3 Reasons Mom Should Have A Hobby

Moms these days are busy, but we're more stressed than ever before and in need of lifestyle choices that help us be happier. Pursuing a hobby may be just the ticket.

Having a hobby relieves stress

Spending time with a hobby replaces negative thoughts and replaces them with positive thoughts and feelings. Having a hobby or creative outlet can lift your spirits and help with depression.

Unlike passive activities like television viewing, a hobby provides intellectual stimulation while simultaneously relaxing you. Repetitive actions like those used in knitting are especially calming.

Hobbies help you parent better

We are good at signing our children up for lessons and classes and encouraging them to have hobbies, but we forget that we also need to learn new things and grow as people. Hobbies also connect you with other people who share your interests.

A hobby can help you maintain your separate identity as a real person and not just as Mom. This models healthy habits and boundaries for our kids.

Hobbies provide a refreshing change from your routine

If you're a stay at home Mom, you may be frustrated because at the end of the day you can hardly point to anything you've "done". That's because of the repetitive nature of housework and childcare.

In generations past, women pursued hobbies like quilting, sewing, knitting, crochet and embroidery not only because they were enjoyable but because they provided tangible value to the family, either providing clothing for their backs or much needed income.

Why not carve out some time to pursue a hobby Mom?

http://www.mommyhobby.com is a resource site for moms who want to enrich their lives with scrapbooking, sewing, crochet, knitting, tennis, embroidery and other hobbies.

Heat Waves Due from Brazil this Swimsuit Season

If you've passed a swimsuit hanging on a rack, or touched on a swimwear website, you've probably noticed that Brazil is leaving no stone unturned on the beach scene this year.

Why the focus on Brazil? You'll find the answer in a bikini-sized history lesson. In short, Brazil is urbane: almost every Brazilian lives in the fast-paced city. Tack on Brazil's legacy from Europe -- a love for high fashion that borders on religion. Now top it all off with Brazil's 5000 miles of beach, each and every one of them filled with fashion-forward women who insist on clothes to sizzle at the scene.

Now let's return to America. We've done and redone the triangle-top and string bottom. We've pretty much exhausted the thong -- de minimis can only go so far before there's nowhere left to go. But there's one thing we haven't exhausted: high glamour.

Enter Brazil, drenched in the big, heady spirit of the sixties, and the international goddesses that drove it. Think Brigitte Bardot. Or Ursula Andress, stepping out of the surf in her belted bikini to set the world on fire.

// The Colors

Just like other areas of the fashion scene, the Brazilian retrospective combines modern colors and fabric tech with unmistakable hues from the Sixties. This means bright, bright plastic white, cocktail black, and clashing fluorescents. And touches of vinyl and metal. And Mod.

// The Shapes

The old triangle top, always meant for the small-busted woman, starts to look a little blah compared to the womanly styles from Brazil, like low-slung "hipster" bottoms (especially beguiling when combined with kicky belts). You'll find Brazilian tops emphasizing larger busts, with stabilizing lace-ups or underwire support.

// The Textures

My favorite thing about Brazilian styles are the textures, which seem exotic in our post-production, plasticized world. Brazil knows that women love the softer side of sexy -- the kind that never shows up in beer commercials.

Instead of vying for minimal coverage, Brazil uses high-tech savvy to weave water-friendly crochet and macramé into swim tops and bottoms. We love the macramé-strung bikini bottoms -- sometimes adorned by brassy buttons or shells. And we love the giant embroidered flowers (touched up with crystals), the French knots, and the hand-painted fabrics that show up on tops. But our favorite is the lycra-touched crochet pullover that goes from day to night. Wear it on the beach, then wear it again at the lounge. A feminine, crocheted top over a bikini bottom is the kind of look that hits the Richter scale.

Best of all, these styles can be dressed to the nines with a smoky shade of eye shadow and big, clunky jewelry.

// Your Mission

Did you accept the Brazilian challenge for your beach adventures this summer? Then bring in another major trend by mixing and matching tops and bottoms. Don't be afraid to combine hot pink with orange (a hot Mod look). But then, don't take trends too far -- it's probably best to leave your knife belt at home.

Blake Kritzberg is editor of FavorIdeas. Stop by for continually-updated celebrity wedding news, remarkable beach wedding favors, exclusive hairstyling articles and gorgeous and unique wedding favors.

