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Lily Morgan - Growing Your Collection: How to Choose Your Dollhouse Kit By : Lily Morgan In choosing your doll house kit, it is important to note who you are buying it for. Is it for an adult collector? Or is it for a child, as a start of her collection, or simply a toy? Knowing who you are buying it for will help you decide which doll houses to choose. Lily Morgan - Make Haunting Halloween Miniatures for the Dollhouse By : Lily Morgan You get to create great Halloween miniature furniture, and once you start with Halloween furniture, you can continue with all other seasonal furniture. Actually seasonal miniature furniture does not have to be all that glamorous. You can actually make lots of Halloween miniature furniture out of items like cardboard and paper. MJ Johnston - Digital Pictures Help You Capture Your Stories By : MJ Johnston Each of us has a story to tell. Granted, some of us have a story longer than others. However, there comes a point in everyone's life when it's important to recount memories and events that took place over the years. Most of us don't write. Not all of us are blessed with the gift of gab. Not many of us can paint or draw. But all of us, all of us can take a picture (at least we can with the advent of the new, easy to use digital camera). So, when the time comes to tell your story, you don't necessarily have to rely on words. MJ Johnston - Tips on Page Layout to Create Photo Books By : MJ Johnston There are a few basic principles graphic designers use to lay out pages that you should be aware of. While there are no hard and fast rules to a creative discipline like graphic design, there are some principles that all graphic designers are thoroughly versed in, and in practice rarely, if ever, violate. These principles are simple, and don’t require the kind of visual talent you’d need to paint the Sistine chapel, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, they don’t require as much talent as taking good pictures to understand and apply. Andrew Kasch - Alexandra Nechita: Is Her Art Really Good? By : Andrew Kasch I guess that would naturally lead to the question of whether Picasso himself was a sham. I mean this style of artwork reminds me of LSD-induced hallucinations while staring at a colorful carpet. It’s that imagery from the mind’s third eye captured in a still shot, and I guess that’s why it’s considered genius. But is it really any good, or is it only good because everybody else says it’s good? Priscilla Groves - 7 Things the Successful Voiceover Artist Knows (that the Rest of the Plebs Don't) By : Priscilla Groves Many actors achieve great success in this industry. Its fun, they make great cash, and they keep getting work over and over again. Then there are others who are struggling to even get one gig. After many years as a copywriter working with successful (and a few not-so-successful) voiceovers, and founder of online voiceover directory - I've been studying what makes certain voiceovers successful. Here are 7 tips: Patrick Heathcock - Digital Photography: Macro Lenses By : Patrick Heathcock One of the things I’ve preached to my photography students over the years, especially the techno-files, is that yes the camera body is important, and never more so than in this day and age of CCD chips and many mega-megapixels, but even more important than the body is the lens or lenses you put on it. Jessica Whittaker - Italian Designer: Osvaldo Borsani By : Jessica Whittaker Osvaldo Borsani joined Politecnico di Milano in 1937 where he enrolled for a course in architecture. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he joined the family business helping his father in his design work. During this time, he mainly concentrated in carrying out furniture designs. Jessica Whittaker - Furniture Design by Josef Hoffmann By : Jessica Whittaker In decorative arts, Josef Hoffmann left indelible prints in almost all branches of applied arts. He used simple patterns and simple materials to masterfully and skilfully design his sparkling imagination. These materials ranged from porcelain, metalwork, jewellery, textiles to glass. Jessica Whittaker - Furniture Designers - Job Portrayal By : Jessica Whittaker The factors considered by furniture designers are the expense to be incurred, safety and durableness. Though traditional designs still exist, the modern use of computer technology has taken away the importance of traditional furniture designers. Thus, there are professional courses available for such furniture designers that help them to become familiar with the designing principles and the CAD technology. MJ Johnston - Create Photo Books As A Scrapbook Or Diary By : MJ Johnston The first thing you have to decide is what sort of photo books you want to create. Is it going to be more of a visual diary, or more of a scrapbook? If you want to make a visual diary, it’s simple. You write your diary entries, take photos, and load them into your computer. If you wrote the entries by hand, you will need to type them up. Once they are in the computer, you must organize them into diary pages. The next step is to upload them to an online gallery site that allows you to hire them to print photo books for you. MJ Johnston - Making Your Own Postcards With Online Photo Printing By : MJ Johnston The first thing you need to get started making postcards with online photo printing is a picture. You probably have a camera and take plenty of your own pictures already. You may want to choose from pictures you already have, or you may want to go out and shoot something especially for the purpose of sending it as a postcard. You can personalize this quite a bit just through your choice of image. For example, if you live in New York City, and you know someone who loves penguins, you can go to the zoo and take a picture of a penguin. Angela Dawson-Field - A History of Orientale Tapestry Art By : Angela Dawson-Field The Orientale Tapestries date from the 17th century and were associated with the first glimpses of that world by Jesuit missionaries. They became very popular in France and stimulated an interest in exotic and oriental art which has continued to this day. Angela Dawson-Field - The Elegance of Fine Art Tapestries By : Angela Dawson-Field A wall tapestry offers an alternative to the traditional fine art painting and with an increasing portfolio of choice from the Old Masters to modern art, the time to consider a tapestry in the home has never been better. Popular and classical paintings can be reproduced through sophisticated textile