If you are living in the Atlanta, GA area you’ll be ecstatic to know that about the American Craft Show that happens every year at around March. Normally held at the Cobb Galleria Centre, you’ll be able to see all sorts of crafted pieces and artworks that will be a pleasure to you and your friends. You may even find some jewelry pieces that will be the delight of your wife.

I try to go these events whenever I am able to, and I am an advocate of such craft shows. You will see a lot of crafts that make use of recycled materials this year. Although I am more inclined to prefer traditional crafts, these items are still more or less worth a look.

I’ll take the jewelry example I made earlier in the entry. For me, jewelry is only wearable when it is made from material that works well with the feel of “jewelry”. I really have no intention of presenting my wife with materials made from twigs or other such junk. Sculptures may work very well with these, but there is a difference between art and street wear.

I will note that there is one exception to my metal and gemstone rule, however. I have found very fine trinkets from Alexandra Bitner’s, and she has made very fantastic and wearable pieces of jewelry. Bitner manages to make jewelry out of material many would consider to be worthless pieces of trash. And she does do it quite well, in fact.

If the concept of recycled jewelry appeals to you, or you simply want to do your part for the environment, then go to the American Craft Show held every year. And it’s not just jewelry, to be fair; other works of art are made from such materials. It’s not my thing, but to each his own. And if you’ve missed the American Craft Show, don’t worry; there are other craft shows out there that you could attend year round.

I am planning to go to the next Artisan’s Craft Show, and I think I have the necessary crafts to join. With only eight days until the event, I’m already preparing the things that I will be selling as a vendor. Among the things that I will be showing off are turquoise, aquamarine, onyx, chalcedony, smoky quartz, purple amethyst, amber, citrine, prasiolite (green amethyst), rose and clear faceted quartz, rutilated quartz… Do you want me to continue? I may even bring some ruby or emerald if I complete the design in the short time left.

As you can very well see, I have a great fascination with colored stones and gems of all types and colors. I feel uncomfortable if I do not have at least one gem set in jewelry on my person; I simply must have one around my neck or on my fingers. But, I have decided to take it one step further. I have designed and made a number of necklaces using sterling silver with gemstones. And I am eager to show them off.

Accessories like these, of course, need to be accentuated by the right sort of clothing. I went by Nova Moda boutique and I found out that “Not My Daughter’s Jeans” were in stock. In Hamilton, Nova Moda is the only shop that carries this particular line of jeans; they will fit your loved one fabulously. I have already mentioned Michael Kors in a past entry, as well as Nada, who is a Canadian designer. The latter showed up during Toronto’s Fashion Week, and she was said to be one of Canada’s rising stars in the fashion world.

At any rate, I have to get back to my work on these gems. It’s difficult for me to begin projects, but once I do, it’s hard to get me to stop. So I shouldn’t interrupt myself once I start, so here’s where the blogging ends. In any case, I’ll be seeing you at future craft shows!

This is what the collection of craft shows at the Oregon convention is: Different groups, including some guilds, assemble crafts of all shapes and sizes. Here you’ll see pottery of all sorts, handcrafted jewelry, woven fabrics, glass-blown art, woodworks, and a whole slew of other things that are eluding me for the moment.

We weren’t alone in thinking that being a vendor here may be less than productive. Lots of people thought so as well; but everywhere you looked, transactions seemed to be going on. The craftspeople I happened to talk to all said that they expected this year’s showcase to be way down because of the economic recession. But on that fateful Saturday, they were doing business that was equal to last year. Needless to say, they were pretty happy.

I am not exactly an avid shopper, so wandering around the booths under normal circumstances should not be attractive at all to me. That’s why it’s interesting to note that I’ve been a regular of this event for about a decade now. Why? It seems that it has something to do with the growing appreciation for the crafts themselves; something about the chain of the basic material to the talented hands that shape them appeals to me.

There are plenty of rooms of beautiful crafts that are both simple and complicated. I find myself going towards particular items - bowls, glass platters, and some interesting earrings for Mother’s Day - all of them are weighted out in my mind. It astounds me as to how the craftspeople put in a balance between the material and creativity. Of course, I wonder how these objects will look at home, too.

Yet another reason why I like this event is the fact that I like the prices. Some of them would seem downright cheap to what you’d find in more permanent shops. As I’ve said before, I am not an avid shopaholic and would not be the best judge for such things. Even so, I like the idea of spending my money this way.

The city of Macon is aptly named as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World with good reason. The streets are filled with the numerous blossoms, all from the trees in the sidewalk. The place reminds you of a modern Japanese-American themed city, as the usual-Japanese flowers float amongst modern American buildings and asphalt-lined streets.

The streets are bustling and filled with Yoshino cherry trees, and every Spring, they fill the air and the ground with their pale pink petals. It is a very extravagant display of color, which leaves their audience speechless and breathless for the first time.

