School Fund Raising Idea – Custom Gift Wrap

School Fund Raising Idea – Custom Gift Wrap

By: Richard Leeds

Some of the best fund raising ideas for schools are those which involve the pupils in some kind of creative activity. I'll bet if you asked most young children what they enjoy most at school the answers would include drawing or painting. Combining the talents of our children with parents and grandparents willingness to spend money is a winning combination.

And how do you get all that creativity on to something that displays our children's artistic skills to as wide an audience as possible? You print it on gift wrapping paper. Possibilities for themes are endless, but parent's pockets aren't, so selling the gift wrap at a couple of events a year should be just right. The most obvious are the Summer Fete or Fair and at Christmas.

Get the children to create their works of art on A4 paper sheets. They can be on white paper, or for an interesting effect spread a few different coloured papers among the pupils. A standard sheet of Gift Wrap is 500mm x 700mm or similar. When the children's illustrations are reduced down in size, you can fit any number from about 72 up to 288 images on to a sheet. It depends on the effect you want to achieve. The white background tends to work better with the lower numbers and the multi-coloured papers with higher numbers. Duplicate images as desired or necessary to make up the numbers.

The children's images are scanned and montaged using design software and printing should be carried out by a printing company. How much of the work of creating the gift wrap is carried out by the school will depend on the school's own capabilities. However, it is recommended that the assembly of images and final printing is carried out by professionals. The minimum quantity for printing gift wrap of this kind is 1000 sheets. The profit on this amount should be at least 100% after printing costs are taken out. For larger quantities, the amount raised by the school would be even higher.

At Christmas time, an additional fund raiser is to have greetings cards printed with images from the gift wrap. The advantage with these fund raising projects is that they can be repeated annually with different sets of children taking part. As well as the money raised, the expressions on the children's faces when they see their work in print is priceless.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1036.shtml

Deer Park Hunting Basics

Deer Park Hunting Basics

By: Mark Gittelman

Deer are among one of the most popular big game animals to hunt. They require skill to track, stealth to sneak up on and you'll need to act quickly to get a big whitetail deer for your trophy wall. If you want a new place to hunt deer, consider trying a deer park. They are state run and managed lands that allow limited deer hunting in order to keep the populations of the herds at healthy levels.

Hunting in a deer park is no different than hunting in any other area. You will need to observe the same safety regulations that normally apply and you will need to use stealth and skill when hunting. As well, there will be limits on the number of deer you can bag as in any other hunting situation.

For hunts in a park, you will normally need to register with the park ranger's office and you may or may not have to pay an additional fee to hunt. It is wise to wear a bright orange vest so you may be clearly seen by other hunters. Also, ask if the park rangers have maps available, not only so you can see the lay of the land and the best places deer may be hiding, but also so you can see the permissible places to hunt whitetail or mule deer.

Whether or not you're allowed to bring your dog when hunting will vary from park to park. The way to know without a shadow of a doubt is to ask the Ranger's office what the criteria for using a dog when hunting is. Also, get the full name of whoever gives you the go-ahead to bring your hunting dog so that way, in case you are in the wrong, you can go back to the person that gave you the erroneous information and avoid a ticket.

Many hunters haven't tried hunting deer in their local deer park. The reason is that they usually consider it too easy and think that the deer are so acclimated to being around humans they have no fear. When in fact, the opposite is true. The deer in a park will be even craftier at hiding signs of their presence from hunters and in fact, you'll find that you need to pull out all of your hunting tricks - from scent masking sprays to using the old turkey call to keep the deer at ease, so you can get close enough to get a prize trophy deer for your wall.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1111.shtml

Cleaning an Antique Quilt

Cleaning an Antique Quilt

By: Tracy Crowe

If you have just acquired an antique quilt, there are some things to watch for before you think about how to clean it. You need to look carefully at the quilt's age and condition. You also need to think carefully about whether you should wash a quilt. It is a good idea to seek the advice of a professional textile conservationist first. You can find one by contacting The American Institute for Conservation, 1717 K St. NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20006. It is true that no matter how careful you are, you may permanently damage a quilt by washing it. You should certainly never wash a damaged quilt before repairing it.

