collecting blogs

Smart phones are all the rage these days with people looking for the best products.

If you are a fan of smart phones but want a greater diversity then you may need to dig a little deeper. There are many types of smart phones available but some have better features than the others. The following smart phones are good for both business executives and those who have a profound interest in mobile technology.

Samsung Epic 4G

The 3G technology is long over as 4G phones are gradually taking their place. The smart phone comes with a simple yet elegant design. It has a physical keyboard instead of a virtual one that makes it easier for you to control its functions. A front facing camera with high quality lens makes picture taking easier. You will find 4G network support to be the best feature as you can use it to have a perfect connectivity.

HTC EVO 4G

HTC is making waves in the mobile industry with its classy phones that come with great many features. Its 8 mega pixel camera is simply to die for given its excellent performance. It also comes with 4G technology and its touch screen is responsive and quick to carry out tasks. Price is also right at $200 if you purchase it from a cellular service provider.

Motorola Droid X

Smart phones are getting more technically advanced in recent years and Droid X is a personification of that technology. Its 4.3 inches crystal clear display and intuitive software makes it perfect for any type of user. Its price depends on whether you are purchasing it from a cellular vendor or from a typical retailer.

Google Nexus One

It comes with OLED display that distinguishes it from its counterparts. Sleek design and integrated software makes it ideal for use.

Samsung Vibrant

The phone comes with a bevy of features and specifications the least of which are related to its excellent camera and software. Price is also right especially if you buy it from a cellular vendor; it can be as cheaper as $50.

About the Author

Check out my latest blog Latina Makeup where you can learn more on Latina Foundation .

I’m a full time student and live with my husband Brad and 2 year old baby girl Yoli. I love to do research on a number of topics, beauty and makeup being my favorite.

There are many different kinds of Danbury Mint Porcelain Dolls, but before we get into that, for those that may not be familiar with the Danbury Mint, here are a few reasons why you should buy their products. They were founded by Ted Stanley, from Connecticut, in 1969. Their goal then and now is to sell only the best collectables directly to the consumer, and have become one of the most popular collectable companies in the world today. When they opened up shop in London England in 1976, they quickly started making products exclusively for the UK market.

All of the products from the Danbury Mint, including Danbury Mint porcelain dolls, figurines, clocks, plates, etc, are made by them, and sold by them through mailings, magazine spots, and through the internet. They also have a catalog that you can receive directly through the company with a complete list of all of their products.

There are an abundance of different Danbury Mint porcelain dolls to choose from in their collection. Each piece in the Danbury Mint can be bought separately, and there are some that are part of a collection. Here are a few of the more unique or best selling dolls that are offered.

One of these porcelain dolls is a recent addition to their collection; it is the Michelle Obama Inaugural Doll. Fully decked out in her stunning dress and earrings, this is one of the most life like renditions of the latest first lady, and is fully pose-able, and all porcelain. You can now remember that remarkable evening when the countries first black president was sworn into office. Her whole ensemble has been painstakingly recreated and hand crafted buy skilled artisans. Here, jewelry originally created by world famous designer Loree Rodkin has also been skillfully replicated. You can own this piece of history for just $149, with a $9 shipping and handling charge directly from the Danbuy Mint for just four monthly payments of only $39.50.

Another Danbury Mint porcelain dolls collectable also inspired by Michelle Obama, this one crafted from her at the Governors Ball. This 16″ porcelain doll has pose-able arms and head, and features her stunning strapless black dress, as well as the stunning pear earrings and necklace. Every detail is just as stunning as when she was presented at the actual ball. This Doll, as well as the inaugural doll, is part of the historical special addition collection and is available for the same price. Another doll in this collection is the Diana At Windsor and this item is available for just $119.

Betty Boop has always been a member of the Danbury Mint porcelain dolls collection and has many modeled after her classic style. One of the many Danbury Mint Betty styles is the Bewitching Betty Doll. With her black bat cape, iridescent purple bodice, riding her broom with Pudgy by her side, she will surely put a spell on you. This representation is 16.5″ tall, and sells for just 116 Pounds, plus shipping. Other dolls in the extensive collection include Betty Sings the Blues, Winter Starlet Betty, and even Geisha Betty, just to name a few. These are just a handful of the many products the Danbury Mint has to offer.

