Load Tattoo Ink

Load Tattoo Ink

A tattoo gun makes creating body art a far easier process than the traditional stick-and-ink methods of old. Getting ink onto the tattoo needle itself is not difficult, but successfully using a tattoo gun on somebody else's skin takes years of serious practice. When assembling your gun and ink, make sure that you are working in a clean, hygienic setting. Always wear rubber gloves when setting up a tattoo gun and handling ink.

Instructions

1. Unwrap the needle from its sterile package. Do not use the needle if the package is open or torn. Insert the needle into the tattoo gun. Hook the curved end of the needle over the plastic catch on the gun frame. This will hold the needle in place.

2. Slide the needle tube over the needle until the needle pokes out from the hole at the front. Do not knock the needle against the sides of the tube, as it can dull the tip. Clamp the tube down once it is in place.

3. Lay out your cups of ink in your work area. Make sure you have all the colors that you will need to complete your tattoo.

4. Dip the tip needle into the ink cup. Tap the foot pedal controlling the gun a few times. This will draw some ink up into the ink reservoir in the needle tube. Do not completely fill the reservoir, as this will cause the ink to puddle onto the skin. Refill the reservoir as necessary.

Get An Airbrush Tattoo

An airbrush tattoo is a temporary form of tattooing your body. This method is ideal for people that only want a tattoo for a short while and want to make an impression at a party or club. You can pick out a small area on your body to get an airbrush tattoo or get your entire body temporarily tattooed.

Instructions

1. Find a facility that does airbrush tattoos. Some tattoo shops and other specialty shops will have airbrushing capabilities.

2. Pick out a design. The facility will have a catalog of the airbrush designs that they offer. Look through the catalog and find the design that most appeals to you.

3. Allow the tattoo artist to transfer the design in black ink onto your skin. This stenciled design provides the outline for the tattoo.

4. Permit the airbrushing professional to color in the design using an airbrush sprayer and your chosen colors.

5. Get a home kit. If you feel that you can give yourself an airbrush tattoo, you can purchase a kit that gives you the supplies to tattoo your body at home. The kit by Body Art includes stencils, an airbrush sprayer and body art paint.

Make An Owl Tessellation

The simple symmetrical shape of an owl makes them prime candidates for making a tessellation.

Tessellations are small, symmetrical drawings that fit into each other snugly when placed next to exact copies of themselves. Tessellations can stretch into infinity. Making your own tessellation, including an owl tessellation takes a lot of work. You must draw your owl on a piece of paper but must take great care to make sure you draw it in a specific way. Each aspect of the owl must be mirrored to work as a tessellation.

Instructions

1. Draw a small, curved line facing upward to represent the top of your owl's head. Make it about 1 inch long. Hold your pencil against your compass as you draw to create an exact curve.

2. Turn over your compass and move it 2 inches to 3 inches down your paper. Draw a curve of the same length as your head line but with the angle mirroring the top and facing downward instead. This line is your foot line.

3. Place your compass against the left end of the top line and the bottom line. Trace upward about 3/8-inches of the way up the length of your owl body. Draw a straight line to the left about 1/2-inch long perpendicular to the body.

4. Draw a line at a 30-degree angle to your last line and draw it until it comes back to the original curve line. This is your wing. Connect your wing to the top line to finish the left side.

5. Create a mirrored right side by reversing the curve of the line of the left side. Keep the lengths and angles of the lines for the wing the same measurement, but draw the wing to the left instead of the right.

6. Decorate your owl body and face with your pencils. Create eyes, a beak and tufts of feathers. Cut out the owl with your scissors when you are done decorating.

7. Put your tessellation piece in a copier and make multiple copies. Color these copies different colors and then print them out. Fit them together on your construction paper and glue them to the paper to finish.

Friend Someone On Facebook

Facebook is an exciting and useful social networking site that allows you to connect with friends, clients, colleagues and family members all over the world. Facebook, however, is only fun if you can talk to, message and network with everyone you want. Tracking down old friends, former colleagues and family members located in different parts of the globe is one of Facebook's most impressive features. With nearly 500 million Facebook users, finding someone is easier than ever before.

Instructions

1. Go to Facebook.com (see Resources).

2. Sign in to your Facebook account with your personal email address and unique password.

3. Look to the upper right hand corner as your home page opens up. A white box with the words "search" will allow you to type in the name of the person for whom you are searching.

4. Type in your friend's name, both first and last ,if possible. Hit "Enter."

5. See a list of all the Facebook members with that first and last name. Using the information you know about the person you want to friend, such as network, school or geographic location, scroll through them.

6. Click on the blue words "Add as friend" when you have found the person for whom you are searching. An additional box will pop up, click on "Add friend." A friend request will be sent to this person's email inbox.

Frame Children'S Drawings

Your child may be an aspiring artist or you may just be a proud parent wanting to display your child's artwork throughout your house. If you are looking to frame your children's drawings, you may want to consider making it an integral part of your home decor. You may also consider framing the artwork to present as a gift to family members. Follow these steps to frame your children's artwork.

Instructions

1. Decide if you want to frame your children's drawings for your own home decor or for family members or friends as a gift.

2. Designate a special room or wall in the room for all of your children's drawings to be framed and displayed. Choose some frames that will make the drawings look as finished as possible. Some sleek black or white frames are a good choice for this look.

3. Mat your children's drawings instead of framing, if you are going for a more casual look in your home or in your children's bedrooms. If this is the case, you can easily change the drawings from month to month rather than taking the frames off the wall and cleaning the fingerprints off each time.

4. Ask your child to sign his or her name in the corner of the drawing to add a special touch to the artwork. Present a lesson about famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci. Show your children how other artists add their names to their art pieces.

5. Encourage your children to paint the drawings as well to create some colorful pictures to frame for your home. Let your child help you decorate and hang up their framed drawings.

Frame A 3d Craft Project

Display 3-D craft projects in shadow boxes.

Shadow boxes allow craft makers to display their three-dimensional craft projects. These could include intricate origami, needlework or even display jewelry. Purchase shadow boxes at craft or home-improvement stores. Some shadow boxes come pre-painted while others are sanded but unpainted.

Instructions

1. Determine how deep of a shadow box you will need before you purchase one. This, of course, will depend on how thick your craft project is. Take the craft project with you when you shop and place it inside various shadow boxes to find the right one.

2. Remove the glass cover from the shadow box and position the box so that the opening where you slide the glass out is facing up. This will prevent you from orienting the box wrong and having the glass slide out when you hang it.

3. Paint a very thin layer on the inside and outside of the shadow box with acrylic paint and a paintbrush. Allow the paint to dry completely for several hours until it is no longer sticky to the touch. Consider using different colors for the inside and outside of the box.

4. Apply a second very thin coat of paint to the shadow box. Allow it to dry completely.

5. Place the three-dimensional craft project inside the dried shadow box. Arrange it according to your taste.

6. Attach the craft project with glue, pins or teacher's tack depending on your preference. Each will work well, though pins will work better for heavier objects and glue will work better for paper objects. If you have used glue, let it dry completely before handling it.

7. Slide the glass in place and display the framed three-dimensional craft in your home.

Form Plexiglass

Plexiglas is clear, strong and durable.