design to provide an impressive feature for the wall. Examples include Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and Raphael’s Cherubs. Amongst the first style to be transferred from canvas to tapestry was François Boucher’s pastoral art created during the 17th century. Angela Dawson-Field - Tapestries: An Exploration of World Maps By : Angela Dawson-Field Early maps tended to reflect what people knew or remembered and were largely topographical in nature. Often, these early pieces depicted myth and lore, combining to create “living maps” that were passed form generation to generation. Formalising the topography into early maps, knowledge became standardised and sowed the foundation of early cartography. Scott Wilhelmy - Choosing Among the White Gold Irish Rings By : Scott Wilhelmy This is something that you have to really have to think about… or not! Some people just prefer 14K White Gold over either Yellow Gold or Sterling Silver on principal; if nothing else. In this way they are able to wear any on the custom crafted Irish Rings that they might want without anyone really knowing the difference. Sometimes it is more fun to keep them guessing whether your ring in Sterling Silver or actually 14K White Gold. You actually cannot tell the difference just by sight alone. Thus for some people; 14K White Gold Irish Rings really are the best. MJ Johnston - Taking Great Pictures For Online Photo Sharing By : MJ Johnston The first thing that you should do before taking any photos is to become familiar with your camera. There are hundreds of different types of cameras out there, each one with its own unique set of features. The range of the flash, the depth of the focus, and many other factors can all be different depending on your camera. While reading the instruction manual can be helpful, there’s really no better way to learn about your camera than to experiment with it. Especially if you own a digital camera, there’s really no harm or cost to just playing around seeing exactly what your camera can do. Jessica Whittaker - Furniture Design by Ernest Race By : Jessica Whittaker The metal furniture designed by Race was enthusiastically bought by the private firms as well as the contractors of the market. He has his best orders for chairs and tables of 1500 in number for troop-ships. Gradually his orders increased day by day, mostly placed by the private sector. Later Race opened his own showroom which was stylish, decorated with plain walls on which coconut mats were hung. Race with his outstanding abilities, demonstrated the essentials of assessing the market needs against the restriction of materials. Jessica Whittaker - Famous Furniture Designers By : Jessica Whittaker Charles was a Scottish architect and furniture designer born in the year 1868. He was a representative of the Glasgow school and one of the founders of Art Nouveau. The geometric shapes inspired him and his designs were a reflection of geometric shapes of straight lines with long simple curves in a rectangular framework and unornamented facade. His most commended furniture was for Glasgow tearoom and other numerous private palaces. His work depicted the decorative floral themes. In 1923, he started painting, leaving his career of architect. Alex Don - Taking Inspiring Macro Photographs By : Alex Don Choosing the subject of the photo can also be tricky. You can have difficulties in getting depth of field in a macro photograph, especially if it is an abstract one featuring a part of an object. Here is an example. If you are taking a photo of part of an ornate candlestick, good lighting is very important, as is having the vision in advance. If you have no DOF, you will get more magnification and a more original photo. However, when taking photos of insects and other small creatures, magnification plays an important part. Alex Don - The Secret to Shooting Fine Art Portraits By : Alex Don Snapshots are candid photos taken randomly without any intent of making art. There is no or very little planning, no attention to lighting and composition. Snapshots are good for capturing everyday moments and sometimes a portrait make come out by accident. But this happens very seldom and is rather an exception. Portraits generally have a lot of creative work behind. For the artist, this work begins at the first contact with his customer. This can happen over the phone, e-mail or face-to-face. Meeting the customer in person if possible is the best way to go. MJ Johnston - Advanced Photo Taking Tips By : MJ Johnston As important as it is to choose the right camera and learn how to properly edit photos, learning to take good photos in the first place is absolutely vital. A bad picture can only be improved so much with editing, so you should aim to make every picture you take a great picture. While photography is an art, that doesn’t mean that an amateur can’t take amazing pictures to share with their friends and family. Alex Don - How to Become a Great Landscape Photographer By : Alex Don The first thing to keep in mind is that good lighting is essential. You usually need sunlight to take a good landscape photo, but harsh light should be avoided. When the sun is high above the sky, the light is too strong and colors and details are lost because there is too much contrast. The best times to take photos are early in the morning or in late afternoon. On a sunny summer day you should avoid the 9am to 4pm period, which is almost all day. In other seasons you have more hours to take photos because the sun is lower. Peter Geisheker - How Mosaic Tile Can Be Used Outdoors By : Peter Geisheker Typically we think of mosaic tile and its use in swimming pools and similar areas. These uses can be quite stunning when they are used to create an outdoor mural in your swimming pool. Many people have created an image in the bottom of their swimming pool with the use of mosaic tile. The designs that can be created by the artisans that work with this material is incredible and will liven up your pool area in a way that no other material can. Lily Morgan - The Dollhouse and Why You Should Build One? By : Lily Morgan From these “baby houses,” the doll house evolved and even today we have some exemplary pieces in museums all over the nation. Among the most famous of these doll houses is the “Queen Mary’s” doll house which was created by Sir Edwin Lutyens. In North America one of the most elegant doll houses is the Colleen Moore Fairy Castle, and the Thorne Rooms. These very famous doll houses are all housed in famous museums around the world. Enigma Valdez - How to Practice