San Juan Brewing

Holiday Scrapbook Paper for Gift Giving

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You may scrapbook. You may know someone who does. You may even know someone who hasn’t tried it yet. Whatever the reason, here are a few ideas that might help you decide exactly what to do and what to give.

Themed Paper

When we think about the word “Holiday” images of a jolly old elf and decorated trees may spring to mind. Scrapbooking paper could be for a birthday, a baby shower, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, a wedding, Valentine’s Day, or any of the various Holidays and special events that occur throughout the year. There really are no rules.

Scrapbooking Kits

Kits are available that include all of the trappings you need to get started. Why not help out a novice friend with a good starter kit. Prepackaged kits are nice, but you could even create a personalized one.

Scrapbook Paper Gifts

Scrapbook paper comes in hundreds of shapes, colors, sizes, textures, and themes. It’s hard to know exactly in which direction to go. Giving scrapbooking paper as a gift requires you to truly know a person; their likes and dislikes.

Scrapbook Gift Wrapping

If you scrapbook, why not put that talent to creative use by wrapping gifts in a scrapbooking theme? Not only will you enjoy doing it, but the recipient now has a read-made scrapbook page to remind them of this special gift.

Scrapbook Cover Designs for New Moms

admin — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Scrapbook Cover Designs for New Moms

Scrapbooking has become a popular hobby, going along with rubber stamping, sticker art and stencils. A scrapbook is for the purpose of displaying your favorite photos, usually on a special theme, such as the arrival of a new baby. A scrapbook would be a wonderful baby shower gift, and you could start it out by making a beautiful cover, leaving the inside pages for her to fill in.

It would be helpful to know whether or not the new mom is going to have a boy or a girl. If you are making the scrapbook after the baby is born you will have the added information as to name, birth date, weight and length.

There are wonderful stickers in craft stores that are for babies. Buy some colorful card stock and cut it to the right size of the scrapbook. On the top you can put on letters with baby’s name, and other pertinent information. If you are lucky enough to already have a picture of the little one, place it in the middle of the cover, and border it with ric-rac, or ribbon. There are special glues for this, or double sided tape.

Use your imagination, and the new mother will be thrilled to have a scrapbook ready to put her baby’s pictures in.

Scrapbook Solutions for Kids Memory Books

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Memory books are important pieces of childhood memorabilia. They are perfect keepsakes for babies, toddlers, and children, and they are special treasures for parents.

Scrapbooking is also a great bonding activity for families. Creating a book together is a fun way to preserve childhood memories and relive them later on.

Part photo album, part journal, and part scrapbook, kids memory books share and preserve the important events in a child’s life. Photographs, personal stories, and memorabilia keep special memories alive, leaving a lasting legacy for the whole family.

A “School Days” book is a good place to start. The activity is great for the end of a school year. By letting children write and draw on some of the pages in their book, they can tell a personal story about themselves, their friends, and their favorite classes.

A “Toddler Days” memory book is perfect for little ones. It can hold pictures and stories of a child’s growth, milestones, and “firsts.” Funny faces, daily routines, and favorite songs can further personalize the book.

Fun, creative scrapbook solutions abound for kids memory books. Families can create books for holidays, sports, travel, scouting events, “best friends,” and anything else that parents and children want to remember about a special time or event.

Visit any arts and crafts store for a large inventory of scrapbooking supplies– books, albums, paper, stickers, markers, and more. These items are good for starting a kids memory book.

But the best creations are the personal stories, pictures, and treasured memorabilia that families choose together. These are the things that give memory books their name and value.

Getting Started With Home Brew

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Home brewing is becoming more and more popular among baby boomers with a little extra cash and a lot of extra time. Here are a few tips about the easy ways you can get started tomorrow with a home brewing operation of your own! First, pick up a book about brewing at a local bookstore or online. Something simple will do such as “Home Brewing for Dummies” and will help familiarize you with brewers terms. After you’ve read up on the subject, seek out a home brew store in your area. For the most part, these stores are run by enthusiastic brewers who will be happy to teach you a thing or two about the craft. Once you’ve found your shop you can start purchasing the equipment you’ll need to get started: brewpot, sanitizing liquids, thermometer, etc. When you get everything home, make sure you’ve got a room separated for brewing as it may smell. If you’re worried about the security of using your basement or garage as a brew station, consider looking into a home security system from a reputable company like adt. Now that you’ve got everything you need, break out your new toys and get to brewing! As any new brewmaster knows, that first batch will take weeks to reach its peak!

