Valentine's Day is the perfect holiday to show the people in your life how much you care for them. Whether it's through cards, flowers, chocolates, or another way, gifts on Valentine's Day are a wonderful form of expression. Here are five excellent gift ideas you can use this Valentine's Day:
1. Everyone loves picture frames. Try something different this Valentine's Day by cutting a heart shape into a CD. You can use any CD you like, whether it's a blank disc, or an old CD you just never use any more. Place a picture of yourself or of you and your loved one together in the center of the heart shaped CD, with the shiny side facing up. You have now created a beautiful handmade gift that's simple, shiny, and something they will remember forever.
2. Girls love jewelry, so for the little girls in your life, try making a cute heart shaped Valentine's Day themed necklace. You can find little bottles shaped like hearts with bubbles or perfume in them, attached to a necklace at many craft stores. Apply your own heart to the center of the pendant and write any phrase you like such as "sweet one" or "I love you". They look adorable and have a nice custom touch when you create the heart label yourself.
3. Trinket and jewelry boxes are a Valentine's Day favorite. Spruce up an old tin by adding ribbon and printed phrases. Glue the ribbon around the edge of the tin, and use scrapbook or printed paper to apply to the top. Finish it off with some glitter and a pink ribbon, and you have a nice customized box that she'll love to put her jewelry or other trinkets in.
4. Handmade jewelry is another sentimental Valentine's favorite. Make pins using candy molds shaped like hearts and plaster of Paris. Mix the plaster well and pour it into the candy molds, and insert a small pin. When it's dry, remove it from the mold and paint it. Apply a clear glaze or glazing spray to give it a finished look and to protect the pin. You now have a beautiful home made piece of jewelry that's straight from the heart.
5. One of the most thoughtful Valentine's Day gifts is something called "Daily Love." Simply cut out small paper hearts using construction or sketch paper in different Valentine's Day colors. Then, write something on each heart that tells the other person why or how much you love them. Put the small hearts in a jar or a nice box, and your loved one can pull one out each day to be reminded of just how much you truly love and care for them.
20 Şubat 2009 Cuma
Five Great Ideas for Christmas Crafts
Christmas is the perfect time of year to start getting together with the family and coming up with some creative craft ideas. Not all gifts need to be store bought; in fact, some of the most cherished gifts many of us receive are the ones made by hand from our loved ones. You can come up with new ideas, or use some of the great Christmas craft ideas listed here. It's sure to be a hit and it is also a great way to make some special time together as a family.
Ornaments are a perfect Christmas craft. They are versatile, cute, and creative, and you make several in one batch to give as gift tags, stocking stuffers, or just as a single gift. A Christmas candy cane mouse ornament makes a wonderful addition to anyone's tree. It's easy to make with just gray and pink felt, googly eyes, yarn, and some hot glue. Cut the felt into a mouse shape and glue on the eyes and ears. Then, insert the candy cane into the mouse for the tail. It's cute, creative, and adorable.
Advent calendars are a fun way for children and adults alike to count down to Christmas day. You can make a Santa Claus advent calendar, using his beard as the days to count down. Simply make Santa's face out of construction paper or felt. Then, cut small slits in his beard, and attach white paper chains across and down. Each paper chain signifies one day, so you'll need to make a total of 24 and start removing them on December first. Once all of the pieces of Santa's beard are removed, it will be Christmas day!
Everyone loves gingerbread houses, but they can be rather difficult to make. If you want to make a tasty and easy alternative, try making miniature gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. They look authentic, and taste delicious. Plus, you can make more of them so some can be given away. Decorate them with icing and gumdrops and watch the graham crackers transform into tiny little houses. These are a fun craft to make for Christmas that also taste wonderful.
Another great Christmas craft idea is the reindeer candy jar. The kids can fill it with their favorite candies and give them as gifts at school. Simply take a clean, empty jar and wrap it with brown felt or construction paper. Decorate the front of one side with the reindeer's eyes, nose and mouth using pom-poms and glue, and wiggly eyes. Then, use small twigs and glue them onto the jar to serve as the antlers. Allow the glue to try and then fill them with nuts or candy, and you have a super cute and easy Christmas craft.
You can make a number of other great Christmas crafts with old Christmas cards, tinsel, greenery, or other items from last year if you wish. Take an old Christmas card and cut out the front, and glue it to an empty small jar. Then, insert a candle, and you have a homemade candleholder for the season. Use beads and safety pins to make a variety of different decorations or lapel pins. Popcorn garland and hand made stockings are just a couple of other ideas. Brainstorm and see what other great ideas for Christmas crafts you can come up with.
Ornaments are a perfect Christmas craft. They are versatile, cute, and creative, and you make several in one batch to give as gift tags, stocking stuffers, or just as a single gift. A Christmas candy cane mouse ornament makes a wonderful addition to anyone's tree. It's easy to make with just gray and pink felt, googly eyes, yarn, and some hot glue. Cut the felt into a mouse shape and glue on the eyes and ears. Then, insert the candy cane into the mouse for the tail. It's cute, creative, and adorable.
