out neighborhood parks and playgrounds. Many will allow you to reserve a pavilion.

Where else can you go for ideas?

Try your city or town's local visitor or welcome center. Another source is the local library – especially the children's department. These days, the internet is an invaluable resource. Local newspapers and magazines often have sections that feature local events and activities. Last, but not least, there is always word of mouth.

Enjoy.

About the Author:

Ellen M. Zucker owns http://www.faces-and-fortunes-partytips.com " http://www.faces-and-fortunes-partytips.com a site where you can find advice on party and event planning from Party Pros. It includes tips, interviews, and advice on putting your event together from professionals who make parties and special events happen.

For more information about planning your kid's party, go to http://www.faces-and-fortunes-partytips.com/childrensbirthdayparties.html " http://www.faces-and-fortunes-partytips.com/childrensbirthdayparties.html

...

Balinese Arts and Crafts

Ceramics

Balinese Arts and Crafts
Author: Made Agus
Perhaps, there is no place in the earth with such high density of artisans and craftsmen as in Bali. You name it and you can find it here – woodcarving, stone carving, silver and gold smiths, basket weavers, terracotta and ceramics, full range of handicrafts – the list goes on forever. Here is a short list of some of the best things or products available and you can go to find them.

Woodcarving and wood handicrafts
Traditional Balinese woodcarving has always been of religious subjects. In the 1930's though a new type of carving developed in Mas near Ubud catering to the tourist market. Today, the best Balinese carving galleries are still there. Another important area for wood carving is on the road up to Sebatu. This is the region where most of the new antiques are made.

The principal part is that you find something you like for a price you can afford. There are also numerous other Balinese standards like wooden banana trees, wooden flowers, Bali wooden masks and the type of things that might often be found at cheaper prices. Wood handicrafts for souvenir like wooden boxes, wooden nameplate, key chains, dreamcatcher, wind chimes, and many alternative types assorted of color and form can be found easily in most art shops in Bali.

Stone Carving
There are numerous types of stone carving such as traditional Balinese sculpture, hyper-realist animals, modern style, etc. The preferred material for stone carving is known as volcanic tuff that resembles the colour of cement when it is newly carved. Many visitors to Bali assume that they are cast, not handmade. To see the truth with your own eyes, have a look at the bend in the road in Batubulan which has long been touted as being the village of stone carvers.

Silver and Gold smiths
The village of Celuk is now lined with galleries all selling silver ware. They are typical Balinese work using granulation and a process of attaching gold to the surface of silver. Today the industry is very sophisticated and includes everything from traditional pieces to contemporary designs.

Other arts and crafts
These include paintings, basket weavers, wood puppets, shadow puppets, Bali dried flower, terracotta figurines, ceramics, wooden chess boards, Balinese musical instruments, textiles, costumes, furniture, large pots from Lombok, leather works from Java, primitive statues from the eastern islands, brass bowls, bronze statues and other decorative items.

Shopping for art and craft is supposed to be fun and Bali is one the best places in the world to find something cute and beautiful for yourself or somebody that you love.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Made Agus is an internet marketer and freelance web designer in Bali. Visit Bali handicrafts gallery at www.BaliHandicrafts.info to see various unique handmade crafts product of Bali.

...

Archaeology and Spirit Guides

Pottery

Archaeology and Spirit Guides
Author: Robert Bruce Baird
One of the northern derivatives of Hopewell of interest to a few scholars is the anomalous Effigy Mound culture of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. The remains attract attention because of the range of animal forms represented by the low effigy mounds. There are sometimes burials at the "vital" points - hips, head or heart area - of the animals, but there is only the simplest of grave goods.

{How these nature worship spiritual guide representations can be talked about as "anomalous" is beyond me. The Serpent Mound near Cincinnati is a key worldwide astrological figure. The Nazca Line effigies of animals are well known. The Dragon Project and other ley line and Gaian concepts of earth energy and center point location of the Mayan urban and pyramid complexes are definitely related. Stonehenge is recently shown connected to the Serpent Mound and certain astrological or astronomical observations are discussed in Ancient American magazine. Vortexes of energy are obvious in places like Sedona, Arizona. The Giza main pyramid is on such a vortex and some people talk about time warp effects there. But we must remember most archaeologists like their academic brethren the psychiatrists, don't believe in psychic visions, soulful interpretations and other spiritual things that all early people on earth clearly knew very well.

