101 Gift Ideas - Making Decorative Picture Frames!...

By Anna Meenaghan

With the credit crunch as it is, more and more people will be turning towards home crafts. So, with this in view, I have written the following article on making frames for your pictures, family photos etc. Usually, the clip frames you can buy are the cheapest option, but often you would prefer to have a framed edge.

So, this being the case, why not have a go at making some of your own. If you can make your own, it will give you a sense of achievement, and before you know it, you will probably find yourself making more.

I am sure that your friends and family would be delighted to receive a gift like this. Once you have the method I am about to describe to you, no doubt you could adapt it to use for other sizes. Basically, you will realise, that your materials needed for this, are relatively inexpensive.

So what do you need? A No. 10 paintbrush, some Rekar glue, a sheet of wood 20.5cm x 21.5cm (hardboard would be fine), acrylic silk paint in colour of your choice, a sheet of acetate and plenty of natural wooden household pegs, plus, of course, your photo or picture.

Where do I start on this project? First of all, I suggest that you choose somewhere with a nice flat surface to work on. Make sure that your picture is a suitable size to fit the frame. Take your piece of wood and then centralise your photo or picture on to this. You could mark the wood with a pencil dot at the four corners of your picture. Then, with your brush, glue the photo to the wood.

The picture then has to be covered with the acetate. Now we have reached the peg stage. Just pick up one for starters and carefully pull the long top part of the peg apart. To do this, pull one side towards you and one side away, and make sure the spring part is removed. So, all that remains, is the two wooden parts.

This needs to be repeated until you have enough pegs to go all round the edge of your picture, three times. Try grouping the pegs in the following way. Commence by going down the left side of the wood. Place the pegs going in a downward direction starting from the top. Using the longest and thinnest part of the peg on its back, to the top edge. It is likely that you may use 3 to 4 pegs to do 1 row down 1 side.

We now move to the centre row of pegs and the pattern formation. Starting this time with the thick, gripping part of the peg, touching the top, still with the flat side down. The final inside row is done exactly the same way as the first row. Once you have the pattern complete and copied on the right side, it is time to stick them carefully in position. I do stress, not all pegs are always a uniform size, so it could be you have to cut them to fit the wood. Personally, I would leave it to dry with an object of weight on it.

We move on now to the foot of our wood frame and we are going to lay the pegs across this time. Start on the left, with the bulky part of the peg touching the side of the frame. Hence the middle row will start with the long thin part, and the last row with the bulky edge.

Repeat this at the top now. When all this is complete and thoroughly dried, you can then paint the pegs in orange or a colour of your choice. This should not take that long to dry. Any dried flowers can then be stuck to your frame.

The side edges could be improved now with your paintbrush. Stick several of your spare pegs together and hold these to the edge of your frame so that you can just run your brush along very carefully.

About the Author:

If you liked this article by Anna Meenaghan then you can discover a great lot more at her internet based interactive art gallery website. Here you can discover anything related to art ranging from realism to abstract paintings, as well as interviews with guest artists etc.

Counseling and Therapy for Anxiety

By Gordon Dalwood

It is not easy to deal with panic attacks or anxiety. These are problems that have a deep affect on the quality of your life. Seeking the right treatment to turn around the damaging effects is essential. Help from a qualified professional in the mental health field is one of the most common ways.

The reason why therapy and counseling are so often used is because they aim to uncover the root cause of the problem. Once the root cause has been determined, then suitable treatment can be used in order to undo the damage. Of course it goes without saying that in order to get the most out of such session; one has to have realistic expectations.

First and foremost, one needs to realize that a counseling session is not intended to deliver a quick cure for one's anxiety issues. Some have the notion that a counselor will reveal a number of secrets that will alleviate anxiety once and for all. Actually, it does not work this way. The counseling session will seek to reverse the problems associated with anxiety in incremental steps. With time, patience, and consistency, great progress can be made with reversing the excess anxiety.

What approach does the counselor take in the sessions? There is not a single, simple answer. The use of uniform psychological testing must be given to find the best diagnosis for the individual. Professionals in the mental health field have varying approaches during the sessions which will include what questions are asked.

Furthermore there is no right or wrong answers to the questions a therapist might ask a patient. Instead, you need to answer all the questions honestly, and in as clear and direct a manner as humanly possible. Likewise, it's vital that you be truthful in all your responses and that you avoid withholding anything. If you do hold back, it will inevitably undermine the success of your therapy sessions.

