Students Of Success

Creating carousel music boxes, ballerina music boxes, wooden keepsake boxes, musical jewelry boxes, and other types of music boxes is a relaxing and creative activity. Here a few general directions for those who are ready to begin or are in the process of creating their own music box.

Antiquing

When antiquing the flat surface of a music box, use an old paintbrush or a clean rag. Brush in the same direction and cover as much of the music box as desired. Make sure the surface thoroughly dries and do not go back over areas one the drying process begins.

If antiquing a textured surface, an old paintbrush works well. Be sure that the antiquing gel covers all the surface and work on small sections at a time; allow to dry.

Dry Brushing

Dry brushing causes a carousel music box, ballerina music box, and other types of music boxes to look as if they have more depth. A stiff, round paintbrush, flat brush, or stenciling brush works well. Leave a little bit of paint on the brush and then lightly brush the music box in the same direction.

With dry brushing, it is essential to make sure there is no water in the brush. If using different colors, wipe the brush on a paper towel and do not wash it.

Painting

When it comes to painting a wooden keepsake box, musical jewelry box, or any music box, sanding, sealing, and making sure the wood is dust and lint free assists in wood preparation.

A flat paintbrush or sponge brush can be used to apply a nice smooth coat of acrylic paint. This should be allowed to dry before a second coat of paint is added. For a very smooth surface, three coats of acrylic paint should be used. Steel wool can also be used to sand between the coats if necessary.

Preparing Music Boxes

Chipboard boxes come in a variety of sizes and shape sand are not expensive. Since they are not sturdy, strengthening is needed. This can be done by placing a bead of hot glue around the inside bottom of the box; make sure the glue hardens.

Next, apply a layer of tacky glue to the insides of the box using a paintbrush. Allow to dry.

Staining

Wood stains come in a wide variety of colors. Always follow the manufacturers directions. Stains, of course, will stain differently. The wood grain will determine how much stain will be absorbed. Leave the stain on for 1-2 minutes and then wipe for light stain or leave on for 5-10 minutes for a dark look.

Creating wooden keepsake boxes, carousel music boxes, ballerina music boxes, musical jewelry boxes, and other types of musical boxes is a fun and relaxing hobby. Antiquing, dry brushing, painting, chipboard boxes, and staining are just a few of the many things that can be done to create a music box to last a lifetime.

Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins

Established in May of 2005, http://www.My-Music-Box.com is a music box gift store specializing in products such as inlaid ballerina music boxes for ballerina rooms décor, whimsical carousel music boxes, and musical jewelry boxes. The company provides interesting information for music lovers of all ages. Owner Monique Hawkins is also the author of the blog “What You Never Knew About Music” http://whatyouneverknewaboutmusic.blogspot.com , and owner of the eBay store “Monique’s Music Box” at: http://stores.ebay.com/Moniques-Music-Box Monique can be contacted at (540) 858-2885.

My daughter had some incredible elementary school teachers. Each of them took photos of her throughout the year. With those photos I was able to create a school days scrapbook for her.

My other daughter did not have these photos as a base and so we started from scratch. I had saved all of her school photos grades K-12th. We created a cover page for each grade using one of her school photos.

Some grades we had photos of her teachers, other grades we did not. For the grades where we did not have photos of the teachers we either hand wrote or typed the teachers name and added the name to the scrapbook page. Even where we did have a photo of the teacher, we also added the name of the teacher.

As we went through our own personal photos, we found photos of school friends through out the years and added those to the appropriate school year.

When my daughter was in high school, she collected wallet sized photos from many of her friends. We were able to create many pages of her friend’s photos. One suggestion is to write the name of the person with the photo. Over time, we do tend to forget the names of those we attended school with. Have you as an adult, been to a 10 or 20 year high school reunion and recognized a face, but couldn’t put a name to it? So, add the names of the friends as you build the pages.

If you live in the same town as the school buildings, go and take a few photos of the school to add to the scrapbook.

We have moved many times over the years. Take photos of the houses associated with the various school years.

With small plastic sheet protectors, you can add items like report cards. We also have saved all awards both girls have received. All of these make wonderful additions to a school days scrapbook.

