Tuesday, April 29, 2014
(2) Facebook
If you have created a new craft or developed a new hobby and are comfortable enough in your skills or expertise, perhaps it is time to market your skills. While for most of us marketing ourselves is uncomfortable, there are many ways to make it enjoyable instead of nerve-wracking.
How to Market Your New Craft or Hobby |Maryjane's Blog
If you have created a new craft or developed a new hobby and are comfortable enough in your skills or expertise, perhaps it is time to market your skills. While for most of us marketing ourselves is uncomfortable, there are many ways to make it enjoyable instead of nerve-wracking.
Marketing yourself does not mean that you have to hire a great big billboard with a picture of yourself smiling. Marketing can be something as simple as letting someone know that you can perform that skill or create that project.
Perhaps you are a party planner that specializes in centerpieces, or maybe you can play a musical instrument like nobody’s business. The whole reason you dived into your new craft or hobby is because of your love of it. So do not be ashamed of your talent; share it with others. There are many ways that you can market yourself so that you can share that talent with everyone around you.
Offer Classes
If you are a crafty soul and specialize as in the example above in making exquisite centerpieces, why not teach a class or two? You never know - one or more of your students may decide that making it themselves is not coming out quite the way that they had hoped. They may wish to hire you for your expertise instead.
Local Newspapers
Many newspapers are looking for freelance writers to donate an article or two, especially when it comes to the how-to market. If you have a craft that you love, then it will be easy to write about it, and you do not need any formal writing training. Let the love of your craft shine through.
Ask the newspaper in return if you can post your business card and website at the bottom of the article. In this way, you get some free advertising and the newspaper gets a really great article on how to create a craft.
Start a Blog
If you do not have a blog about your craft, then starting one should be easy and fun. If you have to, take a blogging workshop and get started. The sooner you start to blog about what it is that you love, the more exposure you will get. In this way, you will have fun making new friends, meeting new people and networking all at the same time. It will not feel like marketing at all.
There is another way of marketing yourself and that is to join an internet program that offers tools for your success,the one I
personally use and highly recommend is 12Second Commute that includes a program product builder, a blog and much more and it's free to join you should certainly check it out by clicking on the banner below.
Fundraisers
Fundraisers are an excellent way to network while having fun and doing good at the same time. If you have a craft or a basket you would like to donate, leave your business card with your website on it and you will be surprised how doing something good will return to you twofold.
These are just a few simple ways to market your hobby or craft without you feeling like a used car salesman.
Maryjane Angelo
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Visualize Your Way to Crafty |Maryjane's Blog
Visualize Your Way to Crafty
If you are a creative person, chances are that you will find every excuse in the book not to pursue that creativity. For some reason, it seems that creative individuals sometimes find it difficult to admit and embrace their creative side.
There are several reasons why creative individuals do this:
* They feel as though it is not as important as their real life job
* They feel inadequate
* Fear of failure stops many individuals from pursuing creative endeavors
* Negative self-talk may minimize their desire
* Excuses for too little time may squash creativity
If any of these sounds like you, do not worry because you are not alone. If you ask any creative person, finding their way to crafty did not happen overnight. However, there are tips and out of the box ways to unleash that crafty part of yourself.
Creative Visualization
If you find yourself dreaming about creating unique and expressive crafts, whether it is through painting or writing or even creating crafts for gift-giving, but also find yourself stuck, creative visualization can help.
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One of the best ways to open yourself up creatively is to visualize your dream. If you dream of painting, picture yourself at the easel,
meeting with new clients, and selling your artwork to a magazine.
Spend several minutes each and every day visualizing your dream coming true. Make sure to incorporate good feelings of excitement, joy, and fulfillment.
Eat, Drink, and Breathe Your Hobby into Life
If you have uncovered a desire to create a craft or take up a hobby that has been hidden for a long time, be sure to know that you have the ability to bring it to life. By speaking of your newfound desire, taking action plans, and focusing every day on your new endeavor, you will find that it will materialize faster.