Plexiglas is the trademark name for polymethyl methacrylate, a polymer introduced in the late 1930s and still commonly used in industrial and commercial applications, especially for windows and skylights. Plexiglass, note the spelling difference, refers to a lightweight material like Plexiglas. As a thermoplastic, Plexiglas softens and becomes pliable when heated. It can then be formed into a desired shape and left to cool. Once cool, it retains the shape it was formed into. There are several techniques for forming Plexiglas, depending on the type and size of the job.

Instructions

1. Cold-form the Plexiglas by bending the material by hand into a curved frame. The radius of the curve should be at least 180 times the thickness of the Plexiglas sheet in the case of Plexiglas G or 300 times the sheet thickness in the case of Plexiglas MC. This method requires no heat, and the Plexiglas will hold the curve after being bent into the frame.

2. Bend the Plexiglas using a strip heater. This is a long, straight heating element that heats the Plexiglas at the point of contact until it is soft enough to bend. The bend point must be notched with a cutting tool first. This type of heating and bending puts a great deal of stress on the plastic and may cause cracking or splitting.

3. Drape form the Plexiglas by heating it in an oven to between 290 and 350 degrees. The exact amount of heat needed depends on whether it is Plexiglas G or MC (with G requiring more heat) and on whether the plastic is encased in a mold. If it is, temperatures closer to 350 degrees are necessary. For drape forming, 290 degrees is enough. The plastic is heated in an oven to this temperature, then draped over a form and clamped down at the edges.

4. Free form the Plexiglas by clamping a heated sheet of it over a vacuum pot or pressure head. The air can be used to form the pliable plastic without physical contact. Changing the shape of the pot opening allows different shapes to be formed this way. Although vacuum forming is a simpler process, the equipment setup cost is higher than for pressure forming.

5. Form the Plexiglas around a mold using vacuum snap-back forming. In this process, a heated sheet of Plexiglas is sucked down into a vacuum pot. A shaped mold is introduced above the plastic, and the vacuum is gradually released. As the plastic tries to resume its original sheet form, it clings to the mold and produces the desired shape.

6. Vacuum draw or blow a sheet of heated Plexiglas around a form. In these processes, the sheet of pliable material is first draped over a mold and clamped to its edges. It is then formed to the mold either by pressure from air jets or suction from a vacuum pump.

7. Slip form the Plexiglas by clamping it loosely to the mold at the beginning of the cooling process. This will allow it to draw inward a bit as it cools, thickening the center of the piece. When it has slipped enough to give this extra thickness, the edges should still be clamped down for it to set into shape without further slippage.

8. Build an airtight box and insert a piece of heated Plexiglas draped over a form. Seal the box over the Plexiglas and form, then pump air into it. The pressure of the air will force the Plexiglas down over the form in a process called blow-back forming. This is especially useful for forming complex drawn shapes, which can be turned into three-dimensional block molds.

9. Billow form the Plexiglas by placing a sheet of heated material over an air pressure head. Turn on the air to make a bubble in the Plexiglas, then set a mold down on top of the bubble. The Plexiglas will be pushed by the air pressure into the interior form of the mold. It is important to install a relief valve to prevent too much pressure from building up under the mold.

10. Press a heated sheet of Plexiglas between two plates with wooden or metal ridges along their interior surfaces. This is an open-forming technique called "ridge forming" that doesn't require a sealed form. It can be used to make corrugated sheeting or more complex shapes that map whatever shape the ridges are cut into.

11. Stamp a heated Plexiglas sheet between male and female metal dies. This process is called "male and female forming." To get enough pressure, the dies must be attached to a hydraulic or pneumatic press in a machine shop or factory.

12. Emboss Plexiglas sheeting by blowing it against a form with a soft or textured surface. This also requires a pneumatic system that can produce positive pressure of 50 to 75 pounds per square inch. The sheet must be closed into the press very quickly so that it doesn't cool too much before being formed.

Find The Value Of Amazing Spiderman Comic Books

Find the Value of Amazing Spiderman Comic Books

The first Spiderman comic book, featuring the origin of Spiderman, in near-mint condition is valued at around $40,000. Many other Spiderman comic books, while not garnering near that figure, can be worth substantial amounts of money. The figure varies depending upon the quality of the comic. Finding out the value of your Amazing Spiderman comics isn't difficult. If you've got a box full of comics you haven't bothered looking out for years, you may have money waiting to be collected.

Instructions

1. Examine the shape of your Spiderman comic book first. Determine its condition. You can purchase a comic price guide or register for a free guide online (see Resources). Price guides not only give you current value for your particular issue of Amazing Spiderman, they also typically include a guide to help you determine condition, which is a factor in determining price. Grades include poor, good, very good, fine, very fine and all the way up to near mint and mint, with a plethora of elements factoring in to the grading process.

2. Visit a comic book dealer. You can find knowledgeable dealers at comic book stores and often at flea markets. A dealer can help you grade your comic. Specifics such as how yellow or brittle the pages are, tears and the condition of the binding help determine the grade, and therefore, the worth of a comic. A dealer also can help you with pricing the comic.

3. Consult a price guide, printed or online. Overstreet and Wizard are two of the industry standard print price guides. Price guides online are sometimes free of charge. These price guides give you price worth specific to your comic.

4. Look up your issue of Amazing Spiderman first by title, typically listed in alphabetical order. There are several different Spiderman comics. Make sure the title you search is The Amazing Spiderman.

5. Scan the list for your issue number. Next to the issue number is where you will find the current value of your Amazing Spiderman. This value applies to mint issues. Some guides will list the value for several grades, notated as P for poor, G for good, F for fine, NM for near mint, etc. Take into account your grading or a dealer's grading as you try to determine the worth of your comic, as well as any special covers or included extras (cards, etc.) that may have come with the issue. If your issue has any of these extras, the price for these comics will be listed along with the standard release of the issue.

Form An Art Collective

An art collective is a group of artists-visual, music, performance-who pool their resources to promote each other's work and help to develop each other's craft. There are financial, promotional, and creative benefits to forming an art collective. The drawback of pooling artists together is that most every member of the art collective is going to have to compromise in some way, and there will inevitably be some internal politics to deal with. Your main challenge is to find the happy medium between benefits and drawbacks.

Instructions

1. Be an artist yourself. Create works of art. You can be a visual artist, musician, performance artist, conceptual artist, or anything else. You can also be a combination of these modes. You can go the fine art route which involves intensive training and concentrated practice. Or you can go the "outsiders and others," naive art" or "folk art routes" each of which trumpet the naturalness of the novice.

2. Make friends, acquaintances, and associates of your colleagues. Exchange contact information with people whose artistic expressions you admire. Stay in touch with your art colleagues and stay apprised of their recent doings.

3. Come up with a goal for forming the art collective. Do you want to throw an art show, or many shows? Put on a concert? Stage a theater production? Crash a mainstream artistic event with the aim of disrupting the dusty institutions of the art world? Whatever your goals, be they traditional or rebellious, you must make sure they are clear and concrete.

