Holiday Craft Idea: Bead and Pipe Cleaner Ornaments

Ornaments made from pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very attractive and easy to make; they look quite impressive yet are easy for small children to create.  This is one Holiday craft idea you can use over and over.  Older people will also enjoy this craft, and it can be assorted to make a number of sparkling ornaments for your tree.

To make bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need pipe cleaners in desired colors (red, green, and white for the Holiday season) and acrylic beads.  Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners; one type is sunburst beads, also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads.  These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around the center that contains the hole for stringing.  When several of these beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.

The other type of bead that is also effective for this Holiday craft is the tri bead or propeller bead.  It has three rounded bumps arranged around the center hole.  Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively.  For the most sparkly and attractive ornaments, tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear are preferred.  The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Holiday craft as well.

Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors.  For Holiday crafts, the best colors are metallic and Christmas colors.  The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.

Everyone including small children can string these beads on pipe cleaners.  Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don't fall off.  The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary.  For best results, alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors.  When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes.  For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, and then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape, or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath.  Use a red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath.  Form a hanger for the Holiday craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.

If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments.  Snowflake designs can only be twisted with a silver pipe cleaner, and without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.

Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Holiday craft you can use each year.  Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet creative Holiday craft.

For more Holiday craft ideas, check out this link: Holiday Craft Ideas

Holiday Decorating on a Budget

Are you one of many who love to celebrate the Holidays?  When polled, many say Christmas is one of their favorite holidays, if not their absolute favorite.  If you are one of those, then chances are you will want to decorate your home for the holidays.  However, decorating can get expensive, but if you want to decorate your home, there are ways you can do so on a budget. 

One of the best ways to save on decorating is to plan ahead.  Unfortunately, like many shoppers, you may have a habit of impulse buying.  This is when shoppers purchase an item as soon as they see it, and this is quite often an item you did not originally intend to purchase.  If you are shopping for Christmas decorations on a limited budget, it is strongly recommended not to given into impulse buying.  This is why it is extremely important to plan ahead.  If you are not sure what you would like to purchase, that’s okay, but you may want to focus on the parts of your home you want to decorate and which ones you do not.  This will also keep you from the habit of impulse buying.    

Once you decide which decorates you would like, you can start shopping.  Understand you are trying to stay within a budget.  Decorations are awesome, but you do not want to spend more money than you have to.  The less you spend on decorations, the more you have to spend on gifts and dinner with the trimming, again, within a budget.  This is why it is important to take into consideration what you want to purchase and where.    

When shopping on a budget, one of your first stops should be your local dollar store.  While many people assume dollar star items are lower in quality, this is not always the case.  In fact, around the Holidays, you could get some really nice decorations for a dollar or less.  Depending on the store, you should be able to obtain Holiday pictures, wall hangings for kids, Christmas tree decorations, Christmas lights, and even Christmas potholders for your kitchen.  Each of these items can be found at a dollar store for less than the big box stores.    

In addition to dollar stores, you may also want to check out your local discount stores.  Discount stores, in many cases, are a cross between a convenience store and a department store.   These stores tend to be somewhat small in size, but most dollar stores carry a wide variety of different products, including Christmas decorations.  While prices at discount stores will vary, you should be able to find beautiful decorations for less than ten dollars each.  Of course, there will always be items that cost more than ten dollars, but you may be surprised with the selection of low-cost Holiday decorations that can be found at your local discount store.

Although you may prefer brand new decorations, this may not always be possible.  If you are looking for less expensive but specialty decorations, you may want to try an online auction site, such as eBay.  By carefully researching items you wish to purchase, you could get quality decorations that may be slightly used but look relatively new. 

In addition, it is also important to keep when you shop in mind.  For the largest selection of Christmas decorations, you will want to shop early, but for the best prices, you may want to wait until it gets closer to Christmas.  In the days leading up to Christmas, some retail stores offer discounts on their Christmas supplies, including decorations.  In fact, right after Christmas many of these discounts reach up to seventy-five or ninety percent off.  Although shopping right after Christmas won’t help you this year, but it may be able to help you decorate your home, at an affordable price, next year.

