The Amazing Marigold - From Love Charms to Chicken Feed

Marigolds are a fascinating flower with a wide variety of uses and symbolic meanings in different cultures. Marigolds are commonly known as the "Herb of the Sun" and are generally symbolic of passion and creativity. The various meanings and uses of marigolds make an intriguing botanical study.

The Welsh believed that if marigolds were not open early in the morning, then a storm was on the way. Marigolds have also been used as love charms and incorporated into wedding garlands. Water made from marigolds was once thought to induce psychic visions of fairies if rubbed on the eyelids. In some cultures, marigold flowers have been added to pillows to encourage prophetic or psychic dreams.

The marigold is also associated with the lion and the astrological sign Leo. In addition, early Christians named the flower "Mary's Gold" and offered the blossoms in place of money at the foot of statues of Mother Mary. The Portuguese introduced marigolds into India. Eventually the flower was offered to the Hindu gods Vishnu and Lakshmi. The marigold was also considered to be sacred among the Aztec Indians, who decorated their temples with the flower.

The marigold was once thought to protect against the plague and to be effective in stopping gossip. Interestingly, the marigold can also symbolize cruelty and jealousy. When used in combination with spells, however, the marigold is an anti-dote for the sharp-tongued and promotes cheery conversations.

Marigolds can be found in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Marigolds can adapt to a wide range of conditions, but prefer full sun and rich soils. The marigold is a hardy plant, usually with yellow, orange or rusty red blooms. Marigolds have what many people consider to be a disagreeable odor. Some varieties have been bred to be odor-free, but this negates their use as a plant that wards off insects in gardens. Marigolds are grown from seeds and range in height from 6 to 36 inches. The blossoms can be from 1/2 inch to 5 inches across.

The uses of marigolds vary widely in the different locales where marigolds grow. For example, in some places the leaves of marigolds have been used to remove warts. Marigolds are also grown and harvested in Mexico to be added to chicken feed. Chickens eating marigold-enriched feed produce eggs with a deep yellow color. The flesh of chickens fed marigolds also take on a rich color to make them more appealing for human consumption. The marigold blossoms are quite edible for humans, too, and are often used in egg and cheese dishes. The blossoms also make a yellow dye for fabric.

This amazing flower comes in such a wide variety of sizes and colors that there is sure to be a marigold to suit any garden. Marigolds also do well as cut flowers. In addition to their use in summer bouquets, the common orange, red and rust colors are perfect for autumn arrangements. Make sure to enjoy marigolds this year both outdoors and indoors!

Kathleen Karlsen, MA is an artist, writer and design consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Kathleen is best known for her contemporary impressionism style and her colorful forest, landscape and flower paintings. Kathleen's original art and fine art gifts can be seen at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com For an extensive article about flower symbolism see http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowersymbolism.htm To see a selection of Kathleen's flower paintings, please visit http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/originalfloralart.htm

Italian Charms - A Charming Gift For All

Are you having problems choosing the perfect gift for a friend for her 30th birthday bash? Straining your brain thinking of the right gift for your friend's baby shower? Well, you need not worry anymore because there is one gift that is wonderful and practically suitable for everybody. It is called the Italian charms. Do not let the name deceive you. Italian charms have nothing to do with white or black magic charms. It is a handmade jewelry that originates from Italy. The companies that manufacture this type of jewelry includes Zoppini, Gold & Steel, Boxing, Puzzle, Ryry, Patrizia, Talexia and ReFlorence to name a few. The jewelry comes in stainless steel and 18K gold finishes.

Italian charms are elegant and practical. Not only can you assemble the charms yourself and rearrange them whenever you feel like it, it also comes in variety of designs such as the personalized picture charms, alphabet initial charms, love charms, religious charms, birthstones and zodiac sign charms. By buying the charms, you are considered to have made a classy and timeless choice to express yourself. These linked charms are special as they can be assembled to a bracelet and set according to the wearer's unique taste and preferences. You can also add additional charms to the bracelet too.

The charms are customizable according to whatever occasions or celebration. If you would like to give one as a wedding present, you might want to choose alphabet initial charms that combine the initials of the bride and groom. For your spouse, you may want a love charm or one with personalized photo of yourself. You can also have designs that are themes or hobby related. You can find designs that incorporated golf, soccer, badminton, tennis and other sports. For someone who is a big fan of a celebrity, you can also get a charm that has the celebrity's image embedded on it.

