Disneyland

Have you been to Disneyland before? I have been to Disneyland in Anaheim and also to Disney World in Orlando. I love it! However some people don't like to go to Disneyland due to the price and the long queue.

For popular rides, the queue can be as long as 2 to 3 hours. Can you imagine waiting that long only to enjoy less than 5 minutes ride? But it wasn’t as bad as my description above would suggest. This is largely because Disney has truly mastered the art of waiting in line. First, they don’t let you see where the lines go. They just wind and wind through constantly varying surroundings and waves of distractions that are often more entertaining for the kids than the destination itself in many cases. Second, somehow the lines are always moving forward also.

Anyway, if you plan to go for holiday and not sure where to stay, you can look up at www.HotelsCombined.com.
They will donate to a charity every time someone helps them spread the word! This way, they can then benefit from word of mouth (or mouse in this case) whilst at the same time being able to donate what they normally would have had to spend on advertising.

There are 3 options to Spread The Word For Charity:
1. They will give $20 for a blog mention
2. They will give $10 for a tweet
3. They will give $5 for becoming a fan of our Facebook page.

Swedish Embroidery

The origins of this unique Scandinavian embroidery style are clouded by the rarity of surviving artifacts and documentation by the ancient Vikings who fashioned the earliest forms of the needlework we know today as Swedish embroidery.

Also called "Swedish weave" or "huck embroidery" (dubbed so from huckaback fabric), Swedish embroidery uses thread or yarn woven through the raised threads, referred to as floats, in the weave of fabric. Repeatable geometric patterns are used the most often in these designs.

The vertical and horizontal threads of crochet stitches lend themselves to be used as the floats on the finished fabric. For example, in our Swedish Embroidery Baby Blanket pattern included in this issue, designer Diane Poellot's combination of two basic stitches created the floats necessary to execute Swedish embroidery on the surface of the crocheted afghan.

Most Swedish embroidery designs are worked in rows, starting at the bottom of the piece and working up. The first row is usually started at the center and worked out toward the edges. This makes it easy to keep the overall design symmetrical. With the first row as a guide, the remaining rows can be worked from edge to edge.

The stitching is worked in a right-to-left direction. The basic stitch movements used are straight (passing the yarn under floats that will keep it in a straight or diagonal direction), offset (going under floats that create a stairway or zigzag directions), open loops (going under floats to create loops with an open bottom) and closed loops (going under floats that close the bottom of a loop).

For a neat finish, always keep the twist of the yarn intact. It tends to unwind as you work, so remember to periodically release the tapestry needle and allow the original twist to return.

The fun and relaxing simplicity of Swedish embroidery has made it a popular needlecraft for centuries. It has experienced renewed interest in recent times by being integrated with other needle arts such as crochet. It's an interesting technique that adds eye-catching detail to virtually any type of needlecraft.

Driving Without AC

When the heat is on, there are not many things more miserable than sitting in a hot car waiting for the traffic to start moving. I used to have those small battery operated fan for this kind of "occasion". Although nothing compare the real AC, but at least I feel cooler a bit. Another idea is to put A 10lb block of ice on the floorboards under a vent will help cool things down. The ice block can rest in a plastic pan or baking tin.

Anyway, if you are looking for Air conditioning compressor, auto air conditioning, A/C compressor, or auto A/C compressor click on the link. They have a great selection of new and remanufactured products available and ready to ship.

Tactical Pants at CHIEF

If you looking for durable pants for your husband, brother or boy friend, then you should look at this 5.11 tactical pants at CHIEF (CHIEF has outfitted the Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement and Surveying industries since 1977).

I bought one pair of these for my husband before and he just loves it. He always wears it whenever he goes fishing because he can put a lot of fishing gadgets and gizmos inside the pocket. I also saw quite a few men wear it on the plane, because you can shove in your ticket, passport and even a bottle of water in the pocket.

Knitted Blanket

Love this color combination. Orange and yellow are my favorite colors. I made several crocheted blanket before, but I haven't tried my hand to knit a blanket. To think that I have to knit something big and square really intimidate me, but it's in my "to do list". Although I am not sure when I will tackle it.

A Great Pair of Jeans

The number one must have in any fashion conscience person's wardrobe is undoubtedly a great pair of jeans. Either you are a man or a woman, jeans is something that you need to have in your wardrobe. My husband has many pair of jeans, some are branded, but mostly are not. On the other hand, I only have one pair of jeans. I “found” this jeans after trying hundreds of them. You see, I don’t have a “perfect” body to wear jeans, but I love the convenient to wear jeans. Jeans can be dressed up for a night on the town and they can be worn with a cute tee and trendy flats for a day of shopping.