Advent calendars are a fun way for children and adults alike to count down to Christmas day. You can make a Santa Claus advent calendar, using his beard as the days to count down. Simply make Santa's face out of construction paper or felt. Then, cut small slits in his beard, and attach white paper chains across and down. Each paper chain signifies one day, so you'll need to make a total of 24 and start removing them on December first. Once all of the pieces of Santa's beard are removed, it will be Christmas day!
Everyone loves gingerbread houses, but they can be rather difficult to make. If you want to make a tasty and easy alternative, try making miniature gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. They look authentic, and taste delicious. Plus, you can make more of them so some can be given away. Decorate them with icing and gumdrops and watch the graham crackers transform into tiny little houses. These are a fun craft to make for Christmas that also taste wonderful.
Another great Christmas craft idea is the reindeer candy jar. The kids can fill it with their favorite candies and give them as gifts at school. Simply take a clean, empty jar and wrap it with brown felt or construction paper. Decorate the front of one side with the reindeer's eyes, nose and mouth using pom-poms and glue, and wiggly eyes. Then, use small twigs and glue them onto the jar to serve as the antlers. Allow the glue to try and then fill them with nuts or candy, and you have a super cute and easy Christmas craft.
You can make a number of other great Christmas crafts with old Christmas cards, tinsel, greenery, or other items from last year if you wish. Take an old Christmas card and cut out the front, and glue it to an empty small jar. Then, insert a candle, and you have a homemade candleholder for the season. Use beads and safety pins to make a variety of different decorations or lapel pins. Popcorn garland and hand made stockings are just a couple of other ideas. Brainstorm and see what other great ideas for Christmas crafts you can come up with.
Best Toys For Your New Puppy
You can’t have a puppy without puppy toys anymore than you would have a small child without toys. But you wouldn’t give an infant toys with small removable parts, bead eyes or long strings because those could pose serious safety hazards for your baby. Puppies are essentially baby dogs, so you need to use the same good judgment when you buy the best toys for your puppy as when you buy toys for your baby.
Do buy toys that your puppy will enjoy, though. They need the toys to chew on and to give them something stimulating to do. Without toys, they might decide that your shoe and the table leg are fun toys to chew on, instead. Be sure the toys don’t have any sharp edges. Puppies are still learning how to be coordinated and are still learning a sense of balance. Anything that could potentially harm them while they’re in this stage should be removed, and certainly no toys that could hurt them should be allowed.
You want to make sure that the toys aren’t too small. Just like a small baby will stick everything in its mouth without understanding the concept of choking, a puppy will chew on everything, too. Something too small, or something that could potentially be broken or chewed into small pieces, could be swallowed or lodged in your puppy’s throat.
The best place to find puppy toys to purchase is at a pet store. All of their toys are specially designed to be safe and fun for puppies. You can find toys designed to be good for them to chew when they’re teething, and toys in bright colors to stimulate puppies and interest them. Toys that move or roll are ideal. After about 3 months, a puppy will enjoy chewing. Its instinct is to chew, and it helps them cut teeth, just like infants. So anything that they can chew without destroying makes an ideal toy.
It’s not necessary to spend a fortune. Many toys you can find in the children’s department of a store will work well for puppies, too. Balls or cylinders that roll are ideal, as long as there are no small or moving parts and the material is not so soft that your puppy can easily destroy it by chewing. Make sure balls or any toys are not so small that they can become lodged in your puppy’s mouth or can be swallowed.
One of the best toys for puppies (and they make them for several other animals, as well) are Kong rubber toys. They’re a fun shape, and the hard rubber is ideal for enthusiastic chewing. The centers are hollow so you can fill them with dog treats to give your puppy special incentive for chewing.
Squeaky toy are fun for pups, too, but do keep an eye on their condition and throw them away when they show too much sign of wear. The “squeaker” is a small piece that could be potentially hazardous if it comes out.
Do buy toys that your puppy will enjoy, though. They need the toys to chew on and to give them something stimulating to do. Without toys, they might decide that your shoe and the table leg are fun toys to chew on, instead. Be sure the toys don’t have any sharp edges. Puppies are still learning how to be coordinated and are still learning a sense of balance. Anything that could potentially harm them while they’re in this stage should be removed, and certainly no toys that could hurt them should be allowed.
You want to make sure that the toys aren’t too small. Just like a small baby will stick everything in its mouth without understanding the concept of choking, a puppy will chew on everything, too. Something too small, or something that could potentially be broken or chewed into small pieces, could be swallowed or lodged in your puppy’s throat.
