Buy Art to Cover Up That Hole in the Wall

Did you ever wonder why art is so valued in our society? And it's been that way all through the ages of mankind. Yes, each age and each tribe has it's own style, but every age and every tribe we know of, has valued art.

After all, unlike food, gas, clothes, and water - art is not something that we need. For most of us, art is something that we buy with our dwindling disposable income. But why? Well there are many reasons:

One of the most common reasons people buy art is to enhance their home decorating. A beautiful painting can make a world of difference to a stark, empty, white wall. A unique piece of sculpture can make a remarkable and transformative addition to a dull corner. The right art can beautify any environment.

Some people buy art as a sign of status. Imagine showing off to your friends a recently acquired Picasso original. Imagine the gossip and admiration that would surround you and how many of your peers will now see you as a person of stature, a person of class.

The purists among us will simply buy art for its beauty. These people when they look at a beautiful work of art are simply taken into another world. They can literally stare at the same art piece over a period of days and each time come away with new insight as to its meaning.

Museums buy art to attract visitors and tourists. Their concern is not with beauty so much. They want to make sure that any piece of art they buy will be a good return on investment. As long as people will pay to see it, they are satisfied.

Of course, one of the most popular reasons for purchasing art, especially paintings, is to cover up that blank space on the wall. In some neighborhoods I've lived in, it is the number one reason.

Many hobbyist art collectors will buy an artist's original pieces as a potential investment opportunity. In a sense this is a little like playing the lottery, especially when sourcing works from new and unknown artists. While enjoyable, as one learns more and more about art, this sort of collecting can be quite addictive. The good thing is that your investment potential improves as your knowledge improves with your extensive research.

Have you ever bought a piece of art simply because something in it uniquely captures your own personality. Somehow it's as if the artist, in that one art piece, is speaking to or for you. And it simply connects to you. Even if you've never been attracted to a piece of art in your life.

And lastly, there's the "I wish I had said that" form of art collecting. This is where the artist has expressed something in such a unique or outrageous manner that you really wish you had thought of it first. But owning it is the next best thing. I would suspect that a large percentage of those that are drawn to political works of art fall into this category.

As we've seen, people buy art for many and varied reasons. And that is why art and artists will be around as long as there are humans on this earth.
Author:
Wendy Hermann is a writer and blogger for Native Art, Eskimo Art - Eliot Waldman at NativeArtTraders.com, a site specializing in Inuit sculptures and paintings
Source: www.articledepot.co.uk
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Interior Design For The Home

Any home can be pleasing with the proper application of basic interior design methods. Some people study interior design to be very good at it but there are people who are gifted with an eye for beauty and for interior designing.
A person who is creative can do some interior designing on his own even without formal training. Those who have an eye for what is aesthetic can just as easily decorate and design his own house depending on his tastes. Of course, it helps to read books and articles about designing to be updated on the basic and latest design methods.
Any interior designer can create a specific atmosphere just by putting together several pieces and unifying them in a single theme. There are interior designers who have a bias for certain motifs like eclectic, modern or even country style. Some go for simple designs without the clutter.
Interior design is not only aesthetic but also functional depending on the requirements of the client. An interior designer can make a small room spacious and an otherwise cluttered room into an orderly one. Interior design is used just about anywhere from homes, offices to commercial buildings.
The interiors of a room should always match the personality of the person who will occupy that room. This is the reason why designers always work closely with their clients so they can make sure that they get a feel of what their clients want in terms of design style.
People have this notion that interior design is expensive. However, designers are not only creative people but they are also very good in budgeting. Most designers will work on a design that will match or fit the budget of their clients. A person can allot a minimal amount for the interior design of his home or office and still come up with an aesthetic and functional room.
Professional interior designers who are formally trained usually have basic knowledge on architecture, engineering and even accounting. They need these courses to make their design aesthetic, structurally correct and cost effective.
The terms Interior design and interior decorating have often been used interchangeably. However, the two terms actually deal with different phases of making a room or a space aesthetic. Interior design is basically the process of studying the personality of the occupant of the room being designed in order to maximize and tailor-made the room's design for that person's behavior and personality.
Interior decorating on the other hand is the process of actually mixing and matching the different design techniques like window treatments, the right wallpaper, wall finish and even the furnishing of a room.
There are a lot of opportunities for those in the interior design and decorating industry. An interior designer can go into designing household, corporate or commercial establishments. Others specialize in the design of health facilities or even tourism establishments.
The latest trend now for those in the interior design industry is to be able to incorporate the right engineering and aesthetic design with sustainable development. Even designers are now more conscious about the state of the environment so they tend to use environmentally friendly materials for their designs.
There are designers who specialize and use Feng Shui in their designs. This requires further study because Feng Shui deals with the Chinese's ancient methods of designing a space to make the design work for the owner's health, business and other life factors.
The Chinese believes that a structure should be properly designed so as to allow positive energy to enter the structure. When the structure has already been built without the aid of a Feng Shui expert, the mistakes can be corrected through proper interior design using the Feng Shui methods.
By incorporating Feng Shui in interior design, it is believed that a person can bring out all the positive energies in a room to make him rich, happy and healthy. An interior design using Feng Shui can also get rid of bad spirits that bring in negative atmosphere in an abode.
Getting the services of an interior designer can make a room both aesthetic and functional. Any person who wants to make his home livable and functional should try getting the services of an interior designer to maximize his space.
About the Author
Lee Dobbins writes for http://interiordesign.unique-articles.com where you can read more articles and get tips on decorating and interior design.

