Lampshade: what's your style?
Of course, individual preference is the most important factor in deciding which Tiffany table lamp is best suited to your home d�cor. Popular Wisteria or Laburnum lamps can decorate a desk or side table with a beautiful florally painted lampshade, only the paint is actually individual pieces of colored art glass held together by copper foiling. These lamps offer lovely accent lighting, whether illuminated or not, and there are many other tiffany floral lampshades to choose from including: iris and daffodil.
Another popular style is the geometric Arts and Crafts/Mission floor and table lamps. While not limited to just lamps: geometric and floral glass style lampshades can be found in pendants, chandeliers, sconces, outdoor lighting and other home lighting fixtures. But back to geometric style table lamps: Kichler, Quoizel, Meyda Tiffany, Dale Tiffany and more design exquisite lamps representing these styles. (see: http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com/table-lamps.htm )
Best advice online: shop around and compare prices and brands, while looking closely at the photos to distinguish the quality of the lampshades and bases.
About the Author
Nicole Martins is a contributing author and publisher to http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com, an online resource that aims to provide you with great information, articles of interest and reviews of best selling chandeliers online.
Christmas Art Projects For Kids(Article)
Candy cane Reindeer
What you�ll need:
Candy Canes
Glue
Brown Pipe Cleaners
Small googly eyes
Small Red Pom Poms
Thin festive ribbon
Small jingle Bell
Instructions:
Take your brown pipe cleaner and twist it into a V shape under the curve of the candy cane, or �neck� of your reindeer under construction� Bend the pipe cleaner again to shape into antlers. Take your googly eyes and glue them onto the candy cane. Glue a red pom pom on the candy cane for a �reindeer� nose. Tie the thin ribbon around your reindeer�s neck and string the jingle bell on for the final touch! You might want to glue the ribbon to the candy cane to secure. Make a bunch of these cute candy cane reindeer, and hang them on your holiday tree!
Pasta Holiday Wreath
What you�ll need:
Small Paper Plates
Variety of different pasta shapes
Glue
Holiday color tempra paint
Festive ribbon for bow
Instructions:
Cut the center out of your paper plate. Choose some really interesting pasta noodles, and glue them all around the outer ring of the plate. Try real hard to cover the entire plate! After the glue has dried, take your tempra paint and color the pasta. Have an adult tie the ribbon into a bow and then glue it to your wreath. Display them all around your home during the holiday!
About the Author
For more crafts and activities for your children, visit http://www.ShowKidsTheFun.com . And, don't miss Free Online Preschool Themes (link to http://www.showmomthemoney.com/homeschooling.asp ) for more fun ideas to spend time with your children.
When it comes to decorating a child's room, your approach should be different from decorating an adult bedroom. That's because a child's bedroom should reflect his or her personality and not yours.
For kids, their bedroom is where they play games, read, listen to music, wrestle, display or hide prized possessions, day-dream, or just go to be alone sometimes. So try these eight strategies to help create a space that will make you both happy:
1. Talk to your child. Find out what activities and fantasies he or she enjoys; what their favorite color is; and what's unique about their personality that a theme could be built around. Then work their interests into a design that will make them feel comfortable, happy, and safe.
2. Allow your child to help. Let them have a say about colors, fabrics, and how they want to display their collectibles. The design should be flexible enough to accommodate their changing tastes, needs, and interests.
3. Make the room multi-functional. Since children use their room for many activities besides sleeping, it should have several different zones.
These could include a play area; a reading area; a space to play with friends that's equipped with a radio, CD player, and a TV/VCR; a display area with a wall or corkboard for favorite photos and artwork; and finally, a place for shelving to display collectibles, trophies, and other personal items.
4. Make storage a priority. Containing clutter will be one of your greatest challenges. Try shelving, large decorative wicker baskets, plastic see-through containers, and closets that contain plenty of shelving and racks.
5. Keep window treatments simple. Avoid long draperies. Shades, blinds, and shorter curtains are safer choices. The fabric should be versatile, and patterns should be repeated in other items in the room, such as in pillows, quilts, lampshades, bed ruffles, etc.
6. Choose the right lighting. A child�s room should include both task lighting for homework and reading, and soothing light for quieter times. A nightlight is also important if your child is not comfortable in the dark, and for safety reasons, so they can find their way to the bathroom at night.
