Is distance the key to a happy marriage? - Love + Sex on Shine (Thinkstock Photos)Boredom. It's the leading deal-breaker in marriages, according to a recent survey of over 100 family and divorce lawyers. Not to mention Brad Pitt. Married for 23 years, journalist Iris Krasnow has a personal antidote to the long-term marital rut that creeps into relationships over time: separate summer vacations. Once a year for about a decade, she's spent a portion of her summer away from her husband. When her four sons were young, she'd work as a counselor at their camp in the Adirondacks while her husband, an architect and furniture maker, focused on his own projects back at their Annapolis, Maryland home. Check out more rewarding risks to take for a happy marriage After seven weeks away (with a visit in between) their marriage was usually stronger than ever. It's one of the trade secrets she's learned in her own marriage, and through interviewing over 200 women in long-term relationships, for her new book, "The Secret Lives of Wives".
page corner bookmarks | I Could Make That This project comes to you at the request of Twitterer @GCcapitalM. I used to believe that a person could never have too many books, or too many bookmarks. Then I moved into an apartment slightly larger than some people’s closets (and much smaller than many people’s garages) and all these beliefs got turned on their naïeve little heads. But what a person can always look for more of is really cool unique bookmarks. Placeholders special enough for the books that are special enough to remain in your culled-out-of-spacial-necessity collection. Page corner bookmarks are cute, practical and deeply under-represented in the world.* They’re easy to make, easy to customize, and will set you apart from all those same-same flat rectangular bookmarks. If you like this tutorial, here are a couple others that might be up your alley. For the monster-loving adults in the room, try some googly-eyed paper monster wine charms. What you’ll need: Putting it all together: 1) Follow steps 2 and 3 from above.
Must-see Cleveland summer spots | News - Local Cleveland Diane DiPiero, Yahoo! Contributor Network No trip to Cleveland would be complete without reliving the history of music at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, rooting for the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, or getting scared silly on the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in nearby Sandusky. If you really want to impress out of town guests, though, you have to include some lesser-known but equally impressive landmarks and events on your sightseeing adventures. Veterans Memorial Bridge If you have guests coming to town one summer weekend, you'll want to fit a tour of the lower level of this bridge into your itinerary. Streetcars used to traverse the lower level of the bridge, which was closed in 1955. Check the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works website for the next opportunity to stroll beneath the vehicle and foot traffic on the top level, while admiring the scenic path of the Cuyahoga River. More information: Good Time III
Christina Lowry Designs: Crochet flower tutorial... Thanks for the lovely comments about the crochet flowers I've been making. Their purpose is a bit of a secret, but I thought I would share the pattern here with you so that you can use them as you wish. Perhaps for pretty hair clips, a flowery garland or stitched to a blanket? Fiona's flowers I'm using bella baby layette bamboo and wool mix, which is an 8ply, and a 3.5mm steel crochet hook. Start by making 4 chain stitches. Chain 3 stitches, which will be counted as 1 double crochet. Slip stitch to join circle of double crochet stitches and bind off. Skipping next stitch, slip stitch into the top of the 2nd double crochet stitch, chain 3, skip next stitch and slip stitch into second stitch, continue until end. (So you are chaining three and anchoring your chains at every second stitch to make the gap that you will be working the petals into.) To make flower petals work into the gap and not the chain stitches. (So 1 single, 3 double, 1 single = one petal. I hope that makes sense!
My DIY Wine Bottle Centerpieces I originally posted this as a thread, but since then I found out about the DIY section, so I’m reposting them here for anyone who is interested in how to make these! I really loved the look of these wine bottle candleholders, and I wanted to do something similar for our centerpieces, but these are very expensive to buy: Source So, I decided to find out how to cut the bottles myself. Once they are all clean, it’s time to cut. You definitely have to get a good score on the bottle – no breaks in the score line, and as straight around as you can get it, but it does not have to be deep at all. Then, over the sink, slowly pour a stream of boiling water over the cut line for about thirty seconds, slowly rotating the bottle while doing this part, to make sure the entire line gets hot. This doesn’t work perfectly *every* time – I’d say probably every 4 out of 5 bottles works great, then we’ll end up with one that splinters or forms vertical cracks. *One other important note! *Last important note!
little guiding stars Since the new year has started I’ve been trying to think of ways to be more kind to my self. Especially when that nasty gremlins try to creep in and stump me. I remembered this origami star video on You Tube and had to get them involved in my plan. I thought it would be fun to make a whole bunch with kind words and “you are….” phrases inside. I made 60 of them, enough to last me the whole year if I open one a week, plus a few extra just in case. I used 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper and cut 1/2 x 12″ strips, then followed the video HERE*. *UPDATE! Be Sociable, Share!