Peek Into The Colourful World Of Paper Quilling For July 2018

Colour Stories

Quilling is a colourful form of art, with a rich history, and it has been around for quite some time now. Read on to know everything about it…

Quilling or paper filigree is an art form involving paper strips that are rolled, manipulated, shaped, and glued together to create colourful, decorative designs. It gets its name from the practice of trimming the gold edges from books, and then winding the narrow strips of paper around feather quills, using the quill for the tool.

The technique is simple: A long, narrow ribbon of paper is rolled around a needle-like tool and the strip is slipped off, arranged with the fingertips into whatever shape desired, and then glued to a background, either paper, fabric or wood. There are plenty of advanced techniques and different-sized paper that are used to create 3D miniatures, abstract art and quilled flowers.

The monks and the nuns would roll gold-gilded paper remnants trimmed during the bookmaking process, and use them to adorn religious objects in place of expensive gold filigree during the period of Renaissance. Quilling later became a hobby and a pastime of 18th and 19thcentury young women in England. They would decorate pieces of furniture and tea caddies with paper filigree. This practice crossed the Atlantic with colonists, who adorned candle sconces and trays with paper filigree.

The process has remained the same, but these days, some aficionados focus on detailed 3-D figures. This art form is creatively satisfying and is also fun at the same time! You can unleash your creativity with this art form as the choices are immense, right from plain coloured strips to metallic coloured strips, strips that come in a gradation of shades from the same family shade, broad strips to extremely thin strips. You can create basic forms such as flowers, petals, half-moon, teardrops, ring coils, open filigree shapes, 3D shapes, fringed flowers and more. You can use them to embellish all your gifts, gift cards, greeting cards and gift wrappers. It can also be used to enhance vases, succulents and small home decorative pieces. You can create lovely jewellery such as earrings, neckpieces, finger rings and pendants using the 3D paper quilling technique. Isn't it amazing to see what marvellous things paper can do? Try it out for yourself as it is simple, inexpensive and loads of fun!

Colour Trivia

Colour Facts For July 2018

1. Red and yellow are appetizing colours.
   Red+ yellow = hunger! Look around and you will notice that many fast food giants like McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, and many other restaurants use this colour scheme. Researchers state that red and yellow are the most appetizing colours. Red associates with energy and passion, whereas yellow associates with passion. Warm colours like red and yellow are stated to be appetite-stimulating whereas the colour blue is appetite-suppressing. Therefore, many designers suggest warm colours for kitchens and restaurants. It helps to increase the appetite and also affects the speed at which people eat.
2. Use pink to control your anger.
   Looking at colours can be relaxing. Colours have an enormous impact on us, psychologically and emotionally. Pink is a palliative colour. Due to its calming effect, it suppresses anger and anxiety within an hour. Thus, many mental health care institutions paint their walls pink to control the behaviour of their patients. Pink promotes tranquillity and peace. According to Feng Shui, pink soothes different forms of energies and keeps them understated. Its peacefulness provides balance to our emotions. In Switzerland, prison cells are painted with pink colour to help the inmates calm down.
3. Reason behind the colour of your passport.
   According to Hrant Boghossian, the Vice President of Arton Group, which runs the interactive Passport Index database, the shade of each national passport is derived from just four main colours: Red, Green, Blue or Black. However, within each colour hue, there are many variations. The choice of colour for a country's passport is majorly influenced by culture and history. For instance, most Islamic states use green passports because of the importance of the colour in their religion. Some countries choose a certain colour to distinguish itself and reflect their unique identity, such as Switzerland, whose passport is bright red.

Colour Quotes For July 2018

• Man needs colour to live; it's just as necessary an element as fire and water.

  - Fernand Leger

• Painting is a mosaic of colours weaved into a seamless whole.

  - Igor Babailov

• Colour is an intense experience on its own.

  - Jim Hodges

Colour Tips For July 2018

1. Did you know shiny semi-gloss is more durable than flat or matte and is more moisture-resistant? This property makes it perfect for usage in kitchens and bathrooms as these are places you definitely want a paint finish that can handle a little soap, water and elbow grease.
   
