Get Rid of That Annoying Junk Email!

If you use e-mail, you will get spam (junk email). None of us want this spam clogging up our important email messaging inbox. I have read recent information on how to reduce this annoying spam and found some tips that are very useful. Be aware that spammers constantly change tactics, so it will be difficult to get rid of all of your junk email, but there are ways to reduce it.

The main way is to not respond. Do not try to get back at them by sending them an angry email in response. Although it may make you feel good that you have “gotten back” at them, this only lets them know that they have an active address, resulting in more spam to you. Interestingly, you may be savvy enough to not be conned into giving them money, but they can still get the upper hand by selling lists of live email addresses, including yours, to others.

Blocking spammers’ individual email addresses is futile because most spammers only use them once. It is best to block their domain. You will need to read your individual email provider’s instructions for doing this.

Do not reveal your email address publicly. Listing it in online comments, blogs, and other places is a bad idea. Your email address can then become a solicitor's paradise. Also beware of chain letters and other email actions that give away your email address to strangers.

Many spammers have software that can guess your email address and get spam to you anyway.  However, most email providers (such as yahoo) have spam detection and anti-spam software built in, which protects you from getting most spam delivered to your inbox.

If you are up to your eyeballs in spam and when all else fails, you may consider changing your email address. You would need to inform your friends, family, and business contacts. Obviously this is a last resort. Prior to doing this, I would suggest choosing a good internet security software for your computer which will block spam and update itself automatically with the newest antispam data.

All of these tips can be very helpful in getting rid of annoying junk email...only if you heed them!

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

Smart Tips for Better Sleep

It’s a fact of life that most of us do not get enough sleep. Most adults need about seven or eight hours of sleep each night. Here are some tips for having better sleep:

• Create sleepy mood. Avoid bright lights and loud noise in the home a few hours before bedtime. Make sure the room temperature is not too warm.
• Have a routine. Try to have generally the same bedtime and awakening time daily.
• Relax. Have a few hours of quiet time before bed. Do some reading, listen to soft, soothing music, or take a warm bath.
• Exercise early in the day and definitely not within three to six hours before bedtime. Staying active during the day can lower stress, enhance relaxation, thereby promoting better sleep.
• Do not work in your bedroom. Your bedroom should not be your office! This room should be thought of as your sleep area, not your work area.
• Prescription sleep aids can help in promoting sleep depending on your physicians recommendations. However, be aware that some of these can become habit-forming so openly discuss the side-effects with your doctor.

These are basic tips that will help you have better sleep and be more productive when you are awake.

How not to sleep:

A peaceful setting for sleep:

 

 

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

Calypso Folk Music

I love to dance. Although I am not able to execute the dance moves I had when I was a wee bit younger, dance will always be a part of my life and my fascination. I watch all of the dance shows and competitions on television, my favorite being "So You Think You Can Dance." I also attend competitions when possible.

Caribbean music is dear to me, and I thought I would impart a little background and history of the genre, particularly the Calypso.

Calypso’s catchy rhythms and unmistakable style have become widely popular. It originated in Trinidad and Tobago, islands in the southern Caribbean Sea. Along with the steel drums, calypso melodies include such instruments as the guitar, trumpet, saxophone, and drums. It is music that compels you to move your feet, get up from your chair, and stand up and sway your hips to the rhythmical beat.

Calypso can refer to any song that was sung after 1898 at Carnival time in Trinidad. It may have been inspired by storytelling tradition that was brought to Trinidad by African slaves. It has since been influenced by African song and dance along with French, Hispanic, English, and other ethnic influences.

The smooth tropical songs made by the Calypsonian includes witty rhymes that are often made up at the time of the singing on stage. The words included humor and spicy tales, sometimes with a double meaning. This was done because the Calypsonians made the upper classes of society the objects of their ridicule and composed such stinging words and critiques that the colonial government tried to ban the tradition. Double meanings were created to camouflage the actual meaning of the songs. In fact, Calypsonians have made a heavy contribution to the vocabulary of West Indian speech. Many people, even some politicians, often quoted Calypsonians to emphasize a point.

In the early days, the Calypsonians were mainly Afro-Trinidadian, but today they can be found in every race, color, and class. Many genres of calypso have now been developed that appeal to varying musical tastes.

