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African Art Makes Its Way Into Home Dcor November 11th, 2009

Author: Rblegair
Source: articledashboard.com

Until recently the closest people got to African art and home d?cor was buying safari drapes or a leopard print bedspread. Today, however, is a much different story. The art form that inspired and captivated world-renowned artists such as Picasso is now finding itself in more museums around the world but also in the homes of average citizens.

“African Art is presenting itself as being unique, something that stands out, bringing warm and richness to any room. Basically, it creates a contemporary decorating trend based on an old, deep-rooted culture,” says Joseph Bilson.

And Mr. Bilson should know. He’s the founder and owner of afrikboutik.com, a popular site that sells African art along with a host of other genuine African products.

“African Art has been steadily gaining popularity. Those who have never collected African Art are now becoming African art collectors and purchasing other items they never did before like African masks or sculptures. What’s even more interesting is that people are using traditional African musical instruments like djembes drums in their decorating too,” he says.

So why is there a growing trend beyond the typical cheetah throw pillow? One reason could be the increase in African art in general. U.S. museums, both major and small, feature more African Art exhibits today than in years past. More people in turn are exposed to the various designs of African art, which include: Abstract (changed from nature, simplified), Exaggerated (where features are emphasized), Distorted (with features that are elongated, enlarged), Patterned (designs are repeated) or Natural Pigments (earth tones and pigments from nature).

Much of the African art today has a unique simplicity yet is mixed with clarity of form and detail, along with complexity of composition. Additionally, many pieces have balance and symmetry smoothness in its finish. What that means to the average home decorator is that African art is so vast in style that there’s something that appeals to everyone’s taste. Be sure to visit
www.afrikboutik.com

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Waxing Poetic: Encaustic Art November 11th, 2009

Author: Eileen Bergen
Source: articleage.com

Waxing Poetic: Encaustic Art By: Eileen Bergen
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting,
involves using heated beeswax to which resins and colored
pigments are added. This results in a paste like meduim which is
applied to a surface such as prepared wood or canvas.

Encaustic painting methods were invented by the ancient Greeks
and Egyptians. The word is Greek for “burnt in”. A reason for
its popularity was the durability of the finish when dry. It
resists atmospheric conditions and was used to protect
sculptures.

However it was almost a lost art form until recently.

To make the encaustic medium, you combine beeswax with resins,
such as copal, dammar and linseed oil. Dry pigments are then
added to the mixture. Each artist develops his own special
mixture to best suit his technique or style.

Once the mixture is right, heat must be applied to make the
encaustic medium fluid enough to apply. The proper application
of heat is what makes encaustic so difficult to master.

Electric hot plates, irons, heat lamps and even flame torches
are used to fuse the encaustic mixture to the canvas and to
allow the surface to be manipulated. Many artists maintain it
takes up to two years of determined experimentation to get the
process perfected. It’s not surprising that there are not many
artists using encaustic techniques today.

Encaustic is a demanding organic medium which engages the artist
in a process of controlled accidents with unpredictable results
that can be selectively enhanced.

It is a medium that provides a seductive skin that is unusually
malleable and changeable. It can evoke sensations and emotions
of transformation, religious ritual, history and the passage of
time in the hands of an accomplished artist.

Encaustic is a truly introspective art form.

For examples of encaustic art, please visit http://www.theartful
crafter.com/encaustic.html

By: Eileen Bergen The Artful Crafter
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

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Hand Made Dramatic Cut-Away Greeting Card November 11th, 2009

Author: Kira Enari
Source: articleage.com

Create a affecting hand-made greeting agenda with a elastic brand and white colorant ink, using atramentous card-stock on white card-stock. This simple activity gets best Wow! for alone a little effort. The cut-out address may be congenital into anthology pages for absolutely absorbing results. Just stamp, cut-cut-cut, and glue!
Supplies