The right pair can make you look like a million bucks so spending a bit more than you would like is going to be well worth it in the end. When choosing your signature denim, they are a few things to keep in mind. Most importantly, fit is everything.

If you still haven’t got your perfect jeans, and ready to shop for one, let me tell you something: Armani Exchange has new premium denim line starting at $98! Yes! You heard it right. That’s’ a steal for the quality and style you’ll get from these Armani Exchange Premium Denim jeans!

These are my favorites:

J11 - Indigo Destruction Skinny Leg
$125.00

J24 - Wing Printed Boot Cut
$125.00

J57 - Potassium Straight Leg
$98.00


Also, the Armani Exchange is giving away a pair of these awesome jeans everyday during the month of July. All you have to do is text the keyword “DENIM2″ to ARMANI (276264), or text AX. That’s it!

Right now, if you buy purchase a full price pair of denim from the Armani Exchange, via the web or at the store, between July 7 and July 19th 2009, will receive a gift card of $20 off your next purchase of $100 or more when you buy between July 30 2009 and August 15 2009!

Good deal, eh?

Variegated Vs Solid

Normally I don’t like to knit using variegated yarn. I like solid color. However, I love the one in this photo although it is knitted using variegated yarn. Actually, if you have hand-dyed yarn, I suggest you to use it to knit something like in this photo. This cardigan is simple yet elegant with lace details in the bottom suitable to showcase your treasure hand-dyed yarn (if you have any).

Lap Band Option

WEIGHT-LOSS surgery is successful because it permanently changes hormone levels in a persons’ body. They artificially boost the "I am full" hormone and reduce the "I am hungry" hormone. Contrary to what people think, weight-loss surgery is not about wanting to look good. On the contrary, people that choose to do this surgery mostly want to be healthy. If you are overweight and are thinking of choosing this surgical method, it is advisable to first consult with an experienced lap band doctor.

Dr. Richard Collier is a Lap-Band surgical specialist, who provides the premier, comprehensive Lap-Band® weight loss surgery program in The Woodlands, Conroe, Houston, Kingwood, Huntsville, and Spring, Texas areas. His acclaimed weight loss program combines his well respected 31 year level of surgical experience with a highly-praised aftercare team program approach for patients following their surgery.

Embelishment for Little Girl Outfit

Mothers and grandmothers love to crochet for their young children and grandchildren, and especially seem to enjoy using their stitching skills to dress up the little girls in their families.

I am a mother too and sometimes I also like to make something for my girls. However, since they are growing too fast, I feel that I wasted my time and effort to make something that they can only wear for only a short time.

I want to make something simple and quick, and pretty. And when I saw this picture, I immediately thought that it was a good idea. I can use my leftover yarns to create something quick, easy and pretty for my girls.

Here's an idea: As a special treat, take your favorite little girl on her very own shopping trip and let her pick out an inexpensive outfit for you to embellish with our cute crocheted accents. She'll love it and feel extra-special at being part of the decision-making for the project.

Here is the link for the patterns!

Buttons

The right button can make or break a sweater or jacket, but choosing the right one can sometimes be more difficult than you might think. Here are some hints for finding the perfect button that will enhance your garment rather than detract from it (or worse, cause an unexpected "wardrobe malfunction").

Try to purchase your buttons before making the button bands. That way, you can pick the button without fear that the buttonhole will be too large or too small. Once the buttons are chosen, you can make the buttonhole to fit the button.

Take along your gauge swatch when button shopping. If you have time, try stitching a small buttonhole band onto the swatch, using a couple of different-size buttonholes. At the store, you'll be able to try the buttons on your buttonholes to see how they look on your garment and which ones work best.

Decide whether your garment needs buttons that stand out as part of the overall design, or whether they should be unobtrusive. You may want to match the yarn color, or you may find that a great-looking contrasting color gives the best appearance.

Scale is important. Tiny buttons belong on garments made with fine yarns, and large buttons look better on garments made with heavy yarns.

Shank buttons generally work better on thick fabrics; they are easier to apply and provide good stability.

To sew on buttons, use sewing or embroidery thread in a matching color. A button can be stabilized to prevent wobbling, drooping or pulling through the crocheted fabric by adding a small "stay" button on the wrong side of the fabric. The designer button on the right side of the fabric and the stay button on the wrong side are sewn on at the same time in one operation.

Choose a stay button that is flat and at least as large as the designer button. Use a button with two holes for a designer button with two holes or a shank. Use a 4-hole stay button with a 4-hole designer button.

Mix button styles on one garment. You can create some fun, unique looks, and it's a great way to use some of those lovely one-of-a kind buttons in your grandmother's button box!