4. Approach your colleagues in the art world with your goals. Ask them if your goals appeal to them, and whether they would be interested in pooling resources with you to make your ideas come to life. Be specific when speaking to your art colleagues. No one wants to join some nebulous art bureaucracy unless there is a good reason to do so.

5. Hold a meeting with your art colleagues with the aim of achieving the goals you have all agreed upon. Adjustments to your plans will inevitably need to be made, depending on the aims of the individuals attending the meeting. Try to come to some consensus regarding your short-term and long-term goals. Remain open to ideas, and keep porous borders between your art collective and the outside world. Nobody wants to feel trapped inside. As they saying goes: "If you love someone, set them free. If it was meant to be, they will return."

6. Divvy up the tasks and financial backing. If you intend to throw an art exhibit, for example, you will need select a gallery, pay for it, curate the exhibit and design the layout, drive around from place to place collecting installation materials, create a plan for promoting the show opening, buy refreshments and hors d'oeuvres if necessary, and so on.

7. Don't lose sight of the goals of your art collective. If your chief goal is artistic purity, try your best not to "sell out" by changing your art to make it more marketable. On the other hand, if your goal is to turn a profit, you may have to compromise on your artistic principles. There is nothing wrong with this if it is what you want.

8. Use the full power of the art collective to everyone's advantage! There is great financial, promotional and creative power to be derived from forming an art collective.

Make Fiberglass Stones

Stones like these can be recreated in fiberglass.

Many people enjoy having large stones in their yards. These stones are often real, but sometimes they are made of fiberglass. Fiberglass stones are easy to move around, and since they are hollow, they can be used to cover spigots, meters and other unsightly equipment in your yard. These stones are made out of a mold, allowing you to create multiple copies of the same stone to decorate your yard.

Instructions

1. Spray two thin coats of silicone mold release into the silicone mold, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second.

2. Tear the fiberglass mat into 5-inch squares. Cut the fiberglass cloth into squares of the same size with a pair of scissors.

3. Put on a pair of rubber gloves.

4. Mix a batch of polyester resin with its catalyst in a disposable bucket. The exact mixing ratio will be printed on the resin container.

5. Brush a coat of catalyzed resin on the entire inner surface of the silicone mold.

6. Press squares of fiberglass mat into the resin, overlapping them by a quarter inch. Cover the entire inner surface of the mold with fiberglass.

7. Tap more catalyzed resin into the fiberglass with a paint brush. This will saturate the fiberglass and force out any trapped air bubbles.

8. Add two more layers of fiberglass mat and resin, followed by two layers of fiberglass cloth and resin.

9. Allow the fiberglass to dry completely until it has hardened.

10. Peel the silicone mold off the fiberglass stone.

11. Cut the jagged bottom edge off the fiberglass with a saw. Put on a pair of goggles and a dust mask for this step.

12. Paint the exterior of the stone with fiberglass primer.

13. Paint the stone whatever colors you want. You can use acrylic craft paint, an airbrush or even spray paint (there are many stone effect paints available).

Follow Ballroom Dance Etiquette

Before attending a social ballroom dancing function, there are a few rules of etiquette that you should follow. Remembering to follow these rules will enable you to have a great time and also allows your dance partner to enjoy themselves. Positive results from a social dance enable the dance producers to plan more dances. So get out there and show some respect for your fellow ballroom dancing friends. Read on to learn how.

Instructions

Follow Ballroom Dance Etiquette

1. Dress appropriately by viewing the flyer or program for the evening. Check to see if the dance is casual, semi-formal or formal. Dress the part, but remember no matter how casual the dance is, jeans are never OK.

2. Wear a nice dance costume--but remember, ladies, that your partner will not enjoy the smack of a beaded sleeve across his face nor will he enjoy tripping over a long train on your dress. Be mindful of your partner when picking out an outfit.

3. Put your hair up. This goes for men and women. If you have long hair, be sure to pin it up because during twirls, the hair can whip your partner in the face and eyes.

4. Use breath mints and deodorant. There is nothing worse than being stuck with a partner who is giving off a foul smelling odor. In addition, men and women should be careful not to spray on a heavy amount of perfume or cologne.

5. Bring extra underclothes. This tip is mostly for men who sweat a lot. You can easily bring an extra undershirt and change into it midway through the evening before sweat starts to seep through your dress shirt.

6. Arrive on time if you are meeting someone at the dance. You don't want to let your partner miss out because of your tardiness, or worse, arrive and your partner has found another person to dance with for the evening.

7. Know that men can ask women to dance or women can ask men to dance. We are in the new millennium, get used to it.

8. Introduce yourself immediately upon asking someone to dance, or just after. It is nice to be able to know the person's name that you are dancing with.

9. Let the man lead. If a woman and a man are dancing together, you should follow proper ballroom etiquette and let the man lead.

10. Let the man lead. If a woman and a man are dancing together, you should follow proper ballroom etiquette and let the man lead.

Fold An Origami Orchid

Origami can be taught in a classroom setting.

After paper was first introduced in Japan during the sixth century, the art of paper folding was developed and became what is now known as origami, according to the Origami Resource Center. While the craft was originally mastered by monks as a formal decoration to accompany important documents, origami is an activity enjoyed by modern children, adults and art students all over the world. Fashioning an origami orchid is a creative way to express your passion for flowers and plants. Once your orchid is complete, give it as a gift to a special someone in your life.

Instructions

1. Place the paper onto a table. Position the paper so one of the tips is facing you. The square now resembles the shape of a diamond.

2. Bend the top half of the diamond over the bottom half. Crease and unfold the bend. You now have a horizontal center guideline.

3. Fold the top tip of the diamond toward the middle of the figure, lining its edge with the center guideline. The folded top part of your paper now resembles a 90 degree triangle.

4. Fold the bottom tip of the diamond in the same fashion, matching its edge with the center guideline. The entire paper now resembles a kite-like figure.

5. Fold the left tip of the diamond toward center.

6. Bend the top, flat -- and short -- edge 1/2-inch inward. Repeat for the bottom flat edge.

7. Fold the top, flat -- and long -- edge to the center line. Repeat for the bottom flat edge.

8. Pinch the top left corner of the object. Bend the corner inward toward center. Pre-crease and unfold the bend. Repeat for the bottom left corner. The left side is now flat with a small sideways triangular shape facing to the right.

9. Place a drop of glue at the tip of the sideways triangle. Press one end of the green straw into the glue. Hold the press for 60 seconds to secure the bond. The straw acts as a stem for the orchid.

10. Hold the orchid upright. Carefully unfold each flower petal. Roll and curl each petal downward to give the orchid a life-like shape.

Focus A Camera For A Dsu

Add flash to your camera for extra light.

A properly exposed and focused picture requires the correct speed, aperture and focus settings on your computer. Because all of these settings affect each other, you must adjust them all for proper focus. When using a digital slave trigger unit, or DSU, which offers remote flash, you must adjust the aperture differently than when taking pictures without a flash. The DSU adds light to an image but does not add light at a consistent rate, depending on the brightness of your surroundings. Because of this, you may have to try several aperture settings before finding the perfect focus.