7. Use wallpaper or paint to add color and texture. You can apply whimsical borders along the top edges of the walls, and clouds or stars on the ceiling.
It might be wise to make sure the walls of childrens rooms are washable, so if you are using paint, choose a semi-gloss or gloss finish. Kids love bright colors, but you should limit any strong color to only one wall. For example, paint one wall fire-engine red, and the others a soft peach or pink.
8. Allow your child to select the design theme. The choices are endless. Here are just a few: firehouse fun room, starry night, angels, rainbows, unicorns, baseball, a bedroom for a princess, underwater scenery, outer space, race cars, airplanes, trains, jungle motifs, wizards and dragons, and dinosaurs. You can visit our new Web site for a lot more ideas!
Decorating with your child offers a great opportunity to display your playful side, while doing some memorable family bonding. So have fun with it and remember that even if your child's choice in themes seems bizarre, there's probably a way to work out a compromise.
Michael Holland is the creator of the Web sites http://www.home-decorating-made-easy.com and http://www.kids-rooms-and-crafts.com. His web site offers lots of FREE home decorating tips and ideas.
No Academic Dares Tell the Truth(Article)
Nature provides varying resources in different parts of the world. In Ireland the use of leather in boat-building made sense. Leather craft going underwater led to glass or other submersibles to reach sunken ships in the time of Alexander and the designs some people think are alien craft on the Lascaux Caves are most likely leather submersibles. The hardwoods of Central and South America allowed for some truly fantastic big ships to be hollowed out of very large trees. Ironwood is heavier than concrete and it is even possible that they used concrete on ship hulls or to build ships with the geopolymerized technology that Pliny reports, and scholars did not understand, so the scholars failed to properly translate his writing. If 9,000 years ago the people of the Aleutians and the copper route were able to use ivory bearings in two or four man crafts that cut a catamaran type wake which Scientific American says exceeds our present technology, then you can imagine almost anything.
The use of copper sheeting on hulls and keels extended the life of wooden crafts in warm waters where boring beetles destroy any wooden craft. This allowed the Phoenicians or those who built ships that could travel the whole world a great advantage. They also had above deck windlass type technology to keep planked hulls intact during storms. These two things made larger ships more durable and feasible. The Murrhine vases for turning salt water potable would have been a huge advantage. It is not lost on me that the very name of these vases includes the name Mu just as Troy�s real name does.
RED OCHRE:
The supposed worship of the Sun in many ancient cultures was also a worship of the �Son� of God which we all can actualize. Thomas Huxley argued the position of science well in his confrontations with the churchian Wilberforce and I admire the Huxley clan. In many ways Aldous Huxley was a groundbreaking observer of real science rather than the Kuhn constructs Fuller prefers anarchy over. I love to read how Aldous was excited to get the first hand accounts of Joseph Campbell walking on the healing fire of the Japanese shamanistic Shinto priests. There are many Eranos attendees like Jung and Campbell who are excellent scholars and well respected authors including Eliade and Daisetz Suzuki.
�I remember Aldous Huxley talking to me through a long evening, and his white hands held into the fire, saying, �This is what transforms. These are the legends that show it. Above all, the legend that the Phoenix is reborn in the fire, and lives over and over again in generation after generation.� Fire is the image of youth and blood, the symbolic colour is the ruby and cinnabar {From which the alchemist got Mercury.}, and in ochre and hematite with which men paint themselves ceremonially.� (14)
But was it just ceremonial? No! Hematite is still important to the art of crystal therapy. It is naturally able to generate energy in tune with the Earth Energy Grid that we all are impacted by even though we can�t see it. Ochre is found on the bones of the far older modern human (by at least 20,000 years) called the Mungo Man. It may actually be cinnabar but archaeologists are not alchemists and usually don�t believe in the Philosopher�s Stone which required cinnabar.