Shading and Create Realstic Art By : Enigma Valdez One of the most important keys to being able to master realistic drawings, portraits and illustrations is shading. Lot’s of people skip over this important exercise only to find out later that their work is not going quite right. Don’t be one of those people. Make sure you practice the simple exercises enough, until you can do this in your sleep. Susan Russell - Finding the Best Wall Tapestry By : Susan Russell If you happen to know of a tapestry dealer in the nearby area, then that is perfect to just hop in your car, take a drive there and peruse through all the samples and sizes that they might have. Unfortunately not all dealers will have something you like, so a great way around this would be to log onto the internet and find yourself a tapestry that will come to you. The variety is endless and you can shop around until you find something that you like and that you can afford. Lily Morgan - Customize Your Dollhouse by Using Your Very Own Dollhouse Plans By : Lily Morgan Building your own dollhouse from your own plans can be very rewarding, and you will end up with a very original doll house, but you need to think about how much time you have to invest in the Project. You also need to look at your abilities. Are you a skilled carpenter and do you have the right tools? If you do, then of course you will want to build your doll house from scratch. Alex Don - The Secret of Travel Photography By : Alex Don When you think of a particular place, all the different elements that cross your mind are melt together to form its unique character or personality, that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes it different from any other place in the world. Whether it's an old village or an exotic travel destination, a good photographer can capture its uniqueness and present it to the audience. This article is aimed to share some ideas on how to capture the character of a place through photography. Alex Don - Professional Advice For Starting Photographers By : Alex Don The optical zoom of digital cameras functions in the same way as the one on normal 35 mm cameras. The lens moves forward and backwards to bring the image closer without losing any quality. The optical magnification of the moving lenses ranges from 2.0x to 10.0x. The closer you get to the upper end, the farther away the subject can be when you take a photo. On the other hand, digital zoom is actually a software that simulates optical zoom without any physical movement. What it does is to crop the picture and enlarge it, just like a photo editing application which you can use afterwards. MJ Johnston - Free Photo Editing Glossary By : MJ Johnston A cloning tool is a basic copying tool that allows you to copy a part of an image to essentially create a “brush.” Once you’ve copied the part of the image that you want, you can just use your mouse to paint that same like you would draw a line in a basic paint program. This is most useful when you have a specific texture that somehow ended up with some sort of blemish. You can simply paint over the blemish and, if done correctly, it will look like the natural texture. Some software programs have a feature that can automatically do this for you. Alex Don - The Smart Way to Make Photo Enlargements By : Alex Don Luckily there is a different way of achieving this, one that will keep you satisfied for many years. With an investment of under 1,000 U.S. dollars, you can purchase a used 4x5'' film camera and a high-resolution flatbed film scanner. This way you've got more than one hundred mega pixels in high-detail film, which you can enlarge to 30x40'' keeping the same quality. This technique has been successfully used for nearly on hundred years in both personal and commercial photography like wedding photos, portraits, documentary, landscape and advertising. Alex Don - How to Become an Expert Photographer By : Alex Don Digital cameras can be grouped in: a. ultra compact - small, no flash mode; b. prosumer/ compact - generally used by hobbyists; c. digital SLRs - equipped with tripod, lenses and external flash unit, designed for professionals. If you look at photography as an art, it is advisable to go for the third category. Price varies upon a multitude of factors, including resolution. Alex Don - How to Get the Best Photo Prints By : Alex Don Photographic printing is the technique of producing a printed material that is identical to the original picture and involves preparing the negative to be transposed on sensitized paper. This process generally has three main steps that can be done either with an automated photographic printer or in a photographic darkroom. First, the picture is exposed on the sensitized paper through an enlarger or contact printer. Then the image is chemically processed and the print is toned. A photo can be printed in black and white (monochrome) or in color. Tara Smith - Wooden Wick Candles: A Sound Surprise By : Tara Smith Today not as many people have fireplaces. They may miss the simple pleasures they enjoyed when their family stoked up the fire on the hearth. Though the flame is smaller and doesn’t afford the pretty embers that a fire in the fireplace does, candles put a warm glow in a room and they are comforting. Their fragrance pleases the nostrils. Guess what? The wooden wick candle has been invented. When one first looks upon the wooden wick it is odd, but it brings benefits. Tara Smith - The Association of Romance and Candles By : Tara Smith A romance with candles has occurred throughout history as they have been part of religious ceremonies and today specials wedding candles are available. Lighting a fire in the fireplace and snuggling close to it in your favorite chair, with hot chocolate, a book, and a lit candle is a way of romancing yourself into a relaxed, comfortable evening. Tony Maddison - Christmas Idea: How to Make a Christmas Card By : Tony Maddison There is a certain feeling that arises when you make your own Christmas card for someone special in your life. These cards are the true expression of the person and usually have much value to the recipient than store bought card, no matter how expensive they may be. The first step in the making of these cards is to find out the interest of the recipient. Are you creating a card for your special friend? MJ Johnston - 3 Tips For Digital Photo Printing By : MJ Johnston Free online photo sharing services are excellent for letting you choose the photos you want printed without you having to actually do any of the printing work. But you'll want your photos