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Thursday, September 6, 2007
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   Thursday, September 6, 2007

Collecting Glassware For Pleasure And Profit
Collecting glassware can be a richly rewarding past-time. Glassware can be both beautiful and practical and bring joy to its owners and to those who see it. Plus you can often use items from your collection in your everyday life, therefore gaining even more pleasure from your glassware collection. You can collect antique glassware through to modern glassware.
Whether you are collecting glass for personal pleasure or purchasing as an investment, always remember the collectors mantra: Condition, Condition, Condition. The value of each piece of glass is in direct proportion to the condition of the item. The only exception to this rule would be if the glassware was a one-of-a-kind piece or extremely rare example of a particular technique. Even then, you would expect to purchase the glassware at a substantial discount. Common items rarely sell well in damaged condition.
Beginning collectors often go for quantity rather then quality by buying everything in sight. If you are just starting out collecting glassware don't stress too much about it ... as your collection grows your taste will evolve and you may choose to specialize in a particular style or period of glassware.
As your tastes change and your collection grows try to buy the best examples of your chosen style that you can afford. Stretch the budget a little if you can. Remember, quality is better than quantity and a quality item will hold or increase its value.
So, how to you recognize a quality glassware item? Buy and read books. There are many reference books available that focus on specific glassware manufacturers. The books will also help you focus on a particular style of glassware and you begin collecting. Learn which shapes are rare and which colors were produced in small quantities. Also watch for information on one-of-a-kind pieces. Always take your books with you when you go to shows so you can recognize a bargain.
The Internet offers many opportunities for glassware collectors to expand a collection, as you are no longer limited to visiting local shows and dealers. Check eBay and other auction sites on a regular basis to watch for items you'd like to add to your collection. And, remember, if there are pieces in your collection that you no longer want you can sell them on the internet and make space for (and money) for more desirable items for your glassware collection.

Alison Stevens maintains the website Collecting-Glassware.com to encourage and educate others in the collection of glassware for pleasure and profit.


A New Look at Country Style Home Decor
Country style home decor has been a fixture in American culture for centuries. At times, it has been the popular, current look of the American home, which is where the style originated, while more recently it has tended to be used as a more vintage, reminiscent style than a look which is up to date, so to speak. That certainly does not have to be the case, however. With a few small and simple changes, country style home decor can be brought into the twenty-first century.
The great challenge of updating country style home decor is making the necessary changes in such a way that it leaves the basics in tact. After all, if you change the values and principles that are at the core of the country style, then you cannot truly call the result country at all. This is not to say that there is no variety within the country style. In fact, there are an amazing number of different subsets of the country decor, from the basic, frontier image of rustic country to the refined and elegant atmosphere of French country. Understanding these differences is the key to finding the right balance of changes and similarities to update your country look.
Take, for instance, the traditional American country decor. This is probably the best thing to use as a base line of country style home decor. The style is characterized by simplicity, in both the over all design of the objects in the decor, and in the function of everything. Usually, color schemes are light, very often based in a white tone, or sometimes a pale cream or beige. Often, there are some natural elements involved in the decor, such as flowers (or, more often, floral prints.) Compare this to a few other country styles, such as the rustic style. Rustic decor is, indeed, simplistic in form and function. In fact, it is much more so simplistic than the traditional American style. Similarly, the presence of natural elements is much more pronounced in the rustic style, as essentially every piece of furniture in made from wood, most of which is unfinished. However, the coloration in the rustic style is generally quite a bit darker
You can easily adapt your country style home decor by working with different levels of thee three principals. Adding more natural elements with give your decor a more earthy, rustic look. Similarly, more simplicity will make it look more old-fashioned. So, if you want to give your country decor a bit of an update, an excellent method would be to make things a bit more complex and a bit less natural. This does not mean to cut nature altogether or over complicate your decor, by any means, but you should make your natural references a bit less obvious. For instance, work with stone rather than wood or flowers as your basic natural material, such as granite counter tops and the like. Also, try working in a few elements that one normally would not find in a traditional country style home decor.
Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
About The Author:
Visit Rustic Adornments to receive free interior design advice about everything from rustic furniture to smaller, less expensive country home decor ideas.


How to Make a Birthday Gift Basket
Birthday gift ideas are always hard to come up with. Nevertheless, everyone has pretty much received everything under the sun – from concert tickets to horrendous clothing from distant relatives. We all have experienced a bad birthday present. Therefore, we know we want to stay away from the terrible and try something unique. This is why many people are moving towards the birthday gift basket idea. It is not only a simple way to spice things up, but it lets you put a ton of different ideas into one overall gift.
If you do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on a pre made gift basket, it is quite easy to make one yourself. The first thing you need to do is buy a basket. Many craft stores have dozens of creative baskets with decorative paper to put inside. After buying what you need, it is essential to now think about a theme. For instance, if your friend is turning 21 years old, you need to make it wild and exciting. After all, this is an exciting turning point for any young adult. A creative way to spice up a 21 basket is to create a hang over kit. This could include a few shot glasses, their favorite type of alcohol, aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, and perhaps even a bottle opener. It is not only a fun way to tease your friend with the medicine, but it will get them excited about their birthday. It is necessary to create a basket that is full of fun and unlike anything they have ever seen before.
Depending upon who you are making the present for, you can create hundreds of different birthday gift baskets. For instance, if your brother or friend is a musician, you could make a music themed gift basket. This could include guitar strings, a music card to your local music shop, the hottest CD's, guitar tabs, and perhaps even a new guitar strap. This would be a perfect gift basket, depending on the amount of money you want to spend.
If you are unsure of what to put in a gift basket, chocolate gifts will always do the trick. Since everyone loves candy, a chocolate assorted gift basket would work wonders. You could put gourmet chocolate and perhaps even add a mixture of other things. Coffee samples and a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts card would add a lot to the basket. Luckily, there are hundreds of online chocolate stores that will send you gourmet candy to put into the basket. Remember that you do not have to purchase an entire gift bag. There are many chocolate delivery stores that will sell you the candy separately.
No matter who you are buying for, creating a birthday gift basket would be ideal. The only thing you need to do is buy a simple basket, some colorful paper to put inside, and several gifts. The best part about this is that you can spend any amount of money! Even if you can afford a pre-made gift basket, it is still smart to create one yourself. It not only is a fun activity, but your friend will appreciate a lot more if it is from the heart.