Picking The Right Chihuahua Teacup Puppies

Taking care of a puppy is a big commitment, and surprisingly, it doesn't get any smaller with the size of the dog. Chihuahua teacup puppies are adorable, tiny creatures that need all the things a bigger puppy does, and some specialized care based on their size.

Breeders use the term 'teacup' to mean an extremely small dog. However, it has no standardized meaning, so the definition can vary from breeder to breeder. Chihuahuas bred to the breed standard are very small to begin with, something that many people are not aware of because there are so many poorly-bred, larger ones around. The standard says this breed should not exceed 5 pounds.

Dogs that are too small cannot safely carry a litter. Depending on which breeder you ask, the lowest possible size is about 3 1/2 pounds. This means that larger females are required in order to keep creating tiny pups, who may have a tiny father. Sometimes a tiny pup appears in a litter from 'normal' sized (3-5 pound) dogs, as well.

Dogs are much closer in size when they are born than they are when they reach adulthood. This is why a Labrador can have ten pups, but a Chihuahua is usually limited to two or three. There are exceptions, but most litters will be less than five. Size at birth does not always translate to size at adulthood, though.

An experienced breeder can tell you about how big his or her pups get. He or she can also tell you about the sizes of dogs in the parents' background, and make an educated guess based on the size of the puppy at 8 weeks. However, no one will always be right. Don't choose size over health, because no one can guarantee the former and the latter is so very important.

Living with a tiny puppy requires some special care. One of the things that can afflict them that is not common in larger breeds is low blood sugar. This occurs when they do not eat often enough, and may require frequent feeding of special food for the first few weeks they live with you. Most dogs grow out of the problem.

Having a tiny bladder also means that Chihuahua teacup puppies find it harder to hold it when they have to go. Many people choose to potty-train using pads, paper, or a litter box, for this reason. Either way, frequent access to the potty spot is going to be required in order to house train them.

Dip dye lace earrings

lace dip dye earrings

 I hope you enjoyed making  the neon lace necklace last week because I would like to show you a quick way to use some of your lace scraps you have to make a pair of dip dye earrings. This clever and easy technique will allow you to obtain a beautiful, delicate shaded color.

You'll need:

• lace
• acrylic color
• water
• earrings hooks
• jump rings
• pliers

Se vi siete divertiti a realizzare il collier neon la scorsa settimana, oggi vi mostrerò come utilizzare i pezzetti di pizzo avanzati per realizzare un paio di orecchini delicatamente sfumati. 

Avrete bisogno di:

• pizzo
• colore acrilico
• acqua
• ganci per gli orecchini
• anelli di congiunzione
• pinze

 

Put some color into the water

 Versate un po' di colore nell'acqua

 

Mix the water

Dip the lace partially into it for a while

Mescolate con cura

Intingete il pizzo parzialmente nell'acqua e lasciatelo in ammollo per un po'

 

 

Take it off and let it dry

Add your hooks and wear your new earrings!

Estraetelo dall'acqua e fatelo asciugare

Aggiungete i gancetti per gli orecchini!

A Speculative Sense of Wonder

by Miriah Hetherington

Writing speculative fiction has influenced the way I read stories and changed the way I look at the world. In the same way I suppose a software designer can’t play a video game without appreciating the effort that went into developing it, or a chef can’t eat a meal without noticing the ingredients and considering what makes the recipe delicious.

I’ve learned that creating a story is different from consuming a story. Kind of like the difference between the compulsion to open every wardrobe door you see, and the drive to figure out exactly how to build a wardrobe from the wood of a magic apple tree.

Recently, I decided it was time to box up my children’s collection of picture books. My twins are entering middle school and a rapidly growing collection of chapter books and YA novels are stacked precariously next to, instead of inside, their full bookshelves like misshapen Lego bricks. Not that piles of books are an unusual sight around my house.

The initial organizational plan was to sort through them, keep my favorites, keep my children’s favorites, and donate the rest. Yeah, right. This task is so much more difficult than tossing out and donating the clothes my children have outgrown. Our so-called children’s books still fit.

Have you ever noticed how many picture books contain strong elements of speculative fiction? What would you draw with a magic purple crayon? How cool would it be to travel in a giant peach with insect friends as big as you? When the Cat in the Hat shows up, crazy wild terrifying and wonderful things will start to happen. He reminds me of Doctor Who.

I love short fiction that makes me think, that opens my mind and twists my understanding. I think the best speculative fiction also appeals to the child in us. We want to suspend our disbelief and remember that sense of wonder. We want to experience alternate realities. We want the thrill of being frightened by a scary story, because you’re never too old to sleep with the lights on.

The seed of my Dream Catcher story germinated in my head one night when I was putting my twins to bed. I foolishly caved to their desire to watch something scary on TV, and my penance included a good half-hour spent positioning and repositioning a dreamcatcher to my daughter’s satisfaction, directly over her pillow. She also asked me to repeat the familiar dreamcatcher legend several times. I complied with as much conviction as I could muster, hoping the power of suggestion would be enough to help her succumb to sleep. As I waited for her to slip into that angelic state, I thought about her questions. If the dreamcatcher worked, then what really happened to the bad dreams? Surely nightmares hold too much power and energy to simply melt away in the light of day. In fairy tales, dreams hold revelation, and no blessing comes without a price.

Reading and writing speculative fiction challenges me to move my point of view around until I see beyond what is in front of me. Can you see them? The fey folk that linger in your peripheral vision, but on direct inspection look like teenagers skateboarding in the park. You know as well as I do the bicycle-mounted police officer is wearing shiny plate armor and riding a white horse in an alternate reality.

So move your point of view around until you can see the speculative possibilities. Then write about them so other people can open the wardrobe door and see them, too.

