By Christina VanGinkel
With hobbies that make use of papers, photos, and even many found items so trendy these days, such as card making, scrapbooking, and paper piecing, there is also a growing need for those products that will help protect and preserve the various pieces and projects you make. This is especially true if you find yourself incorporating items into your projects that might not be acid free or archival safe. Consider the fact of all the old photo albums that are on bookshelves across the globe, that just a few short years ago, we all thought were the perfect way to protect our cherished memories. These very albums are now yellowing and even cracking with age, all because they were not Acid Free.
Stepping up to this distressing issue is Krylon, with several products manufactured specifically for preserving and protecting your new memories, and even your old ones to a point, so they do not deteriorate like so many of our old ones did, and continue to do every day that we leave them in the outdated photo albums, cardboard boxes, and drawers that were not made to preserve and protect them.
Krylon Maki It Acid Free is packaged in a convenient to use aerosol form, which raises the pH level of acidic papers and literally slows down any aging that would otherwise happen naturally. By neutralizing the very acid that causes newspaper clippings, awards, and other forms of paper to yellow and turn brittle, it helps you to be able to much better preserve these items that you might otherwise not be able. If you do use it, read the directions as to how much to spray, and from what distance, but keep in mind that it goes on almost invisibly. It dries almost instantly, with no long waiting times for things to dry, and works by creating a buffer and allowing you to keep right on working on whatever project you might be involved in. Even pieces that are already breaking down and aging can be sprayed with this product to effectively halt the aging process in its tracks.
Krylon Preserve it! Digital Photo and Paper Protectant, is an acid free, archival safe product that is also in an aerosol form, the same as Krylon's Make It Acid Free. It is made to help protect the many files and photos that we output through our computer printers, fax machines, copy machines, and other digital formats. Too often, these items are subject to ink runs, problems with moisture, common smudges, and early fading and early aging, causing issues with the break down of these files long before we would have ever though possible. It is said to more than double the life of any digital photograph or print you apply it to. It also works to guard your precious documents against stains. Project suggestions to use it on include handcrafted greeting cards, address labels you print on your own computer printer, all of your digital photos you print at home or through a kiosk printer, and any scrapbook layout that has items youa re unsure of their acid free status. Krylon also gives a list of reccoemded surfaces that this can be sprayed on, and the list includes:
Ceramic / Plaster
Glass
Metal
Paper
Papier Mache
Plastic
Wicker
Wood
Both of these products are ideal for any of the items listed that you plan to use in scrapbooks, or even those you just plan to store in photo albums or boxes (as long as the storage itself is acid free). If you have old photos or documents stored in unsafe storage containers, begin the process of preserving them and not letting them further break down, by removing them from those unsuitable containers, and treating them with the Krylon Make It Acid Free spray. For all your new files, treat every single one with the Krylon Preserve It! Digital Photo and Paper Protectant so that those memories that they represent will still be around many years from now for others to enjoy and share in what was once your most treasured possessions.
Thanks to products such as these, preserving our memories in numerous ways is becoming more enjoyable to participate in, as we have fewer worries about all of our hard work literally ending up in the trash.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Writing Short Stories
Writing short stories does not have to be something that you do for a payment in the end. In fact, of the thousands of writers in the world, very few of them actually earn a living from their writing. Instead they are likely to toil along writing about the topics that interest them without any expectation that they will get rich in the process.
If writing has ever appealed to you, then you should give it a shot. It is one of the few hobbies that you can pursue that does not require a financial investment on your part. Instead you need only a pen and paper (or a word processing program). Many writers will tell you that they have a favorite type of pen or that they do their writing only in a certain journal. That is the case for many of them, but even with those pieces of equipment, you are talking a few bucks for a new hobby.
When you begin working on your short stories, you will want to begin by finding a time and space when you can write. Much of writing is about feeling. Particularly when you are writing fiction, you will find that how you feel about a certain aspect of writing and your atmosphere really affects the way that you write the story.
Once you sit down to write, you will find that you can go about it in a number of ways. Some people simply begin writing. Those writers, who are called pantsies in the writing world, figuratively write by the seat of their pants. They do not have a plan. They just go with what is in their heads. These writers often consider themselves artists and artists only, and for many of them, writing an outline will take away the story that has formed in their minds.
Other writers have a roadmap. Some start with only a plot line of the basic points. They may know the beginning conflict, the escalation point, and the resolution, but they do not necessarily know how they will get from one point to the next until they begin writing. Other writers do more than that. They begin by sitting down with pen and paper and coming up with a full plot sketch. They even write backgrounds for the characters that will not be in the final product. These writers write their stories from their outlines.
When you are a beginning short story writer, you should try out both ideas. See which one works well for you. You may find, as I have, that different stories require a different level of planning. Sometimes I am sitting somewhere, and a story will come to be. It is so vivid that I believe it must be true and that I must be the one to write it down. I can sit and write and write that story until I am done. Other times I have only a vague notion of what a story will be and then it works best to write down some of it in outline form first.
You should do whatever works for you when writing short stories. One of the things that I have learned since I began writing is that every writer has a technique. All of them have their own way of doing things. While it may be instructive to listen to others for their ideas, it is not necessary to take their advice as if it will work for everyone. Too much of writing is about feeling to do that.
You can share your short stories with other people in a number of ways. You can try selling them if you are interested in the marketing aspect. You can also write them for other people or put together your own book of stories. You can have them bound and give them to your family members as gifts. You can write a short story and bind it about an event in a life close to you, or you can keep your writing to yourself. There are things I have written that no one will ever read, and I value them for the personal satisfaction they fill for me. Many writers feel the same.
By Julia Mercer
If writing has ever appealed to you, then you should give it a shot. It is one of the few hobbies that you can pursue that does not require a financial investment on your part. Instead you need only a pen and paper (or a word processing program). Many writers will tell you that they have a favorite type of pen or that they do their writing only in a certain journal. That is the case for many of them, but even with those pieces of equipment, you are talking a few bucks for a new hobby.
When you begin working on your short stories, you will want to begin by finding a time and space when you can write. Much of writing is about feeling. Particularly when you are writing fiction, you will find that how you feel about a certain aspect of writing and your atmosphere really affects the way that you write the story.
Once you sit down to write, you will find that you can go about it in a number of ways. Some people simply begin writing. Those writers, who are called pantsies in the writing world, figuratively write by the seat of their pants. They do not have a plan. They just go with what is in their heads. These writers often consider themselves artists and artists only, and for many of them, writing an outline will take away the story that has formed in their minds.
Other writers have a roadmap. Some start with only a plot line of the basic points. They may know the beginning conflict, the escalation point, and the resolution, but they do not necessarily know how they will get from one point to the next until they begin writing. Other writers do more than that. They begin by sitting down with pen and paper and coming up with a full plot sketch. They even write backgrounds for the characters that will not be in the final product. These writers write their stories from their outlines.
When you are a beginning short story writer, you should try out both ideas. See which one works well for you. You may find, as I have, that different stories require a different level of planning. Sometimes I am sitting somewhere, and a story will come to be. It is so vivid that I believe it must be true and that I must be the one to write it down. I can sit and write and write that story until I am done. Other times I have only a vague notion of what a story will be and then it works best to write down some of it in outline form first.
You should do whatever works for you when writing short stories. One of the things that I have learned since I began writing is that every writer has a technique. All of them have their own way of doing things. While it may be instructive to listen to others for their ideas, it is not necessary to take their advice as if it will work for everyone. Too much of writing is about feeling to do that.
You can share your short stories with other people in a number of ways. You can try selling them if you are interested in the marketing aspect. You can also write them for other people or put together your own book of stories. You can have them bound and give them to your family members as gifts. You can write a short story and bind it about an event in a life close to you, or you can keep your writing to yourself. There are things I have written that no one will ever read, and I value them for the personal satisfaction they fill for me. Many writers feel the same.
By Julia Mercer
Monday, February 27, 2006
Organizing Your Scrapbook Supplies
When you begin your scrap booking hobby, you will need to start gathering up supplies to use. While you may be starting the hobby slowly, you will find that you will start to see items that you want to include in your scrapbooks everywhere you go. You should start to gather up stickers and other items as you see them because they could be gone when you finally get started on that scrapbook about the year that Molly was in first grade.
Gathering supplies brings on another issue, however. You will have to have some way to organize your supplies. Here are some simple solutions for your scrapbook supplies so that you can find what you need when you need it.
First you should invest in a couple of those little towers with the clear drawers. These organizational tools are excellent for using with scrapbook supplies because they are clear so that you can see in them. Also because of the small size of the drawers, you can divide your scrapbook supplies into smaller segments. You will not be stuck with trying to put together supplies that do not necessarily belong. Instead you can have little compartments for each item you have.
If you are already overrun with supplies, then take some time to sift through them. If there are items that you took out but now realize that you will be unable to use, you may want to think about getting rid of them. Then begin sorting by category. If you have photo edges, they should go together, for example. All of your pens and markers would need to be together as would saying tags and other items.
Once you have sorted everything by category, you can begin to find homes for the items. The pens and markers will go well in the plastic shoeboxes that you see around. You will be able to put the pens and markers all together and keep them that way. The shoeboxes are the perfect size for any markers that you may have because they fit very snugly.
Your albums also need some organizing. You should begin by separating out the used scrapbooks (the ones you have turned into family masterpieces) and the ones you are still waiting to use. Take the ones that are waiting and begin to sift through them. How many pages do they have? Are they decorated in a way that would suggest a certain theme? Get an idea for what you want to put in these albums. You should mark them with sticky notes tucked inside the first page with what you think would work. Doing that will help you to visualize the project and will get you in the groove to begin a new scrapbook.
Then look through the ones that you have completed. Why are they sitting on a shelf in a closet? Many people put together wonderful scrapbooks that tell amazing stories about their families, but they have never found the time or place to put them out. They sit in back rooms and are only pulled out on rare occasions. You should bring out your scrapbooks now and find a place to put them. Perhaps there is room under the television in the entertainment center, or there may be a spot on the coffee table in the formal living room. Put the books where people will see them and will be able to enjoy your work.
As you are going through your items, get rid of anything that may be damaged or worn. You want to begin your scrapbook projects with excellent quality materials. They will make the end product look so much better.
Now that you have your supplies organized, you should begin to feel better about where your projects are headed. You should have a clear idea of the supplies you have and what you may need, and hopefully working on getting everything organized has provided you with the motivation you need to get your projects moving.
You should keep your supplies organized as you purchase them. When you make purchases for your supplies, you should be sure that you come home immediately and put them where they go so that you will have everything ready when you need it.
By Julia Mercer
Gathering supplies brings on another issue, however. You will have to have some way to organize your supplies. Here are some simple solutions for your scrapbook supplies so that you can find what you need when you need it.
First you should invest in a couple of those little towers with the clear drawers. These organizational tools are excellent for using with scrapbook supplies because they are clear so that you can see in them. Also because of the small size of the drawers, you can divide your scrapbook supplies into smaller segments. You will not be stuck with trying to put together supplies that do not necessarily belong. Instead you can have little compartments for each item you have.
If you are already overrun with supplies, then take some time to sift through them. If there are items that you took out but now realize that you will be unable to use, you may want to think about getting rid of them. Then begin sorting by category. If you have photo edges, they should go together, for example. All of your pens and markers would need to be together as would saying tags and other items.
Once you have sorted everything by category, you can begin to find homes for the items. The pens and markers will go well in the plastic shoeboxes that you see around. You will be able to put the pens and markers all together and keep them that way. The shoeboxes are the perfect size for any markers that you may have because they fit very snugly.
Your albums also need some organizing. You should begin by separating out the used scrapbooks (the ones you have turned into family masterpieces) and the ones you are still waiting to use. Take the ones that are waiting and begin to sift through them. How many pages do they have? Are they decorated in a way that would suggest a certain theme? Get an idea for what you want to put in these albums. You should mark them with sticky notes tucked inside the first page with what you think would work. Doing that will help you to visualize the project and will get you in the groove to begin a new scrapbook.
Then look through the ones that you have completed. Why are they sitting on a shelf in a closet? Many people put together wonderful scrapbooks that tell amazing stories about their families, but they have never found the time or place to put them out. They sit in back rooms and are only pulled out on rare occasions. You should bring out your scrapbooks now and find a place to put them. Perhaps there is room under the television in the entertainment center, or there may be a spot on the coffee table in the formal living room. Put the books where people will see them and will be able to enjoy your work.
As you are going through your items, get rid of anything that may be damaged or worn. You want to begin your scrapbook projects with excellent quality materials. They will make the end product look so much better.
Now that you have your supplies organized, you should begin to feel better about where your projects are headed. You should have a clear idea of the supplies you have and what you may need, and hopefully working on getting everything organized has provided you with the motivation you need to get your projects moving.
You should keep your supplies organized as you purchase them. When you make purchases for your supplies, you should be sure that you come home immediately and put them where they go so that you will have everything ready when you need it.
By Julia Mercer
Paper Pop-Ups!
By Christina VanGinkel
Making your own pop-ups is about as much fun as one can create with nothing more than cardstock, scissors, and glue. By adding just a few more paper crafting supplies to the mix, you can end up with some outrageously fun designs to give or to keep, and taking into consideration that it is actually a form of paper engineering, it is one hobby that can be both fun and productive.
I have known what a pop-up is since I was little, yet I never gave much thought to making my own, until very recently. A friend stopped by to share a cup of tea, some good conversation, and to check out any new supplies that I might have acquired in my scrapping room since her last visit. Upon seeing my cutter, a Wishblade, which I have owned for about the last five months, she asked if I had made any pop-ups yet. When I replied with nothing more than a blank look, she went on to give me a quick once over of what a pop-up was. I cut her off midway through her description, telling her I knew what a pop-up was, but that I was not understanding what she was referring to,
She went on to explain that some time ago, she had come across a website by the author of some fantastic pop-up books, by the name of Robert Sabuda, and while she had considered making a couple of them, she had only managed to make one. All of the detailed cutting and scoring in his designs had left her wishing for a simpler way to create the pieces needed to make the pop-ups he had so kindly posted on his site. What she was missing is that half the fun of handcrafting something such as a pop-up card is making it totally by hand (no machines allowed).
I decided to check out his site, as if I really needed any more hobbies, but as it was paper related, I figured that, it could not hurt for me to just take a peek. Well, I was in love the first time I saw his designs. A fan already of his books, this should not have been a surprise. What was a surprise, was that even though I made several of the pop-up cards he shares on his site, I never cut a single one with my machine, instead cutting them all by hand with nothing more complicated that a pair of scissors and an old awl I use when punching leather. After printing the designs out on my laser printer, I carefully cut them out, and followed the instructions for scoring the lines that needed scoring. I then went ahead and glued those pieces that needed gluing, and was thrilled with what fun designs I ended up creating with nothing more than a few basic paper crafting tools and supplies.
Once each one was together, I went ahead and decorated them with everything from glitter to watercolor pencils. Then I then went in search of even more pop-ups. As with many hobbies that are fun to do and that allow you to end up with something for your efforts, once you finish one project, you want to create another. In addition, what some other projects did I discover! The Usborne Book of Pop-Ups is a book about making them; it is not a book of them. If I had thought, the pop-ups on the Robert Sabuda site were cool, this book was sure to leave me wondering only why I had never made these before. The book is chock full of clear and concise instructions to have you feeling like a pro in no time. The cover of the book shows a jack-in-the-box type menagerie of designs, sure to please even the most discriminating pop-up creator around.
If that book does not provide you with enough information and ideas, be sure to check out 'How to Make Super Pop-Ups', by Joan Irvine, or The Pop-Up Book : Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating Over 100 Original Paper Projects, by Paul Jackson, or even one of the many other books on the subject.
Making Pop-Ups is a fun hobby for both the old and young alike. If you enjoy creating with paper, be sure to check out the world of pop-ups today!
Making your own pop-ups is about as much fun as one can create with nothing more than cardstock, scissors, and glue. By adding just a few more paper crafting supplies to the mix, you can end up with some outrageously fun designs to give or to keep, and taking into consideration that it is actually a form of paper engineering, it is one hobby that can be both fun and productive.
