The Horoscopes of This Week - Aries (3.21-4.19)

Aries (3.21-4.19)

Your knowledge and good sense will help more than you think. Try to ease any disappointment by making amends. Your depressed mood has been hard to shake. Use your charm to get your own way.

Your lucky day this week will be Tuesday.





* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

Bamboo Carving Art in China

Bamboo sculpture, also known as bamboo carving, as described by Zhao Ruzhen in the "Antiques Guide - Bamboo Carvings": "bamboo carving is carvings on bamboos, the artworks are same as paintings and calligraphy, just to use knife to replace brushes, and use bamboo to replace papers”, this summary is concise and comprehensive, and quite finespun and exquisite.

Bamboo Carving - Fisherman

China is the first country in the world that began to use bamboo products, so in China bamboo carving is also has a long history. Carved a variety of decorative patterns and words on bamboo utensils, or carved bamboo roots into a variety of ornaments and furnishings. Bamboo carving become a form of art since the Six Dynasties, and accepted and loved slowly by mass people until the Tang Dynasty. When bamboo carving developed to the prosperous times in the Ming and Qing dynasty, the exquisite techniques of bamboo carving had exceeded to previous generations, and bamboo carving become a unique and attractive art form in the history of Chinese arts and crafts.

Bamboo Carving in late time of the Ming Dynasty - Pen House

In earlier times, bamboo carvings were usually palaces, figures, landscapes, birds and flowers and so on decorations carved on utensils, and bamboo carving artworks survived in the world are very rarely, mostly are artworks created in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Bamboo carving products in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the exquisite carving skills has gone beyond the previous generation for a long time. Most of bamboo carvings created in the Ming dynasty is simple and vigorous, full composed and deep carved, as well as have powerful lines, usually the carved patterns will coved the whole body of utensil. While bamboo carvings created in the Qing dynasty were descended from the art style of the Ming dynasty, but has more rich and varied performance ways, carving techniques as relief carving and bas-relief are used simultaneous.

Bamboo Carving in the Qing Dynasty - Coins

Some bamboo sculptures and carvings are carved concisely, simple and generous, and some finespun and exquisite, some have dense and rich patterns, and ever-changing . The main carving methods of bamboo carving there are shade lines, positive carving, round carving, engraved carving, deep and shadow relief or high relief and so on.


* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

Make a Valentine's Day Card Yourself with Super-Love

Hi, as the sweet Valentine’s day is just around the corner, so has everybody prepared for your special Valentine's Day gifts? Maybe you will think sending a Valentine’s greeting card is a very old-fashioned thing, but imagine that, if you received a luxury greeting card handmade by your lover, does your heart will throbs or not?

Fine, maybe your heart will throbs not just once, so follow me and study the special tips for how to make a luxury greeting card yourself…

If you know a little basic crochet, the rest of this project is fairly easy. If you don't know how to crochet, this is a fairly easy project for learning, or you could make the center heart from paper (or any other medium you want) and follow just the paper steps in the second half.

Step 1. Thread and hook

Use a fairly small hook, such as 0 or 00, and thin string or yarn. It doesn't have to be microscopic, just slender enough to look elegant. Use a hook size that is comfortable for your yarn or string.

Step 2. Chain six

Make a slip knot and chain six.

Step 3. Single crochet five back across the row.

Single crochet back across the row (sc5). Chain one as a turning chain (first row).

Step 4. A total of five rows.

Repeat for a total of five rows of single crochet. Don't forget the turning chain between rows. You should now have a small square of crochet, five stitches wide by five rows high.

Step 5. The first semicircle.

Chain one, turn,and double crochet into the center stitch (the third of five) of the previous row. Repeat this chain one and double crochet five more times, for a total of six sets of (ch1, dc) into the same center stitch. This leaves you with a semicircular shape. Slip stitch into the corner of the original square.

Step 6.

Make a second semicircle into the middle of the adjacent side, exactly the same as the first: crochet six sets of (ch1, dc). Work into the center of the next side of the square. Since you are now working into the side of your work, there won't be a specific stitch. Just pick a spot in the middle and work into it.