We have found many scrapbook kits, scrapbook stickers and scrapbook paper with a school days theme. These can be fun to add to your scrapbook.

Did you child write notes to the tooth fairy? I saved these to give to my kids when they were older. Consider adding these, again in a sheet protector to the school days scrapbook.

Your imagination is the only limitation to building a school days scrapbook that your child will cherish for years to come.

For many people, photos are at the heart of their scrapbooks — and for a very good reason. We all treasure photgraphs of friends and loved ones, and many of us carry some with us wherever we go in a wallet or locket or keep photos on our desk at work. And if disaster were to strike and you had to evacuate your house, many people say they would save their photo albums before any other possessions!

So most scrapbooks will contain photographs. Even the most disinterested reader of
your scrapbook will look at them. A picture really is worth a thousand words.
Therefore, it is important to choose photographs that are of good quality and clearly
illustrate your scrapbook theme.

Any photograph can be used in a scrapbook. Even instant photographs can be used
in scrapbooking. Just be careful that the chemicals within the photograph do not
spill out on the rest of your scrapbook. Digital pictures can easily be printed right
onto lignin-free and acid -free paper.

Always bear in mind that scrapbooking is permanent. For this reason, it is probably
better to use copies of your only picture of Great Aunt Betsy rather than risk ruining
the original photograph forever. So just scan the picture on your computer scanner
and print the image on lignin free and acid free paper.

Everybody loves looking at photos of family, friends and special places. That’s why
they have such a special place in any scrapbook. It can be a lot of fun to use photos
in imaginative layouts and for abstract effects — don’t feel confined just to
mounting your photos as you would in a traditional photo album.

You can find inspiration for new scrapbooking ideas from magazines and visits to
art museums. Just keep your eyes open and let your imagination run free!

Nigel Patterson is a writer on arts and crafts and the publisher of Create Your Own Scrapbooks.

Visit his website for new and imaginative scrapbooking tips and ideas — so you can
maintain your most treasured mementos and present them artistically for you, your
family and your friends to enjoy.

The Settlers of Catan has been the flagship for German Style Designer Games for many reasons, some of the main ones being its elegant simplicity and its depth of strategy. Your choice of strategies will influence your initial setup and overall game play. The separation of strategies that are outlined in this series is a bit artificial, but it is useful to understand the concepts behind them. In practice, players will use a combination of these strategies during gameplay. This article, the fifth in this series, will discuss four more commonly used Settlers of Catan Strategies.

The Card Builder Strategy

This strategy is similar to the Ore/Grain Strategy, as it involves getting Ore/Grain hexes and building two cities fast. Then, cranking out development cards. This player will get an inordinate number of Knight cards, allowing them to keep the robber off their hexes and get other resources by stealing from other players. Often, victory point cards will come up. At some point in the game, try for a third settlement or city. The largest army is practically guaranteed. Note that this strategy may not work very well in higher victory point games, or those Seafarers scenarios where extra victory points are awarded for getting to islands.

The Balance Strategy

This strategy strives for a balance in all five resources. Settlements can be built relatively quickly, and the player is less likely to be boxed in. Also, this strategy leads people to become more self-sufficient, and less likely to require trading. A 3:1 port could be very useful here.

This strategy is what a lot of players strive for in the initial setup. This is a powerful way to begin the game if you can do it, as it is easy to be flexible and change to another strategy later on.

The Common Resource Strategy

Every game usually has a very common resource, that no one in particular wants. This is usually wool, as it is often the odd man out. The Wood-Brick players and Ore-Grain players (the two most popular strategies) will only be trying for wool if it is convenient. A friend of mine sometimes likes to go after wool hexes, and calls it the “Sheep-O-Matic” strategy. Since both Ore-Grain and Wood-Brick strategies need wool, he can often trade somewhat easily. He goes for a wool port (the Sheep-O-Matic) to get cards he can’t trade for. He does best by combining this strategy with the Card Builder strategy. This would probably work well in Seafarers, where everyone needs wool for sails. This strategy doesn’t necessarily require wool, just any common resource that no one seems to want. You really need the port though, or you can kiss the game goodbye. This is similar to the Cartel strategy, which is discussed in Part 4 of this series.