The Beothuk painted themselves with the ochre they received in payment from Phoenicians involved in the Old Copper Route to Lake Superior�s unique and pure ore deposits before the advent of widespread smelting. L�Anse Amour is an archaeological site that shows where they were in the 5th Millennium B.C. They had moved when the water flow changed after years of the earth adjusting to the miles of glacial ice that had been on top of it. The Beothuk had a unique watercraft most like the northern Europeans such as the Irish. They were as tall as the Adena who came from the Poverty Point location of the Keltic Phoenician Red Heads who are like the Red Headed Mummies of Urumchi. But they were called �redskins� before the Canadian Government or other authorities put a bounty on their heads and the 19th Century saw their demise just as the Kelts of Easter Island and New Zealand were eradicated. Earlier than that it was far worse for the remnants of the Brotherhood of Man whose leaders understood the nature of the Solar Deity as a mere representation of a science average people were unwilling to devote the time required to grasp. It wasn�t just libraries that were burned at the stake. I hope you can see that if no other scholar has written about red ochre in this way and few point out the massive advantages the copper keel would provide, that it is a reflection on academia and the nature of those who keep secrets.
About the Author
Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine,
Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com
An Author Interview with Antoinette Bosco, Lent: An Uncommon Love Story
By Lisa M. Hendey
My favorite Lenten resources and devotions focus on the occasions for joy and the emphasis on love and service during this season of preparation for Easter and the glory of Jesus� resurrection. This Lent, I�ve added a new resource to my devotional library. Lent: An Uncommon Love Story (Pauline Books and Media, January 2005, paperback, 128 pages) is a wonderful Lenten reflection by noted Catholic author Antoinette Bosco. This simple yet profound look at Lent focuses upon the story of Christ�s love for us. In moments of despair and pain, Bosco points her reader to the opportunity for a deepening relationship with God.
Bosco, mother of seven and prolific author, writes about transcending suffering from an informed perspective. In this book, she freely shares her own family�s sometimes tragic experiences, as well as her personal Lenten journey. In addition to Lent: An Uncommon Love Story, Bosco is also the author of the award winning children�s book The Jesus Garden: An Easter Legend (Pauline Books and Media, February 2004, hardcover, 44 pages).
As we enjoy the culmination of our Lenten devotions and enter into the glorious season of Easter, I took the opportunity to speak with Antoinette Bosco about her writing.
Q: Antoinette Bosco, author of the newly released Lent: An Uncommon Love Story, would you please start off by telling our readers a bit about yourself?
A: It is always difficult to say a few words about oneself because we become self-consciously nervous about putting too much in, or leaving something important out. I was very fortunate to be the daughter of Italian immigrants, who gave me my Catholic faith and my values at a very early age. I am the mother of seven, three deceased, was fortunate to have had a college education so I could support my children when I became a single parent in 1967. My work has always been in media, as a magazine writer, a book author, a reporter and an editor, both for the Catholic and secular press. Since I was very young, I also worked for social justice, even serving for many years as a Human Rights Commissioner on Long Island, N.Y. My son John and his wife Nancy were murdered by an 18-year old in 1993, and ever since then I have worked to end the death penalty in our country. My alma mater, the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y. awarded me an honorary doctoral degree in 1996; my book �Choosing Mercy, A Mother of Murder Victims Pleads to End the Death Penalty,� was give both a Christopher Award and a Pax Christi Award. To date I have written 14 books.
Q: I have to say that I was deeply touched by your book, Lent: An Uncommon Love Story - would you please tell our readers what message you were trying to convey through this book?
A: I was asked to write a book about Lent by Sister Madonna, the acquisitions editor at Pauline Books & Media, at the very time my son Sterling was hospitalized with a failing heart. He was a devout Catholic, and when I told him about the request, saying I just couldn�t write a book right now, he was the one who made me change my mind. We talked about how Lent is the time that assures us we are never alone in our sufferings, losses or hardships. We are there, in the desert with Jesus, who could have said �no� to his Father, knowing the pain, rejection and death that would be ahead for him. But Jesus said �Yes,� and then left the desert and worked full time for the next three years doing nothing but loving us. Jesus lived a love story for us that began in his Lenten days in the desert. The week I finished the book, my son Sterling died, but he left me with his affirmation that Lent is a love story that he wanted me to underscore.
Q: You shared so deeply and so personally in the book about your own Lenten journey that I came to feel a closeness to you through your words. I know that your family has endured many hardships, and that their cumulative effect makes you the person you are today. Is it difficult or cathartic to share your life's challenges with such openness and sincerity?
