Showing posts with label developing your hobby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label developing your hobby. Show all posts

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Defining and developing a hobby or collection


When someone says that they are not good at anything it's a lack of awareness of it and an inability to define it. It may even be something they are embarrassed to say as they can't show you or fear telling you. Everyone has something that brings enjoyment in their lives can be a hobby and collector.

Being an artist is not just the ability to draw but can be many things. An artist can show pictures therefore having a way for people to actually see their skill. A person that has a knack for telling jokes is an art as not everyone can do it. Politicians are showman and their talent is how the sell their selves to the public.

Another person may have the ability to put together an amazing outfit from items bought in a thrift store and look like a Sachs Fifth Avenue outfit. I identified this as a hobby or a talent but they believe anyone could do this. Hobbies and collectors ideas are limitless with all the possibilities. People need to really look at themselves and identify what brings them enjoyment or fun?

What may seem ordinary to the person may be what others perceive as a unique and special talent or hobby that others admire in that person and setting them apart from other people. Maybe a person can organize things really well and to them this is ordinary but others make them aware of this talent. Becoming aware of your talents and skills may be difficult for some individuals to identify without help.

By listening to others compliments you soon may recognize that there is a common factor or similarity that goes beyond the realm of what is normal for most people. Some people can have an actual physical hobby or collection that has a specific name and others may have the gift of words, numbers that doesn’t have a name that can be put to it. I believe that we all have unique gifts and talents that when identified can help one develop the skill, talent, hobby or collection.

Putting together puzzles and collecting them is a hobby and not something everyone can do. It takes many unique skills like patience, mechanical ability, good eye coordination just to name a few. Some people just cannot see how one can do this and watch in awe. Others get angry and see only the negatives like being a waste of time when in reality they envy and admire this quality in you.

What is your hobby or what do you like to collect? Leave me a comment and I will personally develop a post that may spur your hobby or collection into a new level. Brainstorming with others may be a way to start a new business that allows you the chance to use your hobby to make a living by doing it. For now if puzzles are your hobby by sharing some unique products on the market could take this to a new level for you. If your child likes puzzles then buy them something that adds a new challenge or combines art and puzzle making..

If you are talented at drawing and putting puzzles together use this to build skills, encourage growth and expand knowledge. Below are products that take puzzles to a new level. Puzzle glue makes your puzzle a piece of art to be hung on a wall to be admired and special mats that help you roll up puzzles so this talent does not seem wasted. These products advance the hobby of basic puzzle skills. These could also make unique gifts to give to friends and family adding a personal touch and creating a functional use for puzzles.

Never let money get in the way of developing your hobby as if you want it bad enough you can make these store bought products using your own ingenuity. That is a hobby in itself. Don't forget the simple idea of rock people that made someone a lot of money making business. Explore, develop and let it morph.


Puzzle Roll-Up-30"X36" for up to 1000 PiecesPomegranate Edward Gorey 1000 Piece Jigsaw PuzzleCompoz-A-Puzzle Blank Puzzles 5 1/2 in. x 8 in. white pack of 8 (28 pieces each)Jigsaw Shaped Puzzle 500 Pieces 24"X23"-LovebirdsCompoz-A-Puzzle Blank Puzzles 5 1/2 in. x 8 in. white pack of 8 (12 pieces each)Silver Plated Autism Awareness Puzzle Piece Charms (2)Cottage Mills 24-Inch-by-36-Inch Puzzle Mat SetJigsaw Shaped Puzzle 500 Pieces 27"X27"-Flip Flops 2Mary Maxim Inc. Puzzle GlueWonderfoam Puzzles, Numbers/ShapesSizzix Originals Die-Large Puzzle Maker #2

Saturday, June 25, 2011

A camping trip without modern conveniences

Today many people use microwaves or other modern conveniences of today as we have no time to do anything but work. Having restaurants, frozen dinners, packaged meals and Ramon Noodles we have almost lost a dying art of how to surviving prior to technology. If you had to survive without electricity, gas or modern conveniences of today could you do it? Americans are tough people and we would slowly adjust but it would be very difficult for most people as we are also spoiled.

