Glass Blowing

Glass blowing is a glassmaking technique which involves gently inflating hot glass to a bubble with the help of a blow pipe. A person who blows glass using the blow pipe is known as a glass blower, glass maker, or gaffer. Discovered in the 13th century in Venice, Italy, glassblowing has come a long way since then and today it’s one of the most popular forms of art the world over.

Glass blowing is all about creating both decorative and functional shapes like figurines, ornaments, testing tubes, dishes, and more. The invention of glass blowing can be traced back to the Roman Empire, but back then this craft was being done exclusively by using molds. Molds developed in the first century AD.

Blowing glass with a (special type of) furnace, also known as kiln, is similar to furnace baking, the difference being that kilns can heat the glass at one end of the furnace to a specific temperature before blowing the material out the other end of the furnace.

It is important to realize that glass blowing and mold-blowing techniques are not the same. Mold-blowing involves blowing molds of various shapes, sizes, and depths into the mold, while glass blowing usually only involves blowing clear glass or semi-opaque glass. Mold-blowing techniques are often used by artisans who design stained glass windows.

An important distinction between the two techniques is that glass blowing utilizes a blow pipe, while mold blowing uses a mold pipe. The difference between the two types of glassblowers is that glassblowers do not need to quench their work with oxygen. Once molten glass has been allowed to cool, most glassblowers can finish the job by merely blowing on it. A mold blower on the other hand needs to quench his glassblowing work with oxygen in order to ensure that the final product is clean, smooth, and free of bubbles and lines.

The earliest glassworkers practiced their trade by creating small glass items such as test tubes and figurines. Although glassblowing was considered unusual, the artisans found that their skills could be developed and enhanced when they started making larger glass items such as bowls and vases. Glass bowls and vases are perhaps the earliest example of modern glassmaking, and the first glass-making furnaces appeared in the 1st century AD.

The Roman Empire, which ruled over much of the Middle East and much of Asia for over a thousand years, is well known for the things it left behind. Among these items are many magnificent glass objects, including Roman glass decorative furniture, mosaic tiles, and even some authentic glass jewelry. Most of these objects have survived to this day, and new glassworkers continue to produce new items, ranging from gorgeous glass figurines to intricately designed glasswork. The next time you have the opportunity to partake in the history of blowing glass, you should make the most of it.

Alyosha Lonoff loves making glass art. To learn more about glass blowing check out her site today.

Christmas Gifts for Kids – Giving the Perfect Gift This Christmas!

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Every year, parents wonder what to give as Christmas Gifts for Kids. This is an age where young people’s interests change drastically. Sometimes, the most fun things that you can buy them are toys. But toys are not the only things you should consider for them. Here are the best Christmas Gifts for kids.

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There are different gifts that are appropriate for different ages. If your child is two years old or younger, then the best gifts for him or her are probably stuffed animals. In fact, stuffed animals are among the most popular Christmas Gifts for kids of all ages and even some adults. Some of these soft toys remain treasured long after childhood, as recounted in the classic children’s story of “The Velveteen Rabbit”, in which a toy rabbit becomes real through a child’s love.

Play Toys

Kids ages four to eight years old can be given toys. These toys will keep little ones busy all day and they won’t get bored even with playing these toys all day long. One of the most popular Christmas Gifts for kids, whether boys or girls, is a dollhouse. With a little bit of imagination, you can add many things to this toy to make it more interesting. You can add a kitchen set and a play kitchen. Or maybe put in some furniture and dressers. Adding a dollhouse to your child’s room can help him or her develop his or her own motor skills and help develop their social skills as well. Some playsets come with action figures, so that the dollhouse can be turned into a multi roomed firestation or superheroes hideout. Many kids enjoy toy kitchens and some of these items are big enough to play with friends as well. A toy shop is also another very social type of toy that two or more children can play with, so that older siblings can play with younger ones.

There are many other toys available for this age group, including Duplo and Lego building bricks, construction sets, ride on toys, like bikes, balance bikes and toy trucks; and board games, like Ludo, snakes and ladders, or jigsaws and coloring books.

Favorite Movies

Every kid loves watching their favorite movies. Buy your kid a gift certificate for his favorite movie rental house and let him watch his favorite movies every night of the year. Some kids even collect movie memorabilia and have turned their bedrooms into a mini movie theater. There are so many Christmas Gifts for kids that incorporate watching movies into their gift giving. Of course, there are also plenty of DVDs of their favorite movies or perhaps you would consider a subscription to a movie channel or you can buy an online version of certain movies.