A: I have written several books in which I share some of the difficult experiences of my life�like the suicide of my youngest son Peter, who suffered from a bi-polar mental disorder and the murders of my beloved John and Nancy. But I wrote these books not as the sad story of my life, but as an affirmation of faith, which gives us strength, hope, vision, power, grace, empathy, compassion for others, and after a hard journey, the joy of Christ, who pioneered all the difficult paths we face so as to show us we have never been alone. The response I have received from people who have read my books or heard me speak has assured me any difficult I have faced in sharing my stories is worth it.
Q: What meaning does Lent hold for you at this stage in your life?
A: At this stage of my life, Lent is a very special time. I always remember the early days of my single parenting, when I worked day and night, little sleep, many hardships. I was angry at the Lord at times, and I remember crying one night that I live in Lent, that I am lost and locked in the desert. It was as if I heard a voice asking, �Then why do you stay?� Without a thought, spontaneously I whispered, �because I love my children.� And I was given to know that�s why Jesus stayed in the desert, because he loved his children. Every Lent, I focus on this incredible love of the Lord for us, and it helps me not get lost in the cutting paths I still must sometimes travel.
Q: I am also a major fan of your wonderful children's book, The Jesus Garden: An Easter Legend, also published by Pauline Books and Media. Could you please share about the creation of this book?
A: �The Jesus Garden� is my surprise book. It contains stories that I wrote and told my children when they were small. A few years ago, after a lovely meeting with Sister Madonna, I thanked her by sending her a copy of these stories for her to enjoy. To my surprise, sometime later I got a call from the Pauline Sisters that they wanted to hire an artist and publish my stories as �an Easter fantasy.� I was delighted and my children were soaring. We love the book, which has just received a Silver Angel Award from Excellence in Media!
Q: I loved the book for your ability to make Christ's passion, death and resurrection into something that was not "scary" for children, but rather a reflection of his great love for each of us as individuals. How can parents share with their children the true joy of the Easter message?
A: The best way that parents can share the true joy of the Easter message is to be joyful and believing themselves. There�s an old saying that �What you are shouts so loud I can�t hear what you say.� All parents should remember that.
Q: Do you have any future projects in the works?
A: Right now I am working very hard speaking mainly to young people in high school and college about the need for reform of our criminal justice system and the immorality of the death penalty. I�ve written 14 books in my years of being in the media, with a recent one that contains much of my life learning called �One Day he Beckoned, One Woman�s Story of the Difference Jesus Made,� (Ave Maria Press), followed by �Miracles Abound, When We Open Our Hearts to God,� (Twenty-Third Publications). With �Lent, An Uncommon Love Story,� I am taking a bit of a break, to catch my breath!
For more information on Lent, An Uncommon Love Story visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819845140/catholicmomcom
For more information on The Jesus Garden: An Easter Legend visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819839795/catholicmomcom
Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her at http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.
About the Author
Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her at http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.
Although She is only One, She appears as many forms or goddesses. Each goddess emphasizes an attribute of the one Divine Mother. This is an easy concept to understand when we consider our own earthly mothers. She is the mother of the hearth when she is cooking and feeding us.
She is the warrior mother when someone attacks us and she is protecting us. She is the muse mother when she is inspiring us to do our best. She is the healer when we are sick. Each of perspective are only
one of the aspects she wears in the drama of life for all eternity.
Athena is the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She sprang full grown from Zeus' head.
She is Zeus' favorite and is allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. She wore a helmet and carrying a spear and
shield, the magic aegis, a goatskin breastplate, fringed with snakes, that produced thunderbolts when shaken.
Athena was different from Ares; she represented the intellectual and civilized side of war. She was a wise and prudent adviser.
Sacred to her are the olive, serpent, owl, lance, and crow.
Although Minerva, the Roman Goddess of war and wisdom, is usually portrayed as equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena, she was originally an Etruscan goddess of dawn. She is revered as a goddess of wisdom, for the light of dawn typifies knowledge. She guides heroes in war and is patroness of all arts, crafts, guilds, and medicine. Called by Ovid "the goddess of a thousands works", she was inventor of musical instruments, numbers, and many crafts, including weaving.