Elastic Brand (2″ or beyond recommended)
White Colorant Ink Pad
Atom Paper
5 1/2 x 4 1/4″ atramentous agenda stock
5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ white agenda stock, denticulate to bend into 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ card
Bottled Brand Cleaner
Cardboard Towels
Clean, dry acrylic pad (optional)
Ability Knife
Acid Mat
Cement Stick

Lay down atom cardboard to assure the plan surface. Brand angel assimilate atramentous agenda banal using the white colorant ink. Whether the angel is centered or placed to one ancillary or the added is a amount of claimed preference. No amount area the angel is stamped, the agenda will about-face out spectacular. Allow the formed angel to dry, or calefaction set with a calefaction embosser or even a draft dryer.
Clean the rubberstamp using the bottled brand cleaner. Open the bottle, tap it assimilate the brand so that the elastic is saturated. Tap the brand assimilate a cardboard anhydrate to abolish the pigment. Repeat if necessary. Scrub the elastic brand on the acrylic pad to thoroughly abolish any colorant residue. Tap the brand cleaner assimilate a cardboard anhydrate to abolish any colorant on it. Befitting your stamps apple-pie ensures the next blush acclimated will be chargeless of added colorant and will aswell prolong the stamp’s life.
When the angel is dry abundant to handle, abode the atramentous agenda banal on the acid mat. Accomplish abiding the ability knife brand is actual aciculate so the cuts will be clean. Holding the agenda banal abiding with one hand, activate authoritative accidental cut-outs in the agenda banal about the formed image. When cutting, authority the ability knife so that the brand is as abutting to accumbent with the cardboard as possible–this maximizes the acid bend acquaintance to accomplish acid easier. Start about 1/4″ abroad from the angel and cut out triangles, stripes or even boxes, befitting the cut-outs agnate in appearance and admeasurement while alive out to the bend of the cardstock. Leave about a 1/4″ allowance for a border. It isn’t all-important to admeasurement or be exact, just adequately consistent.
Turn the atramentous agenda banal over assimilate a section of atom cardboard so that the angel is adverse down. Authority the agenda banal abiding with one duke and run the cement stick over the aback of the atramentous agenda stock. Carefully lift the atramentous carstock and position glue-side down on the alfresco of the white cardstock card. Press durably in the centermost and out to the edges, blame out any air bubbles.
Try the cut-out address using altered colors of cardboard and ink. This cut-away address aswell works accurately to anatomy a picture, or even bury an absolute image.
Kira Enari is a cardboard ability enthusiast.

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The Shih Tzu's Relationship To The Pekingese October 31st, 2009

Author: Connie Limon -
Source: articledashboard.com

Some westerner breeders challenge the assumption that the Shih Tzu from Tibet were on occasion interbred with the native Pekingese to reduce the Shih Tzu to a smaller size. However, there are those in China at the time who probably have a better position to know exactly what did happen. There are several statements made by different people who was actually in China at the time the Shih Tzu were crossed with the Pekingese. Colonel Valentine Burkhardt for one points out that the Shih Tzu were most definitely crossed with the Pekingese. The Chinese did not breed by pedigree. They bred according to the image they had of the Lion Dog. Cross-breeding with the Pekingese was apparently done to reduce the size of the Shih Tzu. It is also felt the cross-breedings occurred to flatten the forehead, making it more lion-like in Chinese eyes.

There was a definite “Peke cross” in England in 1952 with the specific purpose of eliminating certain faults in the breed. The cross was done with the full knowledge of the British Kennel Club. This cross was made under the supervision of Miss E.M. Evans, a distinguished breeder of the Pekingese, who grew to love the Shih Tzu and felt a conviction that this step was necessary for the betterment of the breed in England. In defense of her action, she explained that the Shih Tzu in her homeland of England were “too large, too high on leg, too long of muzzle with very bad pigmentation and too closely inbred.” Miss Evans bred a Shih Tzu bitch, Elfann Fenling of Yram, to a beautifully coated black and white Pekingese, Philadephus Suti T’Sun of Elfann, who had perfect pigment and large dark eyes. His only fault was straight legs. The offspring of this outcross were bred back to purebred Shih Tzu, one from each generation, and the successive breedings were fully recorded with the British Kennel Club in the crossbred register. This outcross proved to be quite successful in correcting the pigmentation and creating the shorter leg Shih Tzu.

