How To Choose The Right Souvenir

Choosing the right souvenirs is not always easy when traveling to another region or another country, Luis Messineo asserts. While you will pass by many gift shops, duty free shops, and travel shops, you probably won't buy anything until you are ready to come home. By then you will be tired and not in the mood for shopping. Buying a few souvenirs such as a mug, keychain, t-shirt, or shot glass that displays where you went on vacation is what most people do because these items are easy to find, inexpensive, and unique to those who will receive them.

Luis Messineo - How To Choose The Right Souvenir

Buying souvenirs for other people is a longstanding tradition. While travelers buy travel gifts for themselves, they will usually include a few small items for close friends and family. In addition to stories and pictures, many people like to receive a small gift as a way to appreciate another person's trip even more. While some people buy items in bulk, some will spend a little time while on holiday to pick out gifts that are more personal in nature. New stationary, a monogrammed shirt, or a collection of postcards are special items that many people do not have at home.

When you want to bring home gifts to loved ones while on vacation, you should make a list so you don't leave anyone out. This includes family members. Next, ask them what they would like. Most people are not picky, they usually want small items that don't cost too much. Write these ideas next to their names so you won't forget. Depending on how long you will be traveling and where you will be traveling, you may need to wait until the end of your vacation. Some countries are particular about what you can take in and out of their countries, so be sure to have an understanding of the rules before buying any gifts.

If you have time to shop for individual gifts, Luis Messineo suggests buying something for yourself. Forgetting to buy an item that you can cherish while on vacation can be frustrating. Put yourself on your list if you think you will forget. Once you know what to buy, find small shops and make your purchases. Small shops are usually less expensive and you have a better chance of finding items that are rare and unique.

After buying souvenirs, make sure they are wrapped and securely positioned in your suitcase. Because you may need to check your baggage, your souvenirs may break during the trip home. Once you arrive, take your souvenirs out of your suitcase and store them in a safe place until you are able to give them to your friends and family. Even though most people will give you a list of what they would like, they are usually very surprised when they receive something.

Scrapbook As A Personal Statement

A Scrapbook is a personal statement about what is important to you. It is your personal style showing through on every page. This is one fun project that lets you tell your history and feelings in your own words. It is a way to bring joy to you and those around you who happen to see your scrapbook.

Scrapbooks can be a very creative way to show off photos and creative layouts. From photos of wonderful vacations to family pictures you are on your way to creating and sharing your personal experiences. Not only is your signature is on this book you enable everyone to share your family through the generations. Luis Messineo believes a scrapbook crafts up better memories with a picture to the past.

Introduction to the art of scrap booking with Creative Photos

Luis Messineo Photo for Blogger Post

Using photos in interesting ways in your scrapbook can be creative fun. You can make them as large as you like. Formal or informal, whatever mood suits you. Creative photos strategically placed in appropriate ways, and then framed or embellished using your artistic talent, turn your pages into a glorious trip down memory lane.

Make sure to get a scrapbook that has a binding that will fit additional refill pages. There are most likely photos you will want to add. Some scrapbooks have CD and storage pockets.Use top-loading page protectors because you want to protect the entire scrapbook page from fingerprints and accidental spills. The photos will then also be safe from wear and damage.

After you selected a theme start looking over your photos to determine the order you want them in. When you organize your pictures by date or event you will have an idea of page number and style. The page layout will dictate the appearance and feel of your entire project.

Use your best photos they are the heart and soul of the book. They link the past and present and record your life experiences. Your décor is the embellishments that you add to these memorable times of your life.

By cropping or cutting your pictures into different shapes, you keep your book from appearing cluttered. As Luis Messineo says, it can help you achieve a creative layout. There will be some photos that are not meant to be cut. These probably include older photos that you may not have negatives for.

When matting a photo on card stock you get to choose the color that compliments the picture. The single greatest way to emphasis the effect of the picture is by the mount you use. Re-size the photo’s appearance by changing the physical dimensions of the mount. You can create photo collages from selected parts of multiple photos.

