14 Creative Ways to Use Rose Petals - PR.com

14 Creative Ways to Use Rose Petals

Have the ubiquitous (and pricey) dozen roses become a tired cliche in your relationship? Try out any of these creative and romantic ways of using rose petals from Michael Webb.

You can purchase bags of rose petals from most florists and most craft stores sell silk petals.

* On top of ceiling fans
* Used as packing material for a gift
* Put in pockets, purses, briefcases as a clue of something special coming up
* Bring some to restaurant and put on table
* Sprinkled in a packed lunch
* Sew or hot glue onto lingerie
* Write out a message with petals
* Inside an envelope with a card or letter
* Floating in a bowl of water - with or without floating candles
* Placed in a book your sweetheart is reading
* Put inside balloons - if you put inside clear balloons, slightly wet the inside of the balloon and the petals will stick to the sides for a dramatic effect -- or keep dry if you want someone to pop the balloon
* Surrounding your mate with petal while he or she is sleeping
* In a crock pot with a little water for a beautiful smell
* Tossed into a roaring fire - enjoy the scent

You can find an additional 25 uses for rose petals at www.TheRomantic.com - just search on *rose petals* on the home page.

Source: 14 Creative Ways to Use Rose Petals

Natural Living: Valentine's jewelry might not be so romantic after all

Before you buy your honey that gorgeous piece of jewelry for Valentine's Day, you might want to consider some of the environmental and social issues surrounding the jewelry industry, especially diamonds and gold.

Nodirtygold.org says that the production of one gold ring generates 20 tons of waste, and according to brilliantearth.com:

two-thirds of newly mined gold comes from open-pit mining rather than the more expensive alternative of underground shaft mines. To open these mines, companies must remove vast amounts of rock and materials and blast the entire site. This leads to the destruction of the environment at the mine site, damaging the surrounding ecosystem, and the opening up of vast craters.

Gold production can also taint the surrounding ecosystem with cyanide, which is used to extract the gold from the ore containing it. In regards to this practice, briliantearth.com notes that:

to dispose of the leftover ore contaminated with Cyanide and other toxins ("tailings"), a mine will create a dam which gets built up over the life of the mine. The gradual building of the dam generally causes the structure to be unsound. In the last 25 years, these dam failures have accounted for three-quarters of all major mining accidents. In 2000, a gold mine resulting from a tailings dam failure in Romania spilled more than 100,000 gallons of cyanide-laced mine waste into the Tisza river, killing 1,240 tons of fish and contaminating the drinking water supplies of 2.5 million people.

To get an almost too-vivid idea of what pit mining can do to the ecology of a country, I highly recommend reading Jack Hitt's "Island of the Damned" about the tiny island Nauru, which was printed in the July 2006 issue of The Sun magazine. Unfortunately, only an excerpt is available online, and that excerpt doesn't get to the tear-jerking, you-can't-believe-this-actually-happened descriptions of the island's almost total destruction, but perhaps the excerpt will be enough to convince you to purchase a back issue. In 2005, The New York Times did a very informative series on the gold trade that I would also recommend checking out.

In addition to the environmental destruction involved with gold mining, the diamond industry is responsible for causing a great deal of social strife. According to globalwitness.org, the diamond trade is responsible for the death and displacement of millions of people. The diamond trade has funded civil wars in many parts of Africa. These diamonds are exchanged in the international markets for weapons. I have not yet seen it, but the movie Blood Diamond highlights this issue by covering a civil war in Sierra Leone that took place throughout the nineties involving warlords trying to trade diamonds for money and other goods. Another social issue is the fact that many workers involved in the diamond trade, especially in the actual mining of the diamonds, are not even paid a dollar a day for the labor they do, despite the fact that mining is a notoriously dangerous profession.


Once you think about it, that beautiful piece of jewelry starts to become a symbol of death and destruction rather than undying love.

However, you don't have to resort to organic flowers or chocolate instead of something sparkly for your sweetie (although those are fine too!). Brilliantearth.com sells jewelry that does not compromise your ethics. They sell eco-friendly gold and conflict free diamonds. Right before Valentine's Day last year eight major retailers pledged to not support "dirty gold." The retailers are the Zale Corp., the Signet Group (the parent firm of Sterling and Kay Jewelers), Tiffany & Co., Helzberg Diamonds, Fortunoff, Cartier, Piaget, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Try to buy your gifts from one of these retailers.

