Mother’s Day photo gift ideas

Posted By: Robert Lachman
Posted On: 8:15 p.m. | April 26, 2012

Souce: http://framework.latimes.com/2012/04/26/mothers-day-photo-gift-ideas/

Mother’s Day sort of sneaks up on me. Mark your calendar, it’s around the corner this year on Sunday, May 13.

This year, I decided to go with a more personal choice in gifts with a unique approach. I always seem to procrastinate on buying gifts, but if you start working on it today, they should arrive by the holiday. My ideas take a little bit of planning, so you could wait for more distant upcoming holidays such as Father’s Day in June, Christmas or a birthday if you miss this occasion.

Photo night light — This is my favorite pick. Who wouldn’t like a nice photograph of the kids, pets or favorite vacation snapshot aglow at night? Simply upload your photograph onto the night light module on the Kodak Gallery website and design your own personal gift. Your photograph displays backlit at 4.25 inches wide by 3 inches high with a black border. It is priced at $24.99.

Custom photo iPhone cases — A custom iPhone case featuring personal photographs is a nice choice that protects your phone with a sentimental touch. Today, the cellphone goes everywhere, so a case with a snapshot of the kids or pets is the ultimate way to take photos with you everywhere you go. Just turn over the phone to view the photos; it’s a lot easier than opening up the camera app and looking through albums. There are plenty of other personalized photo gifts to choose from including mugs, mouse pads, T-shirts, pillows and blankets, fromKodak Gallery and Shutterfly.

Photo books — There are so many options to choose from in this photography book category. Apple, Blurb or My Publisherbooks are great gifts, but give yourself plenty of time to learn about the software, editing and layout. This style of project usually takes double or triple the amount of time you would expect. The prices vary depending on the size, style and quality of the paper.

Happy Mother’s Day card — This is the least expensive option, with prices starting at about $2 for one card from Shutterfly. It’s really a nice surprise to receive in the mail. Simply upload your photos and then create a card with a variety of colors, styles and greetings for almost any occasions.

Camera cookie cutters — This is the perfect addition to the camera enthusiast’s kitchen. Who wouldn’t want these camera-shaped rangefinder, DSLR and twin lens reflex cookie cutters to add a photography theme to an otherwise boring-looking cookie? They cost $17.95 from Midwest Photography Exchange.

Camera bag purse — Recently, I wrote a photo column about camera bags made by Epiphanie, Kelly Moore and Shootsac that resemble purses. These photo bags are the perfect gift for the photographer or a person who likes to carry a tote bag. They’re stylish and functional, making it a breeze to carry photo gear. They come in a variety of colors and styles, moving away from the traditional brown or black canvas bags.

Apple iPad — I saved the most expensive and best gift idea for last. With its much-improved Retina display, high-quality camera and a faster processor, the newest version of the iPad sets the tech-bar at a new height. If you fill it with lots of family photos and videos, it even falls into the nice personal-touch category. The price starts at $499.

Photos: An Apple iPad is presented in an Apple store at the sales launch (credit: Frank Leonhard / European Pressphoto Agency); photography-themed cookie cutters (Midwest Photography Exchange); a personalized night light (Kodak Gallery);  iPhone cases (Kodak Gallery and Shutterfly), and a Libby camera bag purse (Kelly Moore). 

 

One-of-a-kind handmade leather iPad case with original Apple logo

April 20, 2012 at 8:20 am

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2012/04/20/one-of-a-kind-handmade-leather-ipad-case-with-original-apple-logo/

April 20, 2012 at 8:20 am

The one-off, handmade case above featuring the original Apple Newton logo engraved in thick premium leather was commissioned by Reddit user 44oz.  The logo featuring Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree with the text “Apple Computer Co” is said to have been designed by Apple’s third cofounder Ronald Wayne. Handmade by Attila Acs in Australia, the one-of-a-kind case sports black kangaroo leather bands to hold the iPad in place and red suede lining. The whole process of carving the design into the leather is documented on Snapguide, and you can learn more on the creator’s website at Highonglue.com.

This is a handmade iPad cover made from 3.5mm thick premium leather, suede lining, kangaroo leather spine and parts.

