| How to Clean Rose Quartz Posted: 17 Jun 2021 05:00 PM PDT Rose quartz is a lovely pink stone that's associated with love, harmony, and peace.[1] You can wash rose quartz jewelry, dirty rose quartz stones, or a rose quartz facial roller using liquid soap and warm water. If you're using your rose quartz for healing or your spiritual practice, you have several options for cleansing and recharging your stones. [Edit]Cleansing Rose Quartz for Healing or Spiritualism - Soak your rose quartz in salt water overnight for an easy option. Fill a container with warm water, add 1-2 tbsp (17-35 g) of sea salt, and stir until the salt dissolves. Place your rose quartz in the salt water and leave it to soak overnight. Finally, rinse the stones with warm water.
- If you can access sea water, use it to cleanse your rose quartz.
- Using salt water is a traditional way of cleansing crystals used for your spiritual practice. It's believed that the salt releases negative energy and acts as a spiritual disinfectant.[2]
- Rinse your rose quartz under rain water for 5 minutes. Place your rose quartz in a colander. Put the colander outside in the falling rain, then let the water fall over the stones for about 5 minutes.[3]
- It is believed that running water can neutralize negative energy and give it back to the earth.
- Purify and charge your rose quartz under a full or waning moon. Put your stones in a safe place outdoors or on a windowsill. Leave your rose quartz under the light of the moon overnight. Retrieve your stones in the morning and use them in your practice.[4]
- Moonlight won't damage the color of your rose quartz.
- In crystal healing communities, moonlight is used to add vibrations to a stone.
- Put your stone outside at dawn for 1 hour to soak up sunlight. Place your stone under a beam of sunlight. Make sure it's in a place where it won't be disturbed. Set a timer for 1 hour, then retrieve your stone.[5]
- Rose quartz can fade or become discolored if it's left in the sun for too long, so just do 1 hour.
- Smudge your stones with sage, sweet grass, or cedar smoke. Use a smudge stick or place loose sage leaves, sweet grass, or cedar in an incense bowl. Light the smudge stick or loose smudging material. Then, pass your rose quartz through the smoke 3 times to cleanse and recharge it.
- You can leave the smudge to burn or you can put it out once the rose quartz is purified.
- Bury your stone for 24 hours to release negative energy and recharge it. Dig a shallow hole in the dirt outside your home. Place the rose quartz in the hole and cover it with dirt. Leave the stones under the dirt for at least 1 day before digging them up. After you unbury your stones, rinse them under warm water to clean off any dirt or debris.[6]
- Mark the spot where you bury your stones so you can find it easily.
- It's okay to use soap and water to clean the dirt off your stones if you're worried about germs.
[Edit]Soaking Jewelry or Stones - Place jewelry or stones in a plastic or glass container. Pick a container that's large enough for you to cover your rose quartz with water. Then, set your rose quartz roller, jewelry, or stone at the bottom of the container.[7]
- It's okay to wash several pieces at one time, just make sure you create a single layer at the bottom of your container. If you have a lot of rose quartz pieces, you'll likely need to use multiple containers.
- Cover your stones or crystals with warm, soapy water. Fill your container with warm water. Then, add 2-3 drops of liquid soap or mild dishwashing detergent. Swish the water around to mix in the soap.[8]
- It's best to put your quartz in first so you don't fill the container with too much water.
- Soak your jewelry or stones for 1-2 hours. Place the container somewhere it won't be disturbed. Set a timer and leave your rose quartz to soak. This will help loosen and remove stubborn dirt, oils, and grime.[9]
- If your rose quartz stone is very dirty, try soaking it overnight. It's unlikely that soaking a rose quartz stone for too long will damage it. However, leaving jewelry to soak for longer than 1-2 hours may damage the metal parts.
- Scrub it with a soft bristle toothbrush to remove stubborn grime. Check your rose quartz to see if it's clean. If there's any dirt, grime, or oil still on it, scrub it with a toothbrush. Dip the toothbrush in the soapy water, then rub the bristles over the quartz. Work the toothbrush into any grooves or crevices, including jewelry settings.[10]
- Rinse the toothbrush in the soapy water if it starts to get dirty or dries out.
- Rinse your rose quartz in warm water. Hold your jewelry or stone under running water to rinse away the soap and grime. When the water runs clean, turn off the faucet.[11]
- Be careful not to drop your jewelry or stone down the drain. You may want to use a drain stopper to block the drain just in case.
