When I was young, I enjoyed some of my summer holidays in the country, where I stayed with a fat auntie who suffered from narcolepsy. She could fall asleep without warning during almost any activity including walking. On several occasions I entered her kitchen to find her asleep at the sink with her hand deep in a washing-up bowl. She often fell asleep while riding her bicycle. It was only due to quiet country roads and a few miracle escapes that she lived to be eighty-four.

My aunty was a collector of all things vintage. She hoarded anything old and although she had very little knowledge of what she was buying, her intuition was sound – she had a good eye. Her house was a vintage treasure trove, a messy jumble of Victoriana and early twentieth century bric-a-brac. She hardly ever left the house without returning with a newly acquired object and they weren’t always small. In her garden stood a small private chapel that she used for the storage of large pieces of mostly dark brown furniture in need of restoration and a couple of pianos. Nothing that entered the chapel ever came out again.

A lace cushion she kept on the wide window seat in her parlour always fascinated me. She had bought it from a widower in her village, whose wife had inherited it from her grandmother. The last piece of lace the grandmother was working on before she died was still attached, as were all of the little bobbins and their threads. My aunt said it was Belgian and that the grandmother had been Scandinavian. The cushion was soft satin and the piece of lace attached was extremely fine. I wondered if the grandmother had glasses, or if she worked with a magnifying glass? Although I was told never to touch the cushion I regularly altered the position of many of the bobbins, knowing that it would never be noticed.

Maybe it was because of my fat aunty and the lace cushion that I have always been attracted to vintage lace. According to Wikipedia fine lace has been manufactured since the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. Unfortunately I have had to content myself with viewing museum examples of these very early pieces and representations by artists, like Van Dyke.

Over the years, however, I have bought and sold several manufacturers’ sample collections of vintage lace. I was recently very pleased to be able to purchase a large scrapbook of vintage novelty lace in many colourways and wide variety of designs – I do hope my scanner can do them justice.

This collection of vintage lace includes many large document swatches perfect for conversion, reference, trending or inspiration on mood-boards. Lace is definitely on-trend this year and will probably be much bigger in summer 2011. It looks as though almost any apparel manufactured for women this summer could be made with lace, have a lace trim or lace panel: blouses, skirts, dresses, t-shirts and even overcoats and bags will be appearing on the high street in lace. Vintage lace will be the inspiration for many of these products.

I didn’t inherit my auntie’s lace cushion. She left it to a female cousin who sold it.

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Stun batons are one of the most popular types of batons. These combine the blunt force of a baton with the fast power of a stun gun to quickly bring an attacker down. Stun batons have been seen as all-in-one protection. The added benefit of the stun gun is affective against any type of attacker, no matter how hard you hit him with the baton. Some also include additional features like a heavy-duty flashlight or high-pitched personal alarm that can scare away attackers before they come close enough to do any harm.

Most batons are expandable or telescoping, so they are a relatively small size until needed. This allows you to carry them in a bag or on a belt loop, in a carrying pouch or in a holster. Lightweight batons can be taken nearly everywhere with you. They come in a variety of sizes so that you can choose a model that would be comfortable for you. These batons open to their full length with just a flick of the wrist. Fully extended batons give you the ability to maintain your distance from the assailant. Many styles have rubber grips or a side handle to make the baton easier to handle and use, even in conditions such as in the rain where you might otherwise lose your grip on the baton.

To use a baton for self defense effectively, you may wish to watch a few self defense videos, if you don?t have any prior training in the use of a baton. Batons are used not only for hitting the assailant, like a stick. They can also be utilized to stabilize your fist, gain leverage on an assailant?s fingers or wrist, or apply pressure to sensitive parts of the body.

Batons are used by law enforcement officials, security guards, and other around the world. Their impressive appearance may even scare away an assailant while allowing you to keep a safe distance. They are often chosen as a way to fight attackers who are hands-on, as an alternative to punching, kicking, or other physical methods of fighting back. If you are confident in your strength and want a more hands-on method of self defense than, for example, an alarm or pepper spray, then a baton may make a sensible choice for you. If you are less sure of your strength, choose one with a stun gun feature, so that your assailant will be disabled no matter how hard you are able to fight back.

