Aromatherapy-The Holistic Way To Well Being!

Aromatherapy is used to maintain general health and well being and offers many additional benefits. These include boosting the immune system, aiding digestion, easing muscle pain, reducing stress and improving your skin complexion.

It can also reduce tension related headaches, alleviates anxiety and helps to reduce feelings of depression! This is why aromatherapy, as an alternative holistic therapy is becoming more and more popular.

Polmac 2-Tier Aromatherapy Starter Kits

Broadly, people who practice aromatherapy fall into two groups - practitioners and consumers and both groups need to keep their aromatherapy products and accessories somewhere.

Practitioners will have practitioner cases and consumers single, or 2-tier starter kits and simple aromatherapy boxes for their essential oils.

These kinds of containers not only keep the aromatherapy products and accessories in one place, they'll also protect and preserve the essential oils for longer.

Aside from aromatherapy boxes, if you're looking to impress your friends or relatives on a special occasion such as a birthday or Christmas, what better way is there than  giving them an aromatherapy gift set.

Premium quality wood is ideal for making aromatherapy boxes and gift sets because wood is a beautiful, versatile and organic material that compliments the organic nature of essential oils perfectly.

Aromatherapy boxes and gift sets may be crafted into many shapes, sizes and styles,  depending upon individual preferences and finished with beautiful clear lacquers, or stunning natural wood and colour stains.

They can also be supplied with printed logos and / or text, for a more personalized finish.

Different people will have different ideas about the contents of aromatherapy boxes and gift sets but the basics will include essential oils, carrier oils and lotions to dilute the essential oils and perhaps a burner or diffuser.

Scented aromatherapy candles can also be included, as they provide an excellent introduction to aromatherapy, some complimentary music cd's to create a soothing and relaxing atmosphere and perhaps a book about aromatherapy if the recipient is new to aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy boxes and gift sets and the essential oils they contain will provide valuable health benefits, along with enticing aromas that create a relaxing and holistic effect on mind and body that can be truly life enhancing!

For information about Polmac aromatherapy boxes, practitioner cases, single-tier and 2-tier starter kits please CLICK HERE

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King Tutankhamun's Plywood Legacy!

In 1500 BC Egyptian craftsmen used thin strips of dark ebony to decorate the outside of a cedar wood casket found in King Tutankhamun's tomb.

The Greeks and Romans later used this technique to produce decorative objects such as fine furniture. In the 1600's this method of decorating furniture became known as  veneering and the thin strips were called veneers.

Since then the technology has advanced considerably and plywood is now made from three or more thin layers of wood veneer, glued together with an adhesive. Each layer, or 'ply', has the grain running at right angles to it's neighbour, in order to reduce shrinkage and improve strength. 

Birch Ply Round Hamper Gift Boxes

Plywood has excellent strength and stiffness properties, and therefore performs well in applications where high strength and rigidity is required. It also has good resistance to humidity and is easy to work and handle.

Most plywood is supplied in large, flat sheets with thicknesses ranging from 1.4 mm to 76 mm. The most common panel size used is 1.2 m wide by 2.4 m long.

One of the great advantages of plywood, particularly birch plywood is that it can be pressed into simple or complex curve shapes, for use in furniture, boats and aircraft, so is an extremely versatile material. 

For example, the De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito flown so successfully in World War II was built from compound sandwich panels using Canadian birch plywood.

De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito

However, plywood is also used extensively in wood box making! Among the most common uses for thin gauge birch plywood is the manufacture of round boxes such as large round hamper boxes and shaker boxes.

It's also used as the base layer of wooden boxes to provide greater overall strength and rigidity and as the top layer of larger wood boxes where solid wood would tend to warp!

Plywood has a smooth even grain pattern that's ideal for the application of clear lacquers and beautiful, natural wood and colour stain finishes, that undoubtedly add a touch of elegance and class to the finished product.

For information about Polmac round plywood boxes CLICK HERE

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Customized Wood Fly Boxes - A Cut Above The Rest!

Fly boxes are used as an easy and simple way to store flies neatly and safely. The inside of the fly box is usually designed to accommodate a variety of different fly sizes and types.

However, choosing the right fly box can be difficult, especially as there are so many different types available, including fly boxes made from metal alloy, plastic and wood. Plastic fly boxes are particularly popular, as they're cheap and practical to use.

So, why would anyone invest their hard earned money in a wooden fly box when there are so many cheaper versions available? Well, one of the main reasons is that wooden fly boxes can be customized!

Customized Teak Fly Boxes

For instance, you can tell the story behind the craftsmanship that went into making it. Hand-crafted, wooden fly boxes can therefore be extremely evocative, because they  connect with a person's basic emotions.