Do something every day, whether it is to buy a new paintbrush, spend 15 minutes writing, or trying out a new craft. Be intentional about bringing this to life in your every day.
Declare It and Share It
Declaring aloud and to everyone who is within earshot that you finally intend to take up painting, crafting, or writing is the best way to motivate yourself. Making a declaration will always leave you in the position of having to explain, or make excuses, as to why you have not done what you said you would.
Below are some of the crafts that I learned how to create.There are many books to help you get started in arts and crafts that is how I started.
Your credibility is at stake and no one likes to have his or her credibility at stake.
By visualizing it every night, taking action steps during the day, and by declaring it and sharing it, you bring your craft to life.
Maryjane Angelo
Monday, April 21, 2014
How to Successfully Make Money with Your Craft |Maryjane's Blog
Make Money with Your Craft
If you have chosen to make a particular craft or get involved in a certain hobby and have pretty much got it down pat, you might want to consider the next step. This may be the desire to sell your wares for profit.
Once you have uncovered what you love, found your passion, and set up a routine, you may be feeling quite successful. You may also find that you are ready to take the next step and share your craft with the rest of the world.
There are several ways and places to share your craft with others.
Craft Fairs
The first place to look into is in the craft fair market. There you will meet other vendors who sell goods that are completely different from yours and others who have similar items for sale.
This is an excellent way to network, but more importantly, this is an excellent way to check out the competition and to see where you may need to improve your craft or even to step up your game.
Home Parties
While craft fairs are obvious, do not forget about hosting your own home parties. Many crafters do not think of selling their goods from home because they are not a nationally known brand and do not have any tiers for selling, prizes to be won, or incentives.
However, this may be exactly the thing that your friends, family members, and co-workers are looking for – to come to your home and pick up some much-needed holiday or birthday gifts without having to go any further than that.
Teach Classes
If you are an expert at something like baking, playing piano, or painting, one of the best and most lucrative ways to make money and have fun doing what you love is to teach classes. Look into your local Y and see if they can offer you some space.
Teds WoodWorking Beginners will find these woodworking plans' clear and concise nature gives them a solid foundation to build their first projects as they build their confidence to move on to more complex carpentry projects and increase their skill level.
Teds WoodWorking Beginners will find these woodworking plans' clear and concise nature gives them a solid foundation to build their first projects as they build their confidence to move on to more complex carpentry projects and increase their skill level.
If not, consider hosting these classes from home. This can be quite lucrative as you are offering your services without much (if any) overhead. This is an excellent way to make money with your craft or hobby.
Community Centers
If you have a craft that you love to make, think about teaching a group of seniors how to create this craft for themselves. Not only will you make extra money, but also you will be offering some much-needed recreation to a needy market.
Networking
Joining a club or community activity is a great way to introduce yourself and your craft to a completely new set of individuals. Taking classes is another great way to network.
Let's all help kids gain more confidence and self esteem with this new motivational product.
Don't forget about fundraisers – especially if you put your label on your wares.
These are just a few of the many ways that you can successfully make money with your craft.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Family Travel Maryjane's Blog
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Family Travel
Ready to take a vacation with the whole family, but want to do it in a sustainable way? You can. In the past, going green in your travels meant extremely expensive hotels and often lower quality products. Today, that's just not the case.
In numerous studies, travelers have responded that when given the choice they'd take a sustainable hotel or plane ride over one that wasn't if they had the choice.
Because demand has been so high, sustainable travel as an industry has really taken off. Today, you can find sustainable hotels all throughout the price spectrum, including guesthouses and hotels that are perfect for the whole family.
==> Planning for Eco-Friendly Travel
Traveling with the whole family requires a lot more planning than traveling solo.
If you were traveling solo, it's not all that difficult to just plan one city at a time. All you need to do is find an eco-friendly hotel in the next city and you're off.
When you're with a big family, however, you'll probably want to plan your whole trip before you leave. This allows you to ensure you have a sustainable hotel and sustainable activities planned throughout the whole trip.