About the Author

http://www.collectableporcelaindolls.blogspot.com

Lionel Trains were quick to catch the buzz created by the release of the animated Robert Zemeckis movie in 2004 with the release of their own O gauge electric Polar Express Train set. Shortly after, they released a cheaper G gauge version of the train. The two versions of the same product have caused some confusion, especially amongst parents who are not especially train-savvy. So what’s the difference?

The O gauge set is an electric train set, with the locomotive made from die-cast metal parts, running on standard Lionel track, also made of metal. The G gauge set, on the other hand, is made from plastic – locomotive, coaches and track. The locomotive is battery-powered and these two factors, more than anything else account for the price difference.

I want to give my kids a great Christmas – which should I buy?

Both sets represent significant entry points to a highly satisfying, life-long hobby. Both sets will give your kids a Christmas to remember and provide a focal point for you to interact with your children’s play. For my two cents worth, train sets are worth every dollar you spend and they’ll continue bringing fun and joy well beyond the holiday season.

The G Gauge set, selling for around $100.00, is more suitable for younger children; 3 to 6 year olds. Everything you need on December 25th is right there in the box – batteries (6 C size for the loco and 2 AAs for the RC controller) are included. You can also purchase separately a 9.6v rechargeable to take the place of the Cs. The locomotive makes surprisingly good steam train sounds, including bell and whistle, the coach has opening doors and the observation car features a disappearing hobo, who is sure to be a hit with the kids! The easily assembled track makes up into a 72″ by 55″ oval. Add-on track packs are available from Lionel stockists, making this train set a genuine model railroad entry-point. All up, a great introduction to a great hobby.

OK, I’m convinced… but tell me about the O gauge train set.

Lionel’s O gauge Polar Express costs quite a bit more (anywhere from $266.00 to $329.00, depending on where you buy) but you get a whole lot more. This is a genuine electric train set which will run with any of the other O gauge products in the Lionel range. Suitable for what ages? Well, you know your own children, but 7 or so seems about right to me.

The locomotive – a pretty decent representation of the Lima-built Berkshire 2-8-4 – puffs smoke as it runs, chugs like a real steam loco and has a very realistic-sounding steam whistle. The three passenger cars have interior lighting (a nice touch for when darkness falls on December 25th, and the living-room lights go out) and the passengers themselves are silhouetted in the windows of the cars. The track assembles easily into a 60″ x 40″ oval. The control pack (which also has the bell and whistle buttons) is big and solid and the throttle itself is satisfyingly chunky and mounted on the right hand side of the pack.

So there y’ go. Different horses for different courses, from a great American model train maker. G or O? Have fun deciding. Why not slip into your local train store and try them yourself. Great oaks from small acorns grow.

About the Author

Liam is an avid collector of model trains and a gamer enthusiastic. He is also a webmaster of an online hobby shop:Spicy-Gifts-Hobbies.com. So stop by and visit his site for some great offers of Christmas trains and more..

Are you lost on the subject of what your little pet crustacean actually is? There are so many types and version of the animal out there that it can get a bit daunting trying to find your particular pet’s identity. But never fear! With this article, you will soon be naming what your little friend is without any problems.

There are two main species of hermit crab that are widely available in the USA and these are Coenobita Clypeatus which is native to the Caribbean and Coenobita Compressus who hails from Ecuador. They are more commonly referred to as the purple pincher (PP for short) and the E-crab who is more affectionately referred to amongst crabbers as “Eccie”. If you own one of these adorable little critters, chances are that he is one of the above species although some pet stores import more exotic breeds from the Pacific Rim.

