Take pillows – in the good old days the big questions was “foam or feather” – today there’s a host of options ranging from organic cotton pillows to some wonderful down-alternatives for the feather fanatics.

But the filling is just part of the fun; the array of pillow shapes and sizes will blow your mind. So, if you don’t mind, how about a little pillow talk!

Tired of sleeping alone and just want to snuggle – get a body pillow. The Body Therapy® high-loft memory foam five foot long body pillow is a dream come true.  The memory foam contours to your body for enhanced support while the cushiony and huggable high-loft fiber provides down-like softness and comfort.

Another great option is a boomerang multi position pillow – this V-shaped pillow provides support for various sleeping positions and you can cradle your neck, rest your back or just hug it for comfort.

Bead-filled pillows are soft and squishy and just beg to be hugged; you can manipulate them into almost any configuration for the ultimate in support and comfort and they will return to their original shape – how cool is that!

Pillow Talk is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

Amazonian moon goddess. Goddess of the hunt. Goddess of the wild things. Goddess of the midwife. Goddess of the herbalist. Mother of all Creatures. Leader of the sacred bitches. Great she-bear. Diana. Selene. Ever Virgin; owned by no man. We will visit her sacred wood on a shamanic journey. Who knows what will happen then.

HOW DO ARTEMISIAS GROW IN YOUR GARDEN?

Most Artemisias are perennials and grow best from cuttings, not seeds. Sweet Annie is the exception, being a self-seeding annual. Although you can buy tarragon seeds, you can’t grow true tarragon from them. Wormwood and southernwood and tarragon (the last not winter-hardy in many places) are woody perennials which regreen each year on last year’s new wood; I prune only dead wood from them. Cronewort is an invasive perennial that creeps underground; it dies back to the ground each year and can be heavily harvested (clear cuts are ok) without damage to its further prolific productivity.

Most Artemisias require little care. Lack of soil nutrients and lack of water do not faze them. Many are native to deserts, and know how to thrive in hot dry weather. Except for tarragon, all can overwinter without fuss.

Flowers are usually small and green, in other words, nearly invisible.

WHAT DO ARTEMISIAS CONTAIN?

• bitter principals: wormwood
• coumarins: cronewort, tarragon
• essential oils (complex, variety specific, with hundreds of components per plant): cronewort (high in camphor, thujone), tarragon, wormwood (high in camphor, thujone)
• flavonoids: cronewort, tarragon
• glycosides: cronewort, tarragon
• hormones: cronewort (sitosterol, stigmasterol)
• sesquiterpene lactones: cronewort

HOW ARE ARTEMISIAS USED?

Artemisias, with their grey-green or white-green foliage bring beauty to the garden throughout the growing season. They also make long-lasting, aromatic and beautiful indoor decorations: bouquets, wreaths, swags. They are popular strewing herbs, too.

Those which are high in essential oils are thereby antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial. They also improve digestion and appetite if taken in small doses.

Any Artemisia growing beside the door – or painted on it – was, in days of old, the sign of the midwife, the herbalist. Magical and folkloric uses are numerous.

“Mugwort possesses both natural and supernatural qualities. [It] excels as a woman’s herb, easing the pain of labor, menstrual cramps, and effectively treating various uterine complaints.” Gai Stern (1986)

Cronewort/mugwort = smudge, dream pillow, moxa, birthing steam, vinegar of roots and young leaves, salad green when young, mugwort noodles, mugwort mochi. American colonists used the sundried leaves as a tea substitute. Formerly a popular beer flavoring (hence the name mugwort). Controls worms in goats. Urinary tonic. Uterine tonic. Digestive tonic. Nerve tonic. Circulatory tonic. Cronewort eases pain and fever, comforts grief and depression, eases irritability and burdened joints, brings peace and sleep, and reassures the nerves.

Moxa demonstration and discussion.

“That torturous, barbaric practice, the use of the moxa, is closely related to this plant.” Millspaugh (1892)

Wormwood = tincture, oil. Ingredient in absinth. Stimulates mid-brain activity and increases creativity, but repeated use disturbs the central nervous system. Prevents giardia, dysentery, amoebas. Cholagogic, digestive, appetite-stimulant, liver-stimulant, wound healer. Caution: Use can lower seizure threshold; interacts adversely with seizure-reducing medications.