The counseling sessions are not just the series of questions that you must answer. You may also ask questions of the counselor in an attempt to understand your problems and to help in the reduction of the problems you are having with anxiety.

During times when you're not undergoing counseling or therapy, it's always advisable to maintain a personal log book in which to make notes with regards to your progress since starting with therapy. One of the biggest benefits of a log book is that it will often allow you to establish what triggers an anxiety and panic attack. The bottom line is, by keeping a log book; you'll be in a position to gauge how well you're responding to therapy.

Counseling remains probably the most common treatment of anxiety. For many, these sessions not only help reduce anxiety, they can also reverse various other psychological problems that are discovered during the session. As such, the process is highly recommended to those looking to gain control of their life once again.

About the Author:

Search for How to cure anxiety? Proven method for How to cure anxiety by clicking here right now.

Wilmington Garden Companies - What Landscaping Services On Offer?

By Jim Carpenter

You can through using guides if you want design your ideal garden landscape without having to resort to using outside help. But there are going to be some garden tasks which may need you to employ a company to complete certain landscaping services so that what you want done can be completed. Today, there are many companies who offer a wide range of landscaping services not just in Wilmington but other cities around the USA and below we look at just a few of these.

1. Consultant Service - Many people will employ a company when trying to determine what to do with their garden especially if they have no idea what they should do with it or the kinds of plants that they can grow in it. Look for those companies who offer landscaping services in Wilmington or else where who are willing to make a number of visits to your home and inspect your garden so that they can provide you with some realistic ideas and recommendations.

2. Site Clearance - This is another important service that a large number of landscaping companies offer to their clients. They will not only get rid of all dead vegetation and unwanted plants and weeds, but look at removing other hard landscaping as well, such as old fences, buildings and paving.

3. Construction - Although the soft landscaping is important many landscaping companies know how important it is that they can offer their clients the services to carry out hard landscaping as well. Many landscaping services now carry out such takes as the constructions of patios, terraces and decking and also driveways and pathways also. They even work on construction of buildings such as pagodas and summerhouses along with placement of trellises and fences.

4. Water Features - Often because of the complexity of these landscaping features it is far better to employ the services of a good landscaping company rather than trying to install them yourself. When it comes to irrigation systems and sprinkle systems as well as other water features the right depth to be dug is needed in which the pipes can be laid and the pressure of the water needs to be maintained.

5. Plant Care - As well as designing your new garden landscape another service that landscaping company's offer is to maintain the plants which are planted and being grown in it. Throughout the year they will make regular visits to your home to keep the plants looking good and healthy. Should any plants need to be replaced then they will discuss it with you beforehand.

6. General Garden Maintenance - This is a very crucial landscaping Wilmington Delaware service that the garden company you select should carry out. They will regularly prune and trim plants that need such work carried out on to them along with keeping pests and weeds under control. So the only thing you may need to worry about is when are you going to enjoy the work that they have done.

In this article we have shown you the kinds of tasks that landscaping companies now carry out. However, the costs and the landscaping Wilmington services provided by each company will vary from one to the next and so you need to carry out some research into each one before selecting which one to employ.

About the Author:

Above we have shown you the kinds of services that a Landscaping Companies in Wilmington or elsewshown here in the USA offer. If you would like to learn more about Landscaping Wilmington Services then please visit S And A Services by clicking on the link shown here.

How Can I Find a Cheap a Low Cost Engagement Ring?

By Tom W. Mason

Most of us find engagement ring shopping to be pretty intimidating, and it's no secret why. This is an expensive item that has a lot of personal meaning - we all want to get it right. However, there are ways to pay less, reduce your stress, and know you're getting a good deal.

One obvious thing that most of us know is that the bigger the diamond, the better. This fact is responsible for a lot of people's fear and anxiety when buying a ring. They're afraid of having to spend a lot to please their fiance. After all, larger diamonds mean a higher price.

Fortunately, there are ways to get a high quality, large diamond for a lot less than you might think. It's all about getting the most out of your money.

Here's an example that'll tell you more.

Diamonds are graded using four major characteristics - cut, carat, clarity and color. We'll check out color to see how you can get a larger diamond for less.