Okay, so how can you determine which type of the little critter is sitting in your tank? Well, there are several key differences but one of the most obvious is that PP has a large purple claw. This claw, incidentally, is used by him to block the entrance to his shell. He also has many small markings on his legs and claws which are the equivalent of hair follicles and are called setae. These tiny filaments are made of chitin, which also constitute the makeup of the crabby critter’s exoskeleton. However, these filaments do not continue to grow, like human hair follicles, but are shed whenever the crabby critter molts. PP has far more setae on his body than does Eccie who just has a bit of “bum fluff” on his claws!

Now, take another close look at your crabby companion. If your crabby companion has quite prominent round eyes then you have the species of the little critters known as PP, whereas if his eyes are elongated and he has stripes running to the side of his head, then you are the proud owner of an Eccie. Another big difference in their appearance is that Eccie has a wider, flatter thorax and his legs tend to be the same color as his body.

As mentioned earlier, Eccie does not have a special claw with which to guard her home like PP, instead she crosses her two left sided walking legs over her large claw. Eccie is a very colorful species of the little guys and can be found in a variety of colors ranging from bright yellow, dark grey to orange and tan. It is quite frequently found as a dark tan color with bluish overtones to its body and inside of its legs. Quite often the tips of the legs are a darker color. Eccie is, however, a master of disguise, and can start off life as a tan color, only to emerge a couple of months later as a light lavender color. This is commonly a direct result of diet and is a result of a carotene deficit which can occur after molting. You can take steps to ensure this doesn’t happen to your crab by feeding him plenty of carrot and corn which are great sources of the organic compound which is carotene.

Well, I guess you now know which species of hermit crab is sitting in your tank, so go ahead and make his acquaintance and have some fun!

About the Author

Tod Schaffer is a Hermit Crab enthusiast who has vast experience of raising Hermit Crabs. For more information about Species Of Hermit Crab, Visit Hermit Crabs.

Walking sticks can definitely help you in a lot of ways: it help can you keep away from falling like when you’re having difficulty with your balance as well as to surfaces where you may fall easily. Also, when the grounds you’re walking on are rough and uneven as well as if have difficulty bending, your stick can help you push objects in your path out of the way.

Walking sticks are also a good companion if you’re at a high risk for a fall. For this reason, we can already attest that canes are indeed multipurpose and are not just for the idea of collecting it. What’s more, they are also excellent in providing support for your body. As a matter of fact, it can take stress off your back, knees, hips and ankles. It also provides extra stability and works the muscles of your upper body when you hike.

Nonetheless, here are some steps on how to use your walking stick as it should be:

To begin with, you must stand on a flat surface and let your arms swing at your sides. After that, bring one arm up, bending it at the elbow in order to have a 90-degree bend in the arm. Your forearm will be one and the same to the floor.

The stick is terribly short when the position of your hand goes down. But if it goes up, the stick is most likely too long.

Twist the quick-release catch on the shaft of the walking stick to modify the length of the walking stick. Twist it to the right to make it tighter and to the left to loosen it off. The minute you got the walking stick at the proper height, tighten it securely.

Grab the walking stick by gliding your hand through the wrist strap and then holding the handle of the stick.

Put the tip of the stick facing you alternately as you walk. And as you take each step, swing the stick out in front, placing the tip down securely. Make sure that you maintain a normal arm movement. Nevertheless, you may want to place both sticks in front of you on rough patches so as to provide a stable surface in slippery or steep conditions.

About the Author

Author James Hall knows a lot about
Antique Walking Sticks. His website will teach you how to find and purchase the finest quality walking sticks for amazing low prices!

Everything you ever wanted to know about cannabis seeds in one place…


Based in Ney York City, High Times Magazine is far and away, the single most popular cannabis culture publication in the world. It was first published in 1974 and is still going strong today, having celebrated its 35 birthday in November 2009. High Times has become at times the main focal point and a comfort zone for many cannabis activists over the years and it has become an icon of pop culture all of its own. Since its basic beginnings High Times has grown exponentially and spawned an endless string of events, films and books.