   On the other hand, flat and matte finishes make it easy for touch-ups. You can save those for high-traffic spots such as a kid's room or a hallway. Now, isn't this informative?
2. Do not overlook the lighting of the room if you intend to paint its walls. The lighting is often harsh and industrial in a paint store but at home, you have some softer bulbs and natural light to work with. Always remember to test your colour swatches in different lighting or you will end up with a wrong shade for your room. Also, take into account the direction your rooms faces.North-facing rooms make colours look cooler, while rooms looking south give a warm cast. Interesting, isn't it?
3. The ceiling is considered the fifth wall of your home, so ensure that you treat it with equal amount of attention and care like you would for the other four walls of your home. Whether you pick white or a bright colour, painting it properly will give you those sharp edges along the top and make your wall colour pop. You don't have to repaint ceilings as often as walls. However, ignoring them will make them appear dull and dirty. So, next time you are thinking of painting your home, don't forget the ceilings. It will surely make people look up and take notice.

World Of Colours

Colours & Emotion For July 2018

1. Isn't it fascinating to know that there is a link between colours and emotions? The connections between colours and emotions probably have at least three sources, namely evolution, culture and personal experience. Let us delve into the emotional nuances of the Purple. This colour is associated with creativity, royalty and wealth. Purple is often used to soothe or relax a viewer, which is why it is used in beauty products. If you wish to make a design look richer and luxurious, incorporate purple in your home décor. If you want to evoke a sense of mystery or romance, a lighter purple is your best bet.
2. Every colour elicits a unique emotional response in the viewer. It is lesser-known to people but has a powerful effect. Spike Jonze's movie 'Her' shows how a movie's entire meaning can be told non-verbally through set decoration and shot composition. The walls, computer screens and clothes are all red. Red is a colour that often invokes feelings of love and passion. The movie's protagonist, Theodore, wears bright red, yellow, blue and white shirts throughout the movie. These colours help communicate his emotional state to the viewers. The entire movie is the perfect example of why colour theory matters and how it can help others perceive someone.

Colours & Fashion For July 2018

Fashion and Colours

For decades, the red carpet has evoked Hollywood glitz and glamour. Have you ever wondered where it all started? How did it become the ultimate signifier of celebrity? It dates back at least 2,500 years. In the early days, the red carpet was not meant for ordinary folk. In ancient Greece, a path of dark red tapestries was rolled out, in 'Agamemnon', the Aeschylus play, when the King's wife Clytemnestra got ready for the triumphant welcome home of her husband from the Trojan War. These days, the red carpet is no longer reserved only for film stars.

Colours & Gems For July 2018

1. Pyrite
   Pyrite is sometimes called Fool's Gold as it is similar to Gold in shape and colour. In the old mining days, Pyrite was sometimes mistaken for Gold, as they frequently occured together. However, both Pyrite and Gold are easily distinguished by simple observation and testing of characteristics. Pyrite occurs in numerous shapes and the smaller crystal aggregates have a beautiful glistening effect under light. The perfect cubes of Pyrite embedded in a matrix from the famous Spanish mines are treasured among collectors.
2. Kyanite
   Kyanite is a gemstone quality aluminium silicate that is sometimes called Disthene, Rhaeticite or Cyanite. The name is derived from the Greek word 'kuanos' or 'kyanos', meaning 'deep blue' as it is blue in colour. However, in addition to blue, Kyanite can also be colourless, green, orange, white, gray or yellow. With this gemstone, colour is not really consistent overall. In fact, most gemstones exhibit areas of light to dark colour zones, along with some blotches or white streaks. Kyanite inspires loyalty and fair treatment to others. In the workplace, Kyanite promotes excellent communication, encourages self-expression and speaking the truth. It instantly aligns all the chakras and restores Qi to the physical body.