Crafts - The Art of Creation

Seeing a work of art shaping up and coming to life is a wonderful experience. It gives enormous satisfaction and a sense of achievement when you craft something with your own hands. It does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a few strokes of water colors on a piece of paper can produce a simple, but beautiful painting. A few beads strung together can make a cute piece of fashion jewelry. All it takes is a little creativity, a sense of adventure, a few household items and a little spare time. That is all it takes to bring to life something that would give you a great deal of happiness and pride that would last a life time.

There is a wide range of crafts that you can choose from. After you go through the list of crafts mentioned in the next paragraph, you can decide on one or two that fit your level of interest and skill. If you are a parent, you can also choose some for your kids. Kids love to learn new crafts. It helps them develop their creativity, and keeps them occupied in an interesting activity for hours together. Some parents dread holidays because they do not know how to keep their children busy. But now you already know the answer to that problem.

Some of the crafts include Balloon Sculpting, Basketry, Beading, Bonsai, Candle making, Ceramic Pottery, Crochet, Decorative Painting, Doll making, Egg Art, Enameling, Flower Art, Glass Work, Gourd Art, Jewelry making, Kid's Crafts of various kinds, Knitting, Lace making, Mask making, Metal Crafts, Model making, Needlework, Origami, Paper making, Scrap booking, Soap making, Stenciling, making String Figures and Woodcraft, just to name a few. This list is not exhaustive, but gives you an idea of the variety of crafts that is available for anyone to pursue.

Most of these crafts can be practiced with just household materials, even trash. No special skill or equipment is necessary to get started. So children can also start learning these crafts. Even very young children can be taught some of the crafts listed here. They can learn to make wonderful toys that they can proudly display before their friends. It not only gives them a lot of confidence, but also teaches them a lot of scientific principles as they learn to make these toys and that will enhance their creativity. It improves their eye-hand coordination tremendously, and helps them to grow up physically, mentally, emotionally and socially as healthy individuals.

They can learn to make greeting cards, paper planes, collage, pin-hole cameras and more. Girls can learn the basics of sewing, embroidery and crochet, which they can then use to create colorful knitted products. They can knit colorful pillows covers, bed sheets and hankies with their names or their favorite cartoon characters on them. They can also learn to make perfumed candles, molded toys, spray painted pictures and wall hangers, thus decorating their rooms with various colorful craft items.

Adults can also start off with the minimum of tools. As they progress and learn more about the craft, they can then perhaps invest in some specialized equipment and tools to enhance and refine their work. A lot of folks reach a stage where their work is so good, others would want to buy their stuff. People can literally start a home business around their favorite craft. Crafts that started as a hobby have often evolved into a lucrative home business for many people. Doing something that you like is good enough, but when you get paid for it, it becomes even better.

With the help of the Internet and websites like EBay and other auction sites, selling your craft items becomes easy. You do not need a physical shop to display your stuff. All you need to do is photograph your craft items, load them onto the auction sites, and have a worldwide market for your business. It is that simple. The websites take care of all credit card transactions. You just need to count the money as it comes pouring in. Now that is exciting!

You can use an Online Crafts Directory for exploring and learning the different crafts mentioned in this article. Just browse through the directory and locate the craft(s) that you are interested in. Then go through the list of websites listed under that particular craft. Whatever your skill level, you can locate a website suitable for your requirement. Spend some time learning as much as you can about the craft from the websites listed in the directory. Then go ahead and try your hand at creating something with your newly acquired skill. Do not worry about how it might turn out. Just concentrate on getting off the ground. Just get started! Every long journey starts with a single step. Take that step now! Very soon you will be creating beautiful works of art. And you are going to love it.

Daniel Sudhakar runs an Online Crafts Directory where you can learn a lot of stuff about a wide range of Crafts

The Advantages of Hook Loop Fasteners

Hook-loop fasteners are a two-faced fastening system whereby one face is covered in tiny nylon fibers with little hooks on the ends of them, and the other face is covered in tiny nylon loops. When the two faces are pressed together, some of the hooks burrow in and catch onto the loops. The tighter the two faces are pressed together, the more catches that are formed. This forms a powerful bonding system that can support great amounts of weight. You can’t pull the faces of the hook-loop fastener directly apart; rather, you must pull a few hooks and fibers apart from the one of the edges of the two-face bond. When you continue pulling, the hooks and fibers “un-catch” a few at a time, making a “ripping” sound, and the hook-loop fastener is freed.

