NiagaraBreakFree

Kiss Me… I’m Irish Wall Hanging by ScrapSMART.com
Article by Reenie Feingold Pattern designed & created by Vicki Steffenhagen Photos by Stan Feingold
Materials Needed:
• ¼ yard of Border Fabric
• ¾ yard of Backing Fabric
• 1/8 yard of Contrast Fabric
• 5 Sheets of Printed Treasures
or Jacquard printable fabric
• 30” x 40” Piece of thin
Warm Company batting
• Sulky Threads to match
Cutting:
Border fabric: 3 pieces – 3 ½” x 11”
2 pieces – 3 ½” x 4 ½”
2 pieces – 3 ½” x 8”
Backing fabric: 3 pieces – 5 ½” x 9 ½”
1 piece – 5” x 17”
Batting: 3 pieces – 5 ½” x 9 ½”
Printed fabric sheets:
• From the first sheet: 3 printed pieces
– 3 ½” x 5 ½”; 1 strip of printed fabric
– 1” x 11”, subcut into 3 – 1” x 3 ½”
Lampshade: We printed this
shamrock pattern on Peel & Stick
printable fabric and covered a plain
shade to make this adorable lamp.
Picture Frame: Download some
of our marbled paper designs to
make a beautiful unique frame for
any photo. With 82 marbled designs
to choose from, you’ll find the
perfect complement to your favorite
pictures.
Key Fob: Download a shamrock, or
the image of your choice, laminate
and punch a hole to create a fun and
functional key fob!
Spreading the Luck O’ the Irish
They say everyone is a little Irish on
St. Patrick’s Day, and we believe it!
We’ve come up with this festive wall
hanging that’ll make every Irish eye
smile, and bring a little luck into your
home. It’s perfect to display on walls,
over mantels, in your front door, or any
place that could use a little green!
Fun St. Patrick’s Day Facts:
• “May the Blessings of St. Patrick’s be
with you” is a traditional St. Patrick’s
Day greeting.
• Boston held the first St. Patrick’s Day
celebration on U.S. soil in 1737.
• Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day
is thought to bring you good luck.
According to popular tradition, those
not wearing green may find themselves
getting pinched!
• Four leaf clovers and shamrocks have always been thought to be lucky, but said to be more powerful on St. Patrick’s Day Eve. A young lass who hangs a four leaf clover in the doorway will marry the first man who enters! with these easy downloadables from ScrapSMART.com.

Just for you from Cultured Expressions

Whether or not you’re familiar with such specialty fabrics as mudcloth, kuba appliqué, kente, sadza batik, korhogo and jacquard batik, you and your customers will gain a new perspective on creative quilting and decorating with CE’s unique programs. Global trends are everywhere, both within and outside of the industry. Bring the drama and cultural relevance of African fabrics to your customers as they discover new ideas to spark the imagination!

Lisa Shepard Stewart, owner of Cultured Expressions, Inc. and author of the home dec project books African Accents and Global Expressions, offers both hands-on classes and trunk show/lecture events designed to foster an appreciation for these fabrics, as well as practical ways to apply them to creative projects.

Her newest book, On The Go! Designing Accessories with Cultural Style provides the inspiration for a related trunk show and new workshops, including her popular Kuba Raffia Designer Handbag. Other programs focus on home decorating and quilting, all with African fabrics and other world textile techniques, including “African Accents for the Home” (a general overview), “Getting Creative with Uncommon Textiles” (fabrics from various world cultures) and “Quilting with African Fabrics.”

Distinctive hands-on workshops include “African Mosaic Quilting” (a colorful approach to the watercolor technique, using CE’s pre-cut kit) and “Kuba Appliqué” (based on a raffia textile technique from the Congo region of Central Africa).

Other classes include fashion accessories and gift items designed with these specialty fabrics.

Programs are flexible and can be tailored to a group’s particular needs, interests, and schedule, from a single evening to a full weekend. Informal book signings and merchandising are incorporated into all events.

For more information on wholesale book pricing or arranging an event, call 1-866-MUDCLOTH

Designed specifically for its Hide-A-Hose retractable hose system

H-P Products, manufacturer of VACUFLO® and Dirt Devil® central vacuum systems, has introduced its latest power unit, MaxAir — the only power unit in the central vacuum industry designed specifically for its Hide-A-Hose retractable hose system. MaxAir is also an excellent choice for powering longer hoses in traditional central vacuum applications — or just for customers who want the maximum amount of cleaning power available to them.

Delivering more vacuum power than other central vacuum systems of its size, MaxAir is a spectacular choice for large homes with up to 22,000 square feet of living space. Combined with H-P’s Hide-A-Hose retractable hose system and TurboCat® powerhead, MaxAir delivers the homeowner a totally integrated package of maximum cleaning power and convenience.

Available for both the VACUFLO and Dirt Devil® lines, MaxAir owes its super-charged cleaning power to its unique dual motor design, which actually pushes air through the system. Despite its enhanced power, however, MaxAir has a smaller footprint than other power units. And even though it is one of the most powerful central vacuums of its size, MaxAir can nevertheless be easily tucked away, out of sight, in the basement or garage.

