Are you a crafty person who enjoys making other people happy by creating beautiful things? Do you like sharing how you do this with others? Then an online crafting blog might be perfect for you!
Blogs are like online journals and they can be set up easily in minutes via the use of such free applications like Blogger.com or WordPress.com. By choosing an adaptable and colorful template (and this Just Add Sweat guide will show you exactly how to do it), a craft blog can be used to display:

· Pictures. Post plenty of clear pictures of the items you make to show others what you can do. You may want to include “before and after” pictures if you are using common household things or re-purposing other items to make your crafts. Use a high quality camera to capture the true beauty of your crafts.

· Descriptions. Explain to your blog readers what they are looking at, what materials were used and where they can get more information about the crafts. Use names for the materials used, colors, sizes and shapes. This helps your readers duplicate the crafts more easily and give search engines more opportunity to send visitors to your site as people may search for the various words you mention.

· How to. It’s always a wonderful idea to include a “How to” for some of your more popular or intricate crafts. This allows others to learn how they can make their own version of the crafts you have on display, for personal enjoyment or gift-giving. If you have a craft that’s uniquely yours, you can even patent it and sell the instructions at a small cost to the reader.

· Materials Needed. Include a list of what materials were used to make the crafts on your blog. That tells the viewer what went into the crafting of each piece, what they will need to make their own and where they can find the materials to do so. Be sure to give a thorough description of each material, amounts needed and measurements.

· Selling crafts. One of the best ways to see a return on your time investment with crafting is to offer certain items for sale on your blog. Why not offer custom made items to others? Holidays and birthdays are great times for others to purchase your crafts. You can sell them directly on the blog or include a link to outside auction sites like eBay.com or Etsy.com. You can also sell patterns, advertising space on your website and more.

Taking the time to do crafting takes a lot of time, patience and talent, but blogging about it will help you take it to the next level by increasing awareness of what you can do. Be sure to do this by creating a blog and letting the rest of the world know!

Recommended Additional Resource:

To learn the step-by-step details of how to set up your blog and to get advice on creating a craft blog that people love, talk about and come back to over and over again, grab Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Craft Blog. You’ll also learn how to get traffic to your blog and make money doing something you enjoy.

(For republishing rights to this article, click here to join the affiliate program)

Even if you don’t technically know what cellulite is or why it develops, you most likely do know what it looks like. Cellulite is a collection of lumps that many say resemble cottage cheese, that form underneath the skin giving it an uneven appearance. Cellulite usually collects around the thighs, stomach, and butt and concern over its mysterious appearance has boosted sales of miracle cure products the world over. Unfortunately it seems most of these products have been declared relatively useless in the fight against cellulite and since many contain harsh and unnatural chemical ingredients they should be avoided anyway.

So what is cellulite? These lumps are actually just collections of fat that push against the connective tissue underneath the skin, which causes the surface of the skin to dimple or pucker. Whatever it is, most women would be happy to ban the cellulite for life if they only knew how. The battle against cellulite can not be won with a bottle of cream though. It needs to be fought from the inside of the body out. Here are some green and natural ways to fight the lumps.

Exercise and burn fat – Slimming and toning is the most important step to getting rid of cellulite. Eliminating excess fat and flushing your body with lots of water to remove toxins will help to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Exercise also helps to encourage circulation and lymph flow which will help with the removal of toxic buildup and cellular health. If you are already slim, then concentrate on toning and muscle strength, which will help burn away fatty deposits that even thin skinny people have.

Dry Brushing and Massage – These two practices help improve lymph flow and propel fluid in cellulite affected areas. You need to get the bad stuff mobilized and moving out of the body and as your body becomes congested. Massaging and dry brushing help to get your body systems working more effectively and get rid of the build-up. You can try home massagers, have your spouse be your personal masseur, and even regular visits to a massage parlor. Dry brushing is usually done in the morning before showering. Just spend 5-10 minutes using a soft bristled brush all over your body, using upward strokes towards the heart. Afterwards you can take a shower to wash off exfoliated skin…another benefit of dry brushing.