Events


The Cannabis Cup is one of the key dates on any keen marijuana seed grower’s calendar. The event pits growers from around the world against each other to find out who has managed to create the finest strains each year based on cannabis seed quality, horticultural prowess and resultant intoxication.


Another big event owned and run by High Times is the annually Stony Awards which awards stoner films and television programs. Past winners have included: James Franco, Best Actor for Pineapple Express in 2008; Guitar Hero 2, Best Stoner Video Game 2007; Bill Murray, Stoner of the Year, 2005.


Film


High Times have produced a number of films of its own. These have generally been documentaries featuring elements of cannabis culture including many documenting a number of Cannabis Cups as well as a 1990′s ‘Let Freedom Ring’ starring Willie Nelson.


Television


The offices of High Times have also been the subject of their own television documentary, which, over 12 episodes followed the build up to the Cannabis Cup. The series featured one particular pair of growers in their build up to compete in the event. It was later revealed though that they were in fact actors.


Celebrities


One of the main driving factors behind High Times has been its notable celebrity endorsers. The obvious ones being well known cannabis culture supporters such as: Cheech and Chong, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Bob Marley and Bill Hicks. Less well known cannabis culture supporters have been ‘outed’ as such in their pages. These include the likes of Jenna Jameson, Marilyn Manson, Milla Jovovich and Woody Harrelson.


Having such names supporting High Times has really helped the magazine become what it is today. As long as cannabis consumption, weed seeds or feminized seeds and everything else to do with the culture is around, High Times will no doubt be at the forefront of activism, support and editorial correspondence.

About the Author

Sam Qam is a keen weed seed collector. His provincial garden has a wide range of horticultural oddities, but his pride and joy are locked safely in his garden shed in a box marked feminized seeds.

While I love how Sanrio made Hello Kitty a superstar globally, but I do think that Sanrio has gone overboard with certain products and are just not meant to be sanrio products.

Take for instance, the Hello Kitty Wine bottles…

Call me crazy, but they look like a gimmick with the Hello Kitty brand pasted on wine that probably isn’t up to fine standard for regular wine drinkers. As a sanrio addict, I’m quite embarrassed when people ask if I will buy the Hello Kitty wine because they know I love Hello Kitty. I do love the kitty, but not to an extent that I need everything to have her face on every household product. My problem here is that I know Sanrio is not a wine maker business and I feel that Sanrio has become such a greedy, money hungry business that they’ll paste Hello Kitty on any such product. From the look of their many many products, it’s gone mass produced. In my thinking, mass produced doesn’t necessarily mean good quality products that is worth your invested money. Take for example the Hello Kitty vacuum that is selling in Japan.

Do you seriously imagine that this Hello Kitty Vacuum Cleaner can stand up nicely next to a highly recommended Vacuum Cleaner (in stores like Best Buy) that’s been around for many years? It just shows you how Sanrio can forsake the value of a product just to make a simple buck from the Hello Kitty obsession. The only ones who’d buy products like these are die-hard Hello Kitty stans. I can see this vacuum cleaner breaking faster or not doing such a good job of cleaning the carpet while compared to the expensive yet non-Hello Kitty vacuums that are worth every single penny of your money.

I just simply do not understand Sanrio. Don’t they care about their reputation as a company that deals with valued quality products, rather than selling cheap knock offs with a pasted Hello Kitty sticker?

About the Author

Sanrio Collector

Cavin: Have you ever been to Japan?

Kathy: Yeah, it impressed me a lot, especially their traditional culture.

Cavin: That makes two of us. The Janpanese always attach weight to their traditional culture.

Kathy: Doll’s Festival is interesting, I think.

Cavin: Doll’s Festival is on 3rd, March.

Kathy: Girls dress up in their glorious clothes, and the dolls are showed up.

Cavin: The dolls symbolize that children may keep out of disasters and bad lucks,growing up happily.

Kathy: Maybe a kind of blessings.

Cavin:The dolls are taken up when the festival passed.

Kathy: My friends in Janpan also gave me one, so lovely.