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The Real Deal ? Just like the titles says; these products are un-mistakably real. These products are as genuine as they come; they come direct from the designer, fashion house, or Italian manufacturer. You will easily be able to tell these handbags and accessories are made from the finest and most luxurious fabrics and leathers with intricate stitching and details. These handbags are made by experienced artisan and it shows. They are beautiful and are made to not only last but feel better over time.

Fallen Off the Truck ? The same products as the real deal but they are not authorized by the designers, fashion houses, or manufacturers. Often these products were smuggled or stolen and sold as “authorized purchases” from the source. You don?t want to buy stolen product; what else is there to say.

Wow, That’s Good – These high quality replica bags would be considered the VIP of fake handbags. These bags are created to be as close to the real product as possible. Unfortunately they are made with lower quality materials and mass-produced by machinery. By using inferior materials and machinery, these bags are less costly and can fall apart with little wear. You?ll need to take a close look and make a comparison on many of these items to see the difference with the real deal. These handbags will not age well.

You’ve Got to Be Kidding – These low quality replica handbags are also mass-produced by machinery and made from inexpensive materials. These bags often fall apart after a few uses. A good example would be a Coach bag with “G”s on the fabric. It?s reasonable to say that most people would be abel to tell they are buying a fake. They just don?t look that good.

Designer Inspired – There are hundreds of products out there boasting the same styles as coveted authentic designer bags but at a much lower cost. There are many designers who take their cues from Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Gucci and the like. These bags are mass marketed and available at shopping malls, both big and small, across the globe. These are the middle of the road fakes. If the price is just too good to be true, it?s probably not the real deal.

Before you buy your next designer handbag make sure you know what you’re getting. We’d hate for you to spend all that money for an authentic bag only to receive a replica from a store that’s vanished.

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Yet in recent years, however, there has been a shift in a man’s role as purchaser of women’s jewelry as sales of men’s jewelry steadily rise. In fact, recent market data showed that sales for men’s jewelry doubled from a year ago to the present. For most jewelry designers, men’s pieces have been a step-child compared to those pieces for women. But as the market for men’s jewelry continually increases, it can no longer be ignored by manufacturers and retailers. In the luxury market, sales for men’s jewelry continue to be strong and have surpassed other items that were more in demand before.

For men, choosing the right kind of jewelry comes as a familiar task as they put their knowledge and experience in purchasing women’s jewelry. As most men nowadays go for the more formal business attire, they become interested in accenting their wardrobes not only with a watch but also with rings, bracelets, and cufflinks. By having such accessories on them, they exude a more sophisticated and elegant aura. There’s no harm in showing off a little if you can afford it! It will certainly work for those women who prefer men in high society as jewelry have been the constant barometer of one’s position in social circles.

If you think that men will be a little less choosey than women when it comes to picking fine pieces of jewelry, then you are in for a surprise! Men can sometimes be more delicate when buying for themselves. They certainly want to have the kind that not only makes them look good but also gives them value for their money. Then, there is also the criterion that what they wear should give a clear and meaningful statement on their identity. Individuality is really a big deal for most men.

This is why the term ‘custom jewelry’ came about. This is the answer to all the different demands of a buyer that wants nothing but the best. With this system, the sky is the limit for any idea that you may want to have on your own piece. The most popular personalized men’s jewelry would probably be custom cufflinks.

Custom cufflinks can vary from the simplest design to the most outrageous one could ever think of! If you’re a basketball fanatic, you can have the name of your favorite basketball team or the jersey number of your favorite player on your cufflink. For those who are die-hard James Bond fanatics, ‘007′ would surely look good on your piece.

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1) Daily practice. You don’t need to have a set schedule. This doesn’t mean you need to take several hours out of every day just to meditate. Try to fit it in your schedule. Simple breathing exercises before bed and when you wake up in the morning are a good start. In general, being constantly aware of your body will help you stay in a good state throughout the day.

2) Mindfulness. This is a good method to practice, because it doesn’t take up any time. Paying attention to your body is the focus of this. Noticing little things about your breathing or reactions to events.

3) “Follow the breath”. This is a term commonly used in meditation circles. It involves inhaling through your nose, and feeling the air going into your lungs, before feeling it leave. Beginners should count to 10 to help stay on pace. This is a main fundamental of meditation. This will become much more natural with practice.