Step 7. Slip stitch.

Slip stitch back into the corner of the original square to join.

Step 8. The basic heart.

Block the shape into a heart. Pull gently on the edges until it's fairly flat and even.

Step 9. Add a decorative border, if desired, or stop at the basic heart. One easy border is a picot stitch

1.Single crochet.Work this stitch by doing a single crochet (sc).

2.Chain three.

3.Single crochet back into the same spot.

Single crochet again back into the same spot. Slip stitch or single crochet around the edge to the next place where you want a picot.

4.Picots.

Work the picots in locations so that they complement the heart shape and so that they are in about the same place on both sides.

Step 10. Tie off and sew in the ends.

Step 11. Making a template.

Cut paper hearts. You can fold a piece of scrap paper in half (this is the side of a junk mail envelope) to create a pattern. Size them to your crocheted heart.

Step 12. Small paper heart.

Cut one paper heart a little larger than the crocheted heart in a strongly contrasting color. It will help if this heart is out of fairly stiff paper or card stock.

Step 13. Larger paper heart.

Cut the other a little larger than the smaller heart in any coordinating color.

Step 14. Poke holes

Align the crocheted heart to the smaller paper heart so that it is centered. Use a push pin to poke holes where you will sew the heart to the paper. If you locate them evenly, it can help to flatten the piece and make it symmetrical.

Step 15.

1) Stitch on the crocheted heart.

Stitch the crochet heart onto the smaller paper heart. Use the same thread as you used to make the heart so the stitches are concealed.

2) Leave an open space in the center.

Leave an open space in the center on the back, to give yourself a place for the glue.

3) Stitching at the tips of the picots will help the heart lie flat.

Step 16. Mark the test fit.

Do a test fit of the paper hearts on the card without gluing them down yet. Mark the locations of the points, top and bottom, lightly in pencil.

Step 17. Decide what you want the card to say.

You can letter on the front or the inside, or both.

1.If calligraphy is not your strong point, you could also use a computer printer or stamps to letter the card. Or, leave the front blank and write in your own handwriting inside.

2.This is a great opportunity to use a calligraphy pen, fancy fountain pen, dip pen, brush, or other artistic tool.

3.Practice the lettering on a piece of scratch paper if you need to. Get the size and spacing about right for the card. It's especially important to practice if you're writing with anything you don't often use.

Tips:

- Draw guidelines lightly in pencil for the letters. You can even trace the letters lightly in pencil to help you get the spacing right.

- Write the letters. This is a handmade card, so don't be afraid to go for a handmade look.

- Wait for the ink or paint to dry thoroughly, then erase the guidelines. Repeat for the lettering on the inside.

Step 18. Glue the larger heart.

Apply glue to the back of the outer heart. Align it carefully on the card and smooth it down.

Step 19. Cut out a tab.

Cut a rectangular tab out of a piece of stiff cardboard, such as a cereal box. Score it and fold it in half.

Step 20. Mark the test fit.

Glue one side of the tab to the small heart.

Step 21. Glue the tab.

Apply glue to the other side of the tab.

Step 22. Glue down the smaller heart.

Align the smaller heart in the center of the larger one and glue it down.

The tab makes it pop up a bit. If you'd rather it didn't, glue the two sides of the tab together or use a single thickness of cardboard for the tab. The tab helps compensate for the thickness of the string you used to sew on the heart.

Step 23. Wait for the glue to dry.

Weigh the whole thing down with a heavy object until it dries.

Whew! The education finally finished ~! is this a very hard time for you? You could spend five dollars on a Valentine's Day card for the person you love, or you could take the time to make something that is truly special. …Actually this material is really is very detailed. So, try to make a Valentine card step by step, it will be very interesting …

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

Women's Hair Ornaments and Their Social Connotations in Old China (down)

Hair ornaments worn by women of wealth also took the form of gold flowers encrusted with jewels depicting flowers or animals.

