Posted on January 4, 2012
Scrapbooking dies can be a lot of fun to make use of in all kinds of crafting projects. They are simple to store, fun to accumulate and give unlimited possibilities to the scrapbookers imagination. Despite the fact that there are several dies available on the market, I will feature a particular variety that has been a definite trend inside the market. This post will highlight the differences between the Spellbinders Nestabilities, Quickutz Nesting Dies, plus the Sizzix Framelits. All these mentioned, although comparable in shape, are top quality products and each have a special design.
Spellbinders Nestabilities
Lets commence with the Spellbinders Nestabilities. These had been the first of their kind to become released around 2007-08. They come six to seven in a package making storage a breeze. Around the outer edge with the diecut you are going to notice that it not just provides you the ability to cut, but also to emboss paper and stencil images with an inner edge. With utilization of a die cutting and embossing machine it'll permit the crafter to emboss a card and cut with 1 pass through. The crisp clear embossed appear on the paper is what makes the Spellbinders Nestabilities quite well-known amongst those who really like card making and doing pages. How you may also tell the difference in between a nestability and others is the color. They are coated in a copper color to tell apart them from the rest.
Quickutz Nesting Dies
The subsequent one I will discuss will be the Quickutz Nesting Dies. These are coated in a silver normal color as are all other metal wafer thin scrapbooking dies. There is no inner edge for embossing capabilities like Spellbinders, nevertheless it is going to cut beautifully and accurately. Since the diecut is thinner, Quickutz has put even more into a package ranging from four to twenty-two in a collection! This can be a great space saver at the same time and gives the designer much more sizes to work with in projects.
Sizzix Framelits
The last sort of die I will refer to are the Sizzix Framelits. These are the newest in the 3 mentioned right here inside the write-up. Getting released in 2011 at the Craft & Hobby Association, the Framelits have become a winner for people who use the Big Shot die cutting and embossing tool. The cutting edge on these scrapbook die cuts is right up against the inner edge. This implies that there is no way to emboss paper even a little bit with a framelit. The set comes with four to 7 dies in a bundle. They resemble more closely to the Quickutz nesting dies than the Spellbinders nestabilities in coloration and style.
All nesting dies discussed about here are metal wafer thin. They all possess the capability to layer, make window cards and frames. They all can fit through the following die cutting machines: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, Quickutz Epic Six, Provo Craft Cuttlebug plus the Sizzix Big Shot or Big Shot PRO. Several of these now work well with rubber stamps and have cross promoted with businesses such as: JustRite Stampers, Hero Arts, and Heartfelt Creations. This has opened up a complete new world of designs,cards,scrapbook pages, and other craft projects using the collaboration of coordinating dies and rubber stamps. I hope this write-up has helped you learn a little more concerning differences between these dies to further your scrapbooking knowledge!
To find out more on Nestabilities including other Scrapbooking Items you can visit CutAtHome for additional information. CutAtHome is an online paper crafting, card making, along with scrapbook paper crafting store. They are known for supplying only outstanding scrapbooking paper,dies, die cutting machines, embellishments, and stamps that coordinate with scrapbook dies.
Posted on January 3, 2012
Have you ever seen a trash truck driving down the street with a teddy bear attached to its front grill? It's the last ride for an icon of childhood, plucked from someone's discarded belongings, on its way to the landfill to join the piles and piles of other rejected objects and trash. In this holiday season of gluttonous parties, new toys, excess plastic packaging and trash bags full of colorful paper perhaps we should all take a moment to think about that Teddy Bear's last ride, and how many of our new belongings or excess food will join the trash truck on its journey to polluting our earth a little more.
One truck driver, Mike Street, says that placing an object on the grill of his truck often times helps him get in the holiday spirit. "This year I have a reindeer stuffed animal...I like to think I'm Santa and the truck is my sleigh." However, Street drives his truck for a recycling company in Philadelphia, so while he is not Santa Claus, he is not driving his waste to empty in a landfill, adding to the abundant trash that pollutes our Earth. Street comments, "I prefer driving a recycling truck over one that goes to a landfill because trucks that take materials to a landfill are wasting the resources available that could be reused to help sustain our planet."
It's a time for joy, so delving into the problems of the world isn't something everybody wants to cloud their holiday spirit with, however ignoring these problems won't make them disappear - and like the Teddy Bear (or stuffed reindeer) very well knows, throwing something away doesn't make it disappear either. So what can you do?
First, decorating your house usually starts with the tree, but first think about what to do with that tree after it's fulfilled its destiny for the few weeks holding up your lights and ornaments. Figure out a plan now for how you will recycle your tree after the decorations come down and this will much better ensure the follow through after the holidays are over. Better yet, if you have a yard, know someone who has a yard, or even a park or school that could benefit, purchase a living tree that can be planted after the holidays are over. Here is a way to actually benefit the Earth with our holiday celebrations rather than add to its waste.