I have known what a pop-up is since I was little, yet I never gave much thought to making my own, until very recently. A friend stopped by to share a cup of tea, some good conversation, and to check out any new supplies that I might have acquired in my scrapping room since her last visit. Upon seeing my cutter, a Wishblade, which I have owned for about the last five months, she asked if I had made any pop-ups yet. When I replied with nothing more than a blank look, she went on to give me a quick once over of what a pop-up was. I cut her off midway through her description, telling her I knew what a pop-up was, but that I was not understanding what she was referring to,
She went on to explain that some time ago, she had come across a website by the author of some fantastic pop-up books, by the name of Robert Sabuda, and while she had considered making a couple of them, she had only managed to make one. All of the detailed cutting and scoring in his designs had left her wishing for a simpler way to create the pieces needed to make the pop-ups he had so kindly posted on his site. What she was missing is that half the fun of handcrafting something such as a pop-up card is making it totally by hand (no machines allowed).
I decided to check out his site, as if I really needed any more hobbies, but as it was paper related, I figured that, it could not hurt for me to just take a peek. Well, I was in love the first time I saw his designs. A fan already of his books, this should not have been a surprise. What was a surprise, was that even though I made several of the pop-up cards he shares on his site, I never cut a single one with my machine, instead cutting them all by hand with nothing more complicated that a pair of scissors and an old awl I use when punching leather. After printing the designs out on my laser printer, I carefully cut them out, and followed the instructions for scoring the lines that needed scoring. I then went ahead and glued those pieces that needed gluing, and was thrilled with what fun designs I ended up creating with nothing more than a few basic paper crafting tools and supplies.
Once each one was together, I went ahead and decorated them with everything from glitter to watercolor pencils. Then I then went in search of even more pop-ups. As with many hobbies that are fun to do and that allow you to end up with something for your efforts, once you finish one project, you want to create another. In addition, what some other projects did I discover! The Usborne Book of Pop-Ups is a book about making them; it is not a book of them. If I had thought, the pop-ups on the Robert Sabuda site were cool, this book was sure to leave me wondering only why I had never made these before. The book is chock full of clear and concise instructions to have you feeling like a pro in no time. The cover of the book shows a jack-in-the-box type menagerie of designs, sure to please even the most discriminating pop-up creator around.
If that book does not provide you with enough information and ideas, be sure to check out 'How to Make Super Pop-Ups', by Joan Irvine, or The Pop-Up Book : Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating Over 100 Original Paper Projects, by Paul Jackson, or even one of the many other books on the subject.
Making Pop-Ups is a fun hobby for both the old and young alike. If you enjoy creating with paper, be sure to check out the world of pop-ups today!
Dollhouse Miniatures
By Christina VanGinkel
Years ago, I worked for a company that made wood products for the gift retail market. My job there consisted of doing everything from painting and assembly, to taking inventory. Many of the pieces included assorted miniatures that would most commonly be found in dollhouses. We used them as accent pieces on the wooden scenes, and from the first time I saw a miniature set of baby blocks, none bigger than a quarter the size of a pencil eraser, I was hooked.
What exactly it was that drew me in, and made me want to collect more and more miniatures, I was never really able to identify, but I adored all the many individual items that came through our doors. Little milk buckets, tiny hay bales, rakes, rugs, rocking chairs, and more. Then, one day I brought home a couple of extra pieces that my employer told me were being discontinued from our own line, saying that I should give them to my daughter, about ten years old at the time, for her to add to her dollhouse.
My daughter had just received a custom-built dollhouse the Christmas preceding this happening. I had talked about the house at length with my co-workers, as my father-in-law had been both building it, and keeping it a secret from my daughter until Christmas morning, and this had been no small task. The dollhouse had been completed just a few days before Christmas, and we were then in the middle of decorating and furnishing it, with it just being a few weeks after the holidays when my boss was kind enough to send the extra items home with me.
Looking back, we had become obsessed with furnishing that dollhouse, to the point that someone who did not know what we were discussion might have assumed we were talking about a real house. For who would have thought that a discussion about wiring, chandeliers, and other lighting issues would be about anything other than a real house?
Anyone that collects miniatures, or collects dollhouses with the intention of decorating them with miniatures would have course known, but not your average eavesdropper!
While we never gave a thought to what size miniature to collect, as what we used at work was actually perfect scale for my daughter's dream home, there are different scales. The most popular being 1:12 or equal in size if someone were to compare a one inch measurement to one foot. An example of this would be if a rug in real life were six feet long by three feet wide, in miniature form, it would be six inches long, by three inches wide. The inch would of course be in the size of the miniature item, while the one-foot measurement would be what it compared to in 'real' life. There are sizes much smaller, and much larger. There are miniatures that are small enough to be used in a dollhouse for a dollhouse! Larger scale miniatures might be useful for a dollhouse for Barbie's, but not realistically for your typical miniature dollhouse.
Collecting miniatures is a great hobby for the young and old alike. While we were decorating a dollhouse for a child, many people both build and buy miniatures to recreate an actual historical copy of a house. This can be time consuming, and tedious, yet many people both do it, and enjoy doing it immensely, paying close detail to making sure all the pieces are as historically correct as if they were restoring a real house
Depending on what size dollhouse you are trying to furnish, chances are there are outlets for either finished pieces or kits to help you turn out every item your house could need or want. Why, building miniatures is just as popular as buying them. Thinking back to my daughter's dollhouse, I recall her wanting a large area rug to use in her living room. I searched, but when I could not find one in the colors or shape she wanted, I ended up crocheting one out of cotton yarn. It fit perfectly, and was the exact color she wanted.
If you are searching for a hobby that can be fun, or have a dollhouse in need of a major remodel, be sure to check out miniatures, as you will surely find something to peak your interest!
Years ago, I worked for a company that made wood products for the gift retail market. My job there consisted of doing everything from painting and assembly, to taking inventory. Many of the pieces included assorted miniatures that would most commonly be found in dollhouses. We used them as accent pieces on the wooden scenes, and from the first time I saw a miniature set of baby blocks, none bigger than a quarter the size of a pencil eraser, I was hooked.
What exactly it was that drew me in, and made me want to collect more and more miniatures, I was never really able to identify, but I adored all the many individual items that came through our doors. Little milk buckets, tiny hay bales, rakes, rugs, rocking chairs, and more. Then, one day I brought home a couple of extra pieces that my employer told me were being discontinued from our own line, saying that I should give them to my daughter, about ten years old at the time, for her to add to her dollhouse.
My daughter had just received a custom-built dollhouse the Christmas preceding this happening. I had talked about the house at length with my co-workers, as my father-in-law had been both building it, and keeping it a secret from my daughter until Christmas morning, and this had been no small task. The dollhouse had been completed just a few days before Christmas, and we were then in the middle of decorating and furnishing it, with it just being a few weeks after the holidays when my boss was kind enough to send the extra items home with me.
Looking back, we had become obsessed with furnishing that dollhouse, to the point that someone who did not know what we were discussion might have assumed we were talking about a real house. For who would have thought that a discussion about wiring, chandeliers, and other lighting issues would be about anything other than a real house?
Anyone that collects miniatures, or collects dollhouses with the intention of decorating them with miniatures would have course known, but not your average eavesdropper!
While we never gave a thought to what size miniature to collect, as what we used at work was actually perfect scale for my daughter's dream home, there are different scales. The most popular being 1:12 or equal in size if someone were to compare a one inch measurement to one foot. An example of this would be if a rug in real life were six feet long by three feet wide, in miniature form, it would be six inches long, by three inches wide. The inch would of course be in the size of the miniature item, while the one-foot measurement would be what it compared to in 'real' life. There are sizes much smaller, and much larger. There are miniatures that are small enough to be used in a dollhouse for a dollhouse! Larger scale miniatures might be useful for a dollhouse for Barbie's, but not realistically for your typical miniature dollhouse.
Collecting miniatures is a great hobby for the young and old alike. While we were decorating a dollhouse for a child, many people both build and buy miniatures to recreate an actual historical copy of a house. This can be time consuming, and tedious, yet many people both do it, and enjoy doing it immensely, paying close detail to making sure all the pieces are as historically correct as if they were restoring a real house
Depending on what size dollhouse you are trying to furnish, chances are there are outlets for either finished pieces or kits to help you turn out every item your house could need or want. Why, building miniatures is just as popular as buying them. Thinking back to my daughter's dollhouse, I recall her wanting a large area rug to use in her living room. I searched, but when I could not find one in the colors or shape she wanted, I ended up crocheting one out of cotton yarn. It fit perfectly, and was the exact color she wanted.
If you are searching for a hobby that can be fun, or have a dollhouse in need of a major remodel, be sure to check out miniatures, as you will surely find something to peak your interest!
Using Greeting Card Software
Making a greeting card is very simple with the advent of greeting card software. You do not even have to be artistic to be able to create the card. Here is how you can go about creating your own greeting cards to send out to friends and family.
First you will want to get a software package. There are so many packages out there that you are likely to find a number for any type of cards. If you are going to be making cards just to send to family, then you probably want to go low-end. Sometimes having too many options, as happens if you are making the cards for business purposes, can slow down the process. Once you have the package picked out, you need to know what type of paper you will want to get.
There are two basic types of paper: matte and glossy. The matte finish is not shiny and it feels textured while glossy is very, well, glossy. It has sheen to it and is smooth to the touch. Glossy looks nicer, but it can be tough to print a good-looking card on glossy paper unless you have the right type of printer. You also will need to make sure that the paper works for ink or laser printers, depending on which you have.
When you get home, take a few minutes to play around with the software. Do not start making the cards as soon as you sit down. Give yourself some time to get familiar with the program. Then you can begin to design the card. Think about the theme. Do you want something serious and romantic for your hubby? Are you looking for a card that will make your sister smile? Look around to get a theme that matches the message you want to send with the card.
When you are selecting graphics for the cards, you should be sure that they match the style of the card. If you have a serious card, you do not want cartoon clip art to go along with it. Unless you are a whiz at design, you really want to be sure that you stick with fewer graphics. Less is more in the graphics department for novices.
Once you have the template design and the graphics, it is time to get the font right and decide what you want to say. Some programs will come with templates that already have the words. In others, you will be able to write the words yourself. Be sure that you think hard about what you will say and speak from the heart. You also will need to select a font style. Cursive fonts are okay for some romantic cards, but they can be difficult to read unless they are large and bold. You may want to try something cute for a more light-hearted card, such as a crayon font.
The final step will be reviewing what you have done. Be sure that you have created a card that speaks to the person who will be receiving it. The card should match the personality of both the recipient and the sender, and you should make sure that the words, the font, and the graphics go together. Take a moment to review the card and see that everything works. Then you just need to print and get your card in the mail.
These types of greeting cards are very simple to make. You can create them in only a few minutes once you really get going. They are a great option for holiday cards, for example. Many people want specialized cards but cannot afford the cost that goes into printing them. By spending good money on the paper for the cards you make yourself, you can be sure that you are creating beautiful cards that people will love that will be less expensive than paying someone else.
These programs often can be upgraded. If you really enjoy making the cards, then you may find that you want to make them more often. You will get better at working with the graphics and with coming up with what to say on the cards as you go along. Greeting cards can be a fun and rewarding use of your time.
By Julia Mercer
First you will want to get a software package. There are so many packages out there that you are likely to find a number for any type of cards. If you are going to be making cards just to send to family, then you probably want to go low-end. Sometimes having too many options, as happens if you are making the cards for business purposes, can slow down the process. Once you have the package picked out, you need to know what type of paper you will want to get.
There are two basic types of paper: matte and glossy. The matte finish is not shiny and it feels textured while glossy is very, well, glossy. It has sheen to it and is smooth to the touch. Glossy looks nicer, but it can be tough to print a good-looking card on glossy paper unless you have the right type of printer. You also will need to make sure that the paper works for ink or laser printers, depending on which you have.
When you get home, take a few minutes to play around with the software. Do not start making the cards as soon as you sit down. Give yourself some time to get familiar with the program. Then you can begin to design the card. Think about the theme. Do you want something serious and romantic for your hubby? Are you looking for a card that will make your sister smile? Look around to get a theme that matches the message you want to send with the card.
When you are selecting graphics for the cards, you should be sure that they match the style of the card. If you have a serious card, you do not want cartoon clip art to go along with it. Unless you are a whiz at design, you really want to be sure that you stick with fewer graphics. Less is more in the graphics department for novices.
Once you have the template design and the graphics, it is time to get the font right and decide what you want to say. Some programs will come with templates that already have the words. In others, you will be able to write the words yourself. Be sure that you think hard about what you will say and speak from the heart. You also will need to select a font style. Cursive fonts are okay for some romantic cards, but they can be difficult to read unless they are large and bold. You may want to try something cute for a more light-hearted card, such as a crayon font.
The final step will be reviewing what you have done. Be sure that you have created a card that speaks to the person who will be receiving it. The card should match the personality of both the recipient and the sender, and you should make sure that the words, the font, and the graphics go together. Take a moment to review the card and see that everything works. Then you just need to print and get your card in the mail.
These types of greeting cards are very simple to make. You can create them in only a few minutes once you really get going. They are a great option for holiday cards, for example. Many people want specialized cards but cannot afford the cost that goes into printing them. By spending good money on the paper for the cards you make yourself, you can be sure that you are creating beautiful cards that people will love that will be less expensive than paying someone else.
These programs often can be upgraded. If you really enjoy making the cards, then you may find that you want to make them more often. You will get better at working with the graphics and with coming up with what to say on the cards as you go along. Greeting cards can be a fun and rewarding use of your time.
By Julia Mercer
Making Handcrafted Greeting Cards
Handmade and individualized greeting cards are fun to make. If you have found yourself enjoying this hobby and wondering how you can spend more time on it, never fear! You may have discovered a way to combine a hobby that you love with a business model that will help support you. In fact, you just may discover that you have what it takes to make a great greeting card producer.
First you will need to gather the supplies. If you are doing handmade greeting cards, then you may want to come up with something interesting as a theme for your cards. You may focus on flowers, hearts, or butterflies, depending your artistic abilities, or you may want to go with Easter or Halloween cards. The benefit of doing handmade cards is that you will not have to make them all the same. In fact, you can make only one card of each kind, but you should have similar ones available in case one type is particularly popular.
Start researching for the business side by thinking about your past cards. Have there been ones you have made for family members that have been particularly well received? Those types of cards are the ones you want to focus on making for your business. Get the materials and practice on them. Try out different techniques to see what works.
Handmade cards can be absolutely beautiful because in addition to drawings, they can have beads, lace, and other objects. Handmade cards also can be made from a number of different types of paper. You have all of the creativity you could want in this hobby projects. Instead of limiting yourself, try to imagine the most unique cards you can.
After creating a store of about 20 cards, you can begin peddling your wares. You can try local bookstores as they are probably your best bet for selling this type of handcrafted item. Also try your hand online at free auction or classified sites. If you are really ambitious at this stage in the game, you can create a website to sell your cards.
People are generally willing to pay more for handcrafted items than those that are universally made. You can charge significantly more for your cards than ones printed on a computer, for example. That means that you will be able to spend more time working on each card, which is what you want to do anyway.
Once you begin to sell your cards, you will need to have a structure in place. Trust me as someone who started a business without a clear structure in my mind. You should have hours that you devote to marketing and selling your crafts and then hours that you devote solely to your craft.
Making cards is a great way to spend your time. It is relaxing to sit down with paper and other supplies and allow your creative side to take over. Because you are creating one-of-a-kind cards, you do not have to try to worry about creating something that will be appealing to a large number of people. Instead you should try to create something that you believe is beautiful. One of the soulful joys of creating handcrafted greeting cards is that you will be able to work on making something that will make others smile, laugh, or even cry. You will be adding to the spectrum of human emotions that the person on the other end feels.
Greeting cards are a popular item in many areas. Do not count out going to craft shows on your own or setting up booths elsewhere to sell your cards. You may even find that you are willing and able to make the cards to other specifications. You may begin to make the cards on request for other people, and that is where this hobby and business really will begin to take off for you.
The cards themselves are only the products of the love and attention that you put into them. Work on getting your cards together and practice making them. You will enjoy yourself, and if you can create something nice in the process, then it is all the better. The cards will be very fun for you.
By Julia Mercer
First you will need to gather the supplies. If you are doing handmade greeting cards, then you may want to come up with something interesting as a theme for your cards. You may focus on flowers, hearts, or butterflies, depending your artistic abilities, or you may want to go with Easter or Halloween cards. The benefit of doing handmade cards is that you will not have to make them all the same. In fact, you can make only one card of each kind, but you should have similar ones available in case one type is particularly popular.
Start researching for the business side by thinking about your past cards. Have there been ones you have made for family members that have been particularly well received? Those types of cards are the ones you want to focus on making for your business. Get the materials and practice on them. Try out different techniques to see what works.