- Dry your rose quartz using a soft cloth. Use a soft, clean cloth to pat the rose quartz dry. Pay special attention to the crevices on your stone or jewelry setting.[12]
- You can use any soft cloth, but don't use a paper towel, which can be too rough.
- If you're washing a stone, it's okay to let your rose quartz air dry. Lay it out on a soft cloth, then leave it to dry.
- If you're washing jewelry, it's best to dry the item with a cloth so that the setting doesn't get damaged.
[Edit]Washing a Roller - Wipe down your rose quartz roller after each use. Use a clean towel to cleanse your facial roller after each use. Wipe the roller and handle with short, even strokes. Then, store your roller in your medicine cabinet or inside a drawer.[13]
- You may prefer to leave your roller sitting out on display.
- Do a weekly deep cleaning by washing your roller with soap and water. Wet your rose quartz roller with warm water. Then, apply a few drops of liquid soap or mild dish detergent. Use your fingers to lather the soap. Finally, rinse your roller with warm water until there are no more suds.[14]
- Pat your roller dry with a clean towel. Use a clean, dry towel to blot your roller dry. Pay special attention to metal parts and crevices, which can trap water. After it's dry, store it as you normally do.[15]
- Rose quartz is associated with love and your heart chakra. It's commonly used to attract love or self love, create peace and harmony, or support emotional healing.[16]
- You may also want to cleanse and recharge your rose quartz facial roller the same way you would a healing gemstone.[17]
- If you have rose quartz jewelry, it's best to take it off before you clean or play sports. It's possible to scratch the stone.
[Edit]Warnings - Don't clean rose quartz jewelry using an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. Stick to soap and warm water, which won't damage the stone.[18]
- Be really careful with your rose quartz because it's easy to scratch or break it.[19]
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Soaking Jewelry or Stones - Plastic or glass container
- Mild dish soap
- Warm water
- Soft-bristled toothbrush
- Soft cloth
[Edit]Washing a Roller - Clean, dry towel
- Mild dish soap
- Warm water
[Edit]Cleansing Rose Quartz for Healing or Spiritualism - Plastic or glass container
- Warm water
- Salt
- Sage, sweet grass, or cedar smudge stick
[Edit]References |
| How to Keep In Touch with Friends Posted: 17 Jun 2021 09:00 AM PDT Even with so much technology and so many different apps and programs designed to help us connect with other people, it's still surprisingly easy to lose touch with your friends. Fortunately, there are things you can do to stay connected and involved in each other's lives. To help you do it, we've put together a handy list of ways you can keep in touch with your friends. [Edit]Host a streaming party to hang out virtually. - Spend some time watching a movie or a show together. Choose a movie or show that you and your friends will enjoy and schedule a time for everyone to start watching it. You can chat during the movie or use the "Netflix Party" extension on Google Chrome to watch together and see each other's faces on a video call at the same time.[1]
- Kast is another app you can use to share your screen and watch a movie or show together with your friends.
[Edit]Play online games together. - Catch up while you have fun playing together. There are a bunch of different gaming apps you can use or you can use a classic console such as a PlayStation or an Xbox if all of your friends have the same console. Many games also have chat features so you can talk to each other while you play. You can catch up on each other's lives, celebrate a win in the game, or poke fun at each other when a player makes a mistake.[2]
- You can all agree on a time to hop on the game and play together.
- There are a ton of different games from first-person shooters to turn-based puzzle games so you can find one that everyone will enjoy or take turns picking the game.
[Edit]Share a virtual dinner together. - Cook the same meal and get together over a video call. Have some fun choosing a recipe that everyone can enjoy (and cook) and set a time for you and your friends to get together over a video call. Cook your meal and enjoy it with your friends! Talk about what you enjoy and your cooking experience while you also catch up and spend time together.[3]
[Edit]Enjoy a virtual happy hour together. - Choose a cocktail or beverage and share it over a video call. You can choose a fancy cocktail and share the recipe with your friends or just grab a bottle of wine or some beer out of your fridge. Organize a time you can all get together and catch up while you enjoy your drinks![4]
- You don't have to have an alcoholic drink. Just making time to get together and catch up will be fun.