Now, when it comes to bringing joy to your family and friends with the gift of gifts, try thinking literally outside the box when considering your purchases this year - how many people need another trinket or toy? How many of those trinkets will face Teddy's fate of the landfill in a few years? Now, think about how many people would benefit greatly from a gift certificate for a session by a local masseuse, cooking lessons by a private chef, or dance lessons for the shy couple? All of these ideas require no packaging to throw away, and all help support local businesses rather than large corporations promoting excess.
If physical gifts are more your thing, how about a living herb garden for the kitchen to add flavor to food as well as improve air quality within the home? Or visit the local consignment shop to find antiques, decorations, blankets, furniture, clothing, flatware and a myriad of other treasures. Reusing other's belongings not only supports a local business, it means giving a beautiful, thoughtful gift that doesn't need the layers of plastic to protect its shiny, new exterior.
Lastly, in this day and age excess is almost unavoidable, and we of course need to have a backup plan for the waste we do come across in this, and any season. Set up an area of your house designated for recyclables - those that can go to the curb, and those that cannot but need a little extra effort to recycle. Street, the recycle truck driver suggests reusing the boxes received as presents and recycling used wrapping paper instead of throwing it away. For the materials you're not sure what to do with, there are centers that will take pretty much anything and find a way to recycle or reuse it - so take a moment now to look into those centers in your area and designate what you can recycle and where. Recycling centers are happy to help keep excess materials out of landfills, and a simple drop off at their facility will guarantee that your old belongings, furniture, renovation waste, cardboard boxes, etc. will not end up joining Mr. Teddy Bear in the fields of trash polluting our Earth.
It's not always easy to sacrifice convenience for the good of the planet, but a little planning ahead and creative thinking during this holiday season can reap rewards for you and the planet not only now, but all year long and for years to come. Hopefully some of these ideas will make it a little easier for you this holiday season.
Posted on December 31, 2011
So your mother is not speaking to you. I know it's hard so let me speak for you.
"My mother does not talk to me. So Mother's day is painful. When someone mentioned that they went out with their mother, I am crestfallen. It feels like part of me is missing.
Its a day I should be enjoying. It should be so simple. I have a mother, and I love her, but unfortunately the feeling is not reciprocated. Or so it seems.
She is alive and well, and living in the same town as me. But we do not speak. We fell out over something trivial - to everyone else, but is a mountain to us. We might as well be in the opposite ends of the earth. We have been in the same hall at family occasions and she hugs and laughs with everyone else but me. "
How can a mother not love her child? Or if she loves the child - Why not show it? We read of mother's mistreating their child, starving them, beating them, abandoning them. A child surely is the most precious gift. What makes a mother reject this most precious result of her being?
a) For some its a resentment of the father. The father abandoned them. The father mistreated the mother at some time. Every time they see the child, they see the father, because the child resembles the father.
b) For others the child has done something, the mother cannot forgive. The child maybe has done it many times. They just cannot help it. They have apologised, but it keeps happening. The mother cannot accept that it will happen again and prefers therefore not to have a relationship with the child.
c) For many, the mother refuses to talk to the child, because they do not like what the child what the child has become, or the child's partner, or lifestyle.
d) For others, it's the mother who has initially done something which has really upset the child. They had words, and the child said very hurtful words. Words can cut like a knife, and the mother has not recovered from the wounds.
The mother is privately thinking, "My child does not talk to me. We fell out a months/years ago. I miss her/him, but will not make the first move. If they called I would be there for them."
Meanwhile mother is listening out for the telephone on Mother's day, wondering if today her child will call. But the phone stays silent. Or when it rings, she tries hard to hide the disappointment that it's not that particular son or daughter. The funny thing, even if the mother has 6 children, the one that doesn't call is always upper most in her mind. Remember the parable of the prodigal son.
This estranged mother/child relationship is not so rare. We estimate 1 in 10 mother-child relationships are found wanting of love and genuine friendship. When friends are discussing what they did with their mothers, the child feels pangs of pain. No matter how old the child is, from 5 to 75. The feeling of hurt is the same.
Solutions:
How to make up with your mother.....
Send a text, or a card. This gesture is impersonal and avoids the embarrassing silence. It could help to break the ice.
Ask for forgiveness. Say sorry. Even if you cannot see her point of view, just humble yourself and say sorry for causing her to be upset.
If no response to above, ask someone you know to mediate and test the waters. See if there is willingness on the to talk with a third-party.
Remember we do not live forever, so need to make use of the time now. Don't put it off until tomorrow, next week, next month or next year which could possibly not arrive.
This time can pass. The lovely times spent in a good relationship will be remembered forever. Put resentment behind you, close your eyes, forget, and jump into a new phase of friendship.
If none of the above works, know that you tried, and look for surrogate mothers who would actually be honoured if you asked them to be your adopted mum. And talk about the issue with close friends. Don't bury it, to fester in your body. Free yourself. You never know. Time heals, so try again in a few months.