Furniture modern

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Handicrafts

`Ethical consumption,'' through which people can help the needy around the world simply by buying something, is spreading slowly to change the world. Now the new trend is even changing corporate behavior.

Beautiful Store (www.beautifulstore.org), which introduced fair trade to the nation five years ago with handicrafts from Southeast Asian countries, has been selling the fair trade coffee from Nepal at its online and offline shops. Its sales, which stood at around 36 million won in 2004, rose to 166 million won (roughly $175,000) last year.

Earlier this month, the non-profit organization began to sell a different brand: ``A Gift from the Andes.'' Grown in the high reaches of Peru, South America, the coffee beans are brought here to be roasted by local experts.

Fair trade goods are not limited to coffee beans.

FAIRTRADE KOREA, for example, sells about 120 different kinds of fair trade goods from teas and aromatic products to clothes, accessories and porcelain through its Internet homepage (www.ecofairtrade.co.kr).

Natural Dream (www.naturaldream.co.kr), a distributor of eco-friendly foods, also introduced a cacao product, which was made in a ``desirable way'' in Colombia, ahead of Valentine's Day earlier this month.

Corporate behavior has been affected. Starbucks, for example, struck a deal with Ethiopia in 2000 to offer more benefits to Ethiopian coffee farmers in the face of pressures from ethical consumers. Nike also had to admit in 2005 that it had profited through sports shoes made by children in underdeveloped countries.

Microsoft's Bill Gates described the social business as ``creative capitalism'' at the Davos Economic Forum in January, stressing the need for capitalism to find ways to help not only the haves but also the have-nots.

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Baby Nursery Furniture

If you are planning to buy new furniture for your baby's room then this is the article you should read. In this article you will know about the most important furniture which is needed for a nursery. The most important piece of furniture which you need to buy is a crib. A crib should be made up of wood with round curves as metal and plastic beds are not safe for a child. The second thing which you can buy if your baby is 3-4 months old is a cradle or a bassinet. A bassinet is a basket like bed for an infant which is mobile and easy to use.

One of the most important thing which you will need in your baby's room is a cabinet. Cabinet is necessary for storing clothes, diapers and other related items. If you face difficulty while feeding your child you can buy a high chair. You can also buy a toy box where your child can store his toys after playing time. While choosing furniture for your baby`s bedroom you should also remember about his safety. If you are planning a new design for your nursery then it will be a good idea to find out important information about all the baby`s stuff which is available on the web. The nursery furniture you will buy should match the wall color and flooring of the room in which you child will live. Today in the market you can find a large variety of decorating stuff for a nursery, but everything depends on your budget and necessity.

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Nursery Furniture

Are you expecting your baby in a month or two and wondering how you can give him every possible comfort? It is an interesting task to find nursery furniture suitable and safe for your baby. If you will search for baby's furniture on the internet you will find a wide variety of furniture in all types of colors, styles and shapes. The most common type of baby furniture which is being used nowadays includes crib, dresser, changing table and a rocking chair. While buying a crib for your baby you should look not only for beauty but also for durability and safety. One of the most popular crib which is being used nowadays is adjustable crib which can be converted into day bed or full size bed.

Changing table is a piece of furniture which is really useful. You will also need a chest to store all the clothes and other useful things of your toddler. A rocking chair is also an essential furniture for you and your little one.If you are planning to buy baby furniture then always try to find a wholesale store as it offers cheaper stuff as compared to a retail store. You can easily find some online stores offering great deals and discounts. You should invest wisely in nursery furniture as your baby will not spent more than two years in a crib. If you are having less space in your baby's nursery then it is a good idea to buy adjustable furniture. Finding beautiful stuff for your baby's room is a bit difficult task but it can be an ideal gift for your baby.

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Candy Crafts

Materials used for this candy gift basket: an Easter bucket, "Dum-Dum" pops or other lollipops, decorative Easter grass, curling ribbons of different colors, floral foam for silk arranging, a stuffed bunny, chocolate bunnies, stem wire, glue dots or scotch tape, wired decorative Easter eggs (I bought them in Michaels Craft store), and Easter ribbon.

1. Take an Easter bucket and fill it 5/6 full of Easter plastic grass.

2. Cut the floral foam for silk flower arranging and put it on the top of the Easter decorative grass so it fits into the container firmly. Cut and insert filler pieces of foam as necessary. If the foam is loose in the bucket, you can secure it to the walls of the bucket with some floral sticky clay.

Or you can buy foam in the shape of a flat circle, cut it to the desired size and insert it into the bucket.

3. Cover the foam with Easter grass securing it with floral pins as necessary.

4. Set the toy Easter Bunny in the back of the bucket. If the bunny does not want to sit, you can attach a piece of a bamboo skewer to the back of the toy using a piece of clear scotch tape. The bunny is held in place with the piece of skewer inserted in the foam.

