Posted by admin on July 9th, 2008 — Posted in Les Beaux Arts
One of the most famous gifts for Easter is that of a gift basket filled with chocolates, toys and fun little items for children to enjoy. As you get older, perhaps your children grow up and there is no longer that joy of helping the Easter bunny put together special holiday gift baskets. That doesn’t mean, however, that you cannot continue the tradition with other holidays and special occasions.
Christmas is a wonderful time to make your own gift baskets and can be a terrific way to add a personal touch to any present. If you know a woman who loves to pamper herself, consider purchasing a nice basket and adding a bottle of her favorite bubble bath, body lotion, perfume and anything else that you know to be her favorite. If you have a sports fan in the family, a basket filled with his/her favorite team’s memorabilia will be a big hit. Some examples may be a t-shirt and baseball cap, a rare trading card or other official collectibles.
Once you have filled the gift baskets with goodies, it’s time to purchase clear cellophane gift bags. After opening the gift bag, carefully place the gift basket and all of it’s contents inside. Once you have it perfectly situated, secure the top with clear tape or a staple. A large bow at the top will make your gift baskets not only personalized, but the recipient will also know that you put a lot of thought into the design and look of their gift.
Another terrific idea for gift baskets is to include a colorful variety of fruits, including apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, plums, etc. If you purchase gift baskets that do not feature a handle, these can be placed on a dining room table or as the centerpiece in the living room. Fruit gift baskets are ideal for teachers, doctors, lawyers or the health conscious family member.
If you are looking for some additional gifts to include, consider jewelry, a leather wallet, special event ticket, gift certificates, stuffed animal, favorite candy, etc. The more color and variety you can add to a gift basket, the more festive your gift will appear.
Still need some theme ideas for gift baskets? Many enjoy creating personalized pet gift baskets, baby gift baskets and even newlywed gift baskets. There is no end to the number of creations that can be made with a little imagination and some time and effort.
To get more facts about http://www.bestgiftbasketonline.info gift baskets, check out our website at http://www.bestgiftbasketonline.info for lots of free gift baskets information and reviews.
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Posted by admin on May 10th, 2008 — Posted in Les Beaux Arts
As a young boy, I loved to collect rocks. Stories of lost gold mines, buried jewels and priceless rubies whetted my appetite for rocks. Of course, the pebbles I collected were only pretty stones, smoothed by a distant stream, ending up in my grubby pocket.
In my teens, I once visited the Natural History Museum in New York and was fascinated by the gem collection. World’s Largest Crystal Ball, a replica of the Hope Diamond and an opal weighing over one hundred pounds all found their way into my dreams. A few years later I would choose Geology as my college major.
In my twenties, while perusing the wares in a Government Surplus Store, I came across a three hundred watt ultraviolet spotlight with its high voltage transformer. Costing only five dollars, it prompted me to ask the owner of what use it could be. He told me that it was used to discover flaws in the manufacture of weapons but other than that, the only other use he could think of was to make visible certain fluorescent materials. I immediately thought of the mineral fluorite that glowed under ultra violet light. So I bought it.
A visit to the local library turned up a beautiful book on fluorescent minerals with gorgeous pictures of mineral samples shining in pure rainbow colors under a UV lamp. Most of these rare minerals occurred in mines all over the world but one source of these collectible rocks was located only twenty miles from my house! The next day off found me happily wending my way to the town of Franklin, New Jersey. Seeing a sign near this tiny town advertising The Franklin Museum for Fluorescent Rocks, I screeched to a halt to get directions. I was led to a large Victorian home and greeted at the door by an old man. In his living room were several glass cases filled to the brim with grayish-looking dusty rocks, each one carefully labeled. The collector explained that the colors showed too pale in the daytime but if I would like to see the full effect, I was welcome to see the collection in his cellar. A flight of squeaky wooden steps opened up in a large, low-ceilinged room covered with shelved of the same gray rocks as upstairs. I still wasn’t impressed. Then he turned on the ultraviolet tubes and turned off the regular white light. A fantasy of colors hit my eye. Every tone of orange from peach to tangerine, rich yellows, azure blues and intense reds shouted out from the walls in a melange of lacy patterns. As I crawled along examining each sample, the owner explained where each sample originated, how much it was worth and how rare.
My head was spinning with the colorful images revealed by the invisible ultra violet light. I asked him if it were possible to find some specimens myself for my own collection. He told me of several ore tailings of nearby ancient mines that undoubtedly contained many good specimens for a collection, but they were too difficult to separate from the mass of useless rock. Immediately I thought of my powerful UV spotlight and how it would allow me to discover the precious samples with ease. The next weekend, I lugged the spotlight to the old mine and as luck would have it, a small, deserted shack was situated not far from the tailings. An old man came out and I told him of my quest. He understood right away and offered the use of his electricity for me to plug in my fifty foot extension cord. He recommended that I wait until dark to start.
Later that night, I returned to the spot with the waiting good Samaritan. A hum filled the air as the spot light warmed up. Then, shining the invisible spotlight on the mountain of gray rock, a myriad of lights glowed like far-flung galaxies in the void of space. Climbing up the steep slope, I chose the brightest and most colorful of samples until I had more than I could carry. Like the hidden talents in ordinary people, my collection never failed to wow our science-inclined visitors at the amazing and eerie light emerging from plain, gray, ordinary-looking rocks.