Miriah Hetherington is a middle-aged stay-home mom residing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters. Though she’s been reading speculative fiction stories for years, it wasn’t until relatively recently that she started to write them herself. Miriah is delighted that her very first published story, Dream Catcher, will appear in Penumbra’s September 2012 Native American issue.

Learn more about Miriah Hetherington on her website. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Cat Feeder and Your Cat

To have a cat is fun and a source of joy. However if you have a lazy cat, it is a real pain and if the cat happens to become fat or obese, you can imagine the trouble you are into. While for a Dog a walk in the morning could be a trip to heaven, for my cat Flossy, it is a real torture and she, makes no bones about it to make me understand. It required a superhuman effort on my part to make her stand from her seat of comfort. It requires a cup of milk and a lot of cajoling to make her take a short walk around the corner. If she is chased by a dog, I had to pick her up and she would stare at me with fiery eyes to get the message through "Why do you make me endure this unwanted torture. Cats are lazy creatures and often spend their time eating and sleeping. It creates a lot of problems, especially when they get older. Therefore to stop them from overeating, the best resort is to get a Cat feeder.

It is a device which is filled with food in the upper container and dispenses a measured amount of food in the lower bowl at certain intervals of time. There are different types of Cat feeder available in the market. While certain Cat feeder will require you to set the feeder, other is interactive and would require the cat to press certain lever so that the food is released.

It would be interesting to note that cat is carnivorous animals like their illustrious cousins Tigers, Lion and Panther. They have in their genes the hunting instincts and would like to stalk their prey, play with it and finally kill for their food. However we do not want our pets to run all over the house stalking a mice or lizards. By providing the cat with food in plenty effortlessly, we are actually making the cat lazy and different from its natural instincts. Therefore they become lethargic and fat.

It must be understood that carnivorous animals only hunt and eat when they are hungry. They are wee bit different than humans and do not have lunch, breakfast or dinner. Therefore do not over feed the cat. They just don't need it. The cat feeder is an excellent means to regulate the quantity of food which the cat is having. It will give only that much food which is essential for the cat's subsistence and you will have a fit and agile pet instead of a fat and obese cat which spends most of the time sleeping on the Sofa.

ForeverPetSupply (http://www.foreverpetsupply.com/) is online retailer of products for the lifetime needs of pets including Cat Feeder, dogs, cats, small animals and horses. We specialize in the following products for pets: Cat Scratcher, Cat Feeder, Cat litter box, Flea and Tick Shampoo, Flea Collar, Dog Feeder, Dog crates, Pet Meds, Equine Supplies, Bark collar.

The secret recipe for unique earrings : pasta, oil & chili peppers

the inspiration: Dolce&Gabbana pasta earrings

Dolce&Gabbana are the ambassadors of the italian lifestyle in the world. This time they used  pasta to make fun and mediterranean pieces of jewelry. Taking inspiration from their work I used pasta,chili pepper beads and artificial leaves. Take a note of the ingredients and follow the tutorial to make your pair of tasty  earrings!

Dolce&Gabbana  ci invitano a riscoprire uno dei simboli dell'italianità all'estero: la pasta. Non dovete temere per la linea però, i grandi stilisti non ci invitano a mangiarla bensì ad indossarla sottoforma di divertenti accessori.

Proprio ispirandomi alla loro collezione p/e 2012 ho utilizzato pasta,peperoncini e una foglia di basilico per realizzare questi orecchini. Segnatevi gli ingredienti e seguite il tutorial per realizzare i vostri orecchini da mangiare con gli occhi!

 

You'll need

• Artificial leaves
• Pasta
• chili pepper beads (previosly used to make the floating claw ring)
• earring hooks
• chain
• pliers
• jump rings
• 4 bead caps
• transparent paint
• a driller
• metallic wire

 Avrete bisogno di:

• farfalle di pasta
• perline a forma di peperoncini
• foglie artificiali
• gancetti per gli orecchini
• una catenella
• pinze
• un trapano
• 4 coppette dorate
• anellini di congiunzione
• vernice trasparente
• filo metallico

 

1 piece and 2 different uses. Flatten the bead cap with a hammer to obtain a star shaped finding then cut it in the middle to create the perfect bead cap for the chili peppers, press it in position

la coppetta si fa in 2: schiacciate la coppetta dorata con un martello per ottenere un nuovo charm a forma di stella.  Tagliate la stella al centro per ottenere un decoro per i peperoncini.

 

Don't they look good with their crown on?

Premete la stellina sul peperoncino per decorarne la sommità.

 

 Connect the chili pepper beads and an artificial leaf to a piece of chain using jumprings. 

Connettete i peperoncini alla catenella utilizzando gli anelli di congiunzione

Apply a coat of transparent paint over your pasta to make it waterproof. It will look oily like just been dressed. Pierce your pasta in the middle with a driller. Insert ithe metallic wire into the hole and make a tiny loop at each end. Add the earring hooks and you've done!

Impermeabilizzate la pasta con uno strato di vernice trasparente. Oltre a proteggerla nel tempo le donerà un aspetto oleoso ed appetitoso. Forate la pasta con il trapano. Inserite il filo metallico nel foro e fate una cappiolina ad ogni estremità con l'aiuto delle pinze. Connettete la pasta ai peperoncini. Finite aggiungendo i ganci per gli orecchini.

The Difference Between Words and Worlds is a Letter

Metaphor and the Literal in Speculative Fiction
by Richard Baldwin

I started as a poet and - though I had always wanted to be a fantasy writer - for the life of me I couldn't find a way to write even a half-decent short story. I tried everything I could think of. I would free write for hours to try to get a story out. I would brainstorm like crazy. I would outline meticulously. Nothing worked.

The problem was two-fold: Everything I wrote wanted to be shorter and more dense than any stories I'd ever read (I'd never heard of flash fiction), and all the weight of whatever I'd write ended up being wrapped up in the metaphors.