Sweet Annie = capsules, in fairly large daily dose, to prevent malaria; source of antimalarial drugs. A strong tea, taken frequently, kills giardia and amoebas.

Tarragon = vinegar, seasoning. Appetite stimulant according to Herbal PDR.

Southernwood = dream pillow, sachet, charms. To see the beloved.

SPECIES

Some of the many Artemisia species that herbalists and gardeners use:

A. abrotanum (southernwood)
A. absinthium (wormwood)
A. afra (African wormwood)
A. annua (sweet Annie, qing hao)
A. camphorata (camphor-scented sothernwood)
A. drancuncula (tarragon, estragon, little dragon)
A. frigida (fringed sagebrush)
A. lactiflora (ghost plant)
A. ludoviciana (silver queen)
A. pontica (Roman wormwood)
A. schmidtiana (silver mound)
A. stellerana (old woman, dusty miller)
A. tridentata (sagebrush; three-toothed sagebrush)
A. vulgaris (cronewort, mugwort)

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Amazing Artemisias is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

The Spiritual Feng Shui sees the whole concept of Feng Shui at the universal level, the level to which your soul belongs and relates. If you practice spiritual Feng Shui you can never think of improving your life at the expanse of harming your neighbor or your environment. The Feng Shui tips that are offered in the article not only aim to highlight the important points one has to remember before practicing it; it also introduces the Feng Shui beginners to the new horizons that the spiritual Feng Shui can open up for them.

Though the spiritual Feng Shui communicates to your environment, your home, your office through the bodily objects, it heals your soul — to know how it works it is important for you to remember the following Feng Shui tips. All these free Feng Shui tips have valuable advice contained in them so try to imbibe them before you start your practice.

There is nothing religious about the Spiritual Feng Shui. It talks about purifying your soul, not only the empty or occupied spaces in your house. The purified soul has the radiations that are reflected from you to have strong positive energies; in Feng Shui practice, these positive energies referred to as Chi, which is the universal energy and the guiding principle.

As one would never build a new home on a rotting foundation; likewise, it is essential to clear away the debris of negativity before you create your new Feng Shui space. Only then can your spirits soar with true energy and vitality.

As you come to recognize the importance of cleansing your old attitude and beginning anew, what ever Feng Shui enhancements that you use for a Feng Shui home design seem to be working for you.

Here are some free Feng Shui tips for everyone:
Look deep into yourself and don’t be afraid to do so! That is the only way to develop and change in a beneficial way. Be honest with yourself – you deserve truth and awareness.
Open your palms, close your eyes and reach your arms up and out, as though you are waiting to be picked up or embraced. (This is necessary for unifying your soul with the universe).
Imagine the energy radiating from your heart, your lungs, your palms and that the energy is touching everything in its path.
Beam the energy away from you, sending it into the farthest corners of the universe.
Repeat this mantra: “I am open to positive change in any form it takes.”

Before you start feng shui decorating with various Feng Shui elements, my sincere Feng Shui advice to all the Feng Shui beginners is to strictly follow the spiritual Feng Shui tips.

May be as your Feng Shui study goes deeper and deeper you would not mind spending some money for buying e books on Feng Shui, but the absolutely free Feng Shui tips that you just now have are the like the foundation stones for the spiritual Feng Shui practice. Remember that these free Feng Shui tips are going to help you a great deal in your long Feng Shui journey.

Once you are positive about accepting changes in your life the Feng Shui is there to help you in what ever you do; remember that Feng Shui is about focusing intentions, rather than just coasting on auto-pilot. Feng Shui is about getting you back into the driver’s seat of your life, it is about accepting responsibility for yourself and your actions not only in this materialist world but also the metaphysical or spiritual world.

Nurturing yourself with Feng Shui practice and making use of the philosophy of Feng Shui in the home design will help you regain your own sense of destiny and purpose within the universe. Before you start any Feng Shui practice, whether it is about understanding Feng Shui Bagua or knowing Feng Shui Elements remember that Feng Shui is a spiritual discipline. It is just not about doing furniture placement using Feng Shui interior design but knowing yourself and your universe better so can get the positive energies from the universe and its objects. Feng Shui elements are nothing different from the elements of universe. If you follow this important piece of Feng Shui advice and bring to practice the above mentioned free Feng Shui nothing can stop you from deriving benefits of Feng Shui.