The elaborate "buyao" hairpin was an exquisite hair ornament denoting noble status, which was often be encrusted with jewels and featuring carved designs, the main feature of a "buyao" was its pendants that flatteringly framed the wearer's face and "danced" as she moved, hence the name buyao, which literally means "shake as you go". This ornament was generally made of of gold in the shape of a phoenix or dragon and adorned with pearls and jade.

Among popular decorative patterns used on women's hair ornaments in old China were auspicious birds and beasts, such as the dragon, phoenix, crane, deer and the 12 animals of the Chinese "zodiac." The deer was considered a propitious animal because its pronunciation in Chinese is the same as that for six, which implies success. Hairpins in the design of a mandarin duck denoted married bliss. Patterns of flowers and fruit-bearing trees featured the peony, lotus flower, plum, guava and asphodel. The five petals on a plum represent blessings, high-salary, longevity, luck and wealth.

Designs of women's hair ornament in old China always depicts auspicious objects, among them there are musical instruments, chess pieces, calligraphic characters, and the "four treasures in a scholar's studio" ,which comprises the calligraphy brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper.

But to the women in ancient China the chignon was far more than just a hair ornament. The chignon ceremony, which bestowed a hairpin upon a young woman when she reached the age of 15, was a rite of passage signifying that she had reached marriageable age.

A hairpin also functioned as a love token. When Chinese lovers of ancient times were forced to part they would often split a hairpin, both keeping a half with them at all times until they were reunited.

(finished)

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

Different Christmas Customs in Different Parts of the World

Christmas is not just turkey dinner and Santa Claus climbing the chimney, when the U.S. version Christmas swept the whole China, so let's take a look at other countries and how they doing in Christmas...

When we think of Christmas, we think of eating turkey, exchanging gifts, red-and-white-clad fat men climbing down chimneys, and 25 December. But that's not the case everywhere. Here are a few arbitrarily selected examples.

AUSTRALIA: Christmas Flavors on Summer Beach

Celebrated: 25 December

Father Christmas? Yes, but more prone to wearing sunglasses and fur-trimmed red shorts

Food: A vast roast turkey is not so appealing in 40°C heat, but some still go for it. Others serve it cold. Prawns are also popular.

Notes: A summer Yuletide feels a bit back-to-front for us Northern Hemisphere chauvinists, but Christmas Day on Bondi Beach is something to behold. Otherwise, it is much like a British or American Christmas – gifts, food, family, telly, booze and arguments all make their appearances.

ETHIOPIA:Very unique Christmas Food with its Own National Characteristics

Celebrated: 7 January

Gifts? No

Father Christmas? No

Food: Injera, a local sourdough pancake bread, with rich stews and meats. No turkeys.

Notes: The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is closely related to the Coptic Church, and still uses the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian as followed in the West. Hence their Christmas – or “Ganna” - falling 13 days later. 12 days after Ganna, they celebrate Christ's birth in a three-day festival called Timkat.

AMERICA: Standard Christmas?

Celebrated: 25 December

Gifts? Yes

Father Christmas? Santa Claus, technically; while the British Father Christmas is related to Pere Noel（French Santa Claus）, Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas（Dutch Santa Claus）. They've become interchangeable over time, though.

Food: Lots of it, predictably. Ham or beef is more common than turkey, as the bird (native to the United States) is the traditional centrepiece at Thanksgiving, a month earlier, but there is a wide variety.

Notes: Turkeys, the red-and-white Santa Claus, and many of the modern “traditions” of British Christmas are directly taken from our cross-Atlantic cousins. Perhaps ironically, the pilgrims who colonised America tried to ban the celebration altogether in 17th-century Massachusetts.

BRITAIN: Christmas + Work + New Year = Holiday Sandwich

Celebrated: 25 December, obviously

Gifts? Yes

Father Christmas? Yes, although (see above) we have moved away from the green-cloaked “spirit of bonhomie” that Dickens would understand, to the red-and-white gift-bringer Santa Claus.

Food: Turkey! Lots of turkey. Although before the big American bird became commonplace over here, a goose was traditional (hence the carol saying “Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting fat”). Trimmings vary from household to household, although roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts are regular features, and the author of this piece would like to make it clear that Christmas dinner without bread sauce is just a warmed-up dead bird.

