A Day To Reflect

"Thankfulness is measured by the number of words; Gratitude is measure by the nature of our actions."




Today is a day we reflect on what we are thankful for and give thanks to our bountiful harvest. Sound almost "pilgrimish", I know but our bountiful harvest comes in many forms and fashion. As we see from the quote above thankfulness would appear to be just a number of words but the ultimate to that is our gratitude which would most likely be a daily display of our actions. I guess to use another quote would have to be "Actions speak louder than words". That is not to say that we should forget our thankfulness of even small acts such as the cashier bagging your groceries at the grocery store or the person who holds the door open for you warrants a “thank you” with a smile and how about that driver who allows you to take the last parking space or make the turn before him or her. I know you are probably thinking, when does that happen?. Well it does and it may not be often but it is that one moment of thankfulness that can be infectious. You can "pass forward" kindness one to another. Reciprocate the gesture to another complete stranger. Try it and see it does become infectious.

Feeling thankful and grateful are great ways to warm your heart and others during this holiday season. Small acts of kindness not only benefit the receiver but they also benefit the giver as well. This can be something we don't just wait for the holidays to begin doing let it begin on Thanksgiving Day and carry it through each and everyday.

My thanks to all who have come into my life and to those who have left their footprint and gone to another place I am what I am and who I am because of you all. I look forward to all those who will also have our paths intersect at some point in time. Fate is just waiting for the right moment.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and hope your day was a day of reflection, as was mine.

3 Easy Ideas for Laminating

You are going to love the easy suggestions:


1). Paper place mats with maps

You can write things such as "We ate buffalo burgers here" and even draw a note about your travels.

2). Old magazines

Cut out images that you like. Add some old wall paper, ribbon or anything interesting.

3). Throw in ticket stubs, match book covers, coasters (you get the idea)

From that first date, anniversary, whatever memorable day or moment

Make A Statement

Just looking for Christmas Gift ideas like everyone else. Stumbled upon this site and its very unique laptop sleeve for the very creative.

I must be one of the last to finally get a laptop. In being the last, I am looking for laptop sleeves as a gift for my "Christmas Wish List". Before purchasing my laptop I reviewed and analyzed all the statistics to justify my buy. Laptops they say will out sell the desktops in the very near future. Gosh, I just got in under the "wire". LOL.

I just th0ught I would find something practical but today I guess practical is oh so boring. Here you can make your own statement on these laptop sleeve provided by "Think Geek".

Posted from the thinkgeek.com website:

DIY Laptop Sleeves are bare canvas, ready for your individuality to come out. I mean, look what our in-house graphic artist did with his! Muppets make the coolest laptop sleeves ever! What can you come up with? We want to see your style. Show us who you are by emailing us your designs at famous@thinkgeek.com. We'll make you famous!

So just sit back, close your eyes and "let your imagination run wild".

Tip on Laminating

Wait at least 30 minutes after printing to laminate prints, 24 hours is often recommended. Lamination is also affected with environmental conditions: room temperatures of 40^oF to 100^oF and humidity below 60% are best.

Recycled Wedding Invitation

Just had a friend tell me about this really cool idea and it is truly unique.

Being a newlywed myself, I am still putting together mementos of that special occasion. I have done many “Hands on” projects that were simple and this one falls into that category as well as fits the thread we are following here; Place mats.

Level of Knowledge: Beginner

Items Needed:

Wedding Invitation

Laminate Sheets

For each place mat:

1) Cut 2 pieces of laminate approximately 12" x 18". Lay on piece of laminate sheet on the table.

2) Arrange your wedding invitation or someone else’s (friend, family member) out on the laminate as you would like to see it. As for someone else’s invitation can you see a nice gift giving idea blossoming here?

3) Other ideas to add to this master piece could be; typed words or phrases that are then cut out into any shapes you like, dried flower petals from your wedding bouquets or from your local craft store or even stickers in the wedding motif again from your local craft store, to make this memory place mat.

4) Use the place mats on special occasions like your wedding anniversary or just for a decoration on a table you seldom use (like your nice dining room table)

What a great conversation piece they will make. The only limitation to how creative this project is will be you……the possibilities are endless. So begin now making those memories.

Special note:

If you feel intimidated by the use of laminated sheets; you can always get help at any local Kinko’s, Office Max, Staples or even your local printing company.

If you are printing any special quotes, sayings or messages be sure to check your printer for ink. Don’t run out of ink, visit Printer Products Etc. and get the best prices online,

Click here!

Easy to Make Magnetic Paper Dolls and More!

There are many places to get Paper doll clip art online to print out full sheets of paper dolls, clothes, accessories, children s characters or even animals!