The Feng Shui masters have provided you with the technical know-how and valuable Feng Shui tips for evaluating your home and implementing Feng Shui techniques and cures. But it is up to you, and only you, to envision and bring about the specific environment and quality of life that you desire.

If you integrate all the above home design tips into your Feng Shui practice you would soon start noticing the positive changes it is having on your life.

Feng Shui tips for everyone is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

A new painting technology overcomes all this and at the same time saves you time and money. Touted as “The New Way to Spray,” High Volume/Low Pressure (HVLP) spray-painting systems make large or detail jobs faster, easier, more precise and more controlled than the traditional paintbrush, electric gun or compressor system. Manufacturers say HVLP users find painting friendlier and more enjoyable due to its efficiency in application and control-and no previous spraying experience is required.

The preferred choice of many Europeans, HVLP systems, from companies such as Earlex, Inc., use one-third less paint to do the job because of exceptional paint transfer efficiency, minimal over-spray, almost zero bounce back and less waste common with other methods.

These versatile systems let users spray any surface, from siding to decking, doors, walls and ceilings, furniture, wicker, fences, sheds, kitchen/bathroom tile-even flowerpots. The gun rarely clogs and cleanup is “faster than a paintbrush.”

HVLP systems are paint-friendly and can be used with latex, lacquer, varnish, enamel, oils, acrylic, eggshell, fence and deck stain, polyurethane, shellac and automobile paint. The best systems have lightweight guns that don’t vibrate in your hand and are generally quiet and easy to use. Proper protective clothing, such as a face mask and eye mask, are recommended.

Setup is simple. After filling the spray gun with paint, connect the hose and turn it on. With the Earlex system, a turbine motor feeds a high volume of air through the gun at low pressure. The airflow forces the paint from the cup to the nozzle, where it atomizes the paint into fine particles. The air jacket around the paint ensures that overspray is minimal and gives the user optimum control of the spray.

With most systems, paint volume is adjustable with spray patterns as fine as one inch, up to 12 inches wide. For best results, users should spray 10 to 12 inches from the object using a horizontal and then a vertical spray pattern. Round spray patterns are also available with some systems.

A New Way To Spray Makes Painting Easier is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

countries.

More than 400,000 cameras are always monitoring us in a car park, station, shopping complex, on our way to office or may be

even in our private spaces, unwanted. General people are day by day supporting its presence to fight against internal and

international crime.

In post 9/11 scenario, CCTV cameras are being installed more and more round the corner primarily for better and entrusted

public security.

This CCTV monitoring is widespread not simply in our own country. Recorders are being installed on the Trans Europe Motorway

from the Greek border through Turkey towards Ankara. This is covering a distance of 700 kilometres. This huge project

supports over 1,400 camera inputs and 480 audio channels and it is probably the largest networked recording Security

surveillance system contracted until today.

Fifty wi-fi enabled CCTV cameras are installed across central London that may revolutionize the police patrolling system

within 18 months of trial period. In recent future, police will be able to track a suspect from a handheld device as the

system can be controlled locally within that network coverage.

One thing must be mentioned here that, general people may also use such technology as IFSEC hand-held PDA applications

provide security personnel with the ability to view both live or recorded camera images from any installation, located

anywhere in the world.

However, this may end up the age long debate that these closed circuit TV cameras only can record a crime in progress. Now

the police persons will have more opportunity to reach the spot and take necessary actions on time.

Future really holds hard for drug dealers, peddlers, and an easy finder of parking spaces for citizens.

Nevertheless, currently there are no cost effective night vision systems available for object identification for distances

from 150 metres to 2000 metres. On the other hand, active infrared systems have a narrow field of view that makes navigation

and orientation difficult.

Still there are some cameras available in the market that can serve the purpose as good. These cameras are ideal for covert

applications since they utilises a laser light that operates below the visible spectrum to illuminate the target area.

However, it all depends on the needs of the users.

There is a good lot of software like EVIS that can provide tailor-made solution for the end users and is flexible enough to

meet all custom requests by the use of a modular system.

Is there any harm in taking protection beforehand if the users are conscious of their social limits and responsibilities!