There might be stains on your quilt, since old quilts are made of natural fibers which absorb things like body oils, liquids, soils, and other organic substances easily and over time these invisible stains oxidize and become colored stains. That makes it difficult to know how to pretreat them. Often what we think of as blood stains are really the remains of a dead bug and these stains are nearly impossible to remove. Another problem is dye migration. Changes in temperatures will cause dye migration that results in brown stains in quilts folded and stored for years. Since, the dye has permanently stained adjoining quilt fabrics, most stains caused by dye migration can't be removed. You shouldn't even try because you can do even more damage by trying than they have already. In addition to these stains, your quilt might have damaged scattered spots known as foxing, which is caused by the growth of molds.

If your quilt is very stained, it may be a good idea to spot treat areas with sodium perborate, the active ingredient in Clorox 2, before washing the whole quilt. Another way to spot clean is to brush a paste of Biz, Ivory Snow flakes or Shaklees Nature Bright on the stained spot and then vacuum it well with the brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner after it dries. Be careful to have all portions of your quilt equally clean. Using lemon juice to bleach stains, or laying linens on the lawn stains is not a good idea as your fabric may be temporarily brightened, but this usually turns to yellow after a while.

If you are going to display your quilt folded over a rack, and there are no holes, rips, frayed seams, stains, delicate fabrics or embellishments etc in it, you may be able to just simply air it outside on a nice warm day to remove dust and dirt and freshen the quilt. You can lay it on the lawn with a clean sheet underneath it and another on top of it for protection, especially from sunlight. If you don't have a lawn, you may hang it over a wide railing with a sheep protector.

You could also vacuum it with the brush attachment of a low powered vacuum cleaner, although you would need to put a clean fine mesh screen over your quilt first, to prevent threads and yarn from getting sucked away, if it had elaborate embellishments or damage. You want to vacuum gently, use a Dust-buster if you have one. Be careful not to pull loose material from your quilt. Hold the vacuum cleaner at least half an inch above your quilt, vacuum both sites, and repeat that if you need to. Never vacuum painted quilts since you may strip the paint off.

In summary, cleaning an antique quilt can be a challenge. A lot depends on the age and condition of your quilt, and whether it has delicate fabrics or embellishments on it. It is probably a good idea to avoid washing it if you can, although you do want to get rid of dust and dirt as much as possible. Always check with a professional textile conservationist first to see what they think about the advisability of washing it.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1102.shtml

Do You Want To See A World Of Wonder, Fantasy and Horror?

Do You Want To See A World Of Wonder, Fantasy and Horror?

By: Colin Dorman

Enter a wondrous world of magic and mystery, a place full of adventure, myths and Legends.

McFarlane's have taken some of the World's best loved and most popular Fairy Tales and Myths and grotesquely twisted them resulting in some of the most horrific, macabre and shocking action figures I have seen.

McFarlanes Twisted Fairy Tales are certainly not for children.  Red Riding Hood becomes a beautiful, sexy and sadistic killer.

Watch as she admires her latest handiwork, a skinned and bloody wolf.

Remember Humpty Dumty and his Great Fall?

All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again

Ever wondered what happened to poor Humpty?

Well now you can we see exactly what came of poor humpty with McFarlane's version of this unhappy tale.

Do you remember sweet, innocent Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?

Well, even she hasn't been spared from the Mc Farlane's treatment. In this twisted version of Oz you can see a bound and tethered Dorothy being taunted and teased by the wicked Munchkins.

The newest line in this series of Twisted Tales is McFarlane's Twisted Christmas featuring six of the most famous Christmas characters but with McFarlanes usual unique, demented and warped imagination expect to be surprised.

And I love this version of Mrs. Clause, I certainly wouldn't mind finding her climbing down my chimney late on a cold wintry night.

Another popular line of figures was the Tortured Souls series which was a collaboration between McFarlanes and Clive Barker. This series became so popular and gained such a cult status that it has since been made into a feature length film and a video game.

McFarlanes attention to detail and their creativity also make them the ideal company to bring your favorite comic book and cartoon characters to life in all their glory.