During this time period the Shih Tzu were mostly terribly big, near 18 pounds in weight. The smallest one found by Mrs. Jungefeldt was black and white named Fu-Ling of Clystvale. He was low on legs, strong chest and weighed about 9 ? pounds, and probably the smallest Shih Tzu in England at the time.

This article is FREE to publish with resource box.

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Natural Colorants For Handmade Soap October 28th, 2009

Author: Staci Marquez-Nichols
Source: ezinearticles.com

As a soapmaker, you’ll notice that many soaps will naturally turn out different colors. For example, whenever I’ve added honey to soap, the soap has turned honey-colored. If it is important to you, like it is to me, that your soap is 100% all-natural, you’ll be disappointed with many of the available soap dyes. Why? Because they contain the same chemicals used to color commercial soaps-namely FD&C colors (FD&C stands for Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics). These are also the ingredients used in food coloring. Some of the known side effects of FD&C colorants include:

FD&C Red #40 causes lymphomas and tumors

FD&C Yellow #5 (used in Dial soap) causes allergies, thyroid tumors, lymphomas, chromosomal damage, triggers asthma, hives, and hyperactivity

FD&C Yellow #6 causes hives, runny nose, nasal congestion, bronchial constriction, anaphylactic reaction, bruising, allergies, and kidney tumors.

FD&C Green #3 (used in Irish Spring soap) causes bladder tumors

FD&C Blue #2 causes brain tumors

The only color-true natural soap dyesout thereare annatto seed (orange), alkanet root (magenta), ratanjot (purple), spirullina, seaweed/kelp (all green), vanilla extract, coffee, cocoa powder (all deep brown), red and/or white wine (both make soap pink), carrot juice (orange), pureed cucumber (green), and tomato (peach). These colorants definitely hold up in handmilling and may stand up in cold processing. I also know for sure that beets (reddish-pink) do not work in coloring soap whether used in cold-processing or handmilling. Turmeric (bright yellow) and paprika (orange) can also be used to dye soap with pretty good results.

The only natural soap dyes that I know of made commercially are available from TKB Trading, Cranberry Lane, andSun Feather Natural Soap Co. TKB Trading offers oil-based natural dyes: oil-based blue (from blue gardenia flowers), oil-based green (from chlorophyll–the stuff that causes grass stains), oil-based red (from beetles or “carmine”–this one is not vegan), and oil-based yellow (from annatto seed). Be aware that TKB Trading has a $20 minimum for orders. Cranberry Lane offers Ratanjot (purple) and Annatto Seeds (yellow). Sun Feather offers powdered natural pigments, which are made of pulverized minerals and plant material. Their offerings include: yellowish-brown (brown ochre), bright white (titanium dioxide), purple (ultramarine purple), earthy green (chromium oxide), earthy yellow (yellow ochre), bright blue (ultramarine blue), and earthy yellow (yellow sienna).

Furthermore, most all color in soap will fade over time. Ironically, reds are known for bleeding. Mineral pigments (and micas) are more likely to fade in the light than others. Do not use things that are not made for soaps, cosmetics, or food, such as crayons, candle dyes, or paint.

For more information on this and other soapmaking topics, go to How2MakeSoap.Net. This website also offers free soapmaking video tutorials, pictures of the soapmaking process, free beginner soap recipes, and a 50-page soap “how to” ebook for $12.99. The ebook includes 39 one-pound soap recipes, 60 soapmaking pictures, and details on how to make your own soap recipes.

http://how2makesoap.net

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What To Do If Your Newborn Has Jaundice? October 27th, 2009

Author: Michelle Higgins
Source: isnare.com

Don’t panic if your doctor tells you that your newborn baby has jaundice. Jaundice in a newborn baby is a common condition.