History relates that the cherry trees came from the late William A. Fickling, Sr. who was a local realtor in the area. He had discovered a Yoshino tree in Macon, and with confirmation after three years, had found out what the species was. Took him a trip to Washington DC just to find out the tree was actually a Yoshino specie!

His generosity and enthusiasm had urged the residents to participate in his vision of filling the whole city with the pretty cherry trees. Years passed and the vision had started to materialize. A lot of its current residents had moved to Macon just to be near the trees. One of them being Carolyn Clayton, the festival founder herself, who had fallen in love with the trees after she had visited.

She had urged Fickling to go with their project, and the dream became true. Through a big community effort, 500 trees were planted along the streets across Macon. The project was encouraged when they had finally proposed the first Cherry Blossom Festival.

Soon it had become one of the Top 20 events of the South, and its fame spread. From three days, it had reached 10 days of festivities. The trees keep growing too, and like their number, the dreams of Mr. Fickling will live on and grow more and more.

Anyone knows about the famous quote which goes: “A dog is man’s bestfriend”. The Mutt Master Dog Show and Exhibit is an annual event at Lincoln City in Oregon Coast. This exhibit is dedicated to celebrate man’s favorite pet and greatest companion, dogs. On this day, our favorite household pets are given regard and recognition as they are given importance on this show.

There is a $2 registration fee per dog per category and $20 for unlimited entrance in categories at the show. This is a fun event for people who have soft hearts for canine animals. There are lots of fun competition that spectators would have fun watching. Food booths serving great tasting gourmets are in store at the festival for hungry stomachs.

To give you with the fun list of events: the festival features the following with a cash prices for the winner:

For the sweetest smoocher category, dogs will kiss their humans and the most passionate kiss wins the event. Sweetest fetch return will feature the dog with the nicest fetch from their humans. The cutest puppy, the dandiest dancing dog. The organizers will be the one to provide the music and entertainment for the dandiest dancing dog. The high jump category will feature the dog with the highest jump as the winner.

There will also be show competitions to delight the spectators and festival goers which includes the best dressed dog, dog with the longest tail, biggest ears and the human/ dog look-alike contest where wearing of costumes are greatly encouraged. There will also be an Ugliest dog competition with the tag line of: “the ugliest does not necessarily mean the most un-cutest”.

Come to the Mutt Master Dog Show and Exhibit and bring the whole family for a day to remember.

There’s a certain sense and pattern when trying to get into the sense of having to run into at least 3 festivals or more in one day, or even for a period of two days. Festivals are pretty much draining, in all aspects of your life. You feel tired physically, you’re drained emotionally, you feel you’ve given so much of your social life talking to people inside the festival grounds, and well, yeah. That sums it up. You could grow sick of festivals in just one sitting.

Setting your mind up to visiting at least more than two festivals a day requires that you have a different mindset of seeing the trip not as an errand or as a chore, but a social trek. When trying to go into a festival, don’t get cynical. And don’t get temperamental either. Being a party pooper at the start of the trip would have you very sour and very uncooperative while everyone else is having fun.

Some people like to go to festivals alone. These would include your typical rebellious teenager and or your love-forlorn daughter. Be understanding of their needs to want to have their own private space. The sensation of going into a festival alone is equal to almost monumental freedom. Give them the space that they deserve and the time that they will need.

Pack a bit of food yourself, but if you find the whole thing to be pretty daunting and hassling, be a bit of an anti-scrooge and go spend your money where you’re supposed to spend it in a festival. In fun, style, leisure and for your enjoyment. Of course, always exercise the usual prudence of not blowing off your entire pay on the fun and games inside the festival.

Feel free to refer with other friends as well. If you’re the type of guy to enjoy visiting a festival with friends, you can save on expenses if you go together.

Would you like to see into the future? Are you amazed at how magicians or gypsies can predict and tell what your fate holds? Isn’t it exciting to even once- just try and have your plams read so you can see what’s in store for you? Really exciting and at the same time mysterious- these are the words that you used to describe fortune telling.

Fortune telling is an old art. it has been around since the Ancient times. It was the act of telling or predicting the future through palm reading or by the use of “mediums” such as tarot cards, crystal balls, candles, etc. Psychics areother names from which you also call the fortune tellers. Fortune tellers are often paid in predicitng people’s lives. Some people object in the concept of fortune tellers, saying that they are liars and that they are fakes. Hmm.

At Groton, New York a Tarot Class will be put up where fortune tellers and card readers are present to teach the attendees on the basics of fortune telling. They are also there to read the future and the fate of the attendees. Many people, most especially women flock to this class so they could have their futures predicted.

A tarot enthusiast once told me that she does not really believe or follow the things that fortune tellers tell her during “readings”, although she still hire their services regularly. Why? She explained to me that she uses the “readings” in order to guide her through life but not merely follow the instructions. She says that she feels happy whenever a fortune teller tells her that something good is coming her way.

