The Nitrogen Family Elements at a Glance

Author: John Blenkin
Source: articleage.com

Water in watercolor painting technique is of equal importance to the pigment. Water is not just medium to make the pigment flow during application but an integral part of the pigment itself when applied and on drying leaves a permanent record of its former presence.
Water should be fresh wholesome and taken from a known reliable source. It should smell fresh and sweet in the same way as potable water does to the palate. Use water with a neutral pH acid alkali ratio or distilled.
Falling temperatures humidity chemical content each affect how the water behaves during its use. This affects the drying times of the painting. The appearance of washes too is affected by dry times as the position of pigment particles moves more during longer dry times. This is because the supporting board is given a tilt to prevent puddling of the water at inappropriate places on the ground [paper]. Greater movement of the pigment particles lifts the pigment from one area of the ground and precipitates it to another. This alters the original tonal balance of the pigment. When the wash was laid the color effect was one thing but when dry it becomes altered. To bring your wash to the result you wish in this instance you need to understand the water as much as the pigment in the application technique.
Dry times are also affected by the condition of the air and the type of wash being laid down. For wet washes on dry grounds [papers] the variations of drying conditions seem endless. If the air is warm the dry time will be less. If the air is warm humid it will be more. If the air is cold the wash will take longer to dry because evaporation of the water from the wash will appear to take forever to dry. If the air is moving such as it usually is out doors dry times will be quicker than the air conditions indoors. For example dry warm moving air outdoors will make dry times almost immediate. Cold humid still air outdoors will be long and the effect difficult to judge.
The condition of the air and its effect on water dry times for more or less standard washes can be even more pronounced when wet in wet washes are used. If the ground [paper] has water within its thickness ready to receive a wet wash dry times can be doubled. The amount of water to be absorbed will vary according to its thickness. This thickness affects dry times of wet in wet washes more than it does in thinner grounds. Final results are more difficult to judge.
This article is not about washes but about water. The technique of laying down washes or water containing pigment is another ball game to be treated in these articles elsewhere.
Water will cause thin grounds to buckle. Buckling in effect is irregular stretching. The more water used the greater liability there is to buckling which is also a variation of dry times within the ground. The greater the water content of the wash the thicker the ground needs to be. Thick dry papers absorb water quicker from watercolor to dry with firmer stronger tonal values.
Uneven dry times in a wash will make the wash appear patchy or uneven and spoil the finished work. Uneven dry times will also make it impossible to lay down further washes and the original unevenness will show through later washes.
Too much water will make a wash look weak when it dries even if drying is even. Loss of pigment strength will result in loss of color and tonal balance.
Water dry times will be affected by time of day rising or falling temperatures variations in humidity and the seasons of the year. Also altitude above sea level will affect air density related to temperatures. Water hardness or softness will affect longevity of the painting hence the need for neutral Ph value of water as well as in the ground. Textured papers loved by watercolorists need more water.
Dry times of water affect speed of work. Waiting for washes to dry takes away spontaneity from the work. If working to beat the clock dry times are important and washes will need to be drier than at other times. Here the subject of the painting does not decide technique. Outdoor quick dry painting favors less water.
Water left overnight should not be used next day because of bacteria and possible fungus growth. Sniff to smell if the water to detect if it is even slightly off or tainted. If you are doubtful about the water it must be discarded. Old pigmented watercolor has a vile smell. Get rid of this and clean where it may have spilled.
There are many other aspects of interest about water but these are better dealt with when discussing technique and specific painting objectives.
Next Article: Technique of Watercolor Painting WC03 BRUSHES
John Blenkin is a retired architect and is now a watercolor painter and article writer. His interests are wide covering both technical and philosophical subjects. He also writes online articles on the technique of watercolor painting.

http://www.freefolios.com/

foka@spidernet.com.cy

Author: Victoria Larsen
Source: isnare.com

Interior stone walls are expensive, tedious to install, and needless to say; a back breaking experience. You need to pick out and haul the stones, haul and attach the backer board, spread the messy thin-set, lay out the stones, and then grout them. It is a lot for the mind to comprehend when it comes to a weekend project, let alone to accomplish.