The best fly boxes comprise the finest woods available and a method of production that combines using woodworking machines with that very important, creative human touch.

The base and the lid of these high specification fly boxes are carefully routed out to allow space for pre-formed foam inserts to which the flies are attached and these are then joined together with strong internal solid brass hinges and flush magnets.

The fly boxes are then waterproofed with several coats of yacht varnish and made watertight by fitting an internal rubber gasket.

The end product is a labour of love that can be customized with an image that meets a particular emotional need, or has some personal significance, such as being related to a country, a place or a river. This kind of personalization is very powerful indeed.

Wooden fly boxes are made from a range of beautiful hardwoods, including teak, walnut, bamboo and cherry and may be embellished with decorative features, such as carvings, flush inlays and colour combinations. Teak is particularly popular as it has excellent water resistant properties.

There is no doubt that people are drawn to custom-made, hand-crafted, wooden fly boxes because they are personal and have a unique warmth and beauty that is difficult to replicate in metal alloys and plastic.

They can also be signed and dated by the craftsman, so they become true objects d'art that have a practical use, rather than just being looked at. The process of making fly boxes may take longer and may cost more but the outcome will be well worth it.

Hand-crafted wooden fly boxes make excellent gifts because they evoke feelings of pride, so they can be cherished over a lifetime and handed down as family heirlooms.

When you show members of your family, friends and colleagues your customized, hand-crafted, wooden fly box, they'll be impressed by that special quality and know immediately that you're fly fishing in style! Isn't that worth waiting for?

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How To Get A Cracked Paint Finish Onto Wooden Boxes!

Many wood gift boxes manufactured for commercial use today are made to high quality standards, with a highly polished finish!

However, authentic cracked paint finishes on wood boxes are also incredibly popular but authenticity is a rare commodity nowadays.

So, this kind of finish is often produced artificially, to provide similar effects to the natural deterioration that occurs to paint over time, particularly when exposed to daylight.

Wooden Box With Cracked Paint Finish

The resulting paint finish is unusual and eye-catching and if done correctly can provide that weather beaten, rustic, farmyard effect that you may be looking for.

So, how do you get a cracked paint finish on a wooden box? Well, there are a number of proprietary 'crackling glaze' products, that you can buy over the counter at your local DIY shop, that will get the job done for you.

The application of the paint is simple enough but you need to understand the process, if you want an authentic looking finish. With this in mind, a little practice on some wood off-cuts you've discarded, until you get it right, makes good sense.

Proprietary crackled glaze products will provide instructions on how you can apply their paint successfully. However, to achieve the very best results, you need to use a combination of water based emulsion paint and crackle paint.

Use two base coats of emulsion paint, then one base coat of proprietary crackle paint. After the first coat of emulsion, add the crackle coat, brushed in the same direction as the emulsion paint underneath.

The second coat of emulsion paint should be applied at right angles to the first. Naturally, each coat of paint needs to be thoroughly dry before the application of the next coat.

Here are three tips to help you, when applying your paint finishes ...

Tip 1: Avoid applying the crackle paint in straight lines. You'll get a far more natural looking finish by painting randomly over the whole box.

Tip 2: Apply the crackle paint quickly, as the crackling process starts almost immediately.

Tip 3: Avoid overdoing the painting. If you paint back and forth too many times, you'll smear over the cracks and spoil the effect.

To provide a more interesting finish, you may wish to use two paint colours. For instance, you can use white emulsion paint as the base coats and red crackle paint as the finishing coat. Your wooden boxes will be painted red overall, with white cracks showing through - a terrific effect!

After drying, you can apply the crackle paint top coat which will seal and protect the crackle effect you've produced.

The process of applying your crackle paint finish is easy and straightforward, once you've had a little bit of practice. 

If you proceed step by step, with a little care and attention, you'll give your wooden boxes a great vintage look and feel that will impress not only your customers but maybe those farmyard animals as well!

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How To Store Your Dutch Oven!

Dutch ovens are large earthenware or cast-iron cooking pots and are used as simple ovens that are heated by placing them under or near hot burning cinders.

They're thick-walled cooking pots with tight fitting lids used for cooking such things as stews and casseroles and have been used for centuries.

During the 17th century the Dutch produced a technically superior design. A similar design was subsequently patented in England, so the term 'Dutch Oven' has endured!

Pinewood Dutch Oven Container

However, once you've used your Dutch oven what do you do with it? Well, you can leave it lying around the kitchen to gather dust and get in everybody's way, or you could obtain a wooden storage container, specially designed for the purpose.

Using pinewood would be my choice of wood, as it's robust, hard-wearing and inexpensive, with lots of knots. The construction of your container needs to be substantial. The side panels should be between 15-20 mm thickness and include a tight-fitting, hinged or lift-off lid to prevent dust incursion.