==> Teaching Your Kids about Sustainability
One of the best things about eco-friendly travel is that it gives you the perfect experiential opportunity to teach your kids about sustainability.
Back home, eco-friendliness can be just a concept to kids. They haven't seen the impact of environmentalism first hand, nor have they seen the difference between being sustainable and unsustainable.
While traveling however, kids can get a very different perspective. They get to see a very different culture and can often see the costs of unsustainability first hand, depending on what countries you visit.
This can be a perfect time to teach them about helping their planet and being sustainable in general.
==> Planning Eco-Friendly Activities for the Whole Family
The best way to plan eco-friendly activities for the whole family is to involve your kids in the decision process.
Instead of making the decision yourself, ask your kids: Would they like to ride elephants? Learn to scuba dive or snorkel? Would they like to see monkeys or go on a safari?
Sometimes kids will be naturally excited about certain prospects and sometimes they'll be just terrified. The only way you'll know for sure is to make sure you get their input before planning.
If you've never taken your kids hiking or camping before, this could be the perfect opportunity to try.
Going on an eco-friendly family trip can be the perfect time to educate your kids on sustainability. It can be an incredible bonding experience for the whole family and it can be great fun for everyone involved.
Maryjane Angelo
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Old Books and Magazines Maryjane's Blog
Creative Ways for Using Old Books and Magazines
If your home is like most, you probably have a stack of magazines you have read but do not know what to do with. You may also have many books that have been read and enjoyed some time ago. Rather than tossing these things, try one or more of the following creative ways for using old books and magazines.
Create a Unique Desk
This is a great way to repurpose books. You will need to have a large quantity of books and in varying sizes to make stacks the same height. A set of old encyclopedias and other hardcover books would work best, but you may be able to add in some paperbacks, too.
Decide how large you want your desk to be and mark that area on your floor with tape at the corners. Place the books, largest on the bottom, on the floor with the books in each taped corner. Continue adding books to your stacks until you get to the right height. Then place a piece of plywood, an old door, or thick Plexiglas for the top.
Make Recycled Paper
You can take some of the old books, phone books and newspapers you have laying around and create recycled paper. You will need a blender, paper, a screen with a frame and water. Look online or check out a book from the library to learn more.
Wrap Presents
There is no reason why you should pay a premium for wrapping paper for gift giving. Tape pages from a magazine together to create one large sheet; then you can use that to wrap your gifts. You can also use the magazine pages to make a bow by cutting the page into strips and taping them together.
Origami paper can be expensive and hard to find. If you would like to try your hand at origami, you can cut the pages of a magazine to the right size and then begin folding. When you feel you have somewhat mastered the craft, you may want to purchase the right kind of paper and feel assured you will not be wasting your money.
This is one of the best ways to help a young child learn the sounds letters make. If they can recognize things, name them and can use safety scissors and glue, they can make a letter book. They can cut pictures out of a magazine that start with a specific letter and glue them on a sheet of paper. A is for apple, angels and anteaters. B is for boy, baby and boots. You get the idea. When your child has gone through the alphabet, punch the pages and create a cover for it.
These are just a few creative ways for using old books and magazines. Perhaps these ideas are enough to get your creative juices flowing and help you come up with ideas of your own. Think about other crafts that use paper and chances are you will be able to incorporate the pages of books or magazines.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Sustainable Eating |Maryjane's Blog
Sustainable Eating
Do you realize how much the decisions you make can affect the people and the world around you? Even the food choices you make can make a difference. Where you shop, the packaging for the food and the food itself can all affect your sustainable eating habits.
Eat seasonal food that is grown locally. When you consider that some of the food you eat is grown all across the country and even internationally, you know it has to be transported. Most transportation requires fossil fuels to get it from point A to point B. When you eat foods that are grown locally, you have removed the need for transportation. This is one of the most eco-friendly solutions related to sustainable eating.
There has been a good amount of talk about eating organic foods recently. Organic food is not produced with chemicals or fertilizers. Instead, the farmer uses natural additives in place of these chemical pesticides and fertilizers. They have not been genetically modified and have not been irradiated. Organic farmers are on the forefront of sustainable farming as well as improving the condition of the soil.
