Different Styles of Embroidery

Embroidery involves every kind of decorative work done using a stitching needle. This work is normally done on various types of fabrics such as satin, canvas and more. Embroiders are known for their inventiveness. But for you to provide the best embroidery results you require special skills to help you produce excellent piece of art. You should be able to experiment different embroidery styles and continue to create astounding work of art. A good embroider is one who is able to mix different styles of embroidery in a creative way. Most of the existing embroidery styles originated from the prevailing stitches that were used in the early times. Others acquired their names from their places of origin. For instance, the "Berlin Wool Work" originated from Berlin.

However, it is rather difficult to different between various styles of embroidery because some styles have different names. This makes it hard for you to find the exact type of embroidery you want. For instance, pulled thread and hardanger are known to mean the same thing. You can also use a single embroidery style to produce various designs. For example, you can create both the flat and relief effects using one embroidery style. In short, virtually all effects needed can be created using embroidery. These effects include fancy stitches, baubles, and more. Embroidery is certainly among the most flexible crafts ever discovered by man. If you want to succeed in your embroidery carrier, you should acquaint yourself with knowledge of the existing styles of embroidery. The following are some of the most common styles of embroidery today:

Alphabet style embroidery: This style was initially used to blot household linen and personalize handmade presents. This style mostly utilizes paddling stitches and a smooth layer of leveled stitches to create an elevated embroidery effect.

Applique: This style takes a pattern of a single fabric, placed on another which creates the ground. The edge of the pattern can either be sewed over or decorated with a beautiful cord. This style can be used to decorate a wide range of fabrics especially when you are designing your fashion accessories such as hats, and other head dresses.

Arrasene style: This embroidery style was extremely popular back in the Victorian times. It was first used in the year 1883 in the production of artistic items. Many people believed that this style would supersede other embroidery styles especially those used in creating bold designs. This style somewhat resembles the superior Chenile and normally comes in a variety of fabrics including silk, wool, and more.

When it comes to choosing the best style of embroidery, you should make sure to pick a style that suits your level of experience. It should also be in line with the kind of needlework being done. This means that you have to consider the purpose of your embroidery. It is also imperative to consider the recipient of your needlework. Before you even start searching for the best style of embroidery, you should take time to consider the kind of image you intend to embroider. Make sure that you have the ability to complete the images effectively.

Political Mirroring Techniques, Mass Media Propaganda, And Seventh Grade Debating Tactics

Recently, there have been two interesting comments by President Obama in the same week as he starts his political re-election campaign. First, he stated that he was confident that the Supreme Court would uphold ObamaCare and stated that the Supreme Court ought not "legislate from the bench" and he also stated that the GOP budge was that of "rightist radicals," so basically, whatever the political opposition says, Obama says the exact opposite back at them, as if holding up a mirror. It's an old juvenile debating trick - in fact, I think I learned that one in the Junior High debating class actually?

Interestingly enough, you know who else does this extremely well - Ahmadinejad in Iran. He does it with everything, no matter what anyone says about his actions, he says the same thing about his opponents. When the US says it has been testing a better bunker buster, he puts out a news release that he has a new anti-aircraft missile, high-speed underwater torpedo, indigenous built fifth generation stealth fighter, or is planning new war games in the Straits of Hormuz.

You know who else does well at this mirroring political rhetoric - Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, he also does it all the time, it must drive his opponents nuts, I bet? Indeed, the best way to get false leaders to stop playing these childish games is really simple. Call them on it, and state in the media that this is a false-debating point, mirroring trick and that those who are unfit to lead use it early and often to deflect their own leadership failures. Once everyone sees through it, it no longer works in the media. Once you take a mega-phone, teleprompter, sounding board, soap box, or media from such a leader, everyone just stops listening.

You see, here is the deal - first, the President of the United States and leader of the Free World has a responsibility to answer for his actions, and failures. Blaming others isn't going to be enough anymore, we need leadership. Our country is too important to avoid questions and deflect responsibility. Whereas, other leaders of the world may get away with it for a short period, it does not belong here, we are better than that, and we need a leader who can stand above it all and lead.

If we reduce the responsibilities of the Oval Office to mere sound bites and media "gotchas" we are no better than the rest, in that case our commander in chief has forfeited our right to lead here and we've forfeited our right to lead abroad. Please consider all this and think on it.

Are Young and Stupid People in Better Shape Because They Are Dumb and Inefficient?