But I have a simple, beautiful answer that creates a wall of raised stone that looks so real you won’t believe it!

Supply List:

1. Raised Plaster Stone stencil: Raised Plaster Stencils are now readily available on the internet (simply do a search for “Raised Plaster Stencil” to find all of the available sources). If you can’t find just the right stone stencil design, you can make your own.

2. A bucket of joint compound (or more, depending on how large the intended wall is).

3. A small mixing bucket

4. Wide masking tape

5. A 3″ wide plastic scraper

6. Pure pigment tint to pre-color the joint compound (these come in many forms from concrete and stucco pigments or in the paint department of most home stores or on-line sources). The color you choose will become the “base” color of your stones.

7. A small sea sponge. (Even an old towel works!).

8. Clear polyurethane sealer.

9. Craft paints in the secondary or “accent” colors you would prefer in your stones. (For instance, a pale brown base color with deeper brown and cream accent colors).

To create your own stencil, first decide on your stone pattern. Practice with pencil and paper until you have just the right design by creating various size stones in different patterns or simply copy a pattern from a garden book or magazine. Create a square or rectangle design since it will be the easiest to repeat over the wall.

Your stencil can be made out of just about anything that is large, flat and reasonably thick. Durable plastic sheets work the best since they will hold up to repeated use and can later be used with concrete over your existing patio to create a new stone surface. .14 mil or thicker plastic does the trick and will basically last through any abuse.

Though the openings for your stones can be cut out with a sharp craft knife, a stencil burner (available at your local craft store) glides through the plastic with ease, making the cutting chore a breeze.

You can create a more temporary version of your stencil by using heavy duty poster board from your local craft or art supply store. Tip: Spray the poster board lightly with aerosol hairspray or matt spray varnish to seal the paper surface which will help prevent the moisture in the joint compound from penetrating it before you have completed your wall project. A craft knife is all you need to cut the openings out of poster board.

Transfer the design on to the stencil material and cut the openings out.

Apply wide masking tape to adjoining walls, the ceiling and baseboards to protect them from unwanted joint compound. Be sure to protect the floor with a drop cloth or plastic sheet, then apply your stencil to one upper corner of the wall and tape in to place.

Transfer ? of the bucket of joint compound in to a clean mixing bucket and add a few drops of tint at a time, mixing in between color applications until you reach the desired base color for your stones. Keep track of the number of drops you have used so you can repeat the exact color if you need to mix more.

Stir the joint compound well. With your scraper, apply a thin coat over all of the openings. Scrape it smooth to force the compound in to all of the open spaces. Now, apply more joint compound over the openings. Applying a coat that exceeds ?” will only lead to cracking as the compound dries. You may or may not prefer this effect.

As you smooth on this second layer of compound, allow it to be bumpy, with dips and crevices, swirls and ridges. This will help to create very natural looking stone. Remove the stencil and allow the compound to dry before repeating your stones next to the wet design.

To speed things along, we do the first repeat, skip the second, apply the third repeat and so on. To accomplish this, simply measure over the width of your stencil openings and apply the stencil at that point.

Once all of the stones have been completed and are dry, add just a little water to each of the secondary (accent) colors you have chosen. Using your small sea sponge or an old, dry towel, begin to blot the colors here and there over the stones, blending as you go. Streaks or veining of color can be added with a cotton swab or artists brush.

Apply a coat of clear polyurethane to seal and protect. Enjoy the look of a stone wall you created yourself and hear the comments from friends and family who won’t believe it!

Copyright ? Victoria Larsen 2006.

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

Combining modern technology with one of the earliest construction materials, concrete, Griffin-Smith Castcrete has created a material that is unlike any other surfacing material currently available. Working with one of the leading companies in the field of concrete technology, Griffin-Smith Castcrete has developed a superior form of concrete that is both aesthetically pleasing and exceptionally durable. This material allows a high degree of flexibility in the creation of unique designs with a variety of available textures and a broad pallet of colors that is unmatched by virtually any other material. Homeowners, architects, and builders who are looking for something exclusive to set themselves apart from the traditional choices in surfacing materials found in millions of kitchens, bathrooms, and other surfaces in residential and commercial interiors, now have a superior choice.

