Tuesday, October 30, 2012

November Shows

November 10-11 (Veteran's Day weekend)
Downtown Savannah, GA
Saturday 10am-5pm, Uffizi-inspired art activities for children in the square and studio 10am-2pm.
Sunday 12-4pm
Booth B2

November 16-18
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm
$15 General Admission, $14 Seniors, Children under 12 are free
Booth 122

Friday, October 19, 2012

Valet Box


A writer from Info Barrel tells us what a Valet Box is and why all men need one:

I was in my brother-in-laws bedroom the other day helping him with a computer problem that he was having when I looked on top of his dresser. It was a mess of items ranging from credit cards to watches, tie clips and pins as well as a plethora of other items that I could not even see since they were buried in a heap. Having just received a valet box myself not too long ago and resisting using it for as long as I could until my wife forced me to and then becoming a convert, I knew how much a valet box could help him. So expecting and prepared for some resistance I said "You know, a valet box could really help you clean up that mess and bring some organization to your life". Then I got the exact answer that I gave when my wife said the same to me a couple of months ago: "What is a valet box and why would I ever need one?" So here I am to explain to the masses what a valet box is and why every man needs one.

As an executive of a company I often need to dress up for client and company meetings. Being an executive, I am expected to dress the part (even thought I hate it) which means that I need to look good. Wearing a watch, nice cuff links, a tie clip and even a company pin is often a part of the attire that I am expected to wear in order to fit in with the crowd. Over time I have obtained quite a collection of these items and much like my brother-in-law, I used to throw them onto my dresser or in one of my dresser drawers in a big heap of a mess until my wife forced me to use a valet box that my mother-in-law purchased for my birthday.

A valet box is simply a men's jewelry box. I assume that if we called it a jewelry box, no man would ever use it no matter how helpful it was to their life. Although this sounds somewhat effeminate, I can assure you that a valet box is anything but feminine. Valet boxes are created with a man in mind and are usually made from a high quality wood or genuine leather. They are very simple, sophisticated and manly boxes that lack all of the frills and girly aspects of a woman's jewelry box. Valet boxes have all the space inside that a man needs to store his jewelry with spaces for watches, tie clips, credit cards, pins and other small items that men collect over time. Valet boxes usually have a lock with a key which provide additional security for items such as cash and credit cards that are being stored when not in use. Most importantly, valet boxes bring some organization to a man's life and help to protect valuables such as watches so they do not get scratched and dinged.

Although I was hesitant to use my valet box at first, I must admit that now that I have used it for a period of time that it has helped me tremendously with organizing my life. I no longer spend time searching for lost cufflinks or matching tie clips when I am in a rush in the morning. All of my unused credit cards are always stored where I can find them and locked away. Additionally, my watches and other items are continually protected in a proper manner ensuring that they will last a lifetime by being properly cared. This is important because in the long run it will ensure that I never have to go out and shop for another pair of cuff links or a tie clip as a replacement for on that I have lost or broken when I would rather be sitting on the couch and watching the big game on TV.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Wood of the Month - Ebony


There are two main types of ebony and a very small number of others. The main two are:

"Gabon ebony", which is the common name I use for what is also called "Nigerian ebony", "East African ebony", and many other names depending on country of origin. This is what people normally mean when they say "ebony". It's the black kind, although it actually frequently has lighter streaks. It is generally VERY expensive and requires some care in working as it is slightly brittle and prone to cracking.

"Macassar ebony", which is usually a very striped wood with widely varying amounts of light and dark wood. This name is to be distinguished from "Madagascar ebony" which is just another common name equivalent to "Gabon ebony". Macassar ebony is also expensive (all the ebony's are) but is somewhat less delicate to work than Gabon ebony.

Some of the other specialty woods that are occasionally available in the USA, are "pale moon ebony" (aka "black and white ebony"), "mun ebony", and persimmon, which is not normally thought of as an ebony, but which does belong to the same genus.

Some of the wood-producing species that are sold under the names discussed above. All of these have more than one common name (most of them MANY more than one), but I list only one, sometimes two, for simplicity. Many of these are not black. Persimmon, for example, is almost all light colored with a tiny pith area of black. Some of these have no black at all.

NOTE: the names "black ebony", "African ebony", and "streaked (or striped) ebony" are so widely applied to many of the species in this genus that they are almost meaningless.

Friday, October 5, 2012

October Shows


Enjoy live jazz and chat with fine artists in various mediums in Winter Springs this month. Stop by and see us.

October 21-21, 2012
Winter Springs Festival of the Arts
Winter Springs, Florida
10am-5pm
Booth 429

The photo at top is from last year's festival.