Handmade cards can be absolutely beautiful because in addition to drawings, they can have beads, lace, and other objects. Handmade cards also can be made from a number of different types of paper. You have all of the creativity you could want in this hobby projects. Instead of limiting yourself, try to imagine the most unique cards you can.
After creating a store of about 20 cards, you can begin peddling your wares. You can try local bookstores as they are probably your best bet for selling this type of handcrafted item. Also try your hand online at free auction or classified sites. If you are really ambitious at this stage in the game, you can create a website to sell your cards.
People are generally willing to pay more for handcrafted items than those that are universally made. You can charge significantly more for your cards than ones printed on a computer, for example. That means that you will be able to spend more time working on each card, which is what you want to do anyway.
Once you begin to sell your cards, you will need to have a structure in place. Trust me as someone who started a business without a clear structure in my mind. You should have hours that you devote to marketing and selling your crafts and then hours that you devote solely to your craft.
Making cards is a great way to spend your time. It is relaxing to sit down with paper and other supplies and allow your creative side to take over. Because you are creating one-of-a-kind cards, you do not have to try to worry about creating something that will be appealing to a large number of people. Instead you should try to create something that you believe is beautiful. One of the soulful joys of creating handcrafted greeting cards is that you will be able to work on making something that will make others smile, laugh, or even cry. You will be adding to the spectrum of human emotions that the person on the other end feels.
Greeting cards are a popular item in many areas. Do not count out going to craft shows on your own or setting up booths elsewhere to sell your cards. You may even find that you are willing and able to make the cards to other specifications. You may begin to make the cards on request for other people, and that is where this hobby and business really will begin to take off for you.
The cards themselves are only the products of the love and attention that you put into them. Work on getting your cards together and practice making them. You will enjoy yourself, and if you can create something nice in the process, then it is all the better. The cards will be very fun for you.
By Julia Mercer
Making Computer-Generated Greeting Cards To Sell
A greeting card business is one that you likely never thought about owning. Few people wake up and think that they will begin manufacturing greeting cards. Still, there are some simple steps you can take to get involved in this very lucrative business. We will go over several types of greeting card businesses in a series of articles. In this article, we will tackle creating computer-generated greeting cards as a business proposition.
Computer-generated cards do not have to be ones that you make using a pre-packaged software. Actually, you cannot sell those cards, so do not try it out. If you enjoy creating your own cards from the graphics to the content, then you can create computer generated cards that you can sell online.
First you will need to have a theme for your cards. You may want to go with a certain political theme or a religious one may be more your style. Pick something small to begin, and you can always branch out later. Once you have a theme in mind, you should spend some time coming up with ideas. If you have been a hobby card maker, then coming up with a few card ideas should be no problem at all. Bounce the wording off some friends or people you think will be honest with you. Judge the reactions of people you tell. If they are laughing and the card is meant to be funny, take that as a good sign. You should begin with a small stable of perhaps five to 10 cards.
Before you start to create the art for the cards, you will need to get the photo paper. Your best option here is to go to an office supply store and look around. Look lost if you need to. Do not be afraid to ask question or read the packaging. You need to be sure that you are creating the right image for your cards, and you will need quality paper to do that.
Once you have the paper, you can set up a basic word processing program in many card sizes. You also can get layout software that is not specifically for greeting cards but will permit you to select a greeting card layout. That really is going to be your best bet as far as software is concerned.
After you have laid out the cards, you should print a few and let others critique them. Although greeting card making has been your hobby up until this point, you really should take the time to listen to what other people have to say. If two or three people begin to point out the same problems with the cards or do not understand them, then you want to go back to the drawing board and rework the cards.
After you have the final versions of the cards, you should price them. Add in the paper, ink, and your time. In this theoretical model, you will be making these same greeting cards often enough that you will make back the money for your initial time investment. In the future, when you receive an order, you will print the cards, ship them, and bill the customer.
Be sure that you permit enough time in your schedule to continue to work on new card designs. On the business side, you should see if certain ideas seem to work better (sell better) than others and focus on creating more cards that fit that idea. On the hobby side, you want to leave enough time to work on new ones because you enjoy the art of what you are doing. Take some time to experiment with the card designs and your artwork.
Making greeting cards that you will print can be an amazing process. You will be shocked and very proud when you see that the cards you have made look great and are similar to the ones you find in stores. When you begin shopping them around, be sure to let owners know that you are a card hobbyist who is trying to transform this hobby into a viable business model.
Overall enjoy the card making. That is the most exciting part of the process of being a greeting card business owner.
By Julia Mercer
Computer-generated cards do not have to be ones that you make using a pre-packaged software. Actually, you cannot sell those cards, so do not try it out. If you enjoy creating your own cards from the graphics to the content, then you can create computer generated cards that you can sell online.
First you will need to have a theme for your cards. You may want to go with a certain political theme or a religious one may be more your style. Pick something small to begin, and you can always branch out later. Once you have a theme in mind, you should spend some time coming up with ideas. If you have been a hobby card maker, then coming up with a few card ideas should be no problem at all. Bounce the wording off some friends or people you think will be honest with you. Judge the reactions of people you tell. If they are laughing and the card is meant to be funny, take that as a good sign. You should begin with a small stable of perhaps five to 10 cards.
Before you start to create the art for the cards, you will need to get the photo paper. Your best option here is to go to an office supply store and look around. Look lost if you need to. Do not be afraid to ask question or read the packaging. You need to be sure that you are creating the right image for your cards, and you will need quality paper to do that.
Once you have the paper, you can set up a basic word processing program in many card sizes. You also can get layout software that is not specifically for greeting cards but will permit you to select a greeting card layout. That really is going to be your best bet as far as software is concerned.
After you have laid out the cards, you should print a few and let others critique them. Although greeting card making has been your hobby up until this point, you really should take the time to listen to what other people have to say. If two or three people begin to point out the same problems with the cards or do not understand them, then you want to go back to the drawing board and rework the cards.
After you have the final versions of the cards, you should price them. Add in the paper, ink, and your time. In this theoretical model, you will be making these same greeting cards often enough that you will make back the money for your initial time investment. In the future, when you receive an order, you will print the cards, ship them, and bill the customer.
Be sure that you permit enough time in your schedule to continue to work on new card designs. On the business side, you should see if certain ideas seem to work better (sell better) than others and focus on creating more cards that fit that idea. On the hobby side, you want to leave enough time to work on new ones because you enjoy the art of what you are doing. Take some time to experiment with the card designs and your artwork.
Making greeting cards that you will print can be an amazing process. You will be shocked and very proud when you see that the cards you have made look great and are similar to the ones you find in stores. When you begin shopping them around, be sure to let owners know that you are a card hobbyist who is trying to transform this hobby into a viable business model.
Overall enjoy the card making. That is the most exciting part of the process of being a greeting card business owner.
By Julia Mercer
Writing Poetry
By Christina VanGinkel
Writing poetry is a hobby that many people of all ages and genders enjoy participating. Poetry is possibly so popular, because even though there are hard and fast rules with many types of poetry, there are just as many free form styles that allow you to write from the heart without a thought to things like line count and meter. So, whether you like to write limericks, Haiku, love sonnets, or just whatever comes off the top of your head, writing poetry could be the perfect hobby for you.
People do write poetry for many different reasons. Some of the most popular reasons are to relax, as a way to express themselves to those who might read or listen to their poetry, and even to submit to contests and publishers for payment and prizes. I often see advertisements in the backs of all sorts of magazines for poetry writing competitions. As long as nobody takes these too seriously, they can be a fun way to spend your time, both in writing the poems and in submitting them. If your poetry is geared towards children, you could even submit some of it to a few of the popular children's magazines for possible publication. Many of them only pay in contributor's copies, or at the most a small sum, if your works are chosen for publication, but even if they are not, it can still be fun to submit them, and if you are chosen for publication, it is always fun to see your name in print. There are often online magazines that will also publish your work if it fits the theme of their site, so keep a look out when browsing online if you think that is a way you might like to get exposure for your poetry.
Poetry has been so popular throughout the ages, that coffee houses and similar establishments have often held open houses where those who write poetry can come together to read their works for others to critique and enjoy. The popularity of this comes and goes, but it always seems to crop back up. As rural an area that I live in, when a new coffeehouse opened about a year ago, one of the first things they advertised was a weekly open mike poetry reading, where anybody could come in and read their work for the enjoyment of others. I actually thought about going, but in the end, decided my poetry was more the type that was for my eyes only, and maybe a close friend or family member. I also enjoy penning original poems to include on my scrapbook layouts, as it adds a very personal touch that would be hard for others to duplicate.
If you would enjoy sharing your poetry with the world at large, there are those that create websites devoted completely to their poetry works. This may be a bit too much for some, but others enjoy the possibility of so many others having access to what they have written. Again, this is not something I would personally participate in, but if you really ant to share what you write, this would be an ideal way to go about it.
If you just take pleasure in writing for your own personal enjoyment, there is a wide variety of journals to make the storage of your poems more permanent than if you were to just jot them down in a notebook, or on loose leaf paper. Check out the spiral bound Poetry Journal, by Kathleen Olmstead, it has a lot of blank space for penning your own poems, but it also has a smattering of poems from the likes of Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Edward Lear, and others for inspiration.
Thoughts from Within: A Poetry Journal, by Carol Giacomucci, includes poems by the author, with empty lines after each poem, for you to pen your own poetry. You could also use it to just write down your impressions of her work, and then take away what you learned to inspire your own poetry later. Either of these journals are fun ways to take your creativity to the next level, or jumpstart your own passion to write poems, if you are unsure of how or where to begin.
Writing poetry is a hobby that many people of all ages and genders enjoy participating. Poetry is possibly so popular, because even though there are hard and fast rules with many types of poetry, there are just as many free form styles that allow you to write from the heart without a thought to things like line count and meter. So, whether you like to write limericks, Haiku, love sonnets, or just whatever comes off the top of your head, writing poetry could be the perfect hobby for you.
People do write poetry for many different reasons. Some of the most popular reasons are to relax, as a way to express themselves to those who might read or listen to their poetry, and even to submit to contests and publishers for payment and prizes. I often see advertisements in the backs of all sorts of magazines for poetry writing competitions. As long as nobody takes these too seriously, they can be a fun way to spend your time, both in writing the poems and in submitting them. If your poetry is geared towards children, you could even submit some of it to a few of the popular children's magazines for possible publication. Many of them only pay in contributor's copies, or at the most a small sum, if your works are chosen for publication, but even if they are not, it can still be fun to submit them, and if you are chosen for publication, it is always fun to see your name in print. There are often online magazines that will also publish your work if it fits the theme of their site, so keep a look out when browsing online if you think that is a way you might like to get exposure for your poetry.
Poetry has been so popular throughout the ages, that coffee houses and similar establishments have often held open houses where those who write poetry can come together to read their works for others to critique and enjoy. The popularity of this comes and goes, but it always seems to crop back up. As rural an area that I live in, when a new coffeehouse opened about a year ago, one of the first things they advertised was a weekly open mike poetry reading, where anybody could come in and read their work for the enjoyment of others. I actually thought about going, but in the end, decided my poetry was more the type that was for my eyes only, and maybe a close friend or family member. I also enjoy penning original poems to include on my scrapbook layouts, as it adds a very personal touch that would be hard for others to duplicate.
If you would enjoy sharing your poetry with the world at large, there are those that create websites devoted completely to their poetry works. This may be a bit too much for some, but others enjoy the possibility of so many others having access to what they have written. Again, this is not something I would personally participate in, but if you really ant to share what you write, this would be an ideal way to go about it.
If you just take pleasure in writing for your own personal enjoyment, there is a wide variety of journals to make the storage of your poems more permanent than if you were to just jot them down in a notebook, or on loose leaf paper. Check out the spiral bound Poetry Journal, by Kathleen Olmstead, it has a lot of blank space for penning your own poems, but it also has a smattering of poems from the likes of Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Edward Lear, and others for inspiration.
Thoughts from Within: A Poetry Journal, by Carol Giacomucci, includes poems by the author, with empty lines after each poem, for you to pen your own poetry. You could also use it to just write down your impressions of her work, and then take away what you learned to inspire your own poetry later. Either of these journals are fun ways to take your creativity to the next level, or jumpstart your own passion to write poems, if you are unsure of how or where to begin.
Making your Own Family Tree
By Christina VanGinkel
When most people think of creating a family tree, they often automatically think genealogy and all the research and time that can be consumed by such a hobby. While genealogy can be an interesting way to explore your family history, and document your ancestors, for this project, making a family tree is just as much fun, but a whole lot simpler.
Supplies required, can vary depending on whether you want to create the project completely by hand, or with the aid of your computer, and inkjet or laser printer. To create it by hand, you will need basic paper crafting supplies, including a ruler, an oval stamp or template, a calligraphy pen that is archival safe, a frame and mat (I used and 11" by 14" frame, with an interior mat of 8" by 10"), and acid free paper. Paper can be plain, or decorative in texture, depending on your own personal preferences, but should not be a printed pattern, as you will be adding a tree and text, it should also be heavy enough to water brush onto. You will also need watercolor pencils, paintbrush, acid free glue, and information about your immediate family tree, including birthdays, deaths, and wedding dates. If your tree is small, you could also include dates such as baptisms to create a more complete look to the project.
Start by either drawing freehand, or printing via your computer and printer a tree. The tree should be light in color, such as a watermark, covering the main portion of the page. I have seen the trees done bare branched, or with the image of a fully leafed tree, and both work well. That choice is totally a personal preference. Once you have the tree's outline printed, color it in with the watercolor pencils, and then brush over lightly with water and a paintbrush. If you have just a trunk of a tree, you could still add highlights of color, or color in the background with a light blue for a sky background. Let dry thoroughly, and move on to the next part of the project, giving it time to dry.
On scraps of paper, write down those family members and dates that you plan to incorporate onto the tree. With the scraps, place them onto the tree where they will be in order from youngest to oldest, incorporating the joining of family members through marriages, etc. Once you have everything laid out in a manner that works chronologically, and is pleasing to the eye, you can then use the stamp or template to make space for each part of the tree's information. If you want to print these out on the computer first, and crop them to fit, that is also an option. Glue the individual ovals of information in place, or write with the calligraphy pen directly onto the ovals you stamped. If the tree is for yourself, leave a few blank ovals scattered about the page if you have the room, or if you know that, there will soon be additions to the family tree in the form of a marriage or birth. Once everything is in place, mat and frame as desired.
A family tree such as this makes a good gift for an elderly family member, or even a newlywed couple who have just joined the family. It would also be a good gift to give a family member who just had a baby, with the baby the last in the family line of descendants. I originally made myself a family tree such as this not long after I was married. I updated it a few years later, after the birth of my third child, by filling in the blank spaces I had intentionally left. My mother-in-law commented on how much she liked it, so I ended up making her one the following Christmas.
A family tree such as this is also a good project that you can get the kids involved in, having them help with both the layout and the lettering, or even having them make their own alongside of yours, letting . You could even have an older child 'interview' their elders for details on dates and such. If you were considering a hobby in genealogy, this would be a good project to test the waters with.
When most people think of creating a family tree, they often automatically think genealogy and all the research and time that can be consumed by such a hobby. While genealogy can be an interesting way to explore your family history, and document your ancestors, for this project, making a family tree is just as much fun, but a whole lot simpler.
Supplies required, can vary depending on whether you want to create the project completely by hand, or with the aid of your computer, and inkjet or laser printer. To create it by hand, you will need basic paper crafting supplies, including a ruler, an oval stamp or template, a calligraphy pen that is archival safe, a frame and mat (I used and 11" by 14" frame, with an interior mat of 8" by 10"), and acid free paper. Paper can be plain, or decorative in texture, depending on your own personal preferences, but should not be a printed pattern, as you will be adding a tree and text, it should also be heavy enough to water brush onto. You will also need watercolor pencils, paintbrush, acid free glue, and information about your immediate family tree, including birthdays, deaths, and wedding dates. If your tree is small, you could also include dates such as baptisms to create a more complete look to the project.
Start by either drawing freehand, or printing via your computer and printer a tree. The tree should be light in color, such as a watermark, covering the main portion of the page. I have seen the trees done bare branched, or with the image of a fully leafed tree, and both work well. That choice is totally a personal preference. Once you have the tree's outline printed, color it in with the watercolor pencils, and then brush over lightly with water and a paintbrush. If you have just a trunk of a tree, you could still add highlights of color, or color in the background with a light blue for a sky background. Let dry thoroughly, and move on to the next part of the project, giving it time to dry.
