Content Maker Network Blog

For a long, long time, men and women have employed the magic of elephant artistry, including elephant figurines, to attract to themselves great luck. The symbolism the elephant projects is one that not a lot of people are ignorant of. Much like their historical kin, mammoths, elephants are revered and praised for the energetic energies they give to their masters.

Strength and Power: There will not be a test on this, but hopefully you don’t have to stretch too far to visualize this one. Lions and tigers are even frightened of elephants due to their sheer strength and power. When a really gigantic job must be performed and modern tools are not obtainable, the elephant receives the first call.

Perseverance: In order to accomplish great things in life, men and women needs to besiege themselves with symbols of perseverance. Mayhap its obstinacy or faith, but the elephant is incredibly relentless equated to numerous other animals. Elephants travel hundreds of miles every year, in dreadful heat, not having water, in order to progress to water-filled streams. In household decoration, certain types of hydro-artistry, like a copper fountain, is utilized to symbolize these rivers and water reservoirs that elephants migrate so far to drink from.

Patience / Wisdom: If you’re seeking a powerful animal that also utilizes high levels of intellect, look no further than this beast. Although some animals live in solitude, elephants have the sapience to use hierarchical societies and relationships.

Dignity: As it is so large, the elephant is not able to conceal itself really well. It grew into a beast to be exposed to the world and beloved by all. Elephants will not tip-toe about the jungle or be quiet due to the fact that they don’t want to hurt other lesser animals. For this reason, the elephant is looked at as being extremely self-respecting and magnificent.

Throughout history, and in many distinct cultures, the elephant has consistently symbolized Power, Persistence, Wiseness, and Self-respect. Use the elephant in your household or cubicle to experience comparable gains this instant.

The mainstream artworld has had a love/hate relationship with graffiti. On the plus side, creatives like Banksy have made walls a place to put a political point across, utilising stencils to create technically difficult graphics loaded with political messages attached. This kind of graffiti was certain to get trendy with the public and the art critics : visually pleasing and intellectually satisfying. This kind of graffiti is even purchased as prints on canvas, and hung in suburban homes and office reception areas.

All the same, what about the other end of the spectrum? – the gangbanger, the tagger, the street urchin – this is just seen as antisocial, a crime perpetrated by the talentless. But is graffiti just an artform? To many individuals, it’s not just art, but a method to put your stamp on territory, or even a rejection of society altogether : anti-art, anti-social, anti-establishment.

Spraying has invariably been a secret pursuit, even though the effects are public facing. The intended audience is often unknown. Is it for a rival crew? A communication to an individual? To the public? Or….possibly it’s merely uncalled-for and out of boredom.

Whatever the reasons, there appears to be a perpetual demand to spray graffiti on walls. Some cities have conceded that graffiti isn’t a fad, so they’ve marked off zones where graffiti is allowed – usually uninhabited areas, but now and then busier areas like temporary boarding that surrounds urban construction sites.

As a craft project, set out toothpicks too and different sizes of marshmallows so that the kids can make edible snowmen creatures using a small, medium and large marshmallow. Decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles or float them in hot cocoa.

Kids can make their own wrapping paper. It adds a very cute and personal touch. Check out these do it yourself Christmas Ideas for wrapping paper and matching note cards for the kids to make-

Purchase plain, round candles (about 3 inches wide by 6 inches tall). White or beige makes the chosen decorations stand out the most but just about any color will do.

• Using plain white paper and paint with finger paint, glitter, markers, stickers, etc.
• Wrap the homemade edible gifts (homemade cookies, candy, cakes) with take-out menus. Try to use big ones in colors.
• Wrap gifts in brown craft paper or butcher paper and decorate by attaching pinecones or cinnamon sticks. Top off with raffia ribbon for a natural look.
• Wrap gifts in the colorful comics section of the Sunday paper. Or use the style section with color photos from fashion shows.
• Using wallpaper scraps, make gift wrap. Cut smaller pieces to use as matching gift tags.