Stars charms are quite common and this gift will surely delight the recipient. If you are visiting a sick friend or relative, you may offer him/her the charm bracelet as a get-well gift. Designs that you may want to consider are religious image such as Jesus, Mary or other deities in line with the recipient's belief. If the recipient is a Buddhist, then you may get her Buddhist mantra charms. This will be highly appreciated by the recipient. Arts and hobbies charms are also equally charming because they touch on the passion of the recipient. For a fashionista, there are fashion charms available. Designs that include high heels, trendy bags, bikinis and fashionable dolls images that are beautiful and inspiring. For the working class, there are charms that incorporate professions onto them.

When it comes to charms, you are never short of choices. Animal lovers will love a charm that embeds images of their pets and also images of butterflies, bugs, birds, dogs and cats. There are charms that incorporate designs of travel and holidays related which globetrotters will love. Pictures of the Eiffel Tower of Paris, the London Bridge, USA's Statue of Liberty and Japanese architectural will be a wonderful gift for the frequent travelers. Picture of breathtaking beaches or views are also available for the nature lovers.

Those passionate about gardening will enjoy gifts of charms that have flowers and plants motives on them. Flower charms with many different types of floral patterns are definitely remarkable and are available for you to choose from. Superheroes charms like Harry Potter will delight children and adult fans alike. Wine and champagne lovers will love charms with motives that have food, wine bottles and champagne glasses on them. And as for babies, there are just endless choices to choose from, be it cartoons or Disney authenticated ones.

Whatever the occasion may be, charm bracelets make wonderful and personalized gifts for anyone, regardless their ages and background. Italian charms are a great way to create unforgettable, unique gifts for your precious ones. Even if you do not plan to give them away as presents, you can also wear them yourself and what makes it even more special is that you are free to create your own style and identity.

The author writes about Italian charm gifts for GoldCupJewelry.com, where they offer all kinds of charms, including licensed Disney Italian charms and Sponge Bob Italian charms.

Direct Mail Postcards - Its Charms and Strengths Unlocked

Consumers are becoming increasingly critical of the goods they purchase. Anyone who wants a particular service is drowned with a variety of goods to choose from. Even with direct mail postcards, you may find yourself overwhelmed by an infinite number of features to compare, contrast and even combine.

In the face of today's challenging times and cutthroat competition, advertising is changing. As an entrepreneur, your business should offer more than just a witty slogan or become just another one of those commercials.

Advertisements need substance. Businesses should either keep up with the race or be drowned out. One sure way of creating your own space and identity is through direct-mail advertising that is steadily becoming growing force in advertising.

Fill your the businesses' and consumers' need for a more direct and substantive form or marketing and advertising. Since mail is sent individually, there are higher chances that your mail will be read. This is especially true if you are sending out postcards that are targeted towards their needs and interests.

Direct Mail Marketing and Postcard Strengths

There's a better chance that people who couldn't care less are not bombarded with information they couldn't care less about and the people who possibly needs them will have them. Direct Mail Postcards are just the print products who will see you through this.

You may choose to send legal sized letters or brochures, but one must not forget the charm and strengths of a postcard. Here are the advantages of direct-mail advertising with postcards in particular:

• Cost. The cost of producing TV commercials on the average can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars which may go up depending on props, production, air time, TV spots and the like. Postcards, on one hand, are perfect for both small scale and large scale enterprises.

• Postcards can be printed anywhere from 250 to 100,000 prints and even more. You need not worry about catering to a small or large sized audience. Direct mail postcards can only be limited with your own client base or mailing list.

• Commercials may reach more people, but it invests on too much time for people to actually notice them. Postcards, on one hand, have more potential to read for it doesn't require much time.

• Direct mail postcards can contain catchy illustrations or witty taglines that can catch the attention of the audience. As it does so, it can act as a souvenir. It is a tangible keepsake that can be readily passed on or kept. It can be shown to other people or form a part of a collection.

• Postcards can open other channels of making itself useful or visible. It can be used as a bookmark. It can be stuck onto the refrigerator as a reminder of sorts. It can be placed on a scrapbook or it can simply be re-sent to another interested client.

• Postcards are not time limited. They can contain more information than a 30second television spot. With good copy writing, readers could easily read it through and through.

• With direct mail postcards, you can also track your progress. Since you know where it's been mailed, you can confirm and call people to further entice them on your promotions or offers.

There are many strengths hidden in direct mail postcards. You can tap into them through a good strategy and through quality printing. Find your way into direct mail postcards and into the helms of a great printing company and be prepared for rewarding returns.

More topics on direct mailing postcards can be found at Postcard Printing Full Color - My Postcard printing

Italian Charms - A Touch of Italy, Wherever You Go

One of the latest trend to hit the market today is the Italian charm bracelets as the jewelry itself is always linked to the uniqueness of everything Italy such as the food, the view of the landscapes, history and so on.