A great guide that can help you with your Holiday decorating plans is Christmas Holiday Planner by Maria Gracia.

Is Re-Financing Beneficial To You?

Since I am in the process of re-financing my mortgage, I thought this would be a good opportunity to write something about re-financing.  Whether or not re-financing is beneficial is a question many homeowners may have when considering re-financing.  Unfortunately, answering this question is rather complicated because the answer is not always the same.  There are some circumstances where a homeowner might examine the possibility of re-financing; these circumstances include drop in interest rates, improvement in a homeowner’s credit score, and changes in a homeowner’s financial situation.  Although re-financing is not necessarily warranted in these situations, it is certainly worth investigating. 

Drop in Interest Rates

Drops in interest rates often send homeowners rushing to re-finance.  This is often the case if you bought your home during a thriving Real Estate market when you financed at a rate that is now above the average.  However, the homeowner should carefully consider the drop in interest rates before making the decision to re-finance.  It is important to note that homeowners pay closing fees each time they re-finance; these fees include application fees, origination fees, appraisal fees, and a variety of other costs that may add up quickly.  Because of these closing fees, homeowners should carefully evaluate their financial situation to determine whether or not re-financing viable option.  Generally speaking, closing fees not exceed the overall savings and the amount of time the homeowner will need to retain the property to recoup these costs which should not be longer than the homeowner plans to retain the property.

Credit Score Improvements

When the homeowner’s credit scores improve, considering re-financing is warranted.  Lenders are in the business of making money and are more likely to offer favorable rates to those with good credit than to those with poor credit.  As a result those with poor credit are likely to be offered higher interest rates or adjustable rate mortgages.  Homeowners dealing with these circumstances may investigate re-financing as their credit improves.  The good thing about credit scores is that mistakes and blemishes are eventually erased from the record; as a result, homeowners who make an honest effort to repair their credit by making timely payments may find themselves with improved credit sometime in the future.

Lenders are willing to offer lower interest rates to those with higher credit scores.  This is why homeowners should consider re-financing when their credit score begins to show improvement.  During this process is the homeowner can determine whether or not re-financing is worthwhile.

Changes In Financial Situations

Homeowners should also consider re-financing when there is a significant change in their financial situation.  These changes may include an increase in salary as well as the loss of a job, or even a change in careers resulting in a decrease in pay.  In either case, re-financing may be a viable solution.  Homeowners who are making more money might consider re-financing to pay off their debts earlier.  On the other hand, those who are unable to fulfill their monthly financial obligations might turn to re-financing as a way of extending the debt and lowering their monthly payments.  This may result in the homeowner paying more money in the long run because they are stretching their debt over a longer period, but it may be necessary in times of need.  In these cases a lower monthly payment may be worth paying more in the long run.

Therefore, in times of lower interest rates, it may be a good idea for examine the idea of re-financing to take advantage of the lower interest rates.  It is also a good idea to examine this option when there are changes in your financial situation, whether it is improved credit scores, increases in pay, decreases in pay, or any changes in your financial situation.  Moreover, it is important to also examine possible impact as a result of possible re-financing.

Solar Energy for the Home

Solar energy is a term that does not stir the mind since it has a simple explanation.  This is because many people understand that solar energy is energy that comes from the sun.  Basically, solar energy and solar energy related equipment are environmentally friendly and risk free, but you don’t need to be environmentalist to understand the benefits solar energy has. 

Why is solar energy for the home environmentally friendly?  What are the benefits?  Practically speaking, when your home uses solar energy, your electric bills can decrease tremendously compared to other types of home energy.  Why pay a high energy bill when you can use solar energy for less? 

Another major advantage of solar energy is the absence of complicated and dangerous wiring.  Solar energy lights in the garden, along a path, or any other solar-powered items in your home are ready to be installed without any messy wiring.  In reality, solar light bulbs are equipped with sensors so they do not need to be turned on to give off light, and they need not be turned off when they are no longer needed.

