Beads ? A Brief History
What do you think the earliest recorded use of beads is ? is your first thought perhaps beadwork created by the Egyptians?
Yes, there certainly were a lot of beaded items in Egyptian times, but beadwork has been found dating back to the Stone Age (the Upper Paleolithic period).
Beads were added to rudimentary clothing; these beads were made of shells and ivory.
Of course, the beads weren't as finely crafted as later beads, but still, they were beads.
So even in caveman times, men and women were interested in improving their clothing and appearance with the use of beads.The beads that we tend to think of as traditional beadwork are called seed beads ? because of their small size they resemble seeds.
These beads were used in early beadwork ? the work of the Egyptians.The Egyptians used a type of bead called faience beads.
Our seed beads today are made of glass, but Egyptians were using beads long before the invention of glass.
Their faience beads were made from quartz particles fused together.
A glaze was applied over the quartz.
The beads were then woven or strung into a variety of jewelry and clothing.
Beaded necklaces were found in the tomb of King Tut.
Other beaded items in his tomb were a pair of slippers he perhaps wore as a child and a hassock.
It's unusual for ancient beadwork to survive since it was strung on cords made from leather and cloth, which tend to disintegrate with age.
We are fortunate to have these few examples to give us a perspective on the history of Egyptian beading.Some religious texts from India refer to beads being woven into hair and into horse's tails.
These references were recorded around the 9th century BC.
And beads were also widely used throughout Asia in ancient times.
There were beaded items found in temples in Japan that date back to 800 A.D. Early beads were fashioned from shells, ivory and stone.
Early Egyptians valued the beads according to the stone that was used to create the beads.
Different stones were thought to have different properties.Lapis Lazuli, a beautiful blue stone, was believed to protect the wearer's health.
This stone was often fashioned into beads, as were carnelian, feldspar, amethyst, turquoise and jasper ? many of the same stones we use today.
Glass was introduced as a component of beads around 1480, when Venice began drawing glass tubes and turning them into beads. Once the technology for pulling glass tubes was invented, it was easy to suddenly produce thousands of beads, all uniform in size, color and shape. Modern jewelry and beading certainly benefits from the advances made in the production of beads, but there's no doubt that even today, an individually handcrafted bead can be the star attraction of any beading piece..
Felicity Walker recently released ?The Ultimate Bead Lover?s Guide?.To find out more, check out www.beading.learnheaps.com for more information.
Flax Oil Seed Uses
FLAXSEED OILLatin name: Linum usitatissimumOther names for Flaxseed include: Flax, Flachs, Grain de Lin, and Lini semen.Flaxseed oil is an herbal medicine taken by mouth for constipation (difficulty having a bowel movement), irritable bowel, inflammation (swelling and soreness) of the colon, stomach inflammation, and for bowels damaged by the frequent use of laxatives. Flax may be placed on the skin to treat redness and pain. Animal experiments suggest an ability to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Some researchers think that lignans in the seeds may have cancer-fighting effects.It is believed that flaxseed oil offers a myriad of health benefits through supplementation. Recent research indicates that flaxseed oil may have the ability to reduced blood pressure, lower level of harmful cholesterol, offer both estrogen-like and anti-estrogenic effects and is being studied for it ability to protect against cancer.Flaxseed is used throughout the world for food, medicine, and fiber...
Flax Oil Seed Uses
Seeds > Flax Oil Seed Uses
Arbor Day ? The Selflessness Of Trees
Arbor Day, as it is commonly known today, is of American origin and was first observed in Nebraska, USA on the 10th of April 1872. Now it is always observed on the last Friday in April. Arbor Day in different forms and names is now observed in more than fifty countries.
Arbor in Latin means a tree. The spirit of Arbor Day is to plant trees and care for them and help them grow strong. It is what we give back to nature.
If we think about our ancestors, we can imagine the dependence on trees in those times. Trees were widely used for wood, fruits, flowers and the shade a tree gave. The earliest humans derived tremendous benefits from the trees. We are all obliged to trees. Please view these birds screensavers.
Can birds survive without trees?
Think of a tree. Most of the trees grow from a small seed. Let us become a little philosophical. The seed makes...
Seeds > Arbor Day ? The Selflessness Of Trees
Arbor Day ? The Selflessness Of Trees
Arbor Day, as it is commonly known today, is of American origin and was first observed in Nebraska, USA on the 10th of April 1872. Now it is always observed on the last Friday in April. Arbor Day in different forms and names is now observed in more than fifty countries.
Arbor in Latin means a tree. The spirit of Arbor Day is to plant trees and care for them and help them grow strong. It is what we give back to nature.
If we think about our ancestors, we can imagine the dependence on trees in those times. Trees were widely used for wood, fruits, flowers and the shade a tree gave. The earliest humans derived tremendous benefits from the trees. We are all obliged to trees. Please view these birds screensavers.
Can birds survive without trees?
Think of a tree. Most of the trees grow from a small seed. Let us become a little philosophical. The seed makes...
Seeds > Arbor Day ? The Selflessness Of Trees
The Interplay of the Five Elements in Our Lives
As you are sitting here reading this allow your awareness to turn inwards into yourself. We are going to discuss the five elements and see how they interact in our lives.A good place to start is with a simple example. Just imagine that you are going to do a little gardening. The first thing one does is loosen the soil. By digging the soil what we are doing is breaking the soil up or should I say mixing the Air Element with the Earth Element.The next thing a good gardener will do is plant the seed or introduce the Life Force Element.
He will then water the seed or introduce the Water Element.The gardener has learned that the spring is the best time to plant seeds as the Sun is getting stronger or the Fire Element is being introduced to complete the balance of all five elements. As we know from experience at growing plants, if all five elements are in balance the life of the plant grows strong and healthy.Our life also relies on the balance of the five elements. In humans the life...
The Interplay of the Five Elements in Our Lives
Seeds > The Interplay of the Five Elements in Our Lives