The serpent and the owl were sacred to her. The serpent is an emblem of life energy and the creative impulse. The owl the symbol of death and wisdom, and thus Minerva, a goddess of the dawn and of wisdom, is also a goddess of death and transformation. Minerva is an incarnation of wisdom in human form, an affirmation that we can use our knowledge and wisdom in the pursuit of any goal we choose.
Minerva was the Roman goddess of war, wisdom and the crafts.
In Britain at the turn of the 1st millennium CE, Minerva was depicted throughout Celtic Britain in both purely Roman fashion and in the more abstract Celtic style
But in Bath, at the temple of Aquae Sulis she becomes "fully equated with a Celtic goddess, Sulis". (1)
So as you see as with our earthly Mother according to the aspect we
are calling on we call on the name that matches that aspect of the Great Mother.Of The Great Goddess
So call her name when you need protection from the warrior mother or wise counsel. Call her by yet another name when you need healing. You can call on her when you need inspiration and a muse to create. She is the great mother the female side of God.
References:
1. The Gods of Roman Britain , Miranda Jane Green , Shire Archeology, 1993, ISBN#: 0852636342, pp.29-31
2. Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, Miranda J. Green, Thames & Hudson, 1992, ISBN#: 0-500-01516-3, pp.200-202
3. Celt and Greek: Celts in the Hellenic World, Peter B. Ellis, Constable, 1997, ISBN#: 0-09-475580-9, p. 50
About the Author
About the author: Judi Singleton is the publisher of Jassmine's Journal
you can subscribe to one or all of her ezines at http:www.motherearthpublishing.com
Best Time To Visit Florida ?(Article)
This is a popular time for seniors to travel to Florida, often to escape the winter conditions in their home land or state. And these “snowbirds” as they are known, have been around a while and are savvy enough to know a great vacation opportunity when it presents itself.
Many families also take the opportunity to travel at this time of year when accommodation costs, especially in privately rented vacation homes, tend to be at their lowest. After all, you get all the usual luxury you would expect, but for a lot less money, so it really makes a lot of sense.
March and April can, dependant upon the year of travel, include the Easter break. Without exception, Easter is the most popular time to travel to Florida. Many vacation homes will actually book out Easter and the surrounding weeks up to three years in advance, so it is important that if you are restricted by school vacation schedules that you don’t drag your heels. You can expect the theme parks to be busy, but remember that these places are huge, and well equipped to handle large crowds and keep them moving throughout the day.
May and June are often considered the respite months after the hustle and bustle of Easter, and again you will discover the parks are less crowded, excluding the half term UK vacation slot towards the end of May / beginning of June, which again is very popular. Temperature wise, things really start to hot up now, as we head into the full glory of the Floridian summer. However, June marks the official start of the “rainy season”, which is actually a little less scary than it sounds.
At this transitional time in the meteorological calendar, weather conditions are rapidly changing from late spring to early summer, and as a result, it is not unusual to experience a short shower around mid afternoon. The good news however is that these showers last on average approximately 20 minutes, before returning to the glorious sunshine for which Florida is famed.
July and August are considered peak months in the vacation calendar, as it is the time when most folks are granted their annual leave from work. Temperatures can soar into the high nineties and beyond. It is a busy time for vacation home rentals and theme parks alike, but also an excellent time to work on getting that gorgeous bronzed tan !
September slowly begins to lead us out of the summer months and begins to transition us in preparation for Autumn (or the fall). Temperatures begin to slide to a luxurious 85 degrees, and the humidity levels drop off too. Once again, the theme parks take a respite after the events of another fun packed summer period.
By October and November, the temperatures have reached a modest 70 – 80 degrees throughout the day, but you will notice a slightly cooler night time scenario. Of course by cool, I’m not talking scarves and mittens, this is Florida after all ~ but a lightweight jacket or sweat shirt will help to keep you comfortable on your nocturnal travels. Again, another excellent time to visit, as theme parks are a lot less crowded, (with the exception of the end of October ~ yet another UK half term break), and ideal if you find the hotter temperatures a little to much to handle.