Due to its facility to conform to virtually any shape and thickness, concrete has a sculptural quality that allows for a high degree of creative expression. It truly is only limited by the imagination. With concrete it is possible to inset a wide variety of materials into the surface to give surfaces a truly unique look: glass, metal, shells, leaves, colored stone, just about anything the mind can conceive can be cast into the surface. Shape and thickness are easily varied to provide different looks and styles. A wide variety of color pigments are available to allow the client to truly have a degree of control not found with other surfacing materials. These pigments are added to the concrete during the mixing stage so it’s integrated throughout the material. The pigments, like the other primary ingredients are all natural materials which give concrete surfacing a surprisingly warm, natural appearance.

Concrete, as created by the ancient Romans, was a simple construction material serving a strictly utilitarian function. Griffin-Smith Castcrete’s version of concrete coupled with unique molding techniques, color selection, and careful finishing bring concrete into a new age. Concrete surfacing can be adapted to any d??cor; from traditional to ultra-modern. Each Griffin-Smith Castcrete creation is a unique, one-of-a-kind, hand worked piece of functional art. Concrete’s natural, earthy look, is enhanced with shapes and textures that imbue the piece with appealing warmth.

Concrete surfacing has been appearing in design magazines more and more over the last few years. All the major home improvement television programs have run segments on concrete countertops. Newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal have featured articles on concrete countertops. The use of concrete for interior surfacing is not a recent development. For going on two decades, designers on the West Coast have been catering to clients who want to depart from the mainstream choices. Concrete surfacing has been steadily gaining recognition as a premium surface material. Homeowners, designers, and architects are turning to concrete expand their options for surfacing design. Connecticut and the surrounding states now have an alternative for truly unique surfacing from Griffin-Smith Castcrete.

For additional information contact:

Thomas Smith – tsmith@gogscc.com Tel: 860.559.0520

Hugh Griffin – hgriffin@gogscc.com Tel: 860.608.6512

Fax: 860.371.2272

Website: www.gogscc.com

Griffin-Smith Castcrete produces one of a kind, custom concrete surfacing. Clients are able to specify thickness, color, shape, inlays, edge detail, and many other characteristics. Each creation is an empty canvas awaiting creative input. Concrete surfacing opens a world of possibilities for creative expression for any style of kitchen or bath.

Griffin-Smith Castcrete, LLC began operations in December of 2002. Hugh Griffin has over 25 years of experience in the construction trades. Thomas Smith has over 15 years of customer service experience.