The other day, I was at Starbucks I was talking to someone and we were observing a couple of folks who came into the store. One of them said that they forgot something, and they ran out the door, ran to their car, and then ran back, it appeared to have been there Starbucks card. The person I was talking to said; "how do people like that stay so thin?" It's not that my acquaintance was overweight, he just wasn't as wiry, forgetful, or skinny as the group which just came in.

In considering what just happened, I made a funny comment; "maybe because they are scatterbrained, they keep forgetting what they're doing, and it takes them multiple trips to get anything accomplished, so they are running around spinning their wheels all the time, and all that extra exercise is keeping their fat off." Of course, I was just joking, but then we got to thinking about it, maybe that did have something to do with it. Wouldn't that be funny? For instance, this new theory my goes something like this;

Smart people combine trips - Dumb people don't

Thus, spinning your wheels might have advantages in that case, namely they will never get diabetes, because they will be running around in circles trying to get anything done, and therefore stay in shape. I know that sounds hilarious, but there might actually be something to it? People that have to carry around extra weight would simply get too tired if they had to make multiple trips all the time, so therefore they work very hard to remember what they are doing, to combine trips.

Super Intelligent people probably don't have to make a lot of lists because they can easily remember what they are doing without bothering to write it down. Therefore they move around less, probably spend more energy running their brain than their mouths or feet in this case. It's an interesting study, however when I went on to Google scholar, I couldn't find any research on this topic. Nevertheless, it does make sense.

It would also coincide with youthful vigor and older wisdom - for instance, young offspring would need to be very fidgety, fast-moving, and skinny and somewhat athletic to make up for their mistakes, otherwise the saber tooth tiger would have eaten them, in which case their offspring would not have survived, because they wouldn't have never been born. Whereas, the ancient "older person" people in the group who may have moved slower, had to be more strategic, and pay more attention, because he or she knew they couldn't run faster than the saber toothed tiger, or faster than the younger generation, therefore being the slowest amongst their human group, and becoming lunch.

Thus, this reality could actually be explained through the evolutionary process and the sub theory of; "survival of the fittest," and, I will leave you with that thought. Please consider all this and think on it.

Global Warming Theory May Not Be All That Global - A Concept After All, Say NASA Insiders

A few weeks ago, I was talking to an interesting fellow who told me that the theory concerning global warming had already been proven, and that NASA even said it was so. In case you are unfamiliar with the exact definition of "global Warming theory" it states in essence that the ambient temperatures of Earth are heating up due to mankind's emissions of green house gases and specifically CO2. But actually this isn't so. Why you ask?

Simple, mankind's CO2 emissions barely account for 2.5% of all the CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere, the rest comes from nature. Now then, in case you also believe that this theory has been settled and proven, and approved by NASA as fact, well, you might be surprised to learn the reality on that. You see, there was an interesting feature article on CFACT (dot) org online news recently titled; "Astronauts and scientists send letter to NASA: Stop global warming advocacy," which stated;

"Joint letter from 49 former NASA scientists and astronauts to the current NASA Administrator blasts agency's policy of ignoring empirical evidence about global warming," and the letter "admonishing the agency for its role in advocating a high degree of certainty that man-made CO2 is a major cause of climate change while neglecting empirical evidence that calls the theory into question,"

The letter was written to NASA's Chief Bolton on March 28, 2012 and you can read a full excerpt online. Now then, one comment that seems to stand out is this; "There's a concern that if it turns out that CO2 is not a major cause of climate change, NASA will have put the reputation of NASA, NASA's current and former employees, and even the very reputation of science itself at risk of public ridicule and distrust."

Well, I'd say that it is too late to save NASA's reputation, in my mind, and realize I operate a think tank which is online, personally, I can no longer trust NASA's research and question any and all information coming from the agency now. That's not to say I don't trust NASA more than I trust the Obama Administration for instance, obviously that would be a no-brainer hands-down contest in favor of NASA (again my personal opinion), but still, you get the point, the credibility of the agency is shot in my mind.

Obviously, if there are this many NASA insiders speaking out, there must be more. I would submit to you that the scientific community has been hijacked, and now the backlash is coming - I'd say it's overdue. Please consider all this and think on it.

"In The Beginning": Why?

The most famous of all mythological creations starts off with the sentence in the Old Testament, Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Now maybe we invented the concept of creations in order to give our gods something to actually do. Unfortunately, say in the case of God and Genesis that peters out after just six days! Now what? Anyway, back to Genesis 1:1.