INSTRUCTIONS:

Level of Knowledge: Beginner

1) Get your design of paper dolls or whatever you are printing (from the clip art you obtained online) go to your picture folder on your computer (this is generally where your pictures/clip art will be saved). Print out a test page first to make certain the artwork is to your liking. This is a way to save mistakes from happening on the magnetic paper.

2) Now you should be ready to print the artwork out on your printable magnetic inkjet sheets.

3) You can cover over the magnetic sheet with laminate (the kind that does not require heat) to keep design clean.

4) If you do not want to try your hand at laminating, you use a product such as Inkjet Waterproofing Spray. (However this will only protect them against water damage.)

4) These new creations can be put on your fridge for display or you can use a cookie sheet so this can be used in any room of your home as a toy and will be great busy play thing will you are going on that family trip!

Don't be shy, let your creative side shine. You can create anything from paper doll magnets to just about any picture that can be printed and cut.

Got Ink? Stock up today on inexpensive ink or toner.

Click here!

Opposites Attract

What I am referring to here is.....Magnetic paper.

Typically we think of magnets being used for business cards, small calendars or just an ad with a phone number. I have some ideas coming up (check out our upcoming posts) that you can use as gift ideas for your family, friends, business or just yourself.

Magnetic paper can be bought anywhere; Walmart, Staples, Office Max to name a few, this paper is pretty cool and has endless possibilities. I just bought some for around $8.00 in Walmart and the package consisted of 3 sheets (8.5 x 11).

This I know seems like it would not go into your printer, but it is safe and can be used either in you inkjet or laser printer. Speaking about printers, be sure that your printer has enough ink or toner to supply your project (you don't want to run out while you are in the middle of some great creation). Seeing that this project should be relatively inexpensive to produce, it would only make sense that you look for the best deal on your ink and toner from a reputable and reliable online supplier, click here to view the great prices for replacement ink and toner.

You Can't Tell a Vet Just By Looking

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carrier didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth whose behavior is outweighed in the cosmic scales by four hours of unparalleled bravery near the 38th Parallel in Korea. She is the nurse who fought against futility in Da Nang and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years. He is the POW who left one person and came back another. He is the drill instructor who has never been in combat, but has saved countless lives by turning no-accounts into Marines. He is the parade-riding legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the white-haired guy bagging groceries at the supermarket, aggravatingly slow, who helped liberate a Nazi death camp. A vet is an ordinary and extraordinary human being — someone who offered his life's vital years in the service of his country. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. We will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude we owe. —Author Unknown—

Laminated Placemats

Lets get started:

Lamination, which comes on a roll, can be cut to any size.

1). Cut two pieces or simply cut one large piece and fold it in half. (Folding method is generally the best method.) Crease the large lamination sheet well, directly in the center. Be creative use any different shapes for your place mat.

2) Get your item's that will be placed inside the laminated sheets.

3). Octagon Shape-After placing everything inside the lamination cut the corners at an angle to make an 8-sided shape. The shape will have 4 long sides and four small sides, at the corners. You can also make plain rectangles or even ovals. (Remember what the shape is you’ll be making while arranging the inside design. ) Stay at least a couple of inches away from the edges.

4). Arrange the cloth, paper or other decorations inside the lamination sheet then place the other sheet on top. Be careful when you place the two together, sheets grab quickly. Align the top and bottom sheet edges . Use the back and forth motion of your fingers to slowly place the top sheet. For smooth placement keep the bubbles out.

How about the other side...you can always make the place mat reversible. It's easy to do, just place two pieces of cloth or paper with wrong sides together onto the laminating sheet.

Unlimited possibilities:

• Make designs with fancy scissors (pinking etc.)
  
• Shape the corners of the paper while leaving the laminate straight.
  
• Place pieces cloth inside and add embellishments, but leave some space between them.
  
• You can use photos, stickers, hand prints, maps, coloring pages, receipes or a printed poem.
  
• Get a group together making your easy project.

Special Note:

As you are trimming the edges of the laminate stay at least an inch away from the inside design. When heating the laminate place a towel over the project and heat with a low iron.

Homemade Gift Ideas

These will make great gifts or just for your own personal use.

Laminated place mats are easy and very inexpensive to make and we will show you how and give you some suggestions on many other ideas. Your laminated place mats can be rinsed off or just wiped clean.

If your like me;

kids + chaos = a big messy table

You hate to put out your best place mats. Some design ideas for the place mat can be scrap fabric, piece of wallpaper, old photos, recipes with pictures or just about anything you can think of (bear in mind is should be somewhat flat.

