Make A Chair Out Of Little Wood Pieces

Upright wooden chair styles for miniature patterns

Building furniture in miniature is fairly common to craft people who have dollhouses or small diorama's or scenes. In dollhouse-specific stores, it is possible to pick up milled stock that is sized for miniature crafting. This is like a lumber store magically shrunk to tiny proportions. The benefit of this type of tiny milling is that very fine woods are often available that respond well to small crafting. A soft wood like balsa might be easy to work with, but it may not respond well to being handled by children or other people. A more sturdy wood is likely to last longer. In the same vein, miniature scale tools are also available to cut, shape and work with these small pieces of wood.

Instructions

1. Cut two back legs from one-fourth-by-one-fourth-inch wood board to 3 1/4 inches long. This is a mission style wood dining chair. Cut two front legs from the same board size at 1 3/8 inches long. Cut four pieces 1 inch long. These will form the backs and the front and back seat supports. Cut two pieces 1 1/8 inches long. These are your side seat supports. Cut your wood using a razor saw, a sharp art knife and a miter box.

2. Cut four spindles from one-eighth-by-one-eighth-inch wood board to seven-eights inches long. Cut two 1-inch long front and back rungs from the same wood board. Cut two 1 1/8-inch side rungs.

3. Cut one square one-eighth-inch thick board 1 3/8 inches wide and long. This is the chair seat. Place the wood square flat on the table. Mark the top-left corner with a small "A." Mark the top-right corner with a small "B." Measure horizontally from the corner of A three-eighths inches. Repeat for corner B. Measure vertically one-fourth inch from corner A. Repeat for B. Draw small vertical and horizontal lines to indicate the one-fourth-by-three-eighths-inch box in each corner. Cut along your lines and remove the wood. The notched ends are the back of your chair seat where the seat fits around the seat back wood. Lightly sand your pieces, but try not to round your edges. Stain your pieces. Allow your wood to dry overnight.

4. Tape one-fourth-inch graph paper to your work table. Use the graph lines to help you draw straight lines. Make a pencil mark on a vertical line. Measure one-fourth-inch and mark, 1 inch and mark and one-fourth-inch and mark. Make a pencil mark on a horizontal line between two of your marks that are one-fourth inch apart. Measure down 3 1/4 inches and mark. Outline your one-fourth-inch-by-3 1/4-inch rectangles. You should have two of them 1-inch apart. These are your back legs.

5. Measure down from the top of your left leg one-eighth inch and mark. Measure one-fourth inch for your top seat support. Measure seven-eights inch for your seat back. Measure one-fourth inch for your second seat back support. Measure three-eights inch to the top of your seat support and one-fourth inch for your seat support. You should have 1 1/8 inches to the bottom of the legs. Draw your horizontal lines between your legs and mark the one-fourth-inch boards.

6. Locate the seat back area between the top one-fourth-inch horizontal bar and the second bar. Measure from the edge of the back leg one-sixteenth inch and mark. Measure from your mark seven sections of one-eighth inch. Your last space to the edge of the right leg should be one-sixteenth inch . Draw in your vertical seat back spindles. Leave the first space white and color the first one-eighth inch, skip one, color one, etc. This will help guide you for assembly. Measure up from the bottom of the legs three-fourths inch and mark. Measure one-eighth inch and mark. This is your chair leg rung. Color in the rung.

7. Position your one-fourth-inch legs and cross supports over your drawing. Add a drop of gel control super glue to the end of your support pieces and allow 30 seconds for your glue to dry. Make sure you keep your pieces square. Cut a piece of chipboard that is one-half-by-seven-eighths-inch. Place the chip board in the seat back area so you can still see the top half of your spindles on your drawing. The chipboard will elevate your wood when you glue so that your spindles are centered in the one-fourth-inch support wood.

8. Add a drop of glue to each spindle and align it to the drawing, being careful to keep each board straight. Glue your spindles to the seat back area. Move your chipboard down to support your lower chair rung. Add glue and align the rung with the drawing.

9. Make a second drawing of your two front legs 1 inch apart. From the top of the left leg measure one-fourth inch and mark, one-fourth inch and mark, one-eighth inch and mark. Draw your horizontal lines and color in your top seat cross support and your chair rung. Place your chair pieces over your drawing and glue the cross support to the two legs. Place your chipboard under the chair rung and glue it into place.

10. Lay your front and back legs on their side. Your seat support and your rungs will all align. Add a drop of glue and attach them. Use your chip board to help you center the rungs as necessary. Stand your chair up after the glue dries and add a bead of glue around the top of the seat supports and glue down your seat.

Tags: inch mark, one-fourth inch, seat back, one-eighth inch, your chair

The Best Paint Colors For Kitchens With Cherry Cabinets

Warm cabinets and walls balanced by cool white floor tiles.

The American biologist Barry Commoner noted that "The first law of ecology is that everything is related to everything else." This also holds true for the ecology of architecture and design, down to all the details. The particular stain color of a cherry cabinet and the degree of sheen on the cabinet surface have aesthetic relationships with all the other architectural elements in the room: floor, ceiling, windows and, importantly, walls. It takes some care to get these relationships right, which assures that each element complements and enhances the others. Does this Spark an idea?

Warm Cabinets With Cool Walls

Psychologists generally agree that colors in our environment affect our emotional state. Dr. Kalyan Meola notes that subjects associate warm colors, such as red, orange and yellow, with cheerfulness, liveliness and excitement, and associate cool colors, such as green, blue, purple and mixtures of white and black, with peacefulness, purity and calm. Architect John Storyk recommends that rooms where occupants spend a lot of time should have a balance of warm and cool colors, so that they will always find their current mood supported by some colors in the room. This suggests that if you have warm cherry kitchen cabinets, you might choose a cool color for your walls, such as a light French blue or gray.

Integral Color Design

You can achieve a similar balance between warm and cool kitchen colors by matching cherry cabinets with gray or blue slate floors. You could then paint the walls cream or light beige--neutral colors that bridge between warm cabinet colors and cool floor colors. This color scheme works well with cool gray or black granite counters. Alternatively, you could paint the walls a very light gray wash, then warm up the color balance with butcher-block countertops. In both instances, the wall colors provide a neutral background that supports stronger floor, cabinet and countertop colors. This kind of integral color design creates a sense of unity.

Include Texture

When selecting colors for your kitchen, also consider the textural relationships between the important architectural elements: floor, walls, cabinets, countertops and ceiling. You can balance lacquered, high-sheen cherry cabinets with matte light gray walls. If the cherry cabinets have an oiled finish, you can paint the walls a glossy near white or light gray, then select a slightly warmer floor color or pattern.

Include the Ceiling Color in the Design

Including ceiling colors in kitchen color schemes will further unify the design. A kitchen with a balance of relatively strong color elements in the rest of the room might benefit from a low-key ceiling color. You can tie together dark cherry cabinets, black granite countertops, red linoleum floor squares and French blue walls with a light gray ceiling color.

Tags: cherry cabinets, light gray, paint walls, architectural elements, between warm, black granite

The History Of Cane Furniture

The History of Cane Furniture

Cane furniture is an American success story that began in the 19th century, although rattan production is thought to date back to around 2000 B.C., when rattan was used to weave items like chests. Woven cane seating was initially popular in England around the 17th century, and eventually enjoyed a 20th-century revival when it was favored for use in conservatories and dining rooms. However, it was in the United States that cane furniture manufacturing had great success. Does this Spark an idea?

Entrepreneur

The history of cane furniture in the United States grew from the entrepreneurial skills of a 33-year-old grocer named Cyrus Wakefield, who saw the potential of discarded rattan that he found at Constitution Wharf in Boston in the 1840s. The rattan was used to secure cargo aboard the clippers that made regular voyages from China after the opening there of treaty ports for exports of merchandise to the world.

Wakefield Rattan

Wakefield established the Wakefield Rattan Company in South Reading, quitting his job as a grocer to devote his full attention to the business of cane. Wakefield worked with furniture made of oak and hickory, filling the frames with fancy rattan patterns. He also traded in raw rattan to basket makers and furniture makers, importing shiploads of raw materials to keep up with strong demand. This popularity led to the renaming of "South Reading" in Massachusetts to "Wakefield," in honor of the originator of the cane furniture industry.

Heywood Brothers

Between about 1865 and 1880, Wakefield manufactured mainly indoor wicker furniture. Wakefield's chief competitor was the Heywood Brothers Company of Gardner, Massachusetts, who were wood chair manufacturers. Their rivalry was strongest during the period from the 1870s to the 1890s, when cane furniture was at the height of its popularity.

Partnership

In 1897, the rivals became partners, forming Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company. The timing of this merger was important, because it coincided with a public shift to more modern designs, departing from the ornate Victorian styles of the past. By 1905, the new company had adjusted to changing public tastes, and was producing more modern furniture, in the Mission style.

Lloyd Loom

Around 1917, Marshall Burns Lloyd invented the Lloyd Loom manufacturing process, which facilitated weaving of man-made materials, cutting production costs significantly. Around this period, increases in tariffs on imported rattan and higher labor costs impacted the cane furniture industry. In a strategic move in 1921, the Heywood-Wakefield Company (going by its new name) bought the Lloyd Manufacturing Company.