Other more ethical jewelry retailers to check out:

1. Ten Thousand Villages offers fair trade jewelry from around the world.

2. Leber Jewelers carries conflict free diamonds.

3. Global Exchange has beautiful jewelry in many styles- not just gold and diamonds.

4. Fair Trade Federation member Mercado Global has gorgeous beaded jewelry from Guatemala.

Source: Natural Living at PennLive.com: Valentine's jewelry might not be so romantic after all

Romantic settings - From flowers to fabric, have your home say happy Valentine’s Day

Romantic settings (From Gay newspaper Washington Blade)
From flowers to fabric, have your home say happy Valentine’s Day

By ZACK ROSEN
Friday, February 09, 2007

Those lucky enough to have a significant other around Valentine’s Day have probably put thought into dining, wine, roses and music, but all these considerations add up to just another way of ensuring that the tone you create is perfect for the relationship you have. Just as there are many different feelings you can have for that special someone, there are many different ways to make your home the ideal expression of what Valentine’s Day means to you.

Though the tradition of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day dates back to the Middle Ages, it exists now as a greeting card holiday. As such, it’s easy to get caught up in the mass-marketed image of the holiday and forget to pay attention to your own tastes.

“The sentiment of all this can be overshadowed by all the glitz and glamour of Hallmark cards and chocolate,” says Patrick Baglino, Jr., the gay owner of Patrick Baglino, Jr., Interior Designs. “That’s really how I see it unraveling for people. It’s really about feeling and how people want to express that through style.”

If your own personal style leans toward the extravagant, the nature of the holiday affords more than enough opportunities to express it. While many restaurants offer romantic dinners out on Feb. 14, a more personal effect can be achieved by creating that lavish atmosphere within your own home.

“You can go all out,” Baglino says. “Have dinner catered in. You can have the entire table done up in yards of red sheer fabric with huge arrangements of red roses. You can have candles in varying heights, lightly scented with vanilla. You won’t have to worry about cooking, so [you] can spend some quiet time together. “

Jeffrey Fritz, the gay owner of Flowers on Fourteenth is clear on the preferred Valentine’s Day bloom.

“Always roses,” he says, adding that there are color options beyond the standard red. “White is for purity, yellow for friendship. There are hundreds of different colors of roses available now.”

FOR THOSE WHOSE tastes run less baroque and more down home, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the epic scale of V-Day celebrations. If you don’t have the budget to bring your sweetheart 200 roses on the back of a snow-white pony, keep in mind that, even on holidays, less can be more. Baglino suggests that romantic minimalists can get their point across with something as basic as a single white rose in a vase or a spray of daisies tied with ribbon.

“Sometimes I think simple is best. If someone is really not caught up in the glitz and glamour of the holiday, if it’s just about the sentiment, the feelings behind, then they really don’t need all this grandiosity. “

Fritz advises that the austere decorator may get good use out of orchids or something else that is “very natural but simple and elegant.”

Of course, any notions of holiday decorating may pale in priority if you haven’t even cleaned your living room in the current calendar year. For the hopelessly messy, or the deceptively prevalent gay that can’t decorate their way out of a plastic bag, it helps to remember that Valentine’s Day boils down to a series of gestures.

“I really don’t think the environment per se has much to do with the person or their individual style,” Baglino says. “I think it has a lot more to do with how they choose to express their feeling. There are some friends I know who just have pizza and watch a movie and that would be sufficient. Someone once gave me a cupcake for Valentine’s Day, and I thought that was really cool.”

However you decide to make your house romantic, a successful Valentine’s Day will require a little planning. Just as all dinner reservations should be made well before the 13th, deciding how you want to gussy up your living space should be done sufficiently in advance.

“Order early,” warns Fritz. “Last year we sold 10,000 roses by noon, another 10,000 by 6, and another 5,000 that we finally sold out by 9.”

With a little foresight, and a sufficient knowledge of your own romantic leanings, everyone can make their house romantic enough that Valentine’s night, the real point of the occasion, will not soon be forgotten.