 

Shopping Find: The Irish Handmade Glass Company

Source: http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2012/04/The-Irish-Handmade-Glass-Company

I’m always back and forth to Ireland, where my grandparents live, and on a recent trip, I brought my granny to her hometown of Waterford, a sweet seaside city that’s best known for its crystal creations. Sadly, the famous Waterford Crystal Factory closed in 2009, but two of its former glassmakers, along with two other master craftsmen, have opened something interesting of their own: The Irish Handmade Glass Company.

Their shop/studio is right in the middle of Waterford, so we strolled over and stood on the cobblestoned street outside to watch glass being baked, molded, and etched, and then we popped in for some perusing. Most of the stuff was better suited to my granny’s tastes (angel Christmas ornaments etc.), but I bought a pretty vase sort of like this one to take home. And though we drove back to Dublin at the end of the day, I could have enjoyed an evening at the Cliff House.

 

TELL US: Hand-made goodness in a Mordialloc dumpling

Local News    16 Apr 12 @  06:00am     by Deborah Morris

Ron Watts has spent years perfecting the art to making quality dumplings which he now sells at farmers’ markets. PIC: ANDREW BATSCH

THE secret to the perfect dumpling is to make them by hand.

Ron Watts learned this after going to Hong Kong to discover the art to dumplings.

“I always had a passion to make good dumplings and dim sum,” Mr Watts said.

When I was a boy, a Chinese restaurateur taught me to cook and then, years later, took me to Hong Kong, where dumplings are a specialty.

“One shop made squid dumplings, the next had prawns – it was just spectacular.”

He opened Wun Hung Lo Dumpling Company in Mordialloc eight years ago and now sells his chicken breast, pork, rockling, prawn, scallop and vegetarian dumplings to farmers’ markets.

“The key to a nice dumpling is to use top quality produce.

“You’re kidding yourself if you think all you need to do is fill a dumpling with cabbage,” he said.

“Simplicity is the key, but make sure the flavours are balanced.”

 

手工制作的旧报纸收纳盒

APR 14 2012
21 热度

Source: http://happyideas.diandian.com/post/2012-04-14/17359190

 

 

手工制作的旧报纸收纳盒

由Jonas Forsman设计的old news，旧报纸收纳盒，全手工制作。这对于喜欢看报纸的人们，也许有些帮助，你可以有效的把旧报纸整理到一块，使家里显得紧紧有条，然后再送去回收，为环保尽一份力。

 

 

From Salvage to Shelter

The Wall Street Journal

VISUALIZER         March 16, 2012, 6:25 p.m. ET

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304692804577281560861340968.html

Rizzoli

In Sullivan County, N.Y., Scott Newkirk’s home is small, at 300 square feet, but the large windows connect it to the outdoors.

In recent years, home builders have increasingly sought out old materials—recycled barn posts, wood from torn-down mills—but this isn’t the first time that salvaged materials have been popular. “Handmade Houses,” by Richard Olsen (Rizzoli New York), focuses on 23 homes built since the mid-20th century that emphasize natural materials and a hand-hewn aesthetic. The approach found its fullest expression in the 1960s and ’70s, in the midst of the back-to-the-land movement. Today’s builders are rediscovering the look in their quest for houses with character and a green vibe. Here is a tour.

RizzoliOld, notched barn timbers feature prominently in the interior.

In Scott Newkirk’s home, old, notched barn timbers feature prominently in the interior. With no electricity or plumbing, the house is primarily a summer retreat.

Rizzoli

The floor is black slate.

Like many houses made from salvage, Deva Rajan’s home in Canyon, Calif., came together only after the materials were on hand—including reclaimed fir and redwood rescued from railroad bridges. The floor is black slate.

Rizzoli

The Half House, built in 1947.

Between the 1920s and ’60s, on the Lake Michigan shores of Charlevoix, Mich., the developer and self-taught architect Earl Young created Boulder Park, a community that indulged architectural quirkiness. His designs used elements of the Craftsman style and the cottage-like vernacular of England’s Cotswolds, often expressed in local stone. Pictured here, the Half House, built in 1947.

