UNLOCK YOUR SELF IMPROVEMENT POWER

When we look at a certain object, a painting for example – we won’t be able to appreciate what’s in it, what is painted and what else goes with it  if the painting is just an inch away from our face. But if we try to take it a little further, we’ll have a clearer vision of the whole art work.

We reach a point in our life when we are ready for change and a whole bunch of information that will help us unlock our self improvement power. Until then, something can be staring us right under our nose but we don’t see it.  The only time we think of unlocking our self improvement power is when everything got worst. Take the frog principle for example –

Try placing Frog A in a pot of boiling water. What happens? He twerps! He jumps off! Why? Because he is not able to tolerate sudden change in his environment – the water’s temperature. Then try Frog B: place him in a luke warm water, then turn the gas stove on. Wait til the water reaches a certain boiling point. Frog B then thinks “Ooh… it’s a bit warm in here”.

People are like Frog B in general. Today, Anna thinks Carl hates her. Tomorrow, Patrick walks up to her and told her he hates her. Anna stays the same and doesn’t mind her what her friends says. The next day, she learned that Kim and John also abhors her. Anna doesn’t realize at once the importance and the need for self improvement until the entire community hates her.

We learn our lessons when we experience pain. We finally see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and tough. When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our jeans and shirts would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth has fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad. When do we pray and ask for help? When we realize that we’re gonna die tomorrow.

The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self improvement power is when the whole world is crashing and falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. But change becomes more painful when we ignore it.

Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to experience different turning points in our life – and we are all going to eventually unlock our self improvement power not because the world says so, not because our friends are nagging us, but because we realized its for our own good.

Happy people don’t just accept change, they embrace it. Now, you don’t have to feel a tremendous heat before realizing the need for self improvement.  Unlocking your self improvement power means unlocking yourself up in the cage of thought that “its just the way I am”. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear and resist change. Most of us program our minds like computers.

Jen repeatedly tells everyone that she doesn’t have the guts to be around groups of people. She heard her mom, her dad, her sister, her teacher tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jen believes. She believes its her story. And what happens? Every time a great crowd would troop over their house, in school, and in the community – she tends to step back, shy away and lock herself up in a room. Jen didn’t only believed in her story, she lived it.

Jen has to realize that she is not what she is in her story. Instead of having her story post around her face for everyone to remember, she has to have the spirit and show people “I am an important person and I should be treated accordingly!”

Self improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different point of view, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result to a healthier life, reading books instead of looking at porns will shape up a more profound knowledge, going out with friends and peers will help you take a step back from work and unwind.  And just when you are enjoying the whole process of unlocking your self improvement power, you’ll realize that you’re beginning to take things light and become happy.

Cute Wooden Handicraft:  Make a String of Hearts

Everyone loves heart-shaped decorations.  This cute wooden handicraft can be hung over a doorway or as part of a wall display.  Paint the hearts red, pink, and white, and you will have a decoration for Valentines’ Day.  Paint them red and green for Christmas, or red, white, and blue to display love for America.  You can leave it plain for a natural look.  The string of hearts wooden handicraft fits well with country style furnishings.

To make the string of hearts, you will need 5 wooden heart cut-outs approximately three inches wide, a drill with an eighth inch bit and a quarter inch bit, a small amount of raffia, two yards of 1 -1/2 inch wide soft ribbon, two large wooden beads, and acrylic paints in the colors you want.  The ribbon and the beads should match the color sceme you desire.  Plaid ribbons are particularly effective.  The string of hearts has five hearts side by side tied together with small raffia bows.  The first and last hearts have the wide ribbon strung through a hole on each side and a bead strung on the ribbon.  The ribbon is knotted at the very ends, making a loop of ribbon on each end which can fit over a nail for hanging.

The first step in making the wooden handicraft is to drill a small hole on each side of the hearts.   The two outside holes are made with the quarter inch bit, and the other holes are made with the 1/8 inch bit.  Now paint the hearts with the acrylic paint in the colors you desire.  Acrylic paints are the small bottles of craft paint that are sold in 2-ounce bottles in a wide variety of colors.  They can sometimes be purchased very inexpensively.  Tempera paint will work if you can’t get acrylic paints.  Another idea is to spray paint them, especially if you want to use a metallic color.

When the paint is dry, tie the hearts together with the raffia.  To do this, cut four 10-inch lengths of raffia.  Thread the raffia down into one hole and up through the hole on the next heart so that they lay side by side.  The raffia should be tied in a neat bow on the top of the arrangement.  Do the same between the rest of the hearts so that all the small raffia bows are on top.  Trim the raffia ends if necessary.