If you are using buttons that are non-washable or require special cleaning, fasten them onto the garment with button pins. These special safety pins have a curve to accommodate the button and allow easy removal of the button for cleaning.

Make your own buttons. You can purchase a button-covering kit and cover them with matching fabric, or use Fimo or Sculpy modeling clay to make eye-catching, machine-washable buttons. You can also crochet simple buttons to complement your garment.

It's easy to get even spacing for an odd number of buttonholes. Place pins at point where top and bottom holes will be. Fold piece in half so that pins are together. Place a third pin at center and unfold. Fold again so that center pin and top pin are together. Place a fourth pin at this fold, unfold. Fold again so that center pin and bottom pin are together. Place a fifth pin at this fold, unfold. If necessary, continue to split the difference between the pins until the desired number of holes is marked.

Here is a final tip: Sloppy, loose buttonholes look amateurish and don't stay fastened very well. Remember that most yarns stretch slightly with use over time, so your new buttonholes should fit snuggly over your buttons.

Try applying these tips and techniques when using buttons on your garments to ensure successful results. Buttons really can make or break the finished look!

If you have been in an accident...

Your insurance policy requires that you notify your insurance company to make a claim report. Once a claim report has been made, you may leave your vehicle at the auto body damage repair facility of your choice and notify the insurance company claim representative as to where your damaged vehicle may be inspected. Keep in mind that you are the vehicle owner.

CollisionRepairExperts.com is an assembly of experts in the field of restoring collision damaged vehicles to pre-accident condition. The auto body shops that you will find associated with this website are scrutinized and measured, like auto body anaheim, and they must conform to levels of performance that less than 1% of collision repairers can meet.

Crocheted Stuffed Button

Materials: yarn of choice, appropriate-size crochet hook and tapestry needle.

Rnd 1: Leaving a beginning 8-inch tail, make a slip knot on the hook. Ch 2, 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook, join with a sl st in first sc. (8 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc in next st, [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] 3 times, join in first sc. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: Sc in each sc around, join in first sc.
Rnd 4: Ch 1, [pull up a lp in each of next 2 sc, yo, pull through all lps on hook (dec made)] 6 times, fasten off, leaving a 10-inch tail.

Stuff small scraps of matching yarn into the ball. With tapestry needle, weave the 10-inch tail through all sts on last rnd and pull tight. Thread the 8-inch tail down through center of button and use both ends to sew button to garment.

What Is Your Favorite TV Show?

One of my favorites TV shows is Closet Cases. It’s a TV show where style-challenged people are taken on a shopping spree for new clothes. Then a design expert transforms that cluttered closet into a hard-working space. If you like to watch it, you can watch it online on Spreety TV Online : Watch TV Shows Online Free. In fact, you can find any TV show on spreety. The site is 5,000 pages deep, and has many genre pages (i.e. home & garden, comedy, sports, westerns, etc.), classic TV pages (1950s, 1960s), pages about movies, most popular online TV, etc. Check it out yourself!

Travel Companies Publishing Their Events on Facebook

I notice that currently at lot of travel companies are trying to promote their charity causes or their other events using social media and social networking sites. For example: Laterooms , lastminute.com, expedia, eight hotels. While we are on this subject, let me tell you about the world's leading accommodation meta-search engine in terms of inventory and prices called hotel combine. They index the most hotels out of any other hotel price comparison website, and you can find the best price listed across more than 30 major websites in just one click of the button. By using them, you don't need to visit different websites one by one to compare rates.

My Own Yarn Shop

I always dream to open my own yarn shop someday. I like the idea to be able to fondle yarns all day long and helping customer to find the correct yarn for their project. I am sure a lot of you have the same dream as mine.

However, I realized that starting my own business is a big step and I will need to spend a lot of time researching and planning before go ahead. Running your own business is a rewarding but demanding career and life choice. There are many different opinions about how to start a business from writing and researching a detailed business plan to jumping into a passion and trying to make money out of it.

Having the right leads, in any successful campaign, is the most important aspect but also the most difficult to obtain. Relying on a company without being sure of their own success is a big risk. At Endless Resources, they try to be as transparent as possible to ensure that you are fully informed and know exactly what to expect. This includes knowing when you are dealing or about to deal with risky or model consumer scores. Their Consumer Mailing List will help you target those consumers that bring you more business.

Thinking to Buy Rolex?

Although shopping online can be very easy and convenient, but it has some risks too. One of the risks is that sometimes you don’t get the genuine stuff. For inexpensive items, probably you just close your eyes and you said to yourself that you won’t buy it from that company again. However, if the thing that you are about to buy was very expensive like Rolex watch, you should make sure that you buy from respectable company.