Author: John Blenkin
Source: articleage.com

Technique of watercolor painting is intended for a wide variety of painters from absolute beginners to more advanced painters. Although the texts are specifically for watercolorists many of the matters discussed are of interest also to both painters in oil and other mediums.
This series of articles is about Technique.
Technique is the way a task is performed. It includes dexterity of hand and brain to successfully work tools and materials to reach the objective desired in the finished work. Brain is controlled by Mind the creative aspect of intelligence.
An Artist is a painter who has developed a high level of technique. An Artist therefore is a good painter by definition. A good painter is one who has good technique. A painter who has a poor technique is a painter but not an Artist. An Artist is one whose work is Art. Art is not a differentiation between trades such as between plumbing and masonry. An Artist is a Master painter and a master of technique.
Which would you rather trust – an airline pilot who has poor control and understanding of the way a plane flies or one who has studied and been shown by trained trusted and experienced pilots who know how to do the job properly.
Many painters dismiss technique believing striving for this undermines their creativity. Creativity cannot be undermined. Creativity is more powerful than any lack of it. The search for higher levels of technique is an essential process needed before contact with full artistic expression can be attained.
Watercolor painting is a delightful medium to work. It helps the individual to open the eyes and see the subtlety and power of the natural and our so-called manmade world. It is suitable for all ages and classes of persons. At its best its ablest proponents can stand comparison next to the greats in any other medium. This does not mean the best painters in oils are the best in watercolors and vice versa. The skill required for watercolor painting stands on its own and can panic the most able of oil painters.
When a watercolor painter applies a wash to the ground [paper] the water energizes the pigment into having a life of its own. To an extent when the pigment moves it also often seems in addition to have a will of its own. An oil painter dabs some pigment on a canvas ground and the pigment just stays there dumb as if it has no intelligence. The oil painter has to impart energy into the work for success while the watercolorist to some degree allows energy to emerge from some mysterious place within the painting.
Watercolors are suitable for most subjects. They are also suitable for most persons at any age. Yet the medium does have its own set of unique restrictions.
For example to be able to control a wash the painter normally has to be within arms length of it to maintain this control. The oil painter can step back twenty feet to judge its effect and this will not make the slightest difference to the position of the paint. This is not so with watercolor for two reasons. One the painting must be vertical to judge it from a distance and by the time this is viewed from almost any distance most of the painting will be on the floor.
The other drawback is the maximum size of the ground. Painters in oils seem to have no practical limitation as far as area of canvass is concerned. Graffiti is testament to this. I know of no watercolorist graffiti culture. Rolls of watercolor paper can be bought but I think only for suppliers to cut their own sizes for retailing or reselling painters’ blocks.
One subject loved by watercolorists is the landscape. There are many aspects to this. The four elements of antiquity are Earth Air Water and Fire. There is nothing about oil here therefore oil is evidently in some other sub-category. The actual natural landscape contains three of these elements and can be proved to be so every day of the week by simply looking out of the window. The watercolorist uses water and without it watercolor painting would not exist. This gives the watercolor painter a unique bond with the natural landscape and the water it contains in land sea and air in all its forms such as ice water vapor and steam.
Watercolorists are also preeminent in the painting of natural history subjects. This is because the medium is more easily capable of precise work. Early watercolorists perhaps concentrated on flowers and foliage. This suited a drier use of the pigments and made the medium suitable also for those who were not so creative but were patient and content to paint as an extension to their interest in freehand drawing.
Many painters from these beginnings became creative painters. They included middle and upper class women well educated in writing singing and needlecraft. It was their social class who were largely involved in the expanding sciences. Graphic images were needed to spread scientific ideas to the wider public for its support. This entailed printing from engraved plates copied from drawings and paintings to satisfy the wider demand for illustrated books of all kinds both before and after the invention of photography.
Only the very best watercolorists are able to paint portraits. This is a nightmare area for most watercolorists. There seems to be two types of watercolorist portrait painter. One who paints very dry and produces precise images whose subjects are easily recognizable.
The other is the free impressionistic portrait that looks as if it has been completed in a couple of minutes. Often these are bleary looking subjects apparently in the advanced stages of decomposition. A painter is either a natural for portrait painting or best to leave it alone. I leave it alone!
Architectural painting is also a natural subject for watercolorists. The subjects lend themselves to spontaneous technique if the painter understands the significance of architectural details. Also the long slow painstaking rendering of measured work is very satisfying. Architectural perspectives are well know for their dramatic effect and use for promoting designs in competitions.
Modern impressionistic painting is a natural watercolor outlet for the watercolorist. In spite of what many think this type of painting is very structured. Like a sentence a painting is an idea but conveyed in paint. An idea that has no structure is not an idea. Most impressionistic paintings are simply moods a sense of being. A sense of being is simply the brain wafting around using energy to no purpose. A mood is without consciousness.
Art is the expression of heightened consciousness.
Some painters think or feel all they need to do is to relax in an artistic pose and the result will be a work of Art. This may in rare cases be so but in the majority what will be expressed will be only a distortion caused by illusion. It is in fact self-delusion expressing an illusion.
In a gallery show a viewer may ask you if you have anything in purple because of some wallpaper problem they have in one of the bedrooms at home. This poses a problem because the temptation is to go off in a hurry and paint one. Sympathize with but ignore.
Then again when you have completed a painting you think is the best you have ever done a stranger perhaps might tell you he sees a white stallion in your painting rearing up into the clouds and wants to know what your precise thoughts of this horse actually were at the time. The truth is you have no idea what he is talking about. It is surprising how simple it is to construct some sort of metaphysics to explain this horse.
On one occasion I was sitting in my studio gazing idly at the wall when from a very acute angle one of my paintings of trees in a wood came into sharp focus. What I saw instead of trees occupying most of the area within the mount was a magnificent beautiful nude sixteen-year-old girl with pure pink-white skin sitting laid back in the arms of a most revolting looking equally nude but hairy leering devil. So be careful.
Pictures seem to be a record of all our thoughts at their time of painting. Perhaps these images are not what we believe to be hidden away deep in the unconscious part of us but they may well lurk there. Let us always be careful what we think because what we think as well as what we have thought in the past is part of what our paintings and we ourselves are today.
Technique takes time to develop. The search for a true technique will lead us along many blind alleys and a lot of watercolor has to flow under the bridge before we even get near to where we think we wish to be.
This is why the emphasis here is on Technique and part of this technique is drawing – the basis of all painting. Painting is drawing with paint.
Next Subject: Technique of Watercolor Painting WC02 WATER
John Blenkin is a retired architect and is now a watercolor painter and article writer. His interests are wide covering both technical and philosophical subjects. He also writes online articles on the technique of watercolor painting.