Through each of the outside holes, thread one of the ribbons.  Pull the ribbon through until the ends are even.  Thread the large bead over both ends and slip it up close to the heart.  Trim the ends of the ribbon decoratively and knot them.  Repeat the process on the other side to complete the wooden handicraft.  Now hang the string of hearts wherever desired for a cheerful decoration.  A wooden handicraft like this makes a nice gift for someone special.

Wedding Crafts Ideas for Saving Money

Weddings are a joyous occasion but can get expensive in a hurry.  With wedding crafts you can insert a personal touch and hold the price down as well.  Here are a few ideas for wedding crafts to add sparkle and creativity to your big day.

It is not that hard to create your own wedding veil.  To make this wedding craft, you will need a length of bridal illusion in the desired length.  You will also need a comb to attach it to your hair and a hat or headpiece to cover the comb.  Sew large running stitches about an inch from the end of the illusion and gather it tightly.  Now  sew the veil to the comb.  Top with hat or headpiece.   As an alternative, you can decorate a wide-brimmed straw hat with silk flowers, ribbon, and pearls.

The bouquets and floral arrangements can also be personally crafted.  For a simple outdoor wedding, consider wild flowers.  They are free and have a charm all their own.  Bouquets can be arranged in large clear vases, with a bow tied elegantly around.

Favors for the guests are particularly appropriate wedding crafts.  Refrigerator magnets are a simple and well-received favor.  A really nice idea is to make a magnetic picture frame and include a picture of the couple.  You could cut a frame out of craft foam in one of the wedding colors, arrange over the photo, and glue all onto a cardboard backing.  Place self-adhesive magnet tape on the back of the cardboard.  Decorate the front of the frame with foil heart stickers and a monogram of the couple’s last name.

Bows for the ends of the pews or rows make simple wedding crafts.  Wide velvet ribbons are nice for fall and winter weddings, while satin is more appropriate for spring and summer weddings.  Loop some flat lace in with the ribbons.  In the center of the completed bow, attach some silk flowers and pearl sprays with a hot glue gun.

Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at decorating your own cake.  Check the craft section of the department store for pans and gadgets of all types to help you create a cake to remember.  Do remember, though, that it takes a steady hand.  Be sure to practice before starting on the real cake.

Preparing for a wedding can be expensive, but with wedding crafts, you can take some of the sting out.  Plan early, however, because it will take a little while to make favors for everyone and all the other little details you will want to take care of.  Maybe creating wedding crafts will even relieve some of those wedding jitters.  In any event, crafting your own wedding items is a way to have a personal, beautiful, and less expensive wedding.

Collect and Play:  Have Fun With a Toy Hobby

Some adults never seem to grow up.  They seem to retain their childlike wonder at the world around them.  These are the adults who have started a toy hobby. Kids like to hang around with these adults because they seem more like kids.  Sometimes having a child or a grandchild can spark an interest in toys.  Be that as it may, a toy hobby will keep a person young at heart.

Many women love dolls and never outgrow them.  Some prefer baby dolls, some fashion dolls, and still others go for antique or decorative dolls.  Often an interest in dolls will spill over into a craft interest, as the doll lover begins to craft clothing and accessories for favorite dolls.  Sometimes the hobbyist becomes skilled at crafting the dolls themselves.  Some types of dolls that are often hand-crafted are rag dolls and cloth bodied dolls with ceramic heads.  It is not uncommon to find older women who have an entire room of their homes filled with special dolls on display.

Older men, on the other hand, (and sometimes women, too) often like cars and trucks.  Antique metal cars are hot collectibles, with some older ones being quite valuable.  Matchbox cars have always been loved, but so have the large Tonka dumptruck, road grader, and bulldozer.  You can bet the grandkids will want to play with your trucks and cars.

A toy hobby that is extremely popular is collecting Beanie Babies.  These small velour animals, made by the Ty company, each have a personality all its own.  You can find Beanie Babies in every type of animal you can think of.  A similar hobby is collecting teddy bears.  There are many Beanie Baby teddy bears, but a teddy bear collector will probably want to branch out to collect other types of bears.  In fact, many bear collectors have figurines and other items collected in addition to their teddy bears.

Wooden toys are popular among adults, both to craft and to collect.  There is something quaint and pleasant about a child playing with a handcrafted wooden toy.  Wooden toys make attractive home accents wherever they get dropped, which is not something you can say about the latest plastic gizmo.  People who like country decorating often prefer wooden toys for their kids.