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Wine Accessories and Things That you Can Get for your Wines

It doesn’t really matter whether you’re a true wine connoisseur or not. One of the best things about wine is all the wine accessories and things that you can get for your wines. And since I love this part almost as much as I love the wines and the tasting, I thought that you might enjoy it too. So, with that in mind I’ve listed a few items which you can find to complement your growing interest in wines.
Some of these wine accessories are essential, like a good corkscrew, but the others you’ll probably get just for the fun of it. They’re in no particular order and even if you have no intention of getting any of these (except the corkscrew of course!), and you do actually manage to restrain your buying impulses, it’s fun to read through the list to see what’s available.


Corkscrew; Essential if you’re to open your bottles of wine. Comes in many shapes and designs.


Wine Rack; There’s more than one way to store your wine, and a wine rack is one of the best ways to do this.

Wine Decanter; This glass decanter allows the wine to aerate before drinking it.


Wine Glasses; These too, are an essential item in your wine drinking efforts. The effort should be made to find the correct wine glasses


Stopper; These little gadgets are the best way to stopper your wine after it’s been opened, and they also come in many different shapes and designs


Champagne Flutes; Champagne is best tasted using these specially designed champagne flutes.


Double Wall Stainless Steel Wine Cooler; Double walled stainless steel wine cooler in an elegant heavy duty, high luster collared thermal cooler. Seamless finish all around.


Double Wall Stainless Steel Wine and Champagne Cooler; This stainless steel container is semi-brushed, double walled and straight sided. This container can store either wine or champagne. It doesn’t have a collar and it is seamless.


Rapid Ice Wine Quick Chiller; This cools the wine quickly to serving temperature. You can keep your cooled wine in here for 3 hours. You slip cooling jacket over the bottle and very quickly you will have a chilled wine.

Electronic Infrared Wine Thermometer; You can use this device to find the temperature of the wine before you de-cork it. The infrared technology allows you to see the temperature of the wine in the bottle and in your glass.


Wine Aerator; This device works by letting air bubble into your wine thus cutting down the time that the wine needs to breathe. Softens wine tannins fast.

Black Leather Corkscrew Holder; A classic leather holster that is specially made to be able to carry all waiters’ sized corkscrews. It is made of pure leather and it straps onto any belt.


Corkscrew and bottle stopper; This corkscrew is made from Rosewood. You can use it to uncork a wine bottle or to seal /stop up the bottle


Waiter’s Corkscrew; You open the wine bottle by ratcheting the cork slowly out of the bottle. The process is somewhat like a car jack.


Pine Cellar Cube; This wine rack is easy to stock and it is expandable. The sturdy cubes are made from ¾ inch solid pine. There are four separate compartments for you to store your wine.