End of the Line

By the 1920s, Heywood-Wakefield was producing an extensive range of furniture with cane, from settees and rockers to dining sets, occasional tables, tea carts, china cabinets, desks and sewing cabinets. But by the 1930s, public tastes had once again shifted, and the company concentrated on wood and metal furniture. Despite a return to popularity of cane furniture during the 1960s and 1970s, the company eventually ceased furniture production in 1979.

Tags: cane furniture, Heywood Brothers, cane furniture industry, furniture industry, History Cane, History Cane Furniture, Lloyd Loom

Difference Between Mission And Vision Statements

Companies create mission and vision statements to offer direction and values.

Organizations create mission and vision statements to convey the direction the companies are going. Both statements help communicate the intentions the companies have and the goals for the future. Each statement is created for a separate reason and each holds a different meaning.

Mission Statements

A mission statement is designed to describe an organization's overall purpose including defining the organization's key measures of success. Mission statements have internal aim and are designed primarily for leadership teams and stockholders. When organizations create mission statements, they often consider the company's products and services offered, as well as the company's image, values and priorities. When created, the company focuses on how the organization currently is operating and does not project into the future.

Vision Statement

A vision statement is created to explain the organization's key values and does not refer to bottom line figures. It tells how this particular company believes things should be done and it gives direction to employees and customers. It also tells how an organization completes its operations and where the organization is heading.

Differences

One key difference with mission and vision statements is the time frame each focuses on. A mission statement primarily talks about what the company is currently doing. It focuses on the present while a vision statement is a projection of where the company is going by focusing on the future. These statements are designed to work together. If a company follows its mission statement, then the vision statement will be what the company has to look forward to in the future. Vision statements are generally created before mission statements are created because a vision statement will direct the company how it must operate today to get to where it wants to be.

Features

Effective mission statements should contain the values and purpose of the organization, its primary stakeholders and its responsibilities to these stakeholders. They are often created by determining what the company does today, who it does it for and the benefits of it. Effective vision statements should lack ambiguity, paint a vivid picture, describe a bright future and offer realistic ambitions. When vision statements are created, companies look at what they want in the future, when they want it and accomplish it.

Tags: vision statements, create mission, mission statement, mission vision statements, what company

Recover Headboards

Upholstered headboards bring comfort and style to any bedroom. You can easily recover an outdated headboard with fresh fabric and batting to give your bedroom a completely different look. This simple do-it-yourself project will only take an hour or so to finish. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Remove the existing fabric from the headboard. If the fabric is stapled onto the wooden headboard, use an industrial staple remover to take out the staples and release the fabric. You may also be able to cut away the fabric and the batting with scissors.

2. Reuse the old batting, if it's in good shape. If not, cut a section of batting and a section of fabric that will fit over the face and the sides of the headboard. Both materials should fold over the back of the headboard between 4 and 6 inches.

3. Lay the fabric face down on a flat surface. Place the batting on top of the fabric so that the edges are flush.

4. Apply spray adhesive to the face of the headboard. Center the headboard on top of the batting. The spray adhesive is not absolutely necessary, but it helps keep the batting in place as you are recovering the headboard. Let the adhesive dry.

5. Beginning in the center of the top edge of the headboard, pull the batting up over the edge and onto the back of the headboard. Staple it in place with staples every 2 to 3 inches. Work your way around the perimeter of the headboard, pulling the batting over the edge and stapling it. Smooth the batting along the edge as you go. When you get to a corner, fold the batting as if you were wrapping a gift and staple it in place. Once the batting is secure, repeat the process with the fabric, adding staples every 1 to 2 inches.

6. Glue a strip of piping or other decorative trim around the perimeter of the headboard with a glue gun.

Tags: around perimeter, around perimeter headboard, back headboard, batting over, batting over edge, every inches, fabric batting

Cabinet Door Styles

Cabinets set the tone for your kitchen decor.

Cabinets are a decorative storage option for any room, but they can also serve as focal points that set the design style for a room, particularly a kitchen. As the face of a cabinet, cabinet doors are the part of a cabinet that grabs your attention. Certain styles of cabinet doors fit best with specific home decor styles. Does this Spark an idea?

Raised Panel Cabinet Doors

A raised panel cabinet door style construction is most often made from hardwood, but wood veneer over plywood and medium-density fiberboard may also be used in some cases. Four stiles, or wood strips, around the perimeter fit together to form the frame for the door. A solid wood panel with the center section cut so that it appears elevated fits into the door frame. You can have the cut edges of the center section edged in a variety of shapes and designs. An arched-style raised panel fits in a French country or traditional kitchen design; straight panel edges fit a contemporary style kitchen.

Recessed Panel Cabinet Doors

Recessed panel cabinet door styles have similar construction to a raised panel door, but the center panel is flat. Four wood strips create the frame for the door, and the flat wood panel fits inside the frame. The profile of the wood frame is thicker than the flat wood panel, so the panel appears recessed. The recessed wood panels on these cabinet doors can dictate the style of a kitchen. For example, use a beadboard panel insert to create a country or casual style kitchen.

Slab Style Cabinet Doors

Slab style cabinet doors are made from one solid piece of wood. Slab doors may have decorative routing around the edges, or the edges may appear smooth and plain. Slab style doors are the simplest and least expensive style of cabinet doors available.

Glass Cabinet Doors

Glass cabinet doors are constructed like the recessed panel cabinet doors with a wood frame made from four joined wood strips. A decorative glass insert fits onto the back of the wood frame. Glass cabinet doors are primarily used on select upper cabinets in a kitchen to add design interest.

Tags: cabinet doors, cabinet doors, made from, style kitchen, wood frame, wood panel

Does The Organization Structure Influence Product Standardization

Standardization has become increasingly common in all products.

Product standardization is a ubiquitous fact of modern life. People have come to take it for granted that most of the products they buy in the store follow a certain model and are of a similar quality. This great fact of standardization is in many ways the result of changes made in the organizational structure of businesses. The organizational structures that exist today are chiefly designed to facilitate the process of product standardization.

Bureaucratization

The sociologist Max Weber described the process that he called bureaucratization in the modern organization. To follow this pattern, each organization strives to reach what Weber considered the ideal bureaucracy. This structure is hierarchical and rule bound. Weber explicitly likened the functioning of a bureaucracy to a machine. Each person acts as a cog in a larger system. This leads to a more standardized product due to every person acting according to rules.

Levels

Following the structure that Weber first described, organizations arrange themselves in hierarchical structures. This means that there are different levels of command, each person reporting to someone else higher up than themselves. This allows organizations to break up production. People higher in the organization can mandate a certain standard. People of lower rank can then manage individuals who create the actual product. Everyone is held accountable for his duties by the person above him.

Rules

To properly do your job and fulfill your purpose in a bureaucratic organization structure you must follow certain rules. The closer the worker is to the actual manufacturer of a product the more specific his rules will usually become. In an industrial organization, for example, there will often be rules stating things like the exact number of times you must hit a certain part with a hammer. In this way variation is limited.

Automation

As the automation of product manufacturing increases, it has actually allowed many organizations to become less bureaucratic in structure. As more of the physical process of product creation is handled by machines, the people involved can afford to be less consistent and more creative. Many organizations have adopted what are called vertical structures, where there is much less hierarchy and people exchange ideas together more frequently. This encourages more innovation in exchange for less consistency.

Tags: follow certain, process product

Make Arts & Crafts Furniture

The Arts and Crafts Movement started in the late nineteenth century and continued into the early twentieth. It began as a rebellion against the ornate Victorian style that was popular at the time, as well as against the Industrial Revolution. The basic tenets of the movement were simple designs made by master craftsmen. In general, the use of modern manufacturing processes and division of labor was avoided. The design and manufacture of Arts and Crafts furniture follows in the spirit of these tenets. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Building Arts and Crafts Furniture

1. Study Arts and Crafts designs from the movement. The Arts and Crafts movement was so broad, covering many designers across the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. Designs by the American Gustav Stickley and William Morris, an Englishman, epitomize the Arts and Crafts style. Both designers focused more on quality and simplicity than on extravagance.

2. Choose a style and then choose a design or develop one of your own. Once you have a design, choose your materials. Solid oak is common today, but woods such as mahogany or cherry can be used. Choose a natural finish that highlights the features in the wood rather than covering them.

3. Build your furniture according to your design. Take your time while doing this. The spirit of the Arts and Crafts Movement is in the quality of the product. Even if the design is simply, make sure that each joint is put together with precision and care.

4. Apply the finish, carefully and evenly. Quality and elegance add value to the simple design.

Tags: Arts Crafts, Arts Crafts Furniture, Arts Crafts Movement, Crafts Furniture, Crafts Movement

Install "Grand Theft Auto Long Night"

Grand Theft Auto: Long Night is a modification for the original video game.

Grand Theft Auto: Long Night is a conversion piece of software that will dramatically change the regular version of Grand Theft Auto. The conversion will make the game darker, with zombie characters instead of human beings. It also features new missions, playable characters and radio stations. This program is known as a "mod," or modification to an existing retail game. Like any mod, it must be installed on top of the original game. In other words, the mod will not work unless you already have Grand Theft Auto installed on your computer.

Instructions

1. Log onto your computer and open an Internet browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer.

2. Visit GrandTheftAuto.Filefront.com. This is a reputable hosting site for the free modification software.

3. Click on "Click Here to Download This File" at the top of the page.

4. Click on "Download GTA: Long Night!" This will take you to the GameFront download page.

5. Click on "Download Now." A download dialogue box will appear. Click on "Save File."

6. Click on "Run" once the software is finished downloading. The program will automatically open and install the patch over the current software.