The Straight Numerical Advantage Strategy

This strategy really tries to maximize production, without concentrating on any particular resource. Just get as much of anything. You may need to trade a lot, because you could end up with a strange mix. This works better in games with more people (more people to trade with). A 3:1 port is probably essential, if you have a varied mix of resources.

I put this in because some people use it, but this is not really a strategy. A good strategy is a plan to let you get the particular combination of resources you need to get certain victory points, which this does not do. This could be good in the initial setup as a short-term plan, before you figure out what other strategy you will need to win.

For more information about the game, please visit the author’s Settlers of Catan fansite. This series is based upon the Settlers of Catan Strategy and Tactics Guide, which is located at http://settlersofcatan.blogspot.com

Dan Kozarchuk is a self admitted board game junkie who has an obsession with designer board games, particularly the Settlers of Catan.

No time to scrapbook? Here are 9 ways you can make more time for scrapbooking.

1. Record your “why.” Make a list of all the reasons you love to scrapbook. What does it do for you
personally; for your family; for generations to come?. Ask your family and friends, “why are you glad
that I scrapbook?” The answers may surprise you. Scrapbook these answers and hang the finished piece
in your scrap space. Seeing the motivation hanging before you will make scrapbooking seem less self-indulgent.

2. Book it. Write in time for scrapbooking on your calendar or on your weekly to-do list. When you
schedule specific scrapbooking time, you may be more committed to keeping that time for yourself.

3. Let go. Remember that each page you scrapbook is a reflection of you at this moment, and sometimes
that means the layouts have to be simple and quick. It’s important to be able to let go of a layout without
holding yourself to a certain standard each time. Don’t taint the joy of scrapbooking by making it
one more thing you have to do.

4. Get inspired. If you feel like you aren’t getting enough accomplished or you’re feeling
burned out, find inspiration in fresh design books or a new magazine subscription. Or slam out some quick
pages with a page kit.

5. Fresh products. Subscribe to a monthly auto-ship kit. When you invest in your scrapbooking habit at
regular intervals, fresh ideas and inspiration — appropriate for the season, come right to your doorstep.

Encourage a few friends to
join and- viola - instant club! And you won’t spend so much time wandering the aisles of your local
crapbooking store (Unless of course you want to) because all of the supplies already coordinate.

6. Organize. Make your supplies and tools easy to get to and to find. Get the organizational system you
need to make the best use of your time. Tidy and organize your area as soon as you are finished with a
layout or project so it doesn’t become daunting to go there the next time.

7. Scrapbook with your family. Scrapbooking itself can create some magical family moments. Even young
children can get started with their own creations. I love to watch my children record their memories and
create cards for friends.

8. Start (or join) a scrapbook club. Get a few friends together to scrapbook at a regular time each week
or month. When we have someone that is waiting to meet us there, we are more inclined to hold the commitment.

9. Make it your business. Become a scrapbooking instructor or consultant. When you move from the spending
side of our favorite hobby to the earning side, you may be surprised how much family support you’ll get.
When scrapbooking is your hobby *and* your job, all of your creations become “demo pages,” too —
and that is multi-tasking at its finest.

Copyright 2005 by Susie Cortright
About the author:
Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com and Momscape’s
Scrapbooking Playground - sites devoted to celebrating life with children. Learn more about her scrapbooking club or about starting your own scrapbooking business on Susie’s team: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm

What is Hardanger embroidery?

Hardanger embroidery, also known as Hardangersøm
embroidery from Hardanger), originates from the Hardanger
region of Norway. It is a cutwork embroidery, traditionally
worked in white thread on white evenweave linen fabric.
Many people come to Hardanger embroidery from a
background of cross stitch. Hardanger, like most cross
stitch, is a counted embroidery. Hardanger offers new
challenges to cross stitchers as it has a much wider range
of stitches, and a very different look. While cross stitch is
pictorial, Hardanger is not: its designs are based around
pattern, texture and areas of openwork.

Historical Hardangersøm

The history of Hardanger is unclear, but it is likely that it was
originally created as a “homemade” version of the
needlelaces that were popular in the 1600s and 1700s in
Europe.