to look fantastic before you order and pay for digital photo printing, so that you end up with a product that looks great. And if you're printing the photos yourself, you'll want good photos to work with to minimize your own frustration with the process, which can be daunting, especially if you've never done it before. Aurelia - Incredible Outer Space Wall Stickers By : Aurelia Space-themed bedrooms can be some of the most dramatic and exciting wall decor there is. You can start your little astronaut's room off right by painting an entire wall a dark color to resemble the vastness of space. Not only does this open things up, but it leaves room for all the white stars, colorful planets, and rocketing starships he could ever want. Using today's outer space wall sticker sets, you can find space-themed vinyl wall decals in every shape and size. These wall stickers peel on and peel right off, with no glue or adhesive, and leaving no mess or sticky residue behind. Carey Paris - 2 Outdoor Digital Photo Techniques By : Carey Paris If you love nature and the outdoors, then you already know that it's amazingly beautiful, from the impossibly vast sights like the Grand Canyon, to the tiniest stamen on a flower. And while shots of things like the Grand Canyon can be stunning, there's nothing quite like a close up of an intricate spider web, or an extremely close shot of the inside of a flower. Zooming into nature opens up a whole new interesting world that we take for granted every day and never really examine. Alex Don - How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes in Video Shooting By : Alex Don No one wants to see an actor with the top of his head cut off by the frame, not to mention having the bottom of his chin cut off. It is very important to have balance in your composition. A little more experienced videographers will tend to put everyone in the middle to avoid the mistake mentioned above. This is also wrong because it gets really boring. The secret is to use the rule of thirds and keep the subjects on the lines dividing the frames, the years on the top section and movement on the third section opposite to the direction in which the actor is moving in order to keep space in the front. Alex Don - 10 Secrets to Take Better Photos By : Alex Don 1. Start by setting the proper contrast. The contrast is that feature that brightens or darkens the image accordingly to the background. When it is dark outside you should use a lighter contrast, while during the daytime when there's a lot of light go for a darker one. Alex Don - The Secret of Shooting Beautiful Portraits By : Alex Don Select the appropriate settings. All cameras come with many features, but a lot of people never use them. For example, most of them have a built-in portrait mode which can really help when photographing faces. To enable this feature, turn the dial button to the head icon on the screen. What this option does is affect the field depth so that you can take a sharp photo of the person's face while blurring out the other stuff in the background. In order to get an even better image, you can further blur the background. Alex Don - Why You Should Become a Photographer By : Alex Don To my surprise, my friends did not own the type of basic digital camera you are used to seeing everywhere. They had very large, high-tech devices with long noses, equipped with high resolution lenses which had a such a high zooming capability that one may have mistaken them to some paparazzi. One of them had taken up photography lessons and had influenced all of the others to buying this sort of cameras. When he first came holding that huge camera around his neck we were all very curios to discover all the features it had. Alex Don - The Best Ways to Take Advantage of Your Old Photos By : Alex Don The truth is the options are countless. An idea that might suit you is a digital photo frame. This is something like a small external flat screen you can hook up to a computer or insert a memory card and cycle through several photos. There is a wide variety of frames available on the market today. The cheapest ones range from 70 pounds for a 5.6 inch one to 150 pounds for 7 inches. Prices will continue to drop over the next years as the manufacturing costs for color screens will decrease. Alex Don - Who Else Wants Beautiful, Long-Lasting Photos? By : Alex Don You are no longer constrained by film size and quality. You can take hundreds of photos and then transfer the image files directly on your computer and manipulate them the way you want. There are many image editing applications on the market (some of them even free) that let you improve your photos to a great extent. Moreover, the digital viewfinder lets you visualize the area you are photographing and you can change the picture right then (e.g. make it black & white). You can also view the pictures on the embedded LCD screen and erase the ones that you don't like so they don't take up space. Alex Don - The Easiest Way to Capture Unique Moments From Your Holiday By : Alex Don The most convenient way to immortalize special moments of such a great trip is with a compact digital camera. This way you can bring little pieces of your trips home with you. The photos will offer you an opportunity to relive those moments. Compact digital cameras are very convenient particularly because they are very small and can be slipped practically anywhere. They are also very light so you don't have to worry about putting extra weight to your luggage. Even a small child can easily carry one. Alex Don - What Everyone Should Know About Canvas Prints By : Alex Don One of the most popular canvas printing technique is 'inkjet art'. In this type of printing, they use huge inkjet printers with pigment archival ink. The picture is printed on a canvas that can be up to 2880x1440 DPI large. The technique uses a special ink that makes the color stable and resistant to UV rays, dust, moisture and other factors that can impact the quality of the picture. Alex Don - Who Else Wants to Take Beautiful Wildlife Photos? By : Alex Don 1. Not Getting Close Enough to the Subject. This is the most obvious mistake someone can make. You see a rare bird in a tree and rush to take a photo, but when you look at it later you can hardly see the bird behind the leaves. Before taking the photo, ask yourself what is important to catch and eliminate all the rest. You can do this by getting as close as you can to the subject (without scaring it away) and/or zooming in using the largest lens. This way you eliminate all the distractions and the viewer can