Flaminglacer's Lenses - and Why I've Got That Name!

This is where you can find the best of my lenses in one place and browse to see which one you want to visit first, then think about where to go next... Let me know what you think of them - suggestions are always welcome in the Guest Book.

I was also deeply honoured - and very proud - to be one of the first Squid Angels. For those of you who don't know what the Angels do, scroll down and you'll find out!

You will also find out the answer to the eternal question - why I am known as flaminglacer! You can also visit my blog to find out more about the life and times of a Net Wanderer, Online Marketer and Grumpy Old Woman!

My Newest Lenses

Romantic Gift Baskets

There are few more lovely gifts to receive than a luxurious Romantic Gift Basket. Full of delightful treats to make you feel pampered and special. Each item is a gift in itself and is a joy to unwrap. From the beautiful presentation down to last lus...

Valentines Day Games

We tend to think of Valentines day as a time for couples, but it's really all about spending time with the people you love, family friends and anyone who means something to you. We like to celebrate our friendships with a big party and a party needs...

Valentines Presents

How you handle Valentines Day has become a major factor in the way that many relationships develop. In many ways it has become a commercial festival, as have so many others, but at the heart of it, it is still special to many people just like Christm...

My Lenses 5

Valentines Day Recipes

Valentines Day is a time to show how much you care for the people around you and what better way than to use some special recipes to create a wonderful meal. Whether it's a romantic dinner for two or a family celebration, it's worth making a special...

Boiled Egg and Soldiers

This lens was inspired by a couple of 'Tweets' from Stephen Fry whilst in Africa, "Vulture outside my window. An omen? Had boiled egg and soldiers for breakfast. Feel better" followed by "Soldiers are a British institution. Toast sliced into oblongs...

Ryder Cup 2008 - Europe Will Win

The Golfing World is about to settle down for a fest of Golf - The Ryder Cup is about to begin and as ever, we are all on the edge of our seats. By the end of Sunday 21 Sept 2008 we will have overdosed on golf and emotion as we follow the ups and dow...

Is Wii Fit The Best Thing That Will Ever Be On the Nintendo Wii

Wii Fit is incredibly popular with everyone who tries it. Do you think it can ever be bettered by another game? Of all the applications that have been developed this one has grabbed the imagination - and the wallets - of people who have never used an...

The Quilting Emporium - Quilting Fabrics | Quilting Patterns | Quilting Machines | Quilting Frames

One of the most important things for any Crafter, and especially a Quilter, is their 'Stash'. What is the 'Stash' - well it's all those glorious pieces of fabric that you can't resist, the threads, the tools, the stencils, the quilt racks, the...

My Lenses - 4

Healthy Eating Recipes

Healthy Eating Recipes always used to be boring - they had a reputation for being tasteless, stodgy and quite frankly, not very nice. I still have bitter memories of Buckwheat filled cannelloni served with an Apricot Dressing - it was vile! But times...

Squidoo - The Best Website Ever!

Squidoo is, to my mind the best website on the net. Why? More reasons than I can think of - so this lens will always be a work in progress. There is so much to enjoy and admire. The whole principle behind Squidoo is one of the...

Setting Up An Aquarium

I have wanted an Aquarium for ages, but just never had the time or space to set one up. Then purely by chance as I was checking the latest email from our local FreeCycle group, someone was offering a small aquarium with all the bits and pieces needed...

The Golden Compass

The story of Lyra and her quest to prevent freedom of choice being stolen from mankind brings together all the elements of an adventure, a quest of epic proportions with true friendship at its heart

Golf Tournament Gifts

Golfers are no exception to the rule that you want to remember a special event - and what better way is there than a special Golf Tournament Gift to remind them of that wonderful day when they won for the first time! Why should you give people a gift...

My Groups

Crafts and Hobbies Headquarters

This groups is for Lensmasters with an interest in Crafts and Crafting. If you want to share your hobbies or just show off what you've made this is the group for you. My own craft skills are mainly thread (especially Lace Making), fabric or paper b...

Health and Wellbeing Headquarters

Health and Wellbeing This group is to gather together lenses that help you improve your general health and wellbeing as well as giving lots of information about health related matters. If your lens fits into that description, then why not join ou...