http://www.freefolios.com/

foka@spidernet.com.cy

Author: Carl Strohmeyer
Source: download

INTRODUCTION:
There is a lot of confusion about what constitutes a quality flake food (or pellet).
The aquarist needs to understand that there are similarities and differences between fish and other animals. For example; Fish get most of their energy needs from fat, but in humans carbohydrates are a better source. Another point is amino acids (the building blocks of proteins); almost all animals have different amino acid needs. For example; Cats need Taurine in there diet or they can suffer heart problems.
Then there is the speed of digestion, some fish such as goldfish tend to have slower digestive tracts (I like to compare it to a horse, but there are major differences such as the stomach). But the similarity is that if too high a protein or the wrong protein diet is fed, the horse may colic, and in goldfish they will build up intestinal gas and infections including swim bladder or dropsy will ensue. The wrong amino acids in any fish will lead to aquarium pollution (extra ammonia) and renal failure.
Another note about fish food is what carnivores need. Carnivorous fish often consume whole animals including intestinal contents, which often include plant material. A quality fish food for carnivores must include vegetable matter such as spirulina.
HERE ARE A FEW BUILDING BLOCK INGREDIENTS:
AMINO ACIDS:
An amino acid is any molecule that contains both amines (organic compounds that contain nitrogen as the key atom. Structurally amines resemble ammonia) and Carboxylic acids (organic acids characterized by the presence of a carboxyl group). Amino acids are used as the basic components of proteins.
The net protein utilization is profoundly affected by the limiting amino acid content or protein quality (the essential amino acid found in the smallest quantity in the foodstuff), and somewhat affected by salvage of essential amino acids in the body. It is therefore a good idea to mix foodstuffs that have different weaknesses in their essential amino acid distributions. This limits the loss of nitrogen through deamination and increases overall net protein utilization. Eggs (whether fish or even chicken) have the highest protein quality of any source. Which makes hard boiled egg crumbles an excellent food source for fry.
DL-methionine is an essential amino acid for producing the “Lionhead” feature in goldfish. High levels of methionine can be found in the vegetable proteins of spinach, green peas, and garlic. DL-methionine can also be found in fish meal.
Bottom line; Not all protein sources are equal. An analogy used at a pet food seminar I attended was this: You can achieve the protein analysis on many pet foods with a used pair of leather shoes, but leather shoes contain little usable proteins.
FATS:
Molecular compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Fats are important for insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function. They also serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy. The fatty acids are the main source of energy in fish, especially for many tissues, such as heart and skeletal muscle. Another important function for fats are for vitamin absorption. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats.
CARBOHYDRATES:
Molecular substances which include the sugars, starches, gums and celluloses. The common attributes of carbohydrates are that they contain only the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and that their combustion will yield carbon dioxide plus one or more molecules of Water.
Most of the carbohydrates that enter the diet of fish are of plant origin. Carnivorous fish such as groupers, therefore, deal with little carbohydrate. Indeed, experiments have shown that these species are ill-equipped to handle significant quantities of raw carbohydrate, in their diets. The ability of fish to digest carbohydrates depends on their ability to elaborate amylase. All species of fish have been shown to secrete at least some amylase. It has also been demonstrated that activity of this enzyme was greatest in herbivores.
Carbohydrates are not a superior energy source for fish over protein or fat although digestible carbohydrates do spare protein for tissue building. Also, unlike in mammals, glycogen is not a significant storage depot of energy in fish. The more efficient metabolism of amino acids over carbohydrates (glucose) for energy could be due to the ability of fish to excrete nitrogenous waste as ammonia from their gills without the high cost of energy in converting the waste to urea.
FISH FOOD SOURCES:
FISH MEAL:
Fish meal has been widely used as a protein source for many years for fish. Two basic types of fish meal are produced; (1) produced from fishery waste (salmon, tuna, etc.) that are associated with the processing of various edible human fishery products and (2) When specific fish (herring, menhaden, pollack, etc.) are harvested just for the purpose to produce fish meal. The fish can be dried directly drying or cooking prior to drying and oil extracted. In addition to being a by-product of human fish production it is also a by-product associated with fish oil production, which is where most commercial fish food obtain fish meal from.
Fish meal can be classified as two basic types; (1) fishery waste associated with the processing of fish for human consumption, again the primary source. (2) Fish that are only used for the production of fish meal. This is the best source, listed on ingredients as “Whole Fish Meal” or “White Fish Meal”.
SHRIMP MEAL:
Shrimp meal can be made from either cull shrimp that are being processed before freezing or from whole shrimp that is not of suitable quality for human consumption. The material to be made into shrimp meal is dried (sun or using a dryer) and then ground. Shrimp meal has been used in trout and salmon diets as a source of pigments to impart the desirable color in the tissues.
Shrimp meal has been found to be an acceptable supplemental protein source for fish, but inferior to whole fish meal.
SQUID MEAL:
Squid Meal is made from squid viscera portions from cannery plants including egg and testis.
Squid Meal is high digestibility of protein source, which provides a full range of amino acids for fish. It provides various kinds of vitamins and minerals and also 1.0-1.5% of cholesterol that is suitable for fish fry and young fish.
BRINE SHRIMP:
Just over a centimeter in size, the adult brine shrimp (Artemia) is a common food source for fish. They can be purchased at many Pet Store as adults, Freeze dried or even eggs. The eggs look like a powdery brown substance but in reality the substance is thousands of cysts?eggs surrounded by protective cases. When added to water, these cysts will hatch into shrimp nauplii within a few hours.
As a food source brine shrimp are relatively limited (mostly because of their high water content). They are a good source of carotene for color and act as a natural laxative in fish digestive systems. The proteins them do supply are of high quality. Depending on the source they also can supply vegetable matter due to their consumption of algae.
SOYBEAN MEAL:
Use of soybean products in the aquaculture industry have become the focus of protein substitution in fish food around the world. The high protein level makes it a key ingredient for aquaculture feeds. Soybean meal is considerably less expensive than traditionally used marine animal meals. The limiting amino acid content of soybean meal is high, but not on the level of Whole fish meal and especially egg.
SPIRULINA:
Spirulina is a blue-green plant plankton rich in raw protein and seven major vitamins: A1, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E. It naturally contains beta-carotene, color enhancing pigments, and whole range of minerals. In addition, it contains all essential fatty acids and eight amino acids required for complete nutrition. Spirulina is different from other algae and is similar to bacteria in many ways, occupying a niche between plants and bacteria. Spirulina is similar to cyanobacteria in structure (spiral shape, unlike true plant plankton), which can be toxic. Spirulina Blue- Green algae are recognized by the body (fish in particular) as a bacterium, causing an increase in antibodies, which in turn increases disease resistance. Spirulina is also high in usable or digestible amino acids.
Spirulina is probably one of the best fish food ingredients available, including for carnivores.
WHOLE WHEAT:
Carbohydrates as explained earlier are not the best source of energy in fish, but still can be useful, especially when whole wheat is used. One reason is for roughage, especially in goldfish and koi, but also for other fish for the wheat-germ found in whole wheat is a natural source of vitamin E, an important vitamin to promote healthy growth and fish color.
SUMMARY:
Compare TetraMin to some of the facts I have explained, then compare foods such as HBH Tropical and Marine Flake; Spirulina One Flake; Hikari and Sanyu Foods, such as Sanyu Betta Gold.
The difference is quite clear for long term growth and health.
By Carl Strohmeyer
americanaquariumproducts.com/Quality_Fish_Food.html
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

Q.
What is the benefit of using Blotting Tissues? Can’t I just re-powder when I get shiny?

A. Alison Raffaele, creator of Skin Alison Raffaele cosmetics, offers the following advice:

For many, using a pigmented pressed powder compact to ???touch up??

