Your kitchen is a violent place! Splat, scat, kaboom! And there goes another mess flying into the air, hurtling across the room, or exploding from the stove.

When choosing a clock for this space, it is important that you consider the safety and longevity of the piece which you choose. Will it stand up to stains? Will the colors fade? The kitchen provides a whole host of nasty conditions that simply make some timepieces inconvenient.

One thing you have to consider is whether the material of the clock will warp if subjected to prolonged or sudden periods of heat. The kitchen is hot, steam clouds can rise from boiling pots, appliances and even toaster can start to smoke, and the oven is a constant source of temperature that makes the room warmer than the rest of the house. If you choose a clock that is made from paper, or inexpensive plastic materials, there is a good chance that it will eventually warp. It might not happen suddenly either. The combined force of slightly warmer temperatures over a long period of time can take its toll on softer pieces.

Staining is of course a huge problem in the kitchen. Most food stains, and stains badly, with moldy rings being the result of negligence or error. That is why any clock you choose for this space should be protected with a stain proof cover of some sort. Alternatively, you can choose a clock made from stain resistant materials such as treated steal, or natural slate.

Another consideration is longevity. Sure your clock may stand up to an occasional splatter, and some elevated temperatures for a short period of time, but what will that piece look like in a year? Or in five years?

Failing to choose a clock made from quality materials may mean that your clock will slowly but surely get uglier by the day. This is an insidious process, because at first you wont even notice it. As the colors fade, as the backing starts to deteriorate, and as the whole piece just begins to look dingier, slowly you will come to the realization that you have been living with a disgusting piece of dcor in your home for who knows how long.

Choosing a clock for your kitchen involves a little more consideration than it does when choosing a piece for other rooms. Considering the unique challenges of this space will help you to select a timepiece which is both functional, and attractive.

PebbleZ.com is your source for a unique line of decorative wall clocks made from natural stone. Each piece is a unique expression of natural art and and human design. The article itself was written by Jim Slate

Slate and Artstone – That innocent looking wall clock staring at you from the wall might be more menacing than you think. Is it staring…or is it watching? And who is it telling?

Cameras are being placed everywhere, and nobody is telling us about them. They are being hidden in vases, teddy bears, televisions, and even innocuous wall clocks. Corporations are hiding them to protect their treasures, or to monitor our shopping habits. Governments are tracking our movements, and now, even private individuals are starting to watch us.

That\’s right; the power of surveillance is now in the hands of the average person on the street. With the prevalence of mini spy cams now being offered at very affordable prices, the ability to secretly watch us is now available to anyone with a couple of extra dollars to spend. And where are these responsible citizens placing their new spy toys?

Some people have innocent enough desires. The most common use of a spy cam is to monitor babysitters and housekeepers while you are at work. It is a basic enough desire. In a world short on trust, it is difficult to hand over your most prized possessions and even your children to random strangers claiming to be nannies.

But many clever people are thinking outside of the box, and are using these spy cameras to take explicit images of people in very private places.

Aside from merely monitoring the short skirts in the neighborhood on a windy day, some people are sneaking into bathrooms and dressing rooms and installing these mini devices in order to take explicit, and highly illegal photographs of those trusting enough to expose themselves.

So what is the answer? Tentative vigilance or outright paranoia? Whenever you are outside of the security of your home, be aware that you may be on camera. However, it may not really matter. If we are all on camera all of the time, then there is a certain equality in that.

Eventually we may discover some technology that will reveal hidden cameras and other transmission devices. Unfortunately, until that time, the wall clock sitting above the mantel may not be as unassuming as you think.

This article was wvritten on behalf of PebbleZ\’s line of decorative stone clocks. This collection includes a wide variety of slate, marble, and travertine pieces, available in customizable shapes and with your choice of faces.

Slate and Artstone – As you listen to the tick tock of the clock as it sounds its rhythmic beat, you can almost feel time moving, in its steady pace, floating past you stoically as it leads us into the future.

What does a clock do to the psychology of a person? For one thing, it makes you intimately aware of time. Without a clock you can float in the void, content in your isolation from the time and space of everyday life. But as soon as the steady tick starts to sound, you are suddenly grounded, brought back into the slipstream flow of action and events.

Time itself is actually an illusion. It is not a substance which can be felt or experienced, instead it is an idea, an idea that we can measure how much action occurs, by comparing it to other actions. The clock, with its steady rhythmic movement, gives us a constant action, against which we can measure our own lives. How many ticks did the clock move since I started this paperwork? How far did the clock move while I was taking my lunch break?

The clock is really an agreement, by all humans, to abide by this particular measure of time. Without steady timekeeping every person would be free to choose their own understanding of time, with some looking at the sun, others the moon, and still others watching sand flow through a glass.

This agreement allows us to work together, to plan, and to collaborate, even from across the world. That is why accurate timekeeping is so important. Everything that occurs in the modern world has to be coordinated, or the machinery of life would run into itself, and break.

But what is the philosophy of the clock itself? What effect does it have on us as humans? The simple answer is that it is a reminder that you live in a world with other people, and animals, and things, all moving at every moment. During each tick of the clock there are an infinite number of things happening. And you, whatever you are doing at that particular moment, exist in relation to and in comparison to all of those other actions from all of those other people and things.

It can be quite maddening. And yet, at the same time, it gives us a competitive edge, making us stronger, fiercer, and more ready to have meaningful and worthwhile actions, every moment of the day.

This article was written by Slate and artstone. Finding the perfect timepiece can be difficult. However when you look through the selection of natural stone wall clocks that are available at PebbleArt, you will see a line where every single piece is a little bit different, making every individual clock we sell a one of a kind.

Slate and Artstone – Blue is the color of the ocean whose gentle waves rock back and forth in a quietly roaring rhythm. It is the color of the sky on a cloudless day, a color of peace, and serenity. When you stare into a blue landscape, you can see eternity, stretching on endlessly, live the waves of the ocean rolling on and on.

This is true of blue on both a societal, and a psychological level.

Our minds mimic the natural world in which they were developed. When we are exposed to the color blue, our minds automatically bring up memories of sky and ocean, and we feel more relaxed.

This is not an automatic, nor an overwhelming response. Instead, it is a subtle effect that occurs deep within our subconscious mind.

When you use the color blue in an interior, you are adding patches and swathes of serenity to your design. You are creating signals that cue up calm in people’s minds.

For someone who is anxious, agitated, or quick to anger, this can be a great therapeutic step. The blue may not cure their problems, but it will create an environment where it is easier to avoid them.

On the other hand if you have someone that is lazy, lethargic, or unmotivated, blue is the worst possible color, as it will seduce them back into a malaise. Blue creates an environment where it is easy to relax. If you want to fire someone up, try red instead.

Another potential problem with blue is that it can depress the nervous system, slightly. This may reinforce person’s negative emotions, making them depressed.

These color tips are broad suggestions for the way colors affect people’s minds. You can always balance these properties by using contrasting colors in accent pieces. By paying attention to the way colors in a space affect the people within the space; you develop a strategy to achieve exactly the effect you want.

Written by Slate and Artstone. For more great home decorating ideas, tips, and trends, visit http://PebbleZ.com – the worlds leading source for rustic stone home decor products, and accessories made from natural stone.