Time to decide.

Closed Circuit TV: Video Surveillance to Protect Our Security is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

1.Time to paint those bland winter walls! Neutral tones are just fine, but add in some of the cool blues and greens that are making a statement this Spring. Pastels and Ultra Brights are the spring and summer trend for this year.

2. Clear the clutter! Time for spring cleaning. Get to those scary spots (under the bed, closets, storage) and throw away all that old junk that you don’t need. A good philosophy to follow is ‘The things you truly need will come to you’. This will reassure you when you come across that shoebox of old trinkets that you would probably be too embarrassed to put on display anyway.

3. Splurge on some new artwork. Whether it’s a light hearted oil painting, a sleek sculpture, or a Monet piece you’ve been eyeing for a year, reinvent your space!

4. New accessories! Reframe your photos with more interesting casings. The heavy woods and metals are out for the spring. Change up that china vase, try blown glass, recycled glass cobalt, or topaz! There are a variety of colors and shapes to choose from. Throw pillows can bring any color into your room or out of your artwork.

5. Change your window treatments. Lighter fabrics such as satin, chiffon, hand painted or dyed silks, are all in this spring. The colors are zesty and the look is fresh!

6. New rugs can change the entire look of your space! Move away from the heavy traditional patterns and textures and look for stripes, polka dots, and Kandinsky-esque styles.

7. Love your furniture but looking for a change? Slipcovers are still the way to go! Solids are always safe, but if you want to branch out, a lot of the light colored damasks are coming back in. Again, if you want to be trendy, go with greens and blues–light to bright colors. If you know your taste, then just be creative with it!

8. If you can manage to swing it, change out a few of your side tables with lighter colored woods or glass tops. If not, cover up the winter table tops with some light colored scarves or placemats. Work with what you’ve got, it brings out your most creative self!

9. Change your dishware for the season! Use fun, bright colors and chic designs on pottery or glass. Tangerines, ocean tones, hot pinks and purples! Check out Issac Mizrahi’s line.

10. If nothing else, open up your space and add a splash of color with fresh flowers. They are at their best now and the colors are the inspiration for modern color trends. House plants and foliage of any kind (even if it’s faux) are a must in your spring space!

So there you have it! Spring-summer 2006 is the time for reinventing and refreshing! Use your invigorated senses to inspire your dwellings. Happy Spring!

10 Easy Tips To Refresh Your Space For Spring And Summer 2006 is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

Basics of lawn mowers

We will explain first the type of mowers on the market and then which one would fit better with your current needs. Basic riding mowers are actually those featuring rear engines. They use to come with small horsepower engines, usually mounted under the operator’s seat. These mowers have reasonable power sized cutting blades and fit perfectly into small lawns with less than 1 acre.

The next level up is for medium horsepower riding lawn mowers; these mowers use to include their engines at the front; there can fit larger engines due to the space. They have a stronger and faster cutting capacity. Medium riding mowers provide better performance on hilly gardens and are the perfect complement for yards between 1 and 3 acres. Commercial riding lawn mowers are designed for really large yards, including sport fields, they can be extremely expensive for homeowners and won’t really provide their best performance in yards no bigger than 3 yards.

Here you can find some important points to have in mind before you decide on the most suitable model that would better fit with your necessities. The final choose will depend basically on:

• The type of terrain of your mowing area as well as the size of it. And what other tasks would you like to do with your new lawnmower?. It is also very important to know whether or not the area includes slopes or hilly areas. The most flat is your mowing area the better performance you will get from the machine.

• It is always extremely important to select a comfortable seat, especially when you will be sitting for a long time. You will save a lot on back injuries and other common diseases related with sat jobs. There is no choice with that, it’s preferable that the mower’s seat be comfortable enough, don’t make the mistake that most do, it worth.

• Does the garden include trees or rocks that require permanent change of direction during the mowing process? It’s very important to find all the finishing touch to choose amongst steering wheels and tires.

• There are different bagging or recycling grass options; here you have mainly to mulching or to bagging. While mulching will cut the grass into fine clippings and then give it back to your lawn, providing nutrients to it, the second will just fill up a rear bag, being easier for the rider to empty and replace it with new ones.