Another main reason for the fame and lasting power of this trend is the availability of choices of charms in the market. The Italian charm bracelet is actually a series of individual modular links hooked together on a stretchy band to form a single bracelet. Usually these bracelets consists of eighteen links with each link featuring a face either a design or an image soldered onto the actual charm link. It doesn't really matter what your personality or tastes are like, there will always be an Italian charm bracelet for you. You can also have a theme or topic to inspire your Italian charm. There is a variety of material that the charms are made of some are sterling silver, gold, and enamel or plastics and beads. Depending on material type, the face of the charm that features the design can be soldered or glued to the link. Gemstones can also be incorporated into the design of the charms. With variety of choices, motifs and styles, it is hard to find two identical charm bracelets unless of course you order a custom-made identical charm for you and your lover.

Charm bracelet usually would comprise of eighteen blank links connected together. To produce a personalized bracelet, the blank links are then replaced with individually designed charms. One will usually find them in a form of flat and modular links that can be hooked together. These charms would feature individual pieces soldered flat onto the surface of the joining link.

One of the hottest trends in Italian charms at present is the picture or photo charms. Not only are these full of fun, it can also feature any photo you like, from your pets to your boyfriend. The sky is the limit when it comes to pictures to be used on them. For instance, take a funny picture of yourself to give to your loved ones or you can even add a caption to your picture. These will make splendid gifts that the recipient will treasure for many years to come. A photo is a perfect representation of a memory and it speaks a thousand words. One can look back at a photo 50 years later and will be filled with memories about it and it will still be protected and undamaged no matter how many times it's worn.

Buying these wonderful charms' products need not be a hassle. Hook onto the world wide web and you are just a few clicks away from owning your very own piece of a wonderful art to call your own. So don't wait, get on there now and make that purchase to showcase your personality today.

The author is a consultant at an online Italian charm store, GoldCupJewelry.com. There you'll be able to find an Italian charm starter bracelet, a keychain for the man or woman in your life, and a huge variety of charms.

Italian Charms - A Unique Fashion Trend

Clothes and accessories are not only a sign of the latest fashion. Now people tend to accessorize themselves with something they want to share with others. It is usually related to beliefs and principles. Accessories like bracelets are a great way to show your individuality. Items like charm bracelets are also believed to bestow luck on to the wearer.

The Italian charms bracelets can be decorated with real or fake gemstones on gold plated or 18 karat gold charm face. The charm face is fixed on to the back stainless steel back side with strong glue.

Most of the time, Italian charms are crafted to be in the form of a bracelet. What makes these bracelet special is you can personalized the bracelet to your own liking and personal desire. This is because the blank flat links has standardized sizing and are well compatible across any other brand. This gives the wearer a flexibility to change the link of the bracelet to suit the mood or the interest of the individual at any time.

The charm bracelets can be given a theme to it because of its ability to be changed according to preferences. Therefore, this will make them an excellent present for family members and friends. They can also be put on to show others your favorite color or to give yourself a motivation. The many designs you can choose for the bracelets are made possible by techniques like laser, hand paints, photos or even deluxe link.

As the trend progresses, the manufactures has come up with brilliant ideas in improvising and adding more designs in not only the bracelets but also creating new genre of accessories such as Italian charm keychains and photo bracelet. Italian charm key chain is a perfect way to start your Italian charm collection. They would usually resemble and look very much like the bracelet charm but the difference is that it will be attached with a key ring instead. It would be fashionably hip to hook this item onto your jeans bag, belt and also backpacks.

The key chains will impress your family and friends if you give them away as gifts. They will love the way their key chains are made especially for them. People will appreciate anything as long as the giver puts a lot of effort in making the gifts unique. You will be well received by family and friends.

The Italian charm keychain will make the perfect party favors for birthdays. They will be given as signs of appreciation to guests. This is because no one will expect anything as guests at the party other than food and drinks; it will be a pleasant surprise for them. The fact that you had made it personalized will make them enjoy it even more.

The Italian charm bracelets and key chains are a fabulous collection for those who are looking for uniqueness in style. They make great accessories on you and your bags. Not only that, they make perfect gifts for those you love.

The author writes about Italian charm ideas for GoldCupJewelry.com with his Italian charm keychain in his pocket

Bingo Luck Charms

If you walk into a local bingo hall you are going to see more than bingo cards on the tables in front of the people trying their luck at this age old game of chance called bingo. This is because along with the cards on the table there are going to be quite a number of good luck charms laid out by various players. This is in the hopes of giving them the edge that they need to bring home the cash.