Now I don't know who actually wrote Genesis 1:1, it certainly wasn't a supernatural all-powerful, all-knowing, deity. Whoever it was however possessed knowledge that you wouldn't assume upon reflection to have been knowable or even suspected way back then. Now that someone who wrote Genesis 1:1 had no right to know these things, that heaven (the sky and beyond) and Earth were created, yet they did know these things. Now that suggests that somebody else who knew these things, informed the Genesis 1:1 author. If you believe in time travel, perhaps we of the 21st century (or later) who know better, travelled back in time and told him (or her), though that's unlikely in the extreme. That someone else probably wasn't terrestrial.

Now every cultural mythology has a creation story or stories, and that shouldn't be the case based on first hand human observation. If you are going to propose an "in the beginning" scenario it should be based on your personal observations and understandings of the natural world as you view it, or on historical records. So something is slightly funny here since presumably it's the same humans who shouldn't suspect any such thing as creation that in fact wrote all those creation mythologies! And these creations are all unique one-off creations. God only gave 'birth' to Adam and Eve (or humanity) once. So, it's unique (one-off) creation mythologies, like Genesis 1:1 that are puzzling, not creations per say, like say the birth of your cat. A birth, a dawn, etc. maybe a creation of sorts, but it's not a unique creation. It's not a one-off Big Bang "In the beginning", beginning.

Could you, in your day-to-day observations of the heavens and the earth (or life the Universe and everything) assume anything other than both heaven and earth have always existed? The heavens are that which exists above our heads; the earth that which exists below our feet. Since there's no human who has ever lived who can't attribute knowledge of the heavens above and the earth below; that can't verify any animal or plant species popping into existence in their time and place, what need for creation? Perhaps Genesis 1:1 should have been written "From the infinite beginnings God just enjoyed overseeing the eternal heavens and earth and directing the events that unfolded on them." To our historical ancestors, that actually should have made more sense.

It's often easier, as in the above invented quotation, to accept something has always been and always will be than to try to explain how it came to be in the first place, especially if it is not all that obvious that it (whatever you're interested in) ever needed to come to be in the first place.

Whatever you are interested in comes in standard forms. There are various creations in mythology that are fairly universal.

Creation of the Universe is a case in point; those stationary points of lights in the night sky - the stars. Now the fact that the patterns in the night sky don't alter from your birth to your death, and haven't altered from historical records, suggest something unchanging, and therefore without need of a beginning or a creation.

Creation of the heavens involves those moving points of lights in the night sky - the Sun, Moon and planets. The problem here is that they endlessly repeat; move around and around in circles. In fact, if you consider a circle, or an ellipse, where is its starting point?

Creation of the Earth is a universal myth, yet equally universal is the fact that there is no human record or observation anywhere, anytime, that Terra Firma didn't exist.

Creation and separation of the land, the sea and the sky is another near universal tale, yet the same objection holds - all personal observations and historical records note and log all three, so why not assume the separate land/sea/sky interface has always been?

Creation of your territory or nation is another case in point. The Japanese have a mythology that accounts for the creation of Japan, yet no humans were around when Japan was 'created' by various natural geological forces.

Creation of life is another part of the Genesis creation story, but one hardly unique to the Old Testament. You may have had a sequence of pets, say cats. Individual cats are born, and they die, but the concept of cats collectively goes back and back and back as early as the earliest of human records. So, why is there a need for God (or any other deity or natural process for that matter) to create cats? Haven't cats always existed?

Creation of humans by God (or in other cultures the gods) is also puzzling since there was never a time when, in historical records, it is recorded that a human being (who could be verified as an actual historical figure) was aware that they were the first human being and therefore human beings were created.

The need for mythology isn't all that difficult to explain but creation mythology is difficult to explain since eyewitness testimony suggests that how things are is how they always have been. At the heart of this mystery is the concept of infinity. You have a personal beginning and an ending, but you can't really conceive of THE BEGINNING or THE END. That's because of that nagging question that always pops up, "well what came before that" and "what happens after that" - cause and effect; endlessly; cause and effect. It's not difficult to keep extrapolating back and back and back in time without running out of 'back'. It's not difficult to keep extrapolating forward and forward and forward in time without running out of 'forward'.

INFINITY: Your personal observations require things to be ongoing in a linear sense (no beginning; no end) or cyclic (round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows) - there's no alpha, no first cause, and no omega, no last effect - but there is ever ongoing causality in all things.

A sort of combination of the two infinities, birth - death, is that most fundamental of all observations, and it repeats and repeats and repeats. Any individual birth - death is linear and unique; but on the larger scale a birth gives rise to a death, but before that death there's another birth and the wheels just go around and around - different players; same scenario. So what need is there to propose a first birth; a first creation?