Ensure you are buying organic foods by looking for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Organic label. You will also want to remember that even though the organic foods are created in a much more environmentally friendly manner, not all farmers who use organic farming methods get the USDA certification. It is also important to remember that organic foods that come from another country are not environmentally friendly if they have had to be shipped from a long distance.
Cut down on the amount of meat you eat; this is another way to practice sustainable eating. Animals require land and water on which to live, and they produce waste that affects air and water quality. Some people also consider the reported inhumane treatment of animals and the fact they are pumped full of antibiotics as a reason to turn to a plant-based diet. If you are not ready to become a vegetarian, at least choose to go without meat two or three times a week.
Plant a garden of your own. If you want to know for sure you are going your best for the environment, plant a garden and grow your own food. You will be doing the work, you will know what chemicals or fertilizers have been used on the food and it will not need to be transported. You can learn about sustainable eating and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor in the process.
Maryjane Angelo
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Eco-Friendly Chic Decorating Tips Maryjane's Blog
When it is time for a change in your home and you are concerned about the earth, you want to find eco-friendly chic decorating tips you can follow. Luckily, numerous decorating companies understand your desire to protect the environment. Not only do they make products from recycled materials, they also offer sustainable goods. The following tips will make your home both eco-friendly and beautiful.
2. Re-use and re-purpose items you may already own. If you are trying to find ways to separate the living space in a large room, a screen divider is the perfect solution. Make a screen divider out of one or more screen doors. Add a panel of fabric over each door and hinge them together. The nice part of this idea is that you have reused something you have on hand and you can change out the fabric with the seasons.
3. Natural materials are also a part of eco-friendly decorating. If you must purchase a new piece of furniture, find one that is unfinished. This will keep harmful stains out of your home. Instead, rub mineral oil into the wood to protect it and create a warm glow.
4. Another option for a “new” furniture purchase is to look at places like Goodwill, Salvation Army or other consignment stores. Quite often, you can find just what you are looking for at a reduced price. This will keep items out of the overfull landfills and more of your money in your wallet.
5. Bring the outdoors into your home. You can place live plants around your home to make it more “green.” You can also bring in natural elements. For instance, if you have a large glass vase, put pine cones, dried seedpods or fruit into it. You can also place bowls of fruit on tables. Let your family enjoy the fruit to keep it from spoiling; you can always replace it.
6. Add a water element to your home. You can do this with a water fountain or by placing colorful jars on a windowsill with plenty of sunlight during the day. The water will absorb the heat as the sun shines on it and then release the heat at night to warm the room.
7. Use natural materials like wicker baskets or wooden crates to contain items instead of buying plastic containers. This will give you the storage you need and allow you to continue with your eco-friendly chic decorating.
Consider what you want your home to look like and then find eco-friendly options. By using these ideas, and thinking of other ways you can make your home “green,” you will be doing your part to help the environment.
Maryjane Angelo
Sunday, April 6, 2014
How to Make Your Own Green Cleaning Products
Cleaning your home is a necessity, but that does not mean you have to use toxic, chemically-laden cleaners. In fact, with just a few ingredients, you can make your own green cleaning products. Look below to learn how to make cleaners you will feel comfortable using around your family.
The following are the items you will need to make natural cleaning products:
* White distilled vinegar
* Baking soda
* Washing soda (found in the laundry aisle)
* Natural detergent or liquid soap
* Vegetable glycerin (optional)
* Essential oil (optional)
Make Customize soaps, oils and beauty products for your family friends.
Soft Scrubbing Cream
To clean your bathtub, pour 1/2 cup baking soda into a medium bowl. Add liquid detergent and stir until it becomes the consistency of frosting. Put a spoonful onto a sponge, wet it slightly, clean your bathtub and then rinse it. You will find this cleaner does not leave a gritty feel in the bathtub. You can make just enough for the job or you can add a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to keep the cleaner moist. Store it in a tightly sealed jar.