A friend of mine bought a robotic vaccum cleaner as a gag. It’s actually pretty fun to watch it semi randomly roaming around the room. It seems to have about 15 different direction change sequences, which allow it to eventually cover about 98% of a small area before the battery runs out.

Well, this friend has a pool table and one day when the table was looking a little shabby, we decided to try using the robotic vacuum cleaner on it. The thing did an absolutely awesome job. Fun to watch too, or did I already mention that? Well pretty soon we started seeing how good an 8 ball player the unit was. We set up a rack, and let the robot do its thing.

It eventually broke the rack and proceeded to clean up the table. While pushing balls in all over the place, it’s tiny little brushes were scooping up all the ashes, dog hairs, and other detritus that accumulate on tables over time. Then it dawned on me, while this relatively cheap $150 cleaner wasn’t too useful in a typical house, it was perfect for the tedious job of cleaning 10 tables at a pool hall.

While you may still need a brush to get under the edges, just sweep the mess out in the middle and let your little robot take care of it. It also seems to raise the nap of the felt, so you should start out with the vacuum mode on high.

Terry Weadock
Megasportinggoods.com

There are two ways of looking at a gearbox and it depends primarily on the user. Generally gearboxes are classified by their rations. There are additional characteristics about the various types of gearboxes that are more technical than I wish to get into at this stage.

Suffice it to say we want to narrow down the types of ratios available to the Hobbyist that are direct, simple and easy to follow for the beginner to the expert hobbyist.

We are dealing primarily with Brass Steam Locomotives and the original gearboxes that came with the engine versus replacing those gearboxes with better equipment. Ratios vary from very slow to high speed. Over the last 50+ years the gear boxes have not necessarily been standardized. The general ratios are 27:1 or 28:1 for high speed and 36:1 or 37:1 for low speed. However, some of the locomotives produced in Asia came with odd ball ratios of 41:1 which made the engine crawl at best.

The gearbox alone dose not necessarily make the engine run faster or slower. It depends on the can motors rpm values and torque values. For example, if I wanted a 2-10-2 locomotive to run at scale standard speed with a load I would most likely chose a gear ratio of 28:1 and a can motor of 12.5 rpm with a good torque value. Generally the size of the motor will determine the torque value. Most can motors will fit in a 2-10-2 locomotive.

I am not found of the lower ratio gearboxes but would rather chose a can motor that meets my needs. This is a prejudicial decision and is not necessarily the desire of anyone hobbyist. I prefer the 27:1 or 28:1 ratio gearboxes with the right can motor to control my speeds.

The other ingredient that is necessary for this system to work is the gear located on the main driver of the steam engine. This gear is the same ratio that you would choose for you gearbox. The gearbox actually rides on the main driver gear. Without getting into the particulars of the can motor to the gearbox it should be noted that the motor shaft to the gearbox shaft must be stabilized so the gearbox does not try and spin around the main gear. That is the means of attaching the two together to incorporate the power to gearbox mechanism. In another article I will explain the drive shaft particulars and the types of mechanism that are available to accomplish this task.

It should be noted that there are manufacturers of gearboxes and the like who have catalogs to help you determine the type of gearbox you are looking for. I would like to make it clear that for example, a 28:1 gearbox may have several characteristics about them that make for different uses for different engines. This is where the catalog comes in as very handy reference guide.

Joy Ball has been involved in the restoration and maintenance of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Through her years of expertise, Mrs. Ball has perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotive to the running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas. It should be noted that the above article was written by Joy’s husband Michael Ball. Receive her free newsletter at http://www.brasslocomotiveworks.com.

Summer is coming, and the kids will soon be out of school. Mom’s and dad’s everywhere will soon here “I am board; I don’t have anything to do.” Give them a lesson and a project that will teach them a skill, and provide them a physical memory of time spent with mom and dad or one another.