Today much of what I write is still shorter, denser, and more wrapped in metaphor than a fair few authors, but when I set words to page now I can get a story out of them these days.

What changed? Eventually I decided that if I couldn't write short stories I could at least write longer poems. The longer the poems ran, the less they relied on one single image or metaphor to coalesce their meaning - they'd rely on two metaphors instead, say, or maybe three, and eventually they ran long enough that they didn't rely on metaphor and related language to keep up momentum, they instead relied on their plot.

I never stopped loving metaphor, though. Plot gets the story from its beginning to its end, but without some resonance a story is just literally a means to an end without any real meaning.

Now, I understand some speculative fiction audiences aren't big fans of metaphor. Metaphor is a complex subject in speculative fiction because our form of fiction is often written to be taken literally, and when audiences read it they expect the words to mean (until demonstrated otherwise) exactly what they say.

There's not a lot of space for figurative language when you must speak literally, so a lot of the oldest science fiction eschewed metaphor entirely. Since the New Wave it's been much easier to tell a story with figurative elements, but still the first thing we writers generally have to do is find a way to convey literally the context of the story, only after which it becomes clear to an sf/f audience what is metaphor and what is a literal explanation of some new phenomena the characters (and, through them, the audience members) are only just discovering.

Is there a way to go further, though? To use metaphor in a way that takes advantage of the nature of speculative fiction itself, to write in metaphors endowed with meanings that could never show up in any other form of fiction.

I believe so, yes. The trick is to find a way to convince audiences to read a statement two ways at once.

A literary or mainstream fiction audience reads metaphors as figurative: The trees move as if dancing when the author says, "the trees dance". A speculative audience, on the other hand, reads metaphors as literal unless demonstrated otherwise and in advance: The trees are literally dancing unless it's obvious from provided context that the trees couldn't do that.

On rare occasions, once the audience is set up for it, however, it is possible to use a metaphor that is both figurative *and* literal. In just the right story, the trees might literally dance while they also appear figuratively to be dancing (with all the resonance that the idea of dancing within the given context might suggest).

This is a difficult maneuver to manage, and it can distance the audience from the story; metaphor requires a form of associative thought that naturally disjoints one from the moment of the tale into a comparison to something, usually something outside the action. But, if it's perfectly handled, the apt literal image that also serves as a metaphor can resonate in ways that few moments in stories otherwise might ever manage. Moments like that, I would argue, are about as close as fiction can ever get to being poetry.

A more common form of metaphor in speculative fiction, however, involves subtext. An example: "The door dilated." While this isn't metaphorical in the sense that it gives us a figurative understanding of something that leads to a deeper understanding, it nonetheless contains its own resonating levels - just more literal ones than are available in other forms of fiction. We know the society that makes a dilating door must be one in which a door can dilate, and also one that has or had some use for a door to dilate. This suggests space age technology and a need to keep doors sealed, which suggests the story is in space (though of course we'd need a bit more context to be absolutely sure about any of this). As readers we can learn a great deal about a culture from a well chosen moment that carries within its subtext cultural implications that the statement pertains to. What is such a resonant statement, besides a metaphor?

Though I no longer focus on poetry, I don't just like metaphor, I don't just love it, but instead I feel it is absolutely crucial to good fiction. I don't feel this way, however, merely because finding depth and resonance in language is one of the great pleasures of fiction. No - metaphor matters to me by the very fact that we can discern great depth from simple words. Metaphors in all of their forms demonstrate, more fully than in any other literary technique that I've ever seen, the wonder inherent in the human ability to communicate with each other - to communicate at all. Is there anything more incredible than the ability for us to connect and share feelings through systems of shaped marks and noises?

One of the great things about speculative fiction is that it has so many different options for conveying metaphor that just aren't possible in any other medium. Nowhere else can we see, demonstrated over and over again, such a concentrated display of how us humans can convey not only our feelings and emotions but entire worlds of experience to each other. That's bigger than poetry, there aren't words for how big that is.

Fortunately, it seems, the spaces between and behind the words can handle that job just fine on their own.

Richard Baldwin writes from a raw strange shore along the archipelago of fantasy, but he currently resides in Toronto. A graduate of Odyssey and Taos Toolbox, more of Richard’s fiction can be found in AE and the Cucurbital 2 anthology from Paper Golem Press. He is also a professional audiobook narrator - view his demos HERE.

Should I Get a Dog?

The short answer is, of course, yes! If you never had the fortune to grow up with dogs, or to know a friend who had a dog, you do not know the amazingly fun times you are missing! Depending on where you live and what kind of dog is right for you, you can take it swimming, hunting, walking around, on the bus, on a jog, or simply just to the dog park to meet other like-minded dog owners. While there are many considerations to go over as to whether a dog is right for you and your current situation (Do you have the space? Do you have the time?), dogs are scientifically proven to be good for the person who owns them and their family. So, if you have a house with a nice backyard and have a spare hour a day, get looking for a new sidekick! Following are some of the most impressive reasons that owning a dog isn't just a costly endeavor.

One good thing about owning a dog is that they will help you live longer. That's right! While pets provide their owners with the love and company they so desire, it is difficult to say exactly why people who own dogs live longer. There is evidence that dogs can help you reduce your blood pressure! This article probably does not have to tell you how fun it can be to play with your dog, cuddle with your dog, or just hang around and watch your dog experience new things. Well, owning a pet can lower your blood pressure as effectively as if you were to start eating a low-salt diet or restricting how much alcohol you drink. So get a dog, then grab a beer. This is why many hospitals and retirement community centers hire on a dog to come in and engage in "animal therapy" with the patients and residents: not only does it help old people by reducing their blood pressure and offering them a distraction from any worries or sad thoughts in their lives, but it also acts as a calming presence that eliminates loneliness. At this point in the article it is already clear that dogs are somewhat of a wonder cure for many of life's ills!