Source: Romantic settings - From flowers to fabric, have your home say happy Valentine’s Day

Romantic Tips For Gardeners

Thursday, February 08, 2007
ROBB ROSSER for The Columbian

How do I love thee? A lot. Would it be enough to say I'd love you to the depth and breadth that a dandelion's roots could reach? How about, "I love you enough to dig to the depth of a small, ornamental pond." This may not sound romantic to everyone on Valentine's Day but I guarantee you this is an offer no gardener could refuse. Slip a packet of wild flower seeds into a Valentine's Day card and watch your garden sweetheart swoon.

Paper hearts, sweet treats and sugar kisses don't have the impact they had when we were ten or twelve. Not every cliche carries the panache it once did. Only one person I know would truly appreciate the gift of a pound of chocolates. She makes it clear that immediate gratification is more important to her than fitting into anything petite from Victoria's Secret. Most of my friends would thank me with a cringe, knowing they now had to fight a battle between staying on a healthy diet and eating the whole box in one sitting.

Times have changed. That includes how we celebrate a romantic holiday like Valentine's Day. I would venture a guess that most gardeners would prefer a new, disease resistant shrub rose over a pound of chocolates. Better yet, I think a gift of two or three (OK, maybe half a dozen) deluxe, cream filled chocolates from a fine chocolatier included with a gift certificate to Heirloom Roses in St. Paul, Oregon would elicit the best response on Valentine's Day.

There is any number of pure red roses you could choose to symbolize your heartfelt love. The David Austin English rose, 'L.D.Braithwaite' is a fully double, fragrant, old rose that many consider the finest red English rose. 'William Shakespeare' is a magnificent rose in deepest crimson that ages to a red so rich it becomes almost purple. Like other English roses, this one has a heady, old rose fragrance.

Caring for roses in the Northwest can be a tricky task with our long rainy spells in winter and spring followed by extended draught in late summer. Heirloom Roses has taken great care to give you virus free, own root roses for better bloom, winter hardiness and long plant life. 'Razzle Dazzle' and 'Braveheart' are two roses I've admired for their clear, deep red color. For a looser, more casual look in roses, 'Peter Beales' is a single, strikingly rich crimson red with a pronounced golden center and a nice perfume.

For the gardener who appreciates the perfect form of a red, hybrid tea rose there are 'Crimson Glory,' 'Alec's Red' and 'Intrigue.' 'Mr. Lincoln' is a well-known hybrid tea with long, pointed buds that open into perfectly formed roses on long stems. This is a rose so red that the texture resembles velvet. The strong damask fragrance will take your sense of smell to new heights. Many consider 'Oklahoma' the most beautiful and fragrant of the darkest red roses. (Heirloom Roses www.heirloomroses.com/ 503-538-1576)

The romantic notion of the red, red heart can be played out in many plants that aren't even in bloom at this time of year. Give the gift of any winter plant with hints of red in bark and berry for a twist on an old tradition. There are numerous shrubs that carry a pay load of bright red berries through the winter months and into spring. In addition to the ornamental interest of berries on holly, cotoneaster and viburnum is the draw the berries have on overwintering birds.

Among the hollies, Ilex x meserveae "Blue Princess" and I. x "Blue Prince" produce huge clusters of red berries that contrast well with the blue toned leaves and stems. Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' is a deciduous holly so the abundant red fruits appear especially vibrant on bare branches. Choose a low growing cotoneaster such as C. dammeri or C. salicifolia 'Scarlet Leader' for a vigorous plant that will cover large areas, including steep slopes, in sun or light shade. Beginning in fall the berries glow above a dense mat of dark green leaves.

Even the neighborhood grocery store will be selling four inch pots of early spring primrose and tulips by the time Valentine's Day rolls around. The best garden stores will have cedar planters filled with an abundant mix of primrose, daffodils and rich, red early tulips. As old fashioned as it may be, Valentine's Day still holds a powerful sway in our romantic lives. Few things will delight your Sweetie more than knowing that you splurged with him or her in mind. Just like the best gardens, love is nothing if not generous.

Source: Columbian.com - Serving Clark County, Washington

If Love Makes The World Go 'Round-What Makes Love Go 'Round?

Features-2007-02-08-16-31-37Image1
If Love Makes The World Go 'Round-

What Makes Love Go 'Round?

