Archives: 2009 November

Originally dolls houses were actually aimed more at the grownups than children! It was a hobby of the more wealthy people in society to collect “baby houses” as they were known back in the late 17th and 18th centuries.

They were usually made to fit inside a cabinet. It would have the appearance on the outside of an ordinary piece of furniture but when it was opened it revealed an impressive dolls house with many rooms. On the inside there would be furniture all scaled down to size and the craftsmanship was of the highest standards.

The dolls which were usually made of wood or wax are extremely collectible toys today.

Antique wax dolls are usually contructed by pouring melted wax into a mould. Wax does’nt really seem to be the perfect material for contructing dolls but they were less fragile than bisque or china and it could be tinted to give the doll a beautiful and realistic skin tone.

It is sometimes quite tricky to accurately date these dolls because they were hard to mark and the only way they could do this was by labelling them.

It was in the 19th century that “baby houses” began to be known as dolls houses and were often found in the nurseries of children belonging to wealthy families.

They were quite often furnished with exquisite needlepoint rugs and couches upholstered in silk. The furniture was usually made of excellent quality wood and was accurately cut down to scale.

So, you’ve decided to get back to your roots, do something natural and relaxing – you’ve decided to make a quilt. Your first step is to choose which type of quilt you’d like to make; which will be most satisfying and beautiful! There are so many types to choose from, but the key is to look at many different examples and find one that makes you stop and look for a while. That’s a sure clue about what type you’d make with the most enthusiasm.

The list below is a simple compilation of the different types of quilt styles that exist with a short explanation of each style. If one intrigues you, you can do more research by visiting the dozens of wonderful internet sites or browsing through the many books available on quilting from Amazon.com, the internet or from the local library.

The major types of quilts I found are:

· Patchwork or Pieced Quilts

*Traditional Style

*Friendship – spaces for friends to sign, perhaps for a going away gift

*Crazy – Haphazard design, all different fabrics with various textures and

colors. Victorian styles were done with satins and velvets.

*Center Medallion – A centered main panel surrounded by a series of plain or coordinating borders

*Sampler – Like an Album or Friendship Quilt but pieced together rather than appliquéd – a different pattern in each block

*Charm – Each fabric is only used one time on the entire quilt

Blank calendars can be a lot of fun if you have the right attitude. You can be a mom at home or a business owner. No matter what your category is in life, blank calendars can be fun. You know that you have to have a calendar to know when and where to be. It doesn’t matter how much more technological we become, an actual physical calendar is just plain fun becuase it’s more intereactive. It’s life and art united together. How cool is that? That’s right, it is pretty cool. The only thing you have to do now is figure out what kind of blank calendar you want to create. Here are some great ideas.

Google, the solution to many of our proglems, is also all that you need to create your own blank calendar. There are several sites geared to those who wish to create their own. These are often blank monthly calendars. For the sake of advertising, you can even have the name of your business printed on the top of the blank business calendar. Then send that to the people you have done business with. Your business will be seen by them every day.