Most newborns have normal physiological jaundice and in very rare cases is the jaundice due to serious liver disorders.

Why my baby?

The blood cells in your baby’s body are broken up into a yellow pigment called bilirubin. The level of bilirubin needs to be kept normal by the liver and kidneys by excreting it in the baby’s poop. But the liver of a newborn baby is not very mature. So bilirubin levels rise in the blood causing yellow pigmentation of the skin.

More than 90% of newborn babies are affected by normal physiological jaundice. So relax. This type of jaundice is seen usually on second or third day of the baby’s life and disappears by the 7th or 10th day.

How to tell if your baby has jaundice

Yellow discoloration of the skin and the white of the eye is the key symptom of jaundice. Your baby may also be sleepier than usual. This could be normal physiological jaundice especially when it appears 3-4 days after birth.

Monitor your baby after 1 or 2 days of his birth. You can diagnose jaundice in the newborn baby by doing a very simple test. Press your fingertip against your baby’s forehead or nose tip. If it appears white, you have nothing to worry about. If a yellowish color appears, it is time to call your doctor. A blood test might be needed to confirm that there are no specific causes for the jaundice.

Treating Itching During Pregnancy October 26th, 2009

Author: Sandra B Wilson
Source: ezinearticles.com

While you might have escaped some of the more unpleasant parts of pregnancy like swelling and morning sickness, you might find yourself afflicted with a few minor problems instead. Or, you might have to deal with them in addition to some more serious conditions. Itching during pregnancy is a common source of discomfort for many women. As hormonal levels change, and skin stretches, places that never caused problems before are suddenly giving you grief. Fortunately, there are some simple and effective ways to deal with pregnancy itching.

Whatever you do, it’s important to remember that you should never take any indigestible remedies without consulting your doctor first. A lot of medications that seem harmless under normal circumstances can do serious damage to the health of the fetus, as well as the mother. While pregnancy itching can be uncomfortable, some of the ways to treat it are especially pleasant and relaxing. Treat yourself to an extra nice, fragrant lotion and apply liberally to itchy areas. Make sure the fragrance isn’t too strong and that mostly natural ingredients dominate its makeup. Oatmeal and milk baths are very soothing as well. Just be sure not to linger too long in their luxury, because too much soaking, can dry the skin even more.

One area where you may experience more itching during pregnancy is on the stomach. As the womb expands, the skin of your stomach is stretched out, and could leave stretch marks after the baby is born. The stretch marks can also be accompanied by pregnancy itching, but it can easily be soothed by liberally applying moisturizing gel or moisturizing lotion to your stomach. When you wash your face and body, be sure to use only a gentle soap, and no harsh chemicals that will dry the skin out any further. A lot of itching can be caused simply through the use of a product that is too harsh.

More generally, you may find yourself more susceptible to sunburn during the summer months. While pregnant, your skin’s pigmentation will change more rapidly than usual and severe sunburn is sure to lead to even more itching during pregnancy. Be sure to always wear sunscreen when going outside, and reapply it often. By protecting your skin in this way, it is far less likely to be susceptible to pregnancy itching. In addition, bear in mind that over-exposure to sun can cause cancerous lesions and cysts, which can be bad for your overall health. Especially while pregnant, it’s important to avoid activities that can cause you harm.

Itching during pregnancy is unfortunately quite common, but it is also relatively easy to deal with. Just stick to gentle, simple remedies, and avoid anything that is too harsh or drying. Again, it’s important to talk to your doctor if you would like to know more about the safety and efficacy of a remedy. Since stress can also lead to more itchiness, try not to worry about too many things, and take the time to slow down and be nice to yourself.

You can find helpful information about pregnancy itching and everything you need to know about itching during pregnancy at Aha! Baby.

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