On scraps of paper, write down those family members and dates that you plan to incorporate onto the tree. With the scraps, place them onto the tree where they will be in order from youngest to oldest, incorporating the joining of family members through marriages, etc. Once you have everything laid out in a manner that works chronologically, and is pleasing to the eye, you can then use the stamp or template to make space for each part of the tree's information. If you want to print these out on the computer first, and crop them to fit, that is also an option. Glue the individual ovals of information in place, or write with the calligraphy pen directly onto the ovals you stamped. If the tree is for yourself, leave a few blank ovals scattered about the page if you have the room, or if you know that, there will soon be additions to the family tree in the form of a marriage or birth. Once everything is in place, mat and frame as desired.
A family tree such as this makes a good gift for an elderly family member, or even a newlywed couple who have just joined the family. It would also be a good gift to give a family member who just had a baby, with the baby the last in the family line of descendants. I originally made myself a family tree such as this not long after I was married. I updated it a few years later, after the birth of my third child, by filling in the blank spaces I had intentionally left. My mother-in-law commented on how much she liked it, so I ended up making her one the following Christmas.
A family tree such as this is also a good project that you can get the kids involved in, having them help with both the layout and the lettering, or even having them make their own alongside of yours, letting . You could even have an older child 'interview' their elders for details on dates and such. If you were considering a hobby in genealogy, this would be a good project to test the waters with.
Creating A Photo Book
Scrapbooking is a tough hobby. While there are people who love it, many others find that it is difficult for them to learn to design the themes and to make everything work out right. Creating a scrapbook is not the only way to preserve your memories, however.
One option that you have is to create a basic photographs book. You can start by deciding on a life theme. Perhaps you want to make a book about one of your children or about the great vacation you took last year or about Christmas traditions in your family. Once you have a theme selected, then you can begin your book.
Go through the pictures that you have and pick out the ones that will work for your photo book. You can take any pictures that need work and blow them up or crop them. Get a number of really great photographs. You should pick one photograph to be the cover of your book.
Next you will need to pick an album. Count the number of pictures that you have and get an album that will work with that number of pictures. At some stores, you will find albums that do not have any pages in them. You will be able to buy the exact number of pages you will need. In most cases, however, you will be picking up a ready-made album, so you need to know how many pictures you will need.
You should look for an album that has a place for comments. That means that there are little spaces between the top and bottom picture. Many people think that this space is for negatives, and they will indeed fit into that space. It is much better when it is used as a place to write cute comments or notes about the pictures above and below, however.
Once you have the album, you will need to organize the pictures. Perhaps you want to do them by date. Perhaps you want to do them by subject. It really does not matter, but you should pick out the pictures that you want to put into the album and in what order.
The next part of the project will take the longest but is the most fun. You will sit down with some scrap booking paper. This paper is easy to write on and is tough. You should cut the strips to the size that you will need to fit into those spaces between the pictures. You will then write down something about each picture. It may be cute sayings or an explanation of who or what is in the picture. Be sure that you include a date and location on at least the first picture of the album if you are doing a vacation.
These comments are your place to let others who will view the album know what they are looking at. It also will be great fun when your children are older or you are getting on up there to think back to the fun times you have had. The pictures, and what you have written, will help bring back some good memories for you.
Now you will need to put the pictures into the album. That part is probably the easiest but will be great fun as well. You will get to look at the pictures as you are placing them in the album.
When you are done, this album will make a great centerpiece for conversation in your living room. You also can give it as a gift to someone who would really enjoy the pictures. Of course, you could do a combination. Keep the albums for yourself now but plan to give them to your children at their weddings, for instance.
These types of keepsake albums are much easier and less expensive than scrap booking, but they are wonderful fun just the same. They are great ways to make the memories that you have last for a lifetime and will be where you can easily remember them. Instead of just sitting in a box where no one will see them, you will be able to show your pictures to other people so that everyone can enjoy a little piece of your memories.
By Julia Mercer
One option that you have is to create a basic photographs book. You can start by deciding on a life theme. Perhaps you want to make a book about one of your children or about the great vacation you took last year or about Christmas traditions in your family. Once you have a theme selected, then you can begin your book.
Go through the pictures that you have and pick out the ones that will work for your photo book. You can take any pictures that need work and blow them up or crop them. Get a number of really great photographs. You should pick one photograph to be the cover of your book.
Next you will need to pick an album. Count the number of pictures that you have and get an album that will work with that number of pictures. At some stores, you will find albums that do not have any pages in them. You will be able to buy the exact number of pages you will need. In most cases, however, you will be picking up a ready-made album, so you need to know how many pictures you will need.
You should look for an album that has a place for comments. That means that there are little spaces between the top and bottom picture. Many people think that this space is for negatives, and they will indeed fit into that space. It is much better when it is used as a place to write cute comments or notes about the pictures above and below, however.
Once you have the album, you will need to organize the pictures. Perhaps you want to do them by date. Perhaps you want to do them by subject. It really does not matter, but you should pick out the pictures that you want to put into the album and in what order.
The next part of the project will take the longest but is the most fun. You will sit down with some scrap booking paper. This paper is easy to write on and is tough. You should cut the strips to the size that you will need to fit into those spaces between the pictures. You will then write down something about each picture. It may be cute sayings or an explanation of who or what is in the picture. Be sure that you include a date and location on at least the first picture of the album if you are doing a vacation.
These comments are your place to let others who will view the album know what they are looking at. It also will be great fun when your children are older or you are getting on up there to think back to the fun times you have had. The pictures, and what you have written, will help bring back some good memories for you.
Now you will need to put the pictures into the album. That part is probably the easiest but will be great fun as well. You will get to look at the pictures as you are placing them in the album.
When you are done, this album will make a great centerpiece for conversation in your living room. You also can give it as a gift to someone who would really enjoy the pictures. Of course, you could do a combination. Keep the albums for yourself now but plan to give them to your children at their weddings, for instance.
These types of keepsake albums are much easier and less expensive than scrap booking, but they are wonderful fun just the same. They are great ways to make the memories that you have last for a lifetime and will be where you can easily remember them. Instead of just sitting in a box where no one will see them, you will be able to show your pictures to other people so that everyone can enjoy a little piece of your memories.
By Julia Mercer
Soap-Making as Your Hobby
Making your own soap may seem like an odd project to try. Still it is something that you should consider if you are looking for a hobby. While you can purchase soap pretty inexpensively at the store, you will find that by making your own soap, you are creating something wonderful that you can give to friends or enjoy yourself. You have the ability to create something that will be personalized and just as you like it.
To get started making soap, you will need some basic supplies. For your first project, you should just pick up a block of soap at a craft store. You will not be buying Ivory. Instead you will be buying a soap block. It is made of glycerin and is ready to be turned into soap. You will need to select the mold you want for the soap. Although you can create your own molds, you really should consider beginning with a basic mold. You can get cheap plastic molds in most art stores, and that is probably your best bet in the beginning.
Your first batch should be pretty basic, but you will be able to experiment as you go. You can add scents or colors to the soaps to make them work within a theme or to match the color scheme of your bathroom. Soaps with oils in them are called aromatherapy soaps, and they can help to soothe the mind and body.
You will use what is called the melt and pour method when you begin with the soap block. You have little control over the substance of the soap, but it is very easy to learn with this type of soap block. In fact, you can even begin by using your microwave to help you make the soap. While you probably will want to try out a different method later on, you can begin by working on a number of melt and pour soap to get a feel for the process of melting and using molds.
Once you have created a batch of soaps, you will find that you will want to use the soaps or give them to friends as gifts. Either way, they will be perfect for setting out in decorative dishes in your home. If you will be using them, get a small decorative dish. Add a couple of the bars you have made. Even if you go with basic bars, they will work as decorative pieces because of their shape and homemade nature.
These little soaps may great gifts for friends. You can put them into a small mesh bag with a tie around the neck. They work well as shower favors as well. You can give out baby-scented ones at a baby shower or beautiful flower aromas at a wedding shower.
Soap-making is a truly interesting hobby. There are a number of methods you can employ for making soap. Over time, you are sure to try all of them to see which one works for you. During your soap-making process, you also will find that you are able to experiment with scents and colors to see what looks the best to your eye.
You need only a few bowls, a stirrer, open counter space, and the desire for fun to begin making soap. You will be able to begin and have your first batch made within hours of getting together all of the supplies. You can make soap-making into something that you do frequently or just something that you do when the mood strikes. The hobby is suitable for either desire. You will be able to store all of the supplies that you need so that you can return to soap-making whenever you would like.
If you are looking for an interesting hobby, then you really should give soap-making a try. Sometimes, as with soap, although you can buy an inexpensive model in the store, you really will be doing yourself a service if you try making it on your own. You will find that soap can be soothing to the skin and that it is something you can thoroughly enjoy.
So, the next time you are out and thinking about a hobby, try picking up a soap block and some scents.
By Julia Mercer
To get started making soap, you will need some basic supplies. For your first project, you should just pick up a block of soap at a craft store. You will not be buying Ivory. Instead you will be buying a soap block. It is made of glycerin and is ready to be turned into soap. You will need to select the mold you want for the soap. Although you can create your own molds, you really should consider beginning with a basic mold. You can get cheap plastic molds in most art stores, and that is probably your best bet in the beginning.
Your first batch should be pretty basic, but you will be able to experiment as you go. You can add scents or colors to the soaps to make them work within a theme or to match the color scheme of your bathroom. Soaps with oils in them are called aromatherapy soaps, and they can help to soothe the mind and body.
You will use what is called the melt and pour method when you begin with the soap block. You have little control over the substance of the soap, but it is very easy to learn with this type of soap block. In fact, you can even begin by using your microwave to help you make the soap. While you probably will want to try out a different method later on, you can begin by working on a number of melt and pour soap to get a feel for the process of melting and using molds.
Once you have created a batch of soaps, you will find that you will want to use the soaps or give them to friends as gifts. Either way, they will be perfect for setting out in decorative dishes in your home. If you will be using them, get a small decorative dish. Add a couple of the bars you have made. Even if you go with basic bars, they will work as decorative pieces because of their shape and homemade nature.
These little soaps may great gifts for friends. You can put them into a small mesh bag with a tie around the neck. They work well as shower favors as well. You can give out baby-scented ones at a baby shower or beautiful flower aromas at a wedding shower.
Soap-making is a truly interesting hobby. There are a number of methods you can employ for making soap. Over time, you are sure to try all of them to see which one works for you. During your soap-making process, you also will find that you are able to experiment with scents and colors to see what looks the best to your eye.
You need only a few bowls, a stirrer, open counter space, and the desire for fun to begin making soap. You will be able to begin and have your first batch made within hours of getting together all of the supplies. You can make soap-making into something that you do frequently or just something that you do when the mood strikes. The hobby is suitable for either desire. You will be able to store all of the supplies that you need so that you can return to soap-making whenever you would like.
If you are looking for an interesting hobby, then you really should give soap-making a try. Sometimes, as with soap, although you can buy an inexpensive model in the store, you really will be doing yourself a service if you try making it on your own. You will find that soap can be soothing to the skin and that it is something you can thoroughly enjoy.
So, the next time you are out and thinking about a hobby, try picking up a soap block and some scents.
By Julia Mercer
Making Money With Your Camera
Cameras are wonderful tools, and if you find yourself looking for a way to make a little money, then your camera may be just the ticket. You will need to decide how you want to use your camera to make money, but I have a few suggestions for you.
If you live in a local tourist area, then you can take a Polaroid camera with you to a popular tourist destination. Offer to take pictures of people for a small fee. Be sure that you cover your expenses and try to charge an even amount, such as $5, to avoid the need for change. With the new digital printers for cameras, you can even do this business high-tech. You can spend a couple of hours here and there at your location and begin to bring in a fair amount of money.
Taking pictures and creating your own postcards is another way that you can begin to make money. You should begin by picking out a few good scenes in your local area. Then you will need to visit the scene a few times so that you can get a good idea of the time of day when it is best to take the pictures. Go out and get the photos. Then you will need to purchase postcard paper and print out the pictures on the front of the postcards. You can approach local business owners and ask them to put them up for sale in their stores.
If you are new to photography and want to go into event photography, you should start small. Unless you have a great array of work, people will want references. Begin with birthday parties for children. While you will not make as much, there is not as much pressure as there is with weddings and other high-profile events. Offer to come out and take some candid shots of the kids as well as some pictures of them individually. You should find out the theme of the party and come up with a basic prop set. Take a picture of each child, and then the birthday parents can offer it up as a souvenir to their guests.
Taking pictures for your local paper may be an easy way to make a little extra cash. Sometimes newspaper editors find that they want a good photo layout, but they do not have the staff photographers to send out. You may be sent to high school graduations, proms, or little festivals to get good pictures. The key will be to get the pictures and take care of them in a short timeframe so that you are making a good amount of money per hour.
Taking pictures for family postcards and holiday cards is another interesting way to make money from taking pictures. Just like with the scenery postcards, you can print the pictures onto postcards. Have a variety of holiday-themed cards for the families to choose from so that they can get what they want. You will need to meet up with the family and pose them for the pictures. Try to get them to take pictures near something that speaks to the family. A farm family may take a picture in front of the tractor, for example, or an athletic family may want to bring their gear into the photo. The key for you is to capture their personalities in the picture.
Finally, you can create a book of your photography. Think of a theme. You can do local festivals or your city at night or any theme you would like. You will need to spend several months out taking pictures that work with your theme. In the end, you will pick 50 or 100 of the pictures and turn them into a book of pictures. Write a little page or so about each of the pictures so that people will have a reference point.
These ideas are only a few of the ways that you can make money with your camera. If you are interested in photography, sit back and think a while. You are sure to come up with something that will allow you to combine your passion for photography with your desire to make money.
By Julia Mercer
If you live in a local tourist area, then you can take a Polaroid camera with you to a popular tourist destination. Offer to take pictures of people for a small fee. Be sure that you cover your expenses and try to charge an even amount, such as $5, to avoid the need for change. With the new digital printers for cameras, you can even do this business high-tech. You can spend a couple of hours here and there at your location and begin to bring in a fair amount of money.
Taking pictures and creating your own postcards is another way that you can begin to make money. You should begin by picking out a few good scenes in your local area. Then you will need to visit the scene a few times so that you can get a good idea of the time of day when it is best to take the pictures. Go out and get the photos. Then you will need to purchase postcard paper and print out the pictures on the front of the postcards. You can approach local business owners and ask them to put them up for sale in their stores.
If you are new to photography and want to go into event photography, you should start small. Unless you have a great array of work, people will want references. Begin with birthday parties for children. While you will not make as much, there is not as much pressure as there is with weddings and other high-profile events. Offer to come out and take some candid shots of the kids as well as some pictures of them individually. You should find out the theme of the party and come up with a basic prop set. Take a picture of each child, and then the birthday parents can offer it up as a souvenir to their guests.
Taking pictures for your local paper may be an easy way to make a little extra cash. Sometimes newspaper editors find that they want a good photo layout, but they do not have the staff photographers to send out. You may be sent to high school graduations, proms, or little festivals to get good pictures. The key will be to get the pictures and take care of them in a short timeframe so that you are making a good amount of money per hour.
Taking pictures for family postcards and holiday cards is another interesting way to make money from taking pictures. Just like with the scenery postcards, you can print the pictures onto postcards. Have a variety of holiday-themed cards for the families to choose from so that they can get what they want. You will need to meet up with the family and pose them for the pictures. Try to get them to take pictures near something that speaks to the family. A farm family may take a picture in front of the tractor, for example, or an athletic family may want to bring their gear into the photo. The key for you is to capture their personalities in the picture.
Finally, you can create a book of your photography. Think of a theme. You can do local festivals or your city at night or any theme you would like. You will need to spend several months out taking pictures that work with your theme. In the end, you will pick 50 or 100 of the pictures and turn them into a book of pictures. Write a little page or so about each of the pictures so that people will have a reference point.
These ideas are only a few of the ways that you can make money with your camera. If you are interested in photography, sit back and think a while. You are sure to come up with something that will allow you to combine your passion for photography with your desire to make money.
By Julia Mercer
Making Family Photo Cards
Family photo cards is one of the best ways to make use of all of those pictures that you have lying around. If you are going to make them, there are two options you have. You can select individual photographs of your children or scenes of your family and decide where to send them or you can pick one pictures (or take one specifically for the task) and send the same basic scene to everyone.