LINEAR INFINITY: From a past infinity, eventually arose your great, great grandparents; great grandparents; grandparents, parents, children; children's children; children's, children's children to a future infinity. No beginning, therefore no creation. Or, in the opening words of the TV show "Ben Casey": "Man; Woman; Birth: Death: Infinity".

CYCLIC INFINITY: Seasons are cyclic; sunrise/sunset ditto; phases of the Moon are also cyclic; the planets go round and round. No circle has a beginning, therefore no creation need apply.

Among the other great terrestrial cycles, not all obvious within a human lifespan or sometimes not obvious without scientific analysis, we have the rock cycle (compression - erosion); the water cycle (evaporation - precipitation); the carbon cycle (carbon dioxide - carbon + oxygen); the nitrogen cycle; and others as well.

CAUSALITY INFINITY: Cause and effect; everyday in every way you observe cause and effect. A cause is in turn the effect of a previous cause. An effect in turn causes something else to happen. So the words 'cause' and 'effect' are synonymous. Again, there cannot have been a first cause, nor a final effect.

If every record you consult, from your own memory to the memories of your elders to your elders' elders to all written and pictorial records, and you note, without exception, in that they all record that lions roam the plains of Africa, then you must assume that Africa always existed and that lions always roamed and did so on the plains of Africa. You have no evidence to the contrary. What logical reason do you have for assuming that wasn't always the case? So, what need for a creation mythology that creates lions, creates their roaming around abilities, and creates the plains and Africa for them to roam in? There's no pressing or obvious need to speculate that "in the beginning" a deity created Africa, the African plains for the deity's lions to roam in.

The solution is that while you can't come up with plausible creation stories, modern science can. Modern cosmology now tells of the 'in the beginning' Big Bang event. Darwin and palaeontologists tell us that once upon a time there were no lions, and geologists say that way back then there was no uniquely African continent, and climatologists note that there were no plains in Africa. Alas, creation mythologies predate modern science by thousands of years so we're back to square one. The answer lies elsewhere, but again still with those more knowledgeable than us. Those more knowledgeable, all those thousands of years ago were the 'gods', or IMHO advanced (modern scientists and then some) aliens. ET tells us about "in the beginnings" having boldly gone where our modern terrestrial scientists are only now just treading.

Now these 'gods' often take credit for some of those creations they had bugger-all to do with (like God of the Old Testament as related in the Book of Genesis). In many cases the creation tales are muddied because ancient humans, who ultimately were the scribes who penned down these stories as told by ET, couldn't, for example comprehend a Big Bang cosmology but could deal with a golden cosmic egg that hatched. Modern genetics was so much mumbo-jumbo but creating a woman out of a male rib, while mysterious, was in their ballpark of comprehension. Modern geology and plate tectonics would have been double-dutch to the ancient Japanese, but it made perfect sense for the original pair of their gods to stir the oceans with a spear and the salts that crystallised out at the tip became the first of the many Japanese islands, all created by their gods.

In summary: Could you, all by yourself, based on your lifelong observations, come up with a requirement that the Sun and Moon needed a creator? Or that the stars in the sky weren't really infinitely eternal but needed a creator? Or, those members of your own kind, human beings, weren't always around, and forever shall be around? There is nothing you observe, or that any of your ancestors observed, that could in any way lead you to postulate, identify and accept any ultimate "in the beginning(s)". If that's the case, then my 'ancient astronaut' ET scenario is an alternative and viable hypothesis.

Further reading:

Van Over, Raymond; Sun Songs: Creation Myths from Around the World; Mentor, New York; 1980.

No Internet Gambling Allowed But States Seek to Shore Up Budgets With Online Lotteries?

Do you ever remember when you were young, and an adult told you to do something, and you asked; why, because they were doing exactly what they told you not to do? I guess it goes back to that famous quote; "do as I say, not as I do." However, those types of things stick in our minds, and they don't seem fair, we all have an inherent sense of fairness, and we know when we are not being treated correctly, or something crosses the line.

Now then, there may be reasons why parents and adults told us not to do something, but if they didn't explain why, we are left with the same feelings of mistrust. Okay so, let's talk about this for second because I have a few examples to share with you.

Right now, online gambling is not permitted in the United States. There are many reasons for this, but perhaps the biggest reason is it conflicts with the casinos, who have an incredible lobby in Congress. It would seem that folks should be permitted to gamble online if they so choose and the consensus is that folks should have that freedom. Perhaps if those gambling websites cheat them, they will soon be discovered and people will quit playing. Nevertheless the old theory of "caveat emptor" is not considered relevant here by those in the authoritative power and government. Oh, but it gets much worse.