Get regular – It is not uncommon for women who have cellulite issues to also have issues with irregular bowels. In general they seem to struggle with releasing waste matter the way they should be. Start eating a balanced, organic diet with lots of fiber. Green smoothies in particular are wonderful for regularity. Just add a couple handfuls of spinach or kale and a couple frozen bananas to a blender with a few cups of water and enjoy! Many natural living enthusiasts also swear by using Colema boards, which are basically fancy home enema systems. Also drink lots of water and perhaps do a juice fast one weekend a month to help regulate your bowels.

Try these techniques for a few months and marvel at the results. Nothing in a bottle can even come close.

I was recently given the opportunity to sample Avon’s new “Bond Girl 007″ perfume. I was not impressed. Like much of Avon’s perfume, it is overly potent at first (reminding you of being stuck in an elevator with no less than six grandmas)…this potency gives way to a wee bit of nausea and ends in a headache that requires both Tylenol and Motrin.

Next time they can keep their free sample. The perfume promises to be captivating and enticing. If by “enticing” they mean “people around you will draw near you to see if you are dead” and “captivating” means “their lives will hang in the balance until you and your vapor trail disappear” …well then, yes.

The bottle is attractive…kind of vase-like.

But with a price tag of $30, it’s hard to justify this purchase when you could go to Pier 1 and pick out a nice bobble on clearance.

Read more at : Avon – Bond Girl 007

Having a Web log, or ”Blogging” as it’s more commonly called, is a great way to share information with others in a public forum, by posting comments on a (often free) website.

Blogs are easy to build; even a novice can set one up in just an hour or less. With free applications like Google’s “Blogger” (blogger.com) or the easy to use WordPress (Wordress.com), a simple blog can be put together that will highlight your thoughts and images. By setting it up with a clean format and using the latest templates, this increases the blog’s appeal and it can be updated as often as you wish.

One fun and profitable way to blog is by starting a recipe blog (and there’s plenty of information on the topic in this Just Add Sweat guide). A recipe blog is where you can post your favorite family recipes, restaurant secrets or other popular “dishes” about the world of cooking. It’s perfect for people who have tried recipes and thought they could do better. Or those who have sampled restaurant cooking and found a favorite they’d like to share. If cooking is your passion, blogging about it is a wonderful way to get more information out there about this interest. It’s also a great way to tell others about new products available in the world of cooking.

A recipe blog can also offer the opportunity for an entrepreneur to build a home based business. How? By offering for sale cooking products, popular recipes, cook books and other tools that the budding chefs of the world would like. In this way, a blogger can build a nice residual income to support their cooking habit.

Popular blogs that earn a substantial amount of website traffic can earn even more revenue. Through the power of using web traffic tracking tools, a blogger can earn ad revenue or earn commissions by recommending product from other companies. Successful bloggers can even sell their blogs to others and earn an income from developing popular topics into highly trafficked websites.

With a little bit of time and a lot of creativity, a recipe blogger can create an income working from home.

Recommended Additional Resource:

To learn exactly how to set up your blog and how to create a recipe blog that people love, talk about and come back to, grab Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Recipe Blog. You’ll also learn how to get traffic to your blog and make money doing something you enjoy.

(For republishing rights to this article, click here to join the affiliate program)

Have you ever heard of dry brushing? It is a centuries old practice of massaging and exfoliating the skin to improve its health and appearance. Your skin is the biggest organ you have and it constantly regenerates itself by eliminating toxic and dead skin cells.

Your skin can eliminate as much as two pounds of this waste material each day. Your skin needs to renew itself and breath for it to look its best and dry brushing can help. When your skin is clogged with dead skin cells and toxins that cannot be eliminated by perspiration, then your skin will suffer.

Your skin needs air and sunlight so getting rid of excess waste through exfoliation is vital. Most people already know that they need to exfoliate their faces but in reality your whole body can benefit