For this project, you will need to gather the pictures along with a craft scalpel or a small pair of scissors, some markers or other writing implements, and some decorative supplies. You will need to clear a fair-sized workspace for this project. You should put the cardboard-type paper that you have selected out flat. You can purchase matte (dull) or glossy (shiny) cards to use for this project. Matte cards do not look as good, but they are much easier to work with. The glossy cards look very professional but can be a little tough to maneuver.
Then you need to decide whether you want to put the picture on the front of the card or in the middle. Either way you need to begin with the part of the card that will not have the pictures. Go ahead and fold the card down the center. You should use a ruler to hold the card in place and fold the card over the ruler so that you get a straight-edged fold. Then you will need to decorate either the inside of the card or the front of the card with whatever saying or expression you would like to use on the cards.
Next you will take a pencil and get ready to mark the card. Lie the card out flat again. Put the picture down where you want it to go. You should use the pencil to trace lightly over the edges of the corners of the picture. Then you will remove the picture. Use the craft scalpel to make a small cut where the corner markers are.
If you are very worried about the corner cuts showing, then you can pick up some photo corners. These are neat little pieces of sticky tape that will stick near where the cuts are so that you will not be able to see them. Then you will want to put the picture into the card by inserting each corner into the slot you made for it.
Now the card is done. The only thing left for you to do is to decorate and address the envelope. You can decorate the back of the envelope with the same decorations you used for the card, or you can just put a little symbol on the back of the envelope. Either way you should make some type of continuous marking so that it all looks as if it goes together.
These cards are a perfect way to show someone that you are interested in providing a personalized card. It is a much more thoughtful option that even going to the store and searching for the perfect card. Instead of working on reading something that someone else will like, you will be creating your own saying.
Even if you are not good with poetry, you can make these cards. All you will need is to work on what you have to say. It can be a simple happy birthday-type message, or you can go with something elaborate. If you will be making these cards for the holidays, then you should allow yourself at least one entire afternoon to make the cards because it can be a time-consuming process. In that case, you probably want to have the same sayings on every card to make the process go more smoothly.
This card idea also works for birthdays, when you can send someone a very individualized message that even includes their photograph. Think of how wonderful it would be to open a card for your birthday and find that the person has included a very special card made by hand. This card will become a keepsake for everyone to whom you send it. Be sure that you take your time and make it great.
By Julia Mercer
For this project, you will need to gather the pictures along with a craft scalpel or a small pair of scissors, some markers or other writing implements, and some decorative supplies. You will need to clear a fair-sized workspace for this project. You should put the cardboard-type paper that you have selected out flat. You can purchase matte (dull) or glossy (shiny) cards to use for this project. Matte cards do not look as good, but they are much easier to work with. The glossy cards look very professional but can be a little tough to maneuver.
Then you need to decide whether you want to put the picture on the front of the card or in the middle. Either way you need to begin with the part of the card that will not have the pictures. Go ahead and fold the card down the center. You should use a ruler to hold the card in place and fold the card over the ruler so that you get a straight-edged fold. Then you will need to decorate either the inside of the card or the front of the card with whatever saying or expression you would like to use on the cards.
Next you will take a pencil and get ready to mark the card. Lie the card out flat again. Put the picture down where you want it to go. You should use the pencil to trace lightly over the edges of the corners of the picture. Then you will remove the picture. Use the craft scalpel to make a small cut where the corner markers are.
If you are very worried about the corner cuts showing, then you can pick up some photo corners. These are neat little pieces of sticky tape that will stick near where the cuts are so that you will not be able to see them. Then you will want to put the picture into the card by inserting each corner into the slot you made for it.
Now the card is done. The only thing left for you to do is to decorate and address the envelope. You can decorate the back of the envelope with the same decorations you used for the card, or you can just put a little symbol on the back of the envelope. Either way you should make some type of continuous marking so that it all looks as if it goes together.
These cards are a perfect way to show someone that you are interested in providing a personalized card. It is a much more thoughtful option that even going to the store and searching for the perfect card. Instead of working on reading something that someone else will like, you will be creating your own saying.
Even if you are not good with poetry, you can make these cards. All you will need is to work on what you have to say. It can be a simple happy birthday-type message, or you can go with something elaborate. If you will be making these cards for the holidays, then you should allow yourself at least one entire afternoon to make the cards because it can be a time-consuming process. In that case, you probably want to have the same sayings on every card to make the process go more smoothly.
This card idea also works for birthdays, when you can send someone a very individualized message that even includes their photograph. Think of how wonderful it would be to open a card for your birthday and find that the person has included a very special card made by hand. This card will become a keepsake for everyone to whom you send it. Be sure that you take your time and make it great.
By Julia Mercer
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Starting A Website
Starting your own website is a very technology-friendly hobby. If you are thinking that there is nothing hobby-wise that interests you, then think again! You may find that you would enjoy creating your own website. If you do not know where to begin, never fear. I will help you determine a good project for your site. We will visit the how-to part of the site later. Right now, we are just focusing on the purpose and scope of your site.
Begin thinking about your site by thinking of what you do online. Think of terms you search and articles you read. Jot down a few of the topics that interest you. If there is something that you have trouble finding good information for, then write that topic down as well. You may want to try focusing on an area where you have some knowledge. If you have been a gardener for the past ten years, then perhaps that is an area you want to pursue. You have a base of knowledge that you can share with others.
Once you have a topic list, go back and narrow it down. The easiest way to determine how to mark an item off the list is to determine whether or not you are really excited about that subject. Does the thought of hosting a website on the topic sound fun? Then keep it. If you are hesitating, mark it off. Remember that this site is a hobby site, so all that matters is that you enjoy what you are doing.
Now, you should be left with a couple of topics. Look at them and then go search online. See what information you find and decide whether or not you can improve on what is already out there. Perhaps you know that you can provide information on an angle that is not covered. That will be your best bet. Keep searching until you have narrowed down a topic.
Once you have a topic, you can get to work. Farm out the topic into sub-topics. You will need to have a way to direct people who visit your site to find the information they want. Let us use 1960s history as an example. You could divide the larger topic into feminism, civil rights, anti-war, and culture. You would be giving people direction once they visit your site.
Now you need to determine how many articles you want to have to start your site. You can choose any number you would like. In fact, you can start your site with a single article if you would like. It would be more prudent, however, to start with a larger stable of articles. That will give people who visit your site a reason to stick around for a while. It also will show them that they can depend on good information at your site. If you were starting a content site to make money (which you may do eventually), then you would want to begin with at least 100 articles. For a hobby site, however, you probably should start with a slightly smaller number. Try having 10 good articles before you begin.
Creating the content for your site is the most fun part of the hobby! You will find that you have information that you cannot wait to craft into articles for others to read. Instead of just being happy with what you see, you can share your ideas and opinions with the world. Begin making it a point to work on your site everyday or every week. Set aside a time when you will create new content for your site.
You will find that you will begin to think about your site often. Someone will mention something that is similar to what you are working on, and you will think that you could create an article on the topic. Soon you will find that you will have a following of people who come to your site for good information. You will be a self-made expert on your hobby site topic, which is a great feeling. You can connect with people who share your passion for the subject, and that will make for a wonderful experience for you.
By Julia Mercer
Begin thinking about your site by thinking of what you do online. Think of terms you search and articles you read. Jot down a few of the topics that interest you. If there is something that you have trouble finding good information for, then write that topic down as well. You may want to try focusing on an area where you have some knowledge. If you have been a gardener for the past ten years, then perhaps that is an area you want to pursue. You have a base of knowledge that you can share with others.
Once you have a topic list, go back and narrow it down. The easiest way to determine how to mark an item off the list is to determine whether or not you are really excited about that subject. Does the thought of hosting a website on the topic sound fun? Then keep it. If you are hesitating, mark it off. Remember that this site is a hobby site, so all that matters is that you enjoy what you are doing.
Now, you should be left with a couple of topics. Look at them and then go search online. See what information you find and decide whether or not you can improve on what is already out there. Perhaps you know that you can provide information on an angle that is not covered. That will be your best bet. Keep searching until you have narrowed down a topic.
Once you have a topic, you can get to work. Farm out the topic into sub-topics. You will need to have a way to direct people who visit your site to find the information they want. Let us use 1960s history as an example. You could divide the larger topic into feminism, civil rights, anti-war, and culture. You would be giving people direction once they visit your site.
Now you need to determine how many articles you want to have to start your site. You can choose any number you would like. In fact, you can start your site with a single article if you would like. It would be more prudent, however, to start with a larger stable of articles. That will give people who visit your site a reason to stick around for a while. It also will show them that they can depend on good information at your site. If you were starting a content site to make money (which you may do eventually), then you would want to begin with at least 100 articles. For a hobby site, however, you probably should start with a slightly smaller number. Try having 10 good articles before you begin.
Creating the content for your site is the most fun part of the hobby! You will find that you have information that you cannot wait to craft into articles for others to read. Instead of just being happy with what you see, you can share your ideas and opinions with the world. Begin making it a point to work on your site everyday or every week. Set aside a time when you will create new content for your site.
You will find that you will begin to think about your site often. Someone will mention something that is similar to what you are working on, and you will think that you could create an article on the topic. Soon you will find that you will have a following of people who come to your site for good information. You will be a self-made expert on your hobby site topic, which is a great feeling. You can connect with people who share your passion for the subject, and that will make for a wonderful experience for you.
By Julia Mercer
Hobby For Peacefulness
Okay, I will admit it. I have an extreme Type A personality. I am very intense, very driven, and very impatient. As with many traits, my husband loves that I am driven but hates that it makes me high-strung at the same time. Instead he would prefer that I find something to relax myself. I have been taking him up on the idea, and although he prefers that relaxation would be lying back on the couch or hanging out on the porch, I have been thinking that it will take the form of a new hobby.
Of course, I do not know what that hobby will be yet. I am looking for something that will occupy me in the evenings when we are sitting down and not doing much. Sometimes, as a writer, I discover that I need something that will occupy my nervous energy without requiring my mental focus or that will allow me to get lost in what I am doing so that I can leave all of my work concerns behind.
I have been searching for a hobby and trying to decide what hobby fits this description. One of the obvious choices I have come up with is crocheting. I have visions of my aunts crocheting huge afghans when I was a child. They would sit and crochet every night during the evening news and the other shows they watched. I was always amazed to hear them say that they were making something for a baby that was not born yet or for someone for Christmas when it was still January. There was a lot of organization in their crocheting, and it was something that they seemed to enjoy. My biggest concern with crocheting is that I am not very good at the tedious details required to crochet. I am not sure exactly how it works. It has been a long time since I even held a crocheting needle.
Cross-stitching is not appealing for the same reason. Well, let me back up. I have cross-stitched a few things before. I did a decorative pillowcase once, and I made a butterfly cross-stitch for one of my cousins. Again, though, I would prefer a stamped cross-stitch to a counting one because I do not know why, but I do not do well with the counting stitching.
Another idea I had was to take up single projects instead of a larger hobby, and that is what I believe that I am going to do. I think that I can work on little projects without feeling that I need to learn how to be an expert at the craft. Doing a hobby seems to be more about finding something that we believe is enjoyable rather than finding something that we can learn how to do with the best of them so that it becomes a burden.
The first idea I had is for an interesting blanket I have seen made. You basically get two large piece of wool fabrics that feel soft to the touch. Cut them the same size and lay them one on top of the other. Then cut two-inch strips along all of the edges. Then you start at one corner, pick up one of the strips, and tie the two pieces together. This blanket makes a wonderful gift for a little baby or for someone who needs a good blanket.
Overall, I think that finding a hobby is about finding peace. It is a way to calm yourself. You can forget about the stresses you may be facing and instead focus on doing something wonderful for someone else. Deciding what to do with the products you create is part of the salve of a hobby as well. By giving your hobby products to people you love, you are showing them that you spent plenty of time making their gifts. By giving the products to people who are in nursing homes or other institutions, you are giving them a needed gift of love. Be sure that you always give away your hobby items. Do not keep them for yourself. There are other people out there who would benefit from the love you can give through your soul-soothing hobby.
By Julia Mercer
Of course, I do not know what that hobby will be yet. I am looking for something that will occupy me in the evenings when we are sitting down and not doing much. Sometimes, as a writer, I discover that I need something that will occupy my nervous energy without requiring my mental focus or that will allow me to get lost in what I am doing so that I can leave all of my work concerns behind.
I have been searching for a hobby and trying to decide what hobby fits this description. One of the obvious choices I have come up with is crocheting. I have visions of my aunts crocheting huge afghans when I was a child. They would sit and crochet every night during the evening news and the other shows they watched. I was always amazed to hear them say that they were making something for a baby that was not born yet or for someone for Christmas when it was still January. There was a lot of organization in their crocheting, and it was something that they seemed to enjoy. My biggest concern with crocheting is that I am not very good at the tedious details required to crochet. I am not sure exactly how it works. It has been a long time since I even held a crocheting needle.
Cross-stitching is not appealing for the same reason. Well, let me back up. I have cross-stitched a few things before. I did a decorative pillowcase once, and I made a butterfly cross-stitch for one of my cousins. Again, though, I would prefer a stamped cross-stitch to a counting one because I do not know why, but I do not do well with the counting stitching.
Another idea I had was to take up single projects instead of a larger hobby, and that is what I believe that I am going to do. I think that I can work on little projects without feeling that I need to learn how to be an expert at the craft. Doing a hobby seems to be more about finding something that we believe is enjoyable rather than finding something that we can learn how to do with the best of them so that it becomes a burden.
The first idea I had is for an interesting blanket I have seen made. You basically get two large piece of wool fabrics that feel soft to the touch. Cut them the same size and lay them one on top of the other. Then cut two-inch strips along all of the edges. Then you start at one corner, pick up one of the strips, and tie the two pieces together. This blanket makes a wonderful gift for a little baby or for someone who needs a good blanket.
Overall, I think that finding a hobby is about finding peace. It is a way to calm yourself. You can forget about the stresses you may be facing and instead focus on doing something wonderful for someone else. Deciding what to do with the products you create is part of the salve of a hobby as well. By giving your hobby products to people you love, you are showing them that you spent plenty of time making their gifts. By giving the products to people who are in nursing homes or other institutions, you are giving them a needed gift of love. Be sure that you always give away your hobby items. Do not keep them for yourself. There are other people out there who would benefit from the love you can give through your soul-soothing hobby.
By Julia Mercer
Making Money With Your Site
Websites make money. You know they must, or there would not be so many out there. If you have a little hobby site that you enjoy, then you can begin to make money with it.
How much money do you want to make with your site? Well, that depends entirely on your site, of course, and your ambition. You may want to make enough money for the site to pay for itself. If you are paying a rough $10 annual registration fee and a $5 a month hosting fee, then your site will need to make roughly $6 a month for it to pay for itself.
That figure is definitely not much, and you can make that money without much effort. If you would like to make your hobby a little profitable, however, you can set a limit. Keep in mind that part of making money online is about drawing people to your site, and you may need advertising dollars to do that. At any rate, you should know how much you want to make in the long run as well as how much you think is reasonable to make at this point.
The first way to make money through your site is to add content-based ads to your site. Google ads are the most common although there are a few, smaller competitors out there. Yahoo and MSN are supposed to release similar versions in the near future. You will recognize these ads from sites you have visited. They are small and look like classified ads, but they say powered by Google at the bottom. As someone who will be displaying the ads, you will want to sign up for AdSense.
The basic concept is that people come to your site and see the ads. Google picks the ads automatically, and they are based on the content on your site. People will click the ads to see similar websites. When people click the ads, then you will make money. The money you make from each ad depends on the popularity of your topic and how much the person paid to have the ad published. For most topics, you cannot expect more than about 20 cents per click. While that does not seem like much, it will add up.
The second major way that you can make money from your site is to offer affiliate programs. If you have a hobby site, then you are not looking to invest in major affiliate marketing. The concept works this way. You would sign up with a merchant, such as Target or Amazon. You would get a way to link from your site to theirs. You would recommend a specific product and include a link.
When people click on the link on your site and buy something, you get a small commission. The commission may be only 5 percent or so of the sale price. As with the Google ads, the amount you make from an individual sale is not much, but it adds up over time. Again, if you are only trying to have your hobby pay for itself, then you will not need to make much each day to have the site make enough money.
Through content ads and affiliate marketing, you should be able to make a decent income. Over time, you can experiment with other ways of making money online. For example, you can work on a newsletter, which will promote the products for which you are an affiliate. You also can run your own ads to get people to your site. You can begin selling products that you have created or purchasing a reseller license from someone else to sell her or his products.