Bottle Tasting Table; This table wine rack will hold up to 110 bottles. The top surface of the wine rack serves as a table top. Here you can serve wine and other food pieces, wine glasses and other items that you will need for your wine tasting experience. This bottle tasting table is made from solid Canadian pine.


Avanti Dual Zone Mini Wine Cellar; There are separate compartments for red and white wines. You will find separate temperature controls for each section. You can store 10 bottles in the top section and 18 bottles in the bottom section. There is an interior light that lets you see what is in the mini wine cellar.


Shelf Mounted Glass Hanging Rack; This hanging glass rack can be self mounted. It will easily hold 20 glasses.
Glass Cleaning Brush; You pour a small amount of water into the glass. The brush uses the water in a swilling action to clean the glass.


Ice Bucket; Made of double walled stainless steel. This container provides a good insulation with minimum chilling temperature loss. The silicone sealing ring in the lid provides the bucket with a secure closure.


Professional Bar Glass Wash; This glass wash is made from natural ingredients like plants and salts. It doesn’t contain any solvents or harsh chemical and it is completely bio-degradable. You will not get the taste and smell of any cleansing agent with this item. 
About the Author:
Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on internet marketing for years. For more information on Wine Accessories, visit his site at WINE ACCESSORIES
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Wine Accessories and Things That you Can Get for your Wines
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Valentines Gift Ideas

Don’t know what to get your Valentine this year? Maybe you have a new Valentine or want to spice this Valentine’s up a little. Following are some gift giving ideas for all types of shoppers from boyfriends to girlfriends, wives, husbands and everything in between. I’ll start with the practical gifts that don’t put to much pressure on the gift giver or convey the wrong message and then work my way into the romantic gifts and finally the gifts that add some sizzle to this special day.
If you just started a new relationship and want a nice gift without any hidden meanings or if you just don’t put a whole lot of stock into the whole Valentine’s frenzy, try a more practical approach to finding a gift they’ll love. Find out what their needs are and start shopping from there. Maybe they’re a busy professional and need a new laptop case. To make the gift even more memorable, make the laptop case personalized with their name. Or a leather briefcase makes the same kind of statement, not to personal, but something they could really use. If the person you’re buying for loves music, get them an iPod case or CD case. These gifts are a great way to show you care without having to make huge exclamations of love.


For those of you who like to get romantic, here are a few ideas for you. A recent photo of the two of you having a good time, framed in a personalized photo frame makes a wonderful statement. Flowers always make a great gift, but they never last, so if you are for sure getting flowers, maybe try a personalized vase to go with the flowers. That way once the flowers are gone, the vase will remind them of how thoughtful you are. If jewelry isn’t in your budget this year, try getting a jewelry box to put her jewelry in. If you’re shopping for your man, a watch jewelry box makes another great gift idea. To make it even more special have the jewelry box personalized. Even if they already have a jewelry box, the personalization will make it very special and it will always be treasured. And last but not least, who doesn’t love chocolate. A chocolate gift basket makes the occasion even sweeter.
If you really enjoy being romantic and like to put a lot of thought into this event, jewelry makes a perfect gift enjoyed by all. Whether it’s a ring, necklace, bracelet, earrings, a watch, or a set of cufflinks, jewelry speaks volumes without having to say a word. A nice romantic dinner with a special culinary delight prepared just for the two of you makes the whole evening perfect. Maybe the jewelry could be hidden in a set of crystal stemware to commemorate the occasion. Once again, anything personalized makes the gift more memorable. Maybe you just want a nice quiet evening at home, snuggled up on the couch? If so, a personalized throw blanket, complete with your pictures and a nice saying on the front, makes a cozy addition to any home.





For those of you who want this Valentine’s Day to not only be memorable with great gifts, but want the whole event to just sizzle with passion, these ideas are for you. Whether you’ve been married for years or are just looking to add some spice, card games and board games designed for lovers are always a big hit. Not only do they bring out the adventurous side in your lover, but they help both of you discover new and exciting things about each other. Just by taking the time to enjoy each other, you’ll find it brings out all those romantic feelings that got everything started in the beginning of your relationship.