Color grading is done on a scale ranging from D to Z - D is the best of the grades and Z is the worst. Color grades for each diamond are performed by inspecting the diamond under high magnification on a white background in a lab.

What's the catch? D-grade diamonds look the same as H-grade diamonds, unless you have a microscope. That's a difference of four grades.

Unless you look at the diamonds beside one another, on a white background, and under close magnification, you'll never notice the difference. The naked eye just can't see that level of detail. You might spot a difference between D and I if you know what you're doing, but even grades I and J are hard to see a difference in.

The point here is that no one should ever pay more for a higher grade diamond if they can't see the difference between it and one that's supposedly lower in quality. Leave the finest diamonds for the very rich - after all, the difference can only be seen with a microscope!

The price difference is a big one, too. It could be thousands of dollars. Of course, as can be expected, jewelry stores try to sell the highest graded diamonds for the most profit - you would, too. Unfortunately, most people don't take the time to educate themselves, and pay a lot more than they need to.

That's just one example of ways to save money on an engagement ring. Picking a diamond that has a lower color grading but doesn't look different to the naked eye will allow you to buy a much bigger diamond for the same amount of money. Learn about diamonds and how to buy, and you'll get a good deal.

About the Author:

Click Here to see how to find an engagement ring at thousands off the regular cost. This diamond buying guide uncovers the tips and tricks to find a gorgeous diamond ring at a rock bottom price!

How Eggs are Classed and Graded

By Amy Nutt

The grading of eggs is done with a series of tests where the eggs are examined for various qualities such as size and weight. There are three grades of eggs, which are Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C, in Canada. The grades in the US differ slightly by name only, as Grade A, Grade AA and Grade B. Grade A eggs are sold to consumers but the other Grades are for commercial uses.

In order to grade the eggs, they are first washed to make sure they are spotless then they are sent to be candled. Candling, which is usually performed by hand, examines the contents of the egg. This is done by passing the eggs past a light which allows the shell to be viewed internally. The conditions of the shell, the white, and the yolk, are checked for cracks and air pockets. In modern egg operations, the eggs are checked for cracks with the use of sonic sound. Tiny probes tap the egg a total of 16 times to accurately detect any blemishes in the shell. If a crack is found, a thud will indicate the egg is below standard and will be removed. An egg that is perfect will have the machine produce a high pitched sound. The candling or scanning allows the technician to see the size of the air pocket, cracks in the shell, and the centering of the yolk. This is what will later divide the eggs into different grades.

Once it has been determined the egg is worthy of carrying on, it then goes to be graded and weighed. The weight is done by the carton, not the individual egg, and computer controlled sensors weigh each egg over 60 times in less than one second. There is only a 3 ounce difference per one dozen eggs of a different size so the accuracy of the weight of each carton is important.

Grade A: The egg is found in perfect condition. The shell is not cracked at all, is fully clean, and the yolk is round and centered in a firm white with a minimal air pocket. These eggs will be processed for shipping to retail stores for consumers to buy.

Grade B: This egg also has an un-cracked shell but may have a rough texture. The white will be watery/thin and the yolk somewhat flat. These eggs are saved for commercial uses such as selling to bakeries or for processing into other foods like making mayonnaise or noodles.

Grade C: Eggs with this grade likely have a cracked shell, loose yolk, and very thin white. This will only be sold to commercial processors as use as an additive for other products.

Sometimes during the cleaning and other processes, eggs will get broken or punctured. These will be added to the Grade C eggs to be used in processed foods. The eggs are all broken by special machines at a "breaking station," where they are then pasteurized. The eggs are pasteurized by heating the eggs liquid form to a very high temperature in order to kill any harmful bacteria and micro-organisms. Once the pasteurization process has been completed, further processing of the egg is done and then packaged in liquid, frozen or dried/powdered form for sale. Preservatives or flavorings, and food coloring may be added before selling to companies who will use the processed eggs for production of food or condiments as well as such things as shampoos, pet food, and in adhesives.

Technology has played a significant role in the production of eggs. Now, all eggs are able to be used in a variety of food areas, while the best eggs are provided directly to the consumer.

About the Author:

Egg Farmers of Ontario looks to provide customers with high quality eggs at a fair price. Visit us for lots of healthy recipes, and lots of great breakfasts ideas!