5. Make some candy flowers.

a) You will need "Dum-Dum Pops" or other lollipops and curling ribbons of different colors.

b) Take a "Dum-Dum" pop and a piece of matching curling ribbon. Tie a small bow at the base of the pop (where the stick and the pop meet).

c) Using scissors curl the loose ends of the ribbon.

d) That is it. One candy flower is ready. Make several candy flowers of each color and flavor.

6. Insert pops in light and dark green wrappers all around the edge of the bucket. Then insert the rest of the pops around the bunny.

7. The next step is to add the chocolate bunnies to the arrangement.

a) You will need chocolate bunnies, 16 or 18 ga stem wire, and packing tape or scotch tape.

b) Attach the stem wire to the back of chocolate bunnies with scotch tape or packing tape. To stabilize the chocolate bunnies on the stem wire, put a zigzag bend in the wire.

c) Insert the wired chocolate bunnies at the back of the bucket behind the toy bunny.

8. a) Take wired decorative Easter eggs and Easter narrow ribbon.

b) Tie an Easter bow around these Easter eggs and insert them in the foam so they will be in the bunny's hands as though he is holding them.

Enjoy your Easter Candy Arrangement!

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Antique Coin Collectors

People sport different kinds of hobbies and interests. These hobbies can be subtle, sober, loud and as outlandish as you can ever imagine. You must be aware of hobbies like philately (stamp collection) and bee keeping. I used to fly model planes, that was a great deal of fun, and my brother used to shoot model rockets. These are all common hobbies, but there is one more that we will discuss here, and that is coin collection. This is a popular hobby, as a matter of fact, and is being sported by many people all across the world.

People like to collect coins coming from different times in history from different parts of the world. In a private collection, many coins cannot be used directly as currency, but oftentimes can be auctioned off to other collectors for a profit. Usually, these coins depict unique characteristics in terms of material, size, shape, contour or theme. Also, coins expressing typical aesthetics and historical significance, as well as those exhibiting some type of errors and also those which were in circulation for a very brief period of time, are generally regarded as antique coins and as such are collected very eagerly and passionately by collectors.

Generally the rarity of a coin is determined not in terms of its age, but in terms of its availability. The more antique the coin, the higher is the value. Thus, there are antique coin collectors who invest money in antique coins, intending to sell them again later for a profit. Sometimes coin collectors inherit rare coins from forefathers, etc.

An antique coin antique coin itself can be a depiction of the history of mankind. Archaeologists will sometimes study old coins to discover clues relating to history, culture and tradition of a society or group. An antique coin of a particular state (place) can sometimes depict one or more of the following: the history, geography, culture, tradition, economy, politics, system, customs, resources, people as well as the livestock and the characteristics of the place. There is a lot to learn from old coins.

Often there are specially organized events (auctions) which act as a platform where antique coins can be sold through competitive bidding. Antique coin collectors are seen bidding at exorbitant amounts. This can be seen in Europe, America and the Middle East, as well as South East Asia. As a matter of fact, for a large number of antique coin collectors, antique coin collection is not just a hobby; it is a full scale profession.

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Kids' Craft Ideas - Growing Your Own Balloon Garden

Crafts will always be a very important teaching tool for anyone teaching little kids. Kids learn best by "doing." Homeschoolers and especially Unschoolers can use this balloon craft as part of a biology lesson. This is a wonderful kids' craft idea, that is fun and easy to do and also a great first lesson about plants. This craft use balloons so watch the little ones, while you are doing this craft, to prevent suffocation!

All you need for this kids' craft idea is a medium or large sized, clear balloon, a little earth and water, some seeds, a small funnel and a piece of string. Radish seeds work well, but you could use almost any seeds that are easy to grow.

Kid's Craft Ideas Step by Step - How to make your first balloon garden

1. Don't blow your balloon up yet! Put the mouth of the balloon over the funnel and hold it firmly in place (this is where an extra pair of adult hands comes in useful!) Tip in around a ½ cup of earth - enough to almost fill the deflated balloon.

2. Now gradually add water, via the funnel again, until the earth is wet through. Don't put too much water in or it will all just turn to mud and start overflowing!

3. Dry your funnel, then add your final ingredients, the seeds, into the balloon, still holding it firmly in its upside down position.

4. Still holding the balloon upside down, so that you don't get a mouthful of dirt, carefully blow it up.

5. Tightly make a knot in the top of the balloon, then tie your string around it and use the string to hook the balloon garden up near a window or other well-lit place.

Making balloon gardens is a fun thing to do at birthday parties, and will keep the kids occupied and happy for ages - as long as you don't mind the mess! On a summer's day, it's best done in the backyard.