San Juan Island

www.sanjuanbrewing.com — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:31:55 +0000

When discussing San Juan Island, it’s important to make sure you’re not missing an ‘s’ at the end. You see, the San Juan Islands are part of the San Juan Archipelago, located in the northwest corner of the continental U.S. There are more than 450 islands in the chain, but only fifteen are accessible by ferry. Of these, nine are part of British Columbia, and six are part of the state of Washington. Of those six, San Juan Island is the second-largest and the most-populated. It has an area of 55.053 square miles and recorded a population of 6,822 at the 2000 census.Friday Harbor is the only incorporated town on the island. It was named after Joseph Poalie Friday, a Hawaiian sheep farmer who worked for the Hudson Bay Company in Cowlitz County from 1841 to 1860, and then moved to the island. In the early 20^th century, the harbor was a regular stop for the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet of steamships. These ships carried goods such as apples, pears, strawberries, chickens, salmon and more back to the mainland, but this trade diminished starting around the time of the Great Depression and continuing through World War II. In the 1960s, a tourism and retirement industry started, and the harbor remains the center of San Juan Island to this day.In research circles, the island is known for its famous Friday Harbor Laboratories marine biology facility. This station is run by the University of Washington. The Skagit Valley College system also has a campus on the island. The San Juan Island National Historical Park, designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1961, commemorates the Pig War, an 1859 bloodless dispute between American and British authorities over the boundary between the US and British North America. The conflict was initiated when an American farmer on the island shot and killed a pig that was rooting in his garden.

An Introduction to WA Brewing Companies

www.sanjuanbrewing.com — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 02:22:27 +0000

Washington State is home to a number of different breweries, all of which are sure to reward thirsty travelers. The Washington Brewers Guild was founded to educate people about the variety of beers in the area, and to give the companies a voice in the local community. For more information, visit the Washington Brewers Guild to learn about member brewing companies, or visit the website of one of the companies listed below. Safe travels, and happy drinking!Just a Taste of What Washington Has to Offer

Baron Brewing (Seattle)
Diamond Knot Brewery (Mukilteo)
Fish Brewing/Leavenworth Brewing (Olympia)
Georgetown Brewing (Seattle)
Hood Canal Brewing (Poulsbo)
Ice Harbor Brewing Company (Pasco)
Mac and Jack’s Brewing (Redmond)
Northern Lights Brewing (Spokane)
Port Townsend Brewing Company (Port Townsend)
Pyramid Brewery (Seattle)
Red Hook Brewery (Woodinville)
Roslyn Brewing (Roslyn)
Skagit River Brewing Company (Mount Vernon)
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company (Snoqualmie)
Whitstran Brewery (Prosser)
Yakima Brewing & Malting Company
Young’s Brewing CompanyDick’s Beers (Centralia)

Beer Tasting Tips

www.sanjuanbrewing.com — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:32:40 +0000

As with wine-tasting, the art of beer-tasting has been studied and analyzed to produce some basic tips and concepts. However, that doesn’t mean you have to follow any of them, since the purpose of beer-drinking is enjoyment, and if any of the tips below conflict with your pleasure, drop them. On the other hand, you may find that they lead you to a new understanding of your beer tastes, and perhaps even a new favorite brew.1. Be aware of the bias of appearance.You might be surprised to find what an affect appearance has on your tasting enjoyment. People often taste their beer differently when they can’t see it, as shown by blind taste tests. The conflict between bottle- and can-drinkers is also largely aesthetic, since cans contain a plastic lining that prevents the metal from affecting the taste.2. Avoid conflicting aromas.While it may be pleasurable, smoking before or during tasting will hide the flavor of the beer (and also dull your senses). Perfumes and colognes can also get in the way of the beer’s natural flavors.3. Prepare for each new beer with a palate cleanser.To prevent the beer you just drank from blending with the flavor of the next one, eat something like French bread or unsalted crackers between drinks. The light texture and flavor will set your tastebuds back to square one. You can even use water.4. Pour at the right speed.You must find a medium point between pouring too gently (which hides aromas) and pouring too hard (which drives away carbonation). A 2-finger head is the rule of thumbfor new beers, start pouring slowly and adapt as needed.5. Enjoy.We mentioned it above, but it bears repeating. Not only should beer always be a pleasurable experience, but the taste will actually be improved when you’re in a good mood. For this reason, always bring a few friends along whenever tasting new beers.