concentrate on the subject itself. Alex Don - How to Take Full Advantage of Digital Photography By : Alex Don The possibilities are endless and you can use them to make better photos. If, for instance, you are a fan of black and white photography, you can easily do this with your digital camera. There are three options to do this. The first and easiest way is to look if you can change the settings to directly take monochrome pictures. Many cameras have this feature incorporated. This option will let you visualize the black and white version of the image you plan to capture on the camera screen. You will know from the start how your photo will turn out like as you will be able to see it right there on the screen, just like you could see it through the lens with traditional cameras. Alex Don - The Secret of Having Great Photos By : Alex Don If you don't want anything sophisticated, you can easily learn to use some basic functions of your photo editing application to make some small changes to your photos. These include cropping, resizing or rotating the picture until you get what you want. They can be done in a few minutes and can help you be more satisfied with the image. Alex Don - Tips & Tricks to Become a Better Photographer By : Alex Don 2. Keep the background tidy and clean. Before taking the photo, remove all things that you don't want to include in it from the area. This will also help you focus on the subject without having your eyes distracted by the surroundings. Danny Fox - Christmas Gift Baskets Are the Perfect Gift Baskets By : Danny Fox Among the many traditions that the Christmas season brings us is the all time favorite gift giving activity. Who on earth does not want to receive gifts during Christmas or any other occasion for that matter. That is why when we think about the gifts to give, we have to make sure that what we give is what the recipient really wants. But sometimes, with the numerous people that needs to be given gifts, having to think of an item causes burden to givers. With Christmas, turning into a commercial holiday, so many Internet sites are offering the most practical gift one could ever give – Christmas gift baskets. Kathy Page - Photo Collage Frames -- How to Be Creative With Them By : Kathy Page There several types of photo collage frames – some are an extended version of the classic picture frame while others are thematic and look more striking. In any case, with a collage photo frame your pictures definitely become more appealing. Perhaps the most popular of these picture frames is the baby collage frame, which is not really surprising since most parents love to take pictures of their children. A typical metal frame would have some cute bas-relief sculptures of baby symbols, while the resin or acrylic ones would include pastel baby colors and designs. Jessica Whittaker - Niels Joergen Haugesen By : Jessica Whittaker In 1956 when Niels Joergen Haugesen was twenty years old, he was trained as a cabinet maker. It goes without saying that design was incorporated into his brain at a very young age for Haugesen showed all signs of vigor, capability and originality. Niels Joergen Haugesen spent five worthwhile years of his life at Arne Jacobsen in Copenhagen and learning all about furniture design. Today Jacobsen is one of his idols and motivations. Jessica Whittaker - Osvaldo Borsani By : Jessica Whittaker 1953 was the year in which he paired up with fellow designer Fulgencio to form the world famous organization Tecno. It went one to become Europe’s most influential furniture designs. Every object was carefully researched using the most amount of technology available during that period. He designed the famous Cavatorta console. This fantastic piece possessed a large mirror on which a zig zag pattern was etched on its surface. It is seated on top of a dark glass low vanity with draws which are covered with parchment and a door that is used for storage. Jessica Whittaker - Peter Opsvik By : Jessica Whittaker Opsvik carried out all his design works with a purpose in mind. The best example is the Garden range, which appears more like a tree than a chair. He designed it with an intention to send a signal to any person who looks at it. The purpose behind the design was to just express the opinions of a designer about the etiquette and rules of sitting and nothing more than that. Opsvik used a variety of features in the chair that made the user to take a number of positions. This was an immediate solution invented by him, when the rest of the designers were unable to find the perfect sitting position. Jessica Whittaker - George Nelson Furniture Design By : Jessica Whittaker George Nelson graduated from Yale University in 1928 where he had been studying architecture. In 1931 George Nelson graduated with a bachelor degree in fine arts. In 1932 George Nelson won the Rome Prize whilst preparing for the Paris Prize competition. Alex Don - 5 Secrets of Having Great Photos By : Alex Don If you don't want anything sophisticated, you can easily learn to use some basic functions of your photo editing application to make some small changes to your photos. These include cropping, resizing or rotating the picture until you get what you want. They can be done in a few minutes and can help you be more satisfied with the image. Alex Don - Have Photos You Can Be Proud Of By : Alex Don This is the one of highest rated free photo editor on downloads.com, a website hosted by CNET. It includes all of the tools that a casual photographer regularly needs. The standard edition of this software has options like removing red eyes, enhancing lighting, image adjustment, blemish correction, cropping, smoothing, text enhancement and photo frames. Of course, it also includes basic stuff like saving and renaming standard photo files. The deluxe version of FxFoto has more advanced options including scrapbook layout, slide shows, collages and many others. Alex Don - Now You Can Turn Your Photos Into Works of Art By : Alex Don Fortunately, this all can be improved. The latest techniques in digital processing can improve a photo to such extent as to turn it into a picture which is worth enlarging and put on the wall to see it every day. One of the most popular methods to do this is with PhotoArt canvas printing. Here is how you do it. Sarah Martin - Christian Arts By : Sarah Martin The examples of moral degradation set by the heads of the State, and followed by the nobility were soon adopted by large parts of the population, who endeavored to forget their Mailing glories in riotous living. The pious philosophy