Making money with your website is not difficult. Making a significant amount of money with your website is far more complicated. For your purposes on a hobby site, though, your job is just to bring in a little dough. Hobbies are wonderful, but we find that we can enjoy them even more if they provide a little extra cash, even if we are just using that cash to add a little fun to our lives. Work on your hobby site, and you can be making money soon.
By Julia Mercer
How much money do you want to make with your site? Well, that depends entirely on your site, of course, and your ambition. You may want to make enough money for the site to pay for itself. If you are paying a rough $10 annual registration fee and a $5 a month hosting fee, then your site will need to make roughly $6 a month for it to pay for itself.
That figure is definitely not much, and you can make that money without much effort. If you would like to make your hobby a little profitable, however, you can set a limit. Keep in mind that part of making money online is about drawing people to your site, and you may need advertising dollars to do that. At any rate, you should know how much you want to make in the long run as well as how much you think is reasonable to make at this point.
The first way to make money through your site is to add content-based ads to your site. Google ads are the most common although there are a few, smaller competitors out there. Yahoo and MSN are supposed to release similar versions in the near future. You will recognize these ads from sites you have visited. They are small and look like classified ads, but they say powered by Google at the bottom. As someone who will be displaying the ads, you will want to sign up for AdSense.
The basic concept is that people come to your site and see the ads. Google picks the ads automatically, and they are based on the content on your site. People will click the ads to see similar websites. When people click the ads, then you will make money. The money you make from each ad depends on the popularity of your topic and how much the person paid to have the ad published. For most topics, you cannot expect more than about 20 cents per click. While that does not seem like much, it will add up.
The second major way that you can make money from your site is to offer affiliate programs. If you have a hobby site, then you are not looking to invest in major affiliate marketing. The concept works this way. You would sign up with a merchant, such as Target or Amazon. You would get a way to link from your site to theirs. You would recommend a specific product and include a link.
When people click on the link on your site and buy something, you get a small commission. The commission may be only 5 percent or so of the sale price. As with the Google ads, the amount you make from an individual sale is not much, but it adds up over time. Again, if you are only trying to have your hobby pay for itself, then you will not need to make much each day to have the site make enough money.
Through content ads and affiliate marketing, you should be able to make a decent income. Over time, you can experiment with other ways of making money online. For example, you can work on a newsletter, which will promote the products for which you are an affiliate. You also can run your own ads to get people to your site. You can begin selling products that you have created or purchasing a reseller license from someone else to sell her or his products.
Making money with your website is not difficult. Making a significant amount of money with your website is far more complicated. For your purposes on a hobby site, though, your job is just to bring in a little dough. Hobbies are wonderful, but we find that we can enjoy them even more if they provide a little extra cash, even if we are just using that cash to add a little fun to our lives. Work on your hobby site, and you can be making money soon.
By Julia Mercer
Blogging
If you are wondering about creating a web presence so that you can share your life and ideas with others but are intimidated by the prospect of starting a website, then think about a blog. The blogging craze has begun, and it is in full force.
Setting up a blog is simple, so let us go over what you would do. You will need to find a blogging site. Basically a company sets up a site. You register and then can log on to post articles and information for your visitors. In the early days of blogging, people paid for the option to blog, but now there are a number of free sites out there. Blogspot.com is the most popular. Owned by Google, this site comes up well in search engines and also is simple to use.
Once you find the blog site you want to use, it will be time to decide what you want to call your blog. Know that your first choice may be taken, so you may be coming up with something out of the ordinary. If your blog will basically share points of your life, then you can call it your name story or something similar. If you will be focusing on particular points, such as a certain political stance or religious view, then name your blog something that will give people a clue as to the topic.
After naming your blog, it is time to get started. The easiest way to get started is to work on your profile and links information. On most basic blog layouts, you will have three columns with which to work. The center column will be the widest, and it will be where your articles will appear. The left and right hand columns are for you to put information. You can consider archiving your posts for people to read past information. That is one easy way to use up that space.
You also can put links. You can link to other sites that have information about your topics. You can also link to other blogs that are in a similar vein as yours. Finally you can just put sites of interest to you. Now that you have links worked out, you are ready to begin blogging.
Though you obviously can post whenever you would like, it is best to come up with some sort of schedule for yourself. Many people who use blogging as a journal outlet like to blog at the end of everyday so that they can go over what happened in their day. That makes blogging a very soothing hobby to have. You can work out your frustrations or share your joys with people who may read your blog. Keep in mind, of course, that your blog is public information. It is not like writing in a journal and putting it under your mattress. Everybody, including your family and that boss you hate, can read the blog. Be careful about what you write so that people who care do not read it and use its contents against you. Also keep in mind that other people do not want you to share their secrets with the world, so beware of writing too much information about other people.
If your blog is to voice your opinion about some subject, then you may be able to blog less often. Instead of blogging everyday, you may try to get an hour a week to work on an article to put on the blog. It can be a wonderful experience to make that appointment with yourself to blog. It also will let you share your feelings with other people without having the stress of having them immediately discussing the subject with you. A blog will allow you to do some research and get your thoughts together.
Much has been made of the place of blogs. For most people, however, blogs simply are a way for them to gain a voice in their lives. It is a good feeling to have somewhere to vent, even if you are unsure if other people are reading or not. The benefit to you is that you are able to express yourself in a very public forum.
By Julia Mercer
Setting up a blog is simple, so let us go over what you would do. You will need to find a blogging site. Basically a company sets up a site. You register and then can log on to post articles and information for your visitors. In the early days of blogging, people paid for the option to blog, but now there are a number of free sites out there. Blogspot.com is the most popular. Owned by Google, this site comes up well in search engines and also is simple to use.
Once you find the blog site you want to use, it will be time to decide what you want to call your blog. Know that your first choice may be taken, so you may be coming up with something out of the ordinary. If your blog will basically share points of your life, then you can call it your name story or something similar. If you will be focusing on particular points, such as a certain political stance or religious view, then name your blog something that will give people a clue as to the topic.
After naming your blog, it is time to get started. The easiest way to get started is to work on your profile and links information. On most basic blog layouts, you will have three columns with which to work. The center column will be the widest, and it will be where your articles will appear. The left and right hand columns are for you to put information. You can consider archiving your posts for people to read past information. That is one easy way to use up that space.
You also can put links. You can link to other sites that have information about your topics. You can also link to other blogs that are in a similar vein as yours. Finally you can just put sites of interest to you. Now that you have links worked out, you are ready to begin blogging.
Though you obviously can post whenever you would like, it is best to come up with some sort of schedule for yourself. Many people who use blogging as a journal outlet like to blog at the end of everyday so that they can go over what happened in their day. That makes blogging a very soothing hobby to have. You can work out your frustrations or share your joys with people who may read your blog. Keep in mind, of course, that your blog is public information. It is not like writing in a journal and putting it under your mattress. Everybody, including your family and that boss you hate, can read the blog. Be careful about what you write so that people who care do not read it and use its contents against you. Also keep in mind that other people do not want you to share their secrets with the world, so beware of writing too much information about other people.
If your blog is to voice your opinion about some subject, then you may be able to blog less often. Instead of blogging everyday, you may try to get an hour a week to work on an article to put on the blog. It can be a wonderful experience to make that appointment with yourself to blog. It also will let you share your feelings with other people without having the stress of having them immediately discussing the subject with you. A blog will allow you to do some research and get your thoughts together.
Much has been made of the place of blogs. For most people, however, blogs simply are a way for them to gain a voice in their lives. It is a good feeling to have somewhere to vent, even if you are unsure if other people are reading or not. The benefit to you is that you are able to express yourself in a very public forum.
By Julia Mercer
Collecting Stickers
By Christina VanGinkel
Stickers are a great way to embellish and add that something extra to your next scrapbook layout, card, or paper craft of your own choosing. For the longest time, I resisted using stickers, as I always felt that they were a bit on the cheesy side, if I may say so, but then something surprising happened. Those who make stickers must have realized that there were people like me, who would love to have the convenience of stickers, when creating a layout or card, but wanted something more than your basic designs and the same old sayings repeated in the same boring fonts. What they have come up with in the last few years, is almost a complete hobby all in itself! Well, considering there are clubs and stores specifically for the sale and collecting of stickers, I would actually have to say that it is. Collecting stickers is a fun hobby for people of all ages.
There are now stickers in just about any imaginable theme you could ever think up, from floral, animal, vehicle, people, alphabets, sayings, bugs, and sports, to all sorts of very specific ones, such as John Deere, to NASCAR, to NFL, to Holly Hobby. If you can name an item, you can probably find a sticker to match. With the advances in machines such as the Wishblade or the CraftROBO, you can make your own if you cannot find what you are looking for. Simply design a logo or picture on your computer in any graphics program, print it to sticker-backed paper on your computer printer through their software programs, manually tracing the outline of the image inside of the Wishblade or CraftROBO program first. Once it is printed, you run it back through the cutting machine itself, the Wishblade or the CraftROBO, and with the aid of a mechanical eye and registration marks printed at the same time you printed the logo or design, the cutter knows where to cut.
If you are looking for something even more detailed than these are, there are stickers available that are finished in different textures. Flocked snowflakes and snowmen are always tops on my list of dimensional feeling stickers, and Diamond Dust stickers that bring a glittery theme to whatever project you incorporate them into. My favorite stickers I ever came across were actually balloons made of vinyl, filled with confetti, and real string tails. Three dimensional, I used them to create invitations to a birthday party I was hosting.
Take a bit of warning to heed though, that once you start collecting stickers, it is difficult to know when to stop. There are always stickers that will garner your attention for one reason or another. However, if you suddenly find yourself in the midst of lots of stickers, keep in mind that there are clubs specifically for trading stickers. These can be great for those times you see a sheet of stickers that you like, but you really only want a few of the actual stickers on it. You use which ones you want, and trade the others to someone who has a use for them for some they ended up with in the same manner. Trading stickers is a bit like trading collectible cards, but a lot more fun, as there never really is a monetary issue involved after the actual purchase, just the fun of the trades!
Trading stickers at crops is another fun way to trade off those you do not need, for a few you think you might. There are even folders with clear inserts that a lot of scrapbook enthusiasts use for storing stickers and making the trading of them easier. By keeping them stored in a binder with inserts made for storage of small items, others can quickly look through what you have available, and you can do the same with theirs. This keeps everything neat and orderly, and less chance of them becoming damaged by mishandling.
If you just want to get started collecting stickers, check out a club such as Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Art Club for ages seven through 107! If you have a child younger than that, that you would like to start collecting stickers, they also offer a Kid's Club for ages 2 through 9. The Sticker Art Club for all ages, arrives every other month, and includes both new designs and old favorites, to help you build up a collection of stickers from their fun line so you always have the perfect sticker at hand for whatever project you might be working on.
Stickers are a great way to embellish and add that something extra to your next scrapbook layout, card, or paper craft of your own choosing. For the longest time, I resisted using stickers, as I always felt that they were a bit on the cheesy side, if I may say so, but then something surprising happened. Those who make stickers must have realized that there were people like me, who would love to have the convenience of stickers, when creating a layout or card, but wanted something more than your basic designs and the same old sayings repeated in the same boring fonts. What they have come up with in the last few years, is almost a complete hobby all in itself! Well, considering there are clubs and stores specifically for the sale and collecting of stickers, I would actually have to say that it is. Collecting stickers is a fun hobby for people of all ages.
There are now stickers in just about any imaginable theme you could ever think up, from floral, animal, vehicle, people, alphabets, sayings, bugs, and sports, to all sorts of very specific ones, such as John Deere, to NASCAR, to NFL, to Holly Hobby. If you can name an item, you can probably find a sticker to match. With the advances in machines such as the Wishblade or the CraftROBO, you can make your own if you cannot find what you are looking for. Simply design a logo or picture on your computer in any graphics program, print it to sticker-backed paper on your computer printer through their software programs, manually tracing the outline of the image inside of the Wishblade or CraftROBO program first. Once it is printed, you run it back through the cutting machine itself, the Wishblade or the CraftROBO, and with the aid of a mechanical eye and registration marks printed at the same time you printed the logo or design, the cutter knows where to cut.
If you are looking for something even more detailed than these are, there are stickers available that are finished in different textures. Flocked snowflakes and snowmen are always tops on my list of dimensional feeling stickers, and Diamond Dust stickers that bring a glittery theme to whatever project you incorporate them into. My favorite stickers I ever came across were actually balloons made of vinyl, filled with confetti, and real string tails. Three dimensional, I used them to create invitations to a birthday party I was hosting.
Take a bit of warning to heed though, that once you start collecting stickers, it is difficult to know when to stop. There are always stickers that will garner your attention for one reason or another. However, if you suddenly find yourself in the midst of lots of stickers, keep in mind that there are clubs specifically for trading stickers. These can be great for those times you see a sheet of stickers that you like, but you really only want a few of the actual stickers on it. You use which ones you want, and trade the others to someone who has a use for them for some they ended up with in the same manner. Trading stickers is a bit like trading collectible cards, but a lot more fun, as there never really is a monetary issue involved after the actual purchase, just the fun of the trades!
Trading stickers at crops is another fun way to trade off those you do not need, for a few you think you might. There are even folders with clear inserts that a lot of scrapbook enthusiasts use for storing stickers and making the trading of them easier. By keeping them stored in a binder with inserts made for storage of small items, others can quickly look through what you have available, and you can do the same with theirs. This keeps everything neat and orderly, and less chance of them becoming damaged by mishandling.
If you just want to get started collecting stickers, check out a club such as Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Art Club for ages seven through 107! If you have a child younger than that, that you would like to start collecting stickers, they also offer a Kid's Club for ages 2 through 9. The Sticker Art Club for all ages, arrives every other month, and includes both new designs and old favorites, to help you build up a collection of stickers from their fun line so you always have the perfect sticker at hand for whatever project you might be working on.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Selling Hobby Items Online
Sharing your hobby with the world has never been easier than it is right now. That is because you can open up shop online without much of the overhead that goes into traditional storefronts. The downside is that there is a whole new list of ideas and mistakes you should know about before you begin your online adventure.
If you will be starting your craft business online, know that many of the same principles apply. Just because you can rent space online for only a few bucks a month, compared to a few hundred for a retail store, does not mean that you should not have a marketing plan. You should work out your budget before you begin. Know what capital you have to invest in your business and treat your endeavor seriously. Do not be content just to let your business flow; make a concerted effort to make your business viable.
Customer service is another realm that exists in brick and mortar businesses that you will find also is important when you are dealing with online businesses. Unlike in the offline world, however, your only contact with a customer will be through email and possibly phone conversations. That means that you need to be prompt in getting back to customers. People who communicate online frequently become accustomed to the instant access they have to information, and they expect others to respond as quickly.
You should check your email often. Do not become a slave to email, but you can work to be sure that you answer your emails frequently. Try to make it a point to check your email in the mornings, at noon, and at the end of your workday. That way there is never more than a few hours during the work day between receiving a message and responding to it.
Also know that you have to make every effort to let your customers know that they are important to you. Consider sending them coupons, such as 1/2 off at an upcoming holiday. Also include a business card in every package so that your customers can get in contact. You also will want them to remember your company, and since they cannot recall it based on location, the business card is your best bet.
Be sure that your URL, or web address, is easy to remember. An incredibly lengthy URL will make it hard for people to remember. That will mean that they likely will not return to your site. Instead you should help them out by getting something that they will remember.
Because customers cannot pick up the items when they are shopping online, which can put you at a disadvantage as a crafter, you need to be sure that you are providing an excellent quality of photographs. Instead of providing only one angle, show them the item from several angles. One great idea is to put a ruler standing up against the item so that they will see how tall it is. Also have the option of seeing the picture in a larger display so that people can really tell whether or not they want to purchase.
The item descriptions you include on your site should provide everything that the customer wants to know. Include the size, the colors, the smells, and any relevant information. Imagine that someone were standing in a store. What would they ask about the product? That is what you need to include in your description.
Also think about the fact that online customers cannot ask you questions in real time. You should help them out by providing a frequently asked questions page so that they can learn about you, your hobby, and your company policies. If you are asked a question via email more than twice, you should add it to your FAQ page.
These quick tips will allow you to stay in the comfort of your own home and still earn an income. You will be able to spend time with your family and still manage to have a workable business plan. Just be sure that you familiarize yourself with the intricacies of working online before you begin your business venture. As with anything else, have a plan before you get started.
By Julia Mercer
If you will be starting your craft business online, know that many of the same principles apply. Just because you can rent space online for only a few bucks a month, compared to a few hundred for a retail store, does not mean that you should not have a marketing plan. You should work out your budget before you begin. Know what capital you have to invest in your business and treat your endeavor seriously. Do not be content just to let your business flow; make a concerted effort to make your business viable.