4) Reading. Reading may help you achieve a meditative state. It will help you stimulate thoughts and will help you reflect on your own life.

5) Exercise. Some would call this physical meditation. Be sure to stay mindful of your body during and after.

Meditation isn’t all about sitting on a pillow, it is also about finding the still point of your mind while moving.

6) Feeling negative emotions is a good sign. When you’re feeling sadness, anger, or fear during meditation, it means you are revealing layers that you have previously pushed from the forefront of your mind. Don’t ignore these feelings, embrace them, try to understand them.

7) Don’t push yourself. Beginners and long timers alike, it can be frustrating to stop yourself from thinking. Don’t force it. If you’re having troubles and your thoughts are wandering, accept it and observe them.
Practice Compassion. Begin by following the breath, after you’re comfortable, think of the world. Move from loved ones to the rest of the world. Imagine the sicknesses and the pains of the world. Embrace the feelings and let them go into an unconditional love. Imagine the pains going from a black tar to a blue sky.

9) Eat Healthy. A healthy diet can make or break your mental health. It will help all aspects of your body, physically and emotionally.

10) Music and ambient noise. Having the right music or ambient noise can help with mindfulness. Sitting back and relaxing while you listen to your favorite sounds or CD and meditate might just be the trick for you.

These is just a basic guide to help you meditate to the fullest extent of your abilities. For more information on specific techniques, there are many CD’s, books, videos, and online articles that can be a great asset to your meditating.

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Here are my top ten tips for practicing self hypnosis.

1. Try to do your self hypnosis exercises consistently at the same time each day (as much possible anyway) for 15-30 minutes per session.

2. For the first few times that you practice self hypnosis, it?s recommended to only practice when you are in a somewhat relaxed condition to start with. So you may want to take a warm bath beforehand.

3. Do not force your mind when it is feeling fatigued or sleepy after a nerve-racking day. If you are very tired, then you?ll have trouble concentrating. If you need to take some time out, then just have put your feet up and get back to doing self hypnosis another time.

4. Formulate suggestions properly. No matter how effectively you practice a bad idea, it is still a bad idea. Give yourself specific commands, and phrase your hypnotic suggestions carefully, so as to form them correctly or once again, you will only act surprised when you fail. Remember, your subconscious needs the right cues, if it’s going to change your behaviours.

5. Ensure you?re prepared. Ahead of you start your session, know what suggestions you?ll be using. Don?t try to make them up on the fly. You want your conscious mind to relax and if you have to think too much, then your session won?t be very effective.

6. Find a quiet spot to practice. It?s best to minimise distractions while you are in the process of learning self hypnosis. Remember to turn off your phone and if anyone is in the area, ask them not to disrupt you.

7. Find a position where your body will be comfortable and you will find it a lot easier to enter t he hypnotic state. If you have a recliner, that would be perfect. Then again, make certain that you?re not so comfortable that you fall asleep – that defeats the purpose. A good position is to be sitting in a chair with your spine straight and your feet firmly planted on the floor.

8. Be patient. When learning a skill such as self-hypnosis, a lack of experience coupled with impatience equals all but guaranteed failure. So take your time, when dealing with your most potent and difficult-to-reach issues.

9. Make or buy a recording that guides you into hypnosis before you begin to apply suggestions. If you?re making it yourself you can either just record an induction or you may want to record your whole session, including the positive suggestions that you?ll be working with.

10. Practice putting yourself into a relaxed state as often as possible. Even if it?s just a couple of minutes here and there throughout the day, you will be able to get into hypnosis more effortlessly when you do your self hypnosis work.

Remember, the more you practice self-hypnosis, the better you’ll get, and soon you will be able to hypnotise yourself anytime and anywhere.

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Beneath The Old Shack’s black tar paper roof, once white painted planks are faded, chipped and flaked. In the silvery areas of bare wood, dark vertical cracks widen and lengthen with each passing season and rust-red tears weep from old bolts, hinges and nails. Many paths lead through grass and gorse to The Old Shack, only to meander away again, as if in disappointment. For it’s door is always closed.