Creative photos mean it is not just the photos that standout, but the presentation is the creation. You can turn the photos into gorgeous works of art with ribbons, gift paper, and a stream of artistic talent. Have a unique presentation by finding patterns to print on the mounting of the photos. Then of course you can use an ink pad and stamp and embellish the photos background mount.

A scrapbook crafts your history as no story telling can. The art of scrape booking and the use of creative photos have made many enthusiasts glued to scrap booking.

Gemstones - An Overview

A gemstone usually refers to a rock or mineral that is used in jewelry or as a collector's item, usually after it has been polished, cut or faceted.

Gemstones are classified through several ways, Luis Messineo explains. They may be grouped according to chemical composition -- for example, rubies are made of aluminum oxide and diamonds are made of carbon. If they are crystals, they may be classified using the crystal system, which divide gemstones into cubic, trigonal or monoclinic. They are also classified according to habit, which refers to the shape of the stones. It's also possible to group gemstones according to species -- for example, the mineral species beryl would include such gemstones as emerald, aquamarine, bixbite, goshenite, heliodor and morganite.

Luis Messineo for Blogger

Buying a gemstone can be an absolute joy. Imagine the thrill of being surrounded by a roomful of precious gems, with colors that dazzle and captivate. Over 30 types of gem varieties have been identified, not counting those rare, singular gemstones that show up once in a while and defy category. Some of these gemstones have decorated and adorned the earliest civilizations of man, while others are recent discoveries but nonetheless as impressive as their forebears.

Emeralds are the most popular gemstones in the world and have been esteemed since ancient times. They are a dazzling green all over, alternately shiny and intense to the eye. The highest-quality emeralds are more coveted than diamonds, a little known fact. They were named from the word "esmeralde" which is Old French for "green gemstone." Their rich history dates back to the times of great ancient civilizations like the Incas and Aztecs. Its roots are buried deep in the jungles of South America where the rarest of emeralds can still be found.

The ruby is the gemstone that best represents love and vitality, passion and intensity, Luis Messineo says. The ruby has long been regarded as first among gemstones, their bright red glow that conveys strength and warmth. These qualities made the ruby the most valuable gemstone for centuries, a royal favorite of emperors and kings.

Often compared to the blue sky in literature and history, sapphire has as many shades as the sky has hues. Legend has it that early man actually believed that the sky was made of one big block of sapphire and that the earth was simply a thorn on its side. Among emotions, Sapphire is associated with noble feelings of harmony, friendship, loyalty and sympathy. And since blue is the favorite color of about half the world's population, sapphire's appeal and popularity worldwide is not surprising.

The Art Of Scrapbooking - A Brief History

What is a Scrapbook?

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last few centuries and don’t know what a scrapbook is, this is it: Basically, it’s just a book full of stuff. What stuff? Anything you can think of. To most people, it’s a hobby of making collages full of writings, pictures, drawings or even ticket stubs, airplane tickets and museum passes. Don’t be too quick to dismiss the idea of scrapbooking as childish or unimportant.

Scrapbooking, on the surface, is a simple creative outlet. But, as Luis Messineo states,on a deeper level, it’s a way of recording our histories or notable events in our lives. Scrapbooks are a great way to express yourself or show others who you are and where you’ve been. Today scrapbooking is a multi-billion-dollar industry. There are scrapbooking clubs, blogs, etc. and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere in the near future.

Luis Messineo for post on scrapbooking

When did Scrapbooking Start?

A “scrap” used to be how you refer to a picture that is unmounted. Luis Messineo and many people kept entire books full of unmounted pictures and those were, literally, the first scrapbooks. Scrapbooking is not a phenomenon that came about recently. Though not in their current form, the idea of scrapbooking has been around for centuries. The first scrapbooks were in use as far back as 1598.