What are Laminating Machines?

Laminating machines heat lamination sheets and entrap the contents between them. As long as the contents are basically flat they can be laminated. This includes glitter, ribbon, lace, and felt. Most laminating machines can only handle sheets up to 8"X10" which is fairly small for a place mat.

If you need larger place mats or you don't have a laminating machine, you can always go to places like Kinko's, Staples or Office Max. The fee for doing a couple of laminating jobs will not be very much. If you are doing quite a few jobs, you might want to consider purchasing your own machine.

The Humble Paperclip Story

Consider : It’s just a thin piece of steel wire bent into a double-oval shape, but over the past century, no one has invented a better method of holding loose sheets of paper together.

The common paper clip is a wonder of simplicity and function, so it seems puzzling that it wasn’t invented earlier. For centuries, straight pins, string and other materials were used as fasteners, but they punctured or damaged the papers. While the paper clip seems like such an obvious solution, its success had to wait for the invention of steel wire, which was "elastic" enough to be stretched, bent and twisted.

The first paper clip was invented in 1867 by Samuel Fay. The patent was issued on April 23, 1867 for a Ticket Fastener. Fay specified in the description that in addition to attaching tickets to garments it could be used to hold papers together. Fay's design along with the 50 other designs patented prior to 1899 are not even close to the modern design we know today.

But the modern paper clip existed on paper as early as April 27, 1899. It appears on a patent issued November 9, 1899 to William D. Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut. Middlebrook invented not just the paper clip but he also invented a machine to produce the paper clip. The patent drawings clearly show the final product, the common paper clip. In his description he makes reference that both the machine and the paper clip design are to be covered by the patent.

Keeping it all together-Staplers

People have long needed a way to fasten pieces of paper together. The first system was to tie them together with string or ribbon. Much later, the stapler was introduced to permanently hold paper together; the metal staple is punched through the paper and is then turned inward by the stapler's base, or anvil, sealing the staple shut.

Samuel Slocum, an American, received the first patent for a stapler in 1841. The modern stapler appeared in the 1890s.

Are You Ready for Christmas?

In the next couple of posts we will be getting ready for some personalized Christmas gift giving ideas. But we must get organized first.

1) Make a Gift Giving List
2) Pick some quick and easy printing projects
3) Purchase supplies needed (i.e. papers, card stock, laminating etc.)
4) Be sure you have enough ink on hand to do all of your print projects

Look here for discounted inkjet and laser toner cartridges specials.

Networking

Something I recently found was a site that allows you to start your own networking group online. Whether you are involved with a group, such as a charity, or you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field, ning.com is a great tool.

Easy and quick to set-up, you can display pictures and videos, blog, create special interest groups and generate discussion with those in your network. Networks can be public or private and the service is free.

Special Note: To remove any of ning’s advertising and replace it with your own there is a business option and for a small fee, you can use your own domain name and

Solid Ink- Highest Quality Color

Solid ink technology is an alternative to laser printing. It will always provide truer more saturated and consistent printing.

Solid ink provides high print quality on the widest array of media types and weight- from recycled paper, card stock, to transparencies and more.

This ink because it is solid is better for the environment and it is waste-free.

The Phaser printer has automatic color correction that will apply the best print method to each element on the page (text vs. graphics vs. photos). This will help eliminate distortion between the text and graphics quality.

Lastly, this new technology of solid ink printing is affordable. Your replacement ink sticks can be purchased as a compatible. The best compatible manufacturer is Media Sciences. The are know in the industry as "The Science of Color". Be sure your provider of replacement ink can provide you with this cost effective print ink.



To begin your quest for the best.....Xerox Phaser 8500 series solid ink prices, click here.

Business Printer @ Affordable Price

A good look at the Xerox Phaser 8500 Series is in order.

It is very competitive to the higher priced color printers on the market today.

Best Features would include the following:

1) Brilliant color. This is accomplished by solid ink color which provides a truer more saturated color and is consistent pager after page.

2) Incredibly priced for for about the cost of a black-only laser printer.

3) Up to 5 seconds to your first page. Very fast first page-out speed of any color printer of its class. Most print jobs are complete before the competition's first page is delivered.

4) Additional standard features are the advanced paper handling such as the duplex printing, collation and booklet printing.

5) It has full page color at up to 24/30 ppm. What does that mean to you, that you will never be kept waiting for even the largest job to print.

6) Included is the high-speed 600 MHz PowerPC processor, with up to 1 GB memory.

7) True Adobe PostScript 3 is also another great addition to this fine machine.

See our next post to get the "411" on what exactly is Solid Ink and does it provide highest color quality.