Customer service is another realm that exists in brick and mortar businesses that you will find also is important when you are dealing with online businesses. Unlike in the offline world, however, your only contact with a customer will be through email and possibly phone conversations. That means that you need to be prompt in getting back to customers. People who communicate online frequently become accustomed to the instant access they have to information, and they expect others to respond as quickly.
You should check your email often. Do not become a slave to email, but you can work to be sure that you answer your emails frequently. Try to make it a point to check your email in the mornings, at noon, and at the end of your workday. That way there is never more than a few hours during the work day between receiving a message and responding to it.
Also know that you have to make every effort to let your customers know that they are important to you. Consider sending them coupons, such as 1/2 off at an upcoming holiday. Also include a business card in every package so that your customers can get in contact. You also will want them to remember your company, and since they cannot recall it based on location, the business card is your best bet.
Be sure that your URL, or web address, is easy to remember. An incredibly lengthy URL will make it hard for people to remember. That will mean that they likely will not return to your site. Instead you should help them out by getting something that they will remember.
Because customers cannot pick up the items when they are shopping online, which can put you at a disadvantage as a crafter, you need to be sure that you are providing an excellent quality of photographs. Instead of providing only one angle, show them the item from several angles. One great idea is to put a ruler standing up against the item so that they will see how tall it is. Also have the option of seeing the picture in a larger display so that people can really tell whether or not they want to purchase.
The item descriptions you include on your site should provide everything that the customer wants to know. Include the size, the colors, the smells, and any relevant information. Imagine that someone were standing in a store. What would they ask about the product? That is what you need to include in your description.
Also think about the fact that online customers cannot ask you questions in real time. You should help them out by providing a frequently asked questions page so that they can learn about you, your hobby, and your company policies. If you are asked a question via email more than twice, you should add it to your FAQ page.
These quick tips will allow you to stay in the comfort of your own home and still earn an income. You will be able to spend time with your family and still manage to have a workable business plan. Just be sure that you familiarize yourself with the intricacies of working online before you begin your business venture. As with anything else, have a plan before you get started.
By Julia Mercer
Your First Craft Show
You have decided to take the plunge. You have been making cute little teddy bears for years. People love them, and they always ask if they can buy one. You always have shied away, but now you are thinking that selling your bears might not be such a bad idea. You are ready to begin, but you have never run a business. Where does one begin?
Your first bet would be to look at your inventory. What kinds of bears do you sell? Sit down and do some planning. Think about how much you spend on each bear for materials. Then think of how much time each bear takes you and add half an hour to that total. Now multiply that by what you would like to make per hour and add in the materials cost. That is the pricing for your bear.
Decide how many bears you can make over the course of a week. Here is one of the keys to having a successful small crafting business. You have to think about making time for the business. Your family may have a quick meal once a week so you can work. Your husband may have to take over a couple of loads of laundry. That is okay; you should be confident in asking your family to take on some of the responsibility so that you can make your crafting business successful.
Once you know how many bears you can make in a week, decide how much you would want to make at a first or second fair to make it worth your time. Think small at this point. You may want to make only $50 or $100. Just come up with a figure.
Now you are ready to begin searching for local craft shows. There are some fairly simple ways to look for the shows. You can keep an eye out in the newspaper or in local crafting magazines. Call the Chamber of Commerce. They should have their collective fingers on the pulse of everything going on in your community. Call the mall to see if they have any fairs coming up. Also check with neighboring towns to see what they have.
For each show, you should find out the price, the size table that includes, and the deadline. There are other details, but those are the most important for you right now. Once you have a listing of craft shows, you should sit down with a calendar and your calculations from earlier.
Come up with an additional budget. You will need to pay for gas and possibly lodging. If you have found shows locally, then you can mark lodging off the list. Still, think about food for the day. Perhaps you will pack your lunch, but you will need to buy ice. Add in every small detail of how much you will spend that will be related to the craft show.
Now go down your list. By each show, add up the figure for extra costs and the cost of entry into the show. Include the amount you want to make. Now use your calendar to count the weeks until the show. Decide if you can make enough bears in the weeks until the show to cover that number. Remember that you are calculating the profit you will make from each bear, not the selling price. So if you are making $5 a bear, and your costs break down as follows: $25 registration fee, $10 miscellaneous expenses, $75 profit margin, then you would add those figures up: $110. The show would need to be 22 weeks away (110/5) for you to make the right amount of money.
That may seem like a long time, but it really is not. You may need to plan now to be in a show that will happen in six months. Another option is to look for less expensive materials, pay someone (like a teenaged child) a small amount to help make bears, or to charge more per bear. Still figure out these costs now, and you will find that you will be able to make significant progress toward your craft business. Be confident. You can do this. You just need to work at it.
By Julia Mercer
Your first bet would be to look at your inventory. What kinds of bears do you sell? Sit down and do some planning. Think about how much you spend on each bear for materials. Then think of how much time each bear takes you and add half an hour to that total. Now multiply that by what you would like to make per hour and add in the materials cost. That is the pricing for your bear.
Decide how many bears you can make over the course of a week. Here is one of the keys to having a successful small crafting business. You have to think about making time for the business. Your family may have a quick meal once a week so you can work. Your husband may have to take over a couple of loads of laundry. That is okay; you should be confident in asking your family to take on some of the responsibility so that you can make your crafting business successful.
Once you know how many bears you can make in a week, decide how much you would want to make at a first or second fair to make it worth your time. Think small at this point. You may want to make only $50 or $100. Just come up with a figure.
Now you are ready to begin searching for local craft shows. There are some fairly simple ways to look for the shows. You can keep an eye out in the newspaper or in local crafting magazines. Call the Chamber of Commerce. They should have their collective fingers on the pulse of everything going on in your community. Call the mall to see if they have any fairs coming up. Also check with neighboring towns to see what they have.
For each show, you should find out the price, the size table that includes, and the deadline. There are other details, but those are the most important for you right now. Once you have a listing of craft shows, you should sit down with a calendar and your calculations from earlier.
Come up with an additional budget. You will need to pay for gas and possibly lodging. If you have found shows locally, then you can mark lodging off the list. Still, think about food for the day. Perhaps you will pack your lunch, but you will need to buy ice. Add in every small detail of how much you will spend that will be related to the craft show.
Now go down your list. By each show, add up the figure for extra costs and the cost of entry into the show. Include the amount you want to make. Now use your calendar to count the weeks until the show. Decide if you can make enough bears in the weeks until the show to cover that number. Remember that you are calculating the profit you will make from each bear, not the selling price. So if you are making $5 a bear, and your costs break down as follows: $25 registration fee, $10 miscellaneous expenses, $75 profit margin, then you would add those figures up: $110. The show would need to be 22 weeks away (110/5) for you to make the right amount of money.
That may seem like a long time, but it really is not. You may need to plan now to be in a show that will happen in six months. Another option is to look for less expensive materials, pay someone (like a teenaged child) a small amount to help make bears, or to charge more per bear. Still figure out these costs now, and you will find that you will be able to make significant progress toward your craft business. Be confident. You can do this. You just need to work at it.
By Julia Mercer
Mistakes of the Craft Business
When you start out selling your arts and crafts, you are bound to make some mistakes. That is okay; everyone does. There are some major mistakes, however, that you can learn to avoid by reading up on what you are doing.
The first major mistake that crafters make is that they sell their work for too little money. They feel that they really love what they are doing. It is something they would do anyway. They just do not feel comfortable charging other people more money. That is a major business mistake. To determine the appropriate pricing for your hobby, you should add up all of the materials, down to the lace that cost three cents, and then calculate the amount of time you spent on the craft. Add one half-hour for set up and transport costs, and then multiply the time by the amount of money you want to make per hour. That is your price; do not go lower.
Be sure that you are not starting out with too much going on. Most crafts can be completed for relatively little money. That means that you should begin small. You do not need a huge business loan. In fact, you do not need a business loan at all. Instead you can use your own capital to begin a crafting business. Start out by researching products and going to some small craft fairs. You will be able to start the business for about $100 if you plan well.
And that brings us to another point. You should have a plan. Do not wing it. Many people believe that they do not need a good, solid plan if they are just going to craft fairs. That is a mistake in thinking. Do not think of it as just going to craft fairs. Think of it as a business venture and go in with a workable plan in mind.
Part of that plan, of course, includes the budget. Decide how much you have to lose on craft fair registration, food, and parking in the first year. Now there are some ways to save on those expenses. You can park farther away. You can get a smaller booth. You can pack a lunch. Still you need to know how much you have to spend. I say lose because you do not know how much you will recoup, and you need to be prepared not to make anything back. That does not mean that you will not make anything back; it just means that you should be prepared.
Also keep a constant watch out for specials. Many small-time crafters focus on handmade products that do not all have to be the same. That is wonderful! You can look for products everywhere. My mother-in-law sells her crafts, and she makes several that need glass jars. She picks them up all the time at discount stores and even Goodwill for pennies. That really improves your profit margin, so keep an eye out for bargains. Also begin researching wholesalers. While you are not ready to use a wholesaler yet, you are ready to research.
Also watch that you do not fall prey to trendy crafts. Some crafts will become popular, but they likely will wane again. You will do better if you specialize in a certain type of craft and then stick to it. You can always update the line. If you make aprons, you can add catchy sayings that fit with the times or do a couple with kittens on them if you notice that they are popular. You should not, however, stop having aprons because you saw something else that was selling better.
As with any business, there will be good times and bad times with your craft business, and you should be prepared for both. Put away some money or put yourself in the position that you do not have to rely on your crafting income. This business will have its ups and downs, but think of it this way. On a bad day with crafts, you would rather be doing this business than working at something that you do not enjoy. Spend your time on your crafts business, and you will get the hang of it. Then there will be no stopping you.
By Julia Mercer
The first major mistake that crafters make is that they sell their work for too little money. They feel that they really love what they are doing. It is something they would do anyway. They just do not feel comfortable charging other people more money. That is a major business mistake. To determine the appropriate pricing for your hobby, you should add up all of the materials, down to the lace that cost three cents, and then calculate the amount of time you spent on the craft. Add one half-hour for set up and transport costs, and then multiply the time by the amount of money you want to make per hour. That is your price; do not go lower.
Be sure that you are not starting out with too much going on. Most crafts can be completed for relatively little money. That means that you should begin small. You do not need a huge business loan. In fact, you do not need a business loan at all. Instead you can use your own capital to begin a crafting business. Start out by researching products and going to some small craft fairs. You will be able to start the business for about $100 if you plan well.
And that brings us to another point. You should have a plan. Do not wing it. Many people believe that they do not need a good, solid plan if they are just going to craft fairs. That is a mistake in thinking. Do not think of it as just going to craft fairs. Think of it as a business venture and go in with a workable plan in mind.
Part of that plan, of course, includes the budget. Decide how much you have to lose on craft fair registration, food, and parking in the first year. Now there are some ways to save on those expenses. You can park farther away. You can get a smaller booth. You can pack a lunch. Still you need to know how much you have to spend. I say lose because you do not know how much you will recoup, and you need to be prepared not to make anything back. That does not mean that you will not make anything back; it just means that you should be prepared.
Also keep a constant watch out for specials. Many small-time crafters focus on handmade products that do not all have to be the same. That is wonderful! You can look for products everywhere. My mother-in-law sells her crafts, and she makes several that need glass jars. She picks them up all the time at discount stores and even Goodwill for pennies. That really improves your profit margin, so keep an eye out for bargains. Also begin researching wholesalers. While you are not ready to use a wholesaler yet, you are ready to research.
Also watch that you do not fall prey to trendy crafts. Some crafts will become popular, but they likely will wane again. You will do better if you specialize in a certain type of craft and then stick to it. You can always update the line. If you make aprons, you can add catchy sayings that fit with the times or do a couple with kittens on them if you notice that they are popular. You should not, however, stop having aprons because you saw something else that was selling better.
As with any business, there will be good times and bad times with your craft business, and you should be prepared for both. Put away some money or put yourself in the position that you do not have to rely on your crafting income. This business will have its ups and downs, but think of it this way. On a bad day with crafts, you would rather be doing this business than working at something that you do not enjoy. Spend your time on your crafts business, and you will get the hang of it. Then there will be no stopping you.
By Julia Mercer
Friday, February 24, 2006
Finding Time For Your Hobbies
You may know what your hobbies are but find that working on them regularly is a different story. That can be for a number of reasons. First you may find that you simply do not have the time. Second you may find that you have so many project ideas that you are unsure where to begin. Here are a few ideas for making sure that your hobbies make it into your life.
Okay, let us take a moment to reassure ourselves that having hobbies is a good thing. They relax us. They make us better mothers and sisters and wives. Many women get it in their heads that they should not spend time on themselves, and that is absolutely untrue. You need to take some time to spend on yourself, and your hobbies are it.
Once you have decided that you can spend time on your hobbies, then you should begin determining how much time you have. Some hobbies can be completed during downtime. Perhaps you work on small cross-stitches that will fit in your purse or you make blankets for other people. You may be able to fit these hobbies in. Decide how many minutes you have every week and divide it by five.
Now look at the projects you have sitting around that are started or waiting for you. Pick five of them. Be sure that you have everything you will need to complete them. Now, you should get a sheet of paper. Write down the five projects that you have completed and then make several boxes along the same row.
You are going to use a basic rotation method to work on your projects. Take the number you reached earlier. Let us pretend that the number was two hours. So tomorrow you will begin working on the first project you wrote down. You will accumulate two hours of work on it, mark it off in one of the squares you made, and then move to the next project. Do that through the five projects and then start back at the top.
You should continue through this list until you complete a project. Once you complete one project, add another one to the list and keep going. This system will make you account for the time you spend on your hobbies and also will help you to be sure that you get some work done on the hobbies you enjoy.
This project spreadsheet should not begin to dictate the way you spend your time. Still it will help you to make sure that you are completing tasks. If you find that every time you come to one of the bead working projects on your list, you feel unhappy, then you should rethink bead working. Fill in that time with a hobby you truly enjoy.
You also should make it a point to take your hobby supplies with you whenever you go. Let us pretend that you do have that desire to cross-stitch small items. You can add this project to your hobby corral without adding it to the list of five. If you have a decent-sized purse, then you can put the stitching and the supplies you will need to complete the project in the same place. Put them in a small plastic bag so that you will have them wherever you go. Then when you are waiting for the kids or in line at the post office, you can begin to work on the project.
You may be surprised at how much time you have to spend on your hobbies if you really work at it. Sometimes we think that there is no time, but in reality, we are not using the time that we have very well. If you are conscious of your time use, then you will be able to locate little pockets. Maybe you have 15 minutes in the morning before everyone else gets up. Use that time. Little pieces of time here and there sometimes is all we can find, particularly when we have little ones running around. Just be sure that you do not give up the things you truly enjoy for the sake of other people. They would not want you to do that, and you should not either.
By Julia Mercer
Okay, let us take a moment to reassure ourselves that having hobbies is a good thing. They relax us. They make us better mothers and sisters and wives. Many women get it in their heads that they should not spend time on themselves, and that is absolutely untrue. You need to take some time to spend on yourself, and your hobbies are it.
Once you have decided that you can spend time on your hobbies, then you should begin determining how much time you have. Some hobbies can be completed during downtime. Perhaps you work on small cross-stitches that will fit in your purse or you make blankets for other people. You may be able to fit these hobbies in. Decide how many minutes you have every week and divide it by five.
Now look at the projects you have sitting around that are started or waiting for you. Pick five of them. Be sure that you have everything you will need to complete them. Now, you should get a sheet of paper. Write down the five projects that you have completed and then make several boxes along the same row.
You are going to use a basic rotation method to work on your projects. Take the number you reached earlier. Let us pretend that the number was two hours. So tomorrow you will begin working on the first project you wrote down. You will accumulate two hours of work on it, mark it off in one of the squares you made, and then move to the next project. Do that through the five projects and then start back at the top.
You should continue through this list until you complete a project. Once you complete one project, add another one to the list and keep going. This system will make you account for the time you spend on your hobbies and also will help you to be sure that you get some work done on the hobbies you enjoy.
This project spreadsheet should not begin to dictate the way you spend your time. Still it will help you to make sure that you are completing tasks. If you find that every time you come to one of the bead working projects on your list, you feel unhappy, then you should rethink bead working. Fill in that time with a hobby you truly enjoy.
