Hobby Shop Blog

Ghosts are probably the most known paranormal phenomenon with the UFO category gaining on it everyday. While it’s hard to understand or know why a ghost is somewhere or haunting a location, I think it’s easier to figure out what it is than what business the entity might have.

This seems to be one of the easier lines to connect since it’s almost obvious how to get from ghosts to reincarnation. If ghosts are the lost or still departing souls of the once living, then perhaps they stick around for awhile. After the soul finishes what it still needs to do in it’s current life it moves on. We have no idea of knowing how long a soul will stay around once it’s left a body. Some ghosts are reported for hundreds of years, others seem to fade fairly quickly.

Edgar Cayce touched on a spirit’s journey throughout lifetimes. How skills and talents we have now are the results of past lives. In our life, we are here to try and find a “karmic” balance for the lessons we learn now for those we didn’t learn, haven’t learned, or still need to learn. The lingering spirit, after death, still possibly be someone looking to close a karmic gap that they incarnated to do in this lifetime.

To those that access the Akashic Records, or Book of Life, they’ll find information about a person across several lifetimes, which Cayce often used to diagnose ailments with those who sought him for readings. So, in the line, a ghost could be what we figured it was, a spirit still looking to finish some business in their life before moving on.

One more possibly comes to mind that a ghost is the collective conscious of the people leaving an imprint in reality of a person’s past existence. With thought creating so much reality everyday, it could have the power to leave a visual, if hazy, representation of the spirit in question. Since everyone will imagine the spirit entity a different way, solid details are sometimes lost. This is hard to prove, of course, but after looking into thoughtforms and their effect on us, it might be possible some ghosts are the result of it.

I’ve wondered as well, why we only have fairly modern day ghosts. There are no reports of an ancient Roman entity or Mongol spirit for example. This leads me to believe that the spirits only affect those of the lifetime of the being they incarnate as, when the moment is passed, they move on to another lifetime to balance their karma. Having none living to learn their life’s lessons, they would probably be forced to reincarnate and start over, either having to relearn the past lesson, or a completely one.

This is, at best, mostly speculation. The rest of the connecting dots for ghosts must reside in the metaphysical arts and possibly Eastern religions, new and old, which seemed to have a better grasp of the life and death cycle.

Many people who enjoy exercising their creativity by making candles, are discovering the joys of making them from soy wax instead of the traditional paraffin. The key attraction is that soy wax can be cleaned up with plain soap and water, with no scraping off the upper half of your double boiler. In fact, all your utensils can be safely run through a cycle in the dishwasher when you’re done.

Soy candles can be made in the same metal molds or milk cartons as paraffin candles, but because they do clean up so easily, they are often made in Mason jars, which can be covered to intensify any scent you’ve added, or to keep the dust off the top. To add to the candle’s country air, you can cover the top with a gingham circle cut with pinking shears, and tuck some dried flowers into the ribbon or wool you tied the cloth “cap” onto the jar with.

Melt your soy block after cutting it in chunks, or using the flakes, which are easier to handle. If you choose to scent the candle, a good rule of thumb is to add .5-1.0 ounces of essential oils for every pound of wax. Make sure to anchor your wick in the mold or jar first, by putting a dab of melted way on the tab, and sticking it in the center of the bottom. It should be cut 2″ longer than the depth of the mold, to allow for trimming after.

Soy wax is just as easy to decorate as paraffin, so when it is starting to cool, feel free to insert sea shells, dried flowers, colored crystals or whatever takes your fancy.

“I have a Derek Jeter autographed sports memorabilia baseball. How much is it worth?” We hear this question all the time. Everybody wants to know how much money they can get for their autographed sports memorabilia. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple to determine.

The short answer is, and the answer that many sports memorabilia dealers tell their customers, is that your sports memorabilia is worth what someone is willing to pay you for it! Although this answer is simple enough, there is a way to determine the value of an item. It may not be what we can sell the item for, but we certainly can find out what similar items have sold for.

Let’s take the Derek Jeter autograph sports memorabilia baseball as an example. We are at Yankee Stadium and Jeter is signing autographs on the rail before the game. We toss him a ball, and low and behold, he signs it. It’s our lucky day! We happened to be in the right place at the right time. We now own Derek Jeter autograph baseball.

What’s it worth?

When we get home from the game, the first thing we do is check the internet to see if we can find a value for our new prized possession. We go to our favorite search engine, type in “Derek Jeter autograph baseball” and, needless to say, we get the phone book. There are literally thousands of sites that have this.