Instructions

1. Attach the DSU to the digital camera.

2. Turn the camera on by pressing the "Power" button. Point the camera at the subject.

3. Adjust the knob of the camera that allows you to focus. Adjust the focus until the subject you want to capture is the sharpest. If you are taking a picture of a person, make the eyes the clearest part of the photograph.

4. Hold a light meter over the subject, and take the f-stop and shutter speed reading.

5. Turn the shutter-speed dial to the suggested amount. Tun the f-stop to the number just below the suggestion on the light meter. This will adjust for flash. For example, if the light meter recommended an f-stop of 4, turn the dial to 2.8.

6. Click the shutter release button to take a picture. Examine the focus of the picture. If the area you wanted to focus on is not in focus, repeat the process of adjusting the focus.

Make Burned Wood Signs

Wood burned signs can be simple or colorful.

A burned wood sign makes a wonderfully rustic statement about you and your property. A burned wood sign can be elegant, or it can look homemade, depending on your desired effect and how much effort you put into your sign. Advertise a business, or point out the name of your home or your family name. Include designs as well as lettering, and add paint to make your burned wood sign colorful.

Instructions

1. Draw your design in full size on a sheet of paper with a pencil. Use lettering guides, stencils or anything else you need in order to make your sign look exactly the way you want. If you add illustrations, make certain they have strong lines that will allow them to be outlined with a wood burner.

2. Cut a clean, flat board to the proper size and shape for your sign. This should not be plywood or particle board, and the board should have as few knotholes as possible. Make certain that your entire design will fit onto the board.

3. Lay one or more sheets of carbon paper on your board with the carbon side down (against the board). Lay the paper with your design on top of the carbon paper, aligning everything properly with the board, and then trace your design with your pencil, pushing down hard enough so that the carbon paper will transfer your design to the wood.

4. Remove your drawing and the carbon paper. Your image should be clearly visible on the wood sign, outlined in carbon.

5. Burn your design using a tip for your wood burner that will create the effect you desire, such as a curved tip for calligraphy or a universal tip for plain block letters. Experiment on a scrap piece of wood to see the effects of different tips. Follow the wood burner manufacturer's instructions for changing tips, and be careful not to touch a hot tip!

6. Follow the outlines of your design with the wood burning tool, burning them into the surface of the wood. Go slowly enough to burn at least 1/8-inch deep into the wood. The speed you move your wood burner depends on the type and age of the wood you are using. If possible, experiment first on a scrap piece of wood.

7. Paint the interior of your design if you desire, leaving the black, burned outline clearly visible. An acrylic paint works best, and a small brush allows you to paint with greater skill. Allow the paint to dry.

8. Add a coat of clear varnish to protect your sign from the elements.

Fix A Broken Grand Piano String Myself

Missing strings can damage the hammers in a grand piano.

Piano strings are under many pounds of pressure, and they occasionally break. This can occur due to wear, poor tuning techniques, and extreme changes in temperature and humidity. While you'll bring in a professional to tune the piano eventually, you can replace the strings yourself to save time and money. The main trick is bringing up the tuning of the new string gently so the pressure increases gradually.

Instructions

1. Prop the piano lid open and remove any score holder from the front of the piano. Extract the broken strings from the piano. If necessary, put the piano tuning key (kind of like a vertical wrench) on the metal pole at the front of the piano the string is attached to, and turn it counter-clockwise until you can pull out the string. Dispose of broken strings since they cannot be repaired.

2. Check the packaging on new strings to make sure they're the correct note and octave. The strings in a grand piano go steadily from large ones at the low end to thin ones at the high end. If your string is a different size than the ones around, it it's the wrong string.

3. Hook the looped end of the string over the empty hook near the back of the piano. Gently stretch out the string to the front and thread the other end through the hole in the tuning spool. Put the tuning key on again and turn until the string starts to tighten. Keep turning until the string has tension but is still lower than the strings around it.

4. Replace any other strings as needed, then return to the first string. Tune it higher again and test it against the notes above and below it. Work gradually until it's the appropriate pitch. Repeat with other new strings.

Fix A Broken Acoustic Guitar String

As a guitarist, changing strings is one of the most important aspects of routine maintenance you can learn. Strings often break on stage or during practice sessions, and the ability to replace the broken string quickly can help you maintain your stride within a song set. Practice replacing strings so you're comfortable with the process and can do it fast in the case of unexpected breakage.

Instructions

1. Unwind the broken string from its tuning peg and pull it free. If there were many windings at the peg, or if you use a locking wrap, cut off the twisted portion to make it easier to slip through the post hole.

2. Remove the broken string's bridge pin with a pin puller or padded needle-nosed pliers. Pull the string out of the bridge.

3. Insert the ball end into the bridge hole. Line up the slot in the bridge pin with the string, and push the pin into the hole. Hold the pin down and tug the string to set the ball against the bridge and pin.

4. Insert the free end of the string into the tuning machine's post. Leave enough slack to get one or two windings, and make a bend in the string on the far end of the post to secure it.

5. Wind the string, keeping it on the inside of the post. Use an electronic tuner to find the right tension. Keep the string in its nut slot, and watch the bridge pin--if necessary, hold it down until it is set by the string tension.

6. Bend the string several times to stretch it, and re-tune. Cut off any excess string at the peg head.

Fish On A Mosscovered Pond

Fish the edges of the moss to draw fish into the open.

Many moss-covered ponds hold trophy fish. The main requirement is that the moss is not so thick that it completely robs the pond of oxygen. Fishing in the moss is a nuisance if you do not know make a proper approach. Once you learn deal with the moss, it will cause very few problems and you will learn that it provides excellent cover for predatory fish. The moss will help to hide your presence and you can use it to your fishing advantage.

Instructions

1. Attach weed guards to all of the lures you will use in and around the moss. The weed guard is a simple, stiff piece of monofilament that guards the point of the hook from becoming tangled in vegetation. When a fish strikes, the guard does not prevent the hook from penetrating the fish's mouth.

2. Concentrate on the edges of the weed beds to draw fish into the open. Predatory fish will hide in the weeds and burst out when prey swims past. With the fish in the open, they will be much easier to land.

3. Fish on top of the weeds with poppers and top-water lures. Look for lines in the weeds where fish may have swum recently and try to draw them to the surface.

4. Use line that is several pounds heavier than typical. This will allow you to pull fish from the moss without breaking the line.

5. Find a small opening in the moss. Jig directly over the opening but stand several feet back to prevent casting a shadow. Fish will gather in these small openings to capture extra oxygen and sunlight.

Find Work Online As A Cartoonist Or Joke Writer

Online work as a Cartoonist.

If your specialty is humor or cartoon creation, there are several work at home earning opportunities. Web sites have found that providing their site with a little creative humor will keep visitors returning. However not everyone has a the creative talents to be a cartoon or joke writer. So, offering them your creative service will fill their need.

Instructions

1. Websites have found that providing their site with a little creative humor by show casing a cartoon or joke at the top of the website will keep visitors returning. However not everyone has a the creative talents to be a cartoon or joke writer. Contact web sites that you believe your work would enhance their website. You may offer to do one free or at a considerable lower price to begin with to let them get a feel for how your work will better their website traffic.

