Antiques Today

Has Art Deco shaped the design of today?

2010-04-03T12:49:00.001-07:00

Has Art Deco shaped the design of today?
Apart from todays furniture which i think is quite apparently influenced by the 1920-1930 style Art Deco furniture, are there any other design elements from Art Deco which linger today?

A Note on Authenticity

2010-04-03T12:48:00.005-07:00

A Note on Authenticity
A sense of proportion seems there and then to have been universal, so that everyday objects had a quality that today seems to require genius to achieve." These heartfelt responses, however, "are not the whole truth," Todd writes, ...

Chinese Antique Tables

2010-04-03T12:48:00.003-07:00

Chinese Antique Tables

chineseantiquefurnitureshop.com One of a series of video tutorials from the Chinese Antique Furniture Shop. John looks at different types of Chinese antique tables.

Aladdins Antiques Plymouth Barbican

2010-04-03T12:48:00.001-07:00

Aladdins Antiques Plymouth Barbican Kris Oxland

Aladdins Antiques Plymouth Barbican Kris Oxland Music

Anyone ever been to the Columbus, NJ Indoor/ Outdoor Market?

2010-04-03T12:47:00.004-07:00

Anyone ever been to the Columbus, NJ Indoor/ Outdoor Market? - I ...
I was there today ( Thurs). It was great for buying .We got there at about 8:00. The lot was about half full. By the time we left at 12 it was totally full. Because we go there all of the time I can tell you that Thursdays are dealers days. ... They pretty much seperate the old,used,vintage and antiques from the new stuff. If you plan to go it takes me about 3-4 hours to do the old stuff only. It's a whole day to do the entire flea market outside only. ...

Chinese Antique Furniture

2010-04-03T12:47:00.002-07:00

Chinese Antique Furniture Video #8 Woods - Elm

chineseantiquefurnitureshop.com #8 in a series of video tutorials from the Chinese Antique Furniture Shop. John and yuqing talk about elm, one of the woods commonly used in Chinese antique furniture.

Antique Beige "Geisha Hikinuki-Maru-obi

2010-04-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Antique Beige "Geisha Hikinuki-Maru-obi"

Antique Beige "Geisha Hikinuki-Maru-obi" www.japanese-antiques.jp

Cash for Gold at Joe's Gold and Silver - Los Angeles

2010-04-03T12:46:00.003-07:00

Cash for Gold at Joe's Gold and Silver - Los Angeles

Do you have gold or silver to sell? Perhaps you have some broken jewelry, or jewelry you don't want anymore? You can sell it-- but there are some important things to know before you sell your gold and silver. For example -- the price. There are many companies that advertise on TV that they will buy your gold -- but at what price? There is a risk mailing your gold to a company without a firm price. Also, some companies might say they give you a "return privilege" but we have heard stories about return priviliges expiring even before the seller knows that price is being offered for their gold. Get cash for your gold at Joe's Gold and Silver in the Los Angeles area. He was two locations to make it easy. The main store is in Beverly Hills, just south of Wilshire Boulevard. Parking is easy. Joe's Gold and Silver at 239 South Robertson Boulevard, Suite 10, Beverly Hills is a fully licensed gold dealer. Joe's Gold and Silver will buy your old and damaged gold and silver jewelry and owner Josef Shamir says he usually can beat the competition by at least 20%. By going to this buyer of gold and silver you don't have to risk mailing your gold. Joe's Gold and Silver has two convenient locations -- in Beverly Hills and in Lawndale. The Lawndale location is at 15335 Hawthorne Boulevard. Call them for information at (310) 652-0255. Joe's Gold and Silver will also educate you about its pricing structure because prices will vary for 10-karat gold and 14-karat gold and 18-karat gold. This ...

Chinese Antique Apothecary Chests

2010-04-03T12:46:00.001-07:00

Chinese Antique Apothecary Chests

chineseantiquefurnitureshop.com One of a series of video tutorials from the Chinese Antique Furniture Shop. John looks at different types of Chinese antique apothecary chests.

Chinese Antique Clothes Racks

2010-04-03T12:45:00.006-07:00

Chinese Antique Clothes Racks

chineseantiquefurnitureshop.com One of a series of video tutorials from the Chinese Antique Furniture Shop. John looks at different types of Chinese antique clothes racks.

Chinese Antique Buffets

2010-04-03T12:45:00.004-07:00

Chinese Antique Buffets

chineseantiquefurnitureshop.com One of a series of video tutorials from the Chinese Antique Furniture Shop. John looks at different types of Chinese antique buffets.

The King Of All Junk

2010-04-03T12:45:00.002-07:00

Sandford67 The King Of All Junk & Antiques July 29 2009 A&W+ Tiny rat rod schwinn Bike

As always Metal mike Simply can not help himself. Heres that old pile of a bike he dragged home earlier this week, and today a vintage A&W Soda Fountain Cart Mpls Minnesota Reality TV Raw Promos

CITA Towester

2010-04-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

CITA Towester 11th Jan 2010 Prt1

Aled introduces this programme from the grounds of Stoke Park Pavillions in Northamptonshire, but his actual destination is a few miles down the road at Towester, where Linda Riley hopes to raise £1000 for a once in a lifetime trip to Cuba. Linda is a passionate photographer, and has three grown up sons, but sadly she lost her husband Alan a few years ago, in fact its Alan's collectables that they hope to sort through today. Aled meets up with antiques expert Paul Hayes outside Linda's house, and with 20 years experience in the antiques game, Paul is looking forward to today challenge. Aled meets Linda and her friend Gillian, who tells Aled that her friend is a definate hoarder, lets hope there are plenty of antiques around to enable them to reach their target. Paul is already searching, and between them in this clip they find a Bowman's Whistle, A Stamp Collection, Two Porcelain Wall Sconces and a painting by Arthur Haddy. This is produced solely to promote Aled and his music.

Antiques, designer clothing among items allegedly stolen and sold ...

2010-04-03T12:44:00.003-07:00

Antiques, designer clothing among items allegedly stolen and sold ...
The total value of these items today runs $196768. The antiques on the list are all over a century old, the document details, and are all international treasures. These include a Venetian Murano lamp made of glass with gold angels, ...

Pilgrims Antiques. West Street. Dorking

2010-04-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

Pilgrims Antiques. West Street. Dorking.: Pilgrims Antiques centre ...
I'll begin with a picture today showing all sorts of brass and copper from Sue and Brian's area. Welcome to the world of Pilgrims Antiques. The lovely shop window display already reflects the arrival of Spring and approaching Easter ...

Japanese Netsuke | Puntogf Antiques.

2010-04-03T12:43:00.005-07:00

Japanese Netsuke | Puntogf Antiques.
Today's form of international Netsuke collections is not so devoted to necessity as it is a functional art of direct "Means". The beautiful art forms of delicate Japanese Netsuke just can't be beat in quality and perfected detail no ...

Alan Mendelson & Joe's Gold & Silver Encino

2010-04-03T12:43:00.003-07:00

Alan Mendelson & Joe's Gold & Silver Encino

Joe's Gold and Silver has opened a new location in Encino, serving the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles area at 16060 Ventura Boulevard, Encino, California 91436. Call (818) JOE-GOLD or go to www.818joegold.com for information about the Encino location as well as their locations at 15335 Hawthorne Boulevard, Lawndale and 239 South Robertson Boulevard, Beverly Hills. Joe's Gold & Silver has also opened a location in Honolulu, Hawaii and soon there will be another location in Hawaiian Gardens, a suburb of Los Angeles. Joe's Gold & Silver promises to pay the best prices for gold and silver and platinum in the Los Angeles area. And owner Joseph Shamir says that promise to pay the best prices is what allowed them to keep growing. In our new video he talks about his promise to beat "anybody's price" for unwanted gold jewelry including broken jewelry, jewelry that is out of style, mismatched or single earrings, dental gold, gold coins, also sterling silver jewelry and silver flatware and silverware, and platinum rings and jewelry. The best part about selling to Joe's Gold & Silver is that you get an offer on the spot, without the risk of sending your gold through the mail and without knowing what you will be paid in advance. For the Lawndale store call (310) 676-0555 and for the Beverly Hills store call (310) 652-0255. Sell your gold with confidence at Joe's Gold & Silver, and get paid without the risk of mailing your gold. Joe's Gold & Silver makes it easy to sell your ...

Antiques in Charlottesville

2010-04-03T12:43:00.001-07:00

Antiques in Charlottesville

Dealers from at least twelve states will be converging in January for the premiere of Antiques in Charlottesville. The showcase event of antiques, decorative arts and fine art will be held January 22-24 at the Holiday Inn University Area. Were coming to Charlottesville and bringing our friends with us, says Jay Melrose, founding partner of Melrose & Duddy, Professional Antique Show Promoters. Since announcing plans for the Charlottesville show weve seen tremendous support, both from dealers and from the Charlottesville community. Everyone is excited and were really fortunate for the group of distinguished exhibitors were able to bring into Charlottesville. During the three days of exhibition, dealers will be offering an array of antiques from period furniture to silver, rugs and jewelry in walled room settings. Exhibitors include AE Runge Jr. Oriental Rugs of Yarmouth, Maine; Howard Price Fine Art of Lake Worth, Florida, Mia Hudson Antiques of Franklin, Tennessee; DL Grissom Collection Oxford, North Carolina and others. Hours for the event are Friday 1 pm until 8 pm, Saturday 10 am until 6 pm and Sunday 11 am until 4 pm Admission is $8, or $4 with a University of Virginia student id. The University Area Holiday Inn is centrally located at 1901 Emmet Street. Jay Melrose, of Poland, Ohio, began selling antiques at shows in the mid 1980s and, armed with that experience, has worked to rethink the formula of antiques show promotion. Today Melrose & Duddy shows feature an ...

Black Dog Salvage

2010-04-03T12:42:00.005-07:00

Black Dog Salvage - Architectural Antiques & Custom Designs ...
Today, Eljer Plumbingware's vitreous china facility in Ford City is one of the largest and most modern of its type in the world. The original construction of what was to become the Salem, Ohio cast iron manufacturing facility was ...

Dumpdiggers: Twindmills Antiques opens in Colborne Ontario

2010-04-03T12:42:00.003-07:00

Dumpdiggers: Twindmills Antiques opens in Colborne Ontario
Twindmills Antiques opened its doors today in the small town of Colborne Ontario, just in time for Christmas. This Dumpdiggers blog post, published minutes before either Ed van Egmond, a local counselor , or Lou Rinaldi the MP cuts the ...

Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes

2010-04-03T12:42:00.001-07:00

Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes

If you're a fan of pbs's top-rated Antiques Roadshow, you've probably wondered -- what would it take to get your family treasure on the program? What happens to the antiques after the show airs? Are the appraisers ever wrong? And will Antiques Roadshow come to my hometown? Purchase the book that will put all your questions to rest. Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes by Marsh Bemko(Touchstone, 978-1-4391-0330-2 , $18.00, Paperback). Available wherever books are sold. Order your copy today.

Pressing Apple Cider on the Antique Press at Bowens Mills

2010-04-03T12:41:00.005-07:00

Pressing Apple Cider on the Antique Press at Bowens Mills

Historic Bowens Mills is a family owned and operated historical park. The 19 acre historical park consists of: • 1864 four story water powered working Grist Mill • 1800's water powered working Cider Mill • 1840's two-story Plank House, the oldest house in Bowens Mills • 1850's one-room School House, the oldest in Barry County • 1860's 11 room Victorian House built by the Bowens • A Post & Beam Barn and Pioneer Farm area, home to Belgian Draft Horses, Miniature Horses, Chickens, Sheep, Goats and a Llama • A Quaint Covered Bridge that crosses the Old Mill Stream • 17 foot Water Wheel, completed in 1999 • "Ye Ole Craft Shoppe" an artisans woodworking & cooper shop. • "The Fork River Trading Post" Log Cabin • "The Bowens Mills Gathering Place" an Arts & Entertainment Center • "The Saw Millers Cabin" down by the Old Mill Stream • One-Room Restored "Line Camp Cabin" located near the "Trappers Trading Post" • "The Miller's Wife Store" with many items reminiscent of bygone days including; Bowens Mills Fresh Ground Corn Meal and Amish prepared Apple Butter and Peach Butter, antiques, books, jewelry and gift items. • "Granny's Kitchen" Restaurant prepares Hot Apple Dumplings with Ice Cream, warm Donuts, Chili, Hot Dogs, Cider by the glass and soft drinks. The goal of the second generation owners of the Mill is the same as their parent's before them, to continue not only to preserve the history of the area of Yankee Springs, but to portray an image in the minds and eyes of all those ...

Hollywood Antiques

2010-04-03T12:41:00.003-07:00

Hollywood Antiques.

Hollywood Antiques is Portland's premier antique mall. Call Hollywood Antiques today at 503-288-1051.

Antiques Roadshow Ticket Checker

2010-04-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

Antiques Roadshow Ticket Checker | Hot in News, Video and Blog
All you need to know about antiques roadshow ticket checker. Latest popular antiques roadshow ticket checker news, videos and blog in the internet.

The next best thing to Happy Easter | My Club Sea Breeze Team

2010-04-03T12:40:00.004-07:00

The next best thing to Happy Easter | My Club Sea Breeze Team
Spring is finally here and while theres no longer snow on the ground nobody told this lady spotted in NW today. Interior Decorating Kitchen Design Kitchen Appliances Bathroom Design Antiques Auctions Collecting Home Decor Shopping Home ...

Chinese Antique Furniture

2010-04-03T12:40:00.002-07:00

Chinese Antique Furniture Video #10 Determining Age

chineseantiquefurnitureshop.com #10 in a series of video tutorials from the Chinese Antique Furniture Shop. John and yuqing review different ways to approximate the age of a piece, as well as methods that won't work.

AFFILIATED AUCTIONS TALLAHASSEE BUYING GOLD, FIREARMS, FINE JEWELRY, ANTIQUES - CALL TODAY!

2010-04-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

AFFILIATED AUCTIONS TALLAHASSEE BUYING GOLD, FIREARMS, FINE JEWELRY, ANTIQUES - CALL TODAY!

Affiliated Auctions of Tallahassee Florida. Licensed auctioneers & appraisers. Do not sell your precious metals at a fraction of market value! Make sure you get multiple quotes before you sell. Call us for a no cost, no obligation quote on your coins, gold, silver, platinum, fine jewelry, broken old jewelry, flatware and all other precious metals. Do not sell yourself short. There are many scammers out there. Do not fall victim. Shop around, do your homework and be an educated seller. Call us today for a market quote 850-656-5486 or visit affiliatedauctions.com. We are licensed and insured. We are also certified PSA, NGC, PCGS dealers. We will drive to you.

Antique Tractor, Steam & Gasoline Engine Show Bowens Mills

2010-04-03T12:39:00.003-07:00

Antique Tractor, Steam & Gasoline Engine Show Bowens Mills

"IT'S CIDER TIME FESTIVAL" Antique Tractor, Steam & Gasoline Engine Show Historic Bowens Mills kicks off the first of three "Its Cider Time Festivals" the last of September. The gates open at 12:00 noon and close at 5:00pm both Saturday & Sunday. There are cider making demonstrations on the old press, grinding of corn meal, tours of the old mill, horse drawn wagon rides, and good food with music. The feature of Steam & Gasoline Engines along with many old time demonstrations. There will be a large display of antique tractors and a full schedule of events both days. Historic Bowens Mills is a Michigan State Historic Site. The Old Mill is a second generation, family-owned and operated 1864 Historic Site with no state funding. The 19 acre historical park consists of: • 1864 four story water powered working Grist Mill • 1800's water powered working Cider Mill • 1840's two-story Plank House, the oldest house in Bowens Mills • 1850's one-room School House, the oldest in Barry County • 1860's 11 room Victorian House built by the Bowens • A Post & Beam Barn and Pioneer Farm area, home to Belgian Draft Horses, Miniature Horses, Chickens, Sheep, Goats and a Llama • A Quaint Covered Bridge that crosses the Old Mill Stream • 17 foot Water Wheel, completed in 1999 • "Ye Ole Craft Shoppe" an artisans woodworking & cooper shop. • "The Fork River Trading Post" Log Cabin • "The Bowens Mills Gathering Place" an Arts & Entertainment Center • "The Saw Millers Cabin" down by the Old Mill ...

People Selling Antiques Like Crazy

2010-04-03T12:39:00.001-07:00

People Selling Antiques Like Crazy
In today's world antiques have become big business for many people, finding that piece that was created many years ago and selling it for 3 to 4 times its value is a great way to make money. If you compare the same items today with ...

Two Guys On The Road with Antiques

2010-04-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

Two Guys On The Road with Antiques
Perry picked up a pair of these glasses today- he liked the spots. They're a cute pair of tumblers and make for great water glasses. We picked them up today at an estate sale. We hit a couple of them today. ...

Tiffany Dogwood Table Lamp American Indian Base

2010-04-03T12:37:00.005-07:00

Antiques: Tiffany Dogwood Table Lamp American Indian Base

22" Tiffany Dogwood Table Lamp On American Indian Bronze Base Welcome to Fontaine's Antique Auction Gallery. We have long been known for record setting prices for fine and rare antiques. One of our many specialties is 20th century lighting including such works by Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany Studios New York. Here our featured item is a 22" Tiffany Banded Dogwood Leaded Floral Table Lamp on an American Indian Bronze base. The leaded glass shade shows a geometric pattern throughout which is created by green and white Striated Glass cut to small quadrangular pieces. This pattern is shown in 8 Rows from the top (or aperture) of the shade and 3 rows from the bottom rim. The Dogwood floral pattern is featured in a banded border, stretching into the 8th geometric row from the top and the 3rd geometric row from the bottom. Each of the flowers consists of 4 pieces of opaque mottled glass depicting the petals and a 5th yellow piece in the centers. Surrounding the flowers within this border are large green leaves, showing some gray striations, and brown translucent branches, visible in 3 places. The aperture (or top opening) of the shade is 5" in diameter and the shade is 8.5" high. The lower rim, which is 22" in diameter, is edged with a ½" unusual heavy bronze border. The top of the lamp shows a reticulated spun bronze heat cap with a teardrop finial, which sits over the shade. Looking at the underside of the shade you will see that the lead work is applied just as carefully ...

Rare Antiques | We Antique

2010-04-03T12:37:00.003-07:00

Rare Antiques | We Antique
if repairs were made on porcelain antique. 2. Reproduction Glass. With today's technology, it easy to make an imitation of almost any work of art, including antiques. The use of black light on antiques made of glass is ...

Time to Sell: Collector wants items to go to new homes

2010-04-03T12:37:00.001-07:00

Time to Sell: Collector wants items to go to new homes
Today, many of the antiques that Gray has collected for decades will go on the auction block. Brunk Auctions, an Asheville auctioneer, will take the highest bids for more than 560 items. Amarinthia a portrait of a young plantation ...

BBC Antiques Roadshow Filming in Guernsey

2010-04-03T12:36:00.002-07:00

BBC Antiques Roadshow Filming in Guernsey (Part 1 of 4)

This is my filming of the BBC Antiques Roadshow programme when they came to Saumarez Park in Guernsey, Channel Islands to do some filming and to give a chance for local people to take their antiques down to be valued by the regular antiques experts that are seen on the show. This was filmed on the 9th June 2009 and the programme is due to be shown on the BBC in August or September 2009. Fiona Bruce is the current presenter and is seen several times during my videos. The manor house at Saumarez Park used to be the house of a vast private estate which stretched down to Cobo Bay. Today the house is now an old peoples home and the park is a public park.

Antique Restoration and Adaptation for Modern Uses

2010-04-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

Antique Restoration and Adaptation for Modern Uses

In this episode Mark Slotkin shows of some of the many antique adaptations done at Antiquarian Traders that make 19th C. antiques usable and comfortable for today. In the 19th C. people were smaller than we are today, so we will make modifications like expanding antique bedroom sets, or converting an antique chair into a antique swivel chair. Vist our online showroom with over 5000 Museum Quality Antiques: www.antiquariantraders.com email antiques@antiquariantraders.com

How To Sell You Gold And Silver Jewelry And Coins To Gold Buyers

2010-04-03T12:35:00.002-07:00

How To Sell You Gold And Silver Jewelry And Coins To Gold Buyers ...
Although there are many jewelry and pawn shops with regards to selling personal items such as antiques and old jewelry, only a few offer the best rates possible for such transactions. This is why to get as much money from a gold ... For, unlike other gold buying services today, many of which are mail oriented where one sends in their old jewelry, these services provide on-site evaluation and estimates; Then if one wishes to accept the offer one has their cash immediately. ...