Studies by the US Department of Health have come to the conclusion that pets helped victims of heart attacks--the study reads that 28% of heart patients who also had pets survived "serious heart attacks", while only about 6% of people without pets made it through. If that's not enough, you can also measure how much good it does you to own a dog by measuring your before-and-after waistline. A recent study has concluded that pet owners had 2% lower cholesterol than those without pets, and those pet owners' chance of going through cardiac arrest was reduced by 4%.

Not only are dogs good for you, but they are good for your kids, too. You do not need to read studies to view the delight on children's faces as they play with dogs. But, just in case that was not enough evidence for you, a few studies have been done to prove how good it is for kids to own pets. A certain study showed that children who were in the vicinity of a dog during their physical examinations had reduced blood pressure, less behavioral problems or distress, and lower heart rates than when a dog was nowhere to be found.

In conclusion, a dog is sometimes hard work. If you've never owned a pet before, you may have to become accustomed to picking up the feces of your companion at the most inopportune times. The dog, depending on what type it is, may be aggressive or too timid, very easy or very hard to train, and may either be too smart for its own good or not live up to your standards of intelligence. These are the facts. However, if you give them love, they will return it with all of their energy--it is what they were bred to do and why the humans have let them stick around for the past thousands of years.

Ivan's Puppies has been breeding and training puppies for over 30 years. Our hard work has been paying off, as now we are proud to be breeding Bulldog litters with excellent quality, with little to no health problems and good temperaments. For English Bulldog Puppies, visit our website at http://www.BulldogsNewYork.com.

The Things That Make Us Write—Muse or Music?

by Celina Summers

Usually, when I write something for Musa or Penumbra, I'm writing with my editor's hat on. Today is a little different; I have my writer's hat on. My agent and I joke about that in our emails—some are sent to Celina the Editor and others to Celina the Writer, and it's Celina the Writer who's here today.

I have a confession to make. I'm one of those writers who's inspired to write because of songs, plays, movies, and books. I don't need those stories; I need the way those stories and songs make me feel.

The first novel I ever wrote, a really horrid epic fantasy very much in the style (okay, fan fiction) of David Eddings, I wrote to the soundtrack of Return of the Jedi. One of the projects my agent is shopping now was written to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera—but only a specific version of POTO, with a specific cast, and a specific and set lineup of songs that doesn't mirror the order in the show. Another of my current projects I am writing to Sheherazade by the nineteenth century Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov. But then, for fight scenes (I like to kill stuff), I always use the same playlist and the same songs, highlighted by "Battle of the Heroes", composed by John Williams for Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.

So, yeah. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I have theme music for my books.

I'm not the only author to do this. In fact, I know quite a few authors who have theme songs or playlists they write to. I tend to prefer orchestral music without vocalists for most of my writing music. Phantom is the big exception to that, but after years of musical theater, I learned to block vocals from my mind. It's a defense mechanism if you get cast in three successive productions of The Sound of Music, believe me. But The Phantom of the Opera sparked an idea for me—not a riff of Phantom, mind you. But the play and its music inspired me to set my magical realism series in the world of professional American theater—a world I know very well. And why not? Phantom has plays within the play, and all the action of the plot takes place backstage. I've seen multiple productions of POTO, on Broadway with three different casts, the movie version with the best-looking deformed man in history (Gerard Butler—I would totally have picked your Phantom over Raoul! Totally.), and now the 25th anniversary London production DVD. Every time I have seen Phantom—and particularly as a member of the audience—I have left the theater in an uplifted kind of reluctance. I wanted the play to keep going. I wanted to know what happened next. I pictured my coloratura self in the lyric soprano lead and created new adventures in my head. The show, and particularly the music, made me want to create. On top of that, however, the music from Phantom ties me to a tragedy from my youth. A school friend of mine from the sixth grade on was killed in an accident, and at his viewing, the POTO songs Music of the Night and Journey to the Cemetery were played over and over.

So the music has a specific meaning to me, both with my history in the theatrical world and also with an event that even now, I look back upon in sorrow. Those emotions, those personal claims upon my history and psychology, are evoked by the music—and I use that to fuel my writing for certain projects or for certain types of scenes.

It's not just music, though. Occasionally, other things will strike a spark in my imagination. A passage from a letter written in the 1800s gave birth to an alternate history set in the Tudor era. A lighting direction from a new play festival a decade ago stuck in my head and birthed the Darkshifters of my dark fantasy series. If it weren't for a recurring nightmare, I'd never have been able to conceptualize a story based upon an evil Harlequin.

And Obi Wan Kenobi stating emphatically, "Only the Sith deal in absolutes" set off an entire satire based on a writer's lack of comprehension of absolutism that will probably never see the light of day.

What? A girl's got to make a living somehow. Sorry, Mr. Lucas—but the line was funny.

So why does inspiration work this way? Maybe some writers can sit down and say to themselves, "Today, I'm going to write a space opera about cats that fly space shuttles and shoot mouse-shaped asteroids out of the belt between Mars and Jupiter." I'm not one of them…although that sounds like a good idea for a YA. After a lifetime spent in the arts, I find my inspiration in the moods that art or literature or music create in me. I can put in my Les Miserables CD in and let the music from that show serve as an accompaniment to the story I "see" in my head—the story that unfolds like a movie in my mind's eye and graciously permits me to relate the characters and the plot in a Word document file that someday, after much revision, editing, and beta reading, might just become a book.

There's a reason why the Muses are the patronesses of the arts in Greek mythology. Their responsibilities encompass the arts as known to the Greeks, and whenever a writer puts pen to paper, we pay homage to the idea of the Muses—we credit them with inspiring our work. Our word 'music' is derived from the Muses—so for me, at least, it's an easy leap that wonderful music can motivate an author to create an equally wonderful story.