The best place to find puppy toys to purchase is at a pet store. All of their toys are specially designed to be safe and fun for puppies. You can find toys designed to be good for them to chew when they’re teething, and toys in bright colors to stimulate puppies and interest them. Toys that move or roll are ideal. After about 3 months, a puppy will enjoy chewing. Its instinct is to chew, and it helps them cut teeth, just like infants. So anything that they can chew without destroying makes an ideal toy.
It’s not necessary to spend a fortune. Many toys you can find in the children’s department of a store will work well for puppies, too. Balls or cylinders that roll are ideal, as long as there are no small or moving parts and the material is not so soft that your puppy can easily destroy it by chewing. Make sure balls or any toys are not so small that they can become lodged in your puppy’s mouth or can be swallowed.
One of the best toys for puppies (and they make them for several other animals, as well) are Kong rubber toys. They’re a fun shape, and the hard rubber is ideal for enthusiastic chewing. The centers are hollow so you can fill them with dog treats to give your puppy special incentive for chewing.
Squeaky toy are fun for pups, too, but do keep an eye on their condition and throw them away when they show too much sign of wear. The “squeaker” is a small piece that could be potentially hazardous if it comes out.
Buying Diamonds Online
With all of the potential for scams concerning diamonds, buying diamonds online almost seems unthinkable! However, you actually can purchase diamonds online, without any problems – as long as you are careful.
First, think about your reasons for wanting to purchase the diamond online, as opposed to making a purchase from a local jewelry store. The most common reason is price.
Due to low overhead costs, online jewelers and wholesalers are able to offer lower prices. However, you must be careful – sometimes a price that is too low is a sure indication of a scam.
One of the best things about purchasing online is the unlimited selection. When shopping offline, you are limited to the selection in the stores in your general area. Online, there are no limits. But again, you must use a great deal of care and consideration before handing your money over to someone that you cannot see and have never met!
Before shopping, learn as much as you can about diamonds – especially cut, color, clarity and carat weights. When you are knowledgeable about diamonds, it will be harder for a con artist to rip you off. Once you know more about diamonds, you will be ready to start shopping.
Take your time. Don’t purchase the first diamond that you see that interests you. Instead, look for similar diamonds for sale. Do some comparison shopping to find the lowest prices. Once you have found the lowest price, start doing your investigation.
You know about diamonds, you’ve found a diamond that you love, and you’ve found the lowest price – but you are still quite a ways away from actually purchasing that diamond!
Ask about the seller’s credentials, such as professional jewelry associations that they belong to. View and print the seller’s return, refund, and upgrade policies. Also inquire about additional services, such as settings and mountings, sizing, and free shipping. Do a search for customer reviews on this particular company around the Internet. Also check with the BBB Online to see if there have been any complaints.
Ask for a diamond grading report from an independent laboratory such as GIA, HRD, EGL or AGS. You should see this before making a purchase. Finally, use a reputable escrow service for high dollar diamonds – preferably one that will have the diamond appraised while it is in their possession. The seller sends the diamond to the escrow service, and you send the money to pay for the diamond to the escrow service. The escrow service has the diamond appraised, sends the diamond to you, and sends the money to the seller. This is the surest way to protect yourself…again, make sure that you use a reputable escrow service!
First, think about your reasons for wanting to purchase the diamond online, as opposed to making a purchase from a local jewelry store. The most common reason is price.
Due to low overhead costs, online jewelers and wholesalers are able to offer lower prices. However, you must be careful – sometimes a price that is too low is a sure indication of a scam.
One of the best things about purchasing online is the unlimited selection. When shopping offline, you are limited to the selection in the stores in your general area. Online, there are no limits. But again, you must use a great deal of care and consideration before handing your money over to someone that you cannot see and have never met!
Before shopping, learn as much as you can about diamonds – especially cut, color, clarity and carat weights. When you are knowledgeable about diamonds, it will be harder for a con artist to rip you off. Once you know more about diamonds, you will be ready to start shopping.
Take your time. Don’t purchase the first diamond that you see that interests you. Instead, look for similar diamonds for sale. Do some comparison shopping to find the lowest prices. Once you have found the lowest price, start doing your investigation.
You know about diamonds, you’ve found a diamond that you love, and you’ve found the lowest price – but you are still quite a ways away from actually purchasing that diamond!
Ask about the seller’s credentials, such as professional jewelry associations that they belong to. View and print the seller’s return, refund, and upgrade policies. Also inquire about additional services, such as settings and mountings, sizing, and free shipping. Do a search for customer reviews on this particular company around the Internet. Also check with the BBB Online to see if there have been any complaints.
Ask for a diamond grading report from an independent laboratory such as GIA, HRD, EGL or AGS. You should see this before making a purchase. Finally, use a reputable escrow service for high dollar diamonds – preferably one that will have the diamond appraised while it is in their possession. The seller sends the diamond to the escrow service, and you send the money to pay for the diamond to the escrow service. The escrow service has the diamond appraised, sends the diamond to you, and sends the money to the seller. This is the surest way to protect yourself…again, make sure that you use a reputable escrow service!
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