[Edit]Challenge each other to share an experience together. - Start a fitness or wellness challenge or try to raise money for a cause. Find something that's in line with you and your friends' goals, such as getting in shape or spending more time reading. Check-in with each other to stay motivated and on track towards your goal. It's a fun way to stay in touch and it's a shared experience you can have with your friends, even if you live miles apart from each other.[5]
- For instance, you can start a challenge to walk for 30 minutes a day or do 20 push-ups a day. Whenever you do your part, you can text or message your friends about it.
- A challenge also doesn't require live conversation and your friends can message and do the challenge on their own schedule.
[Edit]Start a virtual book club. - Use a video call to talk about the book and catch up. Choose a book for everyone to read and set up a weekly or monthly virtual "meeting" to discuss what you're reading. You can use an app like Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangouts to connect. Have fun talking about the book, catching up on each other's lives, and maybe having a glass of wine or two together![6]
[Edit]Send memes, articles, or videos to your friends. - Share something you think they'll enjoy to stay connected. If you come across a really funny meme or an interesting article, send it to your friends! Chances are they'll laugh or find it interesting as well. Plus, you don't really need a reason to send a photo or a video. Just text or message it to them whenever you come across something you think they'll like to let them know you're thinking of them.[7]
- For instance, if you and your friends are big fans of The Office, you can send a meme from the show that you think they'll find funny.
- You can also send news articles you think they'll enjoy.
[Edit]Connect through social media. - Keep up with each other's lives and interact with your friends. Add and follow your friends on any social media platforms you share such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Check in on their profiles to see what's going on with them and comment on posts to say hello. You can also tag them in posts and send them direct messages to talk to them.[8]
- Social media is a great way to see your friend's family and the things they're into. For instance, you can comment on pictures of their children or congratulate them if they get a job promotion.
[Edit]Mail a letter or postcard for fun. - Sending someone snail mail is a creative and lovely gesture. Go old school with it and write out a letter by hand (or type and print it out). Stick it in an envelope and mail it to your friend as a nice surprise. You can also pick up a fun postcard and send that to them to brighten up their day.[9]
- If you're traveling somewhere, you can pick up a cute (or cheesy) postcard that features local landmarks and send that as a fun note.
[Edit]Get together to catch up in person. - Meet up somewhere new or visit a familiar place to spend time together. If you're from the same town, try visiting and getting together with your friends. You can also plan to meet up somewhere fun like a new city or the beach and hang out together. Try to meet up at least once a year if you can.[10]
- For instance, you could both rent rooms in a hotel near a beach to have a vacation or make plans to meet up in New York City for a fun trip.
[Edit]Set a standing date to contact each other. - Find a time that works for everyone. It may seem simple enough to just call your friends or send them a message to stay in touch, but life can get crazy sometimes. It's easy to lose track of time and suddenly you haven't spoken to your friends in weeks or even months! Ask your friends when they're most available to talk or send messages and make a commitment to get in touch with each other then.[11]
- For instance, if you're free on Wednesday nights and your friend has a break from work at the same time, you can set it as a standing date to contact each other.
- Things can come up last minute, so it's also important to be flexible. Just try to let your friend know if you can't call or talk to them if you're busy when you're supposed to connect.
[Edit]Don't feel bad if you fail to follow-through. - Just apologize and get back on track with your friends. It's totally normal for things to fall through or for life to get in the way of your plans. Don't stress out about it. Just tell your friends that you're sorry and you'll try to stay in touch. They'll understand—they may even have to cancel plans at the last minute, too![12]
- Just be honest and your friends will understand.
- Don't feel offended if your friends aren't super available. They may just be busy and you can try catching up with them some other time.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Shoot Cooking Videos with a Phone Posted: 17 Jun 2021 01:00 AM PDT Whether you have your own YouTube channel or an Instagram following, knowing how to film delicious-looking videos can gain you a wider audience. Fortunately, you don't need a lot of equipment to shoot eye-catching clips. The key to filming cooking videos is to be prepared before you start! We'll walk you through the process with these easy-to-follow tips. [Edit]Use a phone with a high-resolution 1080p camera. - The high pixel count makes your cooking video clear and detailed. Since a lot of food videos rely on crisp, detailed images of delicious food, a quality phone camera is really important. The easiest way to find out your camera resolution is to do an online search of your phone's camera specifications.[1]
[Edit]Set your phone on a tripod with a swing arm. - This keeps the phone from shaking and lets you get overhead shots. You've probably seen the really popular cooking videos that are shot directly above the food. To film this way without dropping your phone, you attach your phone to a mobile rig that has a swing arm.[2]
- Securing your phone to a tripod also makes it easier if you'll be the one preparing the food.