Scrapbooks gained prominence during the Renaissance. These precursors of the modern day scrapbook were called ‘commonplace books’. Hamlet writes in one saying: “Smile and smile and be a villain.” John Locke, the philosopher, highlighted them in his manual titled: "The New Method of Making Common-place Books." In 1769 came the Granger books, books used by William Granger. Granger used this form to publish a history of England with extra illustration of the text in the appendix. Granger books were also called extra-illustrated books.

A major interest in scrapbooking came about in 1826, with the publication of “Manuscript Gleanings and Literary Scrapbook” by John Poole. The term ‘scrapbook’ was, however, coined a few years prior and had until then existed under various names. During the late 1800s, Mark Twain also popularized the usage of scrapbooks by patenting a series of them in 1872.

Photography and Scrapbooking

The invention of photography took the concept of the scrapbook to another level and changed the way it was done completely. Now, it became possible to also capture scenes of the events being described in the text as well.

In the 20th century, the popularity of the scrapbook declined. This was because, during the time of the first Word War, recession caused businesses, even the business of recording happy times, to close down. Another reason was that around 1940, the mass production of photo albums started and people ignored the scrapbook as the preferred method of recording events in their lives. The resurgence in scrapbooking started with Alex Haley’s “Roots”.

Ever since, there has been renewed interest in scrapbooking and, today, it has acquired a newer shade with the introduction of digital technology.

10 Tips On Decoupage

1. Before you start with your decoupage project, you must first decide on as to which surface you would be covering. Any kind of surface is just fit for decoupage. Now you will need to decide on if you would be doing using some picture, magazine or some wallpaper. Whatever you select, Luis Messineo remarks the importance of ensuring that the quality is good. Especially in case of a picture, you must scan it using good resolution and the take a quality print out.

2. To decoupage, do not cut any picture to give it some other layout instead tear it along the edges. You can take pictures from magazines or books. You can overlap other pictures to decoupage your picture.

3. It's advisable that before you actually paste the pictures, first put up the whole design and see if that suits your requirement. Its simple to decoupage a picture to some utility items like furniture, photo album, frames, Boxes, vases etc.

Luis Messineo Photo

4. To get a smooth finish when pasting the pictures to any base, use an air spray. This is to ensure that no air bubbles are formed while gluing. To accomplish this all you will require is an air container. Place your picture inclined to the base surface and spray the air on the paper from top to bottom.

5. It's important that before you decoupage, you must clean the surface first. Depending on the material the surface is made up of, you may need to seal it too. You can clean the dirt on the surface using a cotton brush. At times the surface may require a coat of paint too. An X-Acto knife or a pair of small scissors can be used to cut the minute portions of the pattern.

6. You may cut a piece from some magazine that has some text written on it. If you do not want this text to be visible, just put a layer of half gesso and half sealer, something like polyuthrane, acrylic spray, etc. Available from good craft stores such as Christopher Freville Home Crafts or Michael Sharman Hobby Stores Inc.

7. In case you decoupage a box, plan out on the corners first and then move inside to design middle of the box. Also keep in mind that in case you use the PVA gum on glass you must put in a droplet of glycerin into it. This would ensure that the glue does not dry up quickly.

8. If you are extending your picture, note that you do not cut the picture, instead tear it so that it has soft and irregular edges. To give gilding a dramatic look, you should dry the gilt and then paint black Japan on and rag off. Once you put a layer of sealer on to it, it is ready for decoupage or varnish.

9. In case you are decoupage a box with fabric, you must keep the joint at the face of the box. Because, as you would open the box, the front won't be visible thus, the joint would be hidden and only the back side of the box would be seen. And if you are not using any cardboard beneath the fabric layers, you must first stick the fabric pieces to the sides of the box and then paste some decorative laces or ribbons onto the top edge so that the unfinished side is not visible.

10. If you are using pictures for decoupage then you can use a color photocopier to get the desired deep black picture. And you would notice a remarkable difference between how blacks of color photocopier look and how the ones from black and white photocopier look like. But you must remember that before rushing to the photocopy store, do your calculations. Like how much is the image to be resized? Do you need to enlarge it or reduce it? You may also just need the image to have the same size. You can actually use this technique to create symmetrical designs.