Today's Collectible At Cauley Square

2010-04-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Today's Collectible At Cauley Square

Filmmaker Bruce Merwin presents Today's Collectible at Cauley Square Historic Village and Shopping Center, a Nostalgic Village that offers a Glimpse of Old South Florida at its best. Spend the day or a lazy afternoon shopping and casually strolling through the shaded garden paths. You will be delighted with the quaint cottages restored into a Labyrinth of antique and specialty shops, featuring the most unique items to delight the discerning shopper. The famous Tea Room Restaurant and Latin Corner offers a delicious menu to compliment your shopping experience.The beautiful gardens of Cauley Square Historic Village and Shops offer the best in antique shopping, event hosting and great dining opportunities. Cauley Square Historic Village 22400 Old Dixie Hwy Miami, FL 33170 Tel: 305-258-3543

Alhambra Antiques on South Florida Today

2010-04-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

Alhambra Antiques on South Florida Today

Olga Granda-Scott talks about Alhambra Antiques in Coral Gables, Florida

Should You Use Garden Antiques?

2010-04-03T12:33:00.001-07:00

Should You Use Garden Antiques? | Gardening blog

Are you aware that Victorian garden furniture has always been considered a very valuable, and that the elaborate benches and love seats are still very popular today? In fact, just about every piece of antique garden furniture you find ...

How to Know When a Piece of Furniture is an Antique ?

2010-03-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

There are various types of furniture that you can get in all different styles dating back hundreds of years, but how can you tell which pieces are the real McCoy, and which ones are replicas, or later models?

Also, when is a piece of furniture classified as an antique, vintage, or just old?

Well here some things that you can look out for when you want to buy an antique or sell one that you think is an antique so that you don’t get taken for a ride:

When looking at a piece of furniture there are certain categories that yours can fall under. The first is second hand furniture, which is dated from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s and many people do mistake these styles for antiques, as many designs were reused during this time.

True antiques are more than 100 years old are found in the following conditions. Then you get utilitarian furniture, which are old pieces that are ideal for everyday use, but that museums have no interest in such as joint stools and dry sinks.

The next category is the decorative, which are items that are intricate and usually better quality than furniture of today, normally Louis XIV revival, or Baker furniture.

Then you get the museum pieces which are too fragile to be used and are just displayed as part a collection. These are normally medieval, French, Tudor style or Louis XIV.

When you are looking to buy an antique there are many things that you must look for and if you are not sure about where to start or if you are concerned that you are looking at a replication and not the real thing, then you should get an appraisal expert to help you.

Sometimes you will also find true antiques sitting in your grandmother’s attic or perhaps a local second hand store will have something antique that they don’t know the true value of. This is the perfect time to buy as you will be making a sold investment. When you choose to buy something antique, however, remember to always look for the quality of the piece and if it needs to be refinished find out exactly what needs to be done first.

As mentioned above a true antique is more than 100 years old, but some stores value furniture older than 50 years as antique and fine antique dealers will label items antique if they are more than 150 years old. The best way to find out is get the exact age of the piece.

The value of the piece will be determined by various factors including the artistry, the conditions of the piece, and the country it comes from. Most antiques you will find come from England and France, but this will also depend on where you are located. In the West people consider antiques any pieces that came across the mountains, in the East, the Queen Anne furniture are considered antiques, while in the South of America, an antique is something dating back to before the Civil War.

When looking at antiques you will not find any pieces (or maybe very few) that are originals from the 1500 or 1600, but you will find genuine reproduction pieces from this era which are also very valuable. To spot an antique you can also look at various things like the joinery. You will be able to tell if a machine was used or not, and machine made furniture was not made until the 1860’s. You can also look at the saw marks, because any rounded or circular markings could not have been made until this time as well. Before 1860 a plane, drawknife, or spokeshave was used which all cause straight saw markings.

Related PostsNo related postsIf you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! --

How to Get Rid of Termites in Antique Wood Furniture

2010-03-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

When you have an insect infestation in your antique wood furniture, like termites, this is a serious problem that must be dealt with effectively and efficiently if you hope to maintain the value of your piece and ensure that the problem doesn’t spread to other antiques that you have.

Termites are not a common problem when it comes to antique furniture, but depending on the location of the furniture and how long it was left unprotected, termites can easily move in and infest your precious antiques. So, what do you do to get rid of them?
Well, the first and most obvious answer is to take the piece of furniture to a pest control expert and fumigation specialist who deals in antique pieces.

They will be able to successfully get rid of the termites and any eggs that have still not hatched in the item without damaging the piece or reducing its value in any way. If there is already significant damage due to termites, your antique wood furniture might need to be restored and fixed to remove the holes and get it back to its original state.

To avoid doing certain things and taking care of your antiques correctly is the easiest way to get rid of termites before they even become a problem.

One thing that you must do is be careful of where you place your items. Termites like water and so placing it in a position that gets moist very quickly will attract them. Not only this, but the moisture can also damage your antique in other ways.

Checking your house for termites often will prevent them from nesting in the first place. If you find that there are small exit holes where termites or other bugs have been, you can take the item (if it is just a drawer for example) and place it inside a bag along with the appropriate poison for about 2 weeks.

Another way to get rid of bugs and termites that you think are inside your piece of antique furniture is to bag the items, if they are small enough and place them inside a freezer for 2 weeks. This will kill any termites and you will then need to leave them in the bags for another 2 days once they are out of the freezer to warm up again. This will ensure that no moisture condenses on the wood which will cause mould.

When it comes to antiques, you should try to use any non chemical product wherever possible, and you can find an exterminator that offers chemical free fumigation using special green products like they use to treat wood in green building, this could be the best answer. These products are natural and do not pose any threat to the antique piece.

They will get rid of the termites without damaging the finish of the wood or that actual grain. You should also always use protection methods to ensure that you don’t get termites.

If your antique is stored in your attic or not displayed in your house, there is more chance of it getting termites. Rather, instead of hiding your antique, display it and ensure that it gets dusted regularly. If you don’t want to dust it too much, you can use a special antique cover, but having it out in the open rather than locked away amongst a whole lot of other items, is much better and will keep any bugs including termites away.

Related PostsNow You Can Clean and Store Antique Furniture SafelyIf you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! --

See How Easily You Can Repair Antique Chairs

2010-03-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2009

If you have a beautiful piece of antique furniture, but the furniture is really not showing its best or if some parts are coming off, you have to take steps to restore and repair it.

Restoring and repairing antique furniture through a set of processes helps to bring back the look and appeal of the original piece.

The process of restoring and repairing antique furniture must be done really carefully because in no way should you ruin the antique quality of the piece. So, modern furniture fixing products cannot be used. Let’s take a closer look on how to restore an antique wood chair and also make minor repairs.

Furniture restorer brings pieces back to life

2010-03-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Kenny Korn knows wood, he knows all kinds of furniture, and he knows the ins and outs of restoration. That makes him, in turn, a handy man to know.

Korn, 55, is short and wiry, helpful and polite, with a ready smile and a down-home accent. He’s originally from the Mehlville area; his father was his first inspiration.

“My dad was really good with wood,” he says, “and I used to watch him. It always fascinated me to see what a piece of wood looked like when it was finished, if it was done right.”

Korn worked with wood from the time he was a teenager, but he didn’t get into it as a career until later. From the age of 20 to 35, he worked in heavy equipment repair and welding. “But I always fiddled around with wood after work, doing little boxes or maybe refinishing a chair for somebody.”

After suffering some health problems, Korn got into refinishing as a business instead of a hobby. He started out by working as a helper for Percy Pfohl, “a master. He was one of the top (refinishers) in St. Louis, and I really wanted to be like him. Every time we went out (on a job), I took notes. I still have that book.”

Later, Korn went out on his own, working with antique dealers in the Cherokee District: “I’ve seen a lot of pieces and asked a lot of questions, and the dealers have given me a lot of knowledge.”

Among the things he learned was the reputation, quality and peculiarities of different manufacturers of furniture “from the old days.” He’s worked on brands that were originally “real cheap

Who Else Wants to Identify Antique Furniture Styles ?

2010-03-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

May 25, 2009

In antique furniture which dates back more than 100 years, there are various styles that you can find and if you know what to look out for, you can identify antiques from replicas and reproduction pieces. This will allow you to make an informed choice when going furniture shopping for antique pieces, or determine how much to pay for a piece of furniture that you think is antique.

Looking at how old a chair, wardrobe or desk is, you can look at the wood that was used, the type of joinery, the saw markings, the hidden pieces on the furniture, the carvings, the style, and the finishes. With some elements like the styling and decorative features, it can be harder to tell how old a piece is, as there are many reproduction pieces and design features that were used over many eras.

There are lots of styles that you can choose from and they all have distinguishing markings and features. Usually you will find pieces that are limited to the America Colonial and Traditional English periods at garage sales and in second hand shops, and in some hip boutique hotels like britannia hotel manchester or Andy Thorton . However, if you want to find the genuine Louis the XV chair you will have to go to a professional dealer or antiques fair (I suggest You to have a look here: What antique furniture .com) .

Looking at the styles you get, the older English pieces are categorized into Queen Anne, Georgian Chippendale, Georgian Adam, Georgian Hepplewhite, Late 18th Century, Georgian Sheraton, and Regency.

In the American Colonial styles you get the Early Colonial, Late Colonial, Federal, Pennsylvania Dutch, and the Shaker furniture. Here you will find more detail about what each style consists of:

English pieces

Queen Anne – This style comes from the early 18th century, and is mainly made from walnut, cherry-wood, oak, mahogany, and maple. These pieces normally consist of lots of curves which are graceful and plenty of curved legs, there were no rungs or any kinds of stretchers used, and they were simple and elegant with not too much decoration.

Georgian Chippendale – This style dates back to the late 18th century, and was predominantly made from mahogany. They are a slight elaboration from the Queen Anne style with more ornate carvings and features, many of which were quite bold. Many themes were also used such as Chinese, Rococo, English, and Greek Classic. The chair backs were especially intricate.

Georgian Adam – Also dating to the late 18th century, and also using mainly mahogany, the Georgian Adam used slender lines and was influenced mainly by Greek Classical styles. As such, fluted columns were used frequently and delicate carvings were introduced, like the draped garlands which were a favored design.

Georgian Hepplewhite – This style is from the late 18th century, and uses mahogany and satinwood inlays or veneer. This style was based on the Adam, with tapered legs, and oval, heart, or shield shaped backs of chairs.

Georgian Sheraton – Also from the late 18th century, made from mahogany, this is similar to the Hepplewhite, only straighter lines were used and the Classic Greek influence saw lyre shaped chair backs.

Regency – Dating to the early 19th century, mahogany was favored and the designs were bold, simple, and more functional, with colors being used.

American Colonial stylesEarly Colonial

Dating to the 17th century, this style used maple, pine, birch, and walnut with heavy decorations and carvings. These were solid constructions and lots of square lines were used.

Late Colonial – From the 18th century, this style used mainly pine and mahogany, and the pieces were interpretations of the English Georgian and Queen Anne styles. One example is the Windsor Chair.

Federal – This dates to the early 19th century and used woods like mahogany and cherry. These were interpretations of the Georgian styles with some French influence and are heavier than the English styles. Examples are the Hitchcock Chari and the Boston rocker.

Pennsylvania Dutch – This style is from the late 17th century to mid-19th and used pine, maple, walnut, and fruit woods. They are plain Germanic styled pieces and are solid and usually painted colorfully with Germanic decorations.

Shaker – This dates from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century with pieces being made from pine and maple. They are very functional with no decoration but of excellent design and craftsmanship.

Related PostsThe Secret of Antique Table MakersHow to Know When a Piece of Furniture is an Antique ?How to date a kitchen hutch or cupboard ?If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! --

The Classification of Victorian Furniture

2010-03-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

When you are looking into antiques you will find that many period pieces are intricate and beautifully made. Many have high price values, but can you always tell what period of time they are from and what they are classified as.

Victorian pieces of furniture are perhaps the most popular antiques to this day, and as such, you have to know exactly what makes this style of furniture distinct, so that you can benefit from selling it to a collector, or if you want to start collecting them yourself.

The date of the Victorian period is from the late 19th century from about 1850 to 1910 and there were various types of woods used including rosewood, mahogany and walnut to make all kinds of furniture. Usually the designs of these pieces were chucky and heavy with very dark finishes and ornate carvings. There various decorative elements added, and marble top were often used.

The Victorian furniture is often referred to as being clumsy. The next thing you can look at to determine whether a piece of furntirue is from the Victorian era, is to look at the type of finish used. Until the Victorian period only one type of finish existed that was clear, and this was called shellac.

The varnished and lacquers that we know of were not developed until later into the 1800’s. Usually the finish of a piece of furniture is shellac if it dates back to before 1860. Sometimes on very old pieces, they even used milk paint, wax, or oils to seal the wood. To date French furniture you can look and see if the finish is French polished, which is a version of the shellac.

For materials and trimmings, you can tell a Victorian piece by the puff that it has. This puff is usually due to overstuffing, because everything during that time had to be luxurious and ornate. Carvings, curved edges, rounded segments an scroll were used all the time, and braiding was also used frequently, normally in jeweled tones. Gold was a favorite color to use for upholstery.

Another way to tell if a piece of furniture comes from the Victorian era or not is to look at the types of nails and screw used. Before 1790 the rose head nails were used. These were forged by blacksmiths and are irregular in shape.

From 1790 until about 1850, the nails used were square headed nails, and from about 1850 when machines started to be used to make objects, the headless, tapered, machine cut nails were used in furniture making. Then in about 1890 the Penny and Brad nails were used.

In the authentic Victorian pieces you will also see that most hand planning was done for the unseen parts of furniture and you can find this out by feeling with your hand along the underlying parts and inside the drawers. You will feel uneven rows in the wood.

Another thing to look out for in chairs and arm rests are the dowels used to hold them together. If a piece is from the Victorian era, it will not have rounded dowels, but squared tenons instead. The wood used will also be thicker and contain virtually no blemishes. Knotty pine was not used at all by olden day furniture makers. By looking at the non mahogany furniture that was painted, you can also determine how old it is and whether it takes back to the Victorian era.

Once you know what to look out for when you go shopping to an antiques fair just to your local antique shop (I like Driscolls Antiques) , you might just fine the bargain of the century.

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Who was John Henry Belter?

2010-03-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

John Henry Belter, born in 1804, is well known in the furniture and cabinet making industry for being an innovative designer and is famous for his rosewood furniture, and Rococo designs.

This was a new wood used in making furniture that Belter used predominantly. He came from Germany and replaced the famous Duncan Phyfe who had made furniture in New York for almost half a century.

Belter made mostly Louis XV reproductions and his unique style was known as the early Victorian. This style that he developed consisted of using limited rosewood to create bold carvings and concaved chair backs.

From 1884 to about 1865, he created drawing room suites for rich New Yorkers. This was his trademark and each piece distinctly had the finger molded cabriole legs that became famous during that period of time.

There are many pieces of John Henry Belter’s furniture still in circulation today including sofas, a few lady armchairs, some side chairs, an ottoman, an intricate oval table, and a child’s chair. You can easily see a Belter design because of the laminated chair backs that he used.

This was made into a concave shape by using 6 to 8 pieces of thin rosewood layers which were then glued together. He also used various scroll and floral motifs will a rose or shell crest on the back of the chair. The center of the chair was usually upholstered and framed with a carved rosewood border with braiding, scroll or rose bud designs. The backs of all the chairs in Belter’s collection were always done in a plain rosewood panel.

John Henry Belter started his furniture business at 40 Chatham Square when he arrived in America in 1833, but moved a few years later to 327 Broadway and then in 1855 he set up his business in the larger premises of 1222 Third Avenue.

This is where he stayed until his death in 1865. Not only is Belter renowned for his unique style of furniture making, but he even worked closely with piano maker who founded the Steinway Piano Firm to help him create rosewood piano cases that are still used today and are the basic design of a grand piano, with rounded edges to soften the sharp edges of the instrument, and large, heavy cabriole legs to hold the weight of them.

A few years before his death, Belter destroyed all of his designs to ensure that no one could copy them, and this is also one of the reasons that Belter original are so hard to find and that they are very expensive if you do find them. The workers that John Henry Belter used were always from his home country Germany, in the Black Forest region of Alsace-Lorraine, and trained in lace like knife work and deep cut carvings. He considered them to be the best and most skillful carvers and would not use any other workers to carve his furniture.

John Henry Belter was a legend in the cabinetry industry and his furniture fetches huge prices today. He is one of the innovators and designers that shaped the history of furniture making and is considered by many to be a pioneer. The laminating method that he used was a secret for many, many years, but eventually he did patent it in 1858. He will always be considered as one of the greats and a masterful furniture maker of the early Victorian era.

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How to date a kitchen hutch or cupboard ?

2010-03-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I just purchased a kitchen hutch or cupboard. It looks to me like it was produced in Kansas City Missouri. It says Union Made on the back of it with the number 44. It is a cream color with two glass covered doors and red accent painted or stenciled on the inside of the glass doors.

It does have one drawer below with a red drawer pull and two small wooden doors with red door pulls below that. Also, has 1P51A8 I believe stamped on the back.

Can anyone help me to identify it’s age and tell me anything about it?

I purchased this piece at an estate sale in Arkansas this weeked. This was supposed to be her mother’s piece and I believe she stated it came from her mother’s home before that.

The daughter was about mid 60’s in age so maybe this would help you with age or date produced… It looks like it is either 40’s or 50’s to me but I really don’t know a lot about it besides that. I took a picture of the front of the cabinet and the two stamp marks located on the back of the piece. It says it was Union Made in Kansas City Missouri with the number 44. Also, has a possible part number listed on the back of the piece. I took a picture of that also for you.

On the knobs and the drawer pulls they are a type of plastic maybe melamine?

They have a small metal star in the center of the knobs and on each side of the drawer pull anchoring it through the wood. It is wood construction with glass in the top door and it has two red stencled type decoration painted from the inside of the glass door. If you could tell me what it was called or maybe when it was produced or by whom it was produced that would be awesome.

I appreciate any info you could provide.

How To Tell If A Bed Is An Antique

2010-03-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2009

In most cases only a professional will know how to date an antique bed. With so many copies and reproductions being made, sometimes only a well trained eye can tell the difference.

However, while you might not get an exact date there are several steps for how to date an antique bed.

If you’re buying a antique bed from an individual, it’s always a good idea to inquire about the beds history. If the bed has been in their family for a long time, they should be able to give you a good idea of when the bed was made.

They may even be able to tell you exactly when the bed was purchased.

Check for any labels or identifying marks

One of the first steps that you should take to determine the beds age is to check for any labels or identifying marks. In the nineteenth century, manufacturers began assigning numbers to each new patent.

If the bed has a number, you can search for it at the patent office to find the manufacturer and date.

Look at any hardware used on the piece

Another excellent way of dating a piece of furniture is to look at any hardware used on the piece. Prior to 1830, very few furniture makers used screws.

Instead, pieces of furniture were held together with the use of dowels or pegs. And, since they were made by hand they won’t be uniform in size.

The earliest screws were fairly short, generally no longer than one half inch and had flat heads.

The tips of the screws were blunt and the threads were barely visible. The slots in the screw heads were all cut by hand, so they aren’t generally centered.

Glue wasn’t used until the early eighteenth century.

Nails

If there are any nails in your antique bed, examine them closely even if you have to use a magnifying glass. The nail head should be square, but not perfectly square and it should be slightly worn down from age. If the nails show these signs, the bed might have been made before 1820.

The circular saw wasn’t invented until the end of the eighteenth century. Before that all wood was cut by hand and there should be visible signs of saw marks.

Often, the cuts weren’t completely straight and there may be slight gaps between wood pieces.

Veneer panels

If the antique bed has any veneer panels you might be able to get a close estimate of the date it was made by examining them closely. The earliest veneers were made of walnut and were usually about an eighth of an inch thick.