The next time you hear steel orchestras and a lively, catchy, rhythmical sound, with picture lyrics, you may be experiencing calypso music. Like me, you will be compelled to get up from your chair and dance!

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

A Really Pink Lake

When taking time out from my crafting, I like to read. I came upon an article about a pink lake. That’s right, a Pink Lake! Why and how is this lake pink?

Lake Retba, Lac Rose, or the Pink Lake, is 18 miles from Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa. The sunlight reacts with the microorganisms in the water to produce the extraordinary hue. The color is particularly visible during the dry season.

Beneath this lake’s shallow waters lies a bed of salt. The water is so salty, like that of the Dead Sea, that visitors float very easily. The salt content also provides for a small salt collecting industry and provides income for hundreds of people. Salt collectors work 6-7 hours a day in the lake. Men stand chest-deep in the lake, breaking up salt with long picks. They shovel it into baskets and load it into boats. The vessels become so loaded down that they barely keep afloat. When the boats arrive at the shore, women take over the job, carrying the salt on their heads in buckets. They spend up to 14 hours a day collecting the salt.

This lake is a fascinating phenomenon. It is another of the many wonders that make our earth a marvelous home.

 

 

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

Are You Afraid of the Dentist?

Before modern dentistry, people suffered toothaches, tooth loss, and were disfigured by dark, crooked teeth. Toothless senior citizens suffered malnutrition and early death because they were unable to chew.

Today, preventive dentistry has reversed this suffering. However, many people avoid the dentist because of indifference, the expense, or fear. I avoided the dentist for all of those reasons until I had a toothache that hurt more than childbirth. I eventually had to have a root canal. The pain relief was so tremendous that I became a believer of dentists from that day forward.

To appreciate the importance of preventive dentistry, we should understand what dentists are trying to prevent. Bacteria thrive on food particles. They convert sugar into acids that attack the tooth enamel. Eventually tooth decay results when the enamel weakens and forms a cavity. When the decay reaches the pulp of your tooth, you may suffer acute pain. You will have the dreaded toothache.

Other bacteria form plaque. If plaque is not brushed away, it hardens to form tartar, which may inflame the gums and make them pull away from the tooth. This results in a gap between the tooth and gum where trapped food provides a feast for bacteria that may infect your gums. The tissue surrounding your teeth may become so damaged that your teeth actually fall out.

Your saliva provides protection by neutralizing the acid in the plaque on your teeth. Since saliva flow is low while you sleep, one of the most destructive things you can do to your teeth is eat or drink sugar and then go to sleep for the night without brushing your teeth. However, sugar-free gum after meals is said to increase saliva flow and help protect your teeth.

Dentists recommend having regular check-ups once or twice a year, depending on the condition of your teeth. It is to your advantage to follow those recommendations because healthy teeth contribute to improved general health and can help you to enjoy life more fully. So rather than being afraid of the dentist, think of the dentist as your friend who wants to save your teeth and helps you maintain a beautiful smile.

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

Say Thanks, Be Grateful, Have Better Health

What a simple word "Thanks" is. With one tiny expulsion of breath one can say it. Yet how often the expressing of it is ignored. How many people realize that saying that one word along with practicing an attitude of gratitude can improve our health?

The mind and body are connected. "Research suggests that individuals who are grateful in their daily lives actually report fewer stress-related health symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, chest pain, muscle aches, and appetite problems," says Sheela Raja, PhD, an assistant professor and clinical psychologist in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

So the first step is recognizing the importance of gratitude in our lives. Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful to someone else for doing something for us. It can also be called appreciation.

There are several ways we can increase the showing of gratitude in our lives.

• We can practice meditation or prayer. Learn and practice being thankful for the people in your life and the beauty of the earth, the splendor of creation.
• Some people reflect on what they are thankful for on a daily basis and share these with their families.
• Practice looking for the good qualities in others and telling them why you appreciate them.
• Do something for someone else. It is a reality that helping other people helps us focus more on the blessings in our own lives.

On a personal note, an additional way I show appreciation is by sending Thank You cards. Although store bought cards have poetic words of  "thanks" pre-written, it is much more special to write your own words of thankfulness. It's a loving and kind thing to add your personal touch by adding words of appreciation and sentiments in your own handwriting.

