miossi arts

There are many Christmas traditions that are gradually being lost in today’s high-tech, always-on-the-go world. But Christmas is the perfect time to slow things down and get back to basics to really enjoy the season. The following are three ways to have a traditional, old-fashioned Christmas.

1. Decorations

For many people, decorations are what make Christmas time special. The right decorations can set the mood for a traditional Christmas and let the whole family get involved in creating the Christmas spirit.

Start with an old-fashioned Christmas tree. Traditional decorations were all hand-made. Take a day early in December to get the whole family together to create the decorations such as stringed popcorn and chains made from colorful paper. Play Christmas music, serve eggnog and get everyone into the spirit.

Check your local thrift or antique shop for some old-fashioned decorations. Wax or blown-glass ornaments were commonplace in years past, and there are often some great examples to be found in thrift stores for next to nothing.

You can also look for antique tins with Christmas themes. These make great candy or fruit dishes.

2. Baking and Cooking

Baking and cooking come a close second to the Christmas tree for setting the mood for Christmas. Cookies, pies, and hot cider are all staples of an old-fashioned Christmas celebration.

The entire family can take part – even the non-bakers. They can help to decorate the sugar cookies or gingerbread men. Kids can help cut the cookie shapes before they’re baked.

3. Christmas Day

There are plenty of Christmas day traditions that can help create old-fashioned fun. Find someone to play Santa Claus and deliver the presents for everyone in the family.

Make the gift exchange time special. Don’t just tear into them en mass, give everyone a chance to open them separately. This gives everyone a better chance to show their appreciation, and people get to watch their reactions.

If you’re lucky enough to have a white Christmas, take some time out of the day to go sledding or have a snowball fight. Top it off by serving hot cider or hot chocolate.

These family traditions can be passed on from generation to generation, with each one adding their own extras.

If you have admired this brand on the arms of celebrities in the press then take a look at the range of FENDI replica handbags. They are easily and quickly available at a comparatively small price from a number of on line retailers, the choice is huge and if you do some quick comparisons the quality will usually be good. Look for materials that imitate the original as closely as possible and a supplier that has invested some of their own resources into promoting the brand.
When we spot someone with a designer bag it is usually impossible to tell if it is an original or a copy, after all, we see these bags in magazines and newspapers but most people have never actually owned an original. So you too can join the huge numbers of women who are passing off their FENDI replica handbags as the real thing on a daily basis.
Imagine the looks and admiring glances you will receive as you arrive at the bar and place your handbag on the hook or back of your chair- arriving and making an impact is a really satisfying feeling and often the most enjoyable part of the evening. This is now affordable and within the grasp of all of us on a regular basis.
Why spend so much time admiring and coveting beautiful objects when you can find a replacement that will fulfil all the expectations and satisfaction of an expensive original. We all need things in our life to improve our daily routine and without doubt for most women, a handbag will do this almost effortlessly.
Have a look at the FENDI replica bags on display and make a choice to lift your mood, increase your social standing and still have a little bit of cash in the bank.

If you are a scrapbooking junkie like me, you know that your scrapbooking supplies can really stack up from your various projects. Many people just find a place to do their scrapbooking wherever they can find a spot.

It can get pretty difficult to be creative when you are cramped in a tiny space or have a lot of distractions around you while you scrapbook.

Why not create a scrapbook room that is all yours? Below you will find some tips on how to create the ultimate scrapbook room.

Make the Most of Your Space

While you’re designing your ultimate scrapbook room, you’ll want to get the most use of your space as possible. Do this with shelving. You can get floor to ceiling shelving to have a lot of storage space.

You know what they say – if you can’t build out, build up. One great thing to do with this shelving is to purchase some great bins or baskets to put small things in. You can place stickers, embellishments, ribbons, markers or any other little thing in bins like this.

Set the Mood

A scrapbook room is not only about storing your supplies, you also want it to be inviting and cozy for when you are working on a project and spending time in there. Here are some things you can use to your scrapbook room comfortable and appealing:

- At least one big cozy armchair. (Depending on how big your space is, get a few for when friends come over to scrapbook with you.)