of the Christian religion starting among the poorer classes in the Roman provinces of Asia Minor, had been accepted by other members of the Roman citizenry, whose prayers to the pagan gods had remained unanswered, and who willingly grasped at the simple beliefs and hopes that were offered by the early Christians. Anand Maheshwari - Gift Ideas and Suggestions For Your Boyfriend By : Anand Maheshwari If you are thinking about his likes and dislikes then just think if he likes any particular sport or game, if he is a big fan of NASCAR you might even be able to get him a stock car driving experience. Give him something romantic for his birthday. If your boyfriend is sentimental then you could gift him flowers and if he likes the mushy stuff there are also a lot of different cute boyfriend gift ideas. Joe Will - Wooden Nutcracker History By : Joe Will Finding tools for opening or removing the shells of nuts challenged our ancestors. The earliest nutcrackers that have been located were simple and functional objects. Through the years beautifully crafted brass and even carved characters emerged as an art form in the 15th and 16th centuries. Many carved characters took on the image of animals, birds, and human doll forms. When a nut was placed in the "mouth" of dolls, levers or screws on the back could be worked to push the lower jaw up against the upper jaw to crush the nut. Joe Will - Nutcrackers in America By : Joe Will Later when Tchaikowsky’s ballet, ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ that premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, became popular in the United States in the 1950’s and ignited the passion for these fascinating creatures. The magic and mystery of the nutcracker ballet has intrigued and enchanted audiences year after year. The strong following of this classic production greatly increased the collectability of these popular nutcracker figures in America. MJ Johnston - Free Photo Editing Makes Photo Stories Fast By : MJ Johnston Fitting in one more activity into your busy life may seem impossible, but free photo editing software makes creating your photo stories quick and easy. There are so many options in free photo editing programs for stories that allow you to simply click, click and go. Drag and drop in your photos, click the mouse here to reduce redeye and there to cover a pimple. Crop the photo to remove the garbage can in the background and resize it so everyone can see the cute little faces better. Click again and add your story in the text box. Danny Fox - Christmas Gift Baskets: Tips in Buying These Gift Baskets By : Danny Fox Christmas season is the season for gift buying and giving. For centuries, when Christmas is approaching, more and more gift items and ideas becomes available. Gift giving has become a traditional way of celebrating the holiday season. Even if Christmas is identified as a Christian holiday, now, even non-Christian countries are also into the celebration. It is a worldwide festivity, with so many activities to make, which included gift giving of the most popular Christmas gift baskets. Danny Fox - Holiday Gift Baskets For Your Special Someone By : Danny Fox Break the monotony of giving your loved ones gifts wrapped with cheap gift wrappers and tied with ribbon at the center. Embrace the idea of surprising the special person in your life with an incredibly pleasant holiday gift baskets overflowing with the sweetest among all sweet treats you can think of. Alice Wilkene - Celtic Jewelry Pieces For Special Occasions By : Alice Wilkene Whether the celebrant is a man or a woman, Celtic jewelry pieces such as a pendant or a bracelet would be a perfect gift to give to celebrate another year on earth. The most common design that is selected for Celtic jewelry pieces that are meant to be given during birthdays are those that are designed either with the Celtic cross or with the spiral design. This is because the Celtic cross symbolizes the four elements that have been considered as responsible for all life to come into existence on earth, including that special someone. Scott Wilhelmy - How to Take Care Your Celtic Rosary By : Scott Wilhelmy Celtic rosary is a precious item hence; you need to take good care of it. The first and foremost way of taking care of a Celtic rosary is to avoid dropping it on the ground. Very few people do this on a regular basis but accidents do happen and such accidents often lead to a permanent damage. They should be avoided at all costs. So, the next time you are out with your jewelry, make sure you hold tight as a nasty spill may spoil or worse shatter your rosary to pieces. Jessica Whittaker - Jens Risom By : Jessica Whittaker In the late 1940s he was assigned to come up with cabinets for the houses being built by Levitt & Sons on Long Island, New York for returning war-fatigued soldiers and their families. These homes needed a sense of design creativity to make them seem expansive and attractive in spite of being constructed low cost and under Federal financing. Jessica Whittaker - Jean Prouve By : Jessica Whittaker His bow to practicality endures that his designs are sought for. His standard chair that he designed for Vitra is an example of how he uses simple designs that ensure the longevity of the furniture while providing maximum comfort to the users. In the early 40’s he was attracted by wood as a building material and designed a series of tables using wood as the constructing material. He designed the various parts of the table and provided stability by using folded sheet metal to bind them together. Jessica Whittaker - Gerrit Rietveld By : Jessica Whittaker After leaving the family workshop in 1911, he trained as a draftsman for architecture and he finally became an architect in 1919. This move marked an explicit split from the customs of his father’s style. Rietveld's most striking work in architecture is the Schroder House in Utrecht (1924). It correlates intimately with most of his furniture designs. It possesses rigorous geometries and an open-plan layout, expressed with screens and color panels to form a new, modernist and aesthetic design. The house absolutely had no walls. Jessica Whittaker - Gerald Summers By : Jessica Whittaker Summers’ study program included carpentry and he was excellent at it. He passed a preliminary examination in Cambridge later. Although there is no record of his exact grades, nobody ever bothers about it. His work in the field of furniture design is his report card. There are many writers who today talk about his works and his underrated status not doing