Rizzoli

‘The Boys’ House’

‘The Boys’ House’ was built by artist James Hubbell for his sons in 1973, on his property near San Diego. The house incorporates brick, granite from around the site, stained-glass windows and plenty of curvy lines (even the doors are framed without right angles).

A version of this article appeared Mar. 17, 2012, on page C12 in some U.S. editions of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: From Salvage to Shelter.

 

NEAR YOU: Lend a hand for trauma teddies

Health

13 Mar 12 @ 05:15pm

Source: http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/lend-a-hand-for-trauma-teddies/

Oxford Falls’ Bev Harris, right, and daughter Julie Cole have knitted 400 trauma teddies for hospitals.

NIMBLE-FINGERED Bev Harris’s Oxford Falls home is swamped with handmade teddies.

Mrs Harris and her daughter Julie Cole make trauma teddies from Red Cross patterns for children in hospital.

“We’ve been making our Red Cross trauma teddies for 17 years, it’s our way of doing something to cheer up the kids when they are in hospital,” Bev Harris said. “At the moment, I’ve got 500 bears at home, I’ve never had so many at home all at once.”

The trauma teddies go to children who admitted to Hunters Hill Private, Dee Why’s Delmar Private and Royal North Shore Hospitals.

Although mother and daughter are kept busy knitting, stuffing and sewing up their teddies at home, they’d both love a helping hand with teddy-making, Mrs Harris said.

“When I come home from work, I make teddies, I’m always making teddies, but it would be lovely to have some help with either making the bears, stuffing them or finishing them off,” she said.

Mrs Harris will be doing a teddy drop to Royal North Shore Hospital later this week.

If you’d like to help, call Bev Harris on 9451 8637.

 

Adorable Handmade Shoes for Baby Girls

POSTED BY ALISMITH ON MARCH 5TH, 2012 AT 10:30 AM

Source: http://blogs.babble.com/babys-first-year-blog/2012/03/05/adorable-handmade-shoes-for-baby-girls/

This irresistible pair come from Vibys on Etsy, out of Estonia.

Baby Girl is coming out of a stage of babyhood that I determined was socks-only. For whatever reason, I don’t like my newborn in “real” shoes … even if they’re baby shoes.

But now approaching the three-month mark, a lot of the clothing she’s growing into doesn’t have footies built-in. And though we have a handful of cute socks-as-shoes options, I’m just warming up to the idea of getting a cute little shoe on her chubby little foot.

A shoe-lover myself, I think they’re even more special when handmade. Here are 10 styles I’m eying, and just might have to get her feet in:

Lace-Inspired

Called the “Alexa,” this T-strap style also features a side ribbon tie.
Click here for link.

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Handmade bicycle industry is on a roll

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0306-bicycles-20120306,0,3853784.story

Positive trends are helping bolster a small cadre of crafts people who still build bicycles by hand. That’s why the mood was upbeat at the industry’s annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show, which concluded Sunday.

Phillip Stout, right, with his father, Perry, second from right, examines the “Hummingbird” Cherubim bike designed by Shin-ichi Konno at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento. (Paul Kitagaki Jr., Sacramento Bee / March 2, 2012)

By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles TimesMarch 6, 2012

Reporting from Sacramento—

Cities are adding more special lanes and other bicycle infrastructure. The economy is improving, and higher gas prices are prompting people to think more about using bicycles for commuting and quick errands. Such positive trends are helping bolster a small cadre of crafts people who still build bicycles by hand.

That’s why the mood was upbeat at the industry’s annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show, which concluded Sunday.

More than 8,000 people attended the three-day affair in Sacramento, ogling the fancy polished and carved lugs, or sleeves that join bicycle tubes together; bicycle bags that would hold their own in a Coach store; and exotic bike frames made from bamboo, wood and other materials.

Although these bicycles are expensive — a steel frame starts at about $2,000, depending on the builder, and a complete bicycle can easily cost $6,000 or more — the industry grew steadily even during the recession and subsequent slow-growth years.

The bikes on display included lightweight racing bikes, mountain bikes, city bikes for commuting and errands, step-through frames that can be ridden by women in dresses and even fancy beach cruisers.