You also should make it a point to take your hobby supplies with you whenever you go. Let us pretend that you do have that desire to cross-stitch small items. You can add this project to your hobby corral without adding it to the list of five. If you have a decent-sized purse, then you can put the stitching and the supplies you will need to complete the project in the same place. Put them in a small plastic bag so that you will have them wherever you go. Then when you are waiting for the kids or in line at the post office, you can begin to work on the project.
You may be surprised at how much time you have to spend on your hobbies if you really work at it. Sometimes we think that there is no time, but in reality, we are not using the time that we have very well. If you are conscious of your time use, then you will be able to locate little pockets. Maybe you have 15 minutes in the morning before everyone else gets up. Use that time. Little pieces of time here and there sometimes is all we can find, particularly when we have little ones running around. Just be sure that you do not give up the things you truly enjoy for the sake of other people. They would not want you to do that, and you should not either.
By Julia Mercer
Organizing Your Hobby Supplies
Keeping on top of the organizational needs of your hobbies is key to making sure that your hobbies do not begin to overtake your life. If you are finding that every time you clean, the hobbies pile is growing, then maybe you need to rethink your organizational strategy.
For starters, do you actually participate in every hobby for which you have supplies? If you have tennis rackets that have not seen the light of day since you graduated from college ten years ago, it is time to move on. Do not stall. Throw them out or give them away. If tennis ever fits back into your life, then you can get new rackets. Look at every hobby supply you have from the crochet needles that have never been opened to the pillowcase you started cross-stitching three years ago. Toss anything that is broken or that you have not used.
Now, you should have a much smaller pile. You should begin by sorting the projects. First you will sort them by the type of project they are. For example, you should not put the paints with the cross-stitching supplies. The yoga mat does not go with the gardening tools. Divide everything by categories.
Think about where you will put your hobby supplies. Perhaps you will put some of them in boxes under the bed or in that spare shelf in the downstairs closet. Do not just think about rooms. Now is the time to think about where exactly you will put your supplies. Once you have an idea, then you can begin to organize the projects.
For outdoor projects, you should put the items in a garage or outdoor storage shed. Look for a wooden box without a lid to toss in any sports equipment. For gardening supplies, use the same concept but get something smaller. If your hobby requires large pieces of equipment, such as snow skis, then you should hang them on the wall. Be sure that you measure and that you mark what goes in the spot.
For indoor hobbies, you should divide them by finished, working, and not started. Take the finished projects first. Find homes for them. That home may be by the bathroom sink. It may be with your mother. It may be at the local nursing home as a donation. Find something to do with all of the finished projects. They are no good sitting in piles.
Then look at the never started piles. You should get containers and box up these supplies. Some hobbies, like painting, will have a lot of supplies that are often used. You should make them accessible but box them up. If you participate in the hobby often, then you may want to think about getting a box without a lid. Otherwise, you should get something with a lid. It will be easier to stack, and it will curb how much you can accumulate.
Finally we are looking at the works in progress. You should get some baskets for them. In one basket, put all of the supplies for the individual hobby that you are working on. For example, if you are knitting an afghan, then you should get the needles and all of the yarn you will use. Put it in a basket and then put the basket somewhere where you are likely to use it, whether that is under your bedside table or next to the recliner. Do the same with all of the hobby projects. You want to make sure that you can get to the supplies you need when you need them.
The last task will be to make sure that you keep up with the system. Do not buy more projects for a single hobby until you have finished at least one of the projects that you already have. You also should be sure that you are working on a hobby fairly regularly. If you have not worked on that crochet basket under your bed in months, then it may be time to admit that the hobby is not one that fits into your current lifestyle. Otherwise the clutter from disorganized hobbies really get to you. Be sure that you go through your hobby supplies often.
By Julia Mercer
For starters, do you actually participate in every hobby for which you have supplies? If you have tennis rackets that have not seen the light of day since you graduated from college ten years ago, it is time to move on. Do not stall. Throw them out or give them away. If tennis ever fits back into your life, then you can get new rackets. Look at every hobby supply you have from the crochet needles that have never been opened to the pillowcase you started cross-stitching three years ago. Toss anything that is broken or that you have not used.
Now, you should have a much smaller pile. You should begin by sorting the projects. First you will sort them by the type of project they are. For example, you should not put the paints with the cross-stitching supplies. The yoga mat does not go with the gardening tools. Divide everything by categories.
Think about where you will put your hobby supplies. Perhaps you will put some of them in boxes under the bed or in that spare shelf in the downstairs closet. Do not just think about rooms. Now is the time to think about where exactly you will put your supplies. Once you have an idea, then you can begin to organize the projects.
For outdoor projects, you should put the items in a garage or outdoor storage shed. Look for a wooden box without a lid to toss in any sports equipment. For gardening supplies, use the same concept but get something smaller. If your hobby requires large pieces of equipment, such as snow skis, then you should hang them on the wall. Be sure that you measure and that you mark what goes in the spot.
For indoor hobbies, you should divide them by finished, working, and not started. Take the finished projects first. Find homes for them. That home may be by the bathroom sink. It may be with your mother. It may be at the local nursing home as a donation. Find something to do with all of the finished projects. They are no good sitting in piles.
Then look at the never started piles. You should get containers and box up these supplies. Some hobbies, like painting, will have a lot of supplies that are often used. You should make them accessible but box them up. If you participate in the hobby often, then you may want to think about getting a box without a lid. Otherwise, you should get something with a lid. It will be easier to stack, and it will curb how much you can accumulate.
Finally we are looking at the works in progress. You should get some baskets for them. In one basket, put all of the supplies for the individual hobby that you are working on. For example, if you are knitting an afghan, then you should get the needles and all of the yarn you will use. Put it in a basket and then put the basket somewhere where you are likely to use it, whether that is under your bedside table or next to the recliner. Do the same with all of the hobby projects. You want to make sure that you can get to the supplies you need when you need them.
The last task will be to make sure that you keep up with the system. Do not buy more projects for a single hobby until you have finished at least one of the projects that you already have. You also should be sure that you are working on a hobby fairly regularly. If you have not worked on that crochet basket under your bed in months, then it may be time to admit that the hobby is not one that fits into your current lifestyle. Otherwise the clutter from disorganized hobbies really get to you. Be sure that you go through your hobby supplies often.
By Julia Mercer
Photographing Uncooperative Subjects
By Christina VanGinkel
My two-year-old grandson was recently sprawled out in the middle of my living room floor, with a blanket we keep in the room for those evening snuggles all of us enjoy, wrapped up around him, his head on a throw pillow that originated from the couch, and a book about raising dragons held up on his chest. It was one of those picture perfect moments, which would have captured his early love of reading flawlessly. The minute he spied me approaching with my camera though, he tossed the book aside and pulled the blanket over his head! I would not say that he is camera shy, the opposite is actually true, as when the time is right (read this as when 'he' thinks the time is right!) he can be quite cooperative.
Children are not the only subjects that can be uncooperative when trying to capture their photo, pets are notorious for being just as hard to photograph. There are steps you can take to make the process of getting the perfect shot of whomever, or whatever your subject is, seemingly effortless.
Be Ready
The reason my grandson even knew I was going to take his picture, is because I had to fumble for my camera in the first place, and then when I turned it on, I realized I had to change the batteries. By the time I had everything set to go, he had too much time to become aware of what I was doing, and in that time, he made the decision to become uncooperative. If my camera had been in a convenient place for those quick but unexpected shots that are so common with children in the house, and I had taken the time to change the batteries when I last used it, I would have had a much better chance of getting the snapshot. He simply had too much time to question himself on whether he wanted his picture being taken in the first place.
I should have known better, as I had a similar experience just a few days earlier with a few wildlife subjects that were in our yard. We have a flock of wild turkeys that have decided to make our yard home this winter, and several fox squirrels too. They all think they can fit on the bird feeders we have placed about to feed the songbirds. As I walked outside, I realized that we had two full-grown turkeys and two fox squirrels all on a single bird feeder, looking very much like a bad cartoon for a busy restaurant scene! By the time I even found where I had dropped my camera the last time I used it, the moment was long past.
Each time you use your camera, take the time to place it in a convenient spot that is easy to access on a moment's notice, change the film or free up space on the memory card, change exhausted batteries, clean the lens, etc., so it is all ready to use at a moment's notice the next time you need it.
Be Considerate
Children and pets may not always want their picture being taken, even when you know that the shot of a lifetime is just a button press away. Learn to be considerate, but stick with your goal to get that shot. Do not expect either to sit still, get them occupied doing something else, such as playing with toys, or divert their attention to somewhere or somebody else, while you work on taking that perfect picture. I once had my youngest son sit and blow bubbles out in the yard, while my young grandson ran around chasing the bubbles. He was so intent on what the bubbles and his Uncle were doing; he paid the camera and me no attention whatsoever. I have employed similar tricks when trying to take some portrait shots of our family dog, who is getting up in years. My son sat amid a pile of leaves several seasons ago, and would toss them by the handfuls into the air. She was so mesmerized by them all; I ended up with a portrait of her that will remind us of her and her gentle ways for many a year to come!
My two-year-old grandson was recently sprawled out in the middle of my living room floor, with a blanket we keep in the room for those evening snuggles all of us enjoy, wrapped up around him, his head on a throw pillow that originated from the couch, and a book about raising dragons held up on his chest. It was one of those picture perfect moments, which would have captured his early love of reading flawlessly. The minute he spied me approaching with my camera though, he tossed the book aside and pulled the blanket over his head! I would not say that he is camera shy, the opposite is actually true, as when the time is right (read this as when 'he' thinks the time is right!) he can be quite cooperative.
Children are not the only subjects that can be uncooperative when trying to capture their photo, pets are notorious for being just as hard to photograph. There are steps you can take to make the process of getting the perfect shot of whomever, or whatever your subject is, seemingly effortless.
Be Ready
The reason my grandson even knew I was going to take his picture, is because I had to fumble for my camera in the first place, and then when I turned it on, I realized I had to change the batteries. By the time I had everything set to go, he had too much time to become aware of what I was doing, and in that time, he made the decision to become uncooperative. If my camera had been in a convenient place for those quick but unexpected shots that are so common with children in the house, and I had taken the time to change the batteries when I last used it, I would have had a much better chance of getting the snapshot. He simply had too much time to question himself on whether he wanted his picture being taken in the first place.
I should have known better, as I had a similar experience just a few days earlier with a few wildlife subjects that were in our yard. We have a flock of wild turkeys that have decided to make our yard home this winter, and several fox squirrels too. They all think they can fit on the bird feeders we have placed about to feed the songbirds. As I walked outside, I realized that we had two full-grown turkeys and two fox squirrels all on a single bird feeder, looking very much like a bad cartoon for a busy restaurant scene! By the time I even found where I had dropped my camera the last time I used it, the moment was long past.
Each time you use your camera, take the time to place it in a convenient spot that is easy to access on a moment's notice, change the film or free up space on the memory card, change exhausted batteries, clean the lens, etc., so it is all ready to use at a moment's notice the next time you need it.
Be Considerate
Children and pets may not always want their picture being taken, even when you know that the shot of a lifetime is just a button press away. Learn to be considerate, but stick with your goal to get that shot. Do not expect either to sit still, get them occupied doing something else, such as playing with toys, or divert their attention to somewhere or somebody else, while you work on taking that perfect picture. I once had my youngest son sit and blow bubbles out in the yard, while my young grandson ran around chasing the bubbles. He was so intent on what the bubbles and his Uncle were doing; he paid the camera and me no attention whatsoever. I have employed similar tricks when trying to take some portrait shots of our family dog, who is getting up in years. My son sat amid a pile of leaves several seasons ago, and would toss them by the handfuls into the air. She was so mesmerized by them all; I ended up with a portrait of her that will remind us of her and her gentle ways for many a year to come!
Free Gifts With Crafts
Birthday gifts should come from the heart. We all know it, but few of us take advantage of that idea. Still if you are short on money, or even if you are not, then you may want to consider making homemade and free birthday gifts. Even if you are giving a store-bought gift as well, these ideas allow you to put more time and effort into a gift for someone else. You may just find that you are able to give them these thoughtful gifts, and you will both feel better about it.
One of the best options for a crafted gift is to give love gift certificates. No, you are not giving away love. Instead you are giving away things that you can do for someone. You can take several different angles. You can give away services, such as one home-cooked meal or one night of free babysitting, or you can offer your time, such as one long walk or two hours at a coffee shop. Think about the person receiving the gift and what he or she will appreciate most. You can make these certificates really easily by using some construction paper or cardstock. If graphics is more your thing, then try printing them up on your computer. All you need to create the booklet is a hole puncher to put a little hole in the top corner. Then run a piece of yarn through. You can even cut out a heart and attach a note. This gift is one that will remind the person throughout the year that you cared.
If you are into more sentimental gifts, think about making a customized love letter or appreciation list. Think of what you love about the person for whom you are looking for a gift. Then write them all out. You can go really low-key and write all of the things you love in a list or on a piece of paper, or you can type it up. Then just print it and take it to get laminated or get an inexpensive frame for it. If you are a parent, you could have your children write in their own handwriting and words what they love about the other parent. Get a multi-photo frame and put the love letters from the little ones in it. This gift will make a wonderful one that the recipient can continue to cherish for years to come.
Another great choice for a hobby gift is to give a photo album. You can buy a photo album for only a couple of dollars. Then go through the pictures that you have in your files. Pick out some with the special person in it. Put them together in a photo album for a gift. If you are more crafty, you may even want to consider making a scrapbook as a gift. You can include dates of the pictures as well as little comments that show how much you care.
If you are giving a gift to a younger relative, you can make a little homemade book that will tell what you wish you had known. Think about when you were the age of the recipient. These gifts are great for milestones, such as when someone is going off to college. Write down 100 things you wish you had known or 50 tips for succeeding or something similar. Type them up and print them out. Then you can take them to your local print shop and have them turned into a book for only a few bucks.
When your child reaches a milestone, commemorate the occasion by writing a letter to tell her or him what you want your child to know. Perhaps you want your child to grab the world and run with her dreams. Perhaps you want him to know that you will always be there regardless of the situation. Take the time in a letter to say it and then give it to your child. Although you may not know it now, these letters can have a lasting impact.
Thinking about your hobbies or your craft skills can help you to come up with good gift ideas. Remember that it really is the thought that counts!
By Julia Mercer
One of the best options for a crafted gift is to give love gift certificates. No, you are not giving away love. Instead you are giving away things that you can do for someone. You can take several different angles. You can give away services, such as one home-cooked meal or one night of free babysitting, or you can offer your time, such as one long walk or two hours at a coffee shop. Think about the person receiving the gift and what he or she will appreciate most. You can make these certificates really easily by using some construction paper or cardstock. If graphics is more your thing, then try printing them up on your computer. All you need to create the booklet is a hole puncher to put a little hole in the top corner. Then run a piece of yarn through. You can even cut out a heart and attach a note. This gift is one that will remind the person throughout the year that you cared.
If you are into more sentimental gifts, think about making a customized love letter or appreciation list. Think of what you love about the person for whom you are looking for a gift. Then write them all out. You can go really low-key and write all of the things you love in a list or on a piece of paper, or you can type it up. Then just print it and take it to get laminated or get an inexpensive frame for it. If you are a parent, you could have your children write in their own handwriting and words what they love about the other parent. Get a multi-photo frame and put the love letters from the little ones in it. This gift will make a wonderful one that the recipient can continue to cherish for years to come.
Another great choice for a hobby gift is to give a photo album. You can buy a photo album for only a couple of dollars. Then go through the pictures that you have in your files. Pick out some with the special person in it. Put them together in a photo album for a gift. If you are more crafty, you may even want to consider making a scrapbook as a gift. You can include dates of the pictures as well as little comments that show how much you care.
If you are giving a gift to a younger relative, you can make a little homemade book that will tell what you wish you had known. Think about when you were the age of the recipient. These gifts are great for milestones, such as when someone is going off to college. Write down 100 things you wish you had known or 50 tips for succeeding or something similar. Type them up and print them out. Then you can take them to your local print shop and have them turned into a book for only a few bucks.
When your child reaches a milestone, commemorate the occasion by writing a letter to tell her or him what you want your child to know. Perhaps you want your child to grab the world and run with her dreams. Perhaps you want him to know that you will always be there regardless of the situation. Take the time in a letter to say it and then give it to your child. Although you may not know it now, these letters can have a lasting impact.
Thinking about your hobbies or your craft skills can help you to come up with good gift ideas. Remember that it really is the thought that counts!
By Julia Mercer
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