2. Start a website to promote your work and sell icon designs, gifts, card, and apparel with your cartoons and jokes imprinted.

3. Freelance with other web sites to organize a joke of the day or quote of the week to promote return visitors through email based newsleters.

4. Start a humor blog. Every one needs a laugh every now and then. Creating a blog to show case your work to potential clients and will also increase income by selling advertisement space on your blog.

Find Winnable Online Sweepstakes 5 Easy Ways

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Win a tropical vacation (Yes, I have)

Yes you can find winnable online sweepstakes. I've been winning big and small prizes online for several years. Here are 5 easy ways to find good sweepstakes to enter.

Instructions

1. Sweepstakes sites - The key to a reputable sweeps site is one where readers contribute sweepstakes. There are several that are updated daily. Check out Slickdeals.net (see Resources) or Online-Sweepstakes.com (see Resources) to get started.

2. Find your own - Finding good online sweepstakes takes a little more than just Googling "sweepstakes". Be more specific in your search and you'll have more success. Try searching using the phrase ["ends May 30, 2009" +sweepstakes] (Leave the brackets out, but keep the quotation marks). This focuses your search. Just adjust the date and you will get a lot of potential sweepstakes, right from the sponsor's site in most cases.

3. Check your favorite magazines - Many popular magazines offer new sweepstakes and giveaways every month, and every magazine has a website. Most magazines you get in the mail will refer you to their website to enter their sweepstakes. They offer some great prizes too!

4. Sweeps newsletter - Subscribe to a sweepstakes newsletter online and they will do the hunting for you. They also screen the sweepstakes they list on their website and only include reputable ones. Try Best Sweepstakes or Sweepsheet (see resources).

5. Blog Sweepstakes - Many online bloggers now offer giveaways to entice readers to visit their blogs. The odds can be very good since the entry periods are shorter, and there are fewer people entering.

6. OK, you're on your way! If you want to read an entertaining (and uplifting!) story of someone who entered sweeps and contests just to survive, check out "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less" (link below). Also look at my related EHow article "Get Organized to Win Online Sweepstakes" (see Resources below) to help you get set up. Let me know when you win!

Make A Nice Birthday Card With Art Attack

Art Attack card making kits make it easy for children to create birthday cards.

Children can create nice birthday cards for friends and relatives with homemade greeting card sets, such as those manufactured by Art Attack. The sets include all of the materials your child needs to create custom cards. Even preschoolers can create nice birthday cards with Art Attack that they will be proud to share with loved ones.

Instructions

1. Purchase an Art Attack card-making set. Art Attack is manufactured in the United Kingdom, so you may have to order the sets online if you don't live in that part of the world. Online retailers that sell Art Attack include www.craftsuperstore.co.uk and ebay.com.

2. Set up your child's work area on the kitchen table, or another spot in your home where he'll have plenty of room to make his custom birthday cards. Make sure to put newspapers or an old tablecloth over the work surface to protect it from paint, glue or glitter.

3. Review the greeting card layout ideas with your child that come with each Art Attack card-making kit to help her think of ideas for her own homemade cards. Depending on the age and ability of the child, you may want to supervise the card-creation process and assist with cutting, gluing and other tasks that some children may find difficult.

4. Assemble the embellishments that come in the Art Attack kit onto the outside of a blank card to create a birthday card layout. By experimenting with different design elements before permanently attaching anything to the blank card, your child will minimize mistakes and will have an opportunity to make the card as nice as possible. The contents of the kits vary, depending on the type of Art Attack kit you purchased, but embellishments often include a variety of colored paper, sequins, glitter, shape cut-outs and wiggly eyes.

5. Adhere the design elements to the outside of the blank card and allow it to dry thoroughly. Once dry, your child can write a personalized message inside the card to complete the project.

Form Plexiglas

Plexiglas is a strong, plastic-based material often used in place of regular glass because of its durability and impact-resistant properties. Sometimes you may want to form Plexiglas into certain shapes or patterns. Because Plexiglas is rigid, it does not bend very far or very well. However, if you heat it so it returns to a softer, more malleable state, you can form it much more easily into the shape you want.

Instructions

1. Create a brace for the plexiglas. For instance, if you want to bend it a full 45 degrees, you need to make a brace that will support the bent portion of the plexiglas so it does not bend further. A wood sheet held on a table, with a wooden block to sandwich the plexiglas between the sheet and the block should work nicely to support the plexiglas sheet.

2. Put on your safety gear and light your torch. Adjust the flame so that it is compact, but not so tight that it will cut rather than warm. Run the torch back and forth over the area where you want to bend the plexiglas.

3. Bend the plexiglas. Press gently on the plexiglas as you are heating it; as it softens, apply more pressure. Be careful not to force it to bend or you might break it rather than bend it as you want.

4. Turn off the torch and hold the plexiglas in place. As it cools, the plexiglas will harden again and remain in its bent shape.

Find The Price Of Comic Books

Comic book series are popular collector items.

In 2010, those involved with the pastime of comic book collecting utilized Internet auctions, collectors' forums and online pricing guides for quicker and more uniform pricing standards. While hard copy editions of pricing guides, such as the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, are still published on a yearly basis, online versions now allow access to the most updated information reflecting current market values for the serious collector. Comic book values necessary for selling, purchasing or collecting purposes can be accurately determined by inputting specific information about the comic book issue into the online comic book pricing guide.

Instructions

1. Access the Internet in order to find an online comic book price guide. Comic book collecting websites, such as Comic Seeker, provide referrals or links to online comic book price guides that are reputable within the collecting community.

2. Know the title, volume and issue information of the comic book so that you can research its value. Comic book price guides list comic books first by word-for-word series title and volume. They are then further categorized by the subseries title, if applicable, as well as the individual issue number.

3. Assess the condition of the issue. Submit the comic book for insured, professional comic book grading in order to indicate the condition and quality of the comic to prospective buyers, if you are intending to auction the item. An industry-recognized grading system between 0.5 for the poorest to 10.0 for mint will be assigned, which can be used for buyer and seller information.

4. Ensure that the specific edition or reprint information is known for the exact comic book you own or are considering purchasing. Comic book series are often re-released as collector editions to celebrate the successful first printing of an earlier printing or to capitalize on renewed interest due to a new movie or animated series based upon them. Publishers, such as Marvel, list individual printing information for comic book series that they publish.

5. Look up the specific comic book title information in the chosen online comic book price guide once the specific title, series, edition and issue information are known. Once you have located the item, measure its value against the various values assigned to individual grades of the specific issue.

Find The Best Sweepstakes And Contests

Find winnable sweepstakes and contests.

Winning online sweepstakes and contests takes time, effort, and luck. Entering in sweepstakes and contests is an obsessive hobby for some and an occasional thing for others. Most people have entered sweepstakes and contests at least once in their life. There is no secret formula or method to winning sweepstakes and contests online or offline, but there are certain things you can do to increase your chances of winning.

Some sweepstakes are a waste of time while other are more winnable. With all the selections of online sweepstakes available, it can be tricky to figure out which ones are best to go with.

Instructions

1. Avoid online sweepstakes or any sweepstakes and contests that require you to purchase something or if it requires you to join a program, forget it. It's best to always enter free sweepstakes unless you would want the item that you would be required to purchase.