You don’t have to outgrow toys!  A toy hobby will keep you young at heart and make you a favorite among the kids in your neighborhood.  Whether you collect toys or craft them, a toy hobby is something you can play around with!

Have a Toy Game Hobby Night at Your House!

Build family communication and togetherness by having a weekly toy game hobby night.  It is so easy these days to let work, school, and the business of life rule the day, that we can easily lose touch with each other.  If we get together one night each week for a toy game hobby night, we can rekindle those family ties.

Those families with small children will probably focus more on the toy aspect of the toy game hobby night.  Take the time to get down on the floor and play with those youngsters.  Cuddle those dollies and call yourself “grandma” or “grandpa.”  Push those trucks around and pretend right along with the kids.  If your back can take it, let them take turns riding you like a horse while you crawl around and neigh.  Every kid loves that!

On summer evenings, try toy game hobby night in the sand box at the park.  Using an old mesh produce bag, collect a variety of suitable sand toys to take along.  These toys include various containers, a few wheeled vehicles, toy garden tools, and cast-off kitchen utensils.  In the sandbox with your kids, you can create towns with roads, castles, or just about anything.

Modeling dough is also a great activity for toy game hobby night.  Collect some small cookie cutters and old jar lids (for pans) and create fancy cookies and desserts - inedible and calorie-free, of course!  The kids can turn a large box on it’s side for a counter and place the goodies on display to sell.  Of course, you’ll pretend to buy, eat, and enjoy!

Some fun games for family night include card games like Uno, board games like Candy Land or Life, and dominoes.  When choosing games to play there are several things to consider.  Is Scrabble, for instance, fun for everyone, or does all the spelling and thinking feel like work to some of the players?  Does the game take forever to play, so that some players’ attention spans play out?  Does the game encourage merciless competition, like Monopoly, leaving losers feeling left out?  It’s important for kids to learn how to lose and still have fun.  Don’t “throw” the game, intentionally letting them win all the time, but don’t mercilessly beat them every time either.  Make it fun.  If losing is a problem for some of the kids, check out some of the new cooperative games where everyone is on the same team.

Hobbies are also great to share as a family.  Maybe your family would be interested in pursuing musical skills together.  Families make great singing groups because their voices match well.  If that’s not for you, maybe you’d all enjoy fishing.  Square dancing is fun for some families, while others enjoy playing badminton or other active games and sports.  The important thing is to have fun together.

Having a toy game hobby night every week will help you stay close to your kids as they grow up.  It will keep the bond of love fresh and the lines of communication open.  Plan a toy game hobby night this week!

Hot Weather Fun: Summer Crafts for Kids

When boredom looms and the weather’s hot, get everyone involved in summer crafts for kids.  Kids are always excited to be free from the school routine when they are let out for summer break, but it isn’t long until they start wondering what to do.  Summer crafts for kids will keep them occupied and maybe even teach them a thing or two.

In summer, crafts for kids can involve found objects, like seed pods, grasses, and similar objects.  Let kids create nature collection collages by gluing these items to a stiff piece of cardboard.   Help them spray paint some of the findings with silver or gold paint.  Alternatively, they might like to glue glitter to some of the findings.  Perhaps they would also enjoy collecting wild flower seed heads and creating dried flower arrangements.   Arrange the bouquet in a homemade vase.

A vase for summer bouquets, fresh or dried, is another craft that naturally fits into the summer crafts for kids category.  A simple vase can be made from a tin can.  Soup cans work particularly well because they are smooth on the outside and rather narrow.  Be sure to file off any sharp spurs on the inside opening.  Start the work of art by cutting a piece of construction paper or other colored paper to fit around the sides of the can.  This will be glued to the outside of the can, but first it needs to be decorated.

The vase cover can be decorated in many ways.  The child can draw a summer scene on the paper and then decorate it with glued on glitter or small stickers of summer things.  Another idea is for the child to write their name in large letters, and glue beans, seeds, or glitter to the letters.  Let all glue dry before attaching the paper to the outside of the can.  Add water and fresh flowers or leave dry for dry flowers.

You can also use the can for a trinket container or a place to put pens, pencils, and markers.  To make them real summer crafts for kids, glue grass seed heads and found seed pods to the paper in a decorative way.