Early Hardangersøm was often worked in horizontal bands
in pieces such as aprons and ecclesiastical linen. It had
cutwork in simple shapes such as diamonds and triangles.
These were edged with satin stitch (klosters). They also
used cable stitch, often as a pulled thread stitch. There was
additional satin stitch to decorate, and eyelets (though not in
the centre of kloster block clusters). Along the edges of the
band was usually a section of needleweaving (a long drawn
thread section with hemstitched edges with threads woven
back together in patterns). The entire design usually had
four-sided stitch worked as a pulled thread stitch along the
tops and bottoms of these bands. Examples of work such
as this can be seen at Vesterheim Norwegian American
museum in Decorah, Iowa, and in a Norwegian book
entitled “Hardangersaum” by Gudrun Stuland, (Oslo:
Fabritius & Sonners Forlag, 1960).

Within the parameters described above, there was a large
amount of room for creativity in design. The designs are
hugely varied, and very beautiful. The filling stitches used in
the cutwork needleweaving were very simple - often just
plain woven bars, sometimes with knotted picots, or
diagonal twisted bars.

What has changed in contemporary Hardanger?

The buttonhole edge so common in contemporary
Hardanger did not develop until much later, and it is one of
the main things that has changed hardanger designing.
According to information collected by Lucy Lyons Willis, early
Hardangersøm stitchers never used a stitch like this
because it would have used up too much precious thread.
The buttonhole edge has meant that now Hardanger pieces
can be pretty much any shape you care to have! This is a
large difference from the original bands.

Colour of both thread and fabric is also a major difference
between old and contemporary Hardanger. Historical
Hardanger embroidery was traditionally a whitework
embroidery - using white thread on white fabric.
Contemporary designs sometimes use fabric which is
coloured or thread which is coloured. Often they incorporate
metallic threads, overdyed threads, and beading. The
palette of colours is limited only by one’s imagination and
the threads and fabric available. Contemporary Hardanger
sometimes is worked in combination with other techniques
such as cross stitch.

Contemporary Hardanger embroidery is often less intricate
than older pieces, but is used for a much wider range of
applications. Ornaments, cushions, tablecloths,
bookmarks, framed pieces, needlebooks and doilies are all
common applications for contemporary Hardanger.

Learning Hardanger embroidery

The best way to start learning Hardanger embroidery is by
enrolling in a class at a local shop, community college, or
embroiderers’ guild, or by using a step-by-step instruction
book such as “Hardanger Basics and Beyond” by Janice
Love, or “Elegant Hardanger Embroidery” by Yvette Stanton.
There are also basic instructions to be found at some
Hardanger focussed websites.

Hardanger is a great way to move further into embroidery,
such as from an introduction of cross stitch, which is where
many people first encounter the wonderful world of
embroidery. With its elegant cutwork designs, Hardanger is
a beautiful style of embroidery for stitchers to explore. Why
not try it today?

Yvette Stanton

http://www.hardanger.how.to

Author of “Elegant Hardanger Embroidery” and
“Mountmellick Embroidery: Inspired by Nature”

Yvette Stanton is passionate about historical styles of
embroidery, particularly whitework. She enjoys doing
embroidery, learning about embroidery, teaching
embroidery and writing about embroidery. Hardanger has
always been a particular favourite. To learn more about
Yvette’s books, designs, classes, products and her
embroidery tips, sign up for her newsletter “NeedleNews” at
her website.

Kafka lands resurrected in Crewe
deposited by a silvery alien craft,
And whilst he is wondering what to do
He is asked to show his pass
Or pay an instant one off fine
At a cash dispenser of his choice
And they are checking all the time
On his irises face and voice.

And of course they find that he is not,
They discover he just cannot be there,
Although he seems as if he is visible,
And has hands and toes and hair,
If he is not on the Great Data Bank,
He plainly and simply cannot be,
He is not listed and he is not ranked
He is surely not like you and me.

So they cant detain him in custody
But they do not have to let him go
He never ever happened, period
So who can ever tell, or know.
So on a lonely bench in quiet shade
He sits alone and unremarked,
Wondering what games they play,
Against the backdrop of the park.

