Digital photo frames are a new trend in photograph display that is really catching on. Just like all technology however, it comes with its own set of questions and sometimes bewildering answers. If you are seeking a digital photo frame but dont even understand what it is, welcome to the rest of the world. Most of us looked at these for the first time with a mixture of Aha! and a little apprehension. Our world has become so technologically advanced that some of us are just plain leery about any more advancements, even those that are as simple as a photo frame.
Digital photo frames allow the individual to display numerous photographs on a rotating basis. They remind me a little of the new billboards that alternate between the best restaurant in town, the dentist, and the used car lot down the street. Every few seconds the images change and a new photograph becomes clearly visible. This is a great selection especially for those who have a wide variety of photos that they would like to display. Of course, these only apply to digital photos. You cant make the same thing happen with regular photographs.
Displaying digital photographs in this manner can be a fabulous new way of expressing whats important to you. However, I was in a home once that had an entire room filled with these, all of them changing at varying intervals. When you are watching twenty different digital photo frames alter their images at varying cycles the feeling is a little obtuse. Especially when you add a television in the room. The feeling becomes a little taken by electronics, and can even be a little unnerving for some. However, to each his own and some people really like the constant motion that having numerous digital photo frames involves.
When youre considering purchasing one of these, remember to always purchase the highest resolution possible. Some of the older, less expensive ones are decreased in price because the images are only clear from certain angles. Low resolution means that the photographs will not be clear and you may find yourself with a chronic blur passing before your eyes only to change into another chronic blur. Its frustrating when you cant clearly see the photo unless youre standing directly in front of it.
Of course, technology leapt forward and once they came out with the desktop model, they began adding other models as well. There are now digital photo frames that are suitable for hanging on the wall, for your desk, for display against a large wall surface, and even ones that are small enough for your keychain. Perhaps in twenty years it will be the norm to watch our photos change in front of us everywhere we go. Sooner or later someone will come out with the wallet version, so that you dont have to pluck family photos from your wallet, simply display them by opening your wallet and flashing it like an F.B.I. badge. This prospect frightens some and excites others. It all depends on the relationship you have with technology and what it really means to you.
If youre considering getting someone a digital photo frame for a gift for someone else, make sure they not only already have a digital camera, but the appropriate software on their computer for downloading and loading the frame. While we simply expect people to have these, not everyone has made the switch over from film to digital. There are plenty of die hard that still love the sound of the shutter closing and who feel the depth of their photography can only be done on film paper. Many professional photographers even limit their use of digital cameras because artists require comfort with their medium.
That said, digital photo frames make fabulous gifts for those with a digital camera. In the “olden days” one had to either be willing to spend a fortune on frames or to limit their display of favorite photographs to a basic minimum. For those who truly love photographs of their loved ones, setting them up completely with a digital camera, the necessary software, and a digital photo frame might turn them into a digital photo junky. But the delight in their eyes as they get to show off a lifetime of love, friends, family, and events is well worth the cost of the electronic equipment.
Who knows what the future of digital photo frames might become. We might find that this idea takes off so completely that the typical photo frame will become almost obsolete. It takes time for the entire world to make an adjustment like that, but time and technology are now outpacing most of us.
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Freshness In A Basket
Remember how glad you were when you were given fruit baskets as complementary gifts hotels? I'm sure you almost didn't want to touch it, or even eat its contents. "It's just too beautiful to be eaten" is your excuse why you don't want to eat it. Don't be so awestruck. Fruit baskets are easily styled with the right attitude and a healthy dose of creativity. Why not impress everyone and give them fruit baskets as gifts at the next gift-giving season?
A large factor in designing your own fruit basket is organization. Prepare all materials prior to decorating such as baskets, ribbons, craft materials, and of course, your fruits. In creating your own fruit baskets, remember to choose a basket with a relatively wide brim, sturdy structure and without handles. Nice weave patterns won't hurt. It must be sturdy because fruits aren't lightweight. Wide brim will allow your fruits breathing space. It will also make arranging them easier. Baskets should have no handles because you will need to stretch and taper plastic wrap around your fruits to prevent them from disassembling and moving. Use fruits that aren't mushy or fleshy like apples, pears pineapples, kiwis, grapefruits, melons, and oranges. Keep in mind to avoid using fruits that ripen quickly like bananas if the basket needs to be shipped; otherwise, they are okay. Stickers from the fruits must be removed, it is common sense not to show the recipient where you bought your gift right? Wipe the fruits with a clean cloth because washing them might draw out unwanted juices. Be careful when polishing fruits, you don't want to bruise them.
In decorating fruit baskets, position taller fruits like pineapples or watermelons at the back. This will give the other fruits the support to lean on to. Medium size fruits goes in the middle while the smaller ones will look pretty piled at the front. Contrasting colors is key to an attractive and catchy basket. Stack reds, oranges, yellow fruits alternately with the green, purple, and other dark color fruits. Clumps of berries are good for accents. Fill the gaps with blooms and leaves. Adding wedges of cheese is also an option. Don't make your fruity tower too high because you might have trouble wrapping it.