7. Restart your computer once the install process is complete for the changes to take effect, and then run Grand Theft Auto and select the option for "Long Night."

Tags: Grand Theft, Grand Theft Auto, Theft Auto, Long Night, Auto Long, Auto Long Night, Theft Auto Long

Design Office Furniture

Designing office furniture for contemporary interiors

The best way to learn design office furniture is by taking an art and design course in the field of three-dimensional design, where you can choose to specialize in interior and furniture design. This will help you work as a professional designer.

If art college is not an option for you, but you wish to freelance, then you need to produce a portfolio of designs to prove your artistic flair as an interior and furniture designer.

Instructions

1. Gather images, from photographs, magazines, catalogs, patterned papers or other visual resources, to create a mood board. Create a collage by cutting out a variety of images or abstract shapes and arrange them onto a page of your A3 sketchbook. Stick the images in place using a glue stick. The purpose of a mood board is to provide a visual source of inspiration for potential thematic, design and color schemes to help you create your furniture designs.

2. Consider what kinds of furniture you need in an office, such as desks, swivel chairs, storage units, soft furnishings, lighting and office accessories or anything you need in an office. Observe office furniture, noticing the proportion and scale of the objects set within the interior they inhabit and consider the functionality of each piece of office furniture and how you might be able to bring something new to furniture design.

3. Sketch the furniture and interior you inhabit as an exercise. This will help you to explore scale, perspective and shape your sketch by using line and the contrasts of light and dark, so to develop your own visual drawing style. Add color to your sketch, if desired.

4. Look at your mood board and pick out a small section or an element which visually interests you. This could be a shape, a color, an abstract pattern or an unusual contour or motif. Reference this section on a new page of your sketchbook by pasting in a re-sized photocopy of that section of interest or add a rough sketch of it. This will help to influence and shape your design ideas.

5. Start drawing a series of designs for your office furniture. Draw several design variations until you have a sufficient collection of design ideas to be able to select your best design ideas to make your professional display sheets. Add color or pattern into your furniture designs to add more detail. Stick material swatches onto your page to represent the type of fabric you might want to incorporate into the upholstery of your furniture. Write brief descriptive notes to suggest what materials to use in the construction or your office furniture and to specify special design and functionality features.

6. Select some of your best furniture designs from of your sketchbook. On a separate piece of A3 paper or white card, design an office interior that visually displays your range of office furniture. Your display sheets are to be placed in plastic display sleeves to be inserted inside your leather portfolio. This will look professional and will show employers or buyers that you can design more than just office furniture and can conceptualize by designing interior design schemes in their entirety.

You can create display sheets of selected pieces of office furniture but set the object in an office background, so that you don't just design office furniture in isolation.

7. Stick the finished display sheets of your designs onto pieces of colored mounting board to complete the presentation of your furniture designs. Place them into plastic display sleeves and put them in your portfolio.

Tags: office furniture, display sheets, furniture designs, office furniture, This will, your furniture, design ideas

Make Adobe Bricks

The ingredients that are used to make adobe bricks couldn't be more simple: soil and water. It's cheap and can be very durable in dry climates. The only trick is making sure you have the right kind of soil. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Test the Soil

1. Fill a glass jar about 2/3 full with the soil you plan to use.

2. Add water until the jar is full and put on the lid.

3. Shake the jar for two full minutes.

4. Let the jar sit overnight.

5. Examine the jar the next morning. The soil will have separated into bands of sand on the bottom and clay on the top. You want the ratio of sand to clay to be roughly 70 percent sand to 30 percent clay. The sand can be less, but you want it above 50 percent.

Prepare to Make Adobe Bricks

6. Clear an area for the bricks to dry. Keep in mind that it can take a couple of weeks for them to dry and you want them protected from the rain.

7. Figure out where you're going to mix your adobe. Small amounts can be done in a wheelbarrow. You can also dig a big pit or build a pit by making a rectangular box of cinder blocks and covering it with a tarp. You can also rent a cement mixer if it's a larger project.

8. Make forms for the bricks. The traditional size is 4 by 10 by 14 inches and this is made with 2 by 4 studs nailed into a ladder like shape.

Make Adobe Bricks

9. Shovel your soil into the mixing place you have prepared. Add sand or clay if necessary.

10. Add water to the soil. This is not an exact science. You're basically making mud. You want it to be firm and able to hold its shape and not too watery.

11. Mix the adobe thoroughly. You want it to be uniform. You can use a shovel or hoe or take your shoes off and stomp on it.

12. Take adobe with your shovel or hand and put it in the brick forms. Be sure to fill in the corners and press it down so it's all filled. Smooth it off with the shovel, by hand or with a piece of wood.

13. Let the bricks dry in the forms for at least 20 minutes.

14. Remove the forms and let the bricks sit flat as they are for about three days.

15. Place the bricks on their edges.

16. Allow the bricks to dry thoroughly. This can take a week or more depending on the weather and your soil.

Tags: Adobe Bricks, Make Adobe Bricks, forms bricks, Make Adobe, sand clay, shovel hand

Loot A Cinder Block In "Mafia Wars"

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Mafia Wars" is a free online strategy game on the Facebook social networking site. Players travel between different locations in the game and perform jobs in order to gain experience and level up. You also have a random chance to receive "loot" as a reward for successfully completing a job. The Cinder Block is a loot item that is used in the game to upgrade your properties in the Las Vegas area. You will need a lot of blocks, but fortunately they are easy to obtain.

Instructions

1. Log in to your Facebook account and start the game. Click the "Travel" button on the top left of the game screen and click "Las Vegas" from the drop-down menu.

2. Click the "Jobs" tab on the top left of the game screen to bring up a list of available missions. Click one of the eight districts at the top of the game screen to see missions in that area. If you have not done any previous missions in Las Vegas, only District One will be available.

3. Click the yellow "Do Job" button next to the job descriptions for a chance to receive loot. You need Energy (shown at the top of the screen next to the lightening bolt icon) and Items (shown underneath the job description) to do the job.

4. Continue clicking the "Do Job" button until you receive the "Cinder Block" as a loot reward. You receive experience and random loot each time you perform a job. The cinder block is one of the random pieces of loot found only in the Las Vegas area.

Tags: game screen, Block loot, chance receive, chance receive loot, Cinder Block, Cinder Block loot

Temperate Soil Types

Trees help maintain the soil quality in forests.

Soil provides the foundation for entire ecosystems. The soil is an unconsolidated amount of minerals and organic matter, with various microorganisms affecting its condition. Some temperate regions have soils with high nutrient content, while other temperate regions rely on rapid nutrient recycling to drive vigorous plant growth. Does this Spark an idea?

Temperature and Moisture

Temperate areas have a mild amount of soil respiration occurring as a result of warmer months. The warmer months heat up the temperate soil and release carbon dioxide. During the winter, temperate areas often get a lot of snow and ice that freezes the soil. When the water melts, the water dramatically increases the moisture content of the soil. The soil is also moist during the spring rains. Dry temperate regions tend to have more alkaline soil. Wet temperate regions have more acidic soil because of the rainfall.

Grasslands

Grasslands often develop in temperate regions. Temperate grasslands usually have deep soil, with a fertile upper layer. Natural prairies have become rare because farmers often turn them into farmland because of the soil fertility. The nutrients on the topsoils come from the decomposition of the grass roots. These grasslands occasionally experience fires, but not as often as in the drier savanna grasslands. These fires can increase the soil fertility. In the semiarid regions, soil mostly forms through calcification, which is when calcium salts build up in soft tissue. The soils usually experience little leeching and have high amounts of calcium carbonate.

Temperate Rainforests

Temperate rainforests have red and yellow clay soil with high acidity. The soil tends to have few nutrients. The Amazon soils are reddish because they have high iron oxide and aluminum oxide, sometimes in toxic amounts, while having low phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and potassium content. However, despite the low nutrient availability, the rainforests have rapid nutrient cycling. The majority of the nutrients are not found in the soil but in the vegetative matter. Dead and decaying matter provides the majority of the nutrients. Various organisms rapidly decompose the decaying plant material.

Temperate Forests

In regular temperate forests, the majority of the nutrients remain in the top 2 feet of soil where a diverse array of microorganisms works to break down the dead and decaying plant and animal life. The trees help trap the moisture in the soil so that the water does not run off into the streams. The trees must remain in the forests or else the soil will erode quickly. Deforestation and fire can rapidly destroy nutrient availability.

Tags: temperate regions, majority nutrients, decaying plant, have high, have more, nutrient availability, rainforests have

In "Red Dead Redemption " Do Jack'S Mission

When you assume the role of Jack Marston in "Red Dead Redemption," any of John Marston's unfinished missions are transferred to Jack. Jack's primary role is cleaning up and finishing John's business throughout the game. Jack only has one mission of his own, which doesn't appear on the map as a regular quest until you speak with the right character. After triggering trigger the mission, it takes just a few minutes to complete.

Instructions

1. Ride to Blackwater. Alternatively, take a stagecoach to save time.

2. Talk to Howard Sawicki at the train station. Howard appears on your map as a purple "stranger" question mark rather than a more noticeable storyline quest marker. Sawicki gives you a quest called "Remember my Family?"

3. Ride to the quest's map marker at Lake Don Julio. Speak with Emily Ross, the woman waiting at the lake's cabin. She tells you that Edgar Ross is hunting with Phillip Ross.