The bottom line is, don’t hold back. This is the day for lovers everywhere. Plan the evening out. Show them how much you care. Start with dinner, wine and then the gifts. Or the other way around, but don’t forget to make it romantic for both of you. Then go with the flow and enjoy. No matter if you’re just getting to know each other or have had many years together, this is the day to celebrate love and all the wonderful things that come with it. Happy Valentine’s Day :-)


About the Author:
Angie writes articles for helping shoppers find gifts, providing shopping tips and how to benefit from personalized gifts, promotional products and awards. Her work is sponsored by Wealthwood Gifts and Blog Wealthwood.

Article source: Valentines Gift Ideas


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Luxury Wedding Gifts

Treat newly weds to a day out which will stay in the memories forever. Luxury wedding gifts designed with couples in mind are a perfect choice of present -for a perfect couple.

Hot air ballooning flights are usually shared with other people-typically up to eight people in the basket who you may or may not know. A luxury hot air balloon flight ensures that apart from the pilot and ground crew the couple will not have to share their experience with anyone else! Their day will begin by helping to prepare the balloon ready for launching. Climbing into the basket the ground crew and pilot take over completely as the balloon rises slowly into the air. Outstanding views of the countryside below will take their breath away as they share this wonderful way to travel only between themselves. Once they have safely landed back on the ground they will help to pack the balloon away before celebrating their special experience with a glass of champagne. There will be plenty of time of taking photographs to add to their wedding album. A beautiful wedding present that will make the newly weds feel very special indeed.

Completely spoil newly weds by giving them a luxurious stay in the luxurious Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London. This fabulous hotel oozes chic style and elegance. Their wedding present will include a three course a la carte dinner in the hotel's chic restaurant over looking Hyde Park. After spending the night in a luxury room their day begins with a full English breakfast. They will then be collected in a chauffeur driven car for a four hour tour of the capital. The chauffeur will tailor make the tour to ensure the happy couple take in all the famous landmarks and enthralling sights of London. The Mandarin Oriental is situated in the heart of the chic and elegant Knightsbridge area of London. There will be plenty of time for the couple to shop in some of the finest retailers in the world. This wonderful deluxe break will make a perfect wedding present for couples of any age.

The award winning Rowhill Grange in Kent makes the ideal place for newly weds to spend two nights being pampered, relaxed or energised. A Utopia facial, Utopia Sea Salt scrub and Utopia back, neck and shoulder massage are inclusive. This superb wedding present also includes full use of the Utopia Spa facilities and fitness centre throughout their stay -whether they want to simply unwind and relax in the sauna or steam room or join an exercise and fitness class-the choice will be theirs. In the evening a sumptuous three course dinner at the Truffles restaurant with a selection of fine food from the Spa cuisine menu will end their days in romantic style. An English breakfast awaits them each morning. As a memento of their stay they will take home a Utopia free gift. All in all this fantastic two night break is a truly luxurious wedding present.

Romantic and luxurious Wedding Day Gifts will be gratefully accepted by couples of all ages. 
 Missoni Home

About the Author:
Wedding Day Gifts   

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In Defence of the Scented Candle

The scented candle is a product which has remained a popular gift over many years. With more and more increased competition internally and externally, this method of home fragrance is under pressure, and it is within this article that these pressures are questioned - why should the scented candle be defended against such pressures and why the scented candle will continue to be just simply a perfect gift.

Interior design is a continually evolving business; new trends, new styles, new products. I present one example of this. With the ascension of the fragrance diffuser in recent years, the scented candle has suffered. The fragrance diffuser, which is also known as the reed diffuser, is marketed as a safer way to provide luxury household scenting, eliminating the fire hazard which candles present. The fragrance diffuser does provide varied advantage; aromas through this means can be deployed anywhere, in places where scented candles simply cannot reasonably be used; diffusers rule the workplace. But there is still a place for the scented candle in our homes. Any worries and fears over the use of candles in the home can easily be allayed. Most candles now come in non-flammable holders which do not fall over easily, and if used sensibly by keeping the flame away from anything particularly flammable, such as curtains, can be as safe as any other household object. When used properly candles can be a safe addition to the look and feel of your house – there is something unmistakably atmospheric about the glow of a scented candle as it fills the room with its essence.