And, often the grains in the veneers didn’t match perfectly.

The earliest pieces of furniture were constructed of solid wood. From around 1680, veneers became a really popular way to add decorative touches to furniture.

They were either cut with the grain of the wood to look fairly plain, or cut across the grain to be more decorative.

Because antique beds were made entirely by hand, they’re not completely perfect. And, since they are so old, they will generally show lot’s of signs of use.

Although, you can find some antique beds that have been kept in mint condition, if it looks almost new, it’s probably not very old.

These are just a few of the numerous ways of how to tell if a bed is antique. If it’s really important for you to know the exact age of a piece of antique furniture, you will probably have to have a professional dealer inspect the piece.

They will be able to distinguish whether you have a valuable antique, or just an older piece of furniture.

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How To Determine When An Antique Armoire Was Made

2010-03-20T07:58:00.001-07:00

An armoire was once considered a very necessary piece of furniture in many homes. It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that architects began including more closets into their designs.

Although they haven’t been a necessary item in a long time, today, they’re a much cherished and loved piece of furniture.

If you have an antique armoire or are planning on purchasing one, there are several things that you can look at to

determine the time frame when an antique armoire was built.

You don’t need to hire a professional to get an approximate age of an antique.

First of all, you’ll want to determine whether or not the armoire is indeed an antique. And, there are a few simple clues that will establish that it is an older piece of furniture.

The majority of antiques were made entirely by hand, which means that they’re not completely perfect.

Types of wood

Most antiques will also be constructed of several types of wood. Because it didn’t make sense economically to use expensive types of wood in the areas that didn’t show, the bottoms, backs or insides are often made from cheaper woods such as pine or maple.

Reproductions tend to be made using the same wood from top to bottom.

Carved areas

If the armoire has any carved areas, run your finger along the edges. Antiques were all carved by hand and the carvings should feel slightly bumpy and uneven. If the lines are smooth and perfectly carved, it was done by a machine and is a good indicator that it’s a newer piece.

Signs of shrinkage and the wood darkens

Because wood contains a lot of water, an antique will show some signs of shrinkage and the wood darkens with age. Since thinner panels of wood shrink faster, the best place to look for this clue is around any edges of panels, such as in the door.

If the panels don’t completely fit against the frame, this could be a sign of shrinkage from age. However, you should also be able to notice that wood in the gaps between the panel and the frame are lighter in color than the rest of the frame.

And, there may also be splits or cracks on the armoire due to shrinkage.

Hinges, knobs or handles

Next you should carefully inspect the hardware such as hinges, knobs or handles. If the hardware is vintage, it will have a patina. Patina refers to the discoloration, usually a greenish color caused by oxidation and is a good sign of age.

The wood around the hardware should also be darker due to oxidation.

There are two main ways that almost anyone can determine an approximate date of when an antique armoire was built. You can usually get a good idea from the way the wood was cut and how the armoire was put together.

The way in which the piece is put together is very important in determining age.

Signs of saw marks

Inspect the armoire for any signs of saw marks, generally on the back or the underside. If the marks are straight, but irregular, it indicates that the piece was built prior to 1830. Around 1830, most wood was cut by a sawmill which left straight, more even marks.

The circular saw wasn’t invented until around 1850. So, if there are cuts that have a circular shape, the piece was made after 1850. Also, run your hand over the exposed surfaces of the wood.

Antiques were all sanded by hand and the surface should feel slightly uneven and not completely smooth.

Nails and screws

Another very good indication of age is the nails and screws that were used in the armoire. During the 1700’s, blacksmiths forged nails individually. After the nail was shaped, it was placed into a heading tool and struck several times with a hammer to form the square head.

Between 1790 and 1890, cut nails were commonly used. And, beginning around 1880, nails were produced by machines and had round shaped heads. Screws were all handmade up until around 1815. The head slot was cut by hand and were rarely cut straight across the center of the flat screw head.

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Lalique Glass

2010-03-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

LaLique Crystal repair chipped table leg | Bruening Glass Works
Two legs of a LaLique Table bumped together while cleaning. The one leg got the worst of it . With the glass from a LaLique Wine glass.

Rene Lalique

Jeweller, Glassmaker, Genius

Antique Kitchens

2010-03-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

Your Quest for an Antique Kitchen Sink
If you are fond of antiques and you are trying to do your kitchen in an antique style, then you may want to look for an antique kitchen sink. However, finding kitchen sinks that are antiques is not always the easiest thing to do.

Pat Nevin - Antique Glazing

Antique glazing of cabinet doors demonstrated by Pat Nevin.

RE-USING OLD CABINETRY

Bob Schmidt tells you some things you need to consider when using cabinets that have been previously used in a different location with a different design.

Install a Copper Backsplash

Watch this installation of an antique-style copper backsplash. Thisvideo is part of Kitchen Renovations show hosted by Fuad Reveiz, Paul Ryan . SHOW DESCRIPTION :If home is where the heart is, then the kitchen is a home's soul. If you want to improve the look, style and function of your kitchen, but think the project is too complicated or expensive, diy's Kitchen Renovations is for you. From a simple redo to a complete remodel, host Paul Ryan covers each step in the process. No matter what style you have in mind, Kitchen Renovations takes the mystery out of design and layout, flooring, cabinets, counter tops, faucets, sinks, appliances and more. We'll inspire you to transform your own kitchen--and save thousands of dollars in the process!
UHURU FURNITURE & COLLECTIBLES: Antique Kitchen Island - $80
Antique Kitchen Island - $80. Includes two drop-leaves to increase work surface, a pull-out surface, cutlery drawer and sliding tin-lined bin for flour/grain storage. Posted by Uhuru Furniture & Collectibles - Oakland at 1:52 PM ...
Restoring Antique Kitchen Furniture
Before restoration antique kitchen furniture can look worn and tired. Doityourself.com, THE source for home improvement information.

Antique Rugs and Carpets

2010-03-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Hand Made Persian Rug 7×10 Tabriz Carpet Free S&h | ANTIQUES N ARTS
These antiques of tomorrow have been selected to provide enjoyment with the potential to achieve antique status. These rugs are individually made using knotting methods, design color and fibre mix unique to their region. ...

Antique Silk Rug Carpet Powder

www.rugrag.com Deterioration of an antique silk rug is an important aspect to consider when assigning value. Use this video to compare two rugs. A healthy antique silk Heriz, and the example of a heavily powdering antique silk Tabriz.

Carpet-Installation and Floor-Covering Tips

A behind-the-scenes look at Safavieh's Arash Yaraghi installing new sisal carpets at Martha's East Hampton home. And, Martha and Arash Yaraghi share their favorite rugs from the Martha Stewart Collection. For more information, visit marthastewart.com/the-decorating-show.

Investing in Antiques

2010-03-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Investing in antiques can be good for everyone
For some people, buying an antique is all about investment and this is hardly surprising. If approached wisely and with a certain amount of diligent research, the probability of a good financial return on an antique can be approached ...

Investment Opportunity!!

www.tourfactory.com For more information, contact: Rebecca Sanford 802 228-5544 Walnut Hill Realty LLC If Chester is the heart of Southern VT antiques, then the Stone House Antique Center is it's crown jewel. This highly successful operation has been in business since 1989. The property consists of 2.6 prime acres, with a huge 19k sq ft building and an add'l historic stone house. 275 ft of prime frontage positions you for high visibility on a main tourist route. Live the VT dream in one of the prettiest towns in southern VT! Turn Key!

Mantle Clocks

2010-03-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Antiques: Collecting 19th Century Clocks : How to Collect Antique Metal Mantle Clocks

Antique Metal Mantle clocks; features, what to look for and more in thisfree video from an antiques expert. Expert: Sue Shea Contact: www.sheaantique.com Bio: Sue Shea has been dealing in antiques since 1979, and has her own shop, Shea Antiques, located in Shelburne Falls, MA. Her passion is early American 18th & 19th century antique country furnishings. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

Antique french mantle clock. 1870

Georgeous antique French bronze clock. 1870 Beautiful antique mantle clock and five lights candelabra. The clock is antique. Last third of the 19th century (1870- 1900). The dial has arabic numerals and a decorative central bronze rosette. The dial is in perfect conditions, without hairs or chips. The Paris movement strikes every hour and half hour. It is in perfect working conditions and is sold with guarantee. The movement is signed by Marti & Cie. The set has an important sizet. The clock measures 60 cms high and 16 cm by 16 cms in the base. Each candlelabra measures 61 cms in height.It is complete, including the pendulum and the key and everything is original.

English Mantle Clock with Westminster Chime

Antique English Mantle Clock with Westminster Chime Striking One O'Clock

Antique Desks

2010-03-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

About Antiques : About Antique Writing Desks

Antique writing desks can be made of oak, mahogany or walnut, and are generally smaller desks with a single drawer. Find an antique writing desk that will match current furniture, and fit into the designated space, with information from a certifiedantique appraiser in this free video on antiques. Expert: Blake Kennedy Contact: kennedybrothersappraisers.com Bio: Blake Kennedy has been the owner of Kennedy Brothers Auctions and Appraisals since 1991. He is a certified estate specialist and a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

garageSale: Set of 2 antique school desks

This beautiful antique school desk is part of a set of two that has been in our family for more than a decade. All hardware works and aside from some staining, the wood and metal is in great shape. Great find for antique collectors or for resale.

Mission Arts and Crafts Desk

Auction Wally talks about an antique desk in the Mission/ Arts and Crafts period

Antique Garden Tools

2010-03-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

Good Tools Old and New

More good old tools, buying tools at yard sales and flea markets is the best way to get real good tools, old but good well made tools Tools made here in the USA.

QI - Gentlemen Gardening Tools

On the "Gardens" episode on the G series/from Series G the QI panellists are given some old and strange gardening tools used by gentlemen. Alan who's been given a cane has a hidden sawing blade which he then tries on whatever suitable material he can find. I do not own the rights to the clip. BBC© 2009

Snap On Tools

my snap on and mac tools ive got from yard sales or my dad all ready had

Sevenoaks Mowers - Gardening & Horticultural in Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks Mowers is a well established, 15 year old garden machinery business situated 200 yards from Sainsburys roundabout on the Old Otford Road, Sevenoaks. With over 15 years experience repairing, servicing and selling all types of garden machinery, we can offer unrivalled advice in all aspects of machinery maintenance and appropriate equipment for your garden. www.touchtunbridgewells.com

Antique Toy Trains

2010-03-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

A Brio Train Set Was A Classic Then And Is Still Fun Now
What happened to the old-fashioned wooden toy train? While they're much less simple to come by as they were in the past, there's a company who's dedicated to creating the best high quality wooden toy trains on the market. ...
Pick Up Antique and Collectible Model Trains Sets
Pick out what type of discounted model trains set to search for. Up front, when you want to find discounted Model Railroad Trains, you want to understand what kind of discount model railroad you are searching for. ...

Old Toy Trains 2

The 2007-2008 Winter Layout. Laura and Allie setting it up, Ian playing, this year we discovered mega-smoke. Song sung by Montana Rose.
The pleasure of wooden toy trains
Some individuals flip to the web to seek out picket toy trains, whereas others scout live much longer than auctions and antique stores in hopes of finding the picket locomotive they knew and loved as a child. ...

Roger Miller - Old Toy Trains

JUKEBOX : www.draadnagel.com

Antique Toys

2010-03-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

Family Antique Toys
But, she got me thinking of some of the Antique Toys we have. They were all from Bob's family and handed down to us. The first one is Bob's toy bank that his parents gave to him in 1949 as a Birthday present when he was just turning one ...

Antique toy dealer makes Texas billionaire happier than spit.

Watch as 10-year-old oil tycoon billionaire buys lots of toys worth $1300 with nothing but pennies! Wait until our toy dealer sees the giant vault filled with millions of pennies.
Woodstock Nostalgia Show
Vendors who sell Old Toys, Old Dolls, Small Antiques, Tins, Bottles, Gas Station Memorabilia, Automobile Advertising, Military Collectibles, Movie and Television Memorabilia, Postcards, Coca-Cola Collectibles, Brewery Collectibles, ...

Antique Toy Museum - Animatronic Dwarves

Antique Toy Museum in Stanton, MO www.cravescavesandgraves.com

Antique Jigsaw Puzzles

2010-03-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Jig-Saw Puzzles
Here are some of Barry antique puzzles. They were cut differently than today jig-saw puzzles. With non interlocking pieces so it makes putting them together more difficult. This is from the 1940's I believe. It is made be the Saalfield ...

3D Puzzle Antique Globe

stores.shop.ebay.com

Antique Stained Glass

2010-03-04T07:11:00.001-08:00

Antique Stained Glass Slag Pattern Window Ruby Green
Stained glass windows antique stained glass slag pattern window ruby green outside dimensions 20 inches high, 16 7/8 inches wide, 1 1/2 inches deep. Inside leaded glass dimensions 15 1/2 inches high, 12 5/8 inches wide. ...

Antique Stained Glass Window, Firescreens, Tiffany Style Table Lamps

www.homeandgardenstyles.combuy Online or Call:504.442.8998, On Sale, Antique Stained Glass Window, Firescreens, Tiffany Style Table Lamps & More. We offer Free Shipping Order Today!

Native American Art Auctions

2010-03-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

Learn Just A Little...: Native American Art Auctions: Art Antiques
If you find yourself in the market for Native American art antiques, be prepared to pay the price. Particularly with Native American art, availability doesn't correlate to demand or cost, as is the case with many other highly ...

Native American Goshute Tribe Gun Poulin Antiques Auction

This gun was found in an old house. It is a Remington Rolling Block probably a 50 caliber. It is definitely bigger than a 45-70 caliber. It was customized by a Goshute reservation police officer. The Goshute tribe is located on the Nevada/Utah border. I have corresponded with the council president of the reservation and he believes that the item is authentic as there has been a gun found in the past on the reservation that was customized also. The gun is covered in some kind of hide which is inlaid with silver, brass/bronze, with a bead design. It has some kind of hair attached to the stock which appears to be horse hair. An antique dealer with over 40 years experience believes the gun has the Native American's initials studded into the leather. The initials appear to be LK or QK The council president of the reservation thinks these initials are highly significant as one of the largest families on the reservation has the last name of Knight. I have been told the gun was manufactured before the 1890's.

Vintage Engagement Rings

2010-03-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Wholesale antiques What You Must Know About The American Flyer ...
http://www.wholesaleantiquesonline.com The American Flyer is in all likelihood the most well known of all model train series. They did achieve their peaks.

Wedding & Engagement Rings : Antique Engagement Rings

Antique engagement rings are a unique choice for the vintage-loving lady. Choose an antique engagement ring with tips from a jeweler in this free wedding rings video. Expert: David Kruger Contact: www.krugersjewelers.com/ Bio: David Kruger is the owner of Kruger's Jewelers in downtown Austin, Texas. Filmmaker: Drew Noah

A Guide To Carpet Buying

2009-08-08T15:10:00.005-07:00

Follow Our Carpet Buying Guide And Keep Your Sanity!

Carpet buying has plenty of options and plenty of price ranges to offer. In fact it can be a bit overwhelming at first. If you follow our carpet buying guide you'll have your home looking great in no time and still keep your sanity.

First you need to consider the style of rugs that are available and which room or rooms you want to put them in. Are your rooms traditional, modern, or are they rooms that are filled with antiques? If your room is filled with beautiful antiques you will want to consider an Oriental or Persian style rug. If your room is traditional or modern you may want to choose a braided style of rug.

One of main factors in choosing a rug are the colors in and around the area that the rug will be placed. Color directly affects the feeling in the room. The lighter the color the more spacious the room will feel. The darker the color the smaller and more intimate the room will feel.

Most carpets are more economical to maintain than smooth flooring is. Carpets also have some acoustical values because they absorb sounds and therefore improve the environment in your home or office. We live in an age of noise pollution caused by vehicles and heavy machinery an other equipment like phones, computers, faxes, air conditioning so carpet acoustic values can play an important role in you choice of floor coverings.

The price of a carpet is determined by the type of the pile which is related to the height, whether it is looped of cut, and the method of installation required. The higher the quality of carpet the better the energy benefits which provide insulation properties which make your room feel warm and cozy.

Unlike hardwood floors or linoleum which can be slippery, your carpets provides both anti slip properties and shock absorption. Low pile carpeting provides a good surface for wheel chairs. They are also a good choice for people using canes or crutches because they can be firmly planted on the carpets and they will provide a non slip surface.

The appearance, the colors and the aesthetics of the carpet is what will appeals to most people. There is a huge variety of colors, patterns, designs, and shapes to choose from. What style you choose will depend a great deal on the size of the room and the room's decor. You may want the carpet to make a statement or simply blend into the room. That's entirely up to you but remember nothing destroys the look of a room faster than a loud brash carpet that looks out of place.

The durability is very important for the look of the carpet. How much abuse will the carpet take before it begins to look worn and needs to be replaced. Will it retard stains, resist soiling ,and can it resist mildew. Are the colors fast and is the carpet flame resistant. Be sure to ask the sales person these questions when you are shopping for your new carpet.

Cost is also a consideration. Find out what your carpet is going to cost and be sure you get your quote in writing. Will you need under lay or under padding for the carpet? How well will it match up at a seam? If it won't you will need to allow extra for the seams. Find out what will your installed cost will be including the sub floor preparation and installed the underpad. Find out if the installer will remove and take away the old carpet or linoleum when he is finished as well as clean up all the left over bits and pieces.

Learn about the extra treatments that are available for reducing moisture or alkalinity and find out their cost. Find out what the expenses of maintenance will be and what it would cost if your carpet was damaged and you needed repairs.

Some of the other things you should think about is how long the carpet you choose will be in style. Also remember that over a few years the die lots can change and you will not be able to match the colors of the old carpet to the new. So if you are thinking about doing other rooms later on with the same carpet it is better to do it all at once. Plus you can often get a better price this way.

Shop around at all the local dealers to see if their price is lower or higher and to compare services. You can also get a better feel for their customer service when you visit their location. Be aware if the price of the carpet is really low compared to the other dealer that all things may not be equal so dig deeper. The carpet may look the same but it's quality may not be as good. You may find the carpet is the same but there are hidden extras such as travel time dumping fees and labor costs to remove the old carpet. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

Only deal with a carpet company that has been around for a while. Those truck loads of carpeting you see in the parking lots will surely be a disappointment to you in one way or another. Remember you will get what you pay for.

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpet rugs website

How to Embellish Your Fireplace Mantel

2009-08-08T15:10:00.003-07:00

A fireplace often brings feelings of warmth, coziness, and tranquility to a home. The smell of the wood burning, the light of the fire, and the crackling of the cinders help to set the relaxing and even romantic mood. You can even make the fireplace that much more inviting by decorating the mantel around the fireplace. Here are some ideas on the best way to go about doing just that.

You have to consider the rest of the room the fireplace is in; obviously, you'll decorate a bedroom fireplace differently than you would a fireplace that is in a living room or den.

A bedroom fireplace should be made to reflect the coziness of the bedroom for the two people who occupy it. If there are certain elements that appeal to both people, such as certain types of accessories or pictures, they should be placed on or near the mantel.

However, a living room fireplace can become the focal point of the living room. Adding flowers or plants in the fireplace when it's not in use, on the mantel, or to either side of the hearth can provide an inviting, warm touch to the fireplace and to the room itself.

If you prefer a certain style of antiques, such as early American or French provincial styles, you can add antiques from those periods to the mantel. Of course, you should add pieces that blend in and complement the rest of the living room.

You can also decorate the fireplace in accordance to the time of year and any major holidays. For Thanksgiving, you could add some autumn-themed items, such as figurines of pilgrims, feathers, etc. For Christmas, you could add red and white decorations or lights, a white blanket to represent snow, a wreath above the mantel, etc. For Easter, you could add plastic eggs, grass, and baskets to the mantel, etc. There are many ways to be creative with a fireplace around the holidays.

A technique many interior decorators like to use to really bring out a fireplace is to use the "Three Plus One" technique. This involves putting three related, similar (but not exact) objects on one side of the mantel, while putting a larger object on the other side of the mantel.