Jar vases make good summer crafts for kids, too.  Canning jars make particularly cute vases, but any cast off mayonnaise, pickle, or other jar, even plastic ones, can work, too.  To make a jar into a vase it first needs to be sparkling clean.  Kids love getting wet in the summer, so let them roll up their sleeves (or put on a bathing suit!) and have fun splashing at the sink while “washing dishes.”  When the jar is clean and dry, tie an attractive ribbon around the opening.  If desired, decorate the outside of the jar with glued on beads and buttons.

Summer crafts for kids will provide some cute decorations around the home and keep the kids from being bored.  This summer, crafts for kids should be at the top of every parent’s To Do list!

Sports Recreation: Relieve Stress and Have Fun

The world we live in is growing increasingly fast-paced, stressful, and filled with responsibility.  Because of this, everyone needs some time to relax and have some recreation.  Our modern way of life also tends to be sedentary, and the meals we eat are often not very healthy.  Exercise is a very important component in renewing us.  For these reasons, sports recreation activities are some of the best recreation we can choose.  There are many options for hobbies to provide sports recreation.  You may even want to learn some new recreational sports skills.

Courses to learn new sports recreation skills can be found online and in larger cities.  You can learn and participate in team sports through the local Y and other organizations.  Team sports recreation activities you might like to participate in include softball, baseball, basketball, and sometimes soccer for younger people.  Another team sport you might enjoy is bowling.  Regardless of your skill level you can find a bowling team to have fun with.

Individual sports recreation activities you can learn and participate in include golf, tennis, running, aerobic dance, gymnastics, and horseback riding.  Don’t overlook bicycling and weight training too.  Many of these sports can be learned at the local Y as well.  For some of these, you’ll want to have a friend to play against or share the exerience with.  Many runners, for instance, like to run with a friend.  And games like tennis and handball really need cooperation for best results.

If you’d rather, you can learn about sports recreation skills online.  You can find courses to teach almost any sport or activity you can think of including underwater hockey, fly-fishing, and para-gliding in the Alps!  Of course, unless you can get some hands-on experience you’ll only have the theories of the sport.  Still, online courses are a good way to get a taste of different sports and recreational activities you might someday want to try out.

A really fun sports recreation game you might get a chance to play is ping pong.  Ping pong, or table tennis as it is sometimes called, is played on a table with rubber coated paddles and extremely lightweight plastic balls.  You must hit the ball with your paddle so that it strikes the table and clears the net before your opponent strikes it and bounces it back to you.  One way to become more adept at ping pong and increase your chance of winning is to sometimes hit the ball harder than at other times.  This keeps your opponent guessing what you will do next.

Sports recreation activities are a great way to get exercise and relieve stress.  They are also a lot of fun.  Whether with friends or alone, everyone needs a favorite sports recreation to take part in.

Rock Collecting:  A Hobby that’s “Hard” to Resist

Rock collecting is a fascinating hobby for kids and adults alike.  While rocks are common, cheap, and found everywhere, the variety is huge.  Collected rocks can be displayed in many ways, from rock gardens to neatly kept showcases, making rock collecting a versatile hobby.

When rock collecting, you will soon find out that rocks can be categorized as one of three types.  A sedimentary rock formed when sediments, such as sand or silt, were pressed together under their own weight or the weight of water, and eventually became solid.  An igneous rock is one that was formed by volcanic activity.  The third type of rock for rock collecting is the metamorphic rock, which is like a sedimentary rock which has been changed through intense heat and pressure.

Another type of rock collecting is collecting minerals, gems, and crystals.  Pure minerals are not technically the same thing as rocks, but they fit well in rock collections.  Minerals include things like pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, and quartzite, which looks almost like a diamond.

For some people, rock collecting consists of saving a pretty rock from different places they visit and keeping it as a souvenir.  If these rocks are large, they can be used to outline the driveway or start a rock garden.  If they are small, they can line a windowsill.  Label them with a fine point marker if desired.  Include the date and location the rock was found.

The souvinir type of rock collecting does not require much scientific investigation, but identifying rocks and minerals does.  The different types of rock can sometimes be differentiated easily.  For instance, sedimentary rocks often look like particles glued together.  Sandstone is a common example of this. They also sometimes have visible flat layers.  Metamorphic rocks, on the other hand, sometimes have layers, but those layers have been bent so that they are no longer laying flat across the rock.

When rock collecting, the igneous rocks make some of the most exciting finds.  Obsidian is an igneous rock that looks like a broken piece of black glass.  It is shiny and hard, and was used to make arrowheads in the past by the native Americans.  Pumice is another interesting igneous rock which is porous, making it so light that it will float.  This stone is used for cleaning and rubbing calluses off people’s feet.