Besides putting time into sweepstakes and contests, visit the legitimate FREE site in the resources section below and use it to make money online fast.

2. Find out what the prize offer is for the sweepstakes. Join sweepstakes and contests that have large cash prizes. The competition will be stiff but it's worth it. Avoid joining online sweepstakes that offer a prize that you would not at least be able to sell for profit.

3. Look for local sweepstakes and contests at your grocery store. You have a far better chance of winning with free sweepstakes from your local stores. This is because these sweepstakes are probably only available to the local area which means there's less competition. You can often find these free sweepstakes in the wine, bread section of towards the front of the store. Also look at sales and displays tables where the store might be advertising sweepstakes and contests.

4. Ask yourself if risking your privacy protection is worth it for the free sweepstakes you're interested in. Even though many online sweepstakes and other sweepstakes and contests claim that your privacy will be protected, odds are it's probably not and you're likely to receive telemarketing calls and e-mail. On the other hand, it might be worth the risk is there's a nice cash prize involved.

5. Search the internet for online sweepstakes for your local area. Local online sweepstakes will have less competition. Google local attractions and company websites to find online sweepstakes.

6. Avoid entering car sweepstakes you see in shopping malls. Car sweepstakes have very long running periods which means the competition ends up being too strong and the odds are against you. It's practically impossible to win car sweepstakes so don't even waste your time and effort.

7. Find online sweepstakes sites where the readers themselves submit sweepstakes to the site. Make sure you choose free sweepstakes as explained in the previous step.

8. Try and find blogs or other websites that might offer online sweepstakes to try and get visitors to participate in their site. These types of online sweepstakes are more unknown so they will probably have less competition than sweepstakes found in big stores.

9. Check your magazines that you currently subscribe too. Often times magazines will offer nice sweepstakes and contests.

Draw A Glue Bottle

A glue bottle has distinctively curved corners and a pointed tip.

A glue bottle is a distinctly shaped container. When many people think about a glue bottle, images of the popular Elmer's brand with its unmistakable orange cap come to mind. The shape is basically a rounded rectangle topped with a pointed, twist-off cap. By following a few simple steps, you can sketch one of these containers quite easily.

Instructions

1. Draw a large rectangle about six inches tall and four inches wide. Use a ruler to draw straight lines.

2. Erase the four straight corners of the rectangle and draw curved lines instead. This is the main body of the bottle.

3. Draw a tiny rectangle on top of the center of the body of the glue bottle. Make its width about one inch and its height only a few millimeters. This is the neck of the bottle that will connect to the cap.

4. Draw another rectangle centered on top of the neck. Make it slightly wider than the neck and about one centimeter tall. This is the bottom of the cap. Make the ridges on the bottom of the cap by drawing a series of closely spaced vertical lines in this area.

5. Draw the pointed cap, centered atop of the bottom part of the cap. Make the shape about one inch tall. Slant each side of the pointed cap inward symmetrically to form the point at the top.

6. Shade the left side of the bottle, using the side of your pencil. To convey dimension, gradually lighten the shading as you move inward with your pencil toward the center of the bottle.

Make Avatars For Free Online

Avatar photo

Avatars are graphics that represent a user or speaker in the online world. They are most often still photos or clip art of objects that have special meaning for users and are therefore accurately representative of users' unique personalities. Sometimes an avatar is a two-dimensional or three-dimensional human or animal likeness meant to stand in for the user in lieu of the user's actual appearance. Many avatar generators are available on the Internet, including Shrink Pictures, Fantage and Doppel Me. For a still graphic, all you need is a working photo to upload to the site's photo editor. For humanoid/animal avatar generators, you need only your imagination, as everything else is provided right on the screen.

Instructions

1. Launch the Internet and log onto the avatar generator site of choice. (See References.)

2. Upload the photo you want to use for your avatar from the computer hard drive or the Internet. Follow the on-screen instructions for sizing and cropping the photo so that the portion intended as the avatar is all that's visible.

3. Choose a base form body if creating a humanoid or animal two- or three-dimensional avatar. Begin the creation or customization process by selecting the correct hair color and style, eye and brow color, shape and tilt, nose and mouth shapes and makeup.

4. Dress the two- or three-dimensional avatar from the wardrobe options presented by the generator. Add details, such as accessories and pets.

5. Save the avatar in a size and format that is compatible with the requirements of your favorite social networks and communication media. Upload the avatar so that it appears next to any posts you make.

Make A Book Jacket

Make it a fun family project

Perhaps making a book jacket brings back memories of middle school, brown paper bags, passing notes, stonewashed denim (or bellbottoms), and adolescent angst. Well, let me tell you, if that is the case, it is official, you are no longer hip. (Don't worry, neither am I!)

As it turns out, in this age of text messaging and cell phones covered in beads and doodads, it just won't do for a school book to go *gasp* naked in a brown paper bag. Luckily, there is an easy solution for this problem. Not to worry, if you are an adult who just wants to cover a book for functionality, feel free to use a brown paper bag, or the New York Times Financial section, or whatever flips your switch.

Nowadays you can purchase pre-made book covers made of fabric, or sticky plastic, but there are still options for those of us who can't bear to spend money on something we could easily make ourselves. Luckily, you have probably received a present at one time or another wrapped in a gift bag. And maybe you saved that gift bag. If you did, that is where you want to start. If not, head to the dollar store and pick up some great, colorful bags for...you guessed it, a dollar!

Instructions

1. First let me say that you need not use a gift bag of course. Any thick paper you like will do. But let's assume you are going to recycle a bag you already own for the sake of this article.

Cut the bag open along the seams so that it lays flat. Lay the book in the center of the bag and fold the top over the book, making a crease to mark where the book lies. Do the same with the bottom.

2. Remove the book and fold the paper bag along the crease marks you just made. You should now have a piece of paper that is long from left to right and is the same height as the book.

3. Place the book back onto the paper and fold the paper over, matching up the ends. In this step you will be measuring the length of the ends to see if they will need to be trimmed. The long ends of the folded paper should extend beyond the book cover about half the width of the book. For example, if the book measures 10" from left to right (closed, not open) then the paper should extend 5" over the edge of the book both on the front and the back. Trim the paper until this is the case.

*If your paper is naturally a little shorter than this, it will still work, so don't worry.

4. Now you need to insert the book into the cover. First open the book, then insert the front cover into the flap of extra paper. Repeat this process with the back cover and center the book. If you wish, mark the cover with a crease, remove the book and fold the two flaps to create a sharp line. This will give you a look that is not quite as loose.

Once the book is inserted and you are happy with the fit of the cover, you can tape the flaps so the book does not slip out.

That's it, now you can use your imagination to personalize your book cover.

Find Relatives In Mexico

Do you have relatives In Mexico?

Many people want to find family living in Mexico. It could be a search for biological parents or a long-lost family member. Because we live in a world of computers and the World Wide Web, people have a tendency to believe that locating relatives in Mexico takes just a few clicks of the mouse. In reality, it's not always easy to use the Internet to find relatives in Mexico, simply because most people in Mexico do not use the Internet, particularly in rural areas.