And so, are we just the opposite,
Are we all consigned to hidden files,
Are machines deciding who we are,
Where we live, and when we smile,
Is nothing a certain and real fact,
Unless computer correlated true,
And should your dossier go into error,
How can you prove, you are really you.

How do you verify yourself for a loan,
If your ranking gets compromised,
How do you overturn all their data,
Making you a pariah in others eyes,
You may hold letters of validity,
They may grudgingly know its you,
Unless their system grants absolution,
There is nothing they can say or do.

So unless we are verifiable as sound,
And our image assuages Superhal,
No one will ever trust us again,
No one will ever want to be our pal,
But this is not like yesteryear,
When a quick query cleared your name,
Your questions are merely registered,
And you just get told how to complain.

Complaints are collated and quantified,
They are cross filed and referenced,
You must never lose this number,
And you must never take offence,
You are continually adjourned,
Or moved to yet another floor,
In the hope that you will falter,
From all that has gone before.

Meanwhile youre mugged, not statistically,
Contract MRSA, but its not on file,
Your children cannot read or write,
But their qualifications raise a smile,
You always hit potholes that dont exist,
To save waiting on trains that dont arrive,
But whose flexitimes prove you missed,
The only one late out of fifty five.

You cry out to be heard aloud,
But the echoes mock your voice,
You cannot afford the telephone,
Cant bypass enforced menus of choice,
Cannot contact a single human being,
By department, name or reason,
All this evolved like a dripping tap,
Season upon big brother season.

Then one day walking in solitude,
Your will to try nearly quenched,
There is the quiet of the shady park,
There is the man upon the bench,
Who looks at you knowingly,
And asks you if you ever read,
And says Then I am Kafka,
You Must Tell Me What You Need.

So He went up to their doors,
The Nameless Man with Faceless Face,
And bearded them in their hallowed den,
Their plush revered and holy place,
And caused unmitigated consternation,
As he either was not really there,
Or indeed actually physically existed,
Solidly sitting silent in his chair.

So they asked him what he would want,
If he were real and not mere illusion,
For his appearance was so inopportune,
His face and features causing confusion,
His DNA was an embarrassment,
Never born, nor listed, nor created,
Never taxed, treated, nor arrested,
Never receiving a non education.

So he stood up to his full height,
And drew up his deepest breath,
That made him seem immortal,
And made them all fear death,
And his mighty voice resounded,
So much the walls retained his words,
We want to be individuals again
We want to speak and to be heard,
We want our voice to really matter,
And we want to hear no more lies,
We want illusion swept away,
Replaced by council of the wise,
We want common sense to prevail,
And not statistical subterfuge,
Which tries to tell us its all ok,
When we know it must improve,
We want you to abdicate and take,
Your machines and Mandarins away,
And we want it done immediately,
Oh Yes, we want it done today.

Or else I will shine in prime time,
And then all will see its me,
The man who is not Kafka,
The man who simply cannot be,
Then where will your credibility go,
Will they ever listen to your pleas.
No, far better for you to go now,
And leave reality to me.

And they went away in disarray,
Whilst he heralded a new era,
No one knew who the hell he was,
But yet everything seemed clearer,
Everything was as it appeared,
Nothing hidden, no more of the lies,
And no one filed his disappearance,
When he finally left our skies.

They can media us its always fine,
Statistic prove what cannot be true,
They can try to justify their lies,
Attempt to airbrush history in two,
They may perceive us all as fools,
Force fed on false soap opera goals,
But cannot forever control our minds,
Nor assume they own our souls,
For Long term lies have multiplied,
And now are ringing empty and hollow,
What seemed so reasonable yesterday
Will be disproved upon the morrow,
And with these endless lies surfacing,
Just Like The Man Who Could Not Be,
The truth will slowly become visible,
And the truth will set us free.

Ex systems programmer living in England

When choosing which photographs to use for your scrapbooking project, it is best to pick photos of good quality.

Consider choosing only photos that clearly illustrate the theme you desire for your album. Digital pictures, instant photos and even black and white photographs can be used. It is important to be careful that the chemicals within the photos do not interfere with the rest of your scrapbook.