But then there's the down side. How many times have I heard a writer, frustrated and nearly desperate, waiting fruitlessly for the Muse to appear? How many times has a writer blamed the absence of the Muse for the silence of their pen, the stalling of their stories?

You can't wait for a mythical Greek goddess to show up in your office and open up the cupboard in your mind where your story is kept. Got some bad news for you—mythical means "doesn't exist", and the fact of the matter is that inspiration, regardless of how it's sparked, is internal. Music from Phantom doesn't make me write. The response that music evokes in me—that's what makes me write. The magic onstage during a production of the show make me leave the theater feeling like I, too, am magical—and that magic is released in the form of a story.

So the next time you're sitting at your computer, playing never-ending, mindless games of Spider Solitaire while you wait for the Muse to descend in a cloud of glitter and magic and lead you past the plot snag that's got you stymied, perhaps the answer isn't floating on Mt. Olympus. Perhaps the answer is in a song, a book, a film that makes you feel like a magical moment was created. Perhaps the answer is in the scene where Severus Snape finally reveals his heart and story to Harry Potter in a tear. Maybe, that last beat where Rhett Butler says, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" will evoke that creative response in you. Give yourself and your imagination time to relax in someone else's world—or words—creations that have always spurred that artistic synchronicity in your soul Because in the end, while the spark may be external, the fire that blazes in every writer is decidedly internal.

In other words, don't be afraid to search for it in places other than the wall over your desk.

Reinvent&Reuse : neon phone coil bracelet tutorial

You can find many things around the house that can be reinvented with creativity and transformed in a unique piece of wearable fashion. 
Today I used a piece of phone coil cable to make a fun neon summer bracelet.
You'll need:

• coil wire
• neon spray paint
• a stapler

Molti oggetti che abbiamo in casa possono essere totalmente trasformati ed avere una seconda opportunità di essere utilizzati. Guardandoli da un'angolazione diversa si possono intuire delle potenzialità inespresse ed immaginare destinazioni d'uso del tutto nuove. Con un po' di creatività molti di essi possono diventare degli accessori moda originali.

Oggi trasformeremo un cavo telefonico spiralato in un bracciale estivo.

Vi serviranno:

• un cavo telefonico
• vernice spray in tonalità neon
• una spillatrice

Cut a phone telephone coil cable . Wrap it around your wrist to take the measurement.

Avvolgete il cavo intorno al polso per prendere la misura e tagliate il cavo.

 

Close the loop. Overlap a tiny piece of cord and pin it with a stapler twice. One on each side.

Chiudete il bracciale. Sovrapponete una piccola porzione del cavo e bloccatelo con la cucitrice. Fissate un punto su ogni lato.

Here's a close up look.

Ecco la chiusura vista da vicino.

Spray it!

Spruzzate il bracciale con la vernice neon.

Make a statement! Neon lace necklace tutorial

Here's a quick way to make a statement necklace with some lace and a piece of chain. Lace is easy to find in a form of trims or in bigger pieces but you can get creative and cut it out from curtains or tablecloths.
You can buy a big piece of lace and make your necklace quickly or combine smaller pieces together to make a unique composition. I couldn't resist using my neon can of spray paint at the end to make this statement piece pop over summer clothes or even a simple lbd.

Oggi vorrei mostrarvi un modo veloce per creare una collana importante con del pizzo. Potete acquistare il pizzo in merceria, lo troverete sottoforma di trine di altezza diversa o in pezzi singoli più grandi. Se siete coraggiose potete anche ritagliare del pizzo da tende o tovaglie. Potete acquistare un singolo pezzo di pizzo oppure combinare parti più piccole per realizzare una composizione unica. Alla fine spruzzeremo la collana di vernice giallo neon così spiccherà sul vostro guardaroba estivo o anche su un semplice little black dress.

 

Get some lace. Some laces can be easily cut with scissor without unthread. This is also the same lace I used to make the doily lace skirt DIY.

Scegliete il pizzo. Quello fatto in serie può essere tranquillamente tagliato senza scucire. Questo è il pizzo che ho già utilizzato per realizzare la gonna.

 

 Make a composition. Many laces are made with repetive elements but you can cut smaller pieces of it to obtain new elements you can combine.

Create una composizione. La maggiorparte dei pizzi è costituita da un elemento che si ripete. Ritagliando parti più piccole da quello stesso elemento potrete ottenere nuovi elementi.

 

Decide the shape. (This necklace remains a v-shape) and combine the pieces as you like.

Sew the pieces together by hand or with a sewing machine (the zig zag stitch works well).

Decidete la forma (in questo caso una v) e combinate le parti come più vi piace.

Cucite insieme le parti a mano o con la macchina da cucire  (scegliete lo zig zag).

Spray paint. Neon yellow is the color of the season. 

Read the tips  to wear neon colors according to your personality.

Pierce the lace with jump rings. 

Connect two pieces of chain to the lace. 

Add a clasp.

Wear your new statement necklace.

Spruzzate la vernice e lasciate asciugare.

Leggete i consigli su come abbinare i colori neon seguendo la vostra personalità.

Bucate il pizzo con gli anellini.

Connettete due pezzetti di catenella.

Aggiungete un gancio.

Uscite con la vostra nuova collana!

2 accessories in 1: when sunglasses and earrings got together

Raffaella Di Montalban luxury sunglasses

It's hard to rethink a functional accessory like sunglasses. The brand Raffaella Di Montalban courageously took off the sidepieces and replaced them with a strand of semi precious stones. The new embellished arms swing as you move and decorate the ear just like earrings.   I think that is a brilliant mash-up that begs to be DIY-ed. If you've got a old pair of sunglasses whose arms are broken well, they are the perfect candidate for this transformation. So get

• a pair of sunglasses
• a necklace
• 2 heavy charms or stones
• pliers
• jump rings

Cut the necklace in half.
Connect the pieces together using jump rings and pliers. The trick to make this DIY work is to put at the end of the necklace-arms two heavy charms to ensure that sunglasses will stay on your nose!