My friend and his wife have four children from four to twelve. While they were visiting, my web site (www.stoveramishfurniture.com), they saw a few small piece of unfinished Amish Furniture. Now it would have been just as easy to pay a little extra and have the pieces finished, but they thought “Why not let the kids do it?” So as a summer project for the kids, they bought four different pieces of Amish Furniture. They then set aside a space in the garage for the projects. Each child was given a role in the finishing. The youngest two where thought to sand a clean each piece. The oldest two went to the library and the hardware store to find books on finishing the projects. They were all given a schedule and a planned completion time.

The kids were surprisingly really industrious. When I visited they reminded me of Amish Craftsmen, by the care they took in each of their operations. Those four pieces took roughly three weeks and about thirty-five hours to finish.

What really surprised my friends was that the kids turned there work into a business. They went out into the neighborhood and started collecting piece from their neighbors to finish. They did several chairs and a few tables, and made enough money for each to enjoy activities on vacation.

Amish Furniture is born of Amish Tradition. A tradition is something passed on from parent to child, a lesson that will be remembered for a life time. Amish families instill great values in their children, through hard work and lots of love. By purchasing a piece of Amish furniture, like my friends did, your family will become a part of that tradition. Your family will have a lasting piece of furniture that will provide a memory of when parent and child worked together and lessons where learned. Visit www.stoveramishfurniture.com for unfinished furniture projects.

John Stover

Berenike’s Majesty

The loveliness that crowned her youth,

Swept the grounds with all its roots;

With gentle years and womanhood

With lazy-days and laughs of grace;

Now passes by her majesty.

Her breasts triumphant for a life of flesh

Defiant in her pose, Love was captured,

And love was lost, but proudly her child

Did growHer child’s her victory, Her

New tranquil majesty….

#1055 1/3/06 Chapter #15,

of: “The Sylphlike of Alexandra”

Sinful Games

Stubborn, are our sins

Faint, is our memory

Of them!…

Like a vapor, that

Surrounds our will;

Tears do not cleanse

Our sins,

Only covers them.

We sink through shadows

Nibbling, here and there;

Sly we think we are

With our hidden desires.

We squeeze the juices

Out of our brains

To play life’s sinful games.

#1056 1/3/06 Part of Chapter #16,
of: “The Sylphlike of Alexandra” 278 BC

Coldhearted Swan

“I will not cry,” the child-bride scorned

Silent as stone, to marry a man

so very, very old….

“I’m so-beautiful,” she cried, eyes

Wide, her heart in protest:

“Father must I marry,” in a haunted

pose, she arouse.

“Life’s near fair in eternal splendor;

But not so, in the real world.”

And like a swan, she covered

Her wings, and become his trophy

his cold-hearted thing.

#0157 1/4/06: from the story “Kush, Land of he Bow,”
Part Two to “The Sylphlike of Alexandra” 525 BC, Chapter #5

See Dennis’ web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com see http://www.alibris.com for Dennis’ books

Are you ready to learn how to start scrapbooking, but aren’t sure where to start? Well, you’re in the right place – here is a quick-start guide on how to start scrapbooking.

Scrapbooking is a popular method of preserving and presenting your photos and memoirs. It’s a great hobby that anyone can enjoy.

In order to start scrapbooking, there are six items you must have. Here are the required items:

1. Photos or memorabilia: Scrapbooking starts with your photos and memoirs. Choose photos or memoirs that are meaningful to you and your family.

2. An acid free, lignin free album: There are a LOT of album choices. To keep your photos safe over time, you must have a good album with acid-free, lignin-free pages.

3. Page protectors: These are required to protect the finished pages in your album. Fingerprints and food are NOT good for photos.

4. Photo-safe adhesive: You must find a good photo-safe adhesive, look for one that you like to use.

5. Black pigma ink pen: Journaling is what adds life to scrapbooking pages. These pens are safe for journaling in scrapbooks.