Best of Time (www.bestoftime.com) is proud members of BBB, Better Business Bureau and hold the highest form of recognition. They are an official accredited business by BBB, Better Business Bureau with an exceptional A+ rating the highest possible rating a business can get! All of their Rolex watches are 100% genuine certified & authentic with a 3 year warranty and free fedex shipping.

They claim that they offer genuine Rolex watches at substantial discounts to the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Because they are an independent dealer of new and pre-owned Rolex watches, they are able to avoid manufacturer's pricing controls and forward greater discounts to their customers.

Personally, I haven’t bought any watches from them and I am not an expert in Rolex watch. Thus, if you are thinking to buy Rolex watch, why don’t you click in the link and see yourself.

What Can I do?

As a person that likes to do handy craft, sometimes I am wondering whether I can make a living just from doing craft. I know that you probably said I can make something and sell it on ebay or etsy. The problem is I don’t want to sell myself short and if I really want to sell my handmade things, nobody will be able to afford to buy my stuff. Another option is to write pattern and sell in online. I like this idea more. I always like to knit or to crochet my own design. I only have to write it down the pattern, then I could either self-published my pattern or sell it to magazine.

Anyway, if you have question about job related, you can go to Career.QandAs.com (Career Advice and Development). You can either look up at their existing Q&A or you can ask them.

Ruffles

I don't know about other people, but I love ruffles. Ruffles makes me feel feminine and pretty. I really like the cardigan in this picture. I love the ruffles along the edge and also love the flair on the sleeves. I will make something like this someday. Not exactly the same as I don't have the pattern for the one in the picture, but something similar.

Need Vacation?

I was travelling quite a lot before I got married. Every year, my family always went for vacation. There are some countries that I haven’t got the time to visit, such as Japan, Korea, India, Africa, and New Zealand. After watching “Lord of The Ring” movie, me and my husband planning to go there someday. The view is breathtaking and both of us have never been to New Zealand before. The problem is we don’t have enough saving to go for holiday this year as we just bought our house.

Not enough money did not stop me from surfing the internet to find a good deal to go to New Zealand, however. When I was surfing in the internet to find good deal for our accommodation, I came across this fantastic deal to stay in Accor’s Hotels (Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons and Ibis hotels). Hotel rates in 27 cities across 10 countries in Asia Pacific are being reduced in Accor Hotels City Super Sale. The 27 cities include Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hanoi, Manila, Mumbai, Sydney and Auckland (New Zealand).

Travellers will be able to take advantage of savings of up to 60% when they book on-line between 23 - 29 June, for stays between July 10 and September 30, 2009. Over 250,000 room nights will be on sale. So, if you planning to go somewhere between those date, don't forget to check it out!

Storing Your Yarn Scraps

Crocheters store their yarn scraps in all manner of ways, from bags or containers stuffed in whatever closet has room to a variety of creative storage bins made from buckets, boxes, crates or totes. For maximum efficiency, easily accessible cubicle-style storage units make it much easier to sort, store and locate scrap yarn colors when needed. Plastic crates make great storage units; they come in a variety of sizes, stack easily on top of each other and are relatively inexpensive at discount department stores.

Before setting up your choice of yarn bins, be sure to select a wise location, preferably in an unobtrusive place in the living area of your home where it's cool, dry and clean. While you want the location to be handy for you, you do not want it to be accessible to pets and small children. Avoid places like an unfinished basement that can incur water leakage or mold, or a garage that houses dirty machinery, chemicals or little critters that might decide to nestle in or chew on your yarn.

Once you have selected a good location and set up your preferred type of storage-bin unit, you need to sort your yarn scraps by color and value. To help you see the colors more truly, lay them out on a white or neutral-color carpet or sheet. If you look at the color wheel below, you'll notice that the colors are arranged in "families" by value from lightest to darkest, so you should sort your yarn scraps in the same manner. Put each multicolored yarn in the pile with its predominant solid color. Put black, white, off-white and gray yarns in their own separate piles.

Once you have all of your color groups sorted, store them in the cubicles in whatever manner makes the most sense or is most workable for you. One way is to put the darkest-value shades of each color in the cubicles across the bottom row. Leave the column of cubicles on the right or left end free for the black, white, off-white and gray yarns.

In the corresponding cubicles across the next row, put the next darkest shade of each color, and so on with each row, ending with the lightest-value shades in the top row (similar to how the color groups are arranged on the color wheel). If you have only a small amount of several colors, they may be able to share cubicles.

With a small investment in time and effort and relatively low cost, you can have a well-organized system for efficiently locating specific colors in your leftover yarns when you need them. In addition, being able to view all those wonderful colors in various shades at a glance will be sure to inspire lots of crochet creativity when planning your projects!