By Nancy K. Crevier

Falling in love is easy. Pheromones present in sweat send out come-hither signals to members of the opposite sex. Personal attractions based on appearance and personality come into play, and the chemicals begin to swirl in an irresistible combination throughout the body. Attraction is the first step in the complicated dance of romance and as each plateau is reached, it turns out that hormones, not Cupid and his arrow, are responsible for who stays in love and who is left tending a broken heart.

A sense of elation, high energy, a need for little sleep, and complete obsession with the object of affection paint a rosy glow over the entire world occupied by new lovers. The heart racing, head-in-the-clouds feeling that happens when two people first are attracted and begin the ritual of romantic interplay is the pleasant affliction of hormones in overdrive. It is what ensures the continuation of the species.

Who has not witnessed a reliable friend suddenly become one that cannot be counted on? Who has not been stood up by a same-sex friend when someone of the opposite sex beckons him or her? What family has not stood by in dismay as the household was turned topsy-turvy by true love? Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and children can be left holding the bag when love comes calling. "Crazy in Love," it turns out is not just an expression, as several anonymous Bee readers attested.

In spring there can still be a bite of winter in the air. But that did not stop one woman's new love from jumping on his motorcycle in early March, at 10:30 at night, to drive 180 miles to see her. That in itself would have been exceptional, but he ran out of gas 45 miles from her door step in the days of the 1970s gas shortage when no late-night gas stations were open. Instead of spending the night curled up in her arms, he curled up in his snowmobile suit and slept outdoors until the station opened, he fueled up, and arrived with the Sunday paper in his hands, teeth a-chatter, to surprise her.

Another young thing blew off the chance to have dinner with Jimmy Carter's press secretary Jody Powell to pursue dinner with an attractive fellow worker. A year and a half later, the co-workers were married and 28 years later are still a team.

Another couple spent over three hundred 1970s dollars every month on telephone bills to bind their long distance romance. So much to say, so little time to say it in....

Falling head over heels in love is the fault of an adrenalinelike chemical called norepinephrine, and dopamine and phenylethylamine, hormones that surge through the body when falling in love. They are responsible for the flush, physically and mentally, of excitement that leaves a newly romantic couple breathless, say researchers such as Helen Fisher of Rutgers University and Jaak Panksepp of Bowling Green Sate University in Ohio in articles published online at howstuffworks.com and discover.com. The hormones are what make us blind to flaws in those we love and even accepting of behaviors and qualities that would be scorned in another, nonromantic acquaintance. In essence, the early stages of romance are not unlike an addiction.

But while the first weeks of romance are filled with exhilaration fueled by lust, unless a couple bonds in ways more meaningful, the attraction can be short-lived. For lasting love, other hormones are called into play.

Oxytocin, released during sex, helps create an emotional bond. It is the same hormone that is released at birth, bonding mother to infant. Vasopressin, another hormone, combines with oxytocin, it is believed, to further strengthen a relationship, and the release of endorphins provide a sense of security and well-being that goes beyond a romantic relationship.

Vasopressin, according to Dr Fisher, may damper pathways of norepinephrine, and as norepinephrine, dopamine, and phenylethylamine diminish, the true colors of the perfect companion may become obvious. If bonding is not strong, the relationship may end. If, however, an emotional connection has been made, partners are able to accept imperfections in each other and a long-lasting relationship ensues. Vasopressin and oxytocin make for a kinder, more gentler view of a partner, it seems.

How do people bond? For one couple, it means supporting each other in new pursuits and doing things together. Being supportive in good times and in bad, including life-threatening illnesses, has formed bonds for them that would be hard to break.

Building memories and looking out for each other, as well as the common care of children, can nourish a love affair, long after it has ceased to be an affair. It is, for some, the small, everyday actions and words that bind their love. If hormones play a part in that, so be it.

Reflecting on his parents' 50-year marriage, a local man says, "What is it that sustains love for that time period? The answer became quite apparent while reflecting back over the past 50 years, all the trials and tribulations, the joys and the sorrows, the accomplishments and the failures that life has tossed our way. It actually became quite easy to understand why my parents have survived as a couple and why there are still smiles on their faces. It is a strong love of God, a stronger love of each other, and an even stronger love of family. There is a constant air of mutual respect and devotion - and that is true love."

http://www.newtownbee.com/Features.asp?s=Features-2007-02-08-16-31-37p1.htm

PRESS RELEASE Love Is the Sweetest Thing: Americans Reveal True Romantic Nature

Love Is the Sweetest Thing: Americans Reveal True Romantic Nature
We Believe in Everlasting Love but Resent Its Over-Commercialization

NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 08, 2007 -- As much as life is rapidly changing in today's fast-moving culture, some things stay the same: A new survey commissioned by JWT serves as timely confirmation that Americans are still very much interested in love and romance.