We do some more searching and click on to Steiner Sports. Now Steiner is one of the largest memorabilia companies around, are based in New York, and do exclusive signings with Derek Jeter. They sell Derek Jeter autographed baseballs for $500 each. Does that mean my ball worth $500?

Let’s continue.

Next stop, a sport memorabilia store that sell Jeter autographed sports memorabilia baseballs for $399. In fact, this company is a Steiner authorized distributor, the ball is authenticated by Steiner, and is the exact same item that Steiner sells for more. So is my ball worth $399?

Not so fast, let’s move on.

On to eBay. Here we find a very wide range of Derek Jeter autographed baseballs from many different types of sellers. Some have COA’s from Steiner, some from PSA/DNA, some from Joe’s Baseball Card Emporium, and some that have no COA’s at all. Selling prices are all over the board, from as low $50 in some cases, to over $900 in others. We don’t even know if half of these are real.

At this point we are totally confused. How can there be such a price difference for the same Derek Jeter autographed baseball? Well the answer my friends, is that they are not all the same! There are many factors that determine the value of similar items. Two of the most important factors are condition of the item and authenticity.

When you pay top dollar from a company like Steiner Sports for an autograph sports memorabilia baseball, you get a brand new, snow white baseball, with a strong, smudge free Derek Jeter penned signature on the sweet spot. It is a top condition ball. If you pay less, you usually get less. A Derek Jeter autographed baseball signed on a dirty or soiled ball, or one that is signed on a side panel, or one where the autograph is fading, is certainly going to be worth much less.

The same is true about authenticity. If you are not sure that the ball has actually been hand signed by that player, it is worthless. Because of their reputation, a Derek Jeter autograph with a Steiner Sports COA is the best you can do. They witness every ball signed. You can’t beat that unless you see the player sign the item yourself, which is impractical in most cases. Other companies, such as Mounted Memories, Tri-Star, and UDA are reputable as well and their authenticity is not questioned in the industry. Reputation and integrity of the company or individual standing behind the product is more important than the product itself. That is why some people will pay top dollar for their items, because they know that it’s real.

So how does my ball compare with these? Well, it was a new ball before the game, but after Jeter signed it, he threw it back to me and I dropped it and it got a little dirty. Plus my friend got some mustard from his hot dog on it. Oh yea, Jeter signed it on the side panel with a sharpie, but I did witness it. Although who’s going to believe me if I want to sell it. But I still want to know what’s it worth?

The answer, it’s worth what someone is willing to pay for it!

Derek Jeter autograph baseballs

If you are looking for a way to really brighten someone’s day, why not send him or her one or more beautiful postcards? Postcards not only make excellent greetings, but they also make exceptional gifts. What’s more, the diversity of postcards that are available makes it easy to find postcards that will suit anyone’s taste. Thus, it is always easy to find the perfect postcard for anyone you know. Finally, beautiful postcards are something you can purchase, make yourself, or even send online via email.

Postcards are inexpensive and come in a variety of styles. You can find postcards that display artwork and photographs that people will enjoy. Plus, postcards are great for all occasions whether they are for seasonal greetings or for special occasions and they provide a nice and simple way of letting individuals know that you are thinking about them. In fact, if you are creative, you can take such images and frame them with a nice mat for a background. Within moments you will have a stunningly beautiful and unique wall hanging for your home.

On the other hand, you can make your own beautiful postcards. In fact, you can use some of your favorite photos of your vacations or family gatherings and easily print them up on your computer to send to people. Likewise, if you are especially artistic, you can scan your artwork and create postcards out of the scanned images. Finally, if you are a graphic designer, you can easily convert your created graphics into beautiful postcards that you can send to everyone you know and care about.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to send traditional postcards, you can always send electronic postcards that individuals will truly enjoy. There are many beautiful postcards that you can send to people via email and many of them are free. You can find beautiful postcards that are humorous, romantic, cheery, sympathetic, nostalgic, sentimental, religious, or even philosophical in nature. Also, you can customize electronic postcards with your own sentiments, and thereby make them a personal greeting. What’s more, not only are emailed postcards a wonderful idea, but they also possess beautiful imagery - you can find beautiful postcards with images of nature or romantic scenes on them. Finally, emailed postcards can be quite a bit of fun - unlike traditional postcards, you can send your friends and family animated postcards that make such greetings truly memorable.

Finally, did you know that some individuals make a hobby out of collecting various postcards? Thus, blank postcards with beautiful imagery on them can make ideal gifts for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions. In fact, if you travel a lot, you can collect various postcards pertaining to the various locations you have visited and present such cards to those individuals that collect them - a gift that will be appreciated for certain. If you really want to make a large gift out of your postcard presentation, you can assemble the postcards you purchase into an album for the individual you plan to present them to.