And so to December. Always a magical time in Florida and this is reflected by the stunning array of decorations and parades in both the theme parks and in the local communities. But here is a little known tip for those of you who always thought travelling at Christmas way out of your league … Between 1st and 15th December most airlines tickets and vacation homes are available at brilliant rates. The reason ? Most families are gearing up for Christmas itself, with all that that entails, and so this two week pre-Christmas slot tends to get overlooked ! So my advice would be to give the family a pre-Christmas treat and snag a bargain at what is a wonderful time of year.
Of course, as you would expect, the weeks including Christmas Day and New Years are extremely popular, and are priced accordingly. However, you haven’t lived until you have witnessed the New Year firework displays that Disney produces. They are literally out of this world.
So, in conclusion, when is the best time to visit Florida ? I stand by my original answer, and say, unreservedly, “Anytime !” Because each and every month of the year holds something unique and special for anyone travelling to the sunshine state. Go ahead, stick a pin in a calendar and try it out for yourself ~ I guarantee you won’t be disappointed !
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Chris Neilson is a professional writer and private Villa Owner who has an extensive knowledge of the Florida Travel Industry. He is also the senior copywriter for the well known Florida Vacation Rentals web site Online Florida Villas – www.onlinefloridavillas.com © Copyright Chris Neilson 2005 All Rights Reserved
All these things can confuse your animal companion causing them to do things they ordinarily wouldn�t do, and also bring harm to themselves.
Since it has been my fate to learn from experience, sometimes vicariously, sometimes straight-on, I�ll include examples which I hope this article will keep you from having to experience.
1.Keep careful track of visitors� possessions.
People bring all sorts of things in their suitcases and purses, like nitroglycerine and sleeping pills. Keep purses and luggage up off the floor, and in the case of cats, closed and latched.
Or you�ll end up at the vet�s, as I did one year, when Thisbe smelled chocolate (Ex Lax) in my mother�s suitcase and ingested enough to kill her, said the vet, who was surprised she survived.
2.Pay close attention to the Easter candy and other gifts.
CHOCOLATE IS A SPECIAL DANGER. IT CONTAINS THEOBROMINE WHICH IS POISONOUS TO ANIMALS.
People wrap food dogs can smell that you can�t, but then again it doesn�t have to be food. Chucky tore open packages of bath powder, perfume and bath salts as well. If you catch Fido nosing around, remove the package to somewhere safe.
3. Keep your animal companion on their regular regime and diet.
Don�t, like me, carve the lamb roast tossing the fat down to Shy Nell, then carry it in to the table, begin the feast, and have Shy Nell enter the dining room and proceed to vomit it all up, sending one of your guests to the restroom. Try working that into the dinner table conversation!
4.Protect your animal companion from new people and vice versa.
Guests can agitate and excite your pet so they get in trouble, do bizarre things, and also harm people.
There are people like me who don�t know what they�re doing, stick their hand in the bird cage to acquaint themselves with your Macaw, and � �the Macaw uses its bill to score and then, in steel-cutter fashion, shear the nuts in two so cleanly that the cut surfaces resemble the work of a metal-cutting saw or laser �� and it�s ho-ho-ho, off to the emergency room we go.
5.Don�t let your pet eat all gifts that are presented!
The houseguest from hell, I brought homemade dog biscuits for my relative�s Labs, which they duly ate � and we were all up all night as the dogs struggled with fulminating diarrhea.
6.If you animal is excitable, soothe him or her, or remove them if necessary, giving them a special place in the house where they can have quiet time.
7.Protect your animal from young children.
They can poke eyes, pull ears, plop down on stomachs, beat their backs with toys, and generally provoke the gentlest of dogs.
8.Guard against escapes!
Weejums who lived with us for a while, was always looking for his chance to escape, and the holidays were the most exciting time of the year for the little rascal. Oh the opportunities! If you have such a knave in your house, make sure they have their tags, and explain to the kids and to houseguests, to please take care about the front door.
9. Talk to your houseguests, who are more under your �control,� and keep your eye out for your other guests.
Or your pet companion may end up with an injured tail and bad memories like Muff Tuff, who was sleeping near the rocking chair; or a temporarily injured paw like Stan-the-Man, who got stepped on by someone wearing bifocals.
10.Talk to your animal companion � with soothing tones when needed, but also clear commands, so they know the rules still apply.
Use visual �communication� as well, as your animal companion is deeply attuned to you.