E' difficile ripensare un accessorio funzionale come gli occhiali. Il brand Raffella di Montalban però ci prova sostituendo le classiche stanghette con due fili di pietre colorate che adornano con grazia l'orecchio proprio come un paio di orecchini. L'incontro tra questi due accessori così amati dalle donne è perfettamente riuscito, il risultato è un occhiale curioso e di classe che forse possiamo realizzare anche noi in casa. Utilizziamo un paio di occhiali con le stanghette rotte o lente.

Avrete bisogno di:

• un paio di occhiali  
• una collana
• due charms pesanti
• pinze

Tagliate a metà la collana e connettetela alla montatura degli occhiali utilizzando gli anellini metallici. Il trucco per la buona riuscita del progetto è di connettere alla collana due ciondoli pesanti così da assicurarci che gli occhiali rimangano ben saldi sul naso!

The Greatest Place For Your Pets

Affordable pet boarding doesn't seem like it would be a very hard thing to find--as simply one of the many items on your to-do list before you head off for a much needed vacation, finding affordable pet boarding for your dogs and cats may understandably fall to a last minute arrangement. After all, finding a pet resort is not more important than finding the resort you want to stay at for your vacation!

Unfortunately, as most pet owners who have searched out affordable pet housing facilities in the past know, finding a pet boarding facility is not as easy as you'd think. Many facilities are outrageously priced, banking on those last minute travelers who have no choice but to pay for their procrastination, and not always even a place you'd like your pet to stay. While people are always looking for pet housing, finding a "cheap place" to stick your pet while you go on vacation often has horror story connotations. Pet resort nightmares are limitless, and myths percolate rampantly about the 'bad' places.

Pet resort horror stories include boarding a dog or cat at a location that turns out to have unsanitary conditions; a pet resort with insecure grounds (which is more than problematic for escape-prone pets); a pet resort unregulated vaccinations-- where a pet could contract fleas, kennel cough, or worse; a pet resort that keep pets caged all day; a pet resort that doesn't monitor playtime and allow for big, dangerous dogs to play with-- and potentially injure-- little dogs; and even pet resorts where females in heat are allowed to play with in-neutered male dogs, to name a few. Finding an affordable pet boarding facility that is still a quality operation is the ideal find for every pet owner, and we know that the "perfect place" is hard to find.

Every responsible pet owner wants to do everything they can to prevent unexpected pregnancies, escapes, and illnesses for their pets while they are away on vacation, so choosing a trustworthy, affordable pet boarding facility is paramount. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, not all companies are very affordable and the good ones fill up fast. We are a pet boarding facility where boarding a dog or cat won't cost you an arm and a leg, but it is an affordable pet boarding facility where you can rest assured that your pet will be able to play, sleep, and eat in safety and enjoyment. Our pet boarding facility closely monitors the vaccination records of every pet allowed onto our premises, and female dogs in heat are carefully segregated in girls-only play groups.

At our affordable pet boarding facility, we have never had an unplanned pregnancy and escapes are extremely rare. Precautions at our pet resort for breakouts are extreme. Our affordable pet housing facility has a six foot chain link fence that is cemented into the ground and has a curved top that goes around the entire facility, making jumping over or digging out nearly impossible. Our pet resort includes a doggy swimming pool, indoor and outdoor play areas, spacious pet condos for sleeping, and the most sanitary facility in the Amarillo, Texas area.

In addition to our excellent boarding programs and clean, affordable pet boarding facilities, a couple of the most attractive qualities about our camp are that we have a large facility that can usually accommodate last minuteboarders, and we have a very affordable pet boarding program. Depending on the size of your animal, our nightly prices range from 18 to 30 dollars per night--more than 50% less than some of our competitors. For more information on affordable pet housing vacation rates, policies, and cat and dog programs available through us, please visit our website.

The beetles you'll love

pic via vogue.us

insects hair pins

precious villians :from up left clockwise  Roberto Cavalli bug brooch - Ioselliani scarab beetle brooch - sapphire beetle brooch - vintage precious beetle

The only insects I can stand are those dipped in gold and decorated with gems. Their natural habitat are vintage shops. If you can beat the fear of having a beetle seated on the collar of your blazer or climbing on your hat these brooch can be a terrific, quirky accessory.
I'll go hunting for some, you should be too!

Ricoperti d'oro e decorati con gemme preziose, ecco degli insetti che sicuramente amerete! Il loro habitat naturale sono i negozi di gioielli e bigiotteria vintage. Se riuscite a superare la paura di avere un coleottero appoggiato sul bavero di una giacca o posato sulla fascia di un cappello allora queste spille saranno un accessorio davvero eccentrico da indossare.

1 jewel 2 ways to wear it:how to turn a bracelet into an anklet

Monogram bracelet - DIY anklet

New trends emerge every day. Do we necessarily have to buy new stuff to stay stylish? No.
Let me show you something. This is a little trick to turn a bracelet into an anklet anytime you want.
Anklets are cool right now, they are cool to wear during summer but maybe you already have the perfect bracelet that could be a lovely anklet but unfortunately it's too short to be one. This is a trick to add that extra lenght to your bracelet. It's easy and quick and even better the transformation can be undone in a snap.

the bracelet - a clasp - chain - 2 jumprings

 

• Measure the extra lenght you need
• connect two jumprings at the end of the chain
• connect a clasp to one end

• You've already done!
• Connet the extra piece to the clasp of the bracelet and you've successfully turned it into an anklet
• Go to the beach to show it!
• You have now two clasps. Disconnect the extra piece and you've got your bracelet back.

The extra piece can be used to add lenght to any bracelet so if you've got ten bracelets you virtually can have ten anklets.
This method can also be used with other pieces of jewelry as well.

