


Hobby Shops:The Original DIY

Ladies: have you ever asked your partner what he was into as a little kid? If you have, you probably learned about his favorite model airplane, train collection, or model neighborhood he built in his youth. You probably thought it was super adorable to learn that he still thinks every now and again about picking up the craft and starting something new.

There is not much more satisfying that taking up a productive and meaningful pastime. We cook, exercise, watch television, and take vacations. We work in the garden, play video games, do crossword puzzles, and surf the web. But when is the last time you pieced together a 3-dimensional puzzle or built a roving vehicle out of nothing? If you can't answer with "recently," then you might think about taking a trip to nearby hobby shops. You've probably seen them before and even thought about going inside.

It's time. Hobby shops are a wonderland for the creative and ambitious. In fact, they are the original DIY craft stores! Piece by piece, you can glue and construct a fanciful world for your train replete with bridges, towns, forests and more. If you have an interest in world history, you can survey the development of the airways by building your own jets, warplanes, or other aircraft. If creating a landscape is more your style, or if you are working on a project as a group, you can get the goods together to build a backdrop.

Piecing together small, imagined worlds is more than a hobby. It can stir up nostalgic memories, reminding us of old times or people we miss. As holidays roll around, consider all the festive environments you could create. A haunted forest perhaps! Or a cornucopia highway? Perhaps you are already thinking ahead to Christmas and imagining a frosted pine forest and a snow-covered hillside. Whatever you decide to build, you will have a great time connecting your project to the mood of the season.

If you do not think you are ready to take up such a challenge as creating a holiday world, it is still an adventure to drop by your local hobby shop to see the creations on display there. You can get lost in the crafts and see what inspires you.

What is Inside a Hobby Shop:

- Models! Airplanes, trains, and communities - you name it! They come as complicated or as simple as you are ready for.
- Scenery and backdrops for your vehicles, roads, and tracks



Ideas for a Girl's 21st Birthday Party Decorations

If your 21st birthday is coming up there will undoubtedly be plenty of excitement in the air. After all, you only turn 21 once and therefore it's important that you mark this special celebration with a bang. It's your chance to throw the party of all parties. Give everyone an occasion to remember for a long, long time. This article is here to help you do exactly that. If you read on you will discover some great suggestions regarding party decorations for a girl's 21st birthday in particular. The four incredible themes are as follows; 'Happy Hippy', 'Old Hollywood Glamour', 'Vintage Floral' and 'Geisha Glamour'. All of these themes are extremely diverse yet undeniably beautiful in their own right. Thus, keep on reading to discover all that you need to know about them.

This is a theme which is glamorous, extravagant and luxurious. Rewind the clock to the days of Hollywood scarlet Marlin Monroe with sophisticated and seductive party decorations. Your colour scheme should be black, red and silver. It's all about the detail with this theme and that's why the party decorations play a pivotal role. Red roses are imperative. You don't have to purchase real ones as flowers are obviously expensive. You can opt for fake flowers or decorations incorporating the red rose. In addition to this, look for drapes of crystals to lace on the wall just as you would with bunting. You can even buy pots of loose assorted crystals to scatter across the tables. These are undoubtedly a welcomed addition. Ornate black photo frames with black and white images inside can look fantastic. If you are the sort of girl who likes all eyes on you, you could get your parents to treat you to a photo shoot before the event and fill the frames with old school Hollywood photographs. This personalises the occasion which is always important.

This is a great trend for a 21st birthday party because it stimulates a happy and friendly environment, which is what a party is all about. Sometimes the best events are those that have more of a laidback feel rather than a glamorous and sophisticated edge. This is because people feel free to enjoy the party as suits them rather than having to totter around in six inch heels and a fitted sequin dress. When looking for party decorations you can incorporate a wealth of colours, from green, to purple, to pink, to orange, to yellow. Furthermore, you should be looking out for flower power designs and the peace sign. This shouldn't be too difficult as the peace sign has soared to the height of fashion as of late.

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Beaded Jewelry 101 - Designing Your Own Jewelry - Tools and Materials

In this article I'll talk about the different things you'll want to get started with. I'll also throw in a few tools that you don't need, but would be nice to have.


Here is a list of the basic tools necessary to create your own beaded jewelry:

1. Needle Nosed Pliers
2. Round Nosed Pliers
3. Wire Cutters
4. Scissors

And here is a more advanced tool list. I would recommend getting the above tools first and then adding these tools one at a time:

1. Crimping Pliers
2. Split Ring Pliers
3. Bent Nose Pliers


There are quite a few materials, so I am going to split it up into basics and findings. Here are the basic supplies that you are going to need to create beaded jewelry:

1. Beading Thread
2. Beading Wire
3. Crimp Beads
4. Beads

And then there is the findings list:

1. Clasps
2. Jump Rings
3. Split Rings
4. Charms
5. Eye Pins
6. Head Pins
7. Earwires

As you can see, there aren't a ton of materials and even in the case of tools, there's only 6 that you need to buy (you have scissors don't you?!) and these will last forever if you take care of them... literally!

All of the findings and the beading wire come in different metals; copper, silver, gold, etc. This makes it really easy to match to your beads! My favorite metal is nickel free silver, especially for earwires. The reason for this is because I have very sensitive ears, and if I use anything else, excepting 18 karat gold, my ears swell. This is just me, and if you can wear earrings that have nickel in them, then those are slightly less expensive.

While we are on the topic of findings, a note about head pins and eye pins. One of the things you'll need to know is that a head pin looks like a nail without the sharp end, and an eye pin is just a piece of wire with a loop at the end. We will talk about making your own eye pins in a later article, but, for now, you can buy them fairly cheaply (I can often find a pack of 100 at my local Walmart for $2.00.)

Over the next few articles however, I am going to discuss different aspects of the different tools and materials. For example, when I get to the one on beads, I'll tell you guys about all the different types of beads... there are lots out there!

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