Aromatherapy Practitioner Cases: A Practical Solution To Home Visits!

If you're trying to find a good aromatherapy practitioner, probably the best way is through referrals from your healthcare provider, family, colleagues, and/or friends.

However, when choosing a practitioner, it's important to consider their education, training, experience and their philosophy of care. Ultimately, you'll need to choose someone you can trust, feel safe with and who feels 'right' for you.

Polmac (UK) Ltd 2-Tier Aromatherapy Practitioner Cases

Many aromatherapy practitioners will operate from a clinic, a doctor's surgery and even their place of work. They may also work from home and provide home visits.

If they provide home visits, they will certainly bring their aromatherapy materials with them and will usually have a dedicated, aromatherapy carrying case. These are sometimes called aromatherapy practitioner cases.

The contents of a practitioner case will of course vary from practitioner to practitioner but will always include the two main aromatherapy ingredients - essential oils and carrier oils.

Essential oils are obtained from plants and are used for such things as reducing stress, increasing focus, soothing muscles, purifying the body, supporting the immune system and providing emotional balance.

Essential oils are applied to the skin in what aromatherapists call a 'carrier oil. This comes from the seeds, kernels or nuts, that comprise the fatty part of the plant.

Essential oils can cause severe irritation or reactions, if applied directly to the skin undiluted. Carrier oils are therefore used to dilute the essential oil before being applied. The carrier oil used will depend on the therapeutic benefits being sought.

Essential oils typically come in 5ml and 10ml bottles, although other sizes are available. Carrier oil bottles are usually much bigger and start at 50ml and 100ml.

Aside from essential oils and carrier oils, practitioner cases will include other accessories such as pipettes, massagers and mixing bowls, depending upon the individual practitioner concerned.

Aromatherapy practitioners will also provide information leaflets as well as cd's explaining the characteristics of essential oils and the procedures used.

Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies single and 2-tier, customized, wood, aromatherapy practitioner cases to many established aromatherapy suppliers. They're beautifully made, versatile and terrific value, which means they are designed to suit every practitioners' needs.

http://www.polmacuk.com

Afternoon Tea: Back In Vogue & In A Big Way!

In the 1650s when tea was introduced to England, the Duchess of Bedford invited her friends to afternoon 'tea time'. This was a new concept, as only breakfast and dinner had been served previously and the idea caught on quickly.

Afternoon Tea Service

At first, 'tea time' was enjoyed only by the wealthy who served tea in fine porcelain china but as tea became cheaper 'tea time' was adopted by all levels of society.

From these early beginnings, tea rapidly became the unofficial national drink of England and was gradually adopted by many of the countries that became part of the British Empire.

In most households today, you'll find at least one packet of tea languishing in a kitchen cupboard. And in most hotels, it is now standard practice to provide a selection of fine teas, including herbal teas in bedrooms, displayed in specially designed tea boxes and/ or tea trays.

Polmac Tea Boxes For: Taylors Of Harrogate

However, it's also great news that afternoon tea is now back in fashion after years of onslaught by coffee and particularly by the dreaded high street, coffee shops.

In fact, afternoon tea is now so popular that many major hotels have seen an astonishing increase in the number of bookings.

Tourists and shoppers from out of town, are now having afternoon tea as part of their whole day experience. Many business people are also booking afternoon tea with their meetings, as a more relaxed alternative to a lengthy, heavy breakfast or dinner.

In the last five to six years drinking tea has become increasingly popular and more and more hotels are taking afternoon tea very seriously indeed, as it's becoming a big earner for them.

Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies customized, wood tea boxes and tea trays to hotels and tea rooms. They're beautifully made, versatile and terrific value which means they provide the perfect presentation medium for fine quality teas, in hotels and tea rooms!

http://www.polmacuk.com

Beads - Made With A Song And A Prayer!

Beads are small pieces of material such as glass, plastic, wood, pearl and stone that are typically rounded and pierced for threading, or stringing to form a necklace, or rosary.

The word 'bead' is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon word 'bidden' (to pray) and bede (prayer). Beads are found in sizes ranging from 1mm to over 1cm in diameter.

Pierced Beads

Beadwork is the art of making objects using beads. Beads can be woven together and strung onto a thread, or flexible wire and stuck onto a surface such as fabric or clay.