Cooking on a Barbecue, grill or having a cookout during a camping trip is the closest to keeping the art of cooking on an open fire or hearth alive. We decided to take a survival camping trip which meant no modern conveniences like packaged foods, like potato chips, snacks which included no charcoals to even start a fire. Salt, flour, sugar, pepper, butter, Crisco, fresh vegetables and condiments along with utensils for cooking was all we all we took along. We did take some packaged meat and used ice to keep it cold but this was all.

We spent most of the time fishing for meat and preparing food from scratch. My husband was able to bake biscuits over a wood fire and they really were delicious. I made the biscuits using couple hand fulls of flour, a pinch of salt, a smidgen of baking powder and cold water until desired consistency was obtained. By following my Grandmother's recipe which had been past down for generations I gained a real understanding about what it was like to live during these times.

How they found time to do much more than meeting their basic needs is hard to imagine. Take this challenge sometime and see how long you can survive without using any modern convenience of today. It really will make you grateful for technology and you may learn something. There is a great need for the family to work as a team to accomplish supplying basic needs just for one day. You could learn that this can be fun and a challenging hobby that could bring your family closer together. By sharing what it was like to live in the days before modern technology we keep the art of how much work it takes to just survive.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

I recommend Blogger.com

Starting a blog is really a great way to learn about html. Blogger allows you to embed video's, pictures and link's with ease. You can also easily link Google Analytics which helps you learn about traffic and what draws people to your blog.
To add a photo:
  1. Click the picture icon
  2. Find the image off your computer that you want to download (Be careful not to use copyrighted images as that is against the law. That is why I stick to my own images. You can purchase stock photos but taking your own pictures adds to this exciting hobby)
  3. Select Choose file (must be a jpg, png or gif. format)
  4. After it downloads click on Add selected
  5. Image can be manipulated some by clicking on image
  6. You can change the size and location of the image
  7. Picasso 3 is a free photo manipulation software that I use
    (You can change file format, adjust color, etc.)
    Add your picture and play around with it and soon adding an image will help develop you own style.

    Be unique and enjoy!

    HP PSC 1350 All-in-One Printer, Scanner, CopierHP Deskjet F2430 All-in-one PrinterMFC8860dn Network-Ready/Duplex Laser Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax/PC FaxNew Lexmark Intuition S505 Wireless All In One Printer Color Thermal Inkjet Color CopyingCanon PIXMA MX870 Color Inkjet All-in-OneCanon PIXMA MG5220 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One (4502B017)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Remote control helicopter and airplanes

Our fascination of flying have continued when Wilbur Wright made the first plane that got off the ground and hasn't stopped from there. One of the more expensive hobbies is collecting and flying remote control helicopters and airplanes. On a nice day in the park you can see many people flying these remote controlled flying machines. It is exciting to watch them but this is an expensive hobby. When you can't afford to really learn to fly a real airplane or a helicopter the next best thing is remote control.

Talking to these collectors of remote controlled flying machines they take this hobby very seriously and have clubs, groups and probably forums of people that discuss, meet and learn comparing models. I have also talked with people that build their own and really take pride in making them go faster or do unique flying tricks.

I could afford this hobby when I found some that were between $50 and $80 but the better ones are priced at $250 and up. Most of the people that do this for a hobby can expect to spend a lot of money and time outdoors. The outdoors are free and this hobby can be affordable but once you got into it you would have to buy the better ones.

I fly a remote controlled helicopter my grandson got for Christmas and it amazed me and my cat which almost became a disastrous loss. Cats and remote control helicopters do not go together but it was sure funny to watch the cat jump for the copter. I would like to find some how-to designs on-line and see if I could out one together from scratch as this challenge would make this a great hobby for me. This is something I will do more research on and get back with you on a site that supplies this information. I love building things and this is a great gift.

Right now I will stick to designing a building unique kites but that is another hobby which I can write a whole post about. Kites are a great hobby and get you outdoors. This is more in my expense range. Good flying and what ever you do don't crash those expensive remote helicopters and planes. OUCH! I was surprised that Amazon.com sells this kind of things.

Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter Controlled by iPhone/iPod touch/iPad (Orange/Blue)Mini 3ch RC Metal Helicopter with Gyro ( 125mm / 4.92 inch )Protocol Remote Control Helicopter15" mini Apache 3 Channel Remote Controlled Military Helicopter Army Green Built-in GyroscopeRc SpacemanThe New Sport Infared Micro SIze R/C Indoor Remote Controlled Airplane

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Blogging a hobby that teaches you a lot

I was introduced to blogging about 1 year ago. I started out by using the blog to showcase my art work and creative talent. I currently have 5 blogs and each one is linked to Google Analytics which is very valuable when you want to learn about what draws traffic to your site along with great information about everything you would need to know about setting up an E-commerce site.

Personal blogging has taught me a lot and what started out to be a hobby is now turning into an attempt to learn how to monetize my blog. This is a great way to learn a lot about the web before you set up a web page and pay for hosting. Recently I was banned from my Wordpress blogs due to allowing others to put their articles on my blog. This was a big mistake and unfortunately all my work is lost which taught me a lesson. Never allow anyone to be able to post their articles on your blog unless you trust them a lot.

Blogging on blogger has been a great experience and I would highly suggest you use it to supply others with information that you are passionate about. It is relaxing and  you never know when the hobby of a personal blog may turn out to be a way to make money on-line. Everyone could use some extra money these days and with all the scams out there you need to learn that most of what they are trying to sell you can actually be done without paying a lot of money to purchase worthless products.

Start blogging with something simple like a how to or as a way to express your opinions that are appropriate then take it to the next level and add Google tools slowly. Learning each step is a great way to develop a web page that in the future could teach you how to make money on-line. what is even better free blogs cost you nothing but time and effort. that is why you should start a blog that is about your hobby or something you feel passionate about. People use the internet to seek out information and you can find a wealth of free information on-line from blogs. Try it as you might like it!

A hobby on a budget-Challenge yourself

Making changes to your home or yard is exciting and a great hobby for many people today. Everyone needs some change or something that takes away the monotony of everyday life. With money being an issue for most people in this economy hobbies or collections can be expensive and can hinder you from ever starting. This story really inspired me and by sharing it with you I hopes it inspires you to not let money hinder you from starting a hobby that you really may enjoy.

I had some friends that wanted an in ground swimming pool but did not want to pay the price. They made a hobby of challenging themselves to build an in ground swimming pool by spending for the least amount of money as possible. By doing all the work themselves which included digging the hole they were able to put in a unique in ground swimming pool for $275. This price was about 10 years ago but don't let this stop you. The pool was beautiful and everyone thought it cost them a small fortune.

This project turned a hobby into a money making venture as now they tell others how to make major changes on a budget. This inspired me to remind you that you can do anything if you are creative and determined to make it happen. Of course doing a project this way took more time and energy than hiring someone to build the pool but the challenge was to show others that you could have a swimming pool without spending a fortune.

The husband and wife including enlisting a little help from their friends dug the hole by hand. In exchange for their help they promised them a free swim anytime or by exchanging helping them on a project when they needed help. By surfing the internet for free information on how to and going to auctions and sales they were able to purchase the materials like tiles and pumps for pennies on the dollar.

I know many people whose hobbies are to collect unique items like antiques. The excitement of this hobby is in the hunt to find the objects they are collecting. I have went through many different types of collections throughout my life and by using my home to showcase the items allowed me to make changes in my surroundings.

When my taste changed I would go on a search for a new theme. I started new collections purchasing many of my pieces at stores and garage sales. By having a yard or garage sale and selling my old items I would then use this money to begin my new adventure into collecting new items for the room I wanted to change.

Unless you are really attached to any of the items this is great way to update your surroundings without spending a fortune to do. With a little paint, creativity and from a simple idea you can transform a room that showcases off your collector items and your flair for being an interior designer. You never know when a hobbies and/or collections can actually turn out to be money making ventures and wouldn't it be great to make money doing something you love.

Check out the cost of a above ground swimming pool. Could you challenge yourself to do this by spending as little as possible.

Summer Escapes Pro Series 16-Foot-by-48-Inch Frame PoolIntex Ultra Frame 18-Foot-by-52-Inch Round Pool SetIntex Sequoia Spirit 16' Round x 49" Tall Wood-Grain Pool Set