While many people who don’t use good luck charms chuckle at the notion that they can help in any way, the owners and users of them swear by them and wouldn’t dream of playing without them. It seems that anything that people can’t see in real three dimensional terms they tend to dismiss as voodoo or workings of desperate people grasping at straws, while at the same time they will insist that which ever of the various brands of religion they believe in is worth dying for.

This would appear to be a bit of a contradiction, because if you listen to the preachings or the pastor at your local church in purely pragmatic terms it would often appear that he or she is incorporating the same quirky logic as the bingo player with the rabbit’s foot.

So it is up to each person to decide what they are going to do to increase their chances of winning and who is to say what works best between lighting a candle at a Catholic Church and throwing a handful of salt over your shoulder before each game. In the end it may turnout that both of these methods are effective in brining up ones good luck factor and also it may turn out that they are both a waste of a good candle and a handful of salt.

Written by Justin Khalid. Find the latest information on uk online bingo as well as uk bingo

Top 10 Charms Of The Kalahari

In a paradise rich in wildlife, game and lavish luxuries lies the splendour of the Savannah red sands of the Kalahari Desert.

1. Wildlife paradise: This African wilderness is home to some of the world's most remarkable creatues. Guided walks meander across silent red dunes. Drives in open-sided safari vehicles traverse the Kalahari wilderness and stop at the most scenic spots to allow visitors to enjoy an impressive sunset or splendid bush dinner.

2. Place of mystery: With legends and tales that go far into the past when the great tribes of the Bushmen lived undisturbed and free. The mystery of the Kalahari brings in another aspect of the beauty of this Desert. The Desert offers the spirituality of the pans and the humbling experience of the memories of the San – The Kalahari Bushmen while discovering the bush medicines, cosmetics and hunting skills used by the San people.

3. Desert landscapes: Take in the magnificent views of the red dunes from a hot air balloon over the dry savannah sand masses, created by the erosion of soft stone formations and the wind that has shaped the longish sand ridges so typical of the Kalahari Desert landscapes. The Kalahari region is not only very beautiful, but also fascinating, with the red sand dunes and bleached veld competing for admiration.

4. Indigenous bird life: The Kalahari is an incredible place for bird watching with more than 200 species of birds - some of them indigenous to the arid zone - found in the varying habitats of the reserve. Raptors and in particular, vultures, are very well represented.

5. Enoy a horseback safari experience as you explor the Kalahari plains: Exploring the dunes and desert wildlife from horseback provides a bush experience unlike any other where you are able to get so close to the animals that they remain undisturbed by your presence in their natural environment.

6. In harmony with nature: Feel at one with nature and walk the trail with experienced field guides and trackers and share the environment with the multiplicity of wildlife. Rangers offer insight into the absorbing world of the smaller creatures inhabiting this stunning area of the Kalahari and reveal their nests and holes.

7. Sightings of ancient art: Visit the sights of the San engravings and examine the tools used in the Stone Age. Here you will find some of the earliest examples of symbolic art forms and ritual practice where the Bushmen demonstrated their unique relationship with the natural environment and how they portrayed their past.

8. Be spoilt under the warm Southern skies: Take the time to relax your body, free your mind and reconnect with your soul as you enjoy a multitude of treatments and therapies, to indulge, treat and restore yourself in a setting that is truly unique to this part of the world.

9. A Malaria-free child friendly safari: Unlike many other luxury African game reserves, the malaria-free Kalahari is a place where children are gladly welcomed. With a range of fun activities and accommodation especially suited to kids, this is a place where your children will feel stimulated, happy and above all, at home. Children will learn so much on their visit to the Kalahari Desert. They will be educated about the wildlife, game and surroundings of this wonderful paradise.

10. Intelligent African luxury: Indulge in the epitome of stylish, yet rustic elegant luxury game reserve accommodation with sundecks and heated swimming pools, outdoor showers with extended views over the Kalahari plains and remarkable scenes of wild animals drinking at the nearby watering holes. Enjoy such luxuries as private wine cellars, libraries, laundry and valet services as well as a dedicated private chef that captures the essence of great wines and fine African cuisine.

There are so many distinctive traits attributed to the splendour of the Kalahari Desert. We have highlighted just ten of its charms certain to entice you to include this as one of your essential travel destinations.

Visit the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. Tswalu is a very special Kalahari Resort in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa belonging to the well known Oppenheimer family. Tswalu provides the ultimate game reserve experience. http://www.tswalu.com