Colours & Nature For July 2018

1. Nembrotha cristata
   Nembrotha cristata is a colourful type of sea slug that is found in tropical Indo-Western Pacific oceans. Its entire body is covered in black but it has bright green pustules and gills that are neon green. Its bright colouring helps scare away predators, allowing it to safely navigate ocean waters at a slow pace. It belongs to the Polyceridae family and is also known as, Cabbage Nudibranch Sea Slug/Snail or Cabbage Patch Nudibranch. It has two Rhinopores that help it to detect food through taste and scent. It has antenna-like objects on the Nudis head. Fascinating, isn't it?
2. Keel-Billed Toucan
   Like many toucans, keel-billed toucan has one of the most colourful and oversized beaks in the bird world. Though it is more a green colour than anything else, it can be a mixture of green, yellow, red and orange. It has a black plumage, a vibrant yellow throat and cheeks, bright red feathers under its tail and a yellow-green face. Its light green, banana-shaped bill is splashed with orange and tipped with red and blue. It can grow to be a third of the size of the toucan's 20-inch body. It is a very social bird, hardly seen alone. It often duels with the other using its bills, and throwing fruits into each other's mouths. Indeed, a photographer's delight!

Decor

5 Home Colour Options To Keep An Eye On In 2018

The colour paints of the rooms at your place are a direct reflection of your personality. While most of us may not spend a lot of time thinking about room colour, it affects us every day. Room colour can influence our moods and our thoughts.

Colour shades and décor trends tend to change very quickly. If you are looking forward to the hottest trending paints in 2018, we have listed them below.

1. Red- Crimsons and deep red are quite popular nowadays. These shades are generally used to contrast other simple shades like white. After many years of pastels, neutrals, and quiet palettes, people now opt for a bolder option. Red signifies change, strength and confidence.
2. Black- This colour has always been used to make a statement. This shade in its true form without the undertone could be a little rebellious, but surely gives a chance to express yourself. Matte black looks stunning and creates a beautiful impression. Black painted rooms are a current favourite as they help to create a dramatic yet elegant look.
3. Ocean blue – ocean blue is an opulent and mysterious colour. It indicates wanderlust and global interconnectedness. Looking at this colour can be very peaceful and relaxing. This colour is becoming a rage due to its soothing effect and its aesthetic look.
4. Pastel pink- This peach-salmon shade refuses to go away. This gorgeous shade will always be pleasing to our eyes. Pink also helps to reduce anxiety and keeps us calm. Thus, it provides an overall balance to our home. Fancy and funky can be used to compliment this colour.
5. Sea foam green- Green is considered as the most restful colour for the eye. Combining the refreshing quality of blue and the cheerfulness of yellow, green is suited for almost any room in the house. In the kitchen, green cools things down; in a family room or living room, it encourages unwinding but has enough warmth to promote comfort and togetherness.

We are finally looking at doing away with the tired trends of the past and embracing five of these fresh paints.

Children And The Colour Of Their Walls

So you have decided to give your child’s bedroom a new colour. There are a few things you need to think about—your aesthetic understanding of colour and how it will fit into your home, and what your child wants.

But there's another important aspect to this – the effect it will have on your child's mood. And that's why we're going to list down how different colours can work differently, and how you can make a more informed, intelligent decision. Here is some kids room painting ideas.

Red

A colour used in a lot of restaurants because it is believed to stimulate the appetite, it is a passionate and strong colour. It is also believed that it can increase BP and the heart rate. What this means is that while it is exciting, that excitement could tip over to more aggressive emotions too.

Playing around with the energy of your kid might be something you'd want to be careful about. Our advice is to keep it to an accent wall, because too much would tip the scale too far.

Pink

Pink can help cool a child down and calm their emotions, and is supposed to increase in a child one of the defining factors of humanity – our empathy. But because of how bright it is, too much of it can become jarring and an eyesore, so use it sparingly.

Orange

A fun and cheerful colour, orange inspires confidence and the kind of vibe a child needs to play in a more social setting. Like both the colours before, this is once again one which you have to use sparingly, so take it as an accent colour.

