Reflected Wings

The insect is very small. My friend saw it accidentally on a leaf of her orchid plant. I was interested too. The pattern on each wing looks symmetric. Awesome!    

 My entry for Camera Critters  and Saturday's Critters

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From Drab to Fab: Your Guide to Home Upcycling

In today’s recovering economy, it pays to be a little thrifty when it comes to home improvement. Everyone wants to maintain a beautiful home that is always ahead of the trends, but in most circumstances that means having an impressive budget to match. However, unbeknown to many, upcycling could just provide the answer to transforming your home from drab to fab…

What is upcycling?

Upcycling is when individuals repurpose used, damaged or tired furniture for use elsewhere in their homes. The opportunity to upcycle trash into treasure is not a new concept, in fact craft enthusiasts have been doing this for years. However, with the rising trend more and more resources are available to find furniture in need of home upcycling and gather ideas from fellow upcyclers!

 

Image:upcycling.gr

Where to begin

Many householders don’t have old and disused furnishings hanging around the home, so hitting salvage yards, skips, antique stores and charity shops is the first step to finding the best materials for upcycling. Salvage yards in particular can be a treasure trove of furniture finds and other hidden gems, the style of which you wouldn’t necessarily find in the polished stores lining our high streets. Salvage yards and charity shops are also the perfect place to bag a bargain!

Vintage and antique drawers are the ultimate find for any upcycler, and these can be transformed into renovated furnishings with a quick lick of paint or further repair and restoration. Look for items with a history and bring them back to life with your newfound upcycling skills.

Upcycling techniques

Once you have found your preloved furnishings, learning a few simple upcycling techniques is the next step to transforming your home on a shoestring budget. Retuning your DIY skills is a must when it comes to upcycling, whilst learning painting and finishing techniques can give you the skills to quickly transform tired looking items.

Chalk paints are the upcycler’s favourite product, and after smoothing the surface, these can easily be applied to transform the look of old furniture. Chalk paints can also be used on stained or veneered furniture, so you can create a great look without spending hours removing paint. Waxing and buffing techniques can also be used to create the popular distressed look. Stencilling and experimenting with paint effects can also add a creative touch to your home.

Something for the weekend…

Why not get started with this upcycling project? Transform old and disused wooden ladders into a bookshelf or towel rack to create a new focal point for your bathroom or living room. The wood can be treated using an array of effects, depending on the look you desire, or can be stripped and waxed to create a more natural finish.

The author of this post is Brittany Thorley from Cheshire Demolition, the UK’s leading salvage and skip hire specialists.

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Children and Contact Lenses: What You Need to Know

Contacts are, for many people, a much preferable alternative to wearing glasses for many reasons, among them reasons pertaining to aesthetic appeal and comfort. Whilst it’s understandable that many children don’t want to wear glasses, just how much do you know about contacts and should you buy them for your child?

Here are a few considerations to be aware of and understand before buying contacts for your child as an alternative to wearing glasses.

Image:psfk.com

When should children start wearing contact lenses?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions among parents whose children wear glasses though are considering buying contacts for them.

There’s no set-in-stone answer to this question because there’s no set-in-stone age at which children can start wearing contacts – every case is different and needs to be treated differently.

Here are a few things to consider with regard to an appropriate age to start wearing contacts.

-       Assess your ability to monitor your child’s use of contacts

If your child is under the age of ten they’re probably not ready for the responsibility of cleaning their contacts and taking note of times to take them out and/or put them back in. This means that you must be prepared to take on the responsibility.

-       Assess your child’s level of responsibility

If your child is of an age, for example in their teens, where they should (theoretically) be able to take responsibility for themselves with regard to wearing contacts, is your child really responsible enough to follow an optometrist’s exact instructions for the use and care of contacts each and every day? 

-       Assess the benefits of wearing contacts over glasses

There are often benefits associated with wearing contacts over glasses, but do these benefits pertain to your child and just as importantly, are they worthwhile enough to warrant the effort of having to monitor your child’s contact usage?

Wearing contacts could benefit your child

Your child could benefit from wearing contacts in several ways, though not all, if any, are applicable to every child.

-       Better self-esteem

This is a prominent reason amongst adults for wearing contacts and it’s just as, if not more, relevant to children as well.

You undoubtedly remember children being teased at school for wearing contacts and it’s only natural to want your child not to have to endure such torment – no child wants to be different from their peers.  

The boost in self-esteem that children often benefit from by making the switch from glasses to contacts can result in better friendships and even better grades at school.

-       Better peripheral vision

One of the most outstanding benefits of wearing contacts over glasses, and one that affects practically everyone who wears them, is better peripheral vision.

If your child enjoys exercise and sport you could consider buying contacts for them to wear when playing sports.

-       Better vision

In some cases, though not all, wearing contacts over glasses can actually improve their vision over time.

This is naturally something to speak to your child’s optometrist about, and you might like to also discuss contact lenses that can improve theirvision, of which a notable example are rigid gas permeable lenses.

Educate your child

If you’ve decided that the benefits of wearing contacts apply to your child and you’re ready to accept the responsibility of taking charge of your young child’s contact usage, or entrust the responsibility to an older child or teenager, you must educate them about the importance of adhering to the optometrist’s advice and avoiding eye infections.

Contacts for children can be a blessing or a curse – ensure it’s the former.

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