The Calories In Sushi

By Daniel Jackson

Do you go out a lot for dinner? Are you trying to be healthy and lose weight but find it difficult because work and friends keeps you out and you find it difficult to eat healthy food when your out? Well worry no more, just look to japanese food, with the low calories in sushi and the health benfits you wont need much to convince people to try it out.

Japanese food, and sushi as an extension of it are one of the healthiest foods you could ever find, mostly due to the high usage of seafood. So many rich nutrients and fatty acids along with massive amounts of protein give this a rare combination of positives.

Whats the fat content in sushi?

The majority of the fat found in sushi is from the well known Omega-3 fatty acids. This fatty acid is essential for human nutrition and japanese food thanks to the high amount of seafood is a very rich source of it.

How many calories in sushi?

While i cant cover a huge range of sushi here, looking at just sushi rolls, the lowest calorie count comes in for avocado rolls, which is perfect for a low calorie meal. If you are looking for some protein then grab a tuna rolls which not only comes in with 184 calories but packs a punch of 20 grams of protein.

Tell you friends about the calories in sushi and the health benefits and you wont need to convince them to switch to japanese.

About the Author:

If you need more details on the Calories In Sushi make sure check out the Fat Loss School.

Send A Postcard

By Patrick Lee

Postcards have been used for many years. When people travel to another country, why usually buy a postcard and send it back to their family and friends. Since postcard is well designed, some people like to collect postcard.

The photos on postcard are usually taken under detailed planning. Thus the photos always look so beautiful and they can attract buyers. Moreover, as the photos on the postcard are usually a special view in the country, postcard can be travel identification.

Until now, people seldom send postcard. People may buy postcard as souvenir for friends. Although this souvenir is valuable, the aim of using postcard is changed. People send an e-mail and attach photos to their friends but not using postcard.

However, I suggest you to use e-card. Firstly, you can write down words for your friends. Secondly, you can use e-card in anyplace. Thirdly, you can draw a card. You can draw what you have seen in different place.

Postcard is printed in large amount because massive production decreases the cost. However, if you draw an e-card, you probably draw a unique one. Furthermore, you may add your personal views so that card is all from you but not other.

Also, it is very difficult to loss an e-card. You can back up the e-card. Compare to e-card, postcard is easier to be lost during mailing. Last but not least, the cost of using e-card is lower than that of postcard.

We cannot forget that postcard also has many advantages. Just like postcard can lead us to a new place you had not visited. Also, the quality of postcard is guaranteed because the photos or pictures on it are taken or drawn by professional.

In fact, people are using both e-card and postcard nowadays. Both of them have their own specials. They will be being used for long time. However, before sending a card to friends, we need to know what our friends want.

About the Author:

If you love sending a postcard to your family, let's visit Free e cards and draw some online birthday cards

Balloon Delivery - A Great Birthday Surprise

By Ben Sparks

A recipient of a balloon delivery will be pleasantly surprised when receiving a balloon for their birthday or what ever the special occasion is. Balloon delivery has become very popular. It is possible to find any type of balloon and have it delivered and this can be a great alternative if your friend or family member is not a huge fan of flowers or has a string allergy to flowers.

Scheduling a balloon delivery can be a great way to send a heartfelt message without actually spending tons of time shopping in a store. With everyone's hectic schedule finding a meaningful or heartfelt gift can be time consuming. There are balloons available that will fit any budget and you can even create a statement by sending a bunch of normal balloons. The mixture of bright colors will bring a smile to anyone's face.

If you want to personalize or customize your balloons then you should try to order them a few days in advance. Depending on the scope of the request it may take a day or two for the company to make sure everything is perfect. It is possible to find very affordable balloon delivery and if you want to pick out your balloons in person then all you have to do is visit your local party store.

There are balloons available for any occasion and many balloons are pre-printed for the following events; corporate functions, themed events, graduation, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and more. There are also many different balloons you can choose from such as popular character balloons, walking balloons, tagaloons, helium hoppers, custom balloons, giant balloons, and balloon bouquets. If you need a rush order then you may have limits on available balloons.

Besides just the balloons you may be able to chose the type of weight used for your balloons, any wrapping paper or ribbon involved and other small details. If you are interested in balloon delivery get on line and find the nearest company in your area. Party stores will also offer balloons if you go to their store.

About the Author:

Click here and find out what else we can do for you, we're affordable too: Deliver Balloons or have a look at Balloon Delivery to see what we can do for your special event!