Yellow

The colour yellow, studies have shown, has helped children improve their ability to remember, and focus on their tasks. This works brilliantly if the child likes to finish their homework in the room, or even if they practice learning a new skill there. While it's associated with good cheer, it can make it difficult for a child who doesn't fall asleep easily to, well, fall asleep. So you know the drill—use it sparingly.

Green

Finally, a colour we won't ask you to use sparingly. Green has a very soothing effect, not unlike when we look at trees and grass. It works very well for children who are tense.

So there you have it. We hope you've now got a better idea for painting your kid's room.

Signs You Need To Waterproof Your Home

Waterproofing should be among the first enhancements a home owner thinks about as it is wiser and more cost-efficient to prevent a disaster than to withstand it in the future. Waterproofing is an extremely important step that you must take to safeguard your home from the harsh elements of nature.

Let's explore some reasons that waterproofing is something that you should do:

• If you see water running down or dripping on your basement walls or seeping through cracks, you need to check the foundation of your home as it is an indicator of something very wrong with it.
• If you see cracks in the foundation of your walls or ceilings, these are sure-shot signs of leakage problems and are a risk you must not take.
• If you sense dampness or water on the walls of your home, you need to seek professional help immediately and fix the issue.
• If you have a garden or yard that is always damp or wet, this may mean that one of the water pumps is broken or leaking. You cannot sit on the problem and wait for something worse to happen. Immediate remedial measures need to be taken.
• If you observe that the wooden floorings of your home have swollen, particularly in the lower corners of your walls, it is a clear sign of water infiltration. You have to tackle it immediately.
• If the humidity level inside your home is high, you will observe faint halos on the walls of your home. Do not take this lightly. Call for immediate professional assistance.
• If your house has recently suffered flooding during torrential rains, it goes without saying that you need to take quick action and seek professional guidance.

The costs associated with repairing a home that has been damaged from any of the above are not astronomical. Also, they are relatively easy to fix provided you have the know-how.

All you need is Berger's Waterproof wall putty and it needs to be applied along the damaged area. It is white cement based premium quality putty with some special unique properties. The putt for waterproofing is ready to use and provides smooth, aesthetic finish & extends life of top coat paints. The cured surface shows remarkably distinct anti-efflorescence effect in comparison to traditional powder putties. The cured surface provides excellent hydrophobicity, exhibiting "Lotus Bead" effect. The good news is that the wall putty does not require extra strength to apply on the walls.

Isn't it awesome? Next time you want to waterproof your home, you know whom to turn to!

Colours & Ancient Sciences

Feng Shui For July 2018

So you want to buy an aquarium to liven up your space? You’re on your way to getting one of the better methods to create good Feng Shui in your area.

Where should I keep my aquarium?

While bringing any animal home is great Feng Shui because it's something you have to care for and love, just like you do yourself, an aquarium contains more aspects of Feng Shui than most other objects.

That's why you also have to be careful where you place them.

We are going to assume that you are going to pick up a round or rectangular aquarium since these are the ideal shapes for good Feng Shui. Square shapes are not ideal since they represent Earth and can imprison the Water element of the aquarium. A triangular shape is also, while being terribly inconvenient, a bad fit because it is the Fire element and Fire and Water don't traditionally go too well together. And unless you have a very specific reason, avoid 5-6-7 etc sided aquariums too.

So now it comes to where we can place this round or rectangular aquarium.

1. Diagonally across from the entrance to a room, or across the front door, this is the most common spot for good Feng Shui which can bring in warmth. This makes sense for people visiting your room and your home, or simply for you when you enter your home, because your home should be one of the most welcoming thing for its inhabitants before anything else.
2. Avoid keeping it in your bedroom. The continuous ripples of water, play of light, and the electric energy create too much energy related to Yang.
3. A kitchen's main energy is Fire. Keeping an aquarium there, which has water as its vital energy, will extinguish the fire. Bad idea.
4. Lastly - keep it away from a sunny window. Apart from bad Feng Shui, the water will become uncomfortably hot for the fish and can make the water go cloudy and green.