On April 20, 2012 the Wall Street Journal had a piece titled "States Up the Online Ante - Push to Sell Lottery Tickets on the Web Faces Resistance From Retailers, Casinos," by Alexandria Berzon. The article noted that $55 Billion was earned in sales by State Run lotteries in the United States in 2011.

The other day, there was an interesting cartoon in the Wall Street Journal. There was a father sitting at the kitchen table reading his newspaper, and the sun came up to him and said; "dad, I'm considering a career in organized crime." The dad simply asked him; "Government, or private sector?" And I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker which says; "Don't Steal, the government hates competition!" Well, isn't this a case in point?

After all, here we have the government which outlaws something, and then decides that it's okay for it to do it, because it needs to sell more lottery tickets to shore up its budget shortfalls due to incompetence, and inability to manage the ever-growing blob of bureaucracy. I find this hypocrisy somewhat ironic, but I've also come to the conclusion, that we can't expect anything more from our government, this is how they operate, how they've always operated, and how they will continue to operate in the future.

No wonder the public surveys keep coming back with a vote of no confidence or trust in our government. What a sad state of affairs indeed. Please consider all this and think on it.

Candle Making Molds - What to Buy?

PVC molds

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) molds can easily be bought at candle supply stores at plenty of craft stores and of course online. You can buy one piece molds in several standard shapes - cylinder, rectangular prism, square based pyramid etc. There are also two piece molds these clip together to cut leakage. Once the wax sets, you just undo the clips, gently pull apart the mold pieces and you have a candle.

PVC is a good material for molds when making in your own home since it is strong, durable, resistant against heat and simple to wash. I find PVC a very hardy mold and I prefer it when working with children because even if they drop the mold it is unlikely to break. The smooth PVC offers an unblemished finish on the molded candle. Really, the only disadvantage I've noticed with PVC would be that the mold is opaque which means you can't view your candle before you take it out of the mold.

I especially love the way I can easily create some basic pillar molds from just a quick trip to my home improvement store. When creating candles in your own home saving cash is very important, continue reading for more information about this topic later.

Polycarbonate molds

Polycarbonate molds are extremely popular. They also are available in one piece for common shaped candles and two pieces for more intricate detailed candles. You will notice that sometimes the intricate two piece molds have a gasket to cut leaks. You can also find some good polycarbonate trays for producing sets of shaped floating candles. In general I've discovered a wider variety of molds in Polycarbonate than PVC but Polycarbonate is often a little more expensive.

Polycarbonate is an excellent mold material for producing candles at home since it is strong and resistant to heat and simple to clean just like PVC. I actually do find I'm more careful with my polycarbonate molds though since they're not as strong as my basic one piece PVC molds. The smooth Polycarbonate offers a fantastic finish on a molded candle. An excellent bonus when working with Polycarbonate is you can view your candle because the mold is transparent.

Aluminum molds

Aluminum molds are one piece, seamless and create a fantastic pillar candle. Using a single piece means there aren't any seams to trim after removing the candle from the mold and aluminum has a perfect mold release. You'll find aluminum molds at candle supply stores, online and at many craft stores. They're probably most suitable to the candle maker who plan to run a business, more than the casual hobbyist making the occasional candle in their home. I've discovered aluminum molds retail at a higher price than polycarbonate molds. Again, the aluminum is opaque so you can't actually view your candle before you release it from your mold. Having said that, I don't consider this to be a problem whatsoever.

Polyurethane molds

Polyurethane molds are tough and easy to use. You can buy standard taper molds in polyurethane as well as quite decorative pillars and shaped candles. The creators of the molds are able to include great detail in these molds. They are extremely durable and will definitely work for countless pours. Generally, polyurethane molds are one piece with a side slit, however some are two piece with minimum seams due to their excellent design. You insert the wick through the hole in the base of the mold.

While there are lots of good things about polyurethane, if you're only starting out making candles, or are simply just a hobbyist making candles in the home, polyurethane candles are a costly investment. Prior to buying one you should make certain you will make use of that mold many times to get enough value from your outlay.

Silicone molds

Silicone is a little like the new kid in the street in the candle making arena. Silicone molds made from high-quality silicone rubber will last through countless pourings, if looked after properly. Silicone molds are fantastic and are available in a wide array of wondrous shapes. You can find molds to create a candle the same shape as a cupcake, a banana split, a cinnamon bun, a flower, a dog - you get the idea! Silicone molds allow you to make candles with incredibly fine detail. However, before getting too excited, they also are quite costly. For the hobbyist making candles at home you should make sure you will make use of the mold many times to receive enough value from your financial outlay. Having said that, I can't resist them since the range is extensive and the candles created seem so realistic!

