Wunderlich

Here are some tips for extending the life of your car and for keeping that new-car-look.

[1] Never wipe a dry windshield or car paint. Quartz grains in the dirt can scratch the glass or paint. Use a wetted cloth or better yet, a chamois.

[2] Replace the water/glycol mix in your radiator with pure distilled water and anti freeze. Dissolved minerals in the tap water eventually create acid that will eat away at your radiator core prematurely.

[3] Treat your windshield with Rain-X. Not only is it easier to see in rainy weather, but bugs, dirt, and bird excrement come off easily.

[4] Always fill your gas tank to the top. The space above the gas level contains water from the air and in certain weather conditions freezes in the gas line. Only isopropyl alcohol will remove it.

[5] Wash the engine compartment with a degreaser twice a year. Dirt build-up prevents the dissipation of heat. Too high temperatures in the engine compartment shortens the life of rubber, seals, valves, and could cause a fire.

[6] Always park in the shade if possible and use a sun shade for the dash. The walk will do you good and the plastic dash board will stay cool and resist cracking.

[7] Don't warm up the car in cold weather or cool it down on hot days. Do your bit to save gas. That's why they invented hats and gloves.

[8] Clean your spark plugs after 3000 miles of driving*. After three cleanings, replace them with new ones. Dirty plugs is the number one cause of poor power, low mileage, and slow starting.

[9] Don't eat in your car. Food spillage is the most common cause of bad smells in a car and some stains are impossible to get out.

[10] Every time you polish your car, wipe down the interior and clean the windows for that new car feeling.

*Excepting platinum plugs.

Love my Civic.

Scrapbooking is becoming more and more popular because it not only allows you to show memorable moments in an eye-catching way but it has therapeutic properties and can be done to release stress as a past time as well as being a way to express your ideas and artistic side.

The substance to scrapbooking is the pictures and items that you have collected from a moment in time that you want to capture forever. Whether it is a day out with the family or the birth of your first child having those treasured pictures and memorabilia displayed in this way will give it a unique and tangible memoir.

The photos are probably the most important part of any project but you will also need an album to display those photos in. It is down to each individual which size scrapbook you choose, the most popular being 12 x 12 or 8 x 8 because there is a vast amount of beautiful paper available for these album sizes.

Depending on how many pages you intend to create it is always worth purchasing some additional refills because once you get started you will not be able to stop. The refills will protect your pages and keep them in prime condition.

Because scrapbooking involves a substantial amount of cutting a good pair of scissors is a must. Never purchase cheap ones as this is one item you really need to spend out on as they can mean the difference between a perfect cut and a tatty looking page.

The paper itself can be purchased from most craft shops and online. You will need to purchase a variety of designs as no page should be the same, you will also need various contrasting papers for matt and layering and other variations of scrapbooking.

Adhesive is also essential, there are many different types of adhesive that serve different purposes, for instance the type of adhesive you use to attach your paper may not work with vellum if you decide to use that as well. Your adhesive collection will grow as you move on to more complex projects and before you know it you will have an adhesive for every occasion.

The most important thing when purchasing any scrapbooking materials and supplies is to make sure it is acid free this will make the pages last longer and stop them from deteriorating over time.

Above all do not rush your projects, if you have a photo and can not think how to create a page for it set it aside and try something else, an idea will come to you when you least expect it and before you know it you will be creating the perfect scrapbook page.

Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Card Making Ideas providing you with excellent tips and ideas for Rubber Stamping and Scrap Booking Tips including where to find the best bargains