MaxAir’s Cyclonic Filtration Technology® (CFT) is designed to deliver maximum power consistently. Its dual filtration process removes 100 percent of the vacuumed dirt from the living area. For primary filtration, CFT uses Cyclonic Separation, a process that removes 96 to 98 percent of the dirt from the airstream without the use of bags and filters.

The remaining fine dust particles (less than five percent) are trapped in the high-performance filter. Unlike central vacuum systems that rely on permanent cloth filters, the powerful performance of MaxAir will not decrease as dirt accumulates. CFT allows maximum airflow and vacuum power for sustained, deep, thorough cleaning performance, every time you vacuum, without clogging.

Add Hide-A-Hose, the retractable hose management system, and the sleek TurboCat Zoom powerhead, and you will actually have fun vacuuming! With Hide-A-Hose, you’ll never need to move or store bulky hoses again. Up to 50 feet of hose can be stored within the tubing in the wall until you need it; the rest of the time, the hose is out of sight, out of mind.

The sustained airflow and vacuum power of MaxAir automatically retracts the hose when you are finished vacuuming. MaxAir is the only unit in the industry specifically designed for Hide-A-Hose installations.

The TurboCat Zoom’s powerhead turbine design makes it a powerful partner for both MaxAir and Hide-A-Hose, and also allows users to save on energy costs. As an air-driven (turbine) system, it does not require electricity wired into the wall inlets. The turbine rotates at a high RPM, generating the air power necessary for superior cleaning performance, and it’s lightweight and maneuverable for optimum cleaning convenience.

MaxAir’s exceptional power makes it the perfect choice for homes with a larger living space, and its Limited Lifetime Warranty ensures high-performance cleaning year after year.

MaxAir is now shipping.

Two years ago Cen-Tec Systems introduced the 3200 series
hose. This introduction included the option of a durable soft
grip surface that covered the entire handle providing a more
comfortable grip, added control, and a uniform appearance
that won’t scratch, peel, or discolor. We are pleased to
announce that advances in process technology now permit
this premium upgrade to be included cost free on all 3200
series hoses and packages sold by Cen-Tec Systems and
our distributors.
The patented 3200 series handle was designed with weight
and comfort in mind. The 3200 design minimized handle
weight, in a balanced shape that permits comfortable control
of cleaning tools providing for minimum effort and wrist
strain for your customers. The addition of a strain relief to
the 3200 handle design puts the hose in a shallow arc
reducing resistance from the hose when vacuuming and
eliminates kinking. The open grip and soft curves maximize
comfort and perfectly positions your hand for same hand
operation of the recessed switch offering total control.
The compact, robust design guarantees years of trouble
free service.
All Cen-Tec Systems
high voltage electrical
hoses include our interchangeable
wall end
allowing distributors of
our products the option
of modifying the wall
end to accommodate the needs of their customers.
Changing a universal wall end to an end compatible with
popular direct connect wall outlets can easily be accomplished
by the dealer or installer at the job site without the
need for tools or extra parts.
Why Cen-Tec Systems
recommends a recessed
plug configuration.
Safety. Many times a replacement hose is
sold to a consumer without knowledge of
the consumer’s mating parts. In the past
most of the electric nozzles sold featured
a plug coming from the electric nozzle
which was inserted directly into a recessed
female connection on the electrical hose.
This recessed female connection provided
a shroud for the electrical connection, protecting
customers from the risks associated
with a loose or exposed electrical connection.
Today, many of the products available on the market
do not guarantee this level of safety. Certain product
configurations exist whereby a customer may end up using
a system with both a flush mounted hose connection and an
un-shrouded plug. Because of this possibility, we discourage
the sale of flush mounted hoses without knowing the details
of the application or providing an appropriate replacement
top want to ensure it is properly shrouded.
Alignment.
We know customers should ensure
the switch providing power to the
electrical nozzle is off when they disengage
the handle from the wand for
above the floor cleaning. Evidence of
arcing demonstrates this is often
overlooked by the consumer and
improper use should be anticipated
in the design of a system to ensure
safety. It is our experience this risk is
significantly higher when using a
flush mounted plug. A recessed plug
position ensures proper alignment of
the male plug on the wand to the
corresponding female plug in the
handle at the time the two engage
reducing the risk of electrical arcing.
It also provides for appropriate
shielding of the electrical connection
at the time of engagement further
protecting the consumer.
Treat them as a system:
Experience has taught us the electric nozzle,
wand, and hose need to be treated as a
system when designing for a reliable
electrical system. Getting a hose
one place, a wand another, and the
electrical nozzle a third increases the
risk that when combined you may
have an electrical system that isn’t
truly compatible presenting an
unnecessary risk to your customer.
Cen-Tec Systems encourages our
customers to seek a system where
the three major components have been
developed together to ensure their compatibility.
We believe this to better ensure
a safe system and years
of reliable operation.
— safety and reliability —