* About the Japanese Doll’s Festival

The Doll’s Festival in Japanese is called “Hina Matsuri”, this fun holiday is more commonly known as Girls Day and is celebrated every March 3rd.

Girls throughout Japan display their doll collections for a few days to celebrate “Hina Matsuri.” One legend says if a girl displays her dolls for more than 3 days she will marry later in life.

In the weeks before Hina Matsuri you will begin to see displays of dolls in stores all over Okinawa. You’ll see small and large displays exhibited with tiny furniture and other items. The dolls, called hina ningyo, vary in size and price. They are exhibited on one-, five- or seven-tiered display stands.

Traditionally, two dolls representing the emperor and empress are positioned on the top level of the display stand which is draped in red cloth. These dolls are called Dairi-sama. They are attired in the traditional court costumes of ancient Japan. Around them are small pieces of furniture representing items found in the ancient imperial palace. Members of the royal entourage are arranged on the lower levels of the large stands.

* Words of the editor: Now, do you know what’s the special prop of the doll’s festival in Japan? is hat interesting a lot? hehe, wish you have a good day!

About the Author

* I’m a Chinese girl, I love all beautiful, fashion and artistic things, and I’d like to introduce and display an excellent selection of China fine art, gifts, traditional Chinese handicrafts, jewelry, toys, home decorations and fashion accessories to you, also give you great suggestions about gift ideas and introduce you the latest fashion trends in China.

Hermit crabs are fast becoming one of the most popular exotic pets due to the fact that they are easy to look after and cheap to maintain. This makes then a good choice for those looking to own something a little different. If, on the other hand, you have not heard of hermit crabs before, or you just stumbled across this website by accident, then stick around because you might learn something.

So without further ado, here are 20 fascinating hermit crab facts that you may or may not know :

*There are over 600 species of hermit crabs in the world today but only a handful are available as pets
*Hermit crabs can live as long as 15 years although the majority of them live to around 6-8 years
*Hermit crabs are not really classed as crabs due to the fact that they do not own their own shell
*The Coconut crab or Birgus Latro is the largest hermit crab in the world with a size of up to 40 cms (16″) and a weight of up to 4.1 kgs (9.0lbs)
*The shape of the shell that a baby hermit crab chooses determines the shape of its abdomen
*Hermit crabs are fussy about the type of shells that they choose and are drawn to ones with mother of pearl linings.
*As hermit crabs grow, they discard the shell that they had previously and search for a larger one
*Hermit crabs drink by dipping their claws in water and depositing the water into their gills and mouth
*One of the hermit crabs favourite past times is climbing
*Its nearest relatives are spiders and lobsters
*Hermit crabs are not fussy eaters and will eat such things as fresh fruit and vegetables as well as small amounts of meat and fish.
*The Ecuadorian land crab is one of the smallest species of hermit crab at around 12mm in length
*Of all the species of hermit crab, only a few are generally classed as land or terrestrial and even these are born in the sea or ocean
*Hermit crabs moult as they grow, which means that they shed their exoskeleton and grow a new one.
*Hermit crabs will often consume their old skin for its nutrients
*The abdomen of a hermit crab can change shape to fit the body of the shell that it is taking over. This is very good especially if the shell is of a spiral nature!
*Hermit crabs are more active at night and don’t move much during the day.
*If a land based hermit crab was left underwater for too long it would drown, even though it was born under water!
*Unlike its name, hermit crabs are truly social creatures and are unhappy being on their own.
*The Ecuadorian crab and the purple pincered hermit crab are the two main types of crab sold in pet stores across the USA today. Of these, the Purple Pincered hermit crab, tends to live far more inland than other varieties of crab and therefore do not need salt water.
Hopefully these hermit crab facts have given you an insight into the world of these amazing little critters. They are probably some of the oldest life forms on the planet. and have survived this long because they are hardy and above all adaptable to any given situation. This is why they are probably the ideal pet for someone looking to dip their toe into the world of more unusual species.

About the Author

Jerry Montgomery is reviewing a book to help you raise healthy Hermit Crabs http://www.ugothermitcrabs.com