That's all. But before anything else, also ensure that you will have the time and patience to take care of fish. They are not as responsive as other animals, and sometimes that can lead to them being ignored. And for the size of your aquarium, consult an expert. Some fish need much larger aquariums to grow comfortable.

Reiki For July 2018

With the influx of technology in the society, people are finding it difficult to simply disconnect and rest. More and more people are suffering from emotional exhaustion, chronic fatigue and stress-induced illnesses.

Say Bye-Bye to Fatigue with Reiki!

Many patients across the world who suffer from these issues are using Reiki treatment to get rid of most of the symptoms. This is not surprising as Reiki itself deals with spiritual as well as universal energies, and applies them to Chakras all across the human body. This Japanese natural healing technique makes use of energy meridians as focal points to detect where the problem arises from. The idea behind this is that an imbalance in the body causes fatigue, and this is where the energy flows are disturbed or blocked, and there is over activity within the body. This concept can also be applied to blood and the blood vessels that transport it all over our body. If there is a blockage, there is a problem. It usually manifests itself in physical symptom, which if left untreated, can cause serious problems in the long run. This is the same for energy or KI within our body. If we do not treat it at the initial stages or at any stage at all, then major problems may surface.

Most of the experts on this subject would agree that to treat fatigue using Reiki treatments, one would need to focus on the belly area and the breathing of the patient. The belly is considered the bonfire of the human soul and the body, and if there is a problem with the energy flow in that area, it affects the entire biological operation. If you intend to treat yourself using Reiki, then focus on the belly and the upper area of the pubic bone. Put all the focus on the energies on these areas and you will see a difference after a few treatments.

It is a good idea to evaluate your progress and see how energetic you feel after a few sessions of Reiki. The benefits are huge and even patients with major illnesses like cancer use Reiki as a viable form of treatment. Most patients who have undergone Reiki therapy have vouched for it and experienced a renewed sense of energy post Reiki-session.

Why not try it out for yourself?

Vaastu For July 2018

Sound is one of the first few things we can understand, proved by the fact that we recognize the sound of our parents before we develop the eyesight required to recognize them.

Bringing the music into Vaastu

Sound is one of the first few things we can understand, proved by the fact that we recognize the sound of our parents before we develop the eyesight required to recognize them.

So it should come as no surprise that musical instruments can bring great vibrations to your home, as per Vaastu. But as with most objects, an important part of it is also knowing what to do with them.

And that's what we are going to help you with.

1. Your instruments should be placed in a corner of house that's in the southwest, northwest, or west.
2. This one might sound a bit strange, but the vibrations of musical instruments can have such a positive effect, that even hanging an image of a musical instrument can bring in a good vibe. And it makes sense - it's an object that has the power to create beauty in a language which anyone can understand. You could even say that it deserves to replace a lot of landscape paintings in homes!
3. Now an instrument is an object which deserves your respect, and that's why it shouldn't find itself in a strange place like a storage closet or the kitchen. Your instrument belongs in the living room or the bedroom. The 'practical' reasons for this are also abundant. You want to see the instrument so that you play it more and develop a better relationship with it. And secondly, and this might sound slightly vain, but you'd like others to see it too. If not for them to play, atleast for them to say, "Hey I didn't know you know how to play that!"
4. Continuing the previous point, they need to be played regularly, otherwise they will stop becoming objects which give off good vibrations, and instead that which gathers dust. They should be looked after and kept clean, and the area around them should not be messy.
5. And lastly—do not keep broken or damaged instruments in the house as they give off negative vibrations. Keeping the Vaastu aspect aside, it also shows an unhealthy disregard for such an important object.

As you can see, Vaastu and common sense can go hand in hand more often than not! Remember - your musical instrument is a new entrant to your family. You have to develop a relationship with it, and maintain it. That's not just good Vaastu - but also good manners!

Good luck!