BOTTOM LINE: You�re busier and preoccupied, things change, it�s a good time to stop and think, for the safety of your animal companion. They�re counting on you!
About the Author
�Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching, distance learning, and ebooks around emotional intelligence for your continued personal and professional development. I train and certify EQ coaches. Get in this field, dubbed �white hot� by the press, now, before it�s crowded, and offer your clients something of exceptional value. Start tomorrow, no residence requirement. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine.
Sparkle the Clown(Article)
Sparkle the Clown would love to your next special event! Adding a special touch to family gatherings or company picnics, open houses, employee apprec-
iations, festivals, I even do "clown-a-
grams!"
I am a deciated christian wanting to bring good clean, fun, games crafts, singing, face painting, puppet shows, and more to everyone. We all live to laugh and share in fun....keeping J.C.
(JESUS CHRIST) in the middle of it all!
Just give "J.C. Clowning" a call:
there is 1- 4 clowns ready to add to your event.....starting at $40.00 a hr for one clown.....
Hello! I am one of Gods Fools!
I am a christian clown that loves to make people smile, even for a brief moment...adding laughter and some fun to not only childrens partys and events, but for us big kids!
Getting Started Selling Your Crafts(Article)
My first career was as a special education teacher. After 15 years of teaching I earned an MBA degree followed by CFA (Certified Financial Analyst) certification. After 15 years in finance I was a vice-president and portfolio manager of a major insurance company before I was downsized. Tired of the rat race, I opted for early retirement. Looking for something to do with all my free time, I started crafting and am now making a nice supplemental income from it.
As a crafter and a businesswoman, I feel I have some valuable insights into the craft business that I can share with you.
Getting Organized
to Sell Your Crafts for Profit
At some point in your progression from crafting for fun to crafting for fun and profit, you go from handcrafting individual items for yourself and friends to filling quantity orders for a broader marketplace. That�s the time to take a very business-like approach to your craft business. This needn�t be daunting. You don�t need an MBA or management experience � just a bit of common sense. If you�re going to do this for profit, you need to understand
The Four M�s:
1. Meet your market;
2. Minimize your costs;
3. Maximize your selling price; and
4. Market the heck out of your product.
Simple, right? But very few people get it. Look at the high failure rate for new businesses. It takes effort to be successful, but the task is hardly impossible.
Traditional craft retailing methods are what most crafters use to get started. They're the easiest way, especially if you don't know if anyone will buy what you make.
I believe that there is a market for any well-made craft, whether decorative or useful. The problem facing many crafters is how exactly to go about selling them, or more accurately, finding paying customers. The fact is that there is an awful lot of competition out there.
My own business got jump-started by my �circle of friends�. My friends noticed and liked my calling cards and began to ask me to design and make cards for them. Starting with just Broderbund�s Create-a-Card program, I was soon earning a nice supplemental income in just a few hours a week. It probably helped that I was retired and live in an area dominated by retirees.
But I think that everyone has a �circle of friends� either socially or at work. Of course you don�t want to impose on their friendship by making a hard sell, but rather use or display your crafts in front of your friends to see if they draw any interest. If they do and if they�re priced right, you�re on your way to craft retailing for profit. If your �circle of friends� market starts extending to friends of friends, you�re probably ready to tap the general marketplace of craft retailing.
Most crafters are aware of the periodic craft shows put on by local groups or even by the local Parks Departments. These usually cost little or nothing to join and should give you a fair idea of whether there is any broader interest in your craft. What better way to jump into craft retailing?
There are also organized craft shows that tour the country, most of which charge an entrance fee for participants. Check your local papers, especially the free shoppers, for information about upcoming shows
Another venue for craft retailing is at the local flea markets that spring up in every community just about every weekend. Again the entrance cost is usually minimal. The only other thing you need is a little marketing savvy.
With little cost and some effort, you will be well on your way to knowing whether there is a market for your craft. Once you know that, you can move on and think about other ways of selling, such as in galleries, on consignment, on eBay or from your own website.
All these methods and more are discussed in great detail on my website,
www.theartfulcrafter.com. Come visit and see what you can do to become successful in the craft business!
The Artful Crafter
www.theartfulcrafter.com
Eileen Bergen
The Artful Crafter
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