4. Ride to Rio Del Toro and speak to Phillip at the hunting campsite, indicated with a marker on your map. Phillip tells you that Edgar isn't at the campsite, but he points you downriver to where he is hunting.

5. Walk or ride to Edgar's position downriver.

6. Equip the Mauser pistol. You will be dueling with Egdar, and the Mauser works well for duels. The Mauser also has the largest clip in the game, giving you more opportunities to place a bullet directly on Edgar's head.

7. Talk to Edgar Ross to initiate a duel. The duel is in Deadeye slow motion, just like every duel in the game. Pick your shots and aim for the head, if possible. Unlike other duels, you cannot disarm Edgar. You must kill him in order to win the mission. After Edgar dies, the mission is over and the game's credits roll.

Tags: Dead Redemption, Edgar Ross, quest marker, tells that, tells that Edgar, that Edgar

Landscape For A Craftsmanstyle Home

The simplicity of Craftsman-style homes was a rebuke to Victorian-style excess.

Craftsman-style homes were popular in the early 20th century because their simplistic design served as a counter to the extravagant Victorian homes of that era, according to the website Architectural Designs. Craftsman homes are recognizable by their low-pitched gable roofs with exposed rafters and covered front porches or decks that have columns supporting an overhanging roof. As with any home, a well-planned and executed landscape plan can enhance the beauty and appearance of your Craftsman house. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Place plants in front of the porch walls. If you want to hide the walls, install a row of shrubs and trim them so they are a few inches beneath the floor of the porch. If a solid row of shrubs doesn't appeal to you, break them up with flowers planted in between them.

2. Plant flowers along the edges of the front walkway to frame the walkway, tie in the yard to the house and accentuate the geometric lines of a Craftsman-style house.

3. Install hanging plants along the bottom edge of the front porch roof. This draws attention to a distinctive feature of a Craftsman-style house and enhances the summertime appearance of the porch. If the plants have long vines, they add some privacy to the space.

4. Place rope lights around the beams and railing on the front porch to take advantage of this distinctive Craftsman feature. The lights provide soft lighting for people sitting out on the porch and make the view of your house come alive at night.

Tags: front porch, Craftsman-style homes, Craftsman-style house

Make Dinner Tables With Bookcases

Turn an unused bookshelf into a new dinner table for your family.

Building your own furniture does not require a degree in carpentry or even a great deal of experience. By re-purposing some pieces you already have, you can create your very own custom furniture. Bookcases, for example, can be laid flat and used as dinner tables. All you need to do is remove the shelves and add legs and you will have a brand new dinner table that costs much less to build yourself than purchasing a new table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Select a bookcase to use for your dinner table. Consider the height and width of the bookcase when making your selection. The larger you want your table to be, the taller and wider the bookcase should be.

2. Remove the shelves from the bookcase -- only the base and top of the bookcase should remain. Lay the bookcase flat on the ground with the backside facing up.

3. Remove the backing from the bookcase if it is flimsy chipboard or anything less than solid wood. Add 10 inches to the height and width measurements of the bookcase and cut a sheet of 1-inch plywood to this size.

4. Sand the surface and edges of the plywood and lay the piece of plywood flat on top of the bookcase. Center the plywood over the bookcase so it overhangs the edges of the bookcase by 5 inches on all four sides.

5. Secure the plywood to the bookcase by sinking 2-inch wood screws into the joints along the top, bottom and sides of the bookcase. Insert one screw every 4 or 5 inches and countersink the heads so they sit just below the surface of the plywood.

6. Fill in the holes over the exposed screw heads in the table top with wood filler and allow it to dry according to the instructions on the packaging. Sand away the excess wood filler after it has dried to create a smooth surface.

7. Determine the desired height for your dinner table by using an existing table or the chairs you intend to use as reference. Cut four 3-by-3 inch hardwood posts to the desired height to be used as table legs.

8. Flip the table top upside down so the plywood lays flat on the ground and the bookcase frame faces up. Set one table leg upright inside each corner of the bookcase frame so the sides of each post are flush with the edges of the bookcase. Insert two 3-inch wood screws through the bookcase frame into each adjacent side of the table legs to secure them in place.

9. Flip the table over into the upright position and sand away any imperfections with fine-grain sandpaper.

10. Paint or stain the table top, the bookcase and the table legs as you desire. You may choose to paint or stain the entire table one color or you might select a darker color for the table top and a lighter one for the bookcase and legs. Coat the table with a clear varnish or polyurethane to protect it from stains and scratches.

Tags: dinner table, bookcase frame, table legs, bookcase Insert, bookcase should

Kill Ulkair

Ulkair, the Great Unclean One, is the final boss in the campaign for "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II -- Chaos Rising." He has more than double the health of any other boss encountered, including Eliphas the Inheritor. In addition, he has two attacks, devour and vomit, which instantly kill anything hit with them. Ulkair can be stunned, which means the correct abilities can be used to lock him down. Due to his huge amount of health, expect the fight to take at least 10 minutes.

Instructions

1. Use the Force Commander's Battle Cry ability. This should be reused every 60 seconds.

2. Stun Ulkair by casting Jonah's Smite, Cyrus' Drop Smoke and Tarkus' Feel No Pain abilities in succession. The Force Commander's Battle Cry also stuns Ulkair when used. Each ability has a reuse timer. Wait until the stun from the previous ability wears off before casting the next one to maximize the amount of time Ulkair is stunned.

3. Use Tarkus' Tactical Advance ability to render him and the Force Commander invincible as long as he has energy to maintain it. The Force Commander's Battle Cry ability, in addition to other effects, regenerates the energy of his allies, which helps to maintain Tactical Advance for extended periods of time.

4. Attack Ulkair with Tarkus and the Force Commander using melee weapons.

5. Cast Ignite Soul with Jonah to do damage to Ulkair whenever this ability is available.

6. Use Remote Detonation Charges with Cyrus to help damage Ulkair.

7. Heal damaged Space Marines using Stimulant Kits with Cyrus. Due to one of his abilities, he is able to use kits with only an energy cost. This means he is not limited by the number of kits you have.

8. Revive any Space Marines that fall using Jonah's Purify ability.

9. Revive Jonah using a Stimulant Kit with Cyrus, if he falls.

10. Repeat Steps 1-9 until Ulkair runs out of health.

Tags: Force Commander, Commander Battle, Force Commander Battle, with Cyrus, Battle ability

Decorate With Mission & Mexican Colors

Creating a welcoming decor is as simple as using warm colors like those in mission and Mexican decorating.

Bright, sunny and vibrant colors swirl together to paint a picture of mission and Mexican decorating. Colors like Mediterranean blue accompanied by creamy beiges and warm terra cottas can create the feel of a temperate Central American home anywhere in the world. Traditionally, neutral earthy colors coat the walls while brighter and darker colors are used in tile accents, funiture and accessories to make the decor pop. However, doing a decorating overhaul can be expensive and exceed a modest budget. Fortunately through painting and a few accessories in mission and Mexican colors, you can find simple solutions to fit any budget. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Choosing Paint and Accessories

1. Measure the wall space of the room you are painting. This will help you buy the appropriate amount of paint.

2. Purchase paint colors that are neutral for mission and Mexican decorating. This includes colors in the range of beige, terra cotta, burnt orange, creamy white and yellow.

3. Look for accessories in colors to accent the paint you chose for your walls. Common colors used to accompany neutral colors in mission and Mexican decor include Mediterranean blue, brick red, turquoise and chocolate brown. Use these colors in accent pieces like tile, pillows and blankets for an inexpensive way to add color to your decor.

Decorating Your Space

4. Remove any furniture and accessories from the room you are preparing to paint. This includes couches, pictures, light fixtures and any other items in the room that may be damaged from the paint.

5. Lay a plastic tarp on the floor to protect hardwood and carpet from damage.

6. Place edging tape along molding to separate it from the the painting you will be doing on the wall. This will help prevent spill over if you are planning to paint the molding a new color.

7. Pour paint for the main wall color into the pan and roll the paint roller into the pan to coat it evenly. Use the paint roller to cover large sections of the wall. Use smaller brushes to paint along molding in and around corners.

8. Apply paint to the walls with the paint roller in an "X" shape until the large portions of the wall are covered. Finish painting the corners and molding with smaller brushes in an up-and-down motion. After the walls have dried, replace furniture and accessories to complete the color palette of your mission and Mexican- inspired room.

Tags: mission Mexican, Mexican decorating, mission Mexican decorating, paint roller, along molding, colors accent, colors used

Make Craftsman Style Trim

Craftsman-style wood trim looks great in the home. Square edges without embellishment are a signature part of the craftsman style, so it's perfect for beginning do-it-yourselfer. The wood trim is typically layered: the main portion of the trim is very wide, and a narrow section is added to the bottom or top. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Measure the area where you want to apply the wood trim.

2. Cut the first layer of wood. Make sure it's wider than the section of trim that will go on top. The first layer should be similar to the wide base boards that adorn the bottom of some walls.

3. Nail your first section into place.

4. Apply the second layer of trim over the top. The second layer should be much smaller in width and wrap around the edge of the wider trim. It's similar to the quarter round trim that finishes off wide base boards at the bottom of some walls.