Soap making is a skill that’s been passed down to generations. Because of the use of lye, many people are scared away from making soap. If you’re interested in soap making but don’t wish to mess with lye, there’s an alternative. It’s called “melt and pour” soap making. Basically this method involves melting a ready made soap base and adding fragrances before pouring into a mold.

Melt and pour soap making allows you to make soap from the comfort of your own kitchen without using any caustic substances that may harm you or your surroundings. This method is much quicker than the old fashioned way especially since one doesn’t have to wait for the soap to cure.

The soap base is purchased in blocks and which can be found at craft stores or on the internet, they cost between three and five dollars a pound. You can also buy soap making kits that come with everything you’ll need. This is good idea for the beginning soap maker

To begin making soap, take your block of soap base and cut it into small pieces or cubes for melting in a double boiler or microwave oven. Once the soap is melted, color and scent is added it can be poured into a mold. An hour or two later, soap is born.

These handcrafted soaps are perfect for putting in birthday or holiday gift baskets. Who wouldn’t want to receive an assortment of attractive, fragrant soaps made from the heart? This is a project that is safe, simple and doesn’t take too much time. If you get the children involved it can become a fun project for the whole family.

Don’t write off soap making because it’s too dangerous or time consuming. Try the melt and pour method, you might just find it a fun and profitable hobby.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. There are plenty of crafty brides out there looking for a unique design for their unity candle. They want something that is as special and unique as their wedding day. Many artists are ready and willing to custom make a Unity candle for an eager bride - and charge anywhere from $30 to $200 - and that’s not with any gold-plating or diamonds set into it!

As an alternative, take some of the “momentos” from your upcoming wedding - perhaps a copy of your invitation, some ribbon or tulle to match the gown and do it yourself! This project is as simple or as complex as you make it out to be, and you’re only restricted by your imagination. The best part about this candle is that it will never burn away! We will embed a tealight in the top of the pillar so that you only have to replace the tealight when it burns out. Ultimately you will have a lasting momento of your special day that you’ve made.

You will need:

7-9″ pillar candle

2 clear-cup tealight candles

1 pencil

1 teaspoon

1 tape measure

1 hot glue gun

as many items to decorate your candle as you see fit.

Choose a candle 7-9″ tall and about 3″ wide at the top. Round candles are easiest to decorate, but the candle must be at least 1/4″ larger around than the tealight. Pick a candle that sits flat. We’re going to carve out the top in a minute so that the tealight will nestle down inside. If you have unusual colors for your wedding, try finding a candle in a coordinating color.

Place the tealight cup in the center of the top of the pillar. Do your best to center it. Trace around the outside of the cup. Set the tealight aside. Measure the height of your tealight.

Using a warm spoon, melt out the wax around the wick of the pillar candle. We want to “carve” or melt out a space for the tealight to fit. Work slowly. It’s easier to melt out extra wax than it is to add back wax. We can fill in with hot glue, but we’d rather not do that if we don’t have to! Continue to melt down the interior of the candle, and trim away the wick, until you have reached the depth of your tea light cup height. Test your “well” by fitting the tealight cup into the space you are creating. Once it sits flush with the top of the pillar, you’re all set!

Let your candle cool. Once we begin to decorate, you’ll need to work quickly - especially if you’re using High-temp hot glue. The softer your pillar candle, the more likely it will melt under the heat of your glue gun. Therefore, always apply the glue to to your decoration, not your candle. If you are applying many items - beads for example - allow the candle time to cool every 5-10 minutes to prevent melting.

Because the candle doesn’t burn down, most any type of decoration can be used on the candle, including paper, cloth, etc. The wax should never drip, as it is contained in the tealight cup. This is a great and economical way to add a personal touch to your wedding ceremony. Some decorating suggestions:

1. Cut your invitation out in an oval or heart shape. Adhere it to the candle and edge the invitation with lace or ribbon.

2. Take beads that match your gown and push sequin pins or hatpins into the candle to hold them into place (no glue required).

3. Glue your picture on the candle and decorate with ribbon. This not only makes a wonderful momento for you, but a great gift for your wedding party, as a reminder of their role in your special day.

4. For my wedding, I took a new white pillar candle, spiraled old silver ribbon from the top to the bottom, then turned the candle over and spiraled pale blue ribbons in the opposite direction, creating a checkerboard effect. Then I glued blue and clear crystals borrowed from some old earrings in the center of each “square”. Something old, new, borrowed and blue on a candle that will last for a lifetime!

Best of luck, and best wishes on your special day!