Toys That Move

Kids of all ages really like anything that moves, or activity toys. This Christmas, what about a mini golf set? They’ll spend hours having fun with this item. You can get ones for kids of 3 years old or more advanced ones suitable for children from the age of 10 years, or adults. Older children may enjoy a rock tumbler for polishing their own gem stones.

Gift Baskets

If you don’t know what single item to buy, what about several smaller items in a basket? You could always give them an ornament. Or a book about what happens during Christmas time. You could even get them a basket full of things they’re fascinated by such as stamp collections or doll house furniture or several art canvases and paints to make their own picture. Kids often love baskets and will find many ways to play with them, for instance for keeping collections of things, like toy cars or marbles, or as a dolls’ bed or a pet bed or even for keeping their own bathroom items in, like their toothbrush or own soap or bubblebath.

These are just some of the ideas you could use to give a good Christmas gift for kids. Of course, you need to know what your child likes. Also, you need to make sure that you’re buying something they will like. The same goes for the person you are shopping for. After all, it is only for them.

The Best Secrets About Jewelry Are Yours To Discover

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There are many different types of jewelry for every style. There is sure to be some type of jewelry that suits you or the person you want to buy for. Read these tips to learn more about what kind of jewelry is right for you, and what fits best with your lifestyle, habits, and level of care you wish to take.

When you go jewelry shopping, make sure that it is with people you know and trust that can help you find what it is that you need. There should ideally be at least two people to help you with your shopping experience. The first should be an experienced and trustworthy jeweler. The other should be a loved one or good friend.

Attending yard-sales is a great way to build up a collection of jewelry. Many people sell old costume jewelry for practically pennies. This is a perfect opportunity to stock up on broken pieces that can be repaired or made into new jewelry later. Many new beautiful pieces of jewelry can be born of old broken pieces. Use yard-sales to build up your collection.

Christmas

If you are in the market for a piece of jewelry you can realize significant savings by waiting for the right time of year to buy. Christmas and Valentine’s day are especially busy times of the year for jewelers, and they may be less likely to negotiate during these times of year.

If you are shopping for seasonal brooches, try to buy them out of season. By buying Christmas brooches, valentine’s day brooches or Easter brooches out of season, you can usually save a lot of money and acquire a quality piece of jewelry. So, if you are looking for a Christmas tree brooch or a snowman brooch, try to buy it in July. Of course this is not always possible, after all, do you always know what you want to buy for Christmas as early as July? Very often, the best time to shop for these items is just AFTER the holiday. This either means buying almost a year in advance for the following holiday OR waiting until after the holiday to buy the piece you want. Unfortunately, that does not make sense for items like Christmas Tree brooches, as they are unlikely to be worn once the holiday is over. Sometimes, these types of items are marked down significantly just before the holiday because the vendor knows that once the holiday arrives, they will be stuck with it if it is not sold, so if you are willing to wait until the last minute and risk not getting the piece you want, you could wait until Christmas Eve, for instance and make the vendor an offer. They may be glad even to receive half price.

Sterling Silver

Sterling silver jewelry makes a great investment. Pieces of jewelry made from sterling silver last for a lifetime and provide endless elegance. Sterling does tarnish if it is not worn regularly, but can be quickly shined up using a polishing cloth. However, pieces of sterling silver jewelry that have specialty coating can last ages without tarnishing.
Beware of fake sales online. Oftentimes, jewelry advertised as sterling silver with a gemstone, such as turquoise is just a piece of metal sprayed in silver and the turquoise is a fake piece of plastic. Such vendors may accept returns, but the hassle of shipping it back at your own cost, is usually not worth it. Be aware of scams like this. If you are looking for a good piece, use a reputable jeweler.

When looking to invest in fine jewelry, understand the different price ranges different metals and gemstones fall into. For example, understanding that opal is very expensive, you can already figure out if you see someone selling it for under twenty dollars, it is a fake. Knowing that sterling silver is a lot cheaper than white gold, but quite similar in appearance, can help narrow down your price when looking to invest in a nice pair of earrings.

As you can see, there are many different types of jewelry readily accessible to everybody. Use these tips to pick the right combination of materials, style, and price that are right for you. Jewelry is easier to care for than one might think- find the perfect piece, and wear it often.