- A great inviting and relaxing paint color. This will welcome you and make you feel peaceful while working on your scrapbook projects.

- Art. Placing some stimulating art on the walls will also help make your scrapbook room welcoming, and give you some much-needed inspiration.

- Candles. Get some great scented candles to light in your room. This will make your environment cozy and special, along with adding a little touch of scent.

Prepare the Necessities

For your scrapbook room to really be perfect you will need the ultimate work area. You can get some functional items that will help you in your projects and give you the tools you need to be efficient and productive. Here are some great things you will need to add to your space:

- A large table or flat working space.

- A bright lamp or light to help you see the little items you will be working with. This is a great thing to help keep you from straining your eyes while you’re working on projects.

- A cabinet to place all of your tools for scrapbooking. Some of these might include: hot glue guns, staplers, scissors, paint, etc.

Making your ultimate scrapbooking room can be fun and beautiful if you use your imagination and a bit of creativity. Think of the things you use the most and place them at reachable level. The things you use less often can go in higher places.

You need a space to relax and be able to create your beautiful art works and think outside of the box. You will be very glad you’ve decided to give yourself this gift. Use these great tips to help get you on the track to more efficient and productive works of beauty.

Cars are one means of transportation the most widely used by the public, especially for people who have enough money. Even people who are less able to also eager to have a car. If you have a car of course you want to keep the car very well. You take care of them even decorate it with beautiful accessories. The perfect car is a car that has the perfect equipment as well. You will want to make your car perfect compared to other cars. You do not have to be afraid and worried because I will help you to find the car equipment. You can use the spoiler for your car needs. There you’ll find a wide range of colors, brands, models and patterns, the car supplies.

I am sure you very much. One of equipment is a pretty light car. I once bought a white car lights crystal. At night I use the car lights on the highway, proved the results are very nice and bright. I am delighted with the lights like that because it makes my vision at night is more obvious than that headlights other. Hopefully you can use your car in accordance with the requirements you are looking for. Your car will look more attractive and perfect after using the spoiler.

Flowering landscape trees are the crown jewels of the yard.
Perhaps no other plants, individually, can have as great an
impact on how a yard looks in spring. Browse the articles to
which I’ve linked below for information on particular varieties
of flowering landscape trees. Pictures are included.

Crape Myrtles: Landscape Trees of the South

A popular choice in flowering landscape trees for Southerners,
crape myrtles have a long blooming period (mid-summer to
fall). The blooming clusters of these flowering landscape trees
come in pink, white, red and lavender. The clusters appear on
the tips of new wood. Northerners can sometimes get away
with treating these flowering landscape trees as perennials
that die back in winter but come back in spring.

Trees

Not all specimens with a weeping habit are flowering
landscape trees, but this article looks at several weeping
varieties that do bloom, headed by four types of cherry.
Saucer Magnolias

The size and shape of the blooms are what suggested the
common name for these flowering landscape trees. Want a
specimen with a brilliant bloom as big as a saucer? Access
information on these beauties here.

Rose of Sharon

Although some people think of it as a landscape “tree”
(because it gets tall and can be pruned so as to have a single
trunk), rose of sharon is, in fact, a flowering shrub. The fact
that it blooms relatively late — and for a long time — makes it
a valuable plant for those looking to distribute their yard’s
color display throughout the growing season.
Top 10 List of Flowering Landscape Trees and Shrubs for
Spring |

This article features information on ten flowering landscape
trees and shrubs that brighten our spring seasons. Included
are redbud, callery pear and crabapple.
Hawthorn: Late-Blooming Landscape Trees

This article offers information on Washington hawthorn trees,
which are perhaps most valued for the time at which they
bloom (late spring to early summer). Many of the popular
flowering specimens bloom earlier in the spring, and while
their blossoms are pleasant sights for eyes sore from winter’s
barrenness, they desert us too quickly!