 This is my one of my favorite summer necklace. It's colorful and sparky. It's already a bold piece but I wish I could wrap it twice around my neck to get a even richer effect. Unfortunately it's not long enough to do that.

The trick comes handy again

Here's my richer necklace.

Prepare a Personal First Aid Kit for Pets

If you are like most pet owners, your pets are valued members of your family. It is a documented fact that many have risked life and limb to save their precious pets during a disaster. Statistically, however, it is more often small cuts and scrapes that occur that require immediate attention, rather than major disasters such as an earthquake or flood. For this reason, every pet owner should have easy access to a first aid kit specifically created for pets.

What would you need immediately if your puppy fell of the bed and started whimpering? You'd need a first aid kit for pets. Supposing your cat had an altercation with the neighbor's dog and the vet was twenty minutes away? You'd need a first aid kit for pets.

A well-stocked first aid kit for pets is not a substitute for veterinary care, but it could save your pet's life, or at least make him more comfortable, until you can get your pet to a veterinarian. The likelihood that your animals will survive an emergency depends largely on emergency planning done today. Therefore, a first aid kit for pets is a necessity.

What should a first aid kit for pets include? To some degree, that will depend upon the type of pet. However, the basics include the following:
2 - Paw Tip Bandage (Knuckle)
2 - Fingertip Bandage
1 - Tape Roll
1 - Trauma Pad (5 x9)
4 -Gauze Pad 4" x 4"
4 -Gauze Pad 2" x2"
1 -Gauze Roll 2"
2 -Examination Gloves
1 -Instant Cold Pack
1 - Tweezer
2- Antibiotic Ointment
10- Alcohol Pads
10 - Antiseptic Towelettes
1 - Bag
1 - Pet First Aid Guide
4 - Leg Splints/Tongue Depressors
10 - Cotton Tip Applicators
1 -Elastic Bandages 2" ("Ace" Type)
2 - Splinter Removers (Lancets)
3 -Sting Relief Pads

Assemble an emergency supply pack which includes the first aid kit for pets, pet food, water, medications, medical records, leashes, a well-fitting muzzle, ID tags and other appropriate supplies. Put this kit in a central location in your home. Remember to take this pack with you when going on an outing, or else prepare a second pack for the car.

The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) offers information regarding managing urgent care situations such as car accidents, wounds, electrical shock, and eye, foot and ear injuries. Their website ishttp://www.avma.org/first aid. Additionally, the Red Cross offers a Pet First Aid booklet with suggestions on creating a first aid kit for pets.

What should you do to ensure your pet's survival and to avoid those feelings of panic when an accident or illness occurs? Plan, purchase, prepare and practice. Obtain a first aid kit for pets, and then review the materials it contains. It isn't sufficient to simply have the supplies; you must know how they are used. Learn the necessary skills so your actions become instinctive…even when you are under stress

Planning ahead is the key to keeping your pets safe when disaster strikes.

From the Editor's Desk

Comparison and Contrast
by Celina Summers

Over the last week, I've been glued to the television watching swimming. Once, every four years, Americans have enough interest in swimming to actually televise it. It's funny—so many people speak so knowledgeably about the sport when you know full and darn well they don't have a clue about what it takes to be an Olympic medal swimmer. I was a mediocre swimmer at best, and I spent 3-4 hours a day every day working out in the pool, running, or lifting weights. So I find it a little funny to hear people say, "Well, Michael Phelps looked really tight in the semi of the 100 fly last night."

Looked really tight? The man is six foot four inches, one hundred and ninety-four pounds, and has an arm span of over six and a half feet with abs you could slice ham on and legs taller than anyone who competed in gymnastics. I think it's anatomically impossible for a guy who put the lank in lanky to ever look tight.

That being said—

Right now, across the world tens of thousands of people like myself who swam competitively in their youth but gave it up are shaking their heads. Michael Phelps has been to—and won gold at—three Olympics. That's twelve years of international caliber swimming. It doesn't even count the years before that and how hard he worked to even get to that level. Hours upon hours of work seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, since the twentieth century. He didn't just wake up one day as the greatest swimmer who's ever lived. Nope, he worked for years to gain that status and earned every ounce of the eighteen gold and four silver Olympic medals that now hang around his neck.

So I always find it baffling that people think writing is easy.

You don't just wake up one day and write a bestseller. Writers spend a lot of long, lonely hours—sitting at their desks getting words down on paper, editing and revising, cutting and rewriting. We have to. I wish that the very first time I sat down and started to lay a story out on paper that it had been a perfect manuscript, that I landed the first agent I sent it to, sold it to the first publisher she sent it to, and sold out of the first printing before the book was released.

But that's not quite the way it worked out—for any writer that I'm aware of.

Just as an Olympic champion swimmer spends years upon years of his life in the water, swimming lap after lap, working on his stroke and kick, stretching his endurance to the longest possible moment, and gaining his top speed one thousandth of a second at a time—the writer must also work out intellectually, spending years upon years within their stories, consigning those stories to paper and reworking them until they are the best possible representation of their writing. You can't expect someone to jump into the pool for the first time at twenty-four and swim a world record time. Why, then, would you expect someone to write the next great American novel right out of the gate? Heck, for that matter, why would you expect your first draft to be the final draft?

Why expect gold right off the bat?

Writers' expectations should be more realistic. And just like a top athlete, achievement comes after you've established the daily repetition of exercise—word counts or scene goals, a set amount of work completed day in and day out with gradually increasing goal expectations. Sometimes, life conspires so you can just jump right in. In my writing life, for example, I started off as a full time writer because of an accident that kept me from working. Those long days after that accident, I sat alone in our apartment for eighteen hours a day while my husband worked two jobs to keep our heads above water—no internet, no cable television, not even a telephone to break up the monotony. Every morning, I woke and climbed into my recliner, powered up the computer, and wrote. I rarely went out, even more rarely found some other way to engage my mind. All I had was my story, and I steeped myself in that world. I cranked out six 150,000 word first drafts in three months.