5. Mitre your corners to they meet in 45-degree angles. Measure and cut carefully so the angles fit snugly together.

6. Counter sink your nails and fill the holes with wood putty.

7. Use your finger or a cotton swab to apply a small amount of stain to the wood putty.

Tags: wood trim, base boards, bottom some, bottom some walls, first layer

Make Your Furniture More Comfortable

Make Your Furniture More Comfortable

Everyone loves to sit on the couch and watch a good movie or lay down and take a nap. Whnen you have a worn out couch that needs some comfort restored or even newer furniture that just needs some spiffing up, it can be done simply! Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. If your couch makes you feel like you are being enveloped into it, there is a simple solution. First, measure the length of the couch within the arms of it. Then remove the seat cushions and measure how deep the couch is from an inch inside the edge until the pack cushion. Find a board 1/2" or thicker that fits these measurements. If the board does not fit the measurements, you can have someone cut it for you. If you do not know anyone who does not have the proper tools, you can take the board into a local lumber store that may cut it for free or very cheap. Place the board under the seat cushion then put the seat cushion back on. If you use plywood or a wood that will splinter, you may want to use a staple gun to put cloth around the wood to prevent splinters from going into the seat cushions. Voila! Your seat should be firmer and you will no longer sink into the depths of the couch!

2. Sometimes your furniture may seem uncomfortable because it is too cluttered. When you cannot stretch out fully or feel like you have things crowding you, you need to clean off your couch. The crowding may even be caused by too many pillows. Take everything off of your couch and place only pillows on it. Sit down and see if it feels more comfortable that way. Sometimes feeling crowded can make you feel less comfortable.

3. On the other hand, you may not have enough pillows on your couch. If you feel like being cozy and wrapped up in a blanket and pillows, feel free to keep some nearby to put on the couch when you want to feel more comfortable. Put a movie in and you will be set for the afternoon or evening!

4. If you have older furniture or a couch that is uncomfortable because of the material, you can have it reupholstered. You can pick out upholstery material to have it redone with. When you choose to reupholster your furniture, you do not have to buy new furniture - you simply pay someone to remove the old material and sew the new material on. If you know someone who knows do this, you can even have it done for only the price of the material!

Tags: your couch, feel like, couch that, feel like being, Furniture More

Convert A Dresser To A Bath Vanity

Make your own furniture-style bathroom vanity.

Custom-built furniture-style bathroom vanities with vessel sinks have become common additions to new or remodeled high-end homes. You can enjoy the same unique look without paying a custom cabinetmaker, however, if you have an old dresser on hand and some rudimentary woodworking and plumbing skills. Scour estate sales and flea markets for a dresser that will fit your style and your bathroom. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Determine the area of the dresser where you want to install the vessel sink. Some homeowners install the sink directly in the center of the dresser, while others move it to one side. Using the manufacturer's measurements and spacing recommendations, mark the placement of the holes you'll need to cut out for the faucets and the vessel sink's drain. Mark the area on the back of the dresser that you will need to cut out for the water lines and drain line.

2. Remove all the drawers from the dresser. Determine which drawers will interfere with the water and drain line placement. Cut the fronts off of those drawers and put all drawers and drawer fronts aside.

3. Find the screws that secure the top of the dresser and unscrew them. Remove the top of the dresser and measure the area where you will be installing the sink and faucets. Cut a piece of plywood to reinforce this area, and attach it to the underside of the dresser top with wood glue and wood screws. Allow the wood to dry and place the top back on the dresser.

4. Bore holes in the top of the dresser and the plywood reinforcement for the fixtures using the paddle bit. Drill a hole large enough to allow you to insert the jigsaw blade and cut out the drain opening. Cut the opening for the plumbing in the back of the dresser with the jigsaw.

5. Move the vanity into its final position. Install the faucets and hook up the hot and cold water lines, following the manufacturer's recommendations for tightening and caulking.

6. Place the mounting ring and washer that came with the vessel sink in the drain hole. Apply clear silicone adhesive to every part of the bottom of the sink that will touch the drain opening or countertop. Set the sink into place, and attach the drain mechanism, tightening and caulking underneath the counter to the manufacturer's specifications.

7. Replace the drawers in the vanity. Attach the drawer fronts that you cut off onto the front of the vanity with wood glue.

8. Apply several coats of polyurethane finish to the vanity countertop with a paintbrush to protect it from moisture.

Tags: back dresser, that will, vessel sink, drain line, drain opening

Decorate For A James Bond Party

James Bond-themed parties offer black tie sophistication.

A James Bond-themed party allows adults the opportunity to escape the doldrums of everyday life and, for one evening, play the role of a world-renowned spy. Although you may wish to stretch your budget for such an elegant event, you can still throw the party using a host of budgetary means. Does this Spark an idea?

Invitations

Send out James Bond-themed invitations. Mark the invitations as "Top Secret" and ask your guests to accept a secret agent mission at the time and location of the party. Request that men come dressed in black tie attire, including suits or tuxedos. Encourage the women in attendance to wear evening gowns.

Decorations

Decorate the center of each table, including the food buffet, with British flags and small model Aston Martin cars. For a large gathering with a sit-down dinner, name each table after a different James Bond film or actor who portrayed the spy. Hang James Bond film posters on the wall and play the soundtrack, including the famed title theme, throughout the party. Use alternating silver, black or white satin tablecloths for a streamlined and sophisticated appearance.

Food & Drink

Serve drinks, such as champagne and shaken-not-stirred martinis, that are associated with Bond. Start with upscale appetizers such as gourmet cheeses topped with smoked salmon. If your budget permits, serve caviar. For sit-down dinners, serve warm British cuisine, such as premium sausage and game pies. Try British-style tarts and puddings for dessert. A chocolate fountain with fresh fruit and cakes for dipping adds an elegant touch. You may also consider hiring professional bartenders, servers and caterers.

Games

Mirroring many Bond films, set up a casino area filled with gaming tables, such as roulette. Provide each guest with a set of gambling chips. At the end of the party, give the evening's big winner a box set of James Bond movies or soundtracks. For smaller gatherings, try playing a spy-themed board game. You can also devise a trivia game, testing the guests' knowledge of all things Bond. For an added bit of fun, divide the party into groups, labeling them as villains, Bond girls and spies.

Tags: James Bond, James Bond-themed, Bond film, each table, James Bond film

Bungalow Kitchen Ideas

Natural wood is an authentic cabinet choice for a bungalow kitchen.

At the turn of the 20th century the bungalow style grew in popularity. Their small size made bungalows affordable, and their simple but quality craftsmanship made them beautiful. Gather kitchen ideas by touring bungalow era homes, such as Greene and Greene’s Gamble House in Pasadena, California--one of the most important structures showcasing this style. Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio, in Oak Park, Illinois, demonstrate his Prairie Style sharing common elements with bungalows. Tours of many historic buildings are available online. Does this Spark an idea?

Cabinets

Cabinetry is the central feature of any kitchen. Mission style furniture is characteristic of bungalow homes, and mission cabinetry is a popular kitchen cabinet style. Quartersawn oak is the most common type of wood, but other hardwoods can be used, such as cherry or cherry-stained maple. Shaker style cabinet fronts also make use of natural wood and the simple lines that are typical of bungalow homes. Hardware is generally made from dark metal, such as rubbed bronze or hammered copper.

Lighting

Classic lighting pieces can create a focal point for the kitchen. Original pieces can be found at architectural salvage stores or through the Internet but may require rewiring or refurbishing. Many contemporary manufacturers make quality reproduction pieces. Copper and bronze accents can complement the cabinet hardware. Tiffany style lamps were popular in grand Arts & Crafts homes, and lighting is still made in a similar style. Glass shades are characteristic, often in such colors as amber and green, with slag glass or mica shades being very popular.

Flooring

Linoleum came into common use during the same era as bungalow homes, and it is considered an authentic flooring type. It is available in a wide range of colors and is durable and easy to clean. Most contemporary bungalow kitchens now show a preference for hardwood floors. If original hardwood floors are found underneath the existing floor, there is a reasonable chance that they can be sanded and refinished. Otherwise new wood floors can be installed.

Colors

Earth tones and historic colors are appropriate for a bungalow home.

Bungalow and Arts and Crafts homes make use of harmonious color schemes. Pastels and primary colors are not authentic. Earth tones and other colors from nature are the norm. The color "hunter green" is named after the Arts & Crafts designer Dard Hunter, who often used the shade in his work. Many commercial paint makers make historic color lines, a number of which are suitable for a bungalow home.

Accessories and Accents

A copper backsplash can add an authentic accent.

Accessories and accent pieces can put the finishing touches on a bungalow kitchen. Hammered copper was popular during the Arts & Crafts era, with craftsmen such as the Roycroft artisans popularizing copper works. Copper sinks and hardware pieces are widely available today, and a copper-look backsplash is another possibility.

Ceramic tile was not used for bungalow flooring but was widely used for backsplashes and architectural accents. Some historic tile makers, like Motawi Tiles, are still in operation and make accent and field tiles that can be used in a bungalow kitchen. Bungalow era pottery is highly collectible but easily found in antique shops and online. While some pieces by Rookwood or Roseville are expensive, there are also affordable items made by such companies as McCoy or Weller. Some historic potters, like Pewabic Pottery, still make pieces in the traditional style to decorate a bungalow home.

Tags: Arts Crafts, bungalow homes, bungalow home, bungalow kitchen, Arts Crafts homes, bungalow home Bungalow

Performing Arts Colleges In North Carolina

North Carolina's performing arts programs grant a variety of degrees.