Some chemicals used in photos like lignin and acid in photo paper can lessen the preservation time of your scrapbook album. The safest pictures to use are digital photos simply because they can be easily printed out directly on lignin-free and acid-free paper. Keep in mind though that the pictures you choose to mount will become a permanent feature of your scrapbook. That’s why it is best to use copies of your most cherished photos. Just scan each picture on a computer scanner and be sure to print each image on lignin-free and acid-free paper for the best results.

To make your photos especially interesting, try using a photo editing software program to alter the look of your photos. Make that color photo black and white or try sepia for that old-fashioned look.

Cutting and cropping your images adds interest to your scrapbook pages and sends a special message to the viewer to take a closer look.

All in all, the way photographs are arranged and presented can enhance the overall look of your album and turn your project into a professional-looking memory album.

Jane Karwoski is a musician/songwriter and publisher of the e-book, “Scrapbooking Made Easy”. To discover the latest tips, tricks and helpful hints on scrapbooking and how fun and easy scarapbooking can be, sign up for the newsletter at www.scrapbooking-made-easy.com

It’s unbelievable how sewing machines can have an impact on your life. Without a sewing machine, there are no clothes to wear and you have to throw away for favorite clothes when there is a slight tear.

With all the technology that is out there you may not even think of using a sewing machine any more to make cloths or even to fix them. If you were to think about it when you use a sewing machine to fix some of your cloths that have a small rip in them you can really save a large amount of money in the long run.

If you are able to fix all those small rips and tears you are not going to be throwing out a lot of cloths that are repairable. Then if you are not throwing them out you are not going to need to spend more money to replace all the cloths that you did pitch out the door. To some people pitching out some ripped cloths is an advantage so that they have a good reason to go to the store to buy more cloths for their wardrobe.

If you are one of the many people that have a sewing machine and choose not to use it for some of the small tasks at hand then you may want to think about making a few different items with it. You are able to make some Halloween costumes with a sewing machine and then you are not going to end up spending lots of money on an item that you or your kids are only going to wear for one night of the year and probable never wear it again. If you were to figure out what it cost to buy a costume or even rent one and them compare it to making your own costume you are going to see that it does cost less to make the costume in the end.

With some of the technology that the sewing machines have now you are even able to purchase a sewing machine that can do embroidery on almost any material. If you are one of the ones that have a machine that does embroidery machine you are going to be able to personalize your coats and maybe some hats for yourself and your family if your wish.

In conclusion, it will be nice to have a sewing machine at home. However small it may be, it’s a handy item.

Learn more about sewing machines for free and why you should have one at:
http://www.1-sewing-machines.info

I have so many people come into my shop saying something like – I can’t even sew on a button. How sad it is that a whole generation has lost out on learning how to do just the basic skills of sewing.

Sewing a button on to clothes doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact I take just a few minutes to sew them on.

Here is the precise procedure that you can use to sew on buttons like a professional:

1. Pull the thread from the reel and pull out to arms length.

2. Now take your arm back in and pull the thread out a second time, so that you have a very long piece of cotton.

3. Fold the cotton into two making sure that the ends are even

4. You now have a fold one end and two joins the other end

5. Thread the two joins into the eye of the needle. (Lick the ends if necessary to moisten)

6. You will now have four threads in the needle.

7. Knot the end of the four threads. To make a knot I just roll the end of the cotton onto my finger and pull the thread through the hole in the cotton. Cut off the ends to the edge of the knot.

8. Sew the knot onto the fabric where you are going to sew the button going from the right side through to the wrong side

9. This means that the knot will be underneath the button

10. Bring the needle back through the fabric to where the knot is

11. Put the button on to the needle and push the button down on to the fabric, covering the knot

12. Now put the needle through the opposite hole on the button and back through to the opposite side of the fabric.

13. If you want to come back through one more time you can or you can knot off by putting the thread through itself and pulling the thread. Do this twice and cut the thread.

Once this is done, you should have a professionally looking button!

This article is written by Judith Turner, founder of GenieCentre.Com. Judith Turner has spent the last 9 years developing a professional clothing alteration system. She is also the Author of The Art of Pinning. Now, she’s developing self teach alteration manuals for anyone with a domestic sewing machine.

Sign up for a FREE weekly tips newsletter and find out more:

http://www.GenieCentre.com/