6. Scissors: Sometimes you need to crop (or cut) photos to emphasize certain subjects. It’s necessary to have a great pair of scissors to use when starting a scrapbook project.

Once you’ve completed your scrapbooking needs list, it’s time to start scrapbooking.

The first step to start scrapbooking is to organize your photos and memoirs. You can organize your photos chronologically or by theme or by any method of your choice. It’s your choice, it’s your decision!

After you have your photos sorted, it’s time to start planning your page. The simplest way to plan a page is to place your photos on the album page and move them around as desired until you find a layout that appeals to you. Once you’ve found a layout that you like, it’s time to use your photo-safe adhesive and glue your photos on the album page. Spend a few minutes writing about the photos (this is your journaling). When you’ve finished journaling and have the photos glued on, you are ready to slide on a page protector and that’s it! You just mastered how to start scrapbooking! Easy, wasn’t it?

With the six scrapbooking must have items – photos, album, page protectors, photo-safe adhesive, black ink pen and scissors – you are prepared to start scrapbooking! Happy Scrapping!

Kim Monaco is a mommy who loves to craft. She’s been scrapbooking for over 20 years, and absolutely loves the great scrapbooking choices available in the market today. She shares crafting tips and more at her website http://www.learncraftsonline.com

Happy Crafting!

The Great Depression brought down the economy for a time and brought about the idea of cookie jars. The first decorative jars that attracted the American public first appeared in the 1930s. These were the products of what seemed to be a natural reaction for the decline in the stock market. Instead of frequenting the bakery shops, people resolved to bake breads and cookies in their own houses.

Once the cookies are done, they must be kept in a container to lengthen shelf life. To do this, the elements that may dry out moist cookies and soften dry ones must be eliminated. This was the primary reason why decorative cookie jars easily found favor in American households rather than the coffee tins and a variety of make-do materials.

Cookie jars are made out of different mediums. Some of which are metal, plastic, wood and glass but the most acceptable among enthusiasts are the ceramic cookie jars. The largest portion of these ceramic jars is crafted using earthenware, normally the white category. Redware is also an earthenware that is mostly used by Japanese cookie manufacturers. There are also yellowwares but they seldomly sought after cookie jar making.

A selected few are made out of porcelain but they are rather expensive than ordinary jars. Still others are made from stonewares, most of which are manufactured by Western Stoneware Company in Monmouth, Illinois. This medium is primarily used in making crockeries.

Though there are debates on which earthenware must be used in cookie jar making, this issue has lesser importance than the forms of decorations applied to the jars. Ceramic cookie jars normally go through this typical process:

- glaze
– paint
– paint and glaze combination
– transfer and glaze combination
– combination of all three materials.

Among these five finishes, the glaze is the most durable. Simply put, glaze is minute particles of clear or colored glass that is suspended using a liquid agent. This is applied on cookie jars by means of brushing, dipping or airbrushing. However, the major problem with glaze is crazing. The manifestations of which are the tiny cracks on the body or a portion of the jar surface.

Unlike glaze, pain or cold paint is never fired. It can be either applied directly on the glaze or on the bisque. Like ordinary painting, the paint on the jar often deteriorates. This may be due to extreme temperature, exposure to sunlight, humidity and contact with other objects. This process can never be stopped once the onset becomes visible.

The standard rule of thumb in handling painted cookie jars is not to wash them with water. This will further aggregate the fading of the color.

Transfer designs, so long as they were done in the proper manner, may be a much better option than that of the painted ones. This is true because transfer designs hold up much stronger than the paints. But they are far more susceptible to damage from foreign elements than the glazes. Transfer-decorated cookie jars that are undergoing premature deterioration is partly due to the transfer design, rather than the glaze.

Mold companies seem to have recognized the importance of improving these processes. They have been developing broader selections of finishing methods for jar crafters. This is partly due to the need for improvement and partly because of the growing popularity of cookie jar collecting.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides cookie jar resources on http://www.your-cookie-jar.info.