Instructions

1. Use search engines

Gather all the necessary information about the person you're looking for and make sure the information is correct. Begin with a complete name, city and state, then search online using Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, and Bing.com. You can also search social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Multiply and Twitter.

2. Use Mexico's White Pages

Use Telmex, Mexico's white pages, to locate your relative. Or gather all the information you can find about your relative and place an ad in Adoos.com, Mexico's online advertising website.

3. Trace your family tree

Use a family genealogy website for Mexico called Registro Civil. This is the government agency that stores government documents of residents by town. Prepare to pay a fee to use their website.

4. Hire a private investigator

Hire a private investigator in Mexico as a last resort. Use Mexico's classified Ads Adoos to find a reliable private investigator and negotiate an affordable price.

Find Quality Art At Garage Sales

Some of the best deals at garage sales are on the artwork. Of course, beauty if subjective, and a lot of the junk you will see in these sales is hideous. But there are magical works hidden in strange places all over. You just have to know what to look for and be able to realize that when a certain piece is in a different context, like your house. It might appear much more magnificent. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Find Quality Art at Garage Sales

1. Scan the garage sale listings and start mapping out your adventure. Realize that there is a distinction between garage sales (never know what you might find) and yard sales (stuff that can sit out in a yard all day?; don't bother) and estate sales (someone dies and the heirs don't know what to do with all of the junk). Estate sales are the best. Make those your must visit places.

2. Selectively add some garage sales to the list. The best ones for art are in very old neighborhoods or in swanky parts of town, on the river, on the lake, on the top of the hill.

3. Get to the most promising looking sales the earliest in the day (say the estate sale in the mansion on the river), then work down your list. Try to map out the route so you can hit as many as you can in the most efficient way possible. Avoid criss-crossing back and forth across town.

4. Scan the walls all over the house. The paintings and prints and masks most likely will be hung. Sometimes, though, they will be in odd places. Look in laundry rooms and garages. The people selling good art for dirt cheap don't know what they have, so they very well might just hang it above the old washing machine.

5. Look at each table carefully. Often small sculptures and exquisite pottery gets shoved next to the rest of the knick-knacks.

6. When you discover something great, don't dicker for a $1 off. Just take your piece and savor it. The karma from that will lead to others.

Find Places To Sell Greeting Cards

So you are an artist with brilliant ability, and you know you have some wonderful greeting card ideas. Or maybe you are a crafter and make scrapbook-style one-of-a-kind cards that the world just has to see...but how do you get them out there? I am a card designer, and have had varied amount success in most of these ways to find places to sell greeting cards.

Instructions

1. Sell your cards at a craft booth.

Check the web for churches and communities that are holding bazaars or market days. Try to find events that seem to have good publicity and aren't too expensive to have a booth. Pick only your best designs, and try to stick to general categories, like birthday, friendship, and upcoming holidays. Blank cards also sell well. You can try selling packs of 6 to 12, or you can try buy 3 get 1 free. After a few events, you will have a good idea about what designs sell better than others.

2. Sell cards at local shops: some stores do craft consignments where you either pay a booth fee or a commission. If you do this, you might want to also have some framed prints or craft items to "fill out" the booth. You can also try approaching store owners of small shops that already carry greeting cards, I sell mine at a local bookstire. Just make sure you have a nice presentation and you either make an appointment to come in or come in at a time that's not busy. If they say no, don't take it as a rejection, they may just already have too many cards at the time.

3. Send your ideas to greeting card companies: For a good list of greeting card companies looking for submissions, check out www.writersmarket.com. It does cost $3.99 per month to use this site for a reference, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. Be sure to check each publishers web site for details on what they accept and the formats they want, Follow their guidelines carefully!

4. If you make 3-D crafty kinds of cards, try selling them on www.etsy.com or another craft website. It's a free site that allows you to post pictures of your craft items. When they sell, you ship them. This is a great way to make sure you don't spend too much time and effort making hundreds of cards before you know there is a market for them.

5. There are several good print-on-demand sites of your cards are comprised of graphic design, photographs, or paintings. www.zazzle.com is free and you can put your creations on everything from mugs to cards to stamps, www.cafepress is similar but they chrage you after a certain amount of items posted. www.greetingcarduniverse.com only does cards but it's the one that I have had the best success in (over 2300 cards since last June). redbubble.com gives you the option to sell your art as prints, greeting cards and t-shirts. All of these sites pay a commission for designs sold. Here is an article that goes more in depth on this subject:http://www.ehow.com/how_4747257_sell-greeting-cards****.html

Find Out What An Old Rare Book Is Worth

Condition, rarity and history of ownership determine book value.

A copy of John James Audubon's "Birds of America," part of a collection of rare books auctioned in 2010, turned out to be worth f7.3 million, or more than $11 million. The collection, built up by generations of the family of Frederick Lord Hesketh, was auctioned by Sotheby's for nearly of f15 million. Your old and rare book might be very valuable too. Finding out is a process of collecting and analyzing data about the book and its history. Condition, rarity and history of ownership determine book value.

Instructions

1. Make a list of information about your book. Include the author, year and location of publication, known previous owners and inscriptions. Write down why you think the book is rare and old. Go on the Internet and pull up the video posted on the website of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. View the video to learn about the terms used to describe book condition. List the word that best describes the condition of your book.

2. Go to the website of the Association of College and Research Libraries and read the publication "Your Old Books." Read the definitions of book editions. Determine if your book is a first or limited edition. This can affect the value of the book and is an important part of the appraisal.

3. Go to the website of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America. Enter the book title and any information about your book. You may find copies of the same book and an amount at which it is valued. Other copies of your book may be for sale on commercial websites that trade rare and antique books.

4. Look for a listing of your book in printed appraisal guides such as "Collected Books: The Guide to Values," by Allen and Patricia Ahearn, or "The Official Price Guide to Collecting Books," by Marie Tedford and Pat Goudey. These may be available at your local library.

5. Consult a professional appraiser if you do not believe you have yet discovered the correct value of the book. It may be so rare that no one has yet appraised it. A list of appraisers can be found at the Antiquarian Booksellers Association website.

Make A Simple Scrapbook

If you've toyed with the idea of making a scrapbook but have found yourself overwhelmed in the scrapbook aisle, here are a few tips that can save you time and money. It's a great way to preserve your best memories for years to come.

Instructions

PickingYour Project

1. Find pictures--developed or undeveloped, digital or film. Grab a box lying around the house that you've haven't put in albums yet, or develop photos from your memory card that you've filled up.

2. Think about your photos. Each page of your scrapbook will have around one to five photos, so out of your pictures choose the ones that mean the most to you and discard the rest.

3. Decide if your scrapbook will have a theme or focus on one event, or if it will focus on a specific time frame. Choosing one event or person will give direction to the project.

Getting Supplies

4. Figure out how much money you are willing to invest in this project, and set yourself a budget. You might need to purchase an album, paper, pinking shears or paper cutters, glues and other adhesives and embellishments. Lots of small items can add up quickly.

5. Venture into the scrapbook aisle of your local craft store or major retailer, and look for an album. An 8x8 album might be a good place to start, or you could try the standard 12x12 album.