Beads have been used for decoration since ancient times. A pair of beads made from sea snail shells about 100,000 years ago, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery.

Beads were worn for decoration and to bring the wearer wisdom and luck. However, beads have also been used as a currency in exchange for other goods.

Polmac Wood Bead Trays

Glass was discovered about 3,400 years ago and became an important material in bead making, particularly in the Roman Empire and in early Mediterranean, Egyptian, and Venetian cultures.
Today beads play an important role in modern fashion and there are now many companies supplying beads.

Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies customized, wood bead trays that are used for display purposes. They are typically compartmented using a grid and can be supplied with metal label holders to distinguish the type and style of beads being displayed.

Polmac bead trays are beautifully made, versatile and terrific value, which means they are ideal for displaying beads!

http://www.polmacuk.com

Clear Lacquers: Enhance The Natural Beauty Of Wood Presentation Boxes!

Lacquers are clear or coloured finishes for wood that dry by a process of evaporation, or curing producing a hard, durable finish. Lacquer finishes can be matt, eggshell (semi-matt), gloss, or high gloss and can be applied directly to the finished, natural wood, over a wood stain, or even over a water-based paint finish.

Lacquer Spraying A Wooden Box

Polmac (UK) Ltd uses clear lacquer finishes because they dry quickly, are durable and enhance the natural beauty, depth and richness of the wood. They also protect the wood from unsightly finger marks. 

The term lacquer is derived from a Sanskrit word lākshā which means 'wax'. In ancient India, people used the reddish, resinous secretions from the 'Lac' insect as a wood finish.
 

There are many different kinds of lacquer, with different performance characteristics.

Polmac (UK) Ltd however, uses water-based, clear lacquers because they are durable, have good abrasion resistance, low odour and exclude many of the flammable and corrosive ingredients of other lacquers.

Drying Rack

Water-based lacquers are usually made with either an acrylic resin or an acrylic urethane mixture. The addition of urethane makes the resin tougher and more scratch resistant. When applied, each new coat partially dissolves the previous coat and chemically bonds with it. This characteristic makes these finishes easy to maintain.

Polmac lacquers are applied to our wood presentation boxes in the Spraying Room, using special spraying equipment, although they are sometimes brush applied. Protective breathing suits have to be worn by operatives when spraying, because of the solvents present in the lacquer.

After the application of each coat, the wooden boxes are put on special, metal drying racks with spaces between, ready for the next coat. The drying racks allow plenty of air to circulate around the wooden boxes, so they dry as quickly as possible.

Because water-based lacquers are quick to dry, several coats can be applied in one day, making them very economical to use.

Lacquer finishes can be easily cleaned using just soap and water and due to their stability, they are also useful for colour matching purposes later, if required.

http://www.polmacuk.com

Concealed Hinges: Elegance & Functionality Combined!

Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies a large number of customized, wood presentation boxes with hinged lids that are beautifully made, versatile and terrific value.

We use many types of hinges ... large, small, plain and decorative, made from different materials and finishes.

Polmac Ironmongery Showing Round, Concealed Metal Hinges

However, the most popular hinges are made from pressed, sheet steel with a brass, or nickel plated finish, as they are elegant, durable and economical.

Hinges with a special black, or bronze finish, as well as solid, polished brass hinges are also used where specified, although they are more expensive.

Brass and nickel plating on metal hinges is used primarily as a decorative finish but does also provide excellent wear and corrosion resistance.

Hinges must always perform one important function: To secure the lid to the base of the box and allow it to be opened and closed smoothly along a hinged axis, in perfect alignment

No matter what type of hinges are used, they must also enhance the visual appearance of the finished wood boxes. We therefore use special 'concealed' metal hinges as standard, unless otherwise specified.

These hinges are supplied round, hexagonal, or rectilinear in shape and are fixed at the back of the wooden boxes, where only the narrow knuckles are visible, on the outside and the inside, providing a visually appealing, 'clean' look. 

The two flanges of the concealed hinges can be a smooth finish, or have raised 'prongs' in the surface, to increase resistance to extraction.

The fixing process is as follows ...

Firstly, two thin slots are cut into the ends of the base and side panels at their intersection, ready for the hinges to be inserted.

Secondly, the ends of the side panels are cut full length at 45 degrees to each other, creating an overall 90 degree joint. This is a special 'stop feature' which restrains the lid at the vertical position when opened and prevents damage to the hinges.