Keep in mind when rock collecting that different regions of the world have different types of rocks.  In the American Midwest, for instance, there are many sedimentary stones, but metamorphic and igneous rocks are less common.  In the Appalacians, on the other hand, you can find metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and schist.  Wherever you live, though, you are sure to find rock collecting a hobby that’s hard to resist!

For Recreation, Sports Collecting is a Great Hobby

In this fast-paced, stressful age we live in, everyone needs a little recreation.  Sports collecting is a hobby that can fill your spare minutes with interest and offer a diversion to the everyday grind.  Sports collecting takes many forms depending on the person who is pursuing the hobby.  Many people choose to collect memorabilia from their favorite professional teams, but others collect items related to golf, fishing, and other recreation sports.  Collecting requires a certain amount of space, but collectors are creative about finding ways to display their collectibles.

If you have a favorite pro team or two there are many items you can collect related to those teams.  For instance, you can create scrapbooks in which you save clippings about exciting games, favorite players, and special interviews.  You can keep ticket stubs and photographs in your scrapbook, too.  Other items, however, won’t fit into a scrapbook, such as a game ball, team jersey, or a team’s annual yearbook.  These items will need other storage.  There are stands for special balls, and jerseys look great hanging on a hanger on the wall.

You might like to collect souvenir items from all types of sports.  Most professional teams sell small metal pins with their insignia on them.  Pin collecting is a widely practiced hobby, and sports teams are one of the hottest types of collectible pins, as are those commemorating the Olympics.  Another option for sports collecting is to collect antique sports equipment.  Vintage baseball gloves are an example of this type of collectible.

Baseball cards have long been a source of recreation.  Sports collecting enthusiasts have collected baseball cards, football cards, and basketball cards for many years, although baseball cards were the first.  This is such a popular hobby that some cards are worth a lot of money, such as a rookie card of a player like Willie Mays.

Other collectors like to accumulate things that illustrate their favorite recreation sports.  Collecting items decorated with fish, horses, or golfers are examples of these types of collections.  For instance, if you enjoy hunting with dogs, you can decorate your home in a hunting dog theme.  There are throw pillows printed with handsome hunting dogs, as well as with the game they help you find.  You may find lamps that have a hunting dog as the base.  You can even have curtains made from hunting dog printed material!  The same can be done around the theme of golf, horseback riding, whether western or eastern, bass fishing, sailboats, and other popular recreation sports.  Collecting is a hobby that offers many options!

Pin Collecting:  A Friendly Obsession

Pins are a hot collectible that offer an added advantage over other collections - they are small and do not take up much room.  Pins are available in many motifs and themes.  Some of the most collectible themes are Disney characters, sports teams, and Hard Rock Cafe.  The first rule of pin collecting is to specialize.  If you like the San Diego Padres baseball team, for instance, you can start pin collecting with souvenir pins that celebrate this team.  And just because these themes are popular doesn’t mean you have to collect them.  Be original and collect what you like.

Many pins are centered around modern entertainments, but many pin collecting enthusiasts collect campaign pins from election campaigns.  Buttons are a similar item and are collected by many of the same people who do pin collecting.  Pins created to advertise businesses and services are also very collectible.

To display pins you have several options.  When you wear a jacket with lapels, you can wear a few of your favorite small pins.  The same goes for wearing a cowboy hat or a vest.  Many pin collectors wear a few on the front of a cowboy hat.  Tote bags, purses, and fanny packs are another place where some pins can be displayed.

Of course, as you get into pin collecting, you will soon find that you have too many to wear the entire collection at one time.  A bulletin board, perhaps covered with a plain piece of fabric, like dark blue velvet, makes a nice backdrop for a pin collection.  The pins can either be pinned into the cork of the bulletin board through the velvet or attached to the velvet first.

Another way to display and store pins is in a notebook.  This method works well if you wish to take some of your pins to an event where you can do some trading with other pin collectors.  To make the notebook, purchase sheets of hard felt or craft foam.  Either punch holes in the side so they fit into a looseleaf binder, or slip the pages into page protectors after attaching the pins to the pages.  The type of looseleaf binder that zips closed is the best to use for pin collecting.

Sometimes pins get scratched, especially if they are stored in a notebook arrangement such that they hit each other.  The scratches can be smoothed over with a tiny bit of liquid car wax.  Future scratching can be avoided by using page protectors in notebook collections.

Pin collecting is a very popular hobby.  You can find groups of likeminded people with which to trade pins, making pin collecting a hobby that helps people make friends.