Whether in movies or books or in life, it is human nature to be curious about “what happens next”, what the future holds in store. Because of this curiosity divination methods were developed, some even centuries old. There are several tools and ways to divine the future. Forms popularized by gypsies (as related in tales) are crystal (ball) gazing, tarot card reading, palmistry, tea leaves, bones, etc.

Divination is anything but an exact art or science. People who have the gift of divination are often called fortune tellers. This is actual a mislabel, because it really isn’t fortune that the diviner sees but possibilities of a person’s future live, love, finances, etc. All these based on decisions that a person makes now. In the Filipino language, diviners are called manghuhula which literally translates to “guessers”. Essentially, this means that fortune tellers are supposedly just guessing. Amazingly, their guesses hit the mark often enough that divination became a thriving business.

Despite its many forms, the one that appears to be most trusted is astrology. There are different types of astrology but the ones most popularly known are the Chinese astrology (one of the oldest divination techniques created centuries ago) and the western astrology (created by Babylonian astronomers).
Chinese Astrological signs change on an annual basis, based on the cycles of the moon. Hence, their year starts with the first full moon of the year. The Chinese zodiac is based on 12 animals. Your animal is based on the year of your birth. The twelve animal signs are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar.

The zodiac that people are more familiar with is the one that changes by the month. Depending on your birth date you could fall under the sign of Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn.

Nowadays divination nuts (whether diviners or those who want to have their future read) seem to be everywhere! From the café at the corner, to bookstores, to the funny section in newspapers, to radio, to TV, to websites, and even, yes, to call centers. Psychic hotlines have been all the rage for many years now. One notable personage to get on the band wagon is Dionne Warwick and her psychic circle of friends.

Diviners who use astronomy employ a lot of math and research before they give their predictions. The result depends on the position of the stars and the alignments of the planets plus the date and time of your birth for them to feel that they can come up with a more or less accurate prediction.

The diviners of the 21st century are more than fortune tellers. They also act as counselors or advisers to their clients. They provide more than advice; they also provide comfort, and an attentive ear at a very affordable price. Your favorite diviner becomes a part of your life and at times transforms from being a simple diviner to a good friend.

Tag für Tag arbeite ich an meine Computer. Zu meistens arbeite ich an meinem Buch oder schreibe Artikeln und Berichte, so wie dieser hier. Wenn man den ganzen Tag in einem Büro sitzt, hat man gerne eine kleine Ablenkung, die die Fadheit des Arbeitstages in den Hintergrund setzt. Ich persönlich liebe Musik. Egal ob traurig, oder fröhlich, egal ob träumerisch oder verloren, Musik macht mich munter und lässt mit den Stress vergessen.

Besonders mag ich neue (oder alte, die ich nicht kenne) Künstler mir anzuhören! Meine Kollegen kennen mich und mein Geschmack, und so kam es, dass vor eine Woche meine Kollegin eine Cd übergab mit den Worten “Das wirst du lieben!”. Auf der Cd gab sich der Name Yael Naim zu lesen, ein Name, nicht wieder jeder andere, kurz und sympathisch, ohne aber irgendwie erkennbaren Stil zu verdeutlichen. Ohne große Erwartungen lege ich die Cd in meinem Cd Spieler und setzt mich zurück an die Arbeit. Arbeit zur Arbeit kam ich leider nicht wirklich, denn die Töne die meinem Ohr erreichten waren einfach unfassbar.

Eine heitere und zu gleich traurige sanfte Stimme sang zu teil auf Englisch, zu auf Französisch und zu teil in einer Sprache, die mir fremd war und zugleich angenehm im Ohr. Anstatt die Musik laufen zulassen und mich an meiner arbeit zu setzten, hörte ich mir ein Lied nach dem anderen an, fasziniert von der musikalischen Zusammensetzung der Töne, der Melodie und der Stimme.

Als ich mir noch mal Lied Nummer 3, das sich “New Soul” nennt, anhörte, merkte ich, dass ich das Lied von einer Werbung kenne… Meine Neugier hatte mich gepackt, ich musste einfach mehr über diese unbekannte (oder einfach nur mir unbekannte) Künstlerin erfahren.