They have already successfully transformed many of the characters made famous by Hanna Barbara, as well as the likes of the Flintstones and the Simpson's, from their flat 2 dimensional personas into realistically sculpted and painted action figures.

If you're looking for something a bit more adventurous then travel to the World of Hyboria, a world filled with cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations and a struggling human race and home of the mighty, savage and fearsome Conan the Barbarian.

Or you can travel to a Land of vast, desolate, mountainous plains there lives huge magical, mythical and savage beasts of Legends and Myths.

A creature so big and graceful that people gaze in wonder and fear as it soars through the night skies belching forth hot, fiery flames from deep within its' belly.

Watch as these beautiful mystical dragons glide gracefully through the skies high above your head, their piercing shrill cries echoing in your ears.

McFarlane's range of Dragon figures truly bring these creatures to life. Truly magnificent and fearsome I think that these figures feature some of the best sculpting and paintwork that I have ever seen on a "toy".

All this and more awaits you at McFarlanes were your imagination is unleashed as your dreams, and nightmares, become reality.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1056.shtml

How To Build A Bird House

How To Build A Bird House

By: Anthony Benjamin

How To Build A Bird House - If you enjoy spending time around birds then you may want to build a birdhouse. Building a birdhouse is a great way to become a companion of birds. Birdhouses add attractiveness to any landscape. Crafting, designing and building birdhouses is a in-expensive hobby.

You need to construct a birdhouse that is easy to clean. It should be sturdy, cool, and rainproof as well. Remember, this is your birdhouse, so use your imagination; you will have something unique and all your own when your project is completed..

It is important not to use metal to build your birdhouse, not even nails; use non-toxic outdoor wood glue. Metal can become very hot when the sun is beating down on it, plus it can have very sharp edges. Wood is the best material to build a birdhouse. To keep water out of the entrance of the birdhouse you need the roof to pitch enough to shed water.

Add a couple small holes near the top of the birdhouse for ventilation on hot days. The bottom of the birdhouse should be constructed with screws, so it will be easy to take apart when you clean it.

When your bird house is built it is time to mount it. When mounting your birdhouse it is important to keep in mind predators, such as squirrels, cats and snakes. Place your bird house mount out of the range of jumping and climbing animals. The best mount for a birdhouse is PVC pipe which can be purchased inexpensively at your local home hardware supply store. Get an 8' long piece of PVC that is 3 or 4" in diameter. Also be sure and buy a "flange" that will fit into the PVC. When looking at a 'flange' from the side it has the shape of a man's dress hat, as one would also look at the dress hat from from it's side view. The round part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' slips down, about 2" into one end of the PVC pipe. The flat part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' should have a small hole pre-drilled in each corner. A large, approx. 12" x 12" piece of plywood is attached, to the flat part of the 'hat' or 'flange' with screws via the pre-drilled holes. Be sure this is placed in the middle of the 12" x 12 plywood. This will serve as your birdhouse base. Now turn this over and simply slide the round part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' into the end of your PVC pipe. On top of this securely mount your bird house. When you have moved your PVC to an upright mounting position, you would be looking upward, and see the screws that attached flange to your 12" x 12" base.

Now it's time to mount your bird house. Dig about an 18" hole and drop it in! Be sure and pack the dirt solidly back around the base to secure it. For added security you could pick up an inexpensive bag of ready mix cement. Just mix it with water, set the PVC in the middle of the hole and pour the cement evenly around it. It is a good idea if you could put your hands on a level to make sure your PVC stays vertically straight while working. That's all there is to it!

When you are ready to clean your bird house simple unscrew the 12" x 12" base mounting screws, slide off the base with it's attached birdhouse and clean it! When cleaned, replace the 12" x 12" base and reinsert your screws. Now wasn't that easy!

For more great information be sure and visit:
http://www.bird-city.com

If you lightly coat the PVC pipe mount with in-expensive vegetable oil ants and other crawling insects will not be able to climb disturb the bird nest.

Don't forget to treat your feathered friend with feeders, bird baths or bird pond sprinkle the area with some wild flower seeds. When your wild flower are in bloom your feathered friend will provide you with constant delight. ~ Anthony Benjamin ~ http://www.mysecretsites.info

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1103.shtml