Simply stated, solar light bulbs are simply purchased, taken out of the box, installed, and then presto!  All you have to do is situate them where you want them and never worry about having to turn them on and off. 

Benefits of Solar Energy for the Home

Why is solar energy beneficial?  Why is it recommended?  Here are some of the benefits.

Solar energy is environmentally friendly.  It is clean and renewable.  More so, it does not cause pollution like traditional energy does.

Solar home energy systems do not need a lot of maintenance.  Because they do not run on fuel, there is no need for refills. 

Solar energy saves you money.  Energy from the sun is free as you make use of solar lights, solar panels, and the like.  Also, the Federal Government can offer financial incentives, not to mention not being affected by increasing fuel rates by using solar energy. 

Using solar energy allows freedom from the foreign and centralized energy sources.  Power outages will not likely affect you in any manner.

Most solar energy items are easy to install which lessens having to figure out wiring. 

Some Common Disadvantages of Solar Energy

Of course there are disadvantages.  Here are some common disadvantages of solar energy. 

Employing solar energy for the home can initially be expensive, but over time, it can save you a lot of money. 

Solar energy’s strength depends relatively on where you are in relation to the direction of the sun.  Also, the area of your home is another point to consider.  You will need a sufficient area to install solar panels.

Various Solar Energy Items

There are cornucopias of solar energy devices that you can purchase.  These include solar flashlights, solar heaters, car ventilators, solar video cameras, solar radios, solar pool purifier, solar mosquito inhibitor, solar lighting, and solar fountain pumps.

What You Must Do

In earlier years, solar energy devices were very costly so very few homeowners made use of them, but today, small volumes of solar energy devices are for sale, thus making them more affordable.  Start small, and work your way up as your budget allows.

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Wind Power – A Viable Alternative Energy Solution

Although initially it is less expensive to get connected onto the local electric company's grid than it is to get set up with wind turbines, over time one can save more money by utilizing the wind for one's energy needs while also becoming more independent by not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle.

Electric and fuel bills are steadily rising, but the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily decreasing as demand rises and companies realize more commercial success will come by producing turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient.  In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons, including the desire for greater independence, for the ability to live remotely without having to “go primitive”, political concerns such as fear of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment.  Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is similar to the reasons people are seeking the power of the wind for energy, providing more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance.  This drives down consumer costs. 

In approximately thirty states, homeowners who remain on the grid but still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total “green” energy systems' costs.  In addition, there are 35 states where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what is called “Net Metering Laws”.  The rates paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates; in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the Federal Government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states.  Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place.  However, “A lot of this is handled regionally by state law.  There wouldn't really be a role for the federal government,” the Energy Department's Craig Stevens says.  Also, as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it's unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals.  “We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for ... your electricity,” according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric's director of regulatory policy.  However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of increased use of wind turbines or wind farms.  Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, “It's quality power that strengthens the grid.”

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The Declaration of Independence

If you had to think of one document besides the Bible that people can easily quote without even thinking about it, then that would be the Declaration of Independence.  The comparison to the Bible is fitting.  Not that the Declaration of Independence is holy in a religious sense of the word, but it has a place of reverence in the hearts of the American people and in the history of the founding of this great nation.

While not the first words of the Declaration of Independence, these stirring words have that kind of prophetic power that anyone who hears them is immediately inspired by the beauty, the poetry, and the deep truths that were so beautifully expressed in that historic document.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

This one statement from that famous declaration so beautifully demonstrates some core principles that show why this document has such a deep impact on the American mind and heart.  The statement that the truths in this document were indeed truths is a profound statement in its own right.  The Declaration of Independence does suggest that what is being declared in those pages are theories, possibilities, even political ideology.  These are truths that are put on the same value as statements of values as often taught in a religious setting.  Truths are eternal values and values that are not changed by circumstances, by whomever or whatever is handling the government of the land or by the whim of lawmakers.  These truths exist above those temporal earthly ideas and live on that plain of the eternal. 