Notes: Christmas trees, carol singing, the Salvation Army, eating leftovers for a week, Boxing Day football, cold damp weather, the Queen's Speech, that infuriating bit between Christmas and New Year where you have to go back to work for three pointless days; it's British Christmas.

GERMANY: Gluttonous Feast

Celebrated: 25 December (although they also celebrate St Nicholas's Day on 6 December)

Gifts: Yes – in a shoe, candy for good children, twigs for bad, on St Nicholas's Day

Father Christmas? No, St Nicholas; although as with so many places, the British/American tradition has taken hold strongly through films and adverts, so the red-and-white image is common.

Food: Hearty fare, as you might expect. Christmas Eve in Germany is called “Dickbauch”, or “fat stomach”, as tradition has it that those who go to bed hungry that night are tormented by demons as they sleep, so the big meal is late that evening.

Notes: Christmas trees first arose in Germany, and go up on 23 December – not a day before. They are decorated with sweets. German Christmas markets, which go up from the end of November, are a famous tradition, selling various oddments, meats and treats.

FRANCE: Delicous Food on the Christmas Eve

Celebrated: 25 December

Gifts? Yes, although adults exchange them on New Years' Day

Father Christmas? Oui, mais en France il s'appel “Père Noël”. He visits on 6 December, bringing small gifts, and again on Christmas Eve.

Food: Reveillon, the big Christmas meal, is held late on Christmas Eve and carries on past midnight (hence the name, which roughly means“waking meal”). Goose or turkey is common, but the French being the French they also get some lobster and foie gras in there.

Notes: The Nativity is a big deal in France (although not as big as in Catalonia; see below) and every home will display a small scene somewhere.

RUSSIA: Santa Claus? Christmas Girl?

Celebrated: 7 January (the Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar)

Gifts? Yes

Father Christmas? Not exactly; the rather more stern-sounding Grandfather Frost (“Ded Moroz”) and his helper, Snegurochka, split the duties. The exact relationship between Snegurochka and Grandfather Frost is ill defined. Some say she is his granddaughter. Some say....well, never mind. St Nicholas is a famous figure too.

Food: Goose, fish and pork are all served, together with various bean and cabbage stews

Notes: During the Soviet period, Christmas was not a holiday in Russia. When we think of Christmas, we think of eating turkey, exchanging gifts, red-and-white-clad fat men climbing down chimneys, and 25 December. But that's not the case everywhere. Here are a few arbitrarily selected examples.

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

The Best Christmas Gift for Men: Do not Let Him Accompany you During Shopping

Did you know that Christmas shopping is even worse for our health than we previously thought?

Perhaps it's the added stress this year - and the thought ofour credit cards being refused at the tills --- but, according to aninternet retail survey, the incidence of hypertension during thefestive shopping season is on the up.

Christmas shopping increased blood pressure to dangerous levels in 50 percent of shoppers. This can lead to hypertension, which can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney problems. Even low levels of hypertension are linked with migraines, panic attacks and osteoporosis. Heart rates increased by an average of 10 percent during Christmas shopping.

In the study of 16 men and 16 women, men had the worst spikes in heart rate during a 90-minute spree.

Samuel Thompson, 30 years old:" I had to buy five items and had an hour and a half to buy them. No fun no sweet--or so I thought."

"Normally, I know exactly what I want to get and do it as quick as possible. But in this test you were demand to make on-the-spot decisions, which makes it more stressful."

"Lack of time and the crowds were the biggest pressure points. I got frustrated by other people slowing me down by stopping to chat in the street. And I could feel myself sweating in queues. Everything took longer than planned."

Dr Turner's verdict:" Sam's heart rate was good at the start but it had almost doubled by the end. Combined with his hiked systolic blood pressure--up by nearly 15 per cent--it could put him in line for stroke. Systolic blood pressure relates to the pumping out of blood by the heart."

Men suffer twice as much as women, apparently, and are,therefore, in greater danger of dying on the High Street in the coming weeks.

Remember, a husband is for life and not just for Christmas.

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China