“This show is all about the artistry,” said Scott Kennedy, co-owner of Nova Cycles, a Rocklin, Calif., company that sells metal tubing and other bicycle building materials.

Nova Cycles’ sales have grown 15% annually in recent years, Kennedy said.

Though the entire industry probably doesn’t have much more of an economic effect than a couple of Target stores, one indicator of its popularity is that colleges and universities are starting to teach frame building. Nova has seen its sales of supplies to educational institutions become a significant source of revenue.

Even Stanford University has caught the trend and offers Mechanical Engineering 204, a building and design class in which the main assignment is to design and build a custom bicycle frame.

Calfee Design, a bicycle builder in La Selva Beach, Calif., also has experienced about 15% annual growth in recent years, said Mike Moore, Calfee’s sales manager.

Calfee specializes in building bicycle frames from lightweight, but strong, carbon fiber, which is also increasingly used in making jet airplanes. It also builds bicycle frames from bamboo tubes.

“The handmade culture has really grown,” Moore said. “Even during the bad economy we saw the waiting lists for frames from many builders grow.”

Since its first year in 2005, the show has grown from just 23 exhibitors and 700 attendees to the more than 170 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees of this year.

Now the industry is getting a lift from another trend.

“The average ticket price for a custom bicycle is moving north,” Moore said. “Consumers are less price sensitive.”

jerry.hirsch@latimes.com

 

A Friends Valentines Gift Saves A Life

Friend gives kidney on Valentines Day

BY PATRICK CLARKREPORTER

4:53 p.m. CST, February 16, 2012

Source: http://www.ky3.com/news/kplr-a-friends-valentines-gift-saves-a-life-20120216,0,2606552.story

T. LOUIS, MO. (KPLR11.com)— Paul and Sara Wallace and Vanessa Vassar won’t forget this Valentine’s Day. That’s because Paul opened his heart and gave Vanessa his kidney.

‘Valentine’s Day is so very very special,’ says Sara Wallace.  ‘We’ll always probably celebrate it together and do something special with Vanessa.’

‘It’s V day now,’ says Vanessa Vassar.
‘It’s Vanessa day.’

In 2003, Vanessa was diagnosed with Ameloydosis, a rare condition that attacked her kidney, causing them to slowly fail.

‘The doctor thought I needed to start walking more,’ says Vassar.  ‘I had gained 18 pounds in three days.’

Things got progressively worse.

‘I had gained 140 pounds of Adema,’ says Vassar.  ‘My really normal weight was 124.’

Doctors said she needed a new kidney to live.
Her friends tested and both Sara and Paul were a match.
But he was a better fit.

‘Did you guys wrestle with it?’ asks Patrick Clark.
‘No,’ says Paul.  ‘No,’ adds Sara.  ‘Either one of us would have done it, in a minute.’
‘There just wasn’t a whole lot to think about,’ says Paul.  ‘God gave me two kidneys and I only need the one.’

It doctors five hours to give this group of friends a Valentine’s Day they’ll always remember.

‘He does have a good heart,’ says Sara.  ‘He does.’
‘I’m keeping my heart,’ adds Paul laughing.

‘Not only do Paul and Vanessa have a special bond for the rest of their lives, but it was fitting during the recovery process they were side by side here at Barnes Jewish Hospital,’ says Patrick Clark.

‘But it just fits,’ says Vassar.  ‘It kind just fit before.  So I don’t know if I feel closer, really close.’

And will this good deed get this Dad of three out of some chores?

‘No, says Paul laughing.  ‘Well I think for the next four weeks I won’t have to.’
‘I don’t know how to say it,’ says Sara.  ‘He’s great, he really is.  Wonderful, he really is.  You guys have no idea how great he is.’
‘I hope my kidney functions well for you,’ says Paul.
‘I feel so blessed to be on this end of it,’ says Vassar.  ‘Somebody that I knew and that they blessed me like that.  So thank you Paul.  Thank you.’

Aristotle said that friendship is a single soul in two bodies.
In this case, there’s also a kidney involved.