“Self evident” is a powerful phrase and it reflects on the founder’s belief in what was called natural law.  Natural law is the belief that there are laws that are part of our natural state of existence and that they cannot be taken away (inalienable).  These laws are our rights as creations of the almighty and any government must recognize these laws because they are above government.  It is a simple belief of the American system that ALL people are entitled to these rights and that they cannot be taken away.

The mention of a creator in the Declaration of Independence is very important because there are those who would maintain that the separation of church and state tells us that the government is at heart a secular institution.  Clearly the founders did not lay the foundation of our country on that groundwork.  They saw the inheritance we as Americans have in our rights and freedoms to be part of our legacy from God and as such, above the government and something the government must back off and leave alone as well as prettiest and defend.

The Declaration of Independence is truly an amazing document especially when you consider the “primitive” state of the nation when it was written by Thomas Jefferson and signed on July 4, 1776 to become the backbone of our American system of government.  This document has been often referenced and quoted, even becoming a part of President Lincoln’s famous inaugural speech when he said with such deep conviction…

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Because these words are a deep part of our American heritage, American history, and the American spirit, they are often a crucial part of any study of history in the schools in this country.  That is why school children in every state are so familiar with these words. 

Yet it would do us all well to take some time once a year or so and take our copy of the Declaration of Independence and read it either as a private moment of reflection or out loud with our families.  What a wonderful Fourth of July tradition that would make.  Then as you watch the fireworks celebrating the birth of this country and its independence, you will have those words fresh in your heart and mind to remind you that it was our creator that gave us our freedom and independence, and nobody has the right to ever take them away.

Alternative Energy Source: Solar Energy

Photovoltaic cells—an array of black squares that comprises a solar panel—are becoming more efficient and gradually less expensive over time thanks to improved design which allows more focus and greater concentration on gathered sunlight.  The size of the cells is decreasing as their efficiency rises, meaning that each cell becomes cheaper to produce and more productive.  As far as the aforementioned cost, the price of producing solar-generated energy per watt hour has come down to around $5.00 at the time of this writing.  About 20 years ago, it was nearly double that cost.

Solar energy is certainly good for the environment, as this alternative form of energy gives off absolutely zero emissions into the atmosphere and is merely utilizing a natural resource as its driver.  Solar collection cells are slowly but surely becoming ever more practical for placing upon the rooftops of people's homes, and they are not difficult to use for heating one's home, creating hot water, or producing electricity.  In the case of using the photovoltaic cells for hot water generation, the system works by having the water encased in the cells, where it is heated and then sent through your pipes.

Photovoltaic cells are increasingly improving at collecting sufficient radiation from the sun even on overcast or stormy days.  One company in particular, Uni-Solar, has developed solar collection arrays for the home that work well on inclement days by way of a technologically more advanced system that stores more energy at one time during sunny days than previous or other arrays.

There is actually another solar power system available for use called the PV System.  The PV System is connected to the nearest electrical grid; whenever there is an excess of solar energy being collected at a particular home, it is transferred to the grid for shared use and as a means of lowering the grid's dependence on the hydroelectrically-driven electricity production.  Being connected to the PV System can keep your costs down as compared to full-fledged solar energy while reducing pollution and taking pressure off the grid system.  Some areas are designing centralized solar collection arrays for small towns or suburban communities.

Some big-name corporations have made it clear that they are also getting into the act of using solar power (a further indication that solar energy is becoming an economically viable alternative energy source).  Google is putting in a 1.6 megawatt solar power generation plant on the roof of its corporate headquarters while Wal-Mart wants to put in its own enormous 100 megawatt system.

Nations such as Japan, Germany, the United States, and Switzerland have been furthering the cause of solar energy production by providing government subsidies or by giving tax breaks to companies and individuals who agree to utilize solar power for generating their heat or electrical power.  As technology advances and a greater storage of solar collection materials is made available, more and more private investors will see the value of investing in this “green” technology and further its implementation much more.

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