On a side note, going to fortune tellers is a good thing because it makes us focus on the thing sthat we want to happen in our lives. Just like in the book: The Secret, when you wan tsomething so badly in your life to happen you will do anything so that the universe will conspire to make it for you. In visiting fortune tellers, when they tell you of a good fortune, you unconsciously do everything to make it happen.

It takes more than mental preparation to stay up and handle a booth in a craft fair. There’s more to it than just guarding the booth all day or looking bored about it. As much as possible, first and foremost, the one who should be guarding the booth is the owner himself. This is most recommended when you are a starter at the field of craft fairs. There’s a reason why, and it will be explained later.

Firstly, if this is your first time, it is rather unwise to try and hand your position out to other people when handling a booth in the craft fair. As the owner, it is your responsibility to carry your booth. Just think of the impression people would have when they know that you, as the proprietor, is not available at the site. As the owner, it is your responsibility to promote your products and your booth.

Primp your booth up appropriately and with simple effects. Avoid being an attention grabber too much, especially if you are not sure of what you’re doing (being a newb if you are one). Observe and learn from other people in the fair as well, especially those that seem to have years of experience behind them. Talk and converse, share ideas and learn from the over all experience.

Have at least someone to watch out for you too. You will have to eat and do your “businesses” sometime during the day, so have someone you trust (be it a family member or a relative) to go and stand post in your booth or table while you do your thing. Have that person also be very familiar with your product or craft in case someone comes along and asks about it while you were away.

Handling a booth will be a very different experience each time, but with each experience, you will find that the job will only get easier and easier. Take notice and you won’t have to have a hard time during the craft fair.

The city of Macon is aptly named as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World with good reason. The streets are filled with the numerous blossoms, all from the trees in the sidewalk. The place reminds you of a modern Japanese-American themed city, as the usual-Japanese flowers float amongst modern American buildings and asphalt-lined streets.

The streets are bustling and filled with Yoshino cherry trees, and every Spring, they fill the air and the ground with their pale pink petals. It is a very extravagant display of color, which leaves their audience speechless and breathless for the first time.

History relates that the cherry trees came from the late William A. Fickling, Sr. who was a local realtor in the area. He had discovered a Yoshino tree in Macon, and with confirmation after three years, had found out what the species was. Took him a trip to Washington DC just to find out the tree was actually a Yoshino specie!

His generosity and enthusiasm had urged the residents to participate in his vision of filling the whole city with the pretty cherry trees. Years passed and the vision had started to materialize. A lot of its current residents had moved to Macon just to be near the trees. One of them being Carolyn Clayton, the festival founder herself, who had fallen in love with the trees after she had visited.

She had urged Fickling to go with their project, and the dream became true. Through a big community effort, 500 trees were planted along the streets across Macon. The project was encouraged when they had finally proposed the first Cherry Blossom Festival.

Soon it had become one of the Top 20 events of the South, and its fame spread. From three days, it had reached 10 days of festivities. The trees keep growing too, and like their number, the dreams of Mr. Fickling will live on and grow more and more.

Cigars are status symbols. We often see cigars in Italian and Spanish gang films being puffed by Dons and rich gang lords. A cigar is also a contemporary of a more inexpensive and common/ commercialized cigarette. Indicatively, cigarette is to identify a small or mini cigar. This article is written to provide us with the cultural and historical significance of cigars.

The definition for cigar basically states that it is a a rolled bundle of tobacco leaves which is ignited when smoked. Fermented tobaccos are used in cigar manufacturing. Cigars grow extensively in places such as: Brazil, Philippines, Mexico and Cuba. Cigar manufacturing has an interesting history anecdote to tell. During the past, cigar manufacturer owners employ the services of a lector or a reader to entertain workers as they work. Nowadays, modern forms of entertainment are now used such as built in piped music or audio books. This will help cigar workers work on a good mood.

As opposed to famous beliefs the cigar wrapper is a leaf not a paper wrapper. It is used to describe the overall flavor and aroma of the cigar and its overall look based on its color. Cigar wrappers are manufactured by extra care as they tend to carry the image of the cigar itself. Some cigar wrappers are tended with polishers so as to give it a beautiful glossy effect. cigar leaves are derived from the widest leaf of the tobacco plant.

Fillers are what you call the rolled up tobacco leaves that composed of the inside of the tobacco. They sometimes contain the same leaf from a tobacco tree although some manufacturers create blends from other tobacco leaves. There are numerous tobacco species whose leaves can be used to create tobacco.

Contrary to previous beliefs, cigars are really not safer alternatives to cigarettes. They just differ from the type of sickness you can achieve. Cigarettes usually causes lung cancer while cigars target the head and neck.

A cigar tasting is treated in the same manner as wine and cheese tasting- a social event in some places. Visit the Cigar Tasting (featuring Oliva Cigars) in Fairfield, Ohio for more details.