The one large object can have a connection with the three smaller objects, but it is suggested that the large object either be twice as tall as the three objects or appear to have the same visual mass as the three objects combined.

The three objects should not be right next to each other, but rather, layered to give a pleasing visual effect. You can put one out in front, one more toward the middle, and one toward the back of the mantel. None of the objects should be so close to the edge that they draw attention to themselves; the fireplace should still provide an edging to their grouping and remain the focal point.

Of course, the three objects (and the larger object as well) should blend in well with the rest of the fireplace setting and the room itself. You could substitute different sets of objects based on what season or holiday it is.

A fireplace can add tranquility, warmth, and coziness to a home, and especially to the room it is located in. Decorating it will depend greatly on what room the fireplace is located in, how you have decorated that room and your home, and/or what season or holiday it is. One technique many interior decorators suggest for embellishing a fireplace mantel is the "Three Plus One" technique that involves three related, similar objects on one side of the mantel and one larger object on the other side of the mantel. Decorating your fireplace mantel can add to the coziness, warmth, and tranquility your fireplace brings to you and to your guests.

Discover Decorating Simple, simple decorating on a budget at DecoratingSimple.com

Separate Your Space With Room Dividers

2009-08-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

Room dividers are not a new concept. They've been used for thousands of years and the screens that were made in the orient are now very valuable. I recently saw a set of 8 panels appraised on Antiques Roadshow for $35,000 and it wasn't even the full set. Plus they were damaged. Imagine their worth if they'd been in good condition and complete?

The Asian culture is famous for beautiful screens of silk that told great stories of their history and legends. The old ones are valuable, but even modern day versions are desirable as a way to decorate and designate spaces in a home.

They are both beautiful and functional. Many people find that either due to poor design of an open space or the need to utilize a room differently than what was originally intended, room dividers are a necessary addition to their home. There are a number of types of room dividers and they can do more than just act as a portable wall. Some serve as art, others as storage in the form of bookshelves, others are functional in a kids play room.

As an added bonus many dividers are highly effective in absorbing sounds, to thereby control the noise level of the task area. By masking surrounding sounds, the room dividers of this invention allow an easy understanding of conversations within the given area. Dividing space is sometimes quite necessary for small apartments. Choosing the right screen is simply a matter of personal taste.

Room dividers are used to block light if you have a window that is too bright at certain times of the day, typically in an entertainment room where it causes glare on the TV screen.

These are popular furniture pieces for city loft apartments that are essentially one big room with no walls. The huge advantage to a portable wall or room divider is that you can literally rearrange the size of your space at a moments notice. No longer are you required to have a 10x13 bedroom, you can make it 15x20 by just adjusting where the divider sits. Get more living room furniture? Move the wall over and you can accommodate for it. For those are of a more carefree nature it's a perfect way of life. It's the ultimate in flexibility.

For more information on folding room dividers and the portable room divider please see our website.

Top 5 European Art Cities

2009-08-08T15:09:00.023-07:00

If you're looking for a culture and art holiday, Europe is a fine choice. The continent has an impressive array of galleries, museums and exhibitions meaning that you're likely to find something of interest in almost every major city you visit. Yet with this much choice comes a new problem, how do you pick which European art city to prioritise? Hopefully this top 5 European art cities should help you decide which place to start your art history holiday in...

Berlin

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Germany's capital has been a thriving European arts centre, mixing the old and the new with great aplomb. For the culture vulture, the first place to investigate is the Museumsinsel ("museum island"), which is a section of five museums: the Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Bodemuseum and Pergamonmuseum. The Alte Nationalgalerie hosts works by German and French Impressionists, as well as German artists including Adolph von Menzel, Max Lieberman and Karl Freidrich Schinkel, while the Altes Museum hosts treasures from Ancient Roma and Greece.

Elsewhere in the city you can take in the Dahlemer Museum which displays art and culture from other continents, the Gemaldegalerie which features the paintings of Botticelli and Rembrandt, and the Neue Nationalgalerie which features more modern works by the likes of Picasso and Munch. Berlin is a great choice to take an art history holiday!

Rome

Rome's art and architecture spans two millennia, with ancient sculptures sitting comfortably alongside abstract modern pieces in one of the most stunning cities in Europe. Art is all over the city, and even if you wanted to avoid it, you'd be hard pushed to be able to do so! The Vatican Museums are the main highlight - composed of a large collection of renaissance works and antiques line the Vatican buildings, are there are a few modern works of religious themed work from the likes of Gauguin, Chagall and Picasso. Of course, the Sistine Chapel is a must see on your visit to Rome. Its legendary ceiling is one of the best known pieces of art in the world, let alone Europe. Alongside these Catholic collections, there are a number of museums and galleries most certainly worth a look, including the Borghese Gallery, the National Gallery of Ancient Art and the National Etruscan Museum.

Vienna

The Hapsburgs' empire is responsible for much of Vienna's impressive collection of artistic pieces on display to this day. The ruling family controlled vast lands between 1282 and 1918, and much of the spoils are on display to this day, making it an excellent choice for those wanting to see high quality art in Europe. The majority of this, and a clear sign of the diverse lands controlled, is visible at the Kunsthistorisches Museum which boasts ancient art by the Greeks and Egyptians, to (slightly) more modern pieces by Pieter Brueghel and Rembrandt. For something a little more modern, visitors to Vienna should head to the MuseumsQuartier Wien which hosts the Leopold Museum and the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien. The former has work by Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt, while the latter hosts contemporary pieces from hyperrealism to American pop art. If these three don't satisfy, Vienna has plenty more artistic merit going for it, including the Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere (medieval and baroque) and the Kunsthalle Wien (contemporary art including Kandinsky, Picasso and Pollock.)

Florence

Florence could well be the cultural capital of Europe - art is so hard to avoid during a stay there! With paintings, sculptures and architecture encompassing everything you see and do it's easy to become overwhelmed, but as the birthplace of Renaissance art this is no real surprise. Simply there are too many museums and galleries to list, and simply wandering where the mood takes you guarantees an educational and entertaining experience, but make sure you don't miss out on the most famous cultural buildings: The Galleria dell' Accademia (the place Michelangelo's David calls home!), the Galleria degli Uffizi (the first museum for modern art in Europe) and of course the magnificence of the Duomo. If you're planning an art holiday in Italy, this (along with Rome) should definitely be on your list!

Paris

Paris is such an art city that the greatest pleasure is exploring the smaller galleries dotted around the place, or taking in the wonderful architecture from a street side caf. That said, like in Florence, there are certain museums and galleries widely regarded as absolute 'must sees'. In terms of sheer renown, it's hard to beat the Louvre (though even harder to beat the crowds around its most famous exhibits - the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo!). A converted royal palace, even the building itself is aesthetically splendid, and a stroll around the building is a real pleasure. The Musee d'Orsay is another treasure - a neo-classical railway station converted into an exhibition space. It hosts an impressive number of 19th and 20th century pieces by artists such as Czanne, Renoir, Monet, Manet and Van Gogh. Fans of modern art can't go wrong with the iconic Centre Pompidou, which itself is a monument to modern architecture. As well as this famous trio, you can find several smaller museums devoted to individual artists, including Picasso and Rodin. If you're looking for a European art holiday close to home, you can't beat a trip to Paris.

All of these cities offer a great mix of culture, art, and splendid atmosphere to enjoy the rest of your holiday. Whether you want a European art history holiday, or just to supplement the area's other attractions, you can't go wrong with any of these cities.

Kieron Sellens is the marketing manager of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO). With AITO's cultural breaks you can choose from tailor-made art holidays, historical tours, musical trips and many more. The independent tour operators that AITO represent specialise in worldwide holidays tailored to their customers' requirements.

Vintage Golf Equipment - Tips on Collecting Vintage Golf Equipment

2009-08-08T15:09:00.021-07:00

The game of golf is steeped in history. Golfers are appreciative of the game's history, and enjoy learning about the great players of the past, and the memorable tournaments. Just watch any major championships on TV: there are always segments about prior championships played on that course, who won, and what were the memorable shots. Golf's long history also presents the opportunity for an interesting and potentially lucrative hobby, collecting vintage golf equipment. Displaying vintage clubs or balls can add a lot of interest to any golfer's home.

Just as anyone who appears on PBS' Antiques Roadshow program can attest, it is tremendous fun to try to find bargains in antiques, and vintage golf equipment is no exception. Vintage golf items are relatively easy to find, and pursuing this hobby can be a way to learn more about the history of the wonderful game of golf, and how equipment has evolved and improved down the years. It's fun to grip an old hickory-shafted club form the '20's, set down a gutta percha ball, and imagine trying to actually play with this type of equipment! You quickly gain greater appreciation for today's forgiving clubs and juiced-up golf balls.

As with any other form of collecting, there are pitfalls, however. You need to make sure items you are buying are authentic vintage equipment, not fakes or replicas. For instance, new clubs can be distressed to look antique. If you are buying items with signatures from great players, you need to make sure the signature is authenticated. These types of collectibles, if authenticated, can enjoy great price appreciation over the years.

You can of course search for vintage golf equipment online. The mega-store eBay has an extensive "Vintage" golf equipment section on their site, often with more than 1000 items. Golf collectibles are not necessarily just clubs from the late 19th or early 20th Century. The original "Ping" putters from the 1960's are highly sought after collectibles. Items bearing the signatures of greats such as Ben Hogan or Byron Nelson also fetch hefty premiums. Prices for vintage equipment can start very reasonably, $20-$50, and be as high as several thousand dollars for certain rare items.

There are also online sites devoted exclusively to golf collectibles.

Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland describes itself as "the leading online resource for antique golf clubs and memorabilia from Scotland, the birthplace of golf." http://www.antiquegolfscotland.com/antiquegolf/main.php3

Niblickgolf.com offers clubs and balls from the 1900-1930 period, obtained from a private collection. http://www.niblickgolf.com/antique.html - A vintage driver runs around $125, a Mashie (5 iron) is $95 and a mesh-patterned golf ball in good condition is $75.

Before beginning your acquisition of vintage golf equipment, you should do some research. An excellent guidebook is: Antique Golf Collectibles: A Price and Reference Guide (Paperback) by highly respected golf collector and publisher, Chuck Furjanic. This book includes comprehensive information on literally thousands of collectibles: antique clubs and balls, autographs, signature golf balls, artwork, medals and trophies, as well as trading cards and other collectibles. With more than 500 photographs, this book is fascinating to read as well as an important price guide for would-be collectors.

A few other tips:

1) Try to find items in as good a condition as possible. These are more likely to hold their value or appreciate. "Vintage" doesn't mean in beaten-up condition.

2) Putters are among the most popular collectibles.

3) When you begin collecting, stick with equipment items, clubs, balls, vintage golf bags, etc. rather than golf artwork, which requires more study in order to make informed decisions.

Want to know more about cheap green fees, discount golf equipment, and budget golf vacations? Check out Golf on a Budget, tricks and tips to save money on golf. More golf tips. Brian Hill is the author of several nonfiction books, screenplays, and the novel Over Time.

A Brief Guide to Self-Storage Insurance

2009-08-08T15:09:00.019-07:00

In order to ensure you get the correct insurance and the best deal, make sure you give the full facts when applying for insurance - if you do not, your policy may not be valid if you make a claim. Sometimes insurance sales staff put undue pressure on people to buy insurance they may not need or could get cheaper elsewhere, so it is better to obtain a series of quotes and then take your time looking through them - you can then contact the provider you prefer in your own time.

You have, of course, selected a reputable self-storage firm, haven't you? If the insurance broker has any doubts about the storage company's equipment, security measures or premises you might well find it hard to get insurance.

Normally, the insurance on self-storage will cover all your home contents and personal items such as sports equipment, boats, motorcycles, cycles and trailers whilst they are within an individual self-storage unit for an agreed period (the location and period of hire will be named on the insurance documents). You will often need to make separate arrangements to insure property relating to any business or commercial venture. You will, most usually, be covered for physical loss of or damage to your possessions arising from instances that your home insurance will be covered for, such as fire, explosion, lightning, storm, flood, burst pipes, impact by road vehicles, vandalism and theft.

There will, of course, be exclusions and you should check these with your insurer. These might include a maximum limit of 5,000 on individual items - so you will need to specify items above the maximum and give its value in the insurance policy (if anything is not itemised in the policy it won't be covered). There are usually limits on the value and quantity of certain items in the self-storage area, for example www.insurastore.com puts a limit of no more than 500 for jewellery, watches, money, precious stones, deeds, bonds and securities. Other exclusions might include stamps, lottery tickets, living creatures and plants, so if you are using the unit during a house move or while you rent, make sure you know what you can and can't store, such as that coin collection or those house plants.

For insurance purposes, your home contents and personal effects are normally valued at the new replacement cost. Other items, like antiques, fine art, boats, clothes, motorcycles, cycles and trailers, are likely to be valued at their market value, rather than new. And remember if you are planning to store documents and digital data, you should note that they may only be valued at their new stationery costs (not their value to you.)

Some insurers will cover your possessions on the way to and from the storage facility, again with certain conditions attached. They may not, for instance, insure you for loss or damage where the vehicle was unattended or for more than an upper limit, say 10,000.

Finally, you should also check the offer is right for you and ask questions if you are unsure, particulally about the small print. Remember, with insurance, do not always buy on price alone; shop around and compare levels of cover as well.

Insurastore provides low cost flexible and comprehensive new for old self storage insurance for household and domestic storage in a self storage facility or unit within the UK. Permission is granted to publish this article electronically provided that a working hyperlink remains to our website.

Coca-Cola Collectibles Old And New Are Great Gift Ideas

2009-08-08T15:09:00.017-07:00

Is gift selection difficult for you for certain "hard-to-buy-for" friends and relatives? One possibility is adding to their collection of some kind of memorabilia, or even getting them started on a collection with some specific theme. Many people enjoy Coke, and like getting and collecting various articles with the familiar red logo. Best of all, Coca-Cola collectibles come in every price range and nearly every type of item.

The company produces many seasonal and special items throughout the year. Many of the items, which range from clothing to coasters, are collectible. Some products cost just a few dollars, while others can cost several thousand dollars. Some collection items go up in value at an amazingly rapid pace, so make sure not to throw them away!

If your gift recipient likes vintage presents or collects other antiques, historical Coca-Cola collectibles may be an even more appealing selection as a gift. Just like the newer collectibles, old bottles, vintage signs, and vintage vending machines come in a huge range of prices and choices. A working antique vending machine can be a really charming gift and many places still bottle the proper size bottles.

Smaller items can be very affordable, even stocking stuffer prices for buttons, coasters, cards, and posters. Other Coca-Cola collectibles are intended especially for children, with a charming polar bear being a favorite. There are even toy vending machines that dispense make believe cans of soda. Caps, mittens, socks and scarves are also modestly priced and a hit with many children.

Old signs, serving trays, and posters are works of art in there own right. The company has a long tradition of using famous artists to create holiday themed art for its marketing items. These items are highly sought after jewels in many collectors' collections. Old wooden or metal signs, in near mint condition, are considered valuable and rare finds.

You can also add Coca-Cola collectibles to other kinds of collections, such as a logo mug with a special theme to someone who collects mugs. Whatever your intended gift recipient collects, it is likely that Coke makes something from that group, or has at some time in the past.

Soda-Pop-Collectibles.com features Coca-Cola collectibles items as well as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7UP, Hires Root Beer, and many other soft drink makers. View our huge selection of Coke memorabilia with new items added daily!

Affordable Home Decor Accents

2009-08-08T15:09:00.015-07:00

These days, decorating your home can be costly. With the increased costs of everything, home decor can be put on the back burner because other things, like food and rent, take priority. Because of this, to strike a balance and keep your home decorated to the extent you feel it reflects your personality; it's a good idea to discover some new, affordable home decor accents.

Home decor can mean both indoor decorating and outside/patio/lawn decorating. It is essential to pay attention to both, as you'll want to enjoy your time in both spaces.

Flowers

One of the easiest and affordable ways to decorate the inside of the house is by taking a walk through your garden. Wildflowers, roses, daisies, whatever the time of year, whatever happens to be growing outside at the time, snip some and bring them indoors. Place them in unexpected places like a powder room, bedroom, or a table in the hallway. They will not only bring a touch of color but also scent your home beautifully.

Candles

Candles and candleholders are more examples of affordable home dcor accents. Sure, you can buy the scented ones, these are delicious at holiday time. Who doesn't love the scent of pumpkin pie in the fall? Or the scent of ginger or cinnamon come holiday time? But they don't have to be scented. They are lovely in their own right, coming in every shape and size imaginable.

Your Own Art

Create your own art instead of buying it from the department store or art store. You don't have to be an arts and crafts fanatic to try your hand at decoupage, a unique and fun way to make any piece of furniture uniquely yours. The process involves cutting different fabric swatches, paper or even photos and mix-matching them onto an item (like a small, decorative box, or piece of furniture) with glue. Adding accents like gold leaf or effects with special paints, and you'll create your own dazzling piece of art.

Garden Accessories

Some items for the out of doors, like on the patio might include water fountains, birdbaths, or even small statuaries. These things can be found very inexpensively at craft stores because they don't necessarily have to be made out of steel or concrete, but may also be constructed of lightweight plastic.

Don't have use for that old balling ball anymore? Shine it up and use it as a lawn globe. You can even get creative and plant seedlings in the holes! This would make for an interesting and beautiful conversation piece.

Inexpensive Antiques

Other affordable home dcor accents can be purchased at a flea market. Many times people will be selling items they are choosing just to get rid of because they are tired of them, though they are perfectly good in every other way. You can pick up antiques, planters, and new pictures for your walls. Another idea is to change the pictures on the walls every year, or twice yearly, to better reflect the seasons. This is a simple, economic way to always give your home a fresh, new feeling.

Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about affordable home decor, please visit Home Decorating Tips Online for current articles and discussions.

Why Buy Antique Picture Frames

2009-08-08T15:09:00.013-07:00

As modern technology makes mass producing products easier and less expensive, it's surprising how many people are turning to antiques to decorate their homes. And certainly that is the case with antique picture frames. Sure a standard discount store frame can look nice, but there's just something about an antique frame that will not only protect your cherished photo or piece of art, but will also draw attention to it. The right frame will simply make a great picture look even better.

But it's not just about the look. Let's face it, even mass produced frames can look nice. But there's an indescribable feel that a true antique can provide. You may not be able to explain it, but when you look at it you know it's there.

For instance if you have a photograph of your great grandparents, wouldn't that picture just look better to you if it were displayed in a frame they once owned? And if that's not possible, you can always display it in a frame from the same era as when the photo was taken. Now you'll have something more than just a border around that picture. The frame and the picture become one, as if they were made for each other. Display that in your home and all eyes will be drawn to it. Almost everyone who visits will surely comment.

And of course these hand made treasures are generally of the highest quality. I'm not one of those sentimental old people that think everything made in the "old days" is just better. The truth is that even modern mass produced frames can still be high quality. But true antiques were generally made by people who took pride in their work. They would carefully handcraft every piece, and the detailing can be truly incredible. Of course there are many skilled framers today that take the same pride and produce frames of unmatched quality. But remember, quality isn't the only reason you are buying an antique frame.

The only problem with antique picture frames is the cost. Go to an antique store or a high quality consignment shop, look at the price tag, and you may end up gasping a bit. Whether the frame is made from wood, gold or silver, you'll probably be a bit shocked at the amount you'll be asked to pay. You may think you don't have a choice if you want that frame, but before you break out the credit card, be sure to look around. And check online. Chances are you'll soon be able to find the frame you are looking for at a price you can afford.

Antique picture frames don't have to be expensive. You can find antique picture frames for sale online that will cost a lot less than what you might expect to pay in your local store. Go to Antique-Picture-Frames.com and check out the great selection that's available.

How to Resolve Your "Decorating Phobia" Using Cottage Style Decor

2009-08-08T15:09:00.011-07:00

Cottage style dcor is a terrific remedy for people who are paralyzed by what one may refer to as a "Decorating Phobia." Folks with this malady complain that they can't make up their mind. They have trouble with too many choices. It becomes overwhelming for them to think about colors, furniture styles, patterns etc. As I will discuss shortly, these individuals need permission to "play" with their own ideas.

Here are some common characteristics of "decorating phobics"

(1) They a fear of making a decisions (about color, style, textiles etc.).
(2) They suffer from procrastination (putting off shopping trips to furniture stores, outlets, shops).
(3) They fear making a commitment ("everything is so expensive so I can't be wrong").
(4) They are prone to avoidance (sitting on the floor because they have no couch to sit on).
(5) They self-doubt (asking others how their own house should look).
(6) They are rigid (think the world is coming to an end if they change their mind about a color).

If you suffer from any of the above characteristics, consider "cottage style decorating ". According to the author, a seasoned psychotherapist, mixed media artist and avid collector, cottage style is a perfect fit for many individuals who experience the home interior blues. The beauty of Cottage style decorating is that it is affordable, eclectic and forgiving. You really can experiment with mixing and matching eras, looks, textiles, finishes etc. This type of decorating can truly be quite helpful to those who are "afraid to make a mistake" ( which is what many decorating phobics are really worried about).

If your ultimate goal is to live more comfortably you may want to begin by taking inventory on what you want to keep, what you want to ditch, and what you can make-over in the
spirit of living the cottage life. Room by room, one baby step at a time, it is helpful to make a list of what is hot and what is not. This is actually the fun part. You look at what you have
and imagine it differently. Are your bedroom lamps really tacky or do they have potential if only you added some cute shades? Should you buy a new bookcase or "shabby-tize" the one you
have with a different color and finish? Once you get into the cottage mode, the sky is the limit.
Now you can look at grandma's coffee table with a whole new vision. Suddenly 1940s dated can become retro-romantic chic with the right touches or you can transform old architectural
salvage into some eye-catching decorative accessories.

Because decorating may be scary for the "decorating phobic", it is important to approach your goals very slowly. Start with one room, let's say the bathroom ( a small and safe place to start). Ask yourself some key questions. What colors do you like? Is there a theme that suits you? For example perhaps you love the beach and want to create a whimsical "beachy look". Then perhaps you should decorate your bathroom close to the summer months when there a lots of beach and nautical related accessories available. You can decide upon a red, white and blue theme or perhaps a pastel color motif. Or maybe you enjoy a rustic look. You can hunt for cabin collectibles and other warm and cozy objects to create your cozy cabin style bathroom.

You can carry out a similar plan in other rooms, using something to help you focus and build in some structure for you.Fall in love with a rug and then use that rug to help you build a color palette for the rest of the room. Or consider a shape, or a pattern, or a theme and build your room around these beginning ideas.

What is so nice about cottage style decorating is that you can organize your "hunting" and "shopping" trips around a concept while at the same time leaving room for lots of flexibility and creativity. Cottage style decorating includes the following:

(1) using flea market finds, collectibles, found objects
(2) mixing and matching time periods and styles
(3) personalizing your decor
(4) layering fabrics
(5) re-purposing furnishings
(6) covering walls with textures

(7) experimenting with color, patterns, finishes etc.
(8) building collections
(9) hanging objects on the wall

Another helpful approach for the "decorating phobic" is too think about the whole process differently. Nothing in life is forever, change is healthy. If you paint a wall Provence blue on Monday, and you hate it, you can paint it Bermuda Buff on Tuesday. Chill, life is too short to fret over a paint color. Besides, the color of your walls should be the least of your worries! The key to resolving your "decorating phobia" is to be willing to go along for the ride wherever the journey may take you. Trust your instincts, after all....... it is your home, make each and every space your own!

For many more practical and creative ideas about how to "do cottage style" with ease and confidence consult my book, Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes.

C. Dianne Zweig: "The Kitschy Collector" is a psychotherapist, mixed media artist and the author of "Hot Cottage Collectilbles for Vintage Style Homes" and "Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s. She owns "Kitsch-N-Stuff" which is part of The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT., a 22,000 square feet antique emporium with an in-house retro style cafe. For more information visit her website http://www.cdiannezweig.com

Tips on Starting a Cleaning Business

2009-08-08T15:09:00.009-07:00

A part-time or full-time cleaning business may be one of the easiest businesses to start on a shoestring. Here are some tips on starting a cleaning business to get you started.

1. Buy your cleaning supplies at a wholesale or discount club. You can get much better deals on bulk cleaning supplies at a warehouse club like Costco, and they'll last longer because they come in bigger sizes.

2. Print flyers and hand them out in your neighborhood, to friends, and at businesses in your area. You can buy professional looking stationery online or at office supply stores, and print your own flyers on your computer's printer, keeping the costs down.

3. You don't need a vacuum to get started. If you can't afford one, offer a small discount to the customer if you use their vacuum.

4. Here's one of the most important tips on starting a cleaning business. Research other cleaning services in your area, and find out what they are charging for homes and businesses. Keep your price competitive when you give quotes for a job. If you're too cheap, people may not trust the quality of your cleaning, and they may not use you if you're too expensive.

5. Learn how to clean professionally. If you do a shoddy job, you won't keep your customers for long. Consider working for a cleaning service for a while to see how they do it. You can always use at least some of the wages you earn as your start-up cash for your own cleaning business.

6. Any tips for starting a cleaning business should include organization. You need to be organized to clean effectively and make sure you clean each room thoroughly. Many professional cleaners recommend starting at one corner of each room and working your way around it. That way, when you get back to your starting point you'll know you cleaned the entire room and didn't miss anything.

7. Listen to your clients. Some of them may be picky about what cleaning products you use, or how you clean their homes. They may have precious antiques or mementos. If they have special requirements, write them down in a small notebook and keep it with your cleaning supplies. Listen to their concerns and likes and dislikes to keep them satisfied customers.

8. Be on time, and always be professional. You may develop friendships with some of your clients, but always act professionally anyway. Don't be late, and if you have to cancel or change an appointment, give them plenty of notice.

9. Look for the details. Don't be in such a rush that you leave a client's home "half" clean. Check for cobwebs, dusty baseboards, dirty lamps and light fixtures, and clean them on a rotating basis. Your client will thank you and tell others about your good work, too.

10. Keep good records and pay your taxes! Keep good business records, and claim your income on your tax return. You can take off the cost of expenses and other items related to your business, but always check with an accountant before you file your taxes.

These tips for starting a cleaning service should help get you on the way to owning your own business in no time.

Edward Dean is an accomplished website developer and author. To learn more about tips-on-starting-a-cleaning-business visit Janitorial Franchising for current articles and discussions.

Tips For Choosing Furniture

2009-08-08T15:09:00.007-07:00

Furniture shopping can be a lot of fun or it can be a nightmare, depending on your personality and preferences. Furniture is something we all need and cant do without. For many, their home furnishings are an extension of their personality. They have to have antiques, or Danish, or Italian modern and nothing else will do. For others, furniture is purely functional: a chair is a chair. Others are not too concerned with style as they are with color. They want bright colors or muted colors. They want it splashy or they want it conservative. Some people are meticulous and have to have every item coordinated in terms of color, texture and style. Others just buy what they like whether they go together or not.

Whatever category you fall into, you still have to shop for the furniture. Usually people have some idea of what they want or the style they want and they just have to shop around to find the store with the best price. Other times people are furnishing a home and dont know what they want, so they shop around to find ideas. They can look on the internet or they can use an interior designer from the store or from another source to help them. If they are ordering their furniture they have to select the fabric and colors.

Most people buy pre-made furniture off the floor at a store. They may have some selection of wood or metal type and color. Do they want dark wood or light wood? Do they want a particular kind of wood? Do they want a certain color of metal? Usually, theyll look for something that is comfortable that will go with their environment. One question to ask is how long do they want the furniture to last? Some people like to buy new furniture every few years; others want furniture that will last almost forever. If you only plan to keep a couch for a few years, then you might not care how sturdy it is or if it doesnt exactly fulfill every requirement that you had for a couch. You can probably cope with the wooden arms for a few years instead of the cushioned arms you would have preferred, especially if the price is right. On the other hand, if you are buying something that goes with the design of the house that you plan to keep for twenty years, then you are more particular about the piece of furniture and usually willing to pay a higher price.

Joseph is the proud owner of Furnishing Guide, a website that will explain everything you need to know about Home Furniture. We invite you to visit our site today and see what we have to offer.

Gothic Decor and Ideas For Your Home

2009-08-08T15:09:00.005-07:00

The Gothic era began around 1150 and was known as the Middle Ages. During this period, there was a clear distinction between furniture for the poor and for the rich. The furniture for the poor was crude, but functional, while furniture for the rich was classical. At this time, a non-classical theme was developing and consisted of heavily carved and ornately decorated motifs. Furthermore, motifs, such as heraldic symbols like griffins, lions, and hawks were used, as well as the royal fleur-de-lis.

The term "Gothic" refers to the barbarians of the north, known as the Goths, and was used as an uncomplimentary reference as a way to part from the classic themes of the past. Since the middle class (particularly, the minor nobles) were forced to move from home to home in order to follow their lord, this led to the emergence of chests and cabinets that could easily be packed and transported. These included the introduction of large and solid pieces, such as the armoire for clothes, the buffet for the storage of eating utensils, and tables with drawers.

Moreover, bedroom furniture consisted of large four poster beds that had intricate backboards and posts. The carvings were usually of Gargoyles and other mythical creatures that were thought to be instrumental in scaring away lingering evil spirits. This idea was borrowed from the church, which is where the Gothic style originated. The most popular material used was oak. Other decorative accessories associated with religious themes were incorporated into this style, such as stained glass windows, ornate candelabras, brass, and pewter. In addition, the Gothic style includes rich tapestries and hangings, along with stone walls or paneling. Window treatments are generally of a heavy fabric and feature bold colors, such as gold, rich reds, purple, and black.

It should be noted that there were two distinct periods of Gothic influence, between 1150 and 1500, and then it resurfaced between 1840 and 1880, known as Gothic Revival. During the Gothic Revival period, the proportions were medium to large. The essential elements consisted of motifs, such as tracery, arches, rose windows, and quatrefoils, and the woods used were walnut, mahogany, rosewood, cherry, or oak. Some notable features of the furniture were tall-back chairs, with some having upholstered backs.

Searching for antique Gothic furniture is not difficult if you know where to look. Many antiques store will carry some sort of antique Gothic furniture, which features intricately carved designs. You may also find Gothic furniture reproductions that are identical to the real thing and not discernible by the untrained eye.

To further enhance your Gothic home, consider a Gothic fireplace. An elegant Gothic fireplace is a wonderful focal point and works well in bringing together the decorative elements of a room. Gothic fireplaces were generally painstakingly hand carved with details consisting of Gothic architectural elements, such as repeating patterns, delicate tracery work, and repeated pointed arches and quatrefoils (ornamental flowers with four lobes). Also, a number of wooden fireplaces were carved with coat of arms, mythical creatures, which were located in the center of the mantel or on either side of the fireplace. The fireplaces were also constructed of stone and had less detail because carving intricate patterns in stone was more difficult than carving wood. However, stone carvings were larger and rougher than the wood carvings, and were composed of roses, diamond paterae, and other patterns, with the detailed carvings being located in the spandrel (the area immediately above the arch) or small portions of the jambs.

Giorgina Devereaux is the creator of Decor-Medley.com, which features questions, answers, and ideas on home decor and furniture. For more information, please visit http://www.Decor-Medley.com

New England Bed and Breakfast Inns

2009-08-08T15:09:00.003-07:00

Traveling and staying at Bed and Breakfast Inns, is by far the best way to go for the traveler. You get real personal service, and local information about the town, that you just cannot find anywhere else. Some of the best Bed and Breakfast Inns are in the Northeast New England region. New Hampshire is known for its Bed and Breakfast Inns and many people go up to New Hampshire and stay in these wonderful old houses and then set out on a trek to shop for antiques. If you have never done this, you really need to go.

One thing you must be aware of is during some seasons the places are packed with waiting lists and pre-paying is a very common occurrence, as many of the Bed and Breakfast Inns are booked nearly all year around, and a booked Inn is a very good indication of it's great hospitality and excellent home style service.

Some of the Bed and Breakfast Inns are very pricy, and some not so pricy, many say you get what you pay for, although, I have noted in my travel journals that it is not always price that makes the difference, it is the people who run the place that make or break your experience. These is just something about pulling into a small quaint town of 2500 or less people and staying at a Bed and Breakfast Inn, and then strolling down to the local coffee shop to here from old timer's about the history, museums and happenings in the town, it is real Hometown Americana and it is worth the journey.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

Is Blu-Ray Just More Planned Obsolescence

2009-08-08T15:09:00.001-07:00

Planned obsolescence, or built-in obsolescence if you are in the UK, is the decision by a manufacturer to purposely design, manufacture and distribute a consumer product to become obsolete or non-functional specifically to force the customer to buy the next generation of the product. This plan will be implemented before the 'Next Generation' is even off the drawing board. Planned obsolescence is of course, very beneficial for a manufacturer because it means a customer can't just buy a product once and have it last for many years thereby never having to buy again - the life of the product's usefulness or functionality is fixed, so that at regular intervals the customer must pay money again and again, and yet again to either the original manufacturer for newer junk, or buy from the competition who probably also uses planned obsolescence.

I can't believe we are still using motors and movable parts that wear out. The technological advances of the last few years have led to media that can hold Giga bytes of data in volatile and non volatile storage with no moving parts.

So, does BluRay fit into this scenario? That remains to be seen because the new technology is so fresh.

The most intense competition in the next-gen optical video disc format wars is between HD-DVDs and Blu-ray. Blu-ray is backed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, of which Sony is a member. Not only a format for HD video and audio, Blu-Ray is a higher-capacity storage format. HD DVD at this point is being out sold by Blu-ray. Blu-ray has sold 500,000 more discs.

Is this just a case of 'The Newest Toy' or 'Grass is Greener'? You can expect Blu-Ray to parallel the rising popularity of HDTV and it may replace legacy systems unless the onrush of other new toys overtakes Blu-Ray. If you are an audiophile you may remember when DAT (Digital Audio Tape) was anticipated as the be all, end all of sound. Today DAT is used in some tape backup situations and not much else.

If a 10-year life span for the Blu-ray format is projected, what comes next? Very likely another phase of planned obsolescence.

SSD is the future, count on it, it does however have hurdles to pass before it can replace spinning drives. A Solid State Drive (SSD) is a non-magnetic alternative to a spinning drive. SSD is based on flash memory. Unlike a traditional drives with spinning magnetic media and flying read/write heads, a SSD is designed with flash memory and needs no moving parts.

The major difference between these storage media is that SSD is not optical (like a CD/DVD) or magnetic (like a floppy, zip or hard disk) but is a solid state semiconductor much like EPROM or battery backed RAM.

This is not new technology. It's been around for 20 years in other applications. NAND flash memory is the core technology of the removable USB storage units called USB flash drives, as well as many memory cards available today. 65-nanometer and low voltage chip technology have allowed manufacturers to make smaller versions of the traditional flash chips. In functionality, NAND can simply be considered a silicon version of a spinning disk drive. This is known as a Solid State Drive, SSD or Solid State Disk, a volatile or non-volatile solid-state memory device used as electronic storage for data.

While not technically a disk, the label Solid State Disk is used in that the device can be used as a replacement for the disk drive in many modern applications. SSDs are a viable substitute for the common spinning disk drive, which has moving parts causing slower memory access. SSD doesn't have the mechanical limitations that limit search times on magnetic or optical drives, so the concept of an SSD drive is appealing when considering noise, speed, power consumption, and reliability.

Considered a drawback in PC disk replacement NAND flash memory allows only sequential access while NOR flash memory allows random access. In storage and playback of video entertainment this may eventually be a non issue.

The SSD can read 300 percent faster (53 Mb/s) and write 150 percent quicker (28 Mb/s), more than twice the speed of comparable spinning drives. SSD is an innovative NAND flash-based equivalent for traditional disk drives. It is capable of reading data at a rate of 56 Mb/s and writing speeds of 32 Mb/s, two times as fast as standard drives.

Plus and Minus for SSD:

Limited write cycles.

Typical Flash storage will typically wear out after 100,000-300,000 write cycles, while high endurance Flash storage is often marketed with endurance of 1-5 million write cycles (many log files, file allocation tables, and other commonly used parts of the file system exceed this over the lifetime of a computer). Special file systems or firmware designs can mitigate this problem by spreading writes over the entire device, rather than rewriting files in place. **If the software or firmware intelligently staggers writes over the entire device, for large SSDs, even with continuous writes, the endurance limit may not be reached for decades. Envision your favorite movie or movies on SSD. Write cycles per cell = 1. If you erase and write over the old recording that's 2 more. Or the Entertainment may be on a Flash Stick and plugged into a player with a SSD for output to your entertainment system.
Price -

As of early 2007, flash memory prices are still considerably higher per gigabyte than those of comparable conventional drives - around $10 per GB compared to about $0.30 for mechanical drives. **As with any new technology, once manufacturers sense a demand and manufacturing cycles are optimized prices will come down. One of my early 'upgrades' was a 100 Meg hard drive at a cost of an extra $200 dollars over the original 20 Meg drive. The OLPC XO-1 uses a SSD rather than a mechanical drive. This is the XO-1 PC Configured as the $100 PC or One Laptop Per Child - PC. It uses SSD and Linux so Microsoft and legacy drive makers will try to squelch this innovation.
Capacity -

The capacity of SSDs tends to be significantly smaller than the capacity of HDDs. **This will also be mitigated by technological advances, see above note on hard drive upgrade.
Lower recoverability -

After mechanical failure the data is completely lost as the cell is destroyed, while if normal HDD suffers mechanical failure the data is often recoverable using expert help. **Is this mostly a 'Straw Man'. How often is it worth the recovery price charged by the expert. For 'Enterprise Systems' where the core business is endangered by loss of data, Raid Technology is a better and more cost effective solution.
Vulnerability

against certain types of effects, including abrupt power loss (especially DRAM based SSDs), magnetic fields and electric/static charges compared to normal HDDs (which store the data inside a Faraday cage).

**More Straw Man debate.

I've lost many disk drive formats due to power fluctuations, brown outs etc. The Faraday Cage can be and should be used where needed. It is not excluded in the case of SSD. Our daily environment is saturated with RF and other signals. Some are even calling this a form of pollution. The system may be vulnerable to EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse), but as this would most likely come from an atomic detonation, your movie would be interrupted anyway.

Let's apply some commonsense. There are far fewer differences in manufacturing costs of HD DVD and Blu-Ray players than the retail prices suggest. The differences between BlueRay and DVD will be promoted and many BlueRay systems will be sold. For the average home viewer the difference may be barely noticeable. In the HDTV format the differences won't be evident unless your display is 55" or more. I know that if you spend much time watching commercial TV, the effort to convince you that we all need 120" screens with Surround Sound and Bass Boost is hard to resist, but will that marketing effort convince enough consumers to part with that much cash?

So eventually the battle will play out. Technologies used by legacy manufacturers will be pushed. They have the resources and marketing power to keep alive their profitable version of 'what we need'. Other modes of presenting the same information are always hard to get off the ground. Performance is often the deciding factor after the cost is ameliorated and of course marketing will make or break any product, process or technology regardless of merit.

A quick summary:

SSD (Solid-State Drive ) i

s an advanced NAND flash component replacement for traditional drive technology.

Flash-SSD

can be a direct replacement for a mechanical drive. It is also secure and reliable as a method for storing electronic data.

The SSD can read 300 percent faster

(53MB/s) and write 150 percent quicker (28MB/s) more than twice the speed of standard spinning disk drives.

The SSD is extremely rugged,

able to stand up to degradation from vibration and shock and at the same time perform at temperatures in the extreme from -20 to 80 degrees Celsius, (-4 degree Fahrenheit to 176 degree Fahrenheit).

SSD is already used

in UMPC (ultra-mobile personal computers) and will be included in the OLPC.

I've been intrigued with Planned Obsolescence since it was adopted as a strategy by Detroit Auto Manufacturers. They're antiques now, but Detroit used to turn out great steel automobiles that would last indefinitely with attention to tune-ups, lube jobs, brake jobs and oil changes. BTW these Cars could be had for much less than a years salary.

Webmaster of Informational Sites and Blogs since 2000
C R Ellsworth is retired from Corporate America and living in the 'Great Northwoods'
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Decorating With Persian Rugs

2009-08-08T15:08:00.022-07:00

Persian rugs have been a coveted and prized floor covering for ages. Authentic Persian rugs are usually quite expensive and are made from natural materials such as wool or silk. While rugs are rarely handmade anymore, older Persian rugs that were made by hand can cost thousands of dollars.

You do not need to have thousands of dollars to give your home an air of class and distinction and decorate with Persian rugs. Fortunately, there are imitation Persian rugs that are available on the market today in some large discount stores can cost under $100 for a large rug. This is a small price to pay for the decorative quality such a rug can add to your room.

While there are no hard and fast rules, if you'd like have wall to wall carpeting in your living room keep in mind is low pile carpeting in a neutral color is in. Loud colored carpeting went out with the 1980s and thick, shag carpeting went out with it. The new rage appears to be at the other end of the spectrum. Plain, neutral carpeting is nice and will not to out of style easily. However, some people think it is sort of....bland.

If you are one of those who do, you can really dress up your plain carpeting by placing an additional area rug, such as a larger Persian rug on top of your plain one. There are several online stores where you can get an imitation Persian rug for under $100. Placing an area rug on top of your living room wall to wall carpeting adds a splash of much-needed color and gives the room an instant face lift and it's affordable too.

Decorating with Persian rugs can add an aura of European opulence to your home. If you enjoy the look of opulence and if you've already incorporated antiques into your dcor, all you need for adding instant drama are a couple of Persian rugs. If you can afford an authentic Persian rug, it is well worth the money. Not only is the design better than the imitations, but the quality of the rug is so that it will last al lifetime. Decorating with Persian rugs is one thing that anyone can do, no matter what their budget.

In addition to tossing Persian rugs in the living room as an area rug against wall to wall carpeting, they can be used almost anywhere in the house. Imitation Persian rug runners can be purchased by the yard at home improvement stores and can add a bit of dramatic flair to your stairs. These are usually used against bare wood, but also look impressive against carpeted stairs.

Do not limit decorating with Persian rugs to the floors, either. For centuries, Persian rugs have adorned the walls of homes throughout the world. Because they are so ornate, they are often prized as wall hangings. Instead of generic oil paintings, why not use a Persian rug with an intricate design on your walls?

There are so many different ways that you can decorate with Persian rugs in your home. Even if you cannot afford an authentic Persian rug, you can have just as much fun and add drama to your home by using imitation Persian rugs.

Bill's favorite place for modern hand made Persian rugs is at HouseOfAreaRugs.com. They have a complete range of oriental area rugs from floral Persian area rugs to modern transitional design rugs.

All About Antique Boxes And Collectables - A Personal Review

2009-08-08T15:08:00.021-07:00

In every true sense, an antique is said to be any item (may not be essentially artistic in nature) that is over a century year old. People collect all kinds of antiques, but undoubtedly among the most fascinating are antique boxes. For sure, I dont expect you to share my view as all antiques are personal favorites. But I personally feel that antique boxes signify the spirit of the antique that we all find so fascinating.

In my opinion, antique boxes spell treasure. In my earlier days, I spent a lot of time reading stories of treasure chests and pirates like Robinson Crusoe, Swiss family Robinsons, Treasure Island and the like. In a number of these stories, one would read about these antique boxes that were filled with the promise of treasure even though there was no true treasure. But ever since, antique boxes have held a remarkable fascination for me.

I was truly surprised when I stopped at my regular bookshop and discovered that he had quite a number of antique boxes displayed prominently at the counter. Whats more he had gone a step further to pack these antique boxes with books to reinforce the treasure that lay in books and reading, however I was simply consumed by the sight, smell and look of those antique boxes.

Almost immediately I rushed in to ask him where he had procured them. Though to me, he was more than an acquaintance and was aware about my fascination with antique boxes. Even then, he pretended ignorance for a while before breaking down helplessly in laughter. As he sat there with tears of mirth flowing down his eyes, I could not but help wonder anxiously about the antique boxes and how he had managed to get his hands on them. He did however tell me the truth, as soon as he calmed down sufficiently. Well, it seems that there were quite a number of people like me around the world who also found ancient antique boxes (with or without any treasure) fascinating. As a result one proactive Chinese company had decided to capitalize on this attraction by making near real replicas of antique boxes. Despite the fact I was initially disappointed, a closer look led me to believe that if the boxes I saw were replicas of antique boxes, then they were sure damn good replicas. In spite of the reasonable price tag though unlike the real thing, I decided instantly to get a couple of them for myself. Today, I too am a proud owner of a couple of antique boxes.

Glen B. Porter provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for hobbies, arts as well as other related information.

Hutches - How to Shop For Antique Ones

2009-08-08T15:08:00.019-07:00

If you have been piecing together a home of beautiful antiques, there is a lot to consider before you purchase any pieces for your collection.

Are they real?

Are they durable?

Can you fix any problems?

All of these questions should be considered and you should well know the answers before you make a purchase.

Are they real?

This is one of the most important questions that you should ask as you go antique shopping. Whether at an antique shop, estate sale, garage sale or auction, the items for sale are not always what you think they are. There is a major market in place to make fake pieces to look like real old antiques for sale. Make sure you have researched the hutches you are looking for before you decide to make a purchase.

Are they Durable?

When you first lay eyes on an antique piece you may want to run to it and buy it right away, but you need to resist the urge. Instead you need to carefully inspect the piece before you even consider making a purchase. Look at the construction of the piece of furniture. Make sure it looks solidly constructed and should be able to last for some time.

Can you fix any problems?

While the piece of furniture you may be looking at is not in perfect condition, that does not mean it should be overlooked, as long as you have a little furniture know-how. If you have a basic knowledge of building or repair of furniture items, you may be able to use that knowledge to take hutches that otherwise may not get a new home and turn them into a new addition to your home.

Being able to repair old hutches is a great way to get a gem of a piece of furniture. Often a piece that still has great character and pieces of wood is tossed aside or sold because it has a few durability problems. If you are able to put a little know-how and elbow grease into fixing the little problems with this piece, you will have a great new addition to your collection.

If you are really not the person who knows how to do a lot of repair work, don't take on a project you can't complete. Many people think they'll start to learn how to make repairs because they really want to bring old hutches back to life. If you don't know the process, you likely never will and will have spent money on a piece you will never use.

A hutch is a large piece of furniture. It is also a piece that often will hang around for years and can even be passed on from generation to generation. When you are choosing hutches, you should choose carefully and make sure the one you choose is the one that is best for you as well as your decor and be a piece that you will like to have with you for the long run.

Author Jennifer Akre is an owner of different niche online stores that offer customers not only products, but information relating to furnishing and decorating indoor and outdoor living spaces. Whether you want to redecorate your living room or create the ultimate outdoor environment perfect for entertaining, there is a lot of helpful advice to take advantage of to make it happen. Today, she shares her insight when investing in charming kitchen furniture and elegant dining tables for casual and formal meals.

Antique Pottery Reproductions

2009-08-08T15:08:00.017-07:00

A Brief History

Antique reproductions have abounded on the market for as many years as there have been antiques. As early as the 1960's, reproductions of old pattern glass examples from the late 1800's started to appear in antique shops, markets and shows. This early onset of reproductions spurred a niche market in the Antiques and Collectibles field.

What occurred in the 1960's spawned an incredible growth in reproductions not only in the glass markets but also in almost all specialty antique and collectible markets including cast iron and pottery. In the early 1970's, the Merritt family headed by Mary and Bob Merritt started one of the longest running reproduction wholesalers in the USA, which later through a family dispute branched off into one of the most successful business ventures in the Antique reproduction field, known as Fred & Dottie's, Inc.

Up until the late 1970's Merritts enjoyed somewhat of a monopoly until Fred Burkholder (son of Mary Merritt) and Dottie (Fred's wife), both minority shareholders, broke away from Merritt's after a bitter family dispute. Fred and Dottie Burkholder formed Fred & Dottie's, Inc. and began their own reproduction wholesale business just a few miles down the road from their former partners in business.

Within a few years, the rivals were ferociously competing as more Reproduction wholesalers began to spring up throughout the USA. Ralph Lussino and his brother, John, friends and former customers of the Burkholder's and Merritts threw their 'hat in the ring' and formed Castle Antiques and Reproductions.

All three of these Reproduction wholesalers are still in Business as of this writing, although Castle is in the process of liquidating their entire inventory and closing in late 2008.

Glassware reproductions of the late 1800's were extremely popular in the 1960's and 1970's, but began to slide in popularity, giving way to depression era glassware reproductions in the 1980's. These trends were set primarily by the demand of the public to decorate with the hottest trend of that time. While the 1980's and early 1990's saw a dramatic increase in demand for depression-era glassware, the reproduction markets responded with 100's of patterns of depression-era glassware. As time went on, the late 1990's saw a trend toward art pottery of the 1950's, which stimulated a growth of reproductions from the Weller, McCoy, Roseville and Majolica potters. The most popular of all these companies was the McCoy Pottery Company, mainly because it was the most recognizable, the most affordable and the most diverse of all the potters of the 1950's.

In 1997 an American manufacturer had set out to reproduce some of the most popular McCoy patterns, successfully manufacturing a line of over 110 pieces including cookie jars, vases, creamers, bowls, black memorabilia, and planters. Up until this time, an overwhelming majority of reproductions were manufactured in China, Mexico, India, Taiwan and England. This would be the only USA manufacturer of reproduction pottery and the only company permitted to use the USA logo on all their pottery. (Foreign imports are not permitted by law to put USA on their items in accordance with US Customs Federal law)

Why Reproductions?

Demand

Designers and decorators want to enhance their client's homes and business', but are not able to find an available supply of the types of antiques they need. Collectors wishing to enhance their collection may search for years for that one rare 'missing piece' in their collection. There is a short supply of original antiques in the marketplace, and that supply shrinks every day as more people buy up original antiques.

Affordability

Imagine buying an original tiffany lamp for $4500 or you could choose a reproduction which has the same look and most times better quality at a fraction of the cost ($300-$500). You could decorate one room with an original, or your entire house with reproductions. Designers and decorators in the last decade have been using reproductions to decorate client's homes and business' because it is more affordable and the insurance replacement cost premium is much less. The only one who really knows that beautiful 'Antique' is not an original is you!

The 'LOOK'

When decorating, we all want to give our visitors, friends and clients the impression of wealth and 'we are doing well' attitude. What better way to stretch your decorating budget, then to display beautiful antique reproductions throughout your home or business? It just screams, "I am doing well! Look at my beautiful collection!" We all desire that LOOK, the look that we are keeping up with the " Jones's' ", the look that exudes and exemplifies the epitome of wealth.

Memories

Remember when...? A question you have probably asked many times in your life, pondering the good old days or remembering that favorite vase mom or grandma always had on the mantle, or the cookie jar she had in the kitchen. It brings back the "good OLE' days" when you see grandma's cookie jar, you remember her baking your favorite chocolate chip cookies and you can almost taste them again.

Our lives are filled with memories that bring back the pleasant times of our lives as we grew up. Having available reproductions and easily being able to acquire them brings back a rush of memories, giving us a feeling of euphoria and contentment.

When you combine the demand, the affordability, the 'look' and the memories, you can see why antique reproductions are such an integral part of our lives. If you have been inspired by this article to reminisce, or you want to decorate your home or business with beautiful antique reproduction pottery, take a moment and visit the links below.

Antique Pottery Reproductions

Self-Storage Units - Number of Auctions Increasing Rapidly Due to Current Economic Conditions

2009-08-08T15:08:00.015-07:00

Not only are the number of home foreclosures in the United States rising at an alarming rate, but the frequency with which self-storage units are being auctioned off is increasing rapidly. With most homeowners' budgets being stretched beyond endurance, many are defaulting on their payments that allow them to keep their belongings in a self-storage facility. Homeowners will pay their rent, utilities, and cell phone bill before paying the rental on their self-storage unit, and many are being abandoned and/or foreclosed because the renter can't keep up the rent payments.

Many of these units contain cherished possessions, antiques, electronics, family heirlooms, household furnishings and other belongings, and are often used as storage for lawn mowers, motorcycles, sports equipments, and other seasonal items that the homeowner doesn't have room to store in their own garage. Many units are also being lived in (illegally) by those who aren't fortunate enough to be able to afford a permanent residence.

A cottage industry is rapidly growing out of this unhappy set of circumstances. Homeowners who are in default are given legal notice that their unit is subject to public auction if they don't get their payments caught up. When they aren't able to pay up, the belongings in their self-storage unit become the property of the self-storage facility.

Many self-storage facilities sell the contents of these abandoned self-storage units through public auctions. The highest bidder becomes the owner of the contents of the self-storage unit, and is free to dispose of the possessions as they wish. Flea marketers and auction house owners are often the buyers, although the auctions are open to anybody who wishes to bid.

The abandoned self-storage units may contain the entire contents of a household or just a few possessions. At the time of the auction, the lock is cut off each individual self-storage unit by the self-storage facility. Bidders are allowed to stand at the open door, but not enter the unit, and their bid must be based on what they can see from that vantage point. Since the bidder often can't see everything in the unit, knowing how much to bid is partly guesswork, and partly instinct.

Once the high bidder gains possession of the unit, he must remove everything in the unit whether it is trash or treasure. Some items may be valuable enough to sell on eBay or other online auction sites, while many other items make excellent rummage sale or flea market merchandise, or could even be added to the buyer's own household.

Our current economy, with the threats of home foreclosures and a decline in the easy availability of well-paying jobs, often prevents consumers from buying new products for their homes and families. Even those who can afford new possessions are choosing to buy secondhand items instead.

Buying secondhand is being embraced by those with an eco-friendly attitude as a way to limit the number of new products that must be manufactured, protecting on our valuable natural resources and reducing the amount of junk that goes into landfills. It isn't only the "poor" who visit thrift shops now; drive by any Goodwill store and notice how many newer model cars fill the parking lot!

Old clothing that was once donated to thrift shops and charitable organizations is finding its way into "vintage clothing" consignment shops and has become fashionable once again. Consumers who decorate their homes in the style of previous eras desire vintage furniture, appliances, and decor to create an authentic look. Vintage games, books, and toys remind of our childhood and have become hot collectibles.

Buying secondhand goods is beginning to lose its stigma, and the secondhand industry can expect increasing numbers of customers looking for pre-owned and pre-loved treasures.

Ms. Davidson is self-employed as a secondhand goods merchant and free lance writer and has self-published Abanoned Treasures: A Guide To Self-Storage Auctions, which contains all her tips for building a successful home-based business by participating in abandoned self-storage unit auctions.

Advantages of Climate Controlled Storage

2009-08-08T15:08:00.013-07:00

You must have often come across the term climate controlled storage whenever you have searched for storing facilities on the internet. Yes they are the facilities where you can store your goods, especially the perishable ones, without thinking of the climatic changes. To put it other way round, they are weatherproof. There are the general storing facilities that do not offer such options and accordingly costs less to store. But those storing climate sensitive materials always go for the climate controlled ones in spite of the slightly high hiring charge.

Though almost all the storing companies claim to have climate controlled storage options, the different companies mean differently when they claim so. It can be generally said that the climate controlled facilities should keep the articles from freezing during winter and scorching during summer. Ideally the temperature should not rise above 90 Fahrenheit or 32 Celsius during the hot days and not fall below the freezing point in the winter. When you are going to rent a space in such a place make sure you get the exact specification of the of the rental agency prior to entering into any sort of agreement. This will help you to plan the storing and make sure that you get the right type of storing option for your goods.

Climate controlled storage or weatherproof storing ensures at least one thing. Your articles will not get damaged from direct contact with rain or snow. Since the storing facility is insulated against the temperature changes. It automatically seals out the rain and snow. Moreover, to safeguard against rising water, the units are built on a higher level than ordinary storing units and you are protected against floods of normal intensity. Due to their closed structure they do not allow the entry of dust and dirt and the security is also more than the open facilities where the restriction of access is less. So if you are thinking of storing materials like the antiques that your grandfather left you or your delicate instruments when going out for long, always get them stored at the climate controlled units.

Not only are the climate controlled storage areas sealed against temperature variations, the units are also controlled for humidity. So the units are good place to store articles which are sensitive to moisture. This means the articles made of wood or other materials that absorb moisture very quickly can be stored at these facilities without hesitation and fear of getting damaged when the moisture content in the air rises. The temperature is controlled by central heating or cooling units that control the temperature and humidity by indirect method. This maintains the temperature uniformity in the facility. The chance of vermin and pests infesting a closed facility are rare. Termites, one of the major causes of damage and concern are kept out as most of the facilities are constructed of concrete and steel. It is another matter where you can rest assured when hiring a temperature controlled unit to store your articles.

You might be thinking twice before spending the extra money when choosing climate controlled storage over the general storing options. But imagine the cost of peace of mind that you buy. Imagine the relief you will get when you will find the very precious heirloom back in the condition you left it after returning from a long vacation. Pay that extra bit and you will appreciate it later.

Source : Self Storage Blog

Self Storage Classifieds

Garage Business - How to Price Garage Items For Your Garage Sale

2009-08-08T15:08:00.011-07:00

Setting up and organizing your own garage sale can be a huge task that involve knowing what to sell, how to sell, creating space for your garage sale items and pricing the garage items so they would sell for a profit. Pricing items at a garage sale for optimum results is a skill that you will need to pick up over time. I will give you a head start of how to do it when you read on.

Firstly, you have to know your goals for setting up your own garage sale. Is it just for clearing your garage items away or you have high-end garage items that you would like to earn a profit from it. If your main purpose is to clear away clutter, then it is best to price the items lower to encourage a purchase or sale. Bit if you want to make money from the high-end garage items and antiques that you have then you will need to price the items higher so you can make a profit out of it.

One tip is to use the percentage rule like for example, price the garage sale items at ten percent than the original cost. For example, if you brought a toy that cost you twenty dollars then it should be priced at two dollar at your own garage sale. This is due to the old garage items you have and also have to depend on the condition of the garage item too.

You will have to factor in the condition of the garage items when placing a price tag for an item for a garage sale. Something that is in poor condition or electronics that don't work should be priced way lower and then marked on the tag "the lowest price possible" to discourage customers from asking for a further discount.

You can also bundle similar garage items for one price. Books, electronics items, PC games, movie videos, craft supplies or golf balls are items that can be sold together. If you just want to get rid of the garage items in bulk then up the quantity to five for a dollar sale. Hope you get what I mean.

Some ways to promote your garage sale is to advertise your sale in the local paper or an on line site. Listing some popular items for sale will tends to attract more customers/visitors. If you can lower the prices by half on the last day of your sale, you will find that your items will sell like hot cakes, if you want to clear most of the items at one go.

I had setup my own garage sale just outside my house for countless number of times before and had gain lots of experience from it. Setting up your own garage sale can be fun and fruitful. You will get to know more people from around your neighborhood and even people from other places. You can also buy garage items online and resell it for a profit when you gain enough experience.

Online Auctions How Much Do You Know About Them?

2009-08-08T15:08:00.009-07:00

Online auctions are a great way to find a bargain on almost everything and it is an excellent way of getting the best price for selling something of your own. These are Virtual auctions on the Internet. The seller sells the product to the person who offers the highest price. These products include houses, cars, seized electronics, jewelry, books, antiques and others.

Consumers are increasingly feeling more comfortable in buying
products through the Internet. Through online auctions they are able to bid on state surplus items, using any computer with Internet access.

There are innumerable auction sites, selling everything from a pen to a used car and even houses if you want to bid from them. For sellers, online auctions open up new sales channels for new products and offer buyers favorable purchasing conditions. Just think of the product and you will find it on one of the auction sites. All you have to do is sign up, get registered and bid a price for that item.

The items available for sale can include: airport confiscated equipment, boats, electronics, medical supplies, office furniture and equipment, tools and equipment, antiques, computers, heavy equipment and machinery, vehicles, specialty items, and miscellaneous items.

Online auctions are different from their real-world counterparts. You are free to take your time browsing the listings and bidding takes place over a period of days rather than minutes. Online Auctions offer good opportunity for anyone wishing to start an online business for a number of reasons. If you feel you have the persistence necessary to run your own successful business, this is one opportunity you should consider.

There are thousands of online auctions on the Internet with more popping up everyday. People love them because they can usually find great bargains.

Some of the tips for buyers and sellers at online auctions:

You could sell your excess or discontinued products at an online auction. It's an effective way to make extra income without any loss for your business. Thus you can make a profit depending on how much people will bid for your excess inventory. Also excessive inventory can be cleared off cost effectively.

An easy way to test new product prices is to see what people will bid for them at an online auction. First, sell your product at three different online auctions. Next, calculate the average selling bid from all three auctions and that will be your selling price for your new product. Hence we can know the exact selling price of the product.

There are numerous auction sites for bidding any product. Some of the auction sites draw over millions of hits a year. The key to being successful is to sell your product at multiple online auctions at the same time. Suppose if we sell a product at one hundred online auction sites that would be one hundred sales a day! This way we can increase our sales at one time.

You could drive traffic to your web site by starting your own online auction site. Customers will visit your web site to find bargains and to sell their own products. Thus plenty of repeat visitors from people re-bidding on products and adding new products to sell.

Lowering business costs is another benefit of online auction. The prices on business supplies and equipment at online auctions are lower. So, do some research work to find which site offers lowest price of the same product to make good savings. For example, a company may be selling them at a lower price at an online auction because they have excess inventory.

Drop shipping is used by intermediary and mail order companies who do not wish to stock inventory of the products sold for future delivery through mail order, catalogues and Internet advertising. Manufacturers providing drop-shipping services can gain additional sales, shift advertising costs to middlemen, offer advertising material and reduce inventory requirements. Minimal capital is needed to start.

Pradeep Aggarwal is the creator of Auction Spectrum the online auction hub. This site is dedicated to helping people build Profit Pulling Websites and start and run a successful online auction business.

What to Sell on Ebay to Make Money

2009-08-08T15:08:00.007-07:00

So first of all, What to sell on EBay to make money?

You can sell anything from clothing, electronics, collectors gifts, antiques, automobiles, video games, computers, decoration items, home improvement items; the possibilities are absolutely endless when it comes to finding a great product to sell on the internet.

We are going to go over temporary solutions to find money, and how to earn HUGE money if you are interested in being that kind of selling - after all; who doesn't want to make huge money with EBay and their exciting marketplace?

Temporary Solution - What to Sell on EBay for Profit
As said before, you probably have tons of items in your own house just laying around waiting to be sold. Do you know any old records that could potentially profit big for you?

Any collector's cards, hard to find games or electronics, really nice and practically new clothes? Old Clothes; people are even willing to buy unused trash bags (real experience) from you - people are willing to buy anything on EBay.

So the task for you is to find all the items in your house you do not use anymore and start researching how they do. Put all the items in a pile - label them, do what you have to in order to get everything organized.

So now that you have everything organized - your task is to do marketplace research to find which of these items in your house will actually sell for profit.

The chances are they'll do better on EBay than as dust collectors so do your research! Go to the closing bids of items that are similar to the ones you want to sell.

You can easily access closing bids on EBay by doing a quick search on the auction marketplace on bids that have already closed.

You can also try going around to garage sells, liquidators, craigslist, and other people's items and see if they have potential to be sold on EBay - the possibilities are absolutely endless.

Permanent Solution - What To Sell on EBay
If you are trying to cash in HUGE with EBay, then you have to approach it like a business. That means have a list of reliable "wholesalers" or "dropshippers" and having them provide your EBay business with a constant supply of products. By doing this - you can ultimately ensure that you will succeed by choosing the best quality product for the cheapest price.

It is entirely possible to find out what sells on Ebay, but you are going to have to search and observe what people are interested in - as the object that is profitable and hot on EBay changes every single day!

Are you interested in making 100$ a day on EBay? In order to do this, you need to be able to consistently find products to put on EBay and let the customers bid on them. Find out where you can find 1000's of products to sell on EBay and make atleast 20$ profit on each sell by visiting: http://ebayzer.blogspot.com

Ancient Greek Pottery And Its Evolution

2009-08-08T15:08:00.005-07:00

Pottery can be used as a classical support for understanding the antique Greek culture and civilization. The graphic illustrations skillfully fashioned on fancy pottery, reflect the manifold aspects of Greek life. The Greek empire from Stone Age to Hellenistic era has undergone quite a lot of changes. These alterations can be examined in terms of seven different eras through which the Greek society has passed. We will discuss in the following paragraphs how the Greek art of manufacturing pottery also underwent changes with the change in the different historical periods.

1 Greek Pottery In The Stone Age-

In the early Neolithic period Greek pottery was unadorned. In the mid Neolithic period people started decorating pottery with red and white geometric patterns. The newly formed and decorated potteries were known as Sesklo wares. Then the Dimni people of Greece in the late Neolithic period made special kinds of pottery which were black or cream in color.

2. Greek Pottery in the Early Bronze Age-

During this period the Minyan ware was found and it was brought by the indo European Greeks. It is a well made ware in a potter's wheel and is plain gray in color. It also has wide range of interesting shapes and sizes which was not found in the Stone Age.

3. Greek Pottery in the Late Bronze Age-

It was the Mycenean period and the Greeks started making designs on pottery. They made geometric shapes, humans, animals, sea creatures in cream colored background. The Greeks in the late Bronze Age made designs in black or red.

4. Greek Pottery in the Dark Age-

In this age the Mycenean civilization collapsed and so also the Mycenean pottery. People lost interest in the manufacturing of pottery. However this age also came to an end and people began manufacturing pots again. The pottery was made with circular drawings on it.

5. Greek Pottery in the Archaic Period-

In the 900 BC which is the archaic period the potters of Athens and Cornith regained their passion in pottery. In Cornith the artisans festooned miniature pots where the figures of mythical animals had been portrayed. The Athenians started painting mythological tales on their pottery and exclusive tales from Homer's Illiad.

6. Greek Pottery in Black Figure-

Gradually the clay pots of archaic period took a different picture as the focus shifted from shape of the pot to more and more scenes on it. A new style of painting developed and as a substitute of making human structures on the sketch, the potters now started to make natives in silhouette. The paintings were solely in black color.

7. Greek Pottery in Red Figure-

The Athenian potters in 500 BC, instead of painting the people black prepared the background of the pot black and made images on this black surface with red color. Though the painting was quite difficult the figures on the pot looked more realistic than ever. But 40 years hence the red figure Greek pottery also became extinct.

Greek pottery, as can be seen, went through many evolutionary stages giving us a wide variety of pottery ware, each unique in its own way.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for pottery, antiques, and figurines. When shopping for pottery, antiques and figurines, we recommend only the best online stores for greek pottery, antiques, and figurines

All of a Sudden, it Was There

2009-08-08T15:08:00.003-07:00

"Hal" and I have been friends for years, but through a professional connection, so we check in every once in a while. It's been a few years since we've worked together, so it's only a couple of times a year that we get the opportunity to reconnect and tell old war stories. I've always enjoyed his company and his stories, only this time the story was anything but amusing.

For the last year or so, after graduating from high school, Hal's son has been in and out of college. He had tried a semester at a state university and found it to be too much, so he decided to move back home and enroll in a local community college. The cost was much lower, the classes were smaller and he could live at home and save a lot of money.

It seemed like a good plan, only there was one thing that his son brought back from the big university that would get in the way. Without the supervision of his parents, he was out of control as a "party animal." It went beyond the usual college binge drinking and pot smoking, as he started using heroin.

As Hal told the story, it was like his son just took a needle and started using. "I didn't see this coming," was his comment over and over. In the film "Ray," Jamie Foxx portrays the late Ray Charles, who spent several years in the grip of heroin addiction. The film shows Charles getting in on the heroin experience by nagging his fellow musicians to let him try it. But that isn't the norm. It's often a slow build.

Hal's son had to get the idea from someplace and Hal was the role model. Hal always had a few drinks after work every day, especially if he was on a business trip. While people did not come out and say he was an alcoholic, he was known for his excessive drinking. He loved to drink and to brag about how much he had and how he was still drunk the next day!

Hal and his wife were happy to have their son back in the house. The way they figured, he would go to school, work and soon he would be out of the nest and on his own. But it didn't happen. The son never had any money, and Hal said he was always asking for money. "I still didn't see it." His son managed to get a couple of semesters under his belt, but was basically directionless and his three semesters of school had rendered only 18 credits.

One day, Hall discovered that a portion of his valuable antique gun collection was missing. His son had dropped out of college again and things finally came out in the open and the son admitted to stealing the antiques and selling them. Hal convinced his son to enter treatment. It was a tough go for Hal, because he always wanted the best for his three kids. Hal is always working, always pushing forward to provide for his family. He wanted his wife and kids to have the best. He wanted his kids to come from a "good family."

He never saw the warning signs because good kids from good families aren't supposed to do heroin. He is now just beginning to learn that addiction doesn't care about good families. Addiction doesn't care about bad families. Addiction doesn't care at all about its victims and kids coming from upper middle class homes are targets, just the same as kids coming from the "wrong side of the tracks."

He is beginning to learn that he and his family need help, just as his son needs help. He is also learning that through treatment and into recovery, he and his son are getting to know each other much better. His family has hope.

Ned Wicker is the Addictions Recovery Chaplain at Waukesha Memorial Hospital Lawrence Center He author's a website for addiction support:

Drug-Addiction-Support.org

Drug Addiction Intervention

Experiences of an Accidental Judge

2009-08-08T15:08:00.001-07:00

There is a story that, years ago a person high up in the U.S. Patent Office resigned. The reason stated was that everything worth inventing had been invented. That certainly was not the case as evidenced by my recent experience.

I was invited to visit the Chicago Casting Call for Everyday Edisions, a TV show that airs on PBS stations. The format is similar to the popular Antiques Roadshow except it showcases inventors and their inventions. When I arrived at the WTTW studio at the advertised starting time of the event there was a line of inventors extending around the building as three or four times the expected number of inventors showed up the queue had started forming just after midnight! I met Louis Foreman, the force behind the show and volunteered to help out in any way possible because, clearly, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of hopeful inventors.

I was placed on one of four screening panels, comprised of a patent attorney, product development, engineering, and marketing experts. We listened to inventors give their two-minute presentation; some had brought working models, prototypes, and drawings, others had just a verbal explanation. A quick patent search was conducted which eliminated most of the inventions from further consideration.

Out of 1600 inventions viewed (until about 10pm), about 70 were sent to a second panel for further evaluation. After deeper patent searches and more evaluations for marketability and practicality, just a handful (2 5) will actually make it to the TV show.

Even though I had to leave well before the panel was finished because of a prior commitment it was a most interesting experience and I wished I could have stayed longer. Some of the inventions I saw were brilliant, others were interesting, a few were laughable but they all illustrated that optimism, the entrepreneurial dream, and creative spirit is alive and well. From my observation as long as people are capable of thinking, there are some, the inventors, who will think of creating new methods of solving old problems.

Everyday Edisons will be aired next year. Look for it. I think you will find it inspiring, interesting and entertaining.

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" For a free coaching session, email Larry for an appointment - Larry@larrygaller.com. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com

The Absinthe of Little Paris

2009-08-08T15:07:00.022-07:00

According to some authorities, absinthe as a drink originated in Algeria, and French soldiers serving in the Franco-Algerian war (1830-47) introduced the green spirits to Paris upon their return from the North African country where the drink found strong favor along the boulevards.

In time the spectacle of bearded men and demi-mondes dripping their absinthes became one of the sights of Paris. Naturally, so fashionable a Parisian drink was not long in finding its way to the Little Paris of North America - New Orleans.

The drink, which was spelled "absinthe" in New Orleans liquor advertisements in 1837, when it was apparently first imported from France and Switzerland, was a liquor distilled from a large number of various herbs, roots, seeds, leaves, and barks steeped in anise.

It also included Artemisia absinthium, an herb known as "Wormwood" abroad, but called "Herbe Sainte" by the French-speaking population of Louisiana. In past years wormwood was been condemned as harmful and habit-forming, and laws were enacted forbidding its use in liquors in the United States and other countries.

In addition to banning wormwood from manufactured liquor, the use of the word "absinthe" on bottles of modern concoctions which do not contain wormwood, was also banned. As a consequence, manufacturers of absinthe substitutes were forced to adopt trade names.

Of all the ancient buildings in New Orleans' famed Vieux Carre, none has been more glorified in story and picture than a square, plastered-brick building at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville streets, known as "The Old Absinthe House."

Ancient legend has long set forth that the building was erected in 1752, 1774, 1786, 1792, but as a matter of fact it was actually built in 1806 for the importing and commission firm of Juncadella & Font, Catalonians from Barcelona, Spain. In 1820, after Francisco Juncadella died and Pedro Font returned to his native land, the place continued as a commission house for the barter of foodstuffs, tobacco, shoes, clothing, as well as liquids in bulk from Spain, and was conducted by relatives of the builders.

Later it became an epicerie, or grocery shop; for several years it was a cordonnerie, or boot and shoe store, and not until 1846 did the ground floor corner room become a coffee-house, as saloons were then called. It became a typical scene for the tables to be lined with crowds of people sipping their drinks and then resting them on their drink coasters.

This initial liquid-refreshment establishment was run by Jacinto Aleix, a nephew of Senora Juncadella, and was known as "Aleix's Coffee-House." In 1869, Cayetano Ferrer, a Catalan from Barcelona, who had been a bartender at the French Opera House, transferred his talents to the old Juncadella casa and became principal drink-mixer for the Aleix brothers.

In 1874, Cayetano himself leased the place, calling it the "Absinthe Room" because of the potent dripped absinthe he served in the Parisian manner. His drink became so popular that it won fame not only for Cayetano, but for the balance of his family-papa, mamma, Uncle Leon, and three sons, Felix, Paul, and Jacinto, who helped to attend the wants of all and sundry that crowded the place. They served millions of these popular cocktails to crowds of locals and tourists.

What the customers came for chiefly was the emerald liquor into which, tiny drop by tiny drop, fell water from the brass faucets of the pair of fountains that decorated the long cypress bar. These old fountains, relics of a romantic past, remained in the Casa Juncadella for many years.

Then came prohibition when the doors of "The Old Absinthe House" were padlocked by a United States marshal, and the contents of the place went under the hammer. Pierre Cazebonne purchased the prized antiques, together with the old bar, and set them up in another liquid refreshment parlor a block farther down Bourbon street, where signs now inform the tourist that therein is to be found the original "Old Absinthe Bar" and antique fountains, and we find the marble bases pitted from the water which fell, drop by drop, from the faucets over the many years they served their glorious mission.

In these modern years the tourist yearning for an old flavor of the Old New Orleans to carry back as a memory of his visit, goes to 400 Bourbon street, not only to see the venerable fountains and bar, but to be served absinthe frappe on an absorbent coaster by a son of Cayetano Fer-rer, the Spaniard who established "The Old Absinthe House."

Jacinto Ferrer was an expert at preparing the drink properly for he did for well over sixty-five years. "Josh" served his apprenticeship in his father's celebrated "Absinthe Room" in 1872, and remained in the same profession at which he began his apprenticeship as a five-year-old boy.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in the history of wine and cocktails and enjoys learning new recipes. For a great selection of drink coasters and other accessories, please visit http://www.thirstycoasters.com/index.html

Black Cat Figurines

2009-08-08T15:07:00.021-07:00

Black cat figurines are very collectible and are made from many different substances. Black cats were always considered to be bad luck if they crossed your path, but black cat figurines are good luck with collectors as some of them have turned out to be very valuable. Some black cat figurines can fetch in the thousands, depending on who produced the figurine.

There are various companies that produce cat figurines today and those that produced them years ago. When you are looking for black cat figurines, one thing that you might look for is the name of the company that produced the figure. Some companies, such as those that were produced in Occupied Japan, can fetch some money on the secondary market today. These black cat figurines are usually made from ceramic or porcelain.

If you are looking for some serious collectibles when it comes to black cat figurines, you should take a look at ancient figurines. The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats and ancient black cat figurines can end up being priceless. You have to be able to ascertain the value of the figurine which can be done by taking it to an antiques collector. Such figurines are often made of alabaster or carved.

Modern black cat figurines are usually made from glass or ceramic and are poured into a mold. Once the material has hardened, the figurine is taken from the mold. If it is ceramic, it is then painted, glazed and placed in a kiln where the object hardens and the glaze takes on a shiny appearance. Most black cat figurines are made from ceramic.

Other black cat figurines are made from wood. Wooden figurines are usually manufactured by molds, but in some cases you can see them actually hand carved. Others are machine carved into the figure of a cat. Then they are dipped in paint and their eyes glued on. This is can be done by machine or by hand, depending on where the figurine comes from.

Collecting figurines modeled after animals is a timeless collectible and dates back centuries. If you know someone who likes cats, cat figurines can be a nice gift and a great collectible for them. Many people begin collecting black cat figurines as children and then proceed with this fascination into adulthood. In some cases, if the cat figurines are extremely rare or are antique, they can be a good investment as antiques, unlike ordinary objects, not only hold their value but often appreciate in value. If you manage to get some cat figurines that are antiques, chances are that their value will go up as the years wear on.

If you are thinking of collecting black cat figurines, you should look for those that are rare finds that are the most affordable for you. You can take a look on auction sites as well as a number of sites that animal figurines and find the most affordable as well as collectible black cat figurines.

http://www.CatfigurinesOnline.com/ has largest amount of collections of Cat Figurines plus links to many other site which other the biggest range and lowest prices.

Why Living Room Furniture is the Most Important Piece in Your House

2009-08-08T15:07:00.019-07:00

A house with out beautiful living room furniture is nothing else but a house. In order to turn a plain old house into a loving and comforting home you must take the time to invest in some eye catching living room furniture. It is not a hard thing to do but it can become time consuming as stores such as value city furniture offer huge selections which can make choosing the right piece extremely difficult. I will add this though, granted it can be time consuming it will be time well spent if you can select the right piece. The reason being is that your living room furniture is the centerpiece of your house.

We as humans rely on first impressions with each other to help us make judgments. This also runs true with your home. Your lawn is the first thing someone sees outside of your home. and your living room furniture is the first thing someone sees in your home. If your living room furniture is substandard then you can count on being judged accordingly-substandard. Not only will this make the value of your home seem less valuable but it also makes people (friends, family, and even potential buyers) think that you do not really care about the upkeep of your house, and that is not good.

If you are in the market of selling your home its obvious that you must do everything possible to increase the value of your home. I for one would highly suggest investing in some expensive antique furniture as this has the most beauty, value and prestige. Antiques can make your house give off the impressions of love, dedication and care. Those are all the traits of a real home owner, so you should not jeopardize that by getting cheap modern furniture for your home. As I said earlier value city furniture is an option, but you'll only find modern furniture, retro furniture, or bad antique reproductions. So take the time to buy authentic furniture, it'll only help you out in the long run.

Lastly your living room furniture will most likely be the biggest item in your living room. Obviously if this is the case you'll want that piece to be extremely breath-taking. You'll want a the biggest item in your room to be the biggest eye-candy in your house. You'll want to be viewed as a person who has respect for their belongings getting yourself a nice piece of antique furniture to fill in your living room will definitely prove that you respect your living space.

For the most in-depth discussion about antique furniture please visit http://buyantiquefurniture.blogspot.com

If you have a love for antique table lamps read what we have to say about them at our antique table lamp blog.

12 Tips to Buying at Auction - How To Get the Best Deal

2009-08-08T15:07:00.017-07:00

Auctions can be great fun to attend. You can get in on the bidding or just watch the action. But, before you start bidding, make sure you know how to get the best buy. Keep these tips in mind at your next auction.

1. Start By Observing

One of the best ways to learn is by observation. Attend a couple of auctions with the intention to simply watch and learn. Youll get the feel for how things work and be prepared to avoid costly mistakes.

2. Attend the Preview

The preview can be held a few days before the auction or just a few hours before the auction begins. It is open to the public and free of charge. This is your chance to look items over thoroughly and to get up close to see any damage or problems with an item.

3. Be Prepared

Know what you are looking at. Heres where reference books and price guides and the internet come in handy. Doing the legwork before hand, increases the likelihood that you will pay a fair price at auction. Not doing so, can lead to disaster.

4. Learn the Terminology

There are a few terms that you need to understand so that you get the best buy at an auction.

Pre-sale estimate The auction house bases this price on their past experience. It the price they expect the item to sell for.

Provenance It is the history of the piece detailing past owners. This information is not always available, but it can be a juicy tidbit depending on the owner.

Start Price This is the price at which the auction will begin.

Reserve Price This is a pre-set amount that the seller has agreed is the lowest amount he/she will accept. Not all items will have a reserve.
Keep in mind items with no reserve will sell even if there is only one bid at the start price. When bidding on items with no reserve, if you win, you pay.

On the other hand, items with a reserve will only sell if the reserve price has been met. Youll find out if the reserve has been met, after the bidding is completed. The reserve price is not disclosed at the close of bidding.

As-Is Just as it sounds, as-is means the items is selling in the condition that is currently in. It likely means that the item is a fixer-upper or needs work in some way.

Hammer Price This is the price that the item sells for when the gavel comes down.

Conditions of Sale This refers to the terms and conditions of the sale including any warranties, special instructions etc.

Lots There are two meanings for lot at an auction. First, all items up for auction are assigned a number. This is referred to in the catalogue and described by the auctioneer as a lot. Second, a number of small items such as a collection of costume jewelry can be grouped together and sold as a lump sum. This, too, is referred to as a lot.

Absentee Bid Bidders do not have to physically be in the auction house at the time of the auction to bid. Bids can be placed by phone, fax or online. Arrangements must be made before hand to place an absentee bid.

5. Read the Auction Catalogue

Get the auction catalogue and read it thoroughly. It will list the lots in selling order. The catalogue may be a hard copy or available online.

6. Register For Auction

To bid at an auction, you need to register before the auction begins. You give your name, address and phone number and may be required to make a deposit. In return, you receive a bidding number. This helps the auction house keep track of who won what item.

7. Stay Cool Once the Bidding Begins

Before the bidding begins, decide want to bid on and what you want to pay for it. Stick to your plan. Ill say it again - stick with your plan. Dont get into a bidding war. You may be sorry if buyers remorse kicks in.

8. Know About Additional Costs

Often auction houses charge a buyers premium. It is an additional surcharge that the auction house adds to the hammer price, taxes are calculated after these two are added.

9. After-Sale Bid

If a lot doesnt sell, ask if the auction accepts after-sale bids (a reasonable offer that a bidder makes after the auction closes for an item that did not sell). Some auction houses allow it.

10. Find Out About Payment And Shipping

Make sure you know before hand what forms of payment are accepted. If your purchase is big, have a plan for how youll get it home. Auction houses will hold on to your item while you arrange for moving it. But storage fees may be charge.

11. Attend Midweek Sales

Midweek sales can be less crowded than weekend sales. Less competition may lead to better deals.

12. Attend A Variety of Auctions

Dont discount an auction that is not geared to your area of interest. An office furniture auction will likely have computers, filing cabinets and basic office furniture but there may be the odd piece of antique furniture. Youll find this out at the preview. At this office furniture auction, most attendees will be seeking the computers and filing cabinets. There may not be as many attendees interested in the antique furniture. So, you may come away with a great deal.

Martin Swinton owns Take-A-Boo Emporium, an antique shop located in Toronto, Canada. He does furniture restoration, caning and rushing repairs, custom reproductions, upholstery, teaches courses on antiques and does appraisals for estates and community events. He can be reached at 416-785-4555 or by visiting http://www.takeaboo.com.

Ten Reasons You Should Own a Custom Chopper

2009-08-08T15:07:00.015-07:00

Custom choppers are the Mercedes of motorcycles, and they are as much fun to own as any super-luxury vehicle. I'm certain that when you see a custom chopper, you wish you had one for youself. Here's ten reasons to buy a custom chopper...

1. FUN! Yes, this is the first and foremost reason. You will have more fun with a custom chopper than just about any other investment you make. Cars are fun, sure, but they simply don't provide the "in the wind" feeling that can only be obtained with a motorcycle and a custom chopper will make people stop and notice and that's always fun.

2. Resale value. Just like a car, motorcycles depreciate with time. At least stock motorcycles do. But custom rides and antiques don't in fact they can appreciate if you continue adding value to your ride. 3. Breaking out of the status quo. Just anyone can own a stock motorcycle. Harley dealers have great stock bikes that anyone who has the money can buy. Newspapers abound with ads for stock motorcycles that are being sold by an owner often because they want to upgrade and get their first custom chopper. That's the status quo in motorcycles. If you want to break away and stand out in the crowd, a custom chopper will do that for you!

4. Custom choppers are accepted by all motorcycle riders. Have you ever noticed that the Harley riders will accept custom choppers that aren't Harley builds much more easily than they will any other type of motorcycle? It's true, if your bike is a custom chop, even if the drive train is not Harley, the Harley rides will not shun you or make nasty.

5. Your custom chopper can reflect your personality. If you purchase a stock bike, there will be hundreds of thousands of people who have exactly the same scoot as yours. With a custom chopper, you can provide input and customization that reflects who you are.

6. Riding comfort is another reason to customize. By choosing the frame, engine, risers, handle bars, saddle and parts that create your custom chopper, you can create the chop that is most comfortable for YOU, the rider.

7. Pizzazz. You can add as much shiny, eye-blinding chrome as you choose; or you can have as little as you choose. If you want lots of fringe, accessories the custom chop to include fringe all over. If you want a very stark, minimalistic ride, you can have that too! How much pizzazz you add is your choice and only your choice!

8. Head turn factor. You can guarantee, no matter what custom chopper design you settle on, you will turn heads. You can add all the "head turn" factor to you chopper you desire. If you want, you can create something that is drop-dead unique and turn every head you encounter. But if you aren't a glutton for attention, you may choose a more simplistic design.

9. Make it solo. If you get sick and tired of the "can I ride with you?" questions and simply don't want anyone to ride behind you, choose a solo saddle design that provides you an excuse, "my bike only rides one ME!"

10. Ego. Yes, we all have ego, don't we? That's what makes us what to be different to begin with. And a great ego stroke is riding out of your truly unique, one-of-a-kind custom chopper. Just don't let it go to your head! After all, you still want your friends to love you and ride with you!

Tyler Powers is a contributing author and webmaster for http://www.custom-choppers-guide.com. You will find loads of information on creating a custom chopper or motorcycle and much more at http://www.custom-choppers-guide.com.

2 Key Methods to Easily Find Hot Items to Sell on Ebay, Fast

2009-08-08T15:07:00.013-07:00

These days, every one wants taste a part of the online thing going on presently. And that is to make money online. One of the surest way to do this is to find hot items and sell them on ebay.

Actually, finding hot items to sell on ebay is no easy feat to come by. There is no professional ebay seller that can confidently say that he or she has arrived and then would stop searching for hot items that can be sold on ebay.

Though there are many methods to consider in the process of finding hot items, two of the important ones are highlighted in this article.

Here are two key methods that you can use today to easily find hot items:

Key method #1: Antiques.

These are rare products that are always high in demand. Antiques are always selling consistently.

Why?

Because they are not common. They are items that have been carefully selected and made with a lot of creativity. They are items with value that someone takes time to collect. This means that it has added value and people are willing to pay the price to get them. And since people are willing to pay, why not give them what they need?

Examples of antique categories you can focus on:

(a) Antique ceramics

(b) Antique jugs

(d) Antique dolls

(e) Pottery and so on.

Key method #2: Advertised items on television.

Products advertised on the television usually attract the attention of people and you can take this to your advantage. As soon as you discover that a product is being advertised on the tv, immediately go to ebay and do a search on it. Once you have found the product on ebay, you can then go ahead to get the product through your drop shipper or any other means that you use.

Many people turn to ebay to buy products advertised on tv. You make use of this opportunity and cash in cool money on demand.

These two key methods are some of the methods you can use to find hot items to sell on ebay, fast. They should get you started right away in the bid for finding your hot items.

Go and profit heavily from hot items that you can find and sell on ebay.

Sam Ayodeji's free secret manual, "Find Items That'll Sell On Ebay" reveals how you can instantly extract hot items that will sell like crazy on ebay. Click now for instant download at http://offto.net/05onsv/

What Not to Pack

2009-08-08T15:07:00.011-07:00

Oftentimes, people who are moving are ignorant to the regulations surrounding what can be packed, what can be moved, what movers are willing to move, and everything in between. There are items that should not be put into boxes, should not be brought to a new state, or should not be moved at all. This is a coherent guide of what you can and can't do when packing your house.

Never assume that pets, plants, and food are always going to be a good fit for moving. Consider several things when planning on moving them. For one, is your new environment a good and conducive one for plants and pets to thrive, grow, and live in? It might be in their best interest to be left behind with a caring family who can take good care of them. Also, will the move be arduous enough to permanently spoil, hurt, or cause suffering to your live items? Movers are often squeamish about moving living things or perishable items, and may refuse to do so. Lastly, be sure to check with your local United States Department of Agriculture in order to familiarize yourself with and ensure the legal limitations and laws of bringing in your plants, food, and animals. A lot of meat and produce is not allowed in certain parts of the United States or in foreign countries, and you wouldn't want to get into legal trouble over something that can be easily thrown out or left behind.

Never pack hazardous items, especially not in boxes. It is illegal and potentially dangerous for the movers to do so. Instead, give them away, or properly dispose of them. Hazardous items include, but are not limited to: acid, aerosols, ammunition, batteries, car batteries, charcoal, cleaning fluids, fertilizer, fireworks, gasoline, kerosene, lamp oil, lighter fluid, bleach, loaded weapons, matches, motor oil, nail polish and remover, paint, paint thinner, pesticides, propane tanks, and weed killers.

Extraordinary Value Items are also something to take into consideration when moving. It is important to compile a list documenting each EVI when moving. An EVI is defined as any item that is worth more than $100 a pound. You may decide against allowing movers to be in charge of them, and opt to move them yourself. Most movers have forms for you to fill out in case of EVI's. That way they can be kept track of and extra attention can be paid to them. EVI's include, but are not limited to: antiques, art collections, coin collections, computers, currency, figurines, furs, jewelry, oriental rugs, precious stones or gems, silver, or electronic equipment.

Remember, with common sense, and some caution, you can easily pack up your home without attempting anything dangerous or illegal.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of SMARTBOX USA. The portable storage company provides mobile storage units throughout the nation. For more information on their Portable Storage Units please visit their website.

Antique American History - 2.5 Million English in 1500 Created the World Language - How?

2009-08-08T15:07:00.009-07:00

There are any number of delightful stories about the friendship of English Baronet Sir Francis Dashwood, Premier Baronet of Great Britain, Post Master General of the British Empire, and his successful interview and employment of Dr. Benjamin Franklin as the only man ever, up till now at least to be Post Master General of North America. This, for Dr. Franklin, from his first appointment as Post Master of Philadelphia in his twenties, had been remarkable in his advancement of postal and vital communications deliveries between the 13 Colonies.

Indeed, Dr. Franklin had hurried along, and contributed generously himself, to a worthy postal road up along the eastern American seaboard. When Ben reported to Frank in 1760, he could proudly say the postal coach journey between Savannah right up to Boston was now a common journey that he had enjoyed thoroughly.

Sir Francis knew with chagrin that such a postal road in Britain had been built, but rather let go, since the days of the Roman Empire. With his own funds, he employed workmen to repair and make safe the road from London to Oxford.

Already, in 1760, American energy and efficiency was pulling America ahead of the leader of the world, mighty Britain, but that basic of modern efficiency, strong infrastructure. With brilliant men of America, as well as mighty Britain, with some much knowledge of Newton, English began to be required reading, as well as German, to understand direct communications with the genius of the works. History has fewer unpredictable turns of events as the evolution of English as the language of the working world, which with creating America brought forward respect for Greek democratic values, and Roman permanence, seen in any Justice Hall or Capitol in Washington, D.C.

But, in 1500 there were little more than 2 million wretched English, a hundred million Chinese, 25 million French, many more German, and 12 million Spanish. One of these national languages, and mostly likely Spanish, from the East Indies to most of the American continents, north and south, seemed destined to be the language of the world.

But in 1608 and again in 1620 English speaking peoples who in desperation for a free life in a new land began, and for the next decades hung on in precarious health and hope, but they persisted, and more seeking hope kept arriving, not contesting but really from early on recognized as further support to take on this vast forested continent with few people compared to the slums of London and the hopeless lives of serfs throughout Europe, who came, adapted, fitted in, learned to mingle and speak as the locals did, until.

Now the English blood in America is a small fraction of the total population: there are way more born in America of German and now Spanish ancestry than English, and soon likely more from India.

But America is the teacher, and the world is learning English, as understood for acceptance to any great American university. Napoleon said beware of China. She is a sleeping giant. When She awakes, her roar will shake the world. Yes, we hear the dragon roar: we know she is awake at least.

And in China, as in all over the world, five hundred million people are learning English in order to get ahead in the world. It did begin with brilliant English minds arriving in America, wanting freedom to experiment with their ideas. And look at how that model is alive today behind millions of computer screens and technology classes everywhere. And we think, is a good thing.

History has fewer unpredictable turns of events as the evolution of English as the language of the working world, which with creating America brought forward respect for Greek democratic values, and Roman permanence, seen in any Justice Hall or Capitol in Washington, D.C. Amazing events happen in five hundred years, as we say in English. And hundreds of millions around the world are learning to speak American English with gusto. And who can but encourage them? Us. That is Who, said Cindy Lou. So, from models for America from Greek God to Roman Noble, to the grime faced G.I. Joe of the world, aching, butt half shot off 20 times since Sunday: eager to get home to their families and love. Is that not what our daddies talked about then between coughs, well so should we.

Derek Dashwood

Derek Dashwood is happy he speaks English, but has a book on Chinese just in case.

He says Greek antiques.

She says Roman Antiques.

Will they say, Chinese antiques.

Cautionary Advice for Bed and Breakfast Guests

2009-08-08T15:07:00.007-07:00

If youre seeking distinctive lodging with personalized service, a bed and breakfast inn may be your best solution. There are some important considerations you need to be aware of, however. BEFORE you make your reservation, think about the following:

Do you have allergies?

Ask the innkeepers if they can provide specialized meals. If you are allergic to smoke, make sure that the inn is smoke-free. Pet allergies? Be certain that the bed and breakfast doesnt allow pets.

Do you intend to travel with children?

Many inns do not allow children. Fine antiques, plush wallpaper, thick carpets, and original artwork may not be compatible with little fingers. Be aware of the inns policy regarding children.

Are you taking a pet with you?

The majority of bed and breakfasts are hesitant to allow pets. Even a teacup Yorkie or kitten can quickly do hundreds of dollars worth of damage to furniture, window treatments, wall coverings, and bedding. If the innkeepers will not allow pets, they may be able to recommend a nearby kennel or boarding facility.

Will you be arriving late?

Most small bed and breakfasts are home businesses managed by the innkeepers themselves. If the innkeepers are in bed by ten p.m. they might not be enthusiastic about guests arriving at midnight. If you plan on arriving at a specific time and are delayed, be courteous and call ahead. This means some forethought on your part. Ensure that the inns contact information is in a pocket, purse, wallet, or easily-reached piece of luggage.

Will you have a private bathroom?

Dont wait until you arrive to discover that you will be sharing a bathroom with other guests. Private baths are becoming more common nowadays, including accommodations with ensuite baths; however, there are still many inns with rooms operating in 'shared-bath mode.

What kind of breakfast do they serve?

Breakfast menus can range from muffins, juice, and coffee to multi-entree gourmet breakfasts. Some inns (usually the larger ones) also offer additional meals - typically not included in the nightly rate.

What is the cancellation policy?

Last-minute cancellations can really hurt your wallet! Unlike hotels, bed and breakfasts have a limited number of rooms and almost always charge for cancellations. Normally, the sooner you cancel the better. If you wait until the week before your vacation to cancel, you might be required to pay for the entire stay. Travel insurance will often cover the fees. (Read the fine print of your policy to be sure.)

Ask the right questions, be prepared, and have a wonderful, relaxing stay!

Kathy Steinemann is a Canadian who writes for:

* 111 Travel Directory

* 1000 Tips 4 Trips

* Adult Escapes

Reasons To Live In Portsmouth Virginia

2009-08-08T15:07:00.005-07:00

Walk along High Street in downtown Portsmouth, referred to as Old Towne, and you will think it is Christmas all year long. Thousands of tiny lights hug the trees that line the street. The Elizabeth River connects Portsmouth to Norfolk. Portsmouth is the sister city of Norfolk, except that Portsmouth has kept that small town feel. This city was founded in 1752 and was modeled after the Portsmouth in Britain. This 29 square-mile city reflects its heritage with streets named London, Glasgow, and Queen. The first intersection in town at Court and High streets remains the towns center.

Recently, Olde Towne has been undergoing a face-lift. It has been undergoing a renovation of its center and the "edges." The edges of Portsmouth are actually 80 miles of waterfront along the many channels. Neighborhoods occupy much of the waterfront, although there are some prime shopping areas there, too.

Portsmouth's center has the largest collection of antique homes, third behind Alexandria, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina. While not yet antiques, the center also has many early 20th century homes that have been restored or are in the process of being renovated.

The waterfront is the heart of the city, with the Naval Hospital, the Naval Shipyard and the 5th Coast Guard District sharing it space with the citizens of Portsmouth. It is close to the Norfolk Naval Base which brings in people from all over the world. Portsmouth is a real melting pot.

Portsmouth is one of the oldest working harbors in the country, so there are a wide range of ships passing the seawall. Hampton Roads is the midway point of the Atlantic coast. Portsmouth is in the center of Hampton Roads, providing the city with a rich maritime heritage.

Portsmouth has a little bit of everything and you don't have to be a history buff or an architectural enthusiast to enjoy living in the city. It has a slower pace than it's sister, Norfolk. Once people get used to slowing down, they truly appreciate the different a slower lifestyle can make in their lives.

In this harbor city, people can visit art museums, explore the universe via the planetarium, golf, go boating, or cycle along the waterfront. With mild weather, outdoor activities abound in Portsmouth. It is a city of academic excellence, with its schools and colleges maintaining a high standard for all who attend.

Nancy Chandler Associates, REALTORS, Licensed in Norfolk, Virginia can give you additional information about Portsmouth, Virginia.

Karen Vertigan Pope writes for Ciniva Systems, an award winning Virginia web design company. Ciniva specializes in web design and SEO. Ms. Vertigan Pope is an SEO Specialist with Ciniva. Ciniva Systems is in charge of SEO for Nancy Chandler Associates.

Where to Go on a First Date

2009-08-08T15:07:00.003-07:00

Way to go, dude! You've got that first date with the girl you've been watching for a while. So where do you go from here? Oh, man! Where do you take her?

No worries. She said yes to the first date, so she's already willing to get to know you better. With this in mind, go someplace that's fun, upbeat, and enjoyable for both of you.

Here's a few ideas that you can choose from.

An open-air date. There's something cool about going on a date where you're both out in the sunshine and fresh air. Most girls like being active. You don't have to play football with your date to be active. Try going to the zoo, park or beach. Play some miniature golf or go to a carnival or fair. These dates let you both have fun and give you some room to talk without feeling too intimate for either one of you.

Like drama or music? Go to concert or a theatre date. You don't have to spend a lot of money for either one of these. You can go to an open-air concert in the park, a local theatre company production, or just listen to the band at a friendly bar. Again, these will give you the chance to talk and get to know each other better.

If you like something a little more sophisticated go to an art exhibition or a museum. Like something a little unusual, hit the arcade, go to a theme park or water park; shop for antiques at flea markets. Then after any of these places, stop for a coffee or cappuccino. The point isn't where you go, or what activity you enjoy. The point is getting to know each other. There was obviously something that attracted you to each other. Take the time to enjoy being around each other and talking together. After all, the best relationships begin as friendships.

Watch FREE hidden camera pickup videos and discover how to approach, meet and get dates with attractive women at the shopping mall, the park, even the street!

http://www.SucceedAtDating.com

Alex Coulson has been a core leader in the ever evolving dating industry, he holds cutting-edge dating workshops/courses every weekend around Australia and regularly holds dating seminars on attracting women internationally.

For more information and to claim access to Alex Coulson's "5 Step System" Audio E-course for FREE (limited time only) head over to http://www.alexcoulson.com