justice to his true abilities. Jessica Whittaker - George Nelson By : Jessica Whittaker Some people to whom furniture was more than just that made history. What’s more, some of them were architects of not just their sofas and tables but also of American modernism. He perpetuated a philosophy that reinforced human creativity and was the modernist who epitomises this creativity in his designs and looks at furniture in a way that only he can visualize. Joe Young - Carousel Music Boxes – Collectible and Memorable By : Joe Young Carousel music boxes can hold such a great signature form an artist of the past that is continued and cherished once in a childs hands. The colors, design, and creativity of these music boxes are sure to sparkle the imagination of every youngster. Not to mention the selection of melodies that each one plays, from their favorite singer, movie perhaps, or great composer of music, they will simply adore it. Len Q. - Carving Pumpkins: How to Carve a Traditional Jack-O-Lantern By : Len Q. The traditional way to carve a jack-o-lantern is to do it freehand. There isn’t a stencil in sight. You’ll need the right kind of pumpkin and a handful of tools. Once you’re done, all you’ll need is the lighting. Len Q. - Carving Pumpkins: Jack-O-Lanterns Of The Twenty-First Century By : Len Q. Many things have changed over the hundreds of years since jack-o-lanterns were first brought to America. The pumpkin is no longer always a real pumpkin. As a matter of fact, artificial jack-o-lanterns are much more common these days than real ones, and it’s been that way for many years. As usual in our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, we’d rather buy it than make it. But there are those out there who wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s got to be a real pumpkin or nothing at all. Angela Dawson-Field - The Lady And The Unicorn Tapestries: A Medieval Mystery By : Angela Dawson-Field Each tapestry in this striking series shows a unicorn interacting with a woman in some way with the unicorn representing the six human senses in some way. These are sight, smell, touch, sound, taste and love. Angela Dawson-Field - The Growing Popularity Of Historical Wall Tapestries By : Angela Dawson-Field Despite modern tapestry designs being available the traditional tapestries are the more popular. These might include Gothic designs, detailed Rococo works or those from the Baroque era, reflecting the long history of tapestry through the ages. The appeal stems from the connection to history that these tapestries possess and the stories they tell. Francois Boucher tapestries were seen at the Court of Louis XV at Versailles whilst the Bayeux Tapestry celebrates the victory of one nation over another. Angela Dawson-Field - Religious Tapestries: Weaving Faith With The Arts By : Angela Dawson-Field Religious tapestries have continued to appeal through time. When one acknowledges the tremendous ways in which spiritual matters test faith and affect the heart and soul, the drama and vividness of the work is realised. The beauty of a religious tapestry gives a glimpse of what life beyond that on earth might be and has delivered hope in uncertain times when belief in religion may have been tested. The Glory of Christ, designed by Graham Sutherland in Coventry Cathedral is such an example. Adorning the altar area of the rebuilt cathedral the tapestry was intended to inspire those citizens of the city who experienced some of the most destructive bombings in World War 2 and is now the focus of a Peace centre. Anita Satin Choudhary - Is Your Valuable Carving Fake Ivory? By : Anita Satin Choudhary The basic definition of ivory is the teeth and tusks that are most completely consistent of the material called dentine. This is a whitish creamy color of opaque material that is mostly calcium phosphate and a little of collagen. This dentine material is enamel covered, and just like our tooth enamel, it will often show more wearing off of the enamel overtime. What many do not realize about ivory tusks is that they are made of the same material as teeth, but they are just larger and protruding outside the mouth instead. Angela Dawson-Field - Tapestry Collections Around The World By : Angela Dawson-Field Some of the most well known and enigmatic tapestries are those woven during the medieval era. These works of art have stood the test of time and continue to appeal through their intricate design and detail. Paul Lindberg - Beginner Digital Scrapbooking: Pixels and Resolution By : Paul Lindberg Remember that pixel dimension (width x height) is stored as part of the digital image file. However, "pixel" not only refers to a point of light inside your stored digital photo. The same word is used to describe a point of light on your computer monitor. Many people are easily confused because the word pixel actually refers to two different technologies. Paul Lindberg - Beginner Digital Scrapbooking: What is a Digital Image? By : Paul Lindberg Digital scrapbooking, sometimes called virtual scrapbooking, is so easy because the scrapbook page layout is created, simulated, or built by means of a computer. All the visual information that is built into the final digital layout is captured somewhere in digital memory as bits and bytes. Jessica Whittaker - Furniture Designers Period By : Jessica Whittaker The period of medieval carpenters was during the 1500 and 1800, and they usually worked only with woods. This was a period when wood was widely used for the construction purpose and carpenters were the most desired artisans. In the 15th century, they used improved tools like the present day carpenters. In those days, carpentry was an occupation that might be adopted through experience. There was no formal training or schools for the same. It required labor-intensive work. Some of the famous religious carpenters were Lord Vishwakarma, Jesus of Nazreth and Saint Joseph. Jessica Whittaker - Furniture Designers By : Jessica Whittaker Furniture designers have to do their BTEC HND (Higher National Diploma) or degree courses. The selection of courses needs to be such that you get both practical skills and creative design. Either a furniture degree or an applicable degree to such courses will be beneficial, for instance furniture technology, product design, 3-D design or a spatial design. Peter Geisheker - How to Determine Your Custom Mosaic Tile Design By : Peter Geisheker The first thing that you should look at is the area where you are considering mosaic tile. It can be used in a number of locations in your home for a spectacular look. If