All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
To clean general surfaces, put 1/2 teaspoon washing soda with a small amount of liquid soap in an empty spray bottle. Add 2 cups of hot tap water. Shake the bottle to incorporate the washing soda until it has fully dissolved. Squirt the liquid on the surface and then wipe it off with a rag or a sponge.
Oven Cleaner
To clean stuck-on food in the bottom of the oven, sprinkle water over the food. Cover the moist food with enough baking soda that the bottom of the oven looks white. Add more water over the top of the baking soda and allow the mixture to rest overnight. The next day, wipe out the mess that has loosened. To remove anything that remains, put a little bit of liquid detergent on a wet sponge and finish washing the oven.
Window Cleaner
To clean your windows, mix together 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent, 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle and then spray it on your windows. Use a wadded-up piece of newspaper to wipe the spray from the window. You can also add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to cover the scent of the vinegar.
These four recipes can be used for most of your cleaning needs. However, you can also use each ingredient for cleaning on its own. 1/2 cup of straight vinegar in your rinse cycle softens clothes. (Please note: you do NOT want to use vinegar on marble surfaces.) Baking soda deodorizes. Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet before vacuuming to remove odors.
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Even though these green cleaning products are not harmful, if you make larger quantities, be sure to mark the bottles clearly, so you know what is in them. This will ensure you use the right product to get the best results.
Maryjane Angelo
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
16 Things You May Not Know Are Compostable |Maryjane's Blog
Composting is a great “green” thing to do for your garden. It provides organic nutrients for the soil, which could help it produce more. Obviously, you can compost leaves, grass clippings, fruits and vegetable peelings. But, these are not the only compostable items! The following are sixteen things you may not know are compostable.
2. Tea bags – If you enjoy a cup or gallon of tea, you can also compost your tea bags.
3. Paper bags – Some grocery stores still give paper bags. Tear the bags up and add them to the compost pile.
4. Plain cooked pasta – Did you cook too much pasta but not enough for leftovers? Instead of tossing it out, add it to the bowl to be taken out and composted.
5. Stale bread – Let’s face it, stale bread does not taste good. You can break the bread up in smaller pieces and compost it instead.
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6. Used paper napkins, paper towels and paper plates (non-waxed) – Used paper goods will easily decompose.7. Stale pretzels, cereal and crackers – Like stale bread, these things simply are not appealing. Adding them to the compost pile, rather than tossing them, will at least be of benefit for the plants and you will not feel like you have totally wasted your money.
8. Pizza crusts – Some people simply do not like eating the pizza crust but throwing it away would be wasteful. Add this to the compost pile in the same way you do other bread or pasta.
9. Nutshells – Nutshells provide additional nutrients to the compost mixture. It is, however, important that you keep walnut shells out of the compost because the shells are toxic to plants.
10. Moldy cheese – Normally you would not compost meats and cheeses, but the fact this is moldy makes it all right.
11. Eggshells – Eggshells are a great addition to your compost pile if you wash them first. The reason you wash eggshells before adding them is that there may be salmonella on the outside of the egg, which would be transferred to your compost and could spread to your garden.
12. 100% cotton balls – ‘Cotton balls’ made of other content than cotton should not be added to the compost pile because they most likely will not decompose.
13. Old loofah sponges – Loofah sponges are organic matter and therefore can be added with other items.
14. Dryer lint – If you wash and dry your clothes, you will have dryer lint. Instead of throwing it away, add it to the compost pile.
15. Old cotton clothing – Clothing, as long as it is 100% cotton, can be composted. It will compost better if it is torn or cut up into smaller pieces before adding it to the pile.
16. Paper you have shredded – It is possible to add shredded paper for composting, which will keep your personal information out of the landfill.
When thinking about things you can compost, you may not have known about these. These are not the only items, either. In fact, any organic material can be composted. The things you will want to keep out of your compost pile include used cooking oil, diseased plant, treated wood shavings, milk products and any type of meat.
Maryjane Angelo
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