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

August 4, 2004 — Dr. Douglas J. Key, founder of the Key Laser Institute for Aesthetic Medicine, was recently granted a United States Patent for his breakthrough anti-aging process, Layered Light Therapy. Using a combination of non-invasive light, laser and energy techniques, Layered Light can reduce the visible signs of sun surface aging, pigmentation (age spots, melasma), blush or rosacea redness, and fine lines and wrinkles.

“My holistic approach to treatment combines the beauty of form with the healing aspects of medicine,” says Dr. Key. “I am interested in restoring skin to its own natural best and providing an alternative to the surgical procedures of the past. This new patent validates our commitment to innovative research.”

Dr. Key has devoted more than 15 years of research to the patented Layered Light treatment, which uses multiple types of lasers and intense pulsed light sources to treat and prevent skin aging. Layered Light therapy reaches into both the surface and deeper layers of the skin to help restore, soften lines and remove the effects of sun aging.

About Key Laser Institute

Aesthetic Medicine goes beyond “skin deep.” As practiced at the Key Laser Institute for Aesthetic Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Douglas J. Key, Aesthetic Medicine brings together the most advanced understanding of the science of medical lasers, light and energy. With more than 30 years of clinical experience he continues to develop new treatments that heal and prevent the signs of sun aging, including pre-cancerous changes of skin, rosaceal redness and unwanted pigmentation, that combine Thermage?? and Gentle Lift??? to create Face Lifting without Surgery???, that provide acne suppression beyond the typical use of antibiotics, that offer precision body sculpting with ultrasound-assisted liposuction, and provide revolutionary leg vein treatments that were unthinkable even 10 years ago. A published author, Dr. Key is one of the nation’s leading authorities in the developing field. He is often invited to lecture about his clinical work and research in Dermatology and to teach techniques to physicians throughout the United States and around the world. For more information on treatment options, visit www.keylaserinstitute.com.

Editors, please note:

U.S. Patent Number 6,746,444 B2. (www.uspto.gov)

Before and after treatment photos and patient testimonials are available upon request.

Contact Information:

Melissa Broussard

(503)638-1065

melissab@earthlink.net

Key Laser Institute

Author: Janet Wiltshire
Source: isnare.com

Until recently the only men who removed body hair, apart from their beards, were athletes, body builders and dancers. This has changed in recent years with a huge increase in the number of men who are using modern methods including laser hair removal and electrolysis as well as more traditional methods to remove hair from their chests, back, arms, shoulders and even around their genitals.

In laser removal and waxing salons, men are making up an increasing proportion of the client

Author: Cory Willins
Source: articledashboard.com

For almost as long as we have been collecting honey from bees, we have also been gathering and using beeswax. It is used in many forms, to make art, candles and medicines, and many of these practices continue today.

The source of Beeswax

It’s the honeybee that produces beeswax – in particular the worker bees that use the wax to build their honeycomb. They have special glands on the underside of the abdomen that secrete the wax, which emerges as a transparent liquid that the bees then chew and mould into the cells of their comb. When the wax dries it turns into a hard, white substance, though because of the presence of pollen it is often yellowish, or even red. It’s because of this process that beeswax retains a faint smell of honey, one of its best-loved properties.

Beekeepers have gathered beeswax since ancient history – it’s still a laborious process compared to synthetic or petroleum based waxes. The wax is collected from the hive, melted down and then fashioned into ‘cakes’. These cakes are very durable, and have been traded for centuries as a long-lasting commodity. In some parts of the world beeswax is still the most readily available type of wax, and is used for many different purposes from healthcare to gardening. It can be used to graft plants onto new stems, as it is pliable and weatherproof.