• There are many attachments on the market to choose from. You probably just need a riding lawnmower including normal features. In addition, you can usually attach other features, like the ones to remove snow during winter time.

All About Riding Lawn Mowers is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

“Homeowners are upgrading their outside living and garden areas with unrelenting zeal,” says Kurt Denman, product manager of Benjamin Moore Paints. “Terraces, decks, patios, cabanas, pool houses, gazebos, and outdoor kitchens are additions that Americans spend $40 billion on annually.”

What’s necessary to keep all of this wood in tip-top shape as it faces exposure to the vagaries of Mother Nature?

“Performance is the chief characteristic a consumer should look for in an exterior stain,” advises Denman. “It should protect from the two major culprits affecting wood-water and UV rays.”

Responding to this growing focus on the expanded outdoors lifestyle, Benjamin Moore has developed a new, technologically advanced, premium Exterior Stain Collection that protects and beautifies just about every wood surface. The collection offers an extraordinary palette of hues, with a range inspired by organic life and the outdoors world.

“The best way to choose a color is to look at existing colors around your home,” adds Denman. “Consider the color of your roof, siding, trim, driveway, and surrounding plant life.”

When it comes to finishes, Denman advises that a clear finish is ideal for new or well-maintained wood. It reveals the beauty of the material without obscuring either its grain or texture. With more opacity, the additional pigments provide additional protection and color selection, but mask the grain of the wood while still highlighting the wood’s natural texture. Stains with more opacity are a good choice for older wood that is not in pristine condition or when additional color selection is desirable.

For every type of wood no matter its condition-new, worn, plagued by mildew or mold, or tannin-leached types like redwood or cedar–a preparation coating is available. To ensure your exterior wood assets are protected, they should be coated evenly with a clear finish, relatively soon after installation. Remember, proper preparation is the ultimate determinant of how long the beauty of a staining job will last.

For the best advice on selecting an exterior stain and preparation appropriate for the type of wood on the exterior of your home or other outdoor project, speak to an experienced professional. One last tip: Be sure to test your color selections on the surface to be painted to see if it’s accurate and exactly what you want. Remember that the natural color or grain pattern of the wood itself can greatly influence the final color.

New wood finishes by Benjamin Moore can be a great way to highlight your home’s exterior.

Exteriors Make Your Great Outdoors Greater is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

“Sports fans have a special connection to the colors of their favorite teams,” said sport psychologist Dr. Joel Fish, director, Center for Sport Psychology in Philadelphia and an expert in fan behavior. “Paint is another easy way for fans to bring their teams home with them.”

To help fans showcase their passion for and support of their favorite teams, The Home Depot now offers a new sports-themed paint program called “Team Colors.” Through this program, customers can purchase paint in the exact colors of their favorite professional and college sports teams-even including NASCAR.

Here are a few tips on how to add your team’s colors to any room of the house:

• Select a feature wall in an area, usually one without doors or windows, to use as a focal point in a room. This wall could be perfect for accenting. The remaining walls may be painted a neutral color for a contrast with the colorful wall.

• Additional color may be incorporated with furniture painted and accented with color, or with accessories such as lamp bases, fabrics for throws or pillows.

• If your team’s colors include metallics such as silver or bronze, incorporate additional items such as picture frames or chairs.

Created in partnership with ICI Paints and the Glidden Brand, Team Colors are available exclusively at The Home Depot stores nationwide.

A New Way Sports Fans Can Show Their Loyalty is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com

Another one contains not only a hidden camera but a transmitter as well that will penetrate between two to three interior walls that are up to six hundred feet away. These covert hidden cameras also have a signal that travels up to fifteen hundred feet away from the camera to your VCR and or your TV. You can also move it from room to room as easily as you would any regular clock radio.

If you believe that having your covert hidden cameras inside of a clock radio just would not be classy enough for your living room, library or office, then you might want to take a look at the covert hidden cameras that come inside a mantle clock. This beautiful Seth Thomas mantle clock contains either a black and white low light or color/black and white high-resolution camera with a motion activated DVR, which is hassle free and easy to use.

By using a wireless remote control, you activate the arm button, and then the moment any motion is detected, the video camera begins running and will continue to run for fifteen seconds after the motion stops.

Clock In With Covert Hidden Cameras is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs | birthwell-birmingham.com