you are looking to put mosaic tile in your kitchen or bathroom take a look at the whole décor of the room and choose a design that will fit in with the décor. You should always look to coordinate your design around the room. Or you could design the room around the mosaic tile and create a completely new look in the room. Matt Smolsky - Digital Scrapbooking – 3 Great Reasons To Start Today! By : Matt Smolsky But don’t fear – scrapbooking digitally, while it might take a little extra time to learn, is well worth the minimal effort. Plus, it’s not as if you have to become an expert digital scrapbooker overnight. Start small by making a simple, small digital photo album, then work your way up to a full-fledged storybook. Angela Dawson-Field - A History Of Tapestry: Part 2 By : Angela Dawson-Field It was the Andean Indian cultures of ancient Peru who produced the most accomplished weaving in pre-Columbian America. The technique of Tapestry weaving among these peoples dates back to the beginning of the Christian Era, and was well established by the 6th and 7th century. Tapestry was used to decorate garments and was often integral to the fabric itself. Surprisingly, due to the dry desert climate, a number of these weavings survived in Peruvian coastal burial sites. Examination of these relics reveals some of the most skilled and varied techniques of weaving ever present in any culture. Angela Dawson-Field - Gobelins Tapestry: Opulence And Splendour At The Royal Court By : Angela Dawson-Field The Gobelin workshop began life in 1450 as a dyeing factory in a Paris suburb, founded by Jean Gobelin, and emerged into a tapestry weaving workshop with the arrival of two Flemish weavers, Marc de Comans and Francois de la Planche after they had been called to the Court of Henri IV in 1601. Angela Dawson-Field - Tapestries: The Life And Art Of William Morris By : Angela Dawson-Field In 1834 William Morris was born in Walthamstow, Essex. He attended Exeter College, Oxford where he met Edward Burne-Jones, who later became his business partner and lifelong friend. Initial plans to study for Holy Orders were abandoned in favour of becoming and architect. With such a creative mind Morris soon tired of this and joined his friend Burne-Jones to paint. Art became Morris’s forte and he developed talent in printing, poetry and learning how to weave. His tapestry work is undoubtedly his finest creation. Angela Dawson-Field - A History Of Tapestry: Part 1 By : Angela Dawson-Field Some scholars believe that tapestry art was introduced to the egyptians by the ancient people of Mesopatamia. They argue that since tapestries were not produced in quantities until the 4th century the likelihood of the art being indigenous is remote. CJ Thomas - Why Digital Photo Printing Makes Perfect Sense For Wedding Pictures By : CJ Thomas 1. Instant gratification. Unlike traditional photo processing, which can take anywhere from an hour to several days, you’ll be able to instantly tell how your photographs will turn out when you are using a digital camera. Instead of finding out too late that an important photograph didn’t turn out, you can immediately decide whether or not a photo needs to be retaken. For times like these, when pictures really matter, it’s important to have the ability to quickly retake a photograph. Angela Dawson-Field - Bayeux Tapestry: The Norman Conquest Immortalised By : Angela Dawson-Field The Bayeux Tapestry is not technically a tapestry but an intricate embroidery. Stitched in eight colours of woollen thread on linen it has survived for more than 900 years and is the only surviving relic detailing this significant historic event. John McCleary - Display Your Pride With a Celtic Design Tattoo By : John McCleary Among the various Celtic design tattoos, celtic knots are the most splendid. The intermingling strands have no beginning and end. The interweave knot pattern in celtic design tattoos conveys some spiritual meaning. They are a somewhat flexible tattoo as you can reduce or increase the size according to your requirement. They also look great anywhere on the body. Emma Martin - Beistle Halloween Decorations - Vintage Halloween Decorations From the Beistle Company By : Emma Martin Some of the vintage Beistle decorations you should be on the look-out for if you are seeking to start or add to your collection are Halloween die-cuts, lanterns and other paper products for the table. Many of the Beistle decorations feature honeycomb tissue paper so you can find items like Jack O'Lanterns with arms and legs that bounce, but due to the fragile nature of the honeycomb tissue you will want to inspect any purchases carefully and also make sure you carefully store any paper products that you buy when they aren't in use. Anand Maheshwari - The Perfect Corporate Business Gift By : Anand Maheshwari Giving gifts in a corporate setting is as much as a tradition as it is an effort to keep good relations with employees, clients, and partners. Normally everybody just think for a normal flower bucket or a liquor to be choose as a corporate gift for someone but you might think for something more special like pens, briefcase, etc. Corporate business gifts usually fall into a few well observed traditions. Most people settle for flowers, fruit or liquor! If you are buying employees gifts as well as gifts for clients you may want to make a list of how many of one type of gift and how many of the other, unless you are giving everyone on the list the same items. CJ Thomas - Does the Type of Camera You Use Determine Digital Photo Printing Quality? By : CJ Thomas Cellphone Cameras – These are great cameras for every day use, but they just can’t take pictures that will print well. This is mainly due to the low resolution these cameras offer for images, and the end result is usually quite blurry and may even be unusable. Out of all the cameras you can use for digital photo printing, these are probably the ones that will produce the worst results. Joel Carr - Celtic Cross Tattoos – Let Your Skin Tell This Ancient Story By : Joel Carr Many people believe that Celtic cross tattoos signify Christianity. However, the pagans have deep beliefs related with the cross symbol. For them, the cross is a symbol for fertility. It is also true that some others see the four points in the cross as representation of the four seasons, while others link them to four powerful elements that include Earth, Fire, Air and water. Celtic cross tattoos are admired by almost all tattoo enthusiasts regardless of any beliefs.
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