History

Beeswax was used in Ancient Egypt around 2 millennia ago – mixed into pigment it was applied to canvasses when painting with the ‘encaustic’ method. These pictures are some of the best-preserved examples of Egyptian art, demonstrating the resilience of beeswax. The wax was heated and used as the ‘carrier’ for the powdered pigment – before being baked in the heat of the sun to seal it.

In mediaeval times most candles were made of tallow – usually from animal fats. However, these candles tended to sputter and give off foul odors, and in the Middle Ages the Catholic church decreed that only pure beeswax candles should be burned in their churches. Traditional church candles today are still made from beeswax. Because of beeswax’s superior quality, it was very expensive, however, and only the richest could afford beeswax candles for their home.

There is mention of beeswax being used as a skin softener in Roman times, and the wings of Icarus were reputedly fixed with the substance. Cosmetic products today, particularly of the ‘luxury’ type, sometimes contain beeswax. It is also mixed with linseed oil and turpentine to produce an excellent furniture polish.

A substance with so many varied and beneficial uses has understandably always been regarded as very precious – for this reason beeswax is quite valuable, and in fact used to be a form of currency. In Europe several governments called for payment in beeswax – for rent, taxes or fines. No wonder it’s always been so highly prized!

Author: Daryl Plaza
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The majority of people who want to renovate their old hardwood floors do it because of the appreciation qualities of raw wood materials from the warmth of the hardwood floors tone and the pattern of the wood floors grain. By using different wood finishing treatments you can create just about any look and feel for your hardwood floors. If you appreciate the wood floor and would like to save those qualities doing the least as possible with your hardwood floor treatment, then researching will help. If you would like a seamless appearance, the gaps in the wood floor can be filled with wood glue or putty with sawdust. This will allow you to blend the seams and stay with the same basic color tone and still remain flexible for natural floor movement.
The next step would be to simply use wood sealant. This will provide a water resistant coat and give protection for your hardwood floor, which will allow floor maintenance to be easier. Wood finishing treatments need to be done before sealing the floor. Any decorated or painted wood floors usually require up to five coats of a protective wood varnish. With this procedure you will require no use of the area for a considerable time. And lastly, always read manufacturers recommendations, as they will vary from each other.
Hardwood floor bleaching and tinting
One of the easiest ways that you can change the look of your hardwood floor would be bleaching or tinting to darken or to lighten your basic wood floor tone. By lightening the woods color you could transform an old hardwood floor to a beautiful elegant pristine finish which will blend into contemporary furnishings a lot easier. A lot of old hardwood floors were made out of pine which will give you a warm honey color when you seal it. However in some circumstances the sealed Pinewood will give the glaring and brash look which is an effect that certain types of wood sealants will exaggerate, especially if the sealant contains polyurethane which will in time start to yellow. Bleaching hardwood knocks back the warmth of the pine to the point it begins to resemble a hardwood floor with a more classy appearance. Bleaching hardwood is very extreme as it removes most of the color out of the wood floor. Another alternative to bleaching is using a water-based pigmented varnish. This product will give you the similar effect, but is more expensive than the bleaching.
Lightening alternative for a hardwood floor
Hardwood flooring may be significantly lightened using a process called pickling. The process of this effect is made by rubbing white paint in the grain of the hardwood. You can use any white paint manufacturer, pickling wax or even gessol may achieve this appearance. For pine, diluting the white paint would be the best. If the floor is oak hardwood, the pickling effect is a process of first darkening your wood using a stain, ammonia or pigment. This technique will give you the weathered appearance with the pickling sinking into the wood grain. In order to get a pale pickled oak floor appearance you may bleach a hardwood first. In some wood floor Decor situations you may want to have the natural tone of the hardwood deepened. You have a choice of several tinted varnishes, stains, wood dyes on the market with wood floor color choices which range from mahogany to oak that will give your hardwood floor the seasoned appearance. You can also use these products in some spot applications where you have some new hardwood floor planks that are replacing some old wood floor pieces. Normally not using this type of wood floor treatment will leave the new wood planks to stand out more than the rest of the hardwood. If you need to distress new wood floorboards, you can also apply a darker stain, then slightly bleach and stain again.
Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to Woodfloorresource.com an informational website designed with resources and reviews to give you more information for hardwood flooring