Besides cost, the one problem with silicone would be the need to handle it more carefully. Silicone can last for countless candles, however, you need to take great care not to tear it and you also need to make sure you take care of it correctly. Silicone molds must be kept out of sunlight, washed and dried thoroughly after use, and they need care when storing them for extended lengths of time.

If you are making candles in the home as a hobbyist what do you need to buy?

I suppose that will depend on where you're in your candle making enterprise. If you're only starting out making candles at home you actually can't fail using a PVC, Polycarbonate or Aluminum mold in a basic standard shape such as a cylinder, cube, or hexagonal prism. Which one you chose will be determined by availability and your budget. I'd recommend you begin by using a basic one piece mold and as your experience develops move on to two piece and more decorative molds.

Suppose you don't have the means to buy any molds? You will find loads of Do-it-Yourself options, the fact is I've made use of milk cartons, silicone cupcake trays, ice-cube trays, cardboard to make nets of prisms and I have made my own basic pillar PVC mold from a trip to the home improvement store. You can make PVC molds quickly and easily from a piece of PVC pipe and an end cap. Simply glue the end cap on the length of PVC pipe and drill a wick hole in the centre of the end cap. You can make a candle mold out of any material that is able to withstand the heat of the wax and will not leak when you pour hot wax into it.

Overall, have fun making candles and use your creativity to experiment with possible mold materials if purchasing a mold is out of your budget at the moment.

5 Key Factors to Understand When Choosing Candle Fragrance Oil

Purchasing candle fragrance oil can seem to be a very straightforward and easy process. You simply visit a local craft store or go online, purchase the fragrance of your choice, and create a wonderful smelling candle. However, as with many things in life, purchasing a quality oil that will work for your particular project is not that simple. The good news is, with a little knowledge and understanding of candle fragrance oils, it can be an easy process. Below are 5 important factors that can help guide you in the process of choosing the oil that is right for you.

Know the Type of Candle Fragrance Oil You Need

Candle fragrance oils are not necessarily compatible with all of the different types of candle waxes. For example, oils will perform better in soy wax if they are formulated to work in it. A key first step in choosing is to determine the type of wax you will be using and be sure the type you choose will work for your particular wax.

Start With a Sample Size

If you are using a fragrance you have not used before, consider starting with a small sample size to be sure that it is the scent you are looking for and performs in the wax you are using. Many suppliers offer sample sizes (typically 1 oz.) that are great for testing before making a larger financial commitment. This also allows you to test the scent in a finished candle to ensure it has the aromatic smell you are looking for and fits the fragrance oil description.

Determine How Much You Need

Once you have found a candle fragrance oil that you are happy with, the next step is to determine how much you will need of that particular fragrance. Many oils have a recommended usage of 1 oz. per pound of wax (or a 6.25% fragrance load). However, you can add more or less for your desired scent strength. To figure out how much you will need, measure the volume weight of the containers you will be using. Next, calculate the percentage of the total volume weight that needs to be candle fragrance oil. If you were making 10 candles that have a volume weight of 6 ounces each, your total weight would be 60 ounces. Based on the typical recommended usage, you would need 3.75 ounces* (6.25% x 60). This should provide a baseline of how much you will need, adjusting up or down based on your personal scent strength preference.

*Please note that candle fragrance oils are usually sold by weight, not by volume. It is likely that various scents will be filled to different levels in the bottle.

Beware of Marketing Hype

Many candle fragrance oils can be marketed as 'uncut' or 'manufacturers grade.' If you come across some that are promoted this way, do not assume they are high quality (there is no formally accepted grading scale for candle fragrance oils). You want to choose a supplier that carries top quality and are going to perform well. As mentioned above, consider purchasing small sample sizes to start with before making a larger investment with a particular supplier.

Choose Quality Candle Fragrance Oil

Not all candle fragrance oils are made the same, and can vary widely in cost. Many oils that are lower in cost are manufactured with larger amounts of solvents, which weaken the strength of the fragrance. This means that it requires more fragrance oil to produce a strongly scented candle and can end up costing more to produce the same results than candle oils that are formulated stronger. This can also lead to undesirable burning characteristics as adding too much can lead to increased soot and smoking. When deciding on which one is right for your project, be sure to consider the quality you are choosing and not base your decision on price alone. Otherwise, you may end up getting what you pay for.

Ready to Shop

While these 5 pointers are not everything you need to know about purchasing candle fragrance oil, they should provide a good starting point. When shopping for a fragrance, we hope you now have the confidence to go out and have a better understanding of what to look for and know what questions to ask.