The hinges are then inserted into the slots and the fixing positions pre-drilled. Special serrated, 'disappearing' pins are then inserted and carefully hammered home.

For small, wooden boxes 6 - 8 mm serrated pins are very effective and these are hammered at a slight angle, to provide a secure and permanent fixing.

The pin holes are then filled with wooden plugs and sanded off, for a smooth, even finish.

http://www.polmacuk.com

Corrugated Metal Strip Inlay Decorations!

Many Polmac, custom made, wooden boxes are decorated using traditional methods, to create visually stunning, decorative designs and effects.

Corrugated, metal strip inlay is a special technique for decorated wooden boxes, that uses flexible, thin gauge, corrugated, or plain brass or nickel plated metal strips, as lines to create patterns, shapes, decorative motifs and borders. 

 

This type of decoration is often used in combination with other techniques, such as pyrography and hand carving, to create original, decorative effects!. 

 

Cutting Grooves Around the Pattern / Design 

The technique comprises three stages…

1/ Creating a design, or pattern on the wooden box.
2/ Using a special tool to cut thin slots around the design.
3/ Applying the corrugated strips.

Once the design or pattern is agreed, it is carefully transferred onto the lid and / or the sides of the wood boxes. This is often done by hand using pre-printed patterns on special see-through paper, similar to tracing paper.

 

Inserting Corrugated Metal Strips Into Pre-Formed Grooves

A pin is then used to apply tiny pin pricks through the paper, to ‘trace’ out the design. However, if the design is simple, or a particular one-off, artistic effect is required, the design can also be drawn using the sharp point of a pencil  

Thin grooves are then carefully cut into the wood around the design, to the depth of the corrugated metal strip using a special, hand held tool, which looks like a cross between a hand carving tool and a chisel.

 

These tools have a range of special cutting edges that can create different shaped lines, such as  curves, circles, straight lines etc.

 

Removing Excess Metal Strip

The metal strips are then tapped into the grooves, flush with the surface of the wood. This process requires the crafts person to wear a metal 'sewing' thimble at the end of their finger, to prevent being cut by the thin gauge, corrugated metal strips.

 

Any excess strip is cut off and the raised edges ‘sanded’ off, on a special sanding machine, to provide a flush, even finish on the wood surface.

 

Polmac Wooden Boxes With Metal Strip Inlay Design

Once the metal inlay process is complete the design can be decorated with multi-coloured, or natural wood stains and/ or block colours, to provide that all important finishing touch!  

http://www.polmacuk.com

Fly Fishing: A Game Of Deception!

Artificial 'flies' are used by anglers when fly fishing, to catch fish. Flies are also described as 'tackle' which means 'apparatus for fishing' and this term has been around since 1398 AD.

Fly fishermen use hand tied flies which they keep in special fly boxes for protection, as they are fragile and can be expensive to replace. 

The flies resemble actual flies or 'lures' and are designed to entice the fish to bite on the fly. This is why there are multi-coloured flies, of various shapes, sizes and designs.

Fly Fishing

Once the fly or 'lure' is attached to the special weighted line, it is cast into the water using a fly rod and reel. This requires special skills and techniques that are different from other forms of casting.

Fly fishing can take place in fresh or salt water. You do however, need to decide what type of fly fishing you wish to do and then learn about the flies that can help you catch your fish.

If you just play it by ear, you could be fishing for a very long time before you catch anything.

In Britain, where there is less variation in water temperature, fly fishing is differentiated as 'game fishing' for trout and salmon and 'coarse fishing' for other species.

Fly fishing in different habitats means that the fly hooks used will vary, depending on the kind of fish you wish to catch.

Freshwater fly fishing doesn't have to be complicated though, so if you're a beginner there's no need to buy an over sized fly box and stuff it full of flies.

Polmac (UK) Ltd Single & 2-Tier Fly Boxes

Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies custom made, wood fly boxes, finished with a special water-proof, clear lacquer finish and supplied with internal, rigid foam inserts to protect even the most delicate of flies.

They're beautifully made, versatile and terrific value and are supplied as single and 2-tier fly boxes, to provide maximum flexibility for every angler!

Polmac fly boxes can also be overprinted with special text or logos, if a more personalized, branded finish is required.

http://www.polmacuk.com