If you said, “Hey, that sounds a little bit like Velcro!” you’d be closer to the truth than you know. That’s because it is Velcro. Velcro is a brand name – the first brand of hook-loop fastener ever. It was created by Swiss inventor George de Mestral in 1948; de Mestral received patents for it from all over the world throughout the 1950s. The name Velcro comes from adjoining two French words: velour (velvet) and crochet (hook).

Today, hook-loop fasteners are a still very widely used in shoes, clothing, cars, and more. Among the benefits of hook-loop fasteners are ease of attachment, strength of bond, ease of unfastening, and low cost of manufacture. One way in which product developers increase the strength of hook-loop fasteners is to connect the two faces at one end and thread one face through a flat pulley, such as a metal grommet in a shoe. The faces are pressed together as usual, but the pulley principle increases the number of hook-loop bonds, thus maximizing the potential of the fastener.

Fasteners Info provides detailed information about stainless steel, hook loop, metric, deck, industrial, concrete, and plastic fasteners. Fasteners Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

Embellishments Give Your Quilt Personality

Nowadays, embellished quilts are the ‘in-thing'. Embellished quilts look very trendy and we can experiment with a variety of options with which to decorate the quilts. The primary objective of a good quilt is to keep us warm in bed. But many families use quilts also to celebrate different events of our life like weddings, birth of a baby, Christmas and other festivals and events. Many are used simply for decorations.

There are two important ways to guarantee that an embellished quilt is attractive to the eye. First and foremost, the quilt making has to be technically sound. If it is not constructed well, no matter how much we adorn it, the quilt will not look good and will wear out. Second, we must keep in mind that the accessories not only make the quilt attractive but also add weight to it. Thus the foundation fabric or the fabric with which the quilt has been constructed, must be strong enough to support the embellishments.

Lace, Ribbon, Beads or Paillettes, and Other Embellishments

The list of potential quilt embellishments is limited only by your unique creativity. Following are just a few of them:

• Paillettes - These are small, circular pieces of luminous metal or plastic sewn on garments for decoration. They shine wonderfully when they catch light or sunlight. They can be used to decorate clothes, handbags and accessories. They are also great accompaniments for crafts such as frames, jewelry, lamps, and more. They are also fashionable as a knit, crochet and quilt embellishment.
• Beads – Beads can be used to add visual appeal. They can be attached anywhere while adorning the quilt top or block and/or after the quilt sandwich has been created. We can attach the beads to the top coating or through the top layer and batting or through all three layers after creating the quilt sandwich.
• Buttons - Buttons can be sewed on in small clusters to enhance the appeal of a plain area. Buttons stitched onto folded ribbon or embroidery can also go a long way in making your quilt look exciting.
• Charms - Charms have gained tremendous popularity and can be found in discount stores, jewelry stores, flea markets, garage sales, and all over.
• Doilies - Doilies and other specks crochet can plug a plain shape marvelously.
• Embroidery - Embroidery can be done with the help of floss or silk ribbon. They go a long way in adding a delicate touch to the quilt. We can also use French knots for consistency and use outline stitches to characterize the edges of an area, which might need more focus.
• Lace - Lace can be added in numerous ways. It can either be stitched on flat or assembled to give it a full, more three-dimensional look. Lace can also be used in a pieced seam or inserted under the rim of an appliqué patch. We can even be fasten it on top of a seam to conceal it. Lace can successfully set up a contrast of texture yet is light and appealing to sew. Embellishment used on top of a lace such as stitching or beading areas intensifies the visual texture. It creates a intense feel both literally and visually and also helps the eye to slow down as it considers the area.
• Ribbon - Ribbons can be added in the shape of streamers and bows.

However, we must remember that the heavier the embellishment we use, the more quilting is required to prevent it from sagging. If the quilting is not done with care, the quilts will not lie flat. If heavy embellishment is used, hand quilting may makes for a better quilt to avoid ruining the embellishments with machine quilting. Or, for the safety of the embellishments, the quilt, and the machine, machine quilt first, then embellish.

With a bit of care, embellishments can add a whole new personality to your quilt and make it a one-of-a-kind creation.