Prospective college students hoping to study the performing arts in North Carolina can consider programs at several of the state's top-ranked public and private universities. These programs offer undergraduate majors and minors in a variety of performing arts fields, including drama, music and dance. Some performing arts programs at North Carolina's universities also offer graduate degrees.

Duke University Arts

Duke University offers programs in music, theater and dance. The music department offers an undergraduate major and minor in performance, as well as graduate programs leading toward masters and doctoral degrees in composition, musicology, music theory and performance. All music students have the opportunity to perform with the department's 9 ensembles. The dance department offers undergraduate majors and minors in dance with a focus on performance, choreography and dance history and theory. The Duke theater studies department offers undergraduate majors and minors with classes in acting, directing and dramatic writing. Duke University was ranked 10th in US News and World Report's 2010 ranking of national universities.

Duke University

Bivins Building

Durham, NC 27708

919-684-8111

arts.duke.edu

University of North Carolina Department of Dramatic Art

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences contains the department of dramatic art. The department offers major and minor courses of study for undergraduates, with an emphasis on acting, theatrical design and production and stage and screen writing. The department also offers three-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs for graduate students in professional actor training, costume production and technical production.

All performing arts students at UNC Chapel Hill have the opportunity to participate in theater productions with the school's PlayMakers Repertory Company. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tied for 28th in US News and World Report's 2010 ranking of national universities.

University of North Carolina Department of Dramatic Art

CB # 3230, Center for Dramatic Art

Chapel Hill, NC 27599

919-962-1132

drama.unc.edu

University of North Carolina at Asheville

The University of North Carolina at Asheville functions as the state's public liberal arts university. The university's drama department offers an undergraduate major in drama, with an emphasis on acting, directing and theater design and technology. The department requires all drama degree candidates to prove their proficiency in a wide variety of areas by completing work within university productions. In addition to acting and directing, students must also work in set design, props, lighting, sound and costumes.

University of North Carolina at Asheville

One University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

828-251-6600

unca.edu/drama

Tags: North Carolina, University North, University North Carolina, department offers, Chapel Hill, department offers undergraduate

What Were The Wooden Headboard And Footboard Styles Circa 1890

Beds in the 1890s were commonly styled with wooden headboards and footboards.

During the 1890s, the world was on the brink of a brand-new era, and you can see it reflected in the furniture styles of the day. Wooden headboards and footboards made in the same year may reflect vastly different styles. The traditional furniture styles of the early part of the century began to change dramatically toward the end of the period. Does this Spark an idea?

Arts and Crafts

The Arts and Crafts movement, which first emerged in the 1840s, had gained strong popularity by the 1890s. Arts and Crafts designs were the direct opposite of the embellished, ornate look of Victorian styles that emerged earlier in the century. The style was marked by straight lines and simplistic design. The Arts and Crafts look was especially popular in America. Simple designs were often incorporated into furniture, which was styled with very straight horizontal and vertical lines. Wooden headboards and footboards were square or rectangular in shape, often embellished with simple geometric shapes. Mission beds are reminiscent of the straight lines found in 1890s Arts and Crafts furniture.

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau means new art. The name fits, because in the 1890s the style was very modern and new. Art Nouveau furniture was more embellished than the straight styles of the Arts and Crafts movement. Stained glass and iron were commonly incorporated into Art Nouveau designs. Many elements of nature were mimicked in Art Nouveau designs. Leaves, flowers and stems were often carved into the furniture. Art Nouveau footboards and headboards were made with asymmetrical lines, in sharp contrast to Arts and Crafts furniture, in flowing and curvy designs.

Other Styles

The Eastlake design movement began to emerge at the end of the 19th century. Somewhat similar to the simplified styles of Arts and Crafts styles, Eastlake furniture was made to look much lighter and thinner than the bulkier Regency-style furniture that was popular in the early part of the 19th century. Low-relief carvings were a main component of Eastlake-style furniture. The carvings were often simple geometric shapes. Eastlake furniture is also known as Cottage furniture. Colonial Revival furniture also become popular in the 1890s.The Colonial Revival style saw a reappearance of the Queen Anne styles popular in the 1700s. Wooden furniture was commonly painted white in homes decorated in the Colonial Revival style.

Types of Wood

Oak was a common choice for furniture made in the 1890s, though birch was also often used. Birch furniture was usually covered with dark mahogany wood. The new carving machines invented in the 1890s led to furniture that was more embellished: Almost anything that could be drawn could also be carved into wooden headboards and footboards. Mahogany and oak furnishings were popular among homeowners in the 1890s. Beds made during this period were most likely crafted with one or both of these woods, if they were not made with metal. Metal beds became very popular during the latter years of the 19th century.

Tags: Arts Crafts, headboards footboards, 19th century, Colonial Revival, were often

Make An Oak Mantel

Turn your fireplace into an accent piece by building a custom oak mantel.

Building and installing an oak mantel is an inexpensive way to change the look of your room. The fireplace is often the focal point of a room, so by installing an attractive mantel you can make your entire room more appealing. Constructing a basic oak mantel is a project that the average homeowner can complete in a few hours. Once the basic mantel has been framed you may customize it to suit your particular aesthetic. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Hold a 78-inch length of 1-by-10-inch oak flat against the wall above your fireplace. Make pencil marks approximately every 8 inches along the top and bottom edges of the board to serve as guides for pre-drilling holes. If the wall above your fireplace is brick, be sure the pencil marks are aligned with the mortar joints between the bricks.

2. Pre-drill holes through the 1-by-10-inch oak board using the pencil marks you just made as guides and an electric drill. Hold the board flat against the wall above the fireplace so the bottom edge is about 60 inches off the floor.

3. Center the board over the fireplace and drive 3-inch masonry screws through the pre-drilled holes into the mortar joints between the bricks in the wall. This board will serve as the breastplate for your mantle.

4. Cut a 78-inch length of 2-by-6-inch oak using a circular saw. Position this board flat on it widest edge along the top edge of the breastplate you just installed and align the edges. The back edge of the board should be flush with the wall.

5. Install a 2-by-6-inch piece of oak by driving 3-inch wood screws down through the board into the breastplate below. The 2-by-6-inch board will serve as the shelf for your mantel.

6. Cut a 78-inch length of unfinished oak crown molding using a circular saw. The style and width of molding you select is up to you. Choose something that fits in with the existing decor of your room or select something ornate to turn your fireplace mantel into an accent piece.

7. Apply a bead of wood glue along the back of a section of oak crown molding and press it flat against the breastplate. Adjust the piece of crown molding so the top edge is flush with the underside of the 2-by-6-inch shelf.

8. Secure the crown molding in place by driving nails from a nail gun through the molding and into the breastplate.

9. Fill all nail and screw holes in the breastplate, shelf and crown molding with wood filler. Once the filler has dried completely, sand all the wooden surfaces smooth using fine-grain sandpaper.

10. Stain your completed oak mantel. Apply thin coats of stain using a paintbrush and wipe away the excess between coats. Once the stain has dried you may choose to brush on a coat of clear varnish or polyurethane to protect the finish from minor damage.

Tags: crown molding, your fireplace, 78-inch length, flat against, pencil marks, wall above, above your

Install Cable Outlets In A Finished Wall

A cable outlet can be installed in a wall outlet to connect a television, DVR or digital cable box to television programming. Usually a cable outlet is installed prior to a wall being finished, but one can easily be added at a later time. The only requirement is having the required cable already wired or easily accessible through the wall. Installing a cable outlet into a finished wall can be done by following a few steps to make sure the wall does not get damaged. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Find a place on the wall for the outlet. A cable outlet is usually six inches or so from the floor but can be placed anywhere on a wall. Use a pencil to make a mark on the wall where a hole needs to be made for the outlet.

2. Make sure there is no obstructions such as a stud where the outlet needs to go. Use a stud finder to make sure there are no studs that are going to cause a problem.

3. Use a drill to make a small hole in the wall and cut out an opening for the outlet with a hacksaw blade. A hacksaw blade is small and easy to use to cut a hole in drywall.

4. Make sure the cable has been wired and there is enough to use when installing the outlet. Run the cable through the wall or floor to the hole that was made in the wall.

5. Run the cable through the outlet and place the outlet in the wall opening. Use a screwdriver to secure the outlet to the wall.

6. Connect the cable to the face plate and secure the faceplate to the outlet. The face plate connector is a coupler that has been mounted to the face plate to give it a finished look. The faceplate should cover the opening that was used for the outlet.

Tags: cable outlet, face plate, cable outlet installed, cable through, hacksaw blade, Make sure, outlet cable

Find Cheap Storage Units

Using a storage unit is one way to de-clutter your home. Before you look at your options, decide how much space you need in your storage unit. Also determine how much you are willing to spend on a unit. Most storage companies offer units in a wide variety of sizes and prices. Storage unit prices vary from company to company, so it is important to know find the best deal on a unit.

Instructions

1. Visit the websites of the storage companies near you. Companies often post storage unit coupons and promotions.

2. Call or walk in to few storage companies in your area. Inquire as to what the best deal is for the amount of space you need. Many storage unit companies run special promotions such as a free month of storage or discounted monthly rates. Also ask about any discounts, such as for AAA members or senior citizens.

3. Consider downsizing the amount of storage you need, since that will then lower the price you pay. A few good ways to downsize include holding yard sales and donating items to local thrift stores. Also be sure to carefully stack the items in your storage unit to maximize every inch of space.

