Ascot, a village in Berkshire, England, is the home of a famous annual horse race. During the 1700s, people who attended the races wore a wide, loosely tied scarf, which started a new fashion trend known as the ascot. Bikini, a tiny coral island in the Pacific Marshall Islands, is where the U.S. conducted atom bomb tests in the late 1940s. Four days after the A-bomb was exploded, a French designer introduced a scanty, two-piece bathing suit and called it the bikini....

Maple does have its drawbacks. It can be temperamental, particularly when finishing, and is susceptible to shrinkage. Making sure that your maple is well-seasoned and properly acclimatized to your environment will make a big difference in how your maple woodworking projects turn out and how they hold up over time. Varieties of Maple When buying maple from your lumber supplier, you may hear plenty of names for the wood: tiger maple, curly maple, birds-eye maple, fiddle back maple, red maple, soft maple, hard maple—the list goes on....

If you want to protect the investment that you are making in your coin collection, then take the time to learn how to handle them properly, clean, store, and protect your valuable coins. Otherwise, your coin collection will be worth much less when you or your heirs go to sell them. Here are seven ways that coin collectors and professional numismatists can ruin their coins without even knowing it. It is also possible to damage your coins if you drop them on a hard surface....

To further confuse things, hardwood sizing standards are different than softwood standards, and hardwood is typically sold by a unit of volume known as the board foot, not by board dimension. All of this can make things rather confusing when you are buying lumber to make a project to precise dimensions. Nominal vs. Actual Measurements of Dimension Lumber The term dimension lumber is used with softwood species (such as pine or fir) that are used in the building trades for framing and other carpentry uses....

Guide to Crochet Thread Sizes Each type of thread or yarn is assigned a number. With yarn, the higher the number, the thicker the yarn. For example, a DK weight yarn is a 3 and a Bulky Weight yarn is a 5; naturally, the larger yarn (in number) is the thicker yarn (in weight). This makes sense to us. However, the opposite is true when it comes to crochet thread. With thread, the higher the number of the thread, the thinner it is....

For the ancient Romans, a red flag was a signal for battle. Because of its visibility, stop signs, stoplights, brake lights, and fire equipment are all painted red. The ancient Egyptians considered themselves a red race and painted their bodies with red dye for emphasis. In Russia, red means beautiful. The Bolsheviks used a red flag as their symbol when they overthrew the tsar in 1917. That is how red became the color of communism....

Your imagination only limits the possibilities. The decorative pieces can be simple or complex, but one thing is for sure, paper quilling can be mastered in an hour or two. Quilling is the perfect craft project for beginners. It is easy for a novice paper crafter to get good results, and another plus is the fact that this craft costs almost next to nothing to make. The History of Paper Quilling The origins of this artwork are not known....

Yes. There is no life in this sea between Israel and Jordan. It is a dead end for the Jordan River. With no place to go, the water evaporates and leaves heavy deposits of minerals, which makes the sea uninhabitable and much saltier than the oceans. Yes and no. The southern region of Chile is cold and humid, with snow-covered mountains and glaciers. The northern region is warm and dry....

However, in 1875 times were different, and so was the money. There were three different twenty-dollar bills in circulation. Some were backed by gold, government bonds backed some, and others were backed by nothing more than a promise to pay by the federal government. Also, the notes were bigger and are now known as “Large Size” notes. They were approximately 7-3/8" x 3-1/8" and featured a variety of different portraits, vignettes, and ornamentation....

Why Your Zipper Won’t Stay Up The reason your zipper won’t stay up is that there isn’t a whole lot of pressure at the top of the pants, where the button is helping to keep things closed. However, the middle of the zipper is being stretched by your hips. It has to flex every time you site, stand-up, or stretch. This difference in pressure is a recipe for a lazy zipper....

Not too many years ago, premature babies were placed in incubators and went without much human touch. Now we know that babies need the human touch to survive, thrive, and grow, especially in their earliest days of life. Failure to receive that all-important comfort can result in lifelong mental and physical health challenges. NICU rules have changed as a result. However, the babies there continue to need all of the comfort that they can get....

Find a book with a pattern you like (or choose a pattern you find online), and buy all the materials required to make it—the yarn, needles, notions, etc. Throw in a copy of the book or print out the pattern, put it all in a pretty bag or basket, and you’re done. A knitting backpack or purse is great for on-the-go people who want to knit wherever they are but still need to have room for all their necessities in the same bag....

Cotton Ball Penguin from Glued to my Crafts Foam Cup Snowy Owl from I Heart Crafty Things Paper Polar Bear on Ice from Crafty Morning Paper Glittered Winter Animals from Make and Takes DIY Coke Bottle Penguin from Handmade Charlotte Arctic Animal Snow Globes from Classic Play Walrus Foam Craft from She Knows Polar Bear Kids Craft from Brie Brie Blooms Frozen Banana Penguin from Reading Confetti Heart Raccoon Craft from Sassy Dealz Paper Plate Teddy Bear Craft from Building Our Story

The best way to get started if you’re new to quilling is to find inspiration. Study quilled art that you like and use it as a springboard for making your own fabulous designs. Pretty soon people will be admiring your work and using it as inspiration for their quilling projects. Paper Quilled Monogram from The Spruce Easy Paper Quilling Fall Tree Craft from Artsy Craftsy Mom Quilled Snowflake Patterns from Red Ted Art Paper Quilled Teardrop Vase from Fern Makes via Instructables Paper Quilling Flower Basket from She Saved Easy Quilling Angels from Panda Hall Learning Center Quilling Paper Teardrop Earrings from Paper Zen Paper Quilled Flower Cake from The House That Lars Built Paper Quilling Flower Pendant from Moms and Crafters DIY Paper Top from Creative Jewish Mom Paper Quilled Photo Frame from Craft Bits

Poinsettia Topiary Pattern, $5, Alessandra Hayden A Dishcloth a Month, $4, Leisure Arts Poinsettia Crochet Gift Topper from Cu-Rio Miniature Poinsettia Crochet Pattern, $4, Happy Patty Crochet How to Crochet Poinsettias from Vickie Howell Poinsettia Crochet Wreath by Yarn Twist Spiral Crochet Flower from B Hooked Crochet Crocheted Poinsettia in the Round, $4, Apple Blossom Dreams Red Heart Poinsettia Throw from Yarnspirations Crochet Holiday Poinsettia from Fiber Flux Poinsettia Washcloth Pattern from Premier Yarns

Although you may think of shawls draped over shoulders, perhaps paired with a rocking chair, they look great in a new and modern way. Especially when worn wrapped like a scarf or draped more on one shoulder than the other. This pattern list includes triangles, rectangles, crescents, asymmetrical designs, and a mixture of all those things. And the sizes range from small shawlettes to oversized wraps. Find your favorite style and get ready to cast on!...

While succulents are low maintenance, they aren’t completely maintenance-free. You want to be sure you use the right potting mix and layer the correct type of plants that won’t grow leggy. These succulent terrarium ideas combine both faux and real versions with various final price points. Our favorite ideas are the ones that creatively use accents to make the terrarium fit in with the crafter’s home. Which is your favorite?...