I have photographed The Old Shack from every angle, at most times of the day and in all weathers. I am fascinated by its ordinariness and extremely grateful for it’s presence. For this landscape, of beach, sea, dunes, mountains and The Black Isle beyond the firth, is beautiful, often stunning, but so very hard to portray. Whether lending scale to big skies, a focal point in the landscape or as the subject of a graphic close-up, The Old Shack has never disappointed me.

I presume that the shack once had a use. As an ice-cream parlour perhaps, or as a shelter for a deckchair attendant or the keeper of a nearby car park. Now it is as eloquent in disuse and silent solitude as it ever could have been in its employment. And, although I would have liked to photograph it besieged by laughing children, waiting for dripping cones, I am content.

We all did something really stupid when we were young. Some friends and I stole several explosive fog signals from a railway storage shed. Later, in the street outside my house, we tried to set them off by battering them with bricks and sticks. When my mother called me in for tea I left my friends to their hammering. A few minutes later there was a loud explosion. We ran out to find a large crowd of adults ministering to several shocked and burned boys. There were no serious injuries, but two boys were scarred on their arms and hands. The police came and lectured us all, warning that: They would be watching us.

I was very lucky on that occasion, but I went on to do other, equally stupid things – it’s all part of the learning curve. So I was not too surprised or too angry to discover one morning that The Old Shack had been vandalised, it’s door smashed down; I presume, by some local youths. Upsetting though it was, it gave me my first opportunity to explore inside.

Stepping over the fallen door I entered a warm, dry interior full of the scent of seasoned wood. In one corner marram grass, sickly yellow from lack of light, entering through cracks in the dusty wooden floor somehow grew halfway to the ceiling on spindly stalks. Along the whole length of the long southern wall stood a solid wooden bench and above it three blackened, empty coat hooks clung to the wall.

The floor creaked pleasantly as I moved about snapping pictures with my little digital Nikon and rain began to drum steadily on the roof.

On the northern wall a large window, shuttered from the outside, the glass panes in pieces at my feet, would once have opened to the sea. Under the window a wide wooden shelf or counter gave weight to my suspicion that the Old Shack had been used for the sale of ice cream and sweets. I suddenly began to yearn for a piece of peppermint rock, possibly saying: old shack – end of the world, all the way through the middle.

I sat for a while on the bench gazing out of doorway at a thicket of yacht masts in the distance, pondering The Old Shack’s fate. The dog entered and exited several times, torn between the smell of rabbits outside and her morose owner within. I was angry that my Old Shack, for I had begun to think of it as mine, had been injured. I wondered, was this the beginning of the end for The Old Shack, or just a new beginning?

It wasn’t long before I had my answer.

Within a week the entire front wall of The Old Shack had disappeared. The remains began to lean, helped I’m sure, by the same local youths who broke down the door. The lean became almost gravity defying and the lopsided angle of the doorway began to resemble the mouth of a figure in pain. For a few weeks The Old Shack seemed to enter a period of limbo, trapped in a grotesque, arthritic crouch. The crouch developed a twist. Pieces of it were going missing, probably for beach fires. One day I found it flipped over, one side caved in and planks missing. Soon after that I came upon it lying in a tired heap.

As I walked up through the dunes one bright morning, camera in hand, I was possibly expecting a pile of cinders. Instead I discovered an Old-Shack-shaped empty earthen space in the grass. The local council had been and cleared away the debris, leaving what appeared to be, an unmarked gravesite. I took a few pictures and stood considering the end of the world without The Old Shack.

On the strand, dust devils danced and the seals continued to sing. Under the influence of light the weather and tides, the dunes, the beach, the sea and the Black Isle are changing constantly. The landscape is changing. Our village has been washed away twice since 1700 and will, no doubt, disappear again this century, along with many others on low-lying land around our coast. The Old Shack is gone. I will miss it and I don’t think I’m the only one who will. But The Old Shack was just a small part of a beautiful, dynamic landscape. The landscape and I will survive without it. RIP The Old Shack.

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Traditionally, this is paid for by the father or parents of the bride but lately, etiquette has provided that just about anyone can foot the bill. More and more often, the bride and groom have opted to do this. To me, this always made sense. It is after all, the bride’s big day. Paying for and planning the wedding should be her responsibility, that way, if there are specifics that she wants and/or needs, she just included it in their budget.