You can use butt joints, or tongue and groove joints to hold the side panels together, which are easier and cheaper to form but I would recommend glued finger joints for a stronger, more permanent solution.

Pinewood is a soft wood, so is susceptible to dents and scratches but minor impact damage such as this, over time tends to enhance rather than detract from it's rustic quality!

Pinewood also has a long tradition of use in cooking. For instance, pinewood has been used to make dough boxes for hundreds of years and many Italian Pizzerias even today use them to make their pizzas crispier.

Pinewood baking boxes are also used today to bake traditional fruit, pumpkin and chocolate fudge cake. This makes the cakes uniquely moist and infuses that delicious, natural pine aroma from the natural oils and resins into the baking.

Pinewood Dutch oven containers will make a great addition to your kitchen and will protect your Dutch oven for many years. You'll only need to obtain one, unless of course you buy another Dutch oven!

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Why We Love Memory Boxes!

Our homes are stuffed with objects that hold personal memories. Putting these items into memory, or keepsake boxes as they are sometimes called, is a way of retaining these objects and the memories associated with them, so we can stay in touch and others can discover and learn from them.

Memory boxes can contain objects that help us recall people and events from the past. They can be based upon a particular theme or era and may contain items such as photographs, letters, a toy from childhood, music, or even a recorded message. For instance, baby keepsake boxes are incredibly popular nowadays!

Polmac Hand-Painted Keepsake Box

Though it may take some time to find which keepsakes to store in your memory box, it's certainly worth the time and effort, as they can provide a continuous and fascinating time-line to the past, for future generations.

Memory boxes can be made from practically any material. Keepsakes can even be stored in an old trunk if nothing else is available. However, if a memory box is to be created from scratch, wood is the ideal material, as it's natural warmth and beauty resonates so well!

Wooden memory boxes can be inscribed with a personal message and/or decorated with natural wood and colour stains, carved, or hand painted with colour motifs to provide a particular theme. They can also be left unfinished, if the natural, raw quality of wood is preferred.

Ideally, memory boxes should be small enough so they can be lifted easily and large enough to accommodate a range of keepsakes of different shapes and sizes that can be easily accessed.
 

Wood memory boxes can be designed with compartments if necessary, for different t5ypes of keepsakes and provided with a lock and key to help keep the contents secure!

You can create several memory boxes with different themes. For instance one memory box can be dedicated to children and another for a favourite hobby, or sport and so on.

Memory boxes are being used more and more nowadays to engage with people suffering from dementia and similar illnesses, where memory may be a huge challenge, providing them with an opportunity for mental and even physical stimulation.

Creating a memory box, particularly if it's an activity undertaken with friends and relatives can take time but it can also be a lot of fun and it may someday be a great memory itself. Now there's a thought, or is that a memory!

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Wood Turning & The Art Of Producing Beautiful Round Boxes!

Wood turning is the art of using a wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut shapes that are symmetrical around the axis of rotation.

The wood lathe can be used to create many beautiful forms, including hollowed out cylindrical wooden boxes, needle cases and urns etc.

Before the industrial revolution in England, wood turnery was a difficult skill to master, because the turning mechanisms used were primitive. This is why turnery at that time became known as 'the misterie'!

Wood Turned Box With Lift-Off Lid

However, once mastered, wood turning is a great way of transforming small pieces of wood into beautifully crafted objects, using creativity and skill.

Most woods, including alder and linden wood can be used to make turned boxes, although a fine-grained hardwood is probably the very best wood to use.

Irrespective of the choice of wood, it's essential that it's properly cured and seasoned, to avoid any moisture movement which could lead to warping issues.

Wood turned boxes may be created as stand-alone artwork, or as functional and economical storage containers, with or without lift-off lids!

They are usually small and round, due to the lathe-turning process and so their lithe appearance differs quite significantly from square or rectangular boxes

Lids may be designed in a variety of ways, including ...

1: Sitting loosely on the base.

2: There is some resistance between the lid and the base but any sharp movement will dislodge the lid.

3: The lid is retained on the base securely and will not fall off if the wooden box is overturned!

In the case of 1 and 2 above, lid restraint can be easily improved by the use of tiny, flush mounted, lid magnets, if required

Beautiful turned boxes may be made from single pieces of wood, laminated woods and even segmented woods and despite the special skills needed, they can be very economical to produce.
 

They can be decorated with stunning natural wood and colour stains and clear lacquer finishes, to bring out the natural warmth and beauty of wood. 

For more exotic finishes they can also be embellished with metal, or hardwood inlays and hand carved decorations.

Whatever the style or finish chosen, the only limit on the design of wood turned boxes is your imagination!

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