Balloon gardens also make lovely gifts, the children can make them for an adult friend or relative and the recipient will be delighted - especially when they hang the balloon garden up and it grows green and lush.

Grandmothers and grandfathers especially love this kid's craft idea - either to do with the kids (especially a granddad who is a gardening enthusiast) or just to receive a balloon garden craft as a gift. They will love that the kids will want to keep coming back to visit them and seeing how their balloon garden is growing.

When the balloon garden slowly dies off, it is a good opportunity to explain to your kids about the cycle of life, and to help them make a new balloon garden! Use this opportunity to teach them a variety of facts about nature, not only the cycle of life. Plants need water, fresh air, good soil etc. to grow. You can also work a lesson about seasons into this craft.

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Arts and Crafts: Richard Sennett’s The Craftsman

Richard Sennett’s The Craftsman continues an argument begun in the 19th century, when writers such as John Ruskin and William Morris extolled the crafts remembered in our surnames (Smith, Cartwright, Thatcher, Mason, Fletcher) while lamenting the mind-numbing and soul-destroying labour of the industrial process which was replacing them. A long line of thinkers, from Hegel and Marx to Sennett’s teacher Hannah Arendt, have sympathised with the argument. But Sennett does not think that craftsmanship has vanished from our world. On the contrary: it has merely migrated to other regions of human enterprise, so that the delicate form of skilled cooperation that once produced a cathedral now produces the Linux software system. Linux, for Sennett, is the work of a community of craftsmen “who embody some of the elements first celebrated in the (Homeric) Hymn to Hephaestus”.

The quotation illustrates the range and boldness of this book. Sennett defines craftmanship as “an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake”. His interest in the subject arises from his work as an academic sociologist, but this says only the barest minimum about his expertise. He is at home in historical, philosophical and psychological literature, and has a lively interest in music, architecture and urban planning, all of which have influenced and broadened his conception of craft. He believes that craft is as vital to the healthy functioning of modern societies as it was to the medieval guilds lauded and romanticised by Morris and Ruskin. And he chooses modern examples to illustrate his thesis. He criticises computer-aided design as the enemy of the eye-guided craft of architectural composition, in terms that recall Ruskin’s assault on neoclassicism. He praises Nokia’s way of innovating through free cooperation in terms that might have been applied to the drafting of the Rule of St Benedict. His argument moves with consummate ease from the anecdotal to the theoretical and back again, and whether he is reflecting on the origins of the scalpel, on the technique of jazz piano, on disgruntlement in the National Health Service, on Diderot’s concerns in the Encyclopédie, on Schiller’s theory of play or Raymond Tallis’s theory of the hand, his thoughts are always lively, engaging and pertinent. A lifetime’s learning has gone into the writing of this book, and it is not surprising if its argument eludes any simple summary.

Craft, as Sennett sees it, belongs to the category of “social capital”: knowledge and skill that are accumulated and passed on through social interaction, and which are easily lost when social customs change. He gives the illuminating example of the Stradivari and Guarneri violin workshops, whose secrets have not survived the death of those who exploited them – not because the secrets were known to the few, hidden from the many, and then carelessly lost, but because, in an important sense, they were not explicitly known. Social capital of this kind is an example of what the scientist and philosopher Michael Polanyi called “tacit knowledge”: knowledge that exists in a social practice, but is not detachable from it, like the knowledge of the human heart that is contained in the practice of good manners. Such knowledge confers authority on the one who possesses it, and, as Sennett illuminatingly argues, craft traditions have been as much under threat from the modern suspicion of authority in all its forms, as from the industrialisation of the productive process. Originality and “doing your own thing” have replaced obedience and perfection as the standards to live up to, and this is everywhere to be observed in the deskilling of modern societies and in the marginalisation of those who truly know their job, and know it as something more interesting than themselves.

In various places, Sennett points to the importance of religion and ritual in the transfer of tacit knowledge, and he recognises that the great craft cultures of medieval times, in which the legacy of tacit knowledge was kept in place by the self-policing guilds, went with a form of life that we can no longer recuperate. The household of the medieval craftsman was not a place of domestic love, but a place of authority, in which the relation of master and apprentice was more fundamental than that of father and son. Civic pride counted more than domestic contentment, and the crafts themselves were fully incorporated into the religion of the town, taking their place among the rituals and sacraments whereby the community renewed its sense of legitimacy and its devotion to God. Sennett does not linger over what this means for us, who have lost all forms of tacit knowledge that depend upon a shared public faith. And for some unaccountable reason (unaccountable in a man of such broad culture), he does not mention the greatest of all artistic presentations of the phenomenon that he is describing: Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Had he looked to that exemplary source he would, I think, have recognised more clearly that craftsmanship is more than the desire to do a job well for its own sake. It involves the desire to make a gift of the result, a gift to God, and to the community that has sought God’s protection.

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