Make Money Online Headquarters

Want to make an income online? Got a hot business idea? Want to share your skills? Got some good information? Got some hints and tips to pass on? Want to learn how to create an online income? This is the group for you... As a bonus I...

My Lenses - 3

How To Squidoo

How To Squidoo is becoming one of the hottest topics in the world of Web 2.0. This lens is all about providing you with the tools to make the most out of Squidoo, whether you want to use it as a money making tool for yourself or your favourite...

Quilting Questions Answered - The Basics of Quilting, Patterns, Frames, Machines and Books

Quilting and Patchwork using fabric, wadding, thread and not a little love is both an Art and a Craft which has delighted mankind for millenia as well as keeping us warm and cosy. We Quilters browse our books, search out patterns, source supplies, vi...

Sharing Good Wines

I have always loved good wine - it touches so many emotions and senses that it would be cruel to deprive yourself! One of the greatest pleasures for me is to share a bottle (or two) with good friends. That is what this lens is about, shar...

Custom T Design - and More....

The perfect T Shirt design is the one you create for yourself and that is exactly what you can do with Custom T Design. There's a great range of T Shirts, Sweatshirts, Sportswear - and more - for everyone. If you are looking for high quality clothing...

The Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys is a band formed by the sons of Charles Truscott Wilbury Snr (though they were half-brothers, Mothers somehow never got mentioned!) along with their Sidebury Cousins. Who was the mysterious Charles T Wilbury - "Some...

flaminglacer's blog

The Musings and Mutterings of a Net Wanderer, Online Marketer and Grumpy Old Woman! Keep up with my blog - you never know what you might find

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So Why flaminglacer......

My greatest hobby is Lacemaking - in fact there are those who would say it is an obsession and I make lace at every opportunity - some years ago on a bright, sunny but cold February day I was on my own in the house happily making lace. Being somewhat visually challenged I always use one, if not two, pairs of glasses and a magnifying glass as do many Lacemakers and I like to make the best of the daylight by sitting in the Bay window - get the picture? Generally speaking whenever I leave my pillow I always cover the magnifiying glass and the lace as we are all taught to do. However, on this occasion I was only going to pick up my glass of water which was less than 20 feet away and the sun wasn't hot - after all it was only February - so I didn't bother. As I turned round to return to my work I saw a plume of smoke gently rising from the Lace pillow - you can guess where the water went!

The combination of the bright sun and the magnifying glass had caused a fire on my pillow. Happily the Lace wasn't damaged though the pillow has a large melted patch. In the interests of preventing anyone else from following my daft example I told my tale to the members of Arachne (an internet lacemakers chat group - www.arachne.com ) who, once they had finished giggling, christened me 'Flaming Lacer' and the name has stuck and over the years has become my byline. It has two advantages - I never forget to cover my magnifying glass and most important, it gives me (and you, with my blessing) the opportunity to laugh at myself for being such an idiot and if you can't laugh at yourself.......

My Lenses - 2

Flaminglacer's Lenses - and Why I've Got That Name!

This is where you can find the best of my lenses in one place and browse to see which one you want to visit first, then think about where to go next... Let me know what you think of them - suggestions are always welcome in the Guest Book. I was a...

$7 Offers - Can You Resist a Bargain ... That Makes Money?

The $7 Secret Report has created a whole new way of marketing ebooks - harnessing the power of affiliate marketing to bring you a huge range of information products at an affordable price. Now Jonathan Leger has taken his work with that report...

Quilting With Friends

Among my many hobbies, passions, obsessions - call them what you will - is Quilting. I love Monday afternoons because that's when I go to my Quilting Group and we sit together, sew and natter about this that and nothing much at all. Then...

Thanksgiving Party Games

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate all the good things in our lives. For me, the two things I am most thankful for are family and friends. When we get together for family celebrations and parties I love playing games. There a...

Make Money Online

There are many and varied ways of making money on line - this lens is here to give you some ideas and pointers - it will be ever changing as we come across anything good that we think worthy of your attention. LensRoll us or make it a Favourite...

Squid Angel Blessings - What Do I Look For?