Another question that usually pops up concerns the bridesmaid’s gowns and who pays for them, but this is a simple question to answer. The bridesmaids pay for their own dresses if it is something that can be worn to other functions. If the bride wants a themed wedding, then she will have to foot the bill. It is that simple and it is that fun.

In choosing a site for your wedding reception to take place, you may want to check for places like wedding halls that actually have an all-inclusive package. This means that they include the hall, music, food, and many other amenities that make for a complete wedding. By going in this direction, you could save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on caterers. These places do exist; it is just a matter of finding them. Most of them either do not advertise or just advertise the use of the hall as a rental property for weddings. Remember also to choose wedding shower favors that match your theme. It makes the bridal shower favors much more fun.

Hiring a wedding photographer or videographer is not as easy as it sounds. There are different styles of photography and it will depend largely upon your taste in these styles. Each style, like artistic photography, will have his or her specialized portfolio to show you and show off their talents. However, there are three very important aspects you need to be comfortable with before you even begin to approach a decision. First, do you like the photographer as a person? This is important because the better you get along, the harder he or she will try. This is just a basic fact of life that you will have learned by now and if not, you will.

You will also want to know what happens to the negatives of your weddings photos. Find a photographer who is either very stable and will be in business for years to come, or is willing to give them to you. If something should ever happen to your wedding photo book, the negatives are the only way you will replace it. Without them, the album could be lost. If you keep the negatives, keep them in a separate location from the photos, like a safety deposit box. It may also be a good idea to have them insured by the bank that stores them.

The last tip is a simple one and should be common knowledge. The photographer may the nicest person in the world and you could like him or her very much and become friends forever. That does not make them a good photographer. Their portfolio only proves that they are adept at picking out their best pictures. Always check their references. These tips should help make your wedding planning a little bit easier. There are hundreds of sites online that will have plenty of time saving and money saving tips that will help as well. Congratulations and have a wonderful wedding!

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The term geisha means “performer of art. ” To work as a geisha is to work as a person doing performance art.

Historically, geisha performance has its roots in the same place as kabuki theater. While kabuki has been solely the province of male performers for the last 350 years, it began as a theater performed only by women. Those women were prostitutes who performed suggestive plays as a way to attract potential customers.

Kabuki theater soon transformed into a legitimate form of art performed only by men. The hybrid role for women performers who were also prostitutes transition into the role of geisha.

But the word prostitute may be too harsh for Western ears. In Japanese society, it was common, and it was accepted for men to have both wives and long-term relationships with women who were not their wives. For the courtesans, the financial support of their male patrons was vital to their survival.

Responding to this situation, Japanese authorities created areas called Pleasure Quarters where the courtesans could live without being harassed, and where men could openly enjoy their company.

While geisha entertainment arose in the Pleasure Quarters, the geisha themselves were not the courtesans. The geisha’s job was to provide entertainment for the men who were waiting for their lovers to arrive.

In fact, the first geisha were male. That trend did not continue however, with courtesans and retired courtesans moving into the role of geisha as a step up the economic and cultural ladder.

Over time, Japanese society became less accepting of male infidelity. This left the geisha as the surviving culture from the Pleasure Quarter era. Geisha became highly trained entertainers, who spent years developing their skills before assuming the role.

All the way up until World War II, it was common for young girls to be assigned to geisha training from the age of six or eight. This practice gave geisha performers cheap help, and it provided career paths for impoverished young girls. However, it was illuminated as part of the drive to eliminate child labor after World War II.

Today, most geisha enter training in their late teens. They become full geisha performers within 2 to 4 years.

Much of the appeal of the geisha lifestyle today comes from the independence that geisha enjoy. While most of Japan puts women in subservient roles, geisha are recognized for their ability to make their own decisions and their own way in the world. In a way, geisha is seen as a kind of feminist statement. Their ability to control their lives, and to control men, provides an outlet that is not available to all other women.

However, Japanese society is changing rapidly. Women are becoming more accepted in a roles formerly reserved for men. This, combined with a new belief that male fidelity should be expected, threatens to move the geisha lifestyle into the annals of history.

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