That is why the cards created by Corinna Ciera are left blank inside. The words you handwrite and express can be cherished indefinitely by the recipient when your unique handmade card is received.

In conclusion, being grateful is more than an occasional saying of "thanks". It is a philosophy that becomes a way of life.

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

Silk and Artificial Flowers in Craftmaking

Silk and other artificial flowers are so realistic that they give crafters great joy when working with them. I use these flowers on many of my greeting cards and they do give life to what could be an ordinary card. I thought I would do a little research on the artificial flowers used in craftmaking.

Many of these flowers are now imported from Thailand, China, and Honduras where the labor to make them is more economical. The artificial flower industry has become a multi-billion dollar business.

When one thinks of artificial flowers, silk comes to the mind first. However, these flowers can be made from various materials such as paper, latex, rubber, cotton, dried materials, or sateen. Sateen is used for large, bold-colored flowers. They can also be made from polyester, which is the most popular material by flower makers and purchasers because of the bottom line...lower cost. Polyester flowers also accept dyes more easily, glues more readily, and has more durability.

Manufacturers go to great lengths to make artificial flowers look like the real thing. Leaves may have holes that look like insect damage, and some silk roses can have the additional appearance of real thorns attached. Depending upon whether the flowers are detailed by hand or mass produced, the fabric is either dyed after cutting the petals or after a heat molding process.

 Laser beams have been used to cut flowers into the desired shape. This method is very fast and accurate due to computerized controls. Often, it still requires a human hand to assemble the petals into the finished flower product.

The future of silk and other artificial flowers looks good. As long as people want to have permanent representations from nature but do not want the upkeep and maintenance of the real thing, these flowers will be desired by the consumer. They also add a touch of nature and realism to several different types of crafts. I really like the flair that artificial silk flowers have added to many of my cards.

 

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

The Color Purple from Snails?

I love the color purple. I use it frequently in the crafts I create. Interestingly, purple has an ancient history. In Phoenicia (now Lebanon), purple fabric trade was prosperous. Because of its high cost, the color purple came to be associated with royalty, honor, and riches. Purple is such a rich color which can range from violet to a dark red.

Where does the color come from? That particular dye, back then and today, is obtained in small amounts from sea snails. That's right, snails! Only one drop of liquid can be obtained from each snail. The Purpura patula pansa snail produces a substance that looks pale at first but becomes purple when exposed to air and light. The dye then colors the textile fiber.

This process was perfected by the native peoples of Mexico, especially the Mixtec. The Mistecs obtained their Purpura snails from the waters of the Pacific Ocean. After being "milked", the liquid being dripped directly on the fibers, the snail was returned to the sea. That practice has, in fact, preserved the snail population to this day.

Although the Purpura snail faces the threat of a growing tourist industry in the bays where it lives, many hope that this fascinating creature will be preserved and continue to provide its beautiful color.

I am thankful for this ancient way of getting the color purple. With that said, please enjoy some of my purple creations.

 

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com

We Are Humans After All

The whole word is watching, live. I am watching. This is the ongoing rescue of the Chilean miners, one by one, and I am struck with deep, inward emotions. I feel the anxiety, the joy, and the relief seen in the faces of the family members as their loved ones slowly emerge from the capsule. Their eyes tell it all. Can any of us even imagine what they really went through these past 69 days? How would we cope as we awaited the news that the miners were actually alive, but they would not be rescued for two or possibly three months?

Truly, everyone involved in this initial calamity are survivors. The miners never lost hope, and worked as a team underground both physically and spiritually. I am sure each of them have their own personal story to tell about strength, endurance, and courage.

 As I look at the expression on the face of the wife, the mother, the father, and the child, I realize an important point. We, as people, may look somewhat different on the outside, but we are the same on the inside. We share the same human emotions. We cry, we feel pain, despair, hope, and joy. We hunger for physical food, love, affection, self-worth, and spiritual strength from a higher source. Underneath the external facade, we are fellow human beings after all.

 

 

 

See my retro and modern fashion accessories and creations for the home at

www.corinnaciera.etsy.com