Tags: storage unit, storage companies, your storage unit, best deal, space need

Install A Table Base To A Tabletop

A new top rejuvenates an old table.

One way to add life to your existing table or salvage a table with a marred top is installing a new tabletop. Tabletops come in a variety of styles and they're a good way to rejuvenate your furniture, especially if the legs are in good shape. That saves you the hassle and expense of shopping for an entire table. Be sure to choose a tabletop that is proportional to the table base, and that the base can carry the weight of the new top. After removing the old top, installing the new one requires only a few steps. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Turn the table over so that the tabletop is flat on a work surface. Remove the screws that fasten the mounting hardware to the table base and tabletop with a screwdriver. Set the screws and mounting hardware aside.

2. Stand the table base upright. Brush off the base with a utility brush to remove any debris so you have a clean surface for mounting the new tabletop.

3. Lay the new tabletop over the table base so its top surface is facing up.

4. Position the tabletop so that it is centered on the base. Verify the correct alignment with a tape measure.

5. Position the mounting hardware on the underside of the table, in the corners where the top joins with the base. Mark the mounting holes onto the tabletop. Drill pilot holes in the tabletop at the marks you made.

6. Drive screws through the holes in the mounting plates and into the top and base, using a screwdriver.

Tags: mounting hardware, table base, table base, tabletop that

Make Your Own Stump Grinder

This stump is just about the right height for grinding.

Stumps in your yard are not only an eyesore, but they also make it difficult to mow the grass, much less make any major landscaping improvements. You can arrange to have the stump removed, or try to excavate it yourself. However, if you just want to get the stump out of your sight and don't need to take all of it out, you can turn a walk-behind gas edger into a homemade stump grinder. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Make sure there is no power going to the motor that turns the blade. For electric edgers, this just means pulling the plug out of the socket. For gas edgers, you'll need to disconnect the wire going to the spark plug.

2. Hold an adjustable wrench on the driveshaft behind the edger blade and hold it fast. Try to turn the nut on the front of the blade with your hand. If it won't budge, try it with the other wrench, until you can remove it by hand. Take off the blade and any washers in front of or behind it.

3. Put a washer back on, and then slide a circular saw blade. This blade should be at least 1-1/2 inches smaller in diameter than your edger blade was, for safety purposes. Then add a washer and another circular saw blade, followed by a third washer.

4. Grasp the shaft with the wrench again and tighten the nut by hand. Then tighten it the rest of the way with the second wrench. If you drop the saw blade on the stumps you're grinding, the blades will wear away the stump quickly.

Tags: circular blade, edger blade

Cottage Furniture Styles

The right furniture will transform your home into an English cottage.

Cottage furniture styles can transform a home of any size into a comfortable and cozy retreat. Cottage furniture projects a simplicity and lived-in feel that suits many lifestyles. The variety of cottage furniture available today makes it easy for a homeowner to find the perfect look that complements a range of design preferences. Cottage furniture appeals not only to the romantic, but to the outdoor enthusiast and the beachcomber as well. Does this Spark an idea?

Shabby Cottage

Almost any piece of wooden furniture will fit into a shabby cottage room as long as it has been painted white, off-white or a soft pastel. New shabby cottage furniture can be purchased from a number of manufacturers. However, if the decorating budget is tight, search for shabby pieces from garage sales and flea markets. Paint and rough up the edges with sandpaper. Finish with a light wash of antiquing glaze. Upholstered pieces typically feature faded florals and stripes as well as solid neutrals and pastels.

Rustic Cottage

The broader category of rustic cottage furniture encompasses other cottage styles like cabin, camp and lodge. Rustic cottage style favors chunky, dark wood furniture. Primitive pieces made from logs and branches work well in a rustic cottage home. Consider Mission style and Arts and Crafts pieces for a contemporary twist. Upholstery includes leather, cotton twill, flannel and wool. Rustic cottage also incorporates Native American textiles, kilims and camp blankets into furniture pieces.

Beach Cottage

Beach cottage style furniture reminds one of a seaside getaway using a combination of wicker, rattan and painted wood furniture. The overall look is inviting and casual. Whitewashed furniture with beadboard and shutters grace coastal cottages almost everywhere. Reproduction antique pieces in various paint and wood finishes have begun to permeate this design style. Awning stripe fabrics adorn traditional beach cottage furniture as well as nautical and shell motifs.

English Cottage

English cottage style embodies an eclectic collection of antique furniture pieces in a variety of dark-toned woods and metals. Imagine a mismatched curio cabinet, china hutch and writing desk inhabiting a cottage in the Cotswolds. Don't forget an overstuffed chair with a foot stool in the corner. Aficionados of English cottage style furniture gravitate toward traditional chintzes, cabbage roses, crewels and needlepoint fabrics as coverings or accents.

Country Cottage

Furniture pieces in country cottage rooms exude simplicity and comfort. Wood remains the material of choice for country cottage furniture. Painted and natural pine furniture dominates this decorating style. Diminutive furniture need not apply here---the scale should be impressive but at the same time project a down-home feel. A large, rough-hewn farm table with bench seating exemplifies the country cottage experience. Gone are the days of blue-and-white gingham and kitschy upholstery fabrics. Current trends in country cottage lean toward a mix of solids, stripes and florals in a sophisticated color palette.

Tags: cottage furniture, cottage style, country cottage, English cottage, Cottage furniture

Diy Twin Captains Bed Plans

DIY Twin Captains Bed Plans

A captain's bed is a throwback to the days of sailing ships, when travel to other lands took more than a few hours and a ship's crew struggled to get everything they needed on board. Perhaps it is our desire to live in a romantic past, or maybe they just make us feel special, but kids and adults both love a well-made captain's bed. Does this Spark an idea?

Size

Even on the largest ships, the captain's quarters would never be called "spacious." For this reason, a captain's bed was a small affair. For your modern version, a twin size mattress is a perfect fit. You will want the bed to take up as little floorspace as possible.

If you want to make your captain's bed feel authentic, a twin size mattress has another benefit. Much like a modern daybed, the captain's bed had to serve as a seating area; a twin size bed suits this purpose much more easily than a larger mattress would. You might want to give your twin captain's bed a slightly higher footboard (to match the headboard) and add a back side to serve as a backrest for some cushions and extra pillows. This way, your bed will almost feel like an seating alcove--very cozy.

Storage

Captain's beds were the original storage beds. With so little room aboard ship, the area under the captain's bed was filled with drawers. These were much more useful than open shelves or cabinets, especially when high waves could rise up at any moment.

Make the drawers in different sizes, with some being smaller than others; this is how a real captain's bed would be built, so smaller objects would not be tossed around when sailing rough seas. You can line them up in two rows, with the smaller drawers on top; or you might put a couple of large drawers at the head and foot, with a group of smaller drawers in between them.

Details

A captain's bed is all about the details. Although a captain's bed would never be built as a bunk bed, it would often have a raised lip along the front edge; this would act the way a guard rail on an upper bunk does, to keep the captain from being tossed out of bed by a sudden roll of the ship. You do not have to make a high lip, or even run it the full length of the bed; a common modern adaptation of this idea adds a short raised apron at both the head and foot of the bed, leaving the middle of the side lower for easy entry and exit.

Remember that nautical details are what really make a captain's bed stand out. Use brass hardware on the drawers, perhaps some brass angle pieces on the corners to resemble reinforcements on a treasure chest, and surround the bed with furniture that has a nautical theme - a bedside table that looks like a treasure chest, for example.

Tags: twin size, captain would, Captains Plans, head foot, much more

Refinish Oak Wood

Oak is a popular wood choice for furniture.

Popularized during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century, oak was--and still is--used frequently for fine furniture, hardwood floors and decorative items. Oak wood that has been stained, damaged or worn can be restored fairly easily. The details of the refinishing process will vary depending on your project, but there are standard techniques you can apply to any piece of oak. If you are unsure of the age of the oak you want to refinish, consult a restoration expert first: Removing the original finish on an antique can significantly lower its value.

Instructions

Removing the Old Finish

1. Clean the oak with a mixture of three parts mineral spirits to one part boiled linseed oil. Dip the rag in the mixture and wipe in a circular motion. Depending on the condition of your oak wood, a thorough cleaning may be all you need to restore its appearance.

2. Remove all hardware such as hinges and drawer pulls and cover any embedded hardware such as keyholes.

3. Brush a layer of paint stripper onto the oak wood using a natural bristle brush. Only cover as much area as you can reasonably work with at a time. Allow the paint stripper to sit for the manufacturer-recommended time, usually 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Scrape the softened finish with a metal scraper, being careful not to gouge the wood. To remove finish in intricate designs or hard-to-reach areas, use a small, fine wire brush.

5. Clean any remaining film by rubbing with a rag soaked in mineral spirits. Alternatively, clean water-soluble paint thinner with water, but do not soak the wood as this may cause warping or further damage.

6. Sand the surface of the oak wood lightly to prepare it for the next steps. You can also sand away the finish rather than using a chemical paint stripper, but this will remove a layer of wood in the process (recommended for refinishing oak floors). If you are attempting to remove a dark stain in addition to the old finish, you will have to sand down to fresh wood.

Refinishing

7. Wipe all surfaces of the wood with a rag dipped in mineral spirits to remove any sanding dust.

8. Allow the wood to dry completely. Meanwhile, if you are staining the oak, mix the stain thoroughly.

9. Apply stain with a clean paintbrush. Drag the brush along the can lip to remove excess stain, and sweep across the wood in the direction of the grain. Try not to overlap the edges too much, as additional stain will color the wood darker. Allow the stain to dry for 24 hours before recoating or applying a finish.