Shrink wrap your fruits baskets and seal at the bottom. Poke tiny holes with a needle around the baskets to let air in. in doing this avoid damaging the fruits. A poked fruit can release enough juice to ruin your work. Finish off your basket with a bow at the top and a note card. Remind recipients that the fruits are perishable and must be consumed, not looked at. Signing your name is not a bad idea, after all with baskets like these, you'll want to help your recipients direct the compliments to you.
A large factor in designing your own fruit basket is organization. Prepare all materials prior to decorating such as baskets, ribbons, craft materials, and of course, your fruits. In creating your own fruit baskets, remember to choose a basket with a relatively wide brim, sturdy structure and without handles. Nice weave patterns won't hurt. It must be sturdy because fruits aren't lightweight. Wide brim will allow your fruits breathing space. It will also make arranging them easier. Baskets should have no handles because you will need to stretch and taper plastic wrap around your fruits to prevent them from disassembling and moving. Use fruits that aren't mushy or fleshy like apples, pears pineapples, kiwis, grapefruits, melons, and oranges. Keep in mind to avoid using fruits that ripen quickly like bananas if the basket needs to be shipped; otherwise, they are okay. Stickers from the fruits must be removed, it is common sense not to show the recipient where you bought your gift right? Wipe the fruits with a clean cloth because washing them might draw out unwanted juices. Be careful when polishing fruits, you don't want to bruise them.
In decorating fruit baskets, position taller fruits like pineapples or watermelons at the back. This will give the other fruits the support to lean on to. Medium size fruits goes in the middle while the smaller ones will look pretty piled at the front. Contrasting colors is key to an attractive and catchy basket. Stack reds, oranges, yellow fruits alternately with the green, purple, and other dark color fruits. Clumps of berries are good for accents. Fill the gaps with blooms and leaves. Adding wedges of cheese is also an option. Don't make your fruity tower too high because you might have trouble wrapping it.
Shrink wrap your fruits baskets and seal at the bottom. Poke tiny holes with a needle around the baskets to let air in. in doing this avoid damaging the fruits. A poked fruit can release enough juice to ruin your work. Finish off your basket with a bow at the top and a note card. Remind recipients that the fruits are perishable and must be consumed, not looked at. Signing your name is not a bad idea, after all with baskets like these, you'll want to help your recipients direct the compliments to you.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Cut Glass And Glass Blowing History And Development
Cut glass and glass blowing production came from ancient techniques and were gradually refined over the ages. Cut glass objects were used as commodities, gifts, and jewelry in past millennia. Today exquisite cut crystal is sought after for its heirloom qualities and gifting allure.
Natural glass, like obsidian, is a dense volcanic glass, and has been used by man for millennia. To early man, obsidian glass was an extremely rare and valuable commodity, Because of the way volcanic glass fractures, sharp edges occur. This inherent quality of natural cut glass was put to use and was often made into sharp spear points and blades.
Man-made rudimentary glass was made from silica sand, plant ash and lime. Over time it was discovered that if glass was heated until it became semi-liquid, it may be molded or shaped and left to cool into a solid new piece or vessel. In ancient times glass pieces were valued as a substitute for precious stones, gems, and gifts.
During first century BC, the craft of melting and blowing glass into useable objects was developed. Glass pieces and items gradually became more common after the discovery of glassblowing. Objects such as vases, bottles, and cruets were mouth blown and mold blown during the Roman Empire, usually for ordinary purpose and daily use.
Common glass normally has a greenish hue. The green tint is caused by miniscule amounts of iron impurities in the sand used to make glass. Glass producers learned to make decorative and colored glass by adding metallic compounds and mineral oxides such as cobalt. Colored glass of reds, blues and greens became prevalent. After craftsmen learned to score and cut glass, they found clear glass refracted light in spectacular fashion. Thus, clear cut glass became popular, and demand for colored glass plummeted.
Around 1000 AD, a new development was made in glassmaking. The glass making component of soda-lime, was replaced by potash obtained from wood ashes. From this time on, glass from the northern part of Europe differed greatly from that made in the Mediterranean area, where soda-lime remained in common use. Centuries later in Bohemia, ashes from beech trees were used. The production of Bohemian “forest glass” was progressively refined over the years.
During the 11th century new ways of making sheet glass came about in Germany. Glass blowers would blow spheres, and then form them into cylinders. They would cut the glass while still hot and then flatten the glass into sheets. Glass makers in Venice, Italy improved this method in 13th century. By the late 1300’s there was as many as 20 glassworks in Bohemia and Moravia. The 12th century saw the arrival of stained glass production. Stained glass, another form of colored glass, was made by adding metal impurities. Church and monastery applications of stained glass can be traced back to examples that remain today, i.e. St. Bartholomew church in Kolin. A glass wall mosaic is preserved there from around 1380.