Endlich setzte ich mich an dem Computer und tippte in einer Suchmaschine “Yael Naim” ein. Zu meiner Verwunderung tauchten tausend Ergebnisse auf, darunter auch ihre Webseite (eine englische Version und eine deutsche Version), mehrere Youtube Videos, ein Myspace Adresse und andere Berichte. Spontan “surfte” ich von einer Seite zur anderen und las mich “klug”.

Schon bei der ersten Seite erfuhr ich, dass es sich bei der dritten mir unbekannten Sprache um Hebräisch – oder auch Iwrit genannt – handelt, die Sprache die man im heiligen Land, Israel, spricht. Doch wie kommt es dazu? Wer ist diese Yael Naim, die sanfte wunderschöne Stimme?

Yael Naim wurde 6. Februar 1978 in Paris tunesisch-jüdischer Eltern geboren. Doch als sie vier Jahre alt war, entschlossen sich die Eltern nach Israel zu ziehen, wo sie dort aufwuchs und ihre ganze Kindheit und Jugend erlebte. Schnell merkte Yael ihre Leidenschaft zur Musik und zu den Klavierspielen, schon mit zwölf Jahren fing sie an, eigene Lieder zu komponieren. Später lernte sie auch noch Gitarre.

Yael Naim sollte durch mehrere Hoch und Tiefs in ihre Karriere gehen, sie trat in mehrere Band auf und wurde schon früh von Musikern entdeckt, wobei ihr Erfolg eher im Hintergrund fiel. In Frankreich wurde sie durch verschiedene erfolgreiche Musicals bekannt, doch als Solo Künstlerin hatte sie sich noch nicht durchgeschlagen. Erst ihr neustes Album, das nach ihr benannt ist “Yael Naim” soll ihre den fleißig verdienten Erfolg erbringen. Seit Anfang dieses Jahres wird sogar einer ihrer Lieder “New Soul” als Werbung für ein neues Notebook-Modell von Apple, das Apple MacBook Air, verwendet. (Deswegen kam mir das Lied Nr.3 auch so bekannt vor!)

Yael Naim ist eine leise noch unbekannte und doch schon erfolgreiche Künstlerin, die weltweit Konzerte gibt. Heute wie gestern höre ich ihre Musik und ihre angenehme Musik! Erst neulich habe ich herausgefunden, dass Naim, Yaels Familienname, auf Hebräisch angenehm heißt! Yael Naims Musik ist nur weiter zu empfehlen!

As an artist, I have grown to appreciate all kinds of art. It took me studying art in college to really learn the fact that all people have different ideas of what art is and of what beauty is. I learned that I can value something as beautiful and that the next person might see it as strange or even lacking beauty. This is okay. And that is the true beauty of art. I have always loved cat art, for example, and it took a long time for the people around me to learn to appreciate my taste for cat art.

I have been a lover of all things to do with cats since I was a little girl. My family had a constant flow of at least three or four cats at any given time throughout my growing up years. I began first with just loving cats, but my love of cats quickly grew to loving cat art. I guess because I am also an artist at heart, I found the combination of cats and art to fit me well. So I began searching for cat art and creating my own cat art before I entered junior high school.

Cat art is great because it is such a visual way of representing and enjoying cats. I would enroll in a painting class and find myself choosing cat art anytime I had the choice. I would take an illustration class and find myself illustrating a story using entirely cat art. I couldn’t get enough of cat art, nor was I ever satisfied with my ability to draw the perfect cat. I even signed up for private lessons one summer and had my instructor focus fully on cat art with me.

So if you love cats as much as I do, then consider expanding your love for cats into a love for cat art. If you are an artist, then begin playing around with creating your own cat art. Use all different kinds of mediums. If you own a cat, begin your exploration of cat art by taking photographs of your cat. Don’t worry about a certain skill level at the beginning, just start with the skill you have and move forward.

If you aren’t the hands on art type, then begin to search for great pieces of cat art to add to your home or office. Look for paintings, illustrations, photographs or any kind of cat art that appeals to you. Be proud that you love cats so much and be proud to show your affection through great pieces of cat art displayed for all to see.