If you want a Squid Angel's Blessing - this is a good place to start....

Squid Angels came into being in 2007 as the result of some discussions at Squid HQ on how to reward quality lenses. Twelve Angels were appointed and I had the great honour to be one of the first. The job of the Angels is to fly around Squidoo looking at lenses and when they find something outstanding they give it our blessing. So what's a blessing you might ask, and why would I want one anyway - well it gets you a lensrank boost, and the more Angels that bless your lens the bigger the boost! It's like a Gold Star for your lens. But Spammers beware - Angels can also 'ding' lenses and that has the opposite effect.

How do you get a blessing? Well, you can go to The Angels Forum or to The Squid Angel Group and post a request. Angels look at a lot of lenses every day so you might find an Angel has been by anyway! You'll find what the Angels look for in a lens there as well.

If you want a blessing check out my top ten list of do's and don'ts - it will give you an idea of what Angels look for. I've retired now - but the principles apply just the same...

1 - Proper titles given to the modules - default titles are just plain lazy in my opinion. If you don't care enough about a subject to give the modules a proper introduction, then leave it alone!

2 - Lensmaster Bio - I do like to see something in here, even if it is a general bio for all your lenses, it gives me a feel for the person and how/why they are dealing with the subject. I prefer to see an image (not necessarily a photo) because it makes the lens look more cared for. A specific bio for that lens gets extra points as it is indicative of the Lensmasters interest in the topic.

3 - The Introduction should be just that - short, sharp and to the point. I don't like to see all / most of the lens content in here and I particularly don't like to see it all in bold. It is hard on the eyes and aesthetically unpleasant.

4 - A good variety of modules which are suitable to the subject. Interactivity via Polls, Plexos, You Tube etc is always a plus - where it is appropriate. Sometimes I feel modules have been put there just because the Lensmaster thinks it's a must have and it doesn't add to the lens.

5 - Appropriate images - they help break up large blocks of text and make the lens more attractive visually but again, only if appropriate.

6 - Good grammar, punctuation, spelling are an absolute must - no need for a reason here!

7 - A good flow to the lens, a logical progression of information and content. Monetised modules should be appropriately placed so that they follow the natural rhythm of the lens.

8 - Length of lens - I don't have an issue with long lenses (I have a tendency that way myself!) but I don't like encyclopedic lenses. If you have that much content - split it! Viewers lose interest after a while.

9 - Visually attractive - spending a little time to make sure your modules are properly formatted and look good is always worth it, viewers prefer it and will spend time browsing a lens that is pleasing and easy on the eye. Technical wizardry is not necessary - it doesn't win or lose 'points' and should only be used if it adds to the lens.

10 - Most important with all the bells and whistles you can muster is CONTENT. Good content is the most important thing of all. I try never to judge the subject - that is not the role of an Angel in my view. If I read a lens and feel at the end of it I have knowledge that I did not have before, or that my knowledge has been enhanced (even just by being presented well) then it is a good lens. If I have been entertained as well, so much the better.

My Lenses - 1

How To Squidoo -Tip of The Week

What's going to happen to the old Tips of the Week came the plaintive cry! So a new home had to be found and this is it. This is where the step by step guides from How To Squidoo come when they have done their tour of duty. You can...

The Marketing Mavens and The Thirty Day Challenge

This lens is to showcase the work of The Marketing Mavens. We started off as a group of disparate souls working on the Thirty Day Challenge 2007 as Team Thousand Chances - if you don't know about the Thirty Day Challenge, read on and all will b...

Hallowe'en Games

Ghoulies and Ghosties and THINGS that go bump in the night! What do you do when you get home with all those goodies from your Trick or Treat expedition - time to play some games while you munch on all that loot.......and where do you find games...

The Silver Lining to Every Squidoo Cloud and Tag

You've created a wonderful lens with lots of wonderful information - now you need to get people to look at it. This was the dilemma I was faced with when I created my first lens, SquidU told me there were all sorts of great things out there - g...

How to Avoid Information Indigestion

It is so easy to get 'Information Indigestion' by hitting the Search button! What we aim to do is provide you with a resource that distills information gathered from across the internet into manageable chunks. www.flaminglacer.com...