Send Out Cards - Christmas Card Templates Review

Christmas card templates make it easy to send out Christmas cards without having to stockpile a large number of cards which can be expensive. Send Out Cards, a US based company, offers such a template service. But is it any good? What's on offer, how much is a card and how simple is the service to use?

Today I'm going to review the templates by Send Out Cards to see if it is a worthwhile alternative to buying season greeting cards from a stationary shop or printer.

1. How Many Templates Are On Offer?

Send Out Cards has over 450 Christmas card templates as part of their total 15,000 templates. Most of these have a message within but you can add your personal touch as well.

2. Do The Cards Come In A Physical, Printable Format Or In Email Format?

The cards are printed by Send Out Cards in their warehouse saving you time and ink charges. In my opinion it's nicer to receive a physical, printed card than an email card. Email delivery is unpredictable and may get caught by the recipient's spam filter and end up in their junk folder. Posted cards have a greater chance of delivery.

3. Is The Quality Good?

They are printed on quality, sturdy paper. While I'm not sure of the gsm of the paper used, they feel comparable to cards supplied by other major makers.

4. Are The Templates Easy To Find?

Once you are inside the site, you can select Create A Card and enter Christmas in the search box. This will give you access to 450 plus greeting cards.

5. Can I Write My Own Message?

You can enter a personal message in your selected font. The company also gives you the option to upload your own hand writing font which can be used to give that handwritten feel. The beauty of using a template is that this message can be saved and used over and over again. Not only does this save you time but it will save you from writer's cramp if you had to hand write your cards yourself.

6. Can I Add A Photo?

Many people love to add photos to cards especially at Christmas. It's the one time of the year that families separated by distance have an opportunity to see each other via a photo. You can order such a service with your local printer but it maybe expensive depending on the run size. With Send Out Cards you can add photos even if you are only sending just one card.

7. What's The Price?

There are a number of companies offering Christmas card templates to produce your own greeting card for around $3 - $5 with local paper stores offering them for $3.95 - $5.95. With this company you can produce a Christmas card for as little as sixty two cents. Photo Christmas cards start from ninety three cents for preferred customers. Casual users can pay up to $1.98.

8. Is There A Minimum Spend With Send Out Cards?

This is perhaps the only downside. In order to send a card you must register with the company as either a retail customer or preferred customer. Retail customers invest $9.80 per month which allows them to send approximately six to ten cards. Preferred customers need to spend $31 per month but for this they get a lower costs giving them somewhere between thirty to fifty products to send. In either membership, subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

Overall the service offered by Send Out Cards offers a quality and convenient product at a competitive price. No more searching at various stores or having to que to post. The company does that all for you.

Use a Soy Unity Candle in Your Wedding Ceremony

I have attended a few weddings recently involving a Unity Ceremony and Candles. It got me thinking about how this tradition has grown in popularity in recent years. When I married, fifteen years ago, the use of a Unity Candle was extremely rare. I didn't come up with too many explanations except for the growth of the Internet enabling the spread of information, meaning people can search globally for potential traditions to include in their wedding ceremony.

In case you are unfamiliar with the concept, Unity Candles are generally in a set of three. In its most common form there are two taper candles and one central taller pillar candle.

At the beginning of a wedding ceremony the parents of the bride and the groom each light one of the taper candles. The lighting of these candles signifies the separate lives the bride and groom have led. The two families, with different beliefs, ideologies and experiences have molded the two people who are getting married.

After the bride and groom have spoken their vows and exchanged rings the third of the candles is generally lit. The lighting of this larger pillar candle signifies the unifying of two people into a new family structure one that is different from the one they had previously. It symbolises, to all present, a need to respect the new family unit and recognise a loosening of the tie that bound each person to their paternal family unit as they shape their new family. As a result, the taper candles are often blown out by the bride and groom once the central pillar candle is lit.

For a candle maker this growth in popularity is great, as I now have a potential engagement gift ready. A Unity Candle set is easy to make, taper candles and pillar candles are easily poured and molds for these types of candles are readily available. Most Unity Candle sets are white with some decorative aspect on the pillar candle. Often the pillar candles has accents on it which match the wedding stationery. Add these accents by using Water Slide Decal labels, print on your inkjet or laser printer and transfer to your candle. You can also add decorative accents through rub on transfers, just like you would use in paper crafts. You can even use Water Slide Decal labels to add a photo of the couple to the candle.