Compare donating art to adopting art: both require planning.

• Locate a qualifying institution to accept the item.
• Pass the related use test.
• Arrange for an appraisal not more than 60 days ahead of the date of gift.
• Obtain a letter of acceptance dated prior to December 31 of the year you plan to take the deduction.
• Deliver the property to the institution.

Want to make sure what you are about to read is correct? Get the IRS publications 1) 526 Charitable Contributions and 2) 561 Determining the Value of Donated Property. You can get these publications on the Internet at www.irs.ustreas.gov or you can call 800-TAX-FORMS (800 829-3676) to order them.

Publication 526 specifies that “a charitable contribution is a donation or gift to, or for the use of, a qualified organization.” A qualified organization is a “nonprofit group that is religious, charitable, educational, scientific or literary in purpose or that work to prevent cruelty to children or animals.” The amount is generally limited to 50% of your adjusted gross income, but in some cases 20% and 30% limits may apply. The detailing of which of these limits applies is on page 9 and 10 of Publication 526. You can carryover unused deductions for a maximum of 5 years.

Form 8283

You must complete Form 8283 and have it accompany your donation. This form identifies who receives the gift, its condition, how, and when you acquired the gift, and its fair market value as of the date of gift. If you received the item as a gift from an artist, you can only deduct the artist’s basis, which is the cost of materials needed to create the art work.

Related-Use Test

Related use is a concept that was instituted roughly 10 years ago to prevent citizens from donating items to organizations that were inconsistent with their collection direction. For example, if you gift a Civil War sword to a clock museum, a 19th century doll to a contemporary art museum, an Art Deco sculpture to a science museum, this pairing will not pass the related-use test. Flunking the related-use test mandates a deduction that is limited to your cost or basis.

The first question in Tax Court is: “On what day did the appraiser view the property?” Your appraiser must personally inspect the property. If you jump ahead and send the piece across the country to a qualified organization that fits the related use test, you will also need to ship your appraiser to inspect it or find one who can visit the piece in person. The following people cannot perform the appraisal: anyone associated with the qualified organization receiving the gift, the dealer who sold it to you, anyone who a reasonable person could imagine would have a bias in producing a value. The appraiser must be someone who holds themselves out to be a professional appraiser.

The report can be prepared after the date of gift, but not more than 60 days before the date of donation. Another time sensitive element is the date of the qualifying organization’s acceptance letter. A representative of the qualifying organization using that organization’s stationery must write the donor an acceptance letter dated no later than December 31 of the year you plan to take the deduction. If giving a fractional interest, a new appraisal must be prepared for each year a percentage of the item is given.

Timing is a key issue with respect to accession meetings. These generally take place once a month and often a quorum of Trustees or committee members must be present. Contact the organization on December 20 and you may be told they held their last meeting for the year on December 11.

Word of caution, a gift means “it is not yours anymore”. Most organizations will not allow you to specify how and when it is to be exhibited. Deliver the item to the organization and mentally separate from it. Do consider closely if you want to be cited as the donor or if you would prefer to have the citation read “anonymous donor”.

Tax forms frighten everyone, but thankfully, the 8283 Form is quite simple to complete. Specify your name and social security number and then fill in different parts, depending on the fair market value of the property given. Section A Part I is to be filled in if the deduction is $5,000 or less. There you give the name and address of the organization receiving the gift as well as a description of the property. Then specify the date of the contribution, the date acquired, how it was acquired and the your cost or basis, its fair market value and the method used to determine fair market value. Section B Part I is for property that is worth more than $5,000, where you are asked the same information. If the fair market value is greater than $5,000, the qualifying organization has to complete Part IV of Section B. Part III is completed by the appraiser.

If you are donating property with a fair market value of $500 or more, you must complete Form 8283. You may be asked for an appraisal if the value is greater than $5,000. You must attach an appraisal to your IRS filing, if the value is $20,000 or greater. It is generally understood that donated property valued at $20,000 or greater will be reviewed by the Art Advisory Panel.