6. Find paper of the correct size (usually 8x8 or 12x12). Most places allow you to buy individual sheets, but it's usually best to buy a pack of paper that coordinates with your project. If you buy more paper than you need, you can use the extra to make frames, borders, and paper designs to enhance your scrapbook.

7. Select embellishments. The selection is huge, so start in the sale or clearance section. Look for only those items that match your theme. Keep your pictures in mind as you peruse the aisle.

Putting it Together

8. Place your photos where you want them. Glue a photo on some extra paper and cut out a border freehand or with a ruler and pencil. Place on your background paper and figure out where you'd like it to go. Set aside and work on the other photos for the page.

9. Consider cropping photos--cutting them into interesting shapes. Create a cardboard template of the shape (like a star or circle) and use as a guide.

10. Glue your photos to the background when you're satisfied with their placement. Next, add your words, stickers, and embellishments. Soon you'll have a beautiful work of art full of your best memories.

Make A Kaleidoscope Blank Out Of Wood

Make a kaleidoscope and enjoy the beauty within.

Sir David Brewster invented the kaleidoscope in 1816 in the process of conducting his work on the study of light and optics. The kaleidoscope caught on in the Victorian era, first in Europe then in the United States. Kaleidoscopes remain a source of fascination today. You can make a kaleidoscope out of wood and enjoy the beauty that Sir David discovered almost 200 years ago.

Instructions

1. Cut hardwood into four pieces. Two should measure 10 1/2 inches long and 1 3/8 inches wide. Two should measure 10 1/2 inches long and 3 inches wide.

2. Lay one of the wide pieces on the work table and glue to the shorter pieces standing up on either side so that it forms a U. Glue the other wide piece on the top so that you have a square tube.

3. Clean off any excess glue with a wet rag.

4. Mount the kaleidoscope blank on a lathe. A tapered square as well as softwood plugs that are squared work well for this application. Turn the blank until its inside diameter measures 2 3/16 inches.

5. Secure the kaleidoscope on the lathe's drive end using the chuck and a center rest. Remove the blank from the lathe and drill 3/4 to 1 inch up the interior with a 1 7/8 inch drill bit.

6. Cut the end of the kaleidoscope to 9 1/4 inches with a band saw. Smooth the end with a belt sander. Cut a 2-inch diameter dowel down to 2 inches in length. Turn it on the lathe so that it's tapered along its length. Do this only slightly, for you wish it to fit snugly inside the kaleidoscope.

7. Put the kaleidoscope on the lathe and cut shoulders into either end with a parting tool. The shoulders need to be 1/4 inch wide and 3/32 inch deep. Slip the brass ends 1/2 inch up from either end of the kaleidoscope. If necessary, sand the wood with a belt sander until the brass rings fit snugly.

Make A Silhouette Portrait

Create your own silhouette portrait from a photo.

Use your talents and the precision of a craft knife to create elegant art for the walls of your home inspired by the profile view of its residents. Turn profile pictures into detailed, professional-looking silhouettes for just a few dollars. You can make the background of the silhouette match any decor. Create a whole wall of silhouettes with each member of your household included, even pets.

Instructions

1. Take a profile picture -- digital or film -- of the person or pet you want to create a silhouette portrait of. Take the picture in front of a light background, preferably a white wall, so the outline of the subject is clearly defined against the background of the photo. Take the photo so the subject fills most of the frame; this helps you determine what size picture to order for the size silhouette you want to create. The photo can show the entire subject, or the subject from the shoulder up.

2. Get the profile photo developed in the same size you want your completed silhouette. So, if you want an 8-by-10-inch silhouette portrait, you should get an 8-by-10-inch print of the photo.

3. Trace the outline of your subject's profile using a pencil and piece of tracing paper. The more fine details you include in the tracing, such as stray strands of hair, the more lifelike and professional the silhouette will look. Cut out the tracing.

4. Trace the tracing paper template onto a piece of black paper. Cut out the black paper silhouette.

5. Adhere the black paper silhouette to a background sheet of paper using double-sided tape. You can use any color for the background except black.

Make A Pocket Shrine

Create a mini shrine for your pocket.

A pocket shrine is a small pocket-sized box that is filled with personal treasures and artwork. You can create a shrine from a variety of containers, including matchboxes or small tins. Use basic craft supplies and paper cut outs to design these memento boxes any way you like. Store trinkets, photos and other keepsakes in the compartment and keep it in your pocket as a thoughtful reminder.

Instructions

1. Clean, dry and empty the tin.

2. Cut out pictures from magazines, newspapers or photographs that you want place on your shrine. Arrange the pictures both inside and outside the tin.

3. Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on the outside of the tin, using a foam brush. Place a picture on the tin and coat it with a layer of the glue. Continue applying pictures until your entire surface is covered. Let dry.

4. Open the tin and repeat picture application. You can also paint or use glitter to decorate. Let dry.

5. Fill the tin with photographs, trinkets or other mementos. Keep it or give it to a friend.

Make Metal Bird Sculptures

Metal bird sculptures set the mood and add flair to great sprawling lawns and small urban garden spaces alike. Select a bird model from among large pelicans, graceful cranes, tropical or endangered species or common ones like sparrows. Then choose what size and what metals you want to work with. Lightweight metals are easier to cut and heavy ones may require some professional attention, such as welding. After that, it's just a matter of cutting and pounding metal and piecing it together with wire. Always were appropriate protective gear like thick gloves and eye protection to avoid injury.

Instructions

1. Draw all component parts of the bird body onto sheet metal. Use a magic marker to outline the side view of the bird body and be sure to draw two of them. Draw two sets of wings on the metal sheeting. Draw two rectangles the length of the body to represent the top and bottom sides of the bird. Draw two oval shaped pieces to be used for the head. Allow for a long neck if it suits your design taste.

2. Put on a pair of thick leather gloves and protective eye wear to protect yourself during metal cutting. Using the appropriate strength metal snips or cutters for your metal, cut along the edges of all marker outlines. The cut edges may be very sharp, so take care not to accidentally brush against them.

3. Use an electric sander to smooth down all rough edges. Wear a dust mask to keep out the fine flying metal debris. Go over the edges with a damp rag to check for any rough spots you may have missed. Continue sanding until all edges are smoothed down to your satisfaction.

4. Use a mallet or hammer to pound out the shape of the body parts and the head. Shape the two rectangular pieces into rounded shapes to resemble the bird's back and belly. Round out both head pieces in the same fashion.

5. Punch a few holes, using the hole punch, around the edges of the body, sides, back, belly and head. Try to match up the holes where metal will be connected. For example, match holes along the top side to the bird's back. Make one or two single punches on each side where the wings will attach to the body. Make two small punches on the head for eyes and on each side of the face for the beak.

6. Shape some wire into a double loop and then form it into a beak. Attach to either side of the face by poking wire through the holes. Fashion some eyes with the wire by forming two separate spiral cones.

7. Wire the hole-punched parts together using single pieces of thin gauge wire. Cut away excess wire using the metal cutters.

8. Form twisted wire legs and feet with a thick gauge wire. Use several strands of wire and twist them to give form and strength. Attach to the body with thin wire loops.