Here are basic instructions to make a soy pillar candle for a Unity Candle

Melt pillar wax in a double boiler Wick your pillar mold (I would chose a mold that is about 20cm high and 6cm in diameter) and make sure you have covered the wick hole with Fun Tack toeduce leakage Pour wax into pillar mold Leave the wax to set and cool Once cooled, remove the candle from the mold and trim the wick Decorate with suitable accents

Making your own Unity Candles is a real cost saving. A quick Internet search demonstrated to me how costly Unity Candles are. I found decorated pillar candles selling at up to $70 each. Once you have made your own Unity Candles next time a friend announces an engagement why not offer to make them a set of candles as a gift.

The Thrill of Collecting Sports Autographs

You see it all the time, whenever a professional team is in town playing a game many fans approach the players with balls, hats, shirts, and more for the player to sign. These are diehard fans of the game, and often times collectors of sports autographs. There are several reasons why you would want to collect signatures from the top players, and it's not always about money, or anything like that. Sometimes it's sheer devotion to a team that drives certain people to seek out opportunities to get autographed items.

The thrill of meeting a professional athlete is often times compared to meeting a celebrity. There are a lot of celebrities out there that get swarmed by people upon recognition, and the same is true for professional athletes of various statures. Even the lowest common denominator on a team, if recognized, will get hounded by those seeking autographs. There's just a thrill that is embedded into sports fans the world over.

Now, aside from the thrill seekers and fans, there are those that look at collecting autographs for the sole purpose of reselling. There's nothing wrong with making a dime on the signature of a ball player, and many people do this on a regular basis to make a living. Some player's signage is worth far more than others, but it's still something that is often times sought after. This is especially true for retired and older players, because there are still fans that remember their playing days.

There are other types of collectors, like those that seek out their favorite player that is far removed from the public eye. Certain players that are legendary in stature but are no longer with us. For instance, Babe Ruth, whose signature can pull in a lot of money for someone that is looking to flip it. However, there are baseball fanatics that will spend lots of money on the item just because they are a huge fan of the game and want to own a piece of history.

History is full of things that you can invest into, but nothing is more precious to a sports fan than a piece of the game that they have grown up admiring. This is especially true for fans that have one team, and one specific player that they feel is the greatest of all time. Ever sport has their own icon and if they are living or dead, their autograph means a great deal to them on a personal level, which is why placing a value on certain memorabilia could be hard for people that are not in the business of buying, trading, or selling these things.

If you are a collector and you have the chance to get your hands on sports autographs, consider yourself lucky, because it truly does stand out in a home. Whether you have a room dedicated to your favorite team, or your favorite player, you'll find that investing in sports goes beyond watching teams or individuals play, it goes to the heart of being alive.

What to Do When You've Left Your Keys Inside?

At such times, even the calmest of all people can consider risky options such as climbing all the way up by scaling the walls, using a brick to break the glass door, smashing their car windows etc, causing them more harm than good in the process.

At such times, what you require is the help of a mobile locksmith. Such a locksmith sits just outside his van, waiting for people in despair to come and hire his services. Mobile locksmiths operate efficiently and can reach any destination quickly since they usually have a vehicle for commuting. You should keep the number of such a locksmith handy in case any emergency arises and you start taking tension.

So what are the capabilities of a 24 hour locksmith?

• Lock service: A locksmith can repair all types of locks in case they've worn out or have been intentionally tampered with, such as during a robbery. They are qualified to repair old locks and even the newer electronic ones.

• Making new keys: Locksmiths are perfect with both the art as well as the science of making duplicate keys. Because of their sheer experience, sharp observation and intense skill, they are well acquainted with all types of locks. They can look at a lock and instantly identify the type of key they'll need to make. At times, you need multiple keys so that each family member has one in their possession. A locksmith can do the job of making duplicate keys for you.

• In case of emergency: When you experience a lockout and are stranded outside your home, with your homes locked, a locksmith can prepare a duplicate key and open your home within no time. Though a 24 hour locksmith might be a little expensive for your pocket's liking, it will definitely spare you of the damages that might occur to your costly items if you plan to break your glass door and enter your home.

• Installing security locks: Since locksmiths have an in-depth knowledge about various kinds of locks and security, they can be entrusted with the job of getting you modern high security locks so that you live in a safe and secure environment.

These days, because of the immense advancement in the field of technology, mobile locksmiths have set up their own websites where you can find them and find all their contact details. You can search for a mobile locksmith in your area by running a simple query on any search engine. You will get all the desired results, and depending upon the one you find good, you can call up the number and talk to the locksmith regarding his quotes, his location, time taken to arrive in case of emergency and other such important details.