What good is there in denial of what others did or used as central to their lives, even if 'science' of this variety was right? They aren't right anyway, but please ask this question of the scholars who are interpreting these important cultural artifacts. Why avoid the actual beliefs of the people? The reason to locate the burial in points where the energy is collected relates to the cult of the individual involved and their tribal guide, as well as to their sex and specific power ally. It is part of many less dramatic rituals such as the Star of David and the pentagram.}

Burials are either flexed or bundle types. The link with Hopewell is found in ceramics and in the interest in raptors and certain mammals. At one group, Sny-Magill (now a national monument in Iowa), Beaublein (1953) thought two mounds of the group to be Hopewellian in construction and content. McKern has reported several sites of the Effigy culture (McKern 1928; 1930), as well as the Wisconsin Hopewell - locally called the Trempealeau (McKern 1931). Jennings (1965a) and Rowe (1956) have attempted summaries of the Effigy culture. The sites often lie on ridges overlooking a stream valley. The mounds take about a dozen shapes: conical, biconical, oval, linear, panther, bear, bird (goose, raptor), deer, buffalo (?), turtle, lizard, wolf, or fox, and beaver. These are arranged in clusters or lines with no regularity as to the forms depicted; the linear and conical ones are mixed with the effigies. {Likely no relation to guides or spirits but rather to allow earth energy to build or flow in some manner enhancing or guarding the people. Their ancestral forefathers who are often dug up and moved in the Iroquois or eastern regions mimics practices carried on around the world. [There is a genetic energy and spiritual reality that psychology has shown to exist between family members separated at birth (Harvard) and especially 'twins' (Minnesota's University).]} The groups may contain dozens of mounds...

In New York, Ritchie (1965) identifies Hopewell in the artifacts and mounds of the Squawkie Hill phase; earlier, he had incorporated this phase in his Point Peninsula culture series. Griffin (1964) also notes the Hopewellian content of the New York finds. Furthermore, he mentions the extension of dentate rocker stamping on pottery well beyond the appearance of other Hopewell traits and also comments on the blurring or fading of the Hopewell complex after about A.D. 250.

{It was almost completely gone by 500 AD. This is an important time in world history. The Ostrogothic disappearance from Italy that led to major fortifications in South America as discovered by Gene Savoy after this time when Jennings wrote this book might also have led to the end of the Hopewell cultural control. We know Roman statues were found in Mexico with a 99% archaeological certainty according to University of Calgary Professor Emeritus David Kelley. But few scholars have drawn any connection even with the huge forts in South America. Probably it is pure co-incidence. But when you know the Visigoths are Merovingian related and the people like Dagobert had a trepanned skull as well as other things we will lay before you later you might think it less a co-incidence. The influx of Keltic 'Red-Heads' from the Taklamakand Desert near the present Great Wall occurred at this time too, according to Prof. Covey of Wake Forest University, and Professor Joan Price of the American Archaeological Institute.}

This is about the time the southern derivatives began to appear and the cultures of the Middle West and East developed stronger regional differences, with many local sequences replacing the more uniform culture characteristic of Hopewell dominance. Even so, as in the widespread dentate pottery decoration, vestiges of Hopewell ancestry can be noted. In New York, for example, the development of late Point Peninsula into Owasco and even historic Iroquois can be tied through a few traits to Hopewell (Griffin 1964).

The Owasco culture of New York, accepted as being ancestral to the Iroquois, is dated at A.D. 1000 to 1300.... Farming tools included elk-scapula hoes, as well as two types of flint hoe. Food-storage pits are common in some sites.

About the Author

World-Mysteries.com has more of my work.
Columnist at The ES Press Magazine
Author of Diverse Druids

...

Anniversary Gift Ideas Year by Year, the First Nineteen Years

Pottery

Anniversary Gift Ideas Year by Year, the First Nineteen Years
Author: Elly Kendall

It's impossible to remember what gift is traditional for each anniversary. This article is perfect to print out or post on your website for easy reference. Plus gift ideas for each anniversary makes it easy, you'll never miss getting the perfect anniversary gift again.

The traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper. An addition of the newspaper from the year you were married, an old edition of a classic book like "Gone with the Wind", a postcard that's of a place meaningful to both of you, board games, plane tickets, football or baseball tickets, photo album filled with memories, write a love letter, drawing or pictures for your cabin, home or office or a gift voucher are all great ideas.

The second anniversary's traditional gift is cotton. New bed linen, attractive underwear or lingerie, cotton towels, a hammock, personalized T-shirt, cotton clothing or a cotton canvas shopping bag with your photo on the front.

Leather is the traditional gift for the third anniversary. Leather, boots, shoes, vest, skirt, pants, wallet, gloves, purse, belt, luggage or briefcase will do nicely. But how about something a bit more updated like leather cell phone case, leather framed photo or leather throw pillows?

Traditional gifts for the fourth anniversary are fruit or flowers. Of course having a fruit basket or flowers delivered to the home or office is appropriate. However, sharing a fresh fruit cocktail, floral bubble bath with floral scented candles set about and rose petals scattered across the bed sounds a lot more fun, exciting and romantic!

The traditional gift for the fifth anniversary is wood. This is a very good year for practical gifts like wooden deck furniture, frames or wooden utensils for the kitchen and new wood fencing. The romantic side of wood could include a weekend in a log cabin, camping in the woods, a walk in the woods, wooden plaques or signs engraved with words of love or an artistic wooden sculpture.

Iron is the traditional gift for the sixth anniversary. Golf clubs, iron sculptures, wrought iron furniture, iron skillets, a new iron or an Ironwood tree are good ideas. Don't forget the possibility of tools, hardware, a wrought iron bed or a set of weights.

Traditionally, wool or copper are gifts for the seventh anniversary. Gifts of woolen socks, scarves, blankets, hats, coats and copper kettles make very nice presents. A new wool suit, copper sculpture or copper fireside accessories are a bit more upscale.

The eighth anniversary's traditional gift is bronze. This is the year to make an impression with a bronze sculpture, antique bronze bell or a trip to a tropical beach with a bronzing lotion for the two of you.

Pottery is the traditional gift for the ninth anniversary. Planters, vases, bowls and coffee mugs fall into this group, so does joining a pottery class together!

Traditional gifts for the tenth anniversary are of tin or aluminum. Personalized license plate, tin of caviar, tin toy car, tin signs or plaques and vintage aluminum serving pieces are fun ideas.

The eleventh anniversary traditional gift is steel. Stainless steel cookware, watches and steel engraved key chains are great but a Calypso steel drum, steel ice bucket and cocktail shaker or modern steel sculpture are unique gift ideas.

Silk and linen are the proper traditional gifts for the twelfth anniversary. Silk lingerie, bed linens, linen table clothes, napkins, handkerchiefs and silk or linen clothing will surely be appreciated.

The thirteenth anniversary traditional gift is lace. Women buy that slinky, lacey lingerie for the men to enjoy! Okay, lace doilies, tablecloths and lacey curtains work too but they aren't near as much fun.

The fourteenth anniversary calls for the traditional gift of ivory. If you have the big bucks this year splurge on a piano or a trip to the Ivory Coast of Africa. The rest of us can enjoy ivory colored bed linen, scrimshawed ivory desk sets or key chains, ivory colored clothing or personalized ivory colored stationary.

Crystal is the gift for the fifteenth through the nineteenth anniversaries. Crystal vases, decanters, candlesticks and crystal faced watches are very traditional. Crystal chandelier earrings or a crystal chess set are more up to date. Billy Crystal movies are fun.

Tradition is wonderful and I hope this list helps in your anniversary gift choices. Many times these anniversary gifts end up as our family heirlooms of tomorrow.

Visit our web site for the complete article http://www.cabinfevergifts.com/anniversary.html " "Anniversary Gifts Year by Year for One Hundred Years" . Shop for unique anniversary gifts at http://www.cabinfevergifts.com " Log Cabin Fever Gifts & Decor.

...