Jan Myers is the author of numerous articles and books on topics from organizational development and leadership to quilting. It was her avocation, the love of quilting, that inspired the popular online membership site for quilters known as the "world’s largest quilting bee" at www.quiltingresourcecenter.com

Niche Marketing- How To Find A Profitable Niche And Make A Living Of It

By now you should have an auto responder, a web site or auto responder email link, and an advertising source. At this point, if you haven't already, decide on what you want to promote.

I seriously recommend determining a niche market and a niche product which you want to master.

A good example of a niche is Ferrari who specialise in the high performance automobile niche.

Choose a product that has a personal interest for you, learn everything you can about it, and then you can market it. If you are just getting started, choose to market someone else's product.

Once you have mastered the sales end of things, and are making a living selling for someone else, then you can begin to develop your own product.

So how do you go about deciding on a product or niche market? Start with the niche market, and the product will come.

What do you know a lot about? Can converse freely about? Possibly could write about?

Take out a sheet of paper and write down everything you know you to do.

For example:

-Fishing

-Climbing

-Bike

-Scuba

-Build Cabinets

-Crochet

-Make Soup

-Radio Control planes

-Learning Piano

Next,

Write down what you know about each of the things you can do.

Are there other people in the world (remember online you can sell almost anywhere) who might want to know what you know?

Approach this with two steps: Find someone else who already has a similar product and begin to market it. While you are marketing their product, begin developing your own!

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Gorgeous Knit Scarves

With cold weather upon us, it's time to update your wardrobe with a new gorgeous knit scarf. They are a hot item for the season and what a great looking accessory item to keep you warm. Look for them in so many different yarns, colors and styles. This is the year for the knit scarves so put away the old plain Jane's back in storage. The question is, do you buy one or make your own.

Personally, I like the hand made one's made by yours truly, myself. I enjoy having that one of a kind accessory item that looks great. With the huge selection of beautiful yarns out there I just had to pick up my knitting needles and dust them off. They've been non-stop ever since. You can find yarn at all the local craft store's; AC Moore, Jo-Anne Fabrics, Michael's to name a few as well as their websites. Some of them will offer classes, or will have representative's near the yarn aisle to help you get started and answer any questions.

All the top yarn companies have very informative website's to help you get started also. They have an amazing selection of free, yes free patterns that you can print off and use at your disposal. Lion Brand, http://www.lionbrand.com even has a how to section. I forgot how to "cast off" and it has step by step instructions that set me on my way. All the patterns have very clear instructions on how to knit or crochet and what supplies to purchase. I have made several myself and found them all very easy to follow. They even have the famous Martha Stewart Poncho pattern available online. I wanted one and don't crochet so I forwarded the pattern to my mother. She so graciously made some for me.

I get endless compliments whenever I wear it. I have now ventured off making my own patterns. What can I say, I've got the knitting bug or should I say yarn bug! It's the yarns that pull you in to buying so much. There really is an amazing selection out there. You can find; cashmere, wool, fun fur, metallics, sequence, curly, fuzzy, you name it they have it. So pick up those knitting needles and get making those scarves. You'll get the bug too and will end up making them for everyone you know!

For those of you who have no interest in making a scarf or just don't have the knack for it, there is still hope. Many stores offer a decent selection of knit scarves but you will find a limited selection in the yarn styles. I recommend attending one of the many craft fairs being offered in your area. To look for top quality vendors, look for the juried shows or ones that are very selective in choosing their vendors. You will definitely get a higher quality of vendors and therefore a higher quality of products.

There are some very artistic and talented knitters out there selling their wares. Artistic people not only like to make great products but really like selling them to others to enjoy. I get excited when someone buy's one of my scarves and can't wait to wear it. They always come back for more to buy as gifts to share their great find. Another place to shop for knit scarves is at your local art galleries. They consign artist work and stock plenty of gift items as well as artwork. They will have a high quality of vendors. But do hurry, the stores currently are clearing out their winter merchandise for Spring clothing.

Get a gorgeous knit scarf while you can or get those knitting needles going and enjoy getting the knitting bug!

Mary Bailis is a designer and owner of Alexi specializing in custom designed handbags and scarves. A successful retail business, has currently moved her boutique to the web. Visit her website at http://www.AlexiHandbags.com