A scented candle is another of those products which can be called a perfect gift; the appeal is universal. Such candles are atmospheric, soothing, the ideal gift for ‘her’. There is a reason why ‘smelly candles’ are at the top of many women’s lists this year. But scented candles are not restricted to personal presents, and hold as a successful home gift. From an interior design point of view, scented candles can be instrumental. The scented candle can provide the finishing touches, or can equally dominating the focus of a room depending on Candle styles and positioning. Fronting duel properties as a room scenting and supplementary lighting device, the scented candle already notches an advantage over other means of home fragrance. It should be noted of course that the scented candles main aim is that of fragrancing, not lighting, but the comforting glow of such a product really contributes towards a feeling of warmth and comfort and always needs to be considered. Another overlooked advantage includes the stylistic merits of the candle itself. The candle holder is an opportunity for designers to create something which can perform as a stylish home accessory, added flair to the design of the candle in a way which the fragrance diffuser is limited in – there are only so many ways fragrance oil diffusers can be visually displayed. For scented candles the possibilities are endless; candles in gorgeous glass holders, crafted ceramic bowls, modern designed flasks, an opportunity is given for the candle to become more a piece of art than simply a means of home fragrance.

Most importantly however, luxury candles cannot be beaten when it comes to inventive and specialist scents, the main reason why scented candles are used in the first place. Smell is a very powerful sense, strongly connected with subconscious feelings and memories. Room scents can help reaffirm such connections with your own home, or even to bring back pleasant memories from long before. Room fragrance is not just a pleasant aroma, or means to clear undesirable odours, but has a much firmer connection to the overall design and feel of a home. One particular brand which I would like to mention in this case is the Baobab Collection, which began operating in 2002. Tracing its roots back to Tanzania, this brand has selected scents which bring you straight into the African heartland. Exotic aromas such as Serengeti Plains, White Rhino and Madagascar Vanilla are truly unique, making a huge difference to the atmosphere of a room. These scents succeed in transporting you to the African plains, and physically look great in transparent glass containers. But this is just one example of the carefully crafted scent ranges available across the market, an illustration of how much choice is available in this highly competitive area. There is a reason why, even through increased competition in the home fragrance market in general, that the scented candles market remains strong, and it is the sheer quality of the goods out there.

Thomas Freeman is an employee of Amara, a luxury retailer of designer home accessories. For more infmation, browse Amara's extensive range of Scented Candles

Buying that luxury gift for the man in your life

Buying a gift for a man has never been easy, particularly when you are looking to buy something that little bit extra special, but want to ensure it is practical.

The man of today is arguably a bit different from the man of, say, twenty years ago and those luxury gifts men like to receive which would have passed all the tests back then, would not pass similar tests today.
The man of the 21st century is generally more sophisticated and demanding, with different values. When it comes to values, more men are concerned about their appearance and style than in the past. Postmodern man likes to impress! Another value shift that has affected men is an increased concern for the environment. These attitudinal changes are profound. So much so that those unique gifts for men really need to be more exceptional than ever, and far removed from the products one would find in some high streets.
Exclusivity and uniqueness can go a long way to showing a man just how much he is valued as a person, and indeed, cared about.
At Henry Tibbs, for example, we ensure our suppliers only provide a blend of traditional designs; designs which combine both modern manufacturing techniques and materials, where appropriate, with a quality and class which will not be easily found elsewhere. For our loyal customers, this is of the utmost importance.
There are of course literally hundreds of wallets, watches, clothing, and even utensils which one can buy for the kitchen, but finding such luxury gifts for men that are that little bit different, individual and unique requires a little bit more effort and thought.

Christmas is nearly upon us and to ensure you get the right gift for your man, there is little time like the present to put that little bit of extra effort in.

The Article is written by henrytibbs providing luxury gifts men and gift ideas for men Services. Visit the websites for more information on henrytibbs Products & Services.

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