A Look at Store Fixture Parts

Ceramics

A Look at Store Fixture Parts
Author: Jimmy Sturo
Products for sale need to be displayed in a manner which best presents them in the customers' eyes. For example, clothing needs to be folded on shelves, hung from racks or displayed on mannequins. Books need to be displayed in shelves, spinning racks and organized bins. Videos need shelving and racks to properly display titles. All products lend themselves to some form of acceptable display. Even if you are an innovative decorator and you want your display to be revolutionary, you'll still need some variation on the display techniques that are already being used to distinguish your product from all the others.
The single most popular starting place for displaying wares in most retail stores is known as the slatwall panel. Slatwall panels have been universally accepted as the most versatile presentation system on the market today. Made of medium-density fiberboard, slatwall panels easily adapt to your retail display needs and require minimum maintenance. When used in conjunction with Lucite or metal accessories, a slatwall can effectively be used to present any product including clothing, giftware, ceramics, books, jewelry, house wares and much more.
Available in a variety of colors and finishes, you can create a unique look for your store in a short time by selecting the slatwall that's right for you. One choice would be to use the all white, modern look for a retail appearance that's open, clean and high-tech. Choosing a darker, wood-grain look would evoke a quieter, more formal ambiance. The choice is yours and with slatwall panels and accompanying accessories you can create the look you think will best showcase your merchandise.
A second display technique involves the use of Gridwall panels.
Unlike slatwall panels, gridwall panels can be used as either self-standing or wall-mounted display units. Gridwalls are a lightweight, durable fixture, constructed of quarter-inch-thick wire and finished in baked-on, semi-gloss lacquer for a professional look. With the proper accessories, gridwalls can function as lightweight shelving or hanging displays as long as the products displayed on them are not too heavy. Use your imagination and you'll find gridwall panels may do the job for you.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Store Fixture Parts provides detailed information on Store Fixtures, Store Fixture Parts, Metal Store Fixtures, Antique Store Fixtures and more. Store Fixture Parts is affiliated with POS Systems .

...

A Few Things - A Wonderful Gift

Ceramics

A Few Things - A Wonderful Gift
Author: Arleen M. Kaptur
Painters have graced the world's cathedrals and great historic buildings with their talent with paints and brushes.

Musicians bring their melodious notes to thrill our sense of hearing and stir us emotionally. Art in whatever form you find interesting is meant to bring new vision, broaden our horizons, and let beauty into our lives. So, too, with any type of needlework or craft projects.

Whether you crochet, embroider, quilt or sew - you are bringing the timeless art of needle and thread into today's world. Time has never dissipated the wonder of what can be created with a few supplies, patience, and a lot of imagination and creativity. Craft projects follow suit and our homes, our holidays, and our everyday lives would be missing a wonderful personal touch if these "projects" were never completed and especially shared with family and friends.

Whether you use the medium of needle and thread, felt, ceramics, clay, or whatever you desire, you embark on the wonderful world of creativity. It is truly a God-given blessing to bring these few tools and transform them into articles to be used in your home as gifts, or passed on for generations as heirloom treasures. Many times our lack of experience makes us believe that no one will ever treasure or even hang on to what we make - not so. A hand-knitted sweater will always be a bit softer and warmer, a hand-made quilt so much more comforting, and those Holiday decorations will always be lovingly displayed for now and far into the future. Any artist is never truly satisfied with their end-products, even though they are true masterpieces. It's just a human trait - to expect more from ourselves even while others marvel at what we have accomplished.

If there are ideas in your mind, or projects half-started but never completed, get out those supplies and let the generosity of your heart lead the way so that our way of life and this world is not "missing" these wonderful accents that bring so much joy, comfort, and happiness into our own lives and those of others. Whether you are a beginner or an expert in yor field, give it all your care and love, and somewhere in time-future, your quilt, sweater, ceramic figurine, or felt banner will bring smiles, and enduring tokens of what a person is capable of bringing about from just a few simple "things."

Let the sunshine of whatever it is you make shine right along with the heavenly bodies for future generations, and bask in the warmth they will bring you today.
ENJOY!
©Arleen M.Kaptur 2003 January

About the Author

Arleen has written numerous books, articles, and cookbooks, Her newsletters:
http://www.Arleens-rusticliving.com
http://www.arleenssite.com

...