Almost four-fifths (79%) of the 1,168 respondents who participated the online survey agree with the statement "I believe in love that lasts forever," and more than half (52%) agree strongly. Similarly, four-fifths (81%) say they believe in everlasting love, including 76% of men. Just 9% say they definitely don't believe in love that lasts forever.

"It's particularly interesting to see men showing strongly," says Marian Salzman, executive vice president, chief marketing officer at JWT and one of the world's leading trendspotters. "It's another example of the media miscasting men: Popular culture likes to portray men as clumsy in love and more interested in sports and gadgets, but the survey suggests today's American man has a heart, too."

Indeed, more than two-thirds (68%) of men agree with the statement "I am a lifelong romantic -- I believe in romantic love," while just 9% actively disagree.

And while conventional wisdom has it that young children play havoc with a couple's love life, parents of children under 13 are the strongest believers in love that lasts forever (84%), ahead of parents with older children (82%) and significantly ahead of those without children (72%).

As to how Americans express their love, most say they usually buy a Valentine's Day card for at least one person, with women slightly outnumbering men (77% vs. 72%). Men and women buy a Valentine's gift for at least one person in equal numbers (71% of women and 70% of men).

Some of those men feel pressured into participation, however: More than a third (35%) agree with the statement that "Valentine's Day is one of those things you have to do whether you like it or not," compared with just 17% of women. While more men (39%) disagree with that statement, women express a much stronger affinity for Valentine's Day than men (73% vs. 53%).

Any lack of enthusiasm about the holiday may be due to the fact that a majority of both men and women feel that Valentine's Day has become over-commercialized (73% of men and 68% of women); few men or women disagree (10% vs. 14%). And both genders feel that the media has distorted people's expectations in a romantic partner (71% of men and 69% of women).

The good news is that Americans are all for romance -- they just don't want it crammed into one day. Overwhelming majorities of both men and women (91% and 95%) agree that romance is for the whole year, not just for Valentine's Day. And sizable majorities of men and women agree (80% and 83%) that couples should take regular romantic breaks to keep the flame burning.

"Americans are becoming more educated and savvier consumers -- and they're getting savvier not only in the mechanisms of marketing but also in matters of love," says Ann Mack, JWT's director of global trendspotting. "Popular culture is full of insights, with shows like 'Oprah' and a slew of writing on subjects such as emotional intelligence. But there's a disconnect between Americans' understanding of love and romance, and the way some corporations and media are talking about it. People are yearning for something real -- the emotional version of organic produce, so to speak."

The online survey was conducted by SONAR, JWT's consumer opinion research arm. SONAR tapped into its random and representative panel of Americans to probe their opinions on love, romance and lust.

About JWT

JWT ranks as the largest advertising agency brand in the United States and as the fourth largest full-service network in the world. Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY). JWT's heritage of brand-building excellence extends back to 1864, making us the world's oldest advertising agency brand. In 1939, JWT pioneered the first national consumer research panel. In 1988, we created the first research study of consumer lifestyles, "Lifestages." We believe in being anthropologists first, advertising people second.

Source: PRESS RELEASE Love Is the Sweetest Thing: Americans Reveal True Romantic Nature

Wisdom From JAMIE FOXX - SINGING IS THE KEY TO ROMANCE

Actor JAMIE FOXX is delighted he is blessed with musical talent, because it's a surefire way to a woman's heart. The singer/actor is renowned for his ladies man reputation, and the lothario owes it all to his singing voice. He says, "Oh yes! Woman love music. They want to take off their panties as soon as you start singing to them. "Growing up, if you could sing, woman loved it. I did that when I had no money in college. So for Valentines Day, you get your keyboard and go up there and play."

Source: JAMIE FOXX - FOXX SINGING IS THE KEY TO ROMANCE