My interests include writing, photography, graphic arts, furniture refinishing and bicycling.
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Posted by admin on April 26th, 2008 — Posted in Les Beaux Arts
Acrylic paint comes in a tube, just like oil paint. However, since acrylic paint is water-based meaning it dissolves in water instead of oil-based meaning you need to dissolve it in oil or turpentine, it’s much easier to clean up after. You can soak your brushes and clean your hands in plain tap water, instead of smelly and flammable chemicals.
Another advantage to acrylic paint is that it dries much faster than oil paint usually overnight. If you’re working on a painting that needs to be done on time, that’s important. Acrylic paint was developed as a water-based alternative to traditional oil paints.
Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted with water, the finished painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting.
Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer resin. Different from oil painting as watercolor is different from oil painting. There are techniques, which are available only to acrylic painters, and there are also restrictions, which are unique to acrylic painting.
Acrylic paints can achieve an oil-paint-like effect, and do so in much less time. Applied to look like oil paints, acrylics are somewhat limited due to the superior color range of oil paints, and the fact that acrylic dry to a shiny, smooth.
Acrylics paints are sometimes used in place of watercolors because acrylics dry closer to the desired color slightly darker, usually, while watercolors dry lighter and often unpredictably, especially for beginning artists.
About The Author:
Roger King is a successful author and publisher of www.1st-home-decor.com Acrylic paints and ideas to showcase your homes.
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Posted by admin on April 13th, 2008 — Posted in Les Beaux Arts
Contract of Death
I heard today, the preacher say:
“Daniel has warned us long ago,
Of the trials and tribulations we
Are now facing, with our foes…”
He says the ‘Antichrist’ was now
In Europe crying: ‘peace,’ and the
‘Axis of Evil,’ had already placed
Hidden Atomic Russian weapons
Under our feet, here in the good
Ole heart of the United States;
‘Palestine’s cry for peace,’ he adds,
Is a loaded Gun for Revelation 3:10;
America. A ‘Contract for Death,’
Is what he called it. Now what can
I say? If I turn the channel, I get
Mickey Mouse, if I stay here, I get
The shivers. But the truth of the
Matter is: are we not simply just
Waiting for the next trigger…the
Then, suicide atomic blast!…
#817 8/29/05
Note by Rosa: I do not think Dennis wants to get into preaching, rather he was concerned on how the connections were being made with today’s events and the prophet Daniel, whom he has studied, and the preacher was quoting. He of course put into his poetic form. He does it all the time, but doesn’t often share it. Kind of watches where it is all leading to, if you know what I mean. So for those who are not biblical, it may not be of interest, and for those who are, the preacher quoted a lot of the book concerning Daniel Chapters 9, 7, and 11. Rosa Penaloza
In Spanish
Translated by: Nancy Penaloza
Contrato de Muerte
Lo escuché hoy da, el predicador dijo:
“Daniel nos ha advertido hace mucho,
de las pruebas y tribulaciones que ahora
afrontamos, con nuestros enemigos…”
l dice que “el Anticristo” est
ahora en Europa gritando: “paz”,
y el “Eje de Mal”, ya haba colocado
armas rusas atmicas ocultas
Bajo nuestros pies, aqu en el viejo buen
corazn de los Estados Unidos;
“El grito de Palestina por la paz,”, aade
es un arma cargada para Revelacin 3:10;
América. Un “Contrato de Muerte”
Es lo que él lo llam. “Ahora qué puedo
decir”? Si cambio de canal, consigo
Mickey Mouse, si me quedo aqu, consigo
los temblores. Pero la verdad del asunto
es: No estamos nosotros simplemente
esperando por el siguiente disparo…
entonces, explosin suicidio atmico!…
*817 8/29/05
See Dennis Siluk’s books and travels at his website: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com
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Posted by admin on April 5th, 2008 — Posted in Les Beaux Arts
For years the lights used for both steam locomotives and Diesels have been most inadequate. They varied in voltage from 1.5 VDC to 16 VDC. This made for very poor operation and many times the light bulbs would fail rather quickly.
Even though many manufactures of Brass Locomotives and Plastic Locomotives still use the electric light bulb the circuitry is far more complicated and allows for some error in judgment. The manufactures of all locomotives are trying to standardize the type of voltage required to run the lights or in other words set the standard at 1.5 VDC.
This is fine and well needed but there is a better solution to the problem. The electric light bulb is generally low in light out put and still will fail more often than not. The best solution is to go to the LED (Light Emitting Diode) which produces far great lumens and is less vulnerable to electrical fluctuations. There are a variety of LEDs that will work with an HO locomotive.
The standard sizes are 3mm to 5mm in diameter. The basic colors are clear with a slight blue out put or the slightly yellow or soft output. The LEDs come in a variety of colors. The new Kato plastic models out of Japan use an amber light for their new engines. Because of their brightness the light being emitted is excellent.
The change over from the standard light bulb to the LED is simple and easy to do. The wires coming out of the LED are stiff which makes it easier to solder to the wires and it has a tendency to hold the LED in the correct position when installed into the locomotive. The modeler will find the addition of the LED to his or her locomotive to be superior to the traditional method.
Joy Ball has been involved in the restoration and maintenance of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Through her years of expertise, Mrs. Ball has perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotive to the running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas. It should be noted that the above article was written by Joy’s husband Michael Ball. Receive her free newsletter at http://www.brasslocomotiveworks.com.
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