And I look back at those first drafts and cringe.

Writing is a tough business. Whether you write epic or flash, you must be trained for success by constantly working to refine and improve your craft. And just like Michael Phelps has his coach, Bob Bowman, the author has her coach—her editor. Bob Bowman helped Phelps to trim seconds off his time; an editor helps a writer to trim the unnecessary and tighten up her manuscript. You may hate working with your editor at the time—God knows I've yelled at the computer screen a lot during edits—but the end result of that work makes you glad you did it.

See, the whole purpose of training, whether you're an athlete or a writer, is to make the very difficult look very easy. As writers, we're surrounded by tons of people in real life who confide, "I plan to write a book some day"—like it's an easy thing to do…like just anyone can do it. (Unfortunately, we editors rarely escape that person at the party, who then proceeds to pitch their story to us and talk confidently about how much money they intend to make. It's a conversation that never ends well.) But writing isn't easy. Writing is hard. Writing takes training and patience, meticulous attention to detail and the dedication to sit down at the computer every single day. Athletes like Michael Phelps have a big advantage, too. Phelps started swimming competitively at age seven. Writers, on the other hand, write competitively much later in life. Sure—I have trunk novels from when I was in my late teens, but I'll burn them before I let someone read them now.

So while we all sit back in admiration as the greatest Olympian and swimmer of all time finally hangs up his goggles, stop and think for a minute of writing as a sport. Sit down and set your goals, then determine the training you'll need to meet those goals. Take the guidance of your coach/editor, and use that knowledge to improve your work. And while you'll never get that national anthem moment on the podium, with the dedication and drive every successful writer needs you might get that quiet moment in the middle of the night when a new review comes out of one of your stories and you feel the triumph of a job well done.

And until Bravo comes up with a writing reality show (and I would so audition for it, by the way), that's the medal ceremony for people like us. Unless, of course, you play the Star Spangled banner every time you finish a story.

Kind of cheesy, but hey—if it works, it works. I'm not going to judge you for it.

Vintage inspired knot and chain bracelet DIY

I liked the idea of a chunky chain bracelet that would look a bit like a vintage piece of jewelry so I made this bracelet. using a very easy technique to make it. This bracelet is made knotting the chain like it was a piece of rope and then I adding a sassy little tassle at the end that will swing as you move.

 

you'll need:

pliers

chain

metallic wire

clasp

 

knot the chain 

 

cut a few pieces of rope

 

join them together with a jumpring

 

connect the tassle at the end

block the knots with a tiny piece of metallic wire

First Aid Tips on Dogs

If you have a dog, then you would know how their curiosity and activeness can get them into trouble. Sometimes, they even get hurt because of their misadventures. Knowing how to apply basic first aid on dogs can not only help it cope with the pain, it could even just save their life. Thousands of dogs get into accidents, get injured or get sick every day, and walking away without helping just sounds too inhuman. Below is a step by step guide on how you can help you furry little friend.

Move Closer

You need to move close to the dog to see the damage. Walk towards it slowly, keeping eye contact and speak in a slow, reassuring tone. If it barks or growls at you, step back. Try to find some food and use it to gain its trust. Don't touch it yet until it shows that it trusts you. Its facial expressions should give you signs if it will allow you to touch it.

Secure the Dog

Pet your dog and give him or her the reassurance that things are going to be OK and that you're doing something about the pain. Tie a leash around its neck. If you don't have one, use a tie, a belt, a rope, anything that you can use to make a make-shift leash. This will let you handle it better. Muzzle it to top it from biting you. Slowly and carefully lift the dog up and take it to a safe area.

If you Can, Know why the Dog Got Into the Situation

It's best to figure out why the dog got hurt to start with. This lets you pinpoint possible areas that also could have been damaged. Even if the dog does not have cuts or bruises, it could have gotten injured from the inside. If the dog has an illness that causes it to become partially paralyzed or unable to move, like degenerative myelopathy or arthritis, its best to check if it can still move of feel its legs. It could have gotten hurt because of sudden loss of control over their lower limbs.

Apply First Aid

Stop blood from open cuts by placing clean cloth over it and securing it to place. Run your hands though the dog's body and check when it reacts to pain. Dogs who are paralyzed or have degenerative myelopathy may not feel the pain since their nerves are not working properly, but be watchful for any reactions.

Take it to the vet

Carefully carry the dog to the car and take it to the veterinarian. If you don't have a way of transportation, you can call the vet or a veterinary ambulance to pick the dog up. Many animal hospitals have emergency rooms where they can run tests like x-rays to check internal damage.

Inspired by McQueen: De Manta clutch DIY

McQueen inspired clutch DIY  - floating claw ring DIY

 

McQueen De manta clutch

Some years ago animal prints were sinonymous of an eccentric style. Nowadays leopard prints are a must have for women of any age. I would like to suggest you go deeper in the jungle and get inspired by python prints. These exotic leathers are sinonymous of luxe and exclusivity (and painful prices) so you have to get yourself a snakeskin accessory chic girl!
Today I'll show how to make a snakeskin clutch with a placemat found at zara home. You can find placemats of any material. If you don't find the one you like you can replace it with a piece of vinyl or leather 35x50 cm.
We'll give a full trasformation to the placemat. For the shape of the clutch I took inspiration from Alexander McQueen  de manta clutch. 

For the Clutch you'll need:

• a placemat (or a 50x35 cm piece of leather)
• 28 pyramid studs
• 2 zippers 14cm each
• 2 automatic buttons 
• glue

Let's get started

Read the full tutorial on Style.it

straw bag DIY

When you've done have a look to another summer bag you can make with placemats   ------->