Morocco: Marriage of Old and New
Anyone desiring an adventure in a foreign land should consider Morocco in northwest Africa. The marriage of old and new gives depth and interest to a visit.The vista from the water appears as if from the Arabian Nights with sand dunes casting shadows in the moonlight as the ocean laps on the white beaches. Ancient towns drowse in the African sun as robed me

Article Writing and Marketing: So How Do I Tell Where My Articles are Going?
Do you know how to tell who is picking up and using your articles?So you have some articles posted at EzineArticles.com and other big article directories. Good for you, keep them coming.So now how do you know who is using your articles? Here are three tips for how to find out who is using your articles and how to build that relationship.1.Technically, the fireplace mantel is only one piece of the fireplace’s decorative front, but in many period homes, the mantelpiece consisted of far more than just the horizontal front across the top of the fireplace opening. Typical antique mantelpieces from the 19th century could consist of as many as a dozen separate parts. Each of these parts could be ordered from a statuary or woodcarver separately and assembled in the home by a carpenter.

The mantelpiece grew from necessity – or at least it grew from necessity once folk began hanging portraits and mirrors above the fireplace. Its original purpose was to shield that portrait from the smoke and soot rising from the fire. Since it created an overhang, it began to be used to hang clothing for drying, and then – as horizontal surfaces will do – began to collect family display pieces. One shelf grew to two, and to pillars supporting the mantelpiece which could be decorative as well, and then to etageres on either side of the mantelpiece until they grew into the ornately beautiful pieces that you find in some old Victorian houses.

Interestingly, in 2004 Laurie Taylor of BBC Radio’s Thinking Allowed interviewed a young woman who’d done a study of people and their mantelpieces to answer the question, in this day and age of central heating, what are we doing with our mantelpieces? In the course of the interview, Rachel Hurdley revealed that she’d asked young children ‘Do you t

f as many as a dozen separate parts. Each of these parts could be ordered from a statuary or woodcarver separately and assembled in the home by a carpenter.

The mantelpiece grew from necessity – or at least it grew from necessity once folk began hanging portraits and mirrors above the fireplace. Its original purpose was to shield that portrait from the smoke and soot rising from the fire. Since it created an overhang, it began to be used to hang clothing for drying, and then – as horizontal surfaces will do – began to collect family display pieces. One shelf grew to two, and to pillars supporting the mantelpiece which could be decorative as well, and then to etageres on either side of the mantelpiece until they grew into the ornately beautiful pieces that you find in some old Victorian houses.

Interestingly, in 2004 Laurie Taylor of BBC Radio’s Thinking Allowed interviewed a young woman who’d done a study of people and their mantelpieces to answer the question, in this day and age of central heating, what are we doing with our mantelpieces? In the course of the interview, Rachel Hurdley revealed that she’d asked young children ‘Do you

fireplace. Its original purpose was to shield that portrait from the smoke and soot rising from the fire. Since it created an overhang, it began to be used to hang clothing for drying, and then – as horizontal surfaces will do – began to collect family display pieces. One shelf grew to two, and to pillars supporting the mantelpiece which could be decorative as well, and then to etageres on either side of the mantelpiece until they grew into the ornately beautiful pieces that you find in some old Victorian houses.

Interestingly, in 2004 Laurie Taylor of BBC Radio’s Thinking Allowed interviewed a young woman who’d done a study of people and their mantelpieces to answer the question, in this day and age of central heating, what are we doing with our mantelpieces? In the course of the interview, Rachel Hurdley revealed that she’d asked young children ‘Do you

and to pillars supporting the mantelpiece which could be decorative as well, and then to etageres on either side of the mantelpiece until they grew into the ornately beautiful pieces that you find in some old Victorian houses.

Interestingly, in 2004 Laurie Taylor of BBC Radio’s Thinking Allowed interviewed a young woman who’d done a study of people and their mantelpieces to answer the question, in this day and age of central heating, what are we doing with our mantelpieces? In the course of the interview, Rachel Hurdley revealed that she’d asked young children ‘Do you

ing Allowed interviewed a young woman who’d done a study of people and their mantelpieces to answer the question, in this day and age of central heating, what are we doing with our mantelpieces? In the course of the interview, Rachel Hurdley revealed that she’d asked young children ‘Do you think you’ll have a mantelpiece in your house when you get old?’ Almost unanimously, they’d replied that they supposed they would. Hurdley concluded that mantelpieces are in no danger of going out of style, even now when most of them are sitting above a living gas flame, nor in the future. There is something in them that calls to our history.

If genuine antique mantelpieces are outside your budget, you’ll find many firms that specialise in creating reproductions of antique mantelpieces to perfectly suit the style of your home. If you’re handy at all, you can even design your own, taking motifs from the existing architectural details of your home’s woodworking and doorways. If nothing will do but the genuine article, you can still find excellent examples of antique mantelpieces at fair prices if you shop wisely. Check local architectural salvage yards to see what they have in stock, or if you don’t mind waiting, put in a search request with some of the yards that do work with houses about to be demolished or renovated. Finally, don’t overlook the resources available online for finding antique mantelpieces and fireplace accessories. There are e