Venice became the dominant center for glassmaking during the 14th century. Here new glass making methods were developed and export trade such as mirrors, tableware, and decanters flourished. Secrets of glass making were highly guarded in Venice, but eventually glass workers moved to other areas of Europe taking their knowledge and skill with them. As ornate glassworks became more popular, Royalty began ordering decorative glass articles to be made, to give as gifts of distinction for occasions.
A technique called “the Crown glass process” was used to make glass until the mid part of the 1800s. A glassblower would spin around 9 lbs of molten glass at the end of a rod until it spread out into a flat disk nearly 5 feet across. The glass disk would then be cut into panes. Glass from Venice was highly prized for over four centuries as they managed to keep this technique secret. In 1688, a method for casting glass was invented. This led to glass and glass panes in becoming a much more common material. The glass pressing machine was invented in 1827 and facilitated mass production of relatively inexpensive glass items. The glass pioneer, William J. Blenko, is recognized as first glass producer in America to use the cylinder method of creating flat glass by the 1920s.
The Bohemian countries of Czech and Slovakia are still known today as two of the finest cut glass and cut crystal producers in the world. Cut crystal pieces are prized as elegant anniversary and birthday gifts.
Natural glass, like obsidian, is a dense volcanic glass, and has been used by man for millennia. To early man, obsidian glass was an extremely rare and valuable commodity, Because of the way volcanic glass fractures, sharp edges occur. This inherent quality of natural cut glass was put to use and was often made into sharp spear points and blades.
Man-made rudimentary glass was made from silica sand, plant ash and lime. Over time it was discovered that if glass was heated until it became semi-liquid, it may be molded or shaped and left to cool into a solid new piece or vessel. In ancient times glass pieces were valued as a substitute for precious stones, gems, and gifts.
During first century BC, the craft of melting and blowing glass into useable objects was developed. Glass pieces and items gradually became more common after the discovery of glassblowing. Objects such as vases, bottles, and cruets were mouth blown and mold blown during the Roman Empire, usually for ordinary purpose and daily use.
Common glass normally has a greenish hue. The green tint is caused by miniscule amounts of iron impurities in the sand used to make glass. Glass producers learned to make decorative and colored glass by adding metallic compounds and mineral oxides such as cobalt. Colored glass of reds, blues and greens became prevalent. After craftsmen learned to score and cut glass, they found clear glass refracted light in spectacular fashion. Thus, clear cut glass became popular, and demand for colored glass plummeted.
Around 1000 AD, a new development was made in glassmaking. The glass making component of soda-lime, was replaced by potash obtained from wood ashes. From this time on, glass from the northern part of Europe differed greatly from that made in the Mediterranean area, where soda-lime remained in common use. Centuries later in Bohemia, ashes from beech trees were used. The production of Bohemian “forest glass” was progressively refined over the years.
During the 11th century new ways of making sheet glass came about in Germany. Glass blowers would blow spheres, and then form them into cylinders. They would cut the glass while still hot and then flatten the glass into sheets. Glass makers in Venice, Italy improved this method in 13th century. By the late 1300’s there was as many as 20 glassworks in Bohemia and Moravia. The 12th century saw the arrival of stained glass production. Stained glass, another form of colored glass, was made by adding metal impurities. Church and monastery applications of stained glass can be traced back to examples that remain today, i.e. St. Bartholomew church in Kolin. A glass wall mosaic is preserved there from around 1380.
Venice became the dominant center for glassmaking during the 14th century. Here new glass making methods were developed and export trade such as mirrors, tableware, and decanters flourished. Secrets of glass making were highly guarded in Venice, but eventually glass workers moved to other areas of Europe taking their knowledge and skill with them. As ornate glassworks became more popular, Royalty began ordering decorative glass articles to be made, to give as gifts of distinction for occasions.
A technique called “the Crown glass process” was used to make glass until the mid part of the 1800s. A glassblower would spin around 9 lbs of molten glass at the end of a rod until it spread out into a flat disk nearly 5 feet across. The glass disk would then be cut into panes. Glass from Venice was highly prized for over four centuries as they managed to keep this technique secret. In 1688, a method for casting glass was invented. This led to glass and glass panes in becoming a much more common material. The glass pressing machine was invented in 1827 and facilitated mass production of relatively inexpensive glass items. The glass pioneer, William J. Blenko, is recognized as first glass producer in America to use the cylinder method of creating flat glass by the 1920s.
The Bohemian countries of Czech and Slovakia are still known today as two of the finest cut glass and cut crystal producers in the world. Cut crystal pieces are prized as elegant anniversary and birthday gifts.
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