[Edit]Diffuse your light source. - Film in bright light with a diffusing screen to soften the light. Whether you're using natural light like a window, a house lamp, or a lightbox kit, it's important to diffuse the light so you don't get harsh shadows in your video. To do this, place a diffuser screen in front of the light to soften it.[3]
- Don't have a diffuser? Hang a sheer white sheet over your window or in front of your light.
[Edit]Storyboard your video. - Make a list of all the steps and shots you want to film so you're prepared. You're essentially breaking down the recipe steps into smaller clips that you'll film and edit together. For example, if you're filming a video where you make a simple chocolate mousse, your list or storyboard of frames might show:[4]
- Chopping chocolate
- Melting chocolate
- Pouring cream in a bowl
- Whipping the cream
- Folding the chocolate into the cream
[Edit]Prepare the food to save time while you're filming. - Measure or chop foods so you're not wasting time. Sometimes, a recipe has a time-consuming step like marinating something or chopping a lot of an ingredient. Instead of filming all of that or waiting, do these things in advance so you can streamline the shooting process.[5]
- For example, measure out all of your ingredients and place them in bowls on your workstation. Try to prep anything that you think would be boring for the viewers to sit through.
[Edit]Practice the steps in your video before you start filming. - Do a walk-through where you make the food and set up the camera. By doing a practice run before you film, you'll be able to make adjustments if something doesn't work out. You'll probably make fewer mistakes when you film, too![6]
- You might find that you need to change a camera angle to show action like pouring, for example.
[Edit]Play around with different shooting styles. - Shoot directly above the food for the most popular angle. If you position the phone right over the food, you'll get a fresh, modern style for your video. If you'd rather have a classic cooking show angle, arrange the phone on the tripod so the lens points to the food at a 45-degree angle. For a little variety, shoot clips in both angles so you can edit them together later.
- If you really want to show the texture on food, get a few extreme close-up shots.
- Have fun with your shooting style! Try filming in slow motion to capture sizzling or steaming food, for instance.
[Edit]Keep your video clips short. - Shoot each step in 15- to 20-second clips so you have less video to edit. Refer back to your storyboard and keep the overall length of your video in mind. For instance, if you're aiming for a 2-minute cooking video and you want to show 15 steps, each clip will only be around 8 seconds. Instead of editing down lots of footage, spend 15 to 20 seconds filming each step so there's less to cut down.[7]
- Using shorter clips to create your video gives it a sense of energy so it's more interesting to watch.
[Edit]Record the audio after filming. - You'll get better sound quality and won't be as distracted. This is a great trick if your phone doesn't have a very good microphone. By waiting to record your description of the food or cooking process until you can be in a quiet space with the microphone close to your mouth, you'll get the best audio possible.[8]
- If you'll be filming someone speaking while they cook, you may want to buy an external microphone that plugs into your phone. This can make the sound quality a lot better.
- Keep in mind that a lot of trendy cooking videos skip narration altogether. It's perfectly fine to stick to background music and informational text.
- Want to add music to your cooking video? Sounds great! Just ensure that the background music doesn't drown out narration or distract from the video.
[Edit]Edit your videos using a video maker or phone app. - Check if your phone has an automatic video maker or download an app. If you're new to filming cooking videos, try out an automatic video maker, which will turn your clips into a film with music and transitions. For more control, use an editing app that lets you select which clips to use. You can also add music or voiceovers, and trim the video to the length you want it.[9]
- Need some editing app suggestions? Try Quik by GoPro, Apple's iMovie, or Adobe Premiere Rush to polish your video.
[Edit]Add informational text about the food. - Give your viewer the recipe details for each step. When you're editing the video, add text to the shots where you give measurements, temperatures, or cooking times. Most editing apps have a template that you can use to type out the information. This way, the text shows up with the step it matches. Informational text is a great way to make your viewers feel like they could follow the recipe and make it themselves.[10]
- If you're not including narration, go ahead and give short, easy-to-follow text along with the ingredients. For example, after putting butter in a skillet, put the text, "Gently melt, but don't burn it!"
- If you're filming with audio, don't forget to turn off background music, turn off loud appliances, and close doors and windows.[11]
[Edit]References |
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