10. Apply a finish such as varnish, shellac or lacquer. This will seal the stain or natural wood, making it more resistant to damage caused by spills or marks.

Tags: mineral spirits, paint stripper, hardware such

Understand Kitchen Cabinet Styles

At first there seem to be so many choices you may never narrow them all down to one, but it's easier than you think. There are two basic aspects to any cabinet style: the type of structure and the look. In the end, it will boil down to what you like to look at.

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Instructions

The Structure

1. Shop for face-frame cabinets with a gap between the doors and drawers ranging from 1/4" to 1" or more; they lay on top of a wood frame 1" to 1 1/2" wide - like a picture-frame - that defines the space behind each door and drawer.

2. Be aware that face-frame cabinet-doors have their hinges visible on the outside - but not always. The doors may be hung using hidden hinges.

3. Look for frameless cabinets (also known as "European" cabinets) with a gap of about 1/8" between the doors and drawers. Opening the doors and drawers, you can only see the front edge of the cabinet box itself, usually 5/8" to 3/4" thick.

4. Remember that frameless cabinet-doors are hung using hidden (or "european") hinges, visible only when the doors are open.

The Look

5. Cabinets are broadly described as "traditional" or "contemporary". These terms, however, are highly flexible.

6. One aspect of traditional styling may be that the structure is face-frame, and for contemporary cabinetry, frameless - but not always.

7. In general, traditional cabinetry has more detail; contemporary, less.

8. Traditional doors have a frame with a panel inside. The panel is either "raised" (this is literally so), or flat (and recessed from the frame, sometimes called "Shaker"). Drawers are built the same - but only the larger ones; smaller than 6" or 7" tall and there is not enough room for the central panel, so the drawer is often a "slab" (no detail in the middle, but possibly on the outside edge, to match the rest of the doors and drawers).

9. Contemporary doors can be "slabs" (no detail, just a slab of wood or laminate or steel); simple flat-panels (which are often called "Shaker" - a traditional style); or some combination. Some contemporary doors and drawers can be opened without pulls, using just your fingers.

10. To further confuse things, many kinds of door and drawer styles can be found on both face-frame and contemporary cabinets.

11. Various kinds of trim, such as crown moldings on top, or light-valences below upper cabinets, are used with both tradional and contemporary styles.

12. Similar finishes can generally be used for either traditional or contemporary styles, whether clear, stained, or painted. Some finishes, though, such as glazed, or sanded-through, or distressed, are usually only found on traditional styles.

13. Pulls and knobs follow the same general guidlines as far as style: more ornate for traditional; cleaner lines for contemporary.

Tags: doors drawers, between doors, between doors drawers, cabinets with, called Shaker

What Weather Data Is Collected During A Hurricane Mission

Hurricane data collection includes steering currents, wind data, pressure, temperature and humidity. Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS) of the U.S. Air Force send planes up into hurricanes to take readings at specific intervals to track the storm. Does this Spark an idea?

In the Thick of Things

According to the Hurricane Hunters Association (HHA), while satellites can locate the eye of the hurricane, they can't locate the pressure center. The HHA notes that a plane flying through a storm can give detailed wind measurements for small increments of the storm.

Collection Method

Both NOAA and the 53rd WRS use devices called dropsondes (or dropwindsondes). These are tubes filled with equipment, a parachute and a radio transmitter. Researchers drop them into the storm, and as they fall, the dropsondes relay data back to the plane.

NOAA Data

NOAA states that its use of data is different from that of the 53rd WRS. NOAA uses the information to not only create forecasts, but to investigate storm formation.

WRS Data

The 53rd WRS notes it uses the data it collects to help plan evacuations as well as help forecasters issue storm warnings.

Interesting Fact

The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that a ground radar system was "the only scientific team to successfully brave Hurricane Ike's knock-down winds and swells in Galveston." Researchers are using the data to look at "fine-scale wind streaks" and "boundary layer rolls," both of which influence hurricane formation, according to the NSF.

Tags: NOAA 53rd

Date Antique Frames

Date Antique Frames

Picture frames entered the realm of fine art collectibles in the 1990s. "The antique frame has become so valuable that it can be separated from the painting it surrounds, or even the mirror, and it can be appreciated for its own independent aesthetic," said New York frame dealer Eli Wilner in the introduction to Antique American Frames Identification and Price Guide. Old frames previously tossed in the dump heap are now being fought over by dealers from trendy Manhattan art galleries. Vintage frames date from the 1700s into the 20th century. Identifying and dating antique frames is an art form in itself.

Instructions

1. Check on the back of the antique frame for a maker's mark and date. Many artist-craftsman who made early frames (just like violin makers) signed and dated their frames. Also look for labels by the frame companies. This will give you the company name and location. The company may still be in existence or you may find the time period they were in operation in old city directories.

2. Look at the artwork that is in the frame (such as a vintage print). Hold the magnifying glass over the bottom right and left areas of the print and look carefully for a date. Sometimes the date will be below the artist's name and will only be indicated by the last two digits, such as "92" for 1892. If you locate a date for the print, this will give a general idea of the era and decade in which the frame was made.

3. Study the period look of the frame. Antique picture frames followed the making of furniture. For instance, if the frame is made of wide, flat plank boards of fine-grained warm yellow oak, it fits into the period of the Arts & Crafts movement in America. Estimate the period look of your frame to establish a general date.

4. Look at the materials the antique frame is constructed of to establish a date. As picture framing evolved, new techniques for embellishing and creating frames developed. An example of this was the introduction of heavy molded plaster gilded frames during the Victorian era. However, the material is not the only factor in dating gilded frames. Finer versions of gilded frames appear in Europe much earlier.

5. Use Eli Wilner's price guide to picture frames for frame comparison and date. If you think you have a valuable frame as seen in his book, contact a high-end frame dealer or gallery owner for advice on confirming the date in the event it may be worth a great deal of money.

Tags: antique frame, gilded frames, Date Antique, Date Antique Frames, frame dealer, frame made

Get French Provincial Furniture

French Provincial Furniture

French provincial furniture can turn any home into a chateau. It works well in a formal dining room. It's probably the furniture that you've dreamed of if you've been shopping on a budget. You might have been craving French provincial furniture for years but you were always scared that your kids would demolish it. If it's finally time to make the investment here is get French provincial furniture, even if you are still on a budget. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Go for intricate lines. French provincial furniture has a lot of carvings & curves to it. There is nothing simple or modern about it. You'd find a French provincial sofa in your mother's living room. You know this is the room that you were never allowed to go into as a kid. If you want something more comfortable, find a chaise. This is a cozy place to curl up with a book & it's still fitting to the style.

2. Find carved chairs. Fabric covered chairs are a trademark of French provincial furniture, so look for these. This is a place where you can distinguish your dining room set. It also allows you to add colors & pattern into the room without being too overwhelming. If you are worried about how a fabric chair will hold up, ask to have your pieces scotch guarded. While leather & microfiber aren't traditional fabrics, they are easy to clean. Plus, your chairs will mix modern & traditional & be unique to your own personal style. You can even use your extra dining room chairs as side chairs in your living room. This draws two spaces together & you won't have to store your extra chairs in the garage.

3. Choose a finish. French provincial furniture is usually finished in one of two ways. The first involves a cherry or mahogany stain. This is elegant furniture that can be passed from generation to generation. However, this can be pricey, but since you'll get so much use out of it, it's worth the investment.

The second finish involves ivory paint. This furniture is often found in nurseries, bedrooms & guest rooms. It was popular a few decades ago so you might be able to find it at thrift stores. There is usually a modified oval trim on any doors or drawers. The trim is almost always painted gold. If you are having a difficult time taping off the trim, head to an art supply store. They have lots of masking fluids there that you might be able to use. These can be expensive but will be well worth the effort when you get a paint clean line.

4. Add in more furniture. Granted, you don't want your room to feel cluttered. However, you can even find a French provincial piano. Look for useful items like ottomans or full length mirrors that will really get your theme across.

Tags: French provincial, provincial furniture, French provincial furniture, dining room, find French

Identify Salt & Pepper Shakers

Some salt and pepper containers are transparent.

Salt and pepper are two savored condiments found on dinner tables in many homes and restaurants. However, just because these spices are commonplace, that does not imply that the containers or shakers used to hold the grains for easy pouring are the same. Some manufacturers design salt and pepper shakers for simplicity and functionality, while other designs are fancy and complement the kitchen and restaurant decor. If you have a physical hindrance, such as vision impairment, however, these myriad designs can make it difficult for you to differentiate between the two spices. Fortunately, you can use a few techniques to identify common table salt and ground black pepper by the shaker. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Instructions

1. Spot the difference between salt and pepper by looking through the containers if they are transparent.

2. Feel the weight of the salt and pepper shakers in your hands. Salt generally weighs more than pepper when the shakers are filled to the same level.

3. Rub your fingertips across the top of the shakers. Generally, the salt grains need larger holes for pouring, compared to smaller holes for powdery pepper.

4. Shake the containers and listen to the sounds. Large and rock-like salt grains might sound "loose" and louder when hitting the walls of the shaker, compared to finer and lighter pepper dust.

Tags: salt pepper, pepper shakers, salt grains, salt pepper shakers