Decorating Jars for Your Holiday Gifts

Use paint, labels, stencils, decoupage, and embellishments to make your jars look special. Match gifts and jar decorations to the person receiving the gift. Then attach a matching gift card to your jar.

Use glass canning jars, glass bottles, old-fashioned wire bail jars, recycled jars, antique jars, or plastic storage jars. Jars must have tight fitting lids.

Sterilize Jars for Food Gifts

The jars you use to package food gifts should be glass and sterilized before use.

Check all jars for chips and cracks. If chipped or cracked, don’t use for food. Use new lids.
Wash with hot, soapy water; then rinse.
To sterilize jars, place on a rack in a large pot and cover with water. Let water come to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from boiling water and let dry. Jars and lids can also be sterilized in your dishwasher.

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A Guide to Fair Trade, Organic Chocolate Companies

Knowing Fair Trade and Certified Organic chocolate companies

Today, there are more fair trade chocolate companies and brands specializing in organic chocolate ingredients than ever. Whether you’re looking for chocolate gifts for a special occasion or a quick snack for the road, your eco-shopping trip will be much less hassle today that it would have been even five years ago.

So breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that you no longer have to struggle over where to buy earth friendly chocolate products. We’ve collected a long list of the highest quality, most ethically-sound, and most popular chocolate companies and organic chocolate brands. Give them a gander, share them with your friends, and above all, celebrate your choice to live a greener, more socially-aware life!

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Cotton Yarn Vs Acrylic for Crochet Dishcloths and Scrubbers

In general, I prefer to use cotton yarn when crocheting dishcloths and scrubbies. This is primarily because cotton is natural, soft and durable. However, over the years, I’ve had many crocheters tell me that they prefer to use acrylic for washcloths and scrubbies. So really, it boils down to personal preference; but in this article I’m going to go over several reasons why you might want to choose one over the other.

Cotton Pros:

Natural. As already mentioned, cotton material is natural. To be honest I don’t know if this makes a difference or not, but it does put my mind at ease when making scrubbies for fruits and vegetables. With that said, I try to stick with the white or off-white yarn as you don’t want any colorful dyes leaching out into your food either.

Scrubbing Action. Cotton is soft for the face, yet it makes an effective scrubber for dishes and pots and pans. Continue reading “Cotton Yarn Vs Acrylic for Crochet Dishcloths and Scrubbers”

Natural Soap Colorants

There are many options when it comes to coloring your homemade soap. Artificial colorants are often more vibrant than natural colorants, but many people like the idea of using all-natural ingredients in their soap.

There are also safety concerns with some artificial colorants, and they can have some unanticipated effects on the final soap product. If you decide to use natural colorants for your soap, there are endless possibilities to choose from, and you can give your soap almost any hue you desire.

Many of the natural materials you can use to color soap can be found in your kitchen, or local supermarket, and many are already used to color food and drug products.

These dyes can easily be extracted from fruits, vegetables, spices and even your morning coffee. Continue reading “Natural Soap Colorants”

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair

Bring Elegance to the Table with Indian Suppliers of Houseware

The Indian manufacturers of housewares are creating magnificent artistry on serving or cooking utensils for thousands of years. The ancient artwork continues to be carved on modern earthen or copper pots. The intricately designed silver utensils and cutlery symbolize aristocracy. Meanwhile, the stainless steel products are known for their versatility and durability. It was not possible for the Indian homeowners to avail these housewares under one roof, until the handicrafts gift fair of India bought forth an effective solution to this problem. These gift-fairs display collections of exclusive housewares from different states of India.

Earthen Housewares

The earthen housewares have been present in Indian culture since the birth of Indus civilization. The designer earthen housewares may be different from their ancient predecessors. These utensils embody the same usefulness. These utensils ensure perfect cooking due to their moisture and heat retention features. The aroma of earth seeps into the food preparation and increases its flavor. The Kulhad adds earthen aroma to tea. The Matki keeps the water cool and add earthen sweetness to the stored water. Continue reading “Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair”

How to Make Your Own Paper (From Your Old Jeans)

Have you ever wished there was some use for your old, stained, mangled jeans? They’re too thrashed to donate to charity or even to make a decent pair of cutoffs, but you hate to send them to the landfill. You could cut them into squares for a quilt, but if you’re being honest, you’ll probably never get around to making it and the fabric will just take up space in your closet for the next five years. There is, however, an excellent way to recycle your old jeans and make them into a new and useful product: by turning them into paper. All that’s really required for paper-making is fibers of some sort, so the hardest part of using your jeans is going to be separating out the fibers.

1. To begin the process of breaking down the fabric, cut it into approximately 1-inch squares (no need to be precise). Remove the seams or anything else that is double-layered since it will be too tough to work with. Ditto on any metal parts. Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Paper (From Your Old Jeans)”

Mobsters – Carlo Gambino

He was a quiet man who dressed inconspicuously and was known to never loose his temper. But there is no doubt, Carlo Gambino, with his huge hawk nose and enigmatic smile, was one of the most powerful mob bosses of all time.

Gambino was born in Palermo, Sicily on August 24, 1902. The area of Palermo, called Caccamo, in which Gambino grew up in, had such a intense Mafia presences, the police and even the military, were afraid to enter into its domain. That left the Mafioso to rule the area with impunity, knowing whatever they did would not be reported to the police, if the police even cared what happened there in the first place.

Carlo’s mother’s maiden name was Castellano, and she used her influence with her family, who were Mafiosos, to introduce Gambino to “Men of Respect” when Gambino was barely a teenager. Gambino, who was slight of built and only 5-foot-7, quietly impressed his superiors with his calmness, his intellect, and his ability to do what was necessary to be done, even if it mean killing someone who needed to be killed. Continue reading “Mobsters – Carlo Gambino”

Retail Formats

One of the key determinants of a retailer’s success is the format that they use to present to their target customers. A retailer can chose a format based on the kind of store design they want to render, the locality they would like to establish, the various products and services they wish to provide and the approach taken to pricing. The most important aspect is the format should be ideal to their target demographics.

In the past, the Indian retail sector has been dominated by small independent players such as traditional and small grocery stores. It is in the recent times that organized, multi-outlet retail concept has gained acceptance and has since then gained momentum. As per the study conducted by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), on the subject ‘Impact of Organized Retail on Unorganized Sector’, the retail business is estimated to grow at 13% per annum from US $ 322 billion in 2006-07 to US $ 590 billion in 2011-12. Continue reading “Retail Formats”

The Bald Eagle, National Symbol of the United States of America

For many years I taught my fifth grade students about the symbols of the United States of America. Over the years I have grown to love our national symbol, the American Bald Eagle. Many students are shocked to learn that our national symbol is not the flag, but the Bald Eagle.

In 1782 it was chose as the National Bird and then as our national emblem in 1787. You can find it on the Great Seal of the United States with its wings spread wide and a shield for his breast. The shield has 13 red and white stripes. In its right talon it holds an olive branch and, if you care to count, you will find that the olive branch has 13 leaves and 13 berries. This olive branch represents the United States desire for peace. In the Bald Eagles left talon is a bundle of 13 arrows that represent our willingness to fight for our freedom, if necessary. Finally in its beak is a scroll with the motto “E Pluribus Unum” which means ‘one out of many’. Continue reading “The Bald Eagle, National Symbol of the United States of America”

US Army FAQs – What Should I Take With Me To Basic Training?

A common question that future soldiers ask is “What should I take with me to basic training”? It’s a topic that worries those who are shipping out to basic training and fear they will be in trouble for bringing contraband to base. To ease your doubts and frustration, I’ll explain what items you can take with you to boot camp.

Clothing

If you have read the official packing list on goarmy.com site, you would see that they require you to bring an extra set of clothes. To be honest, you will be issued new uniforms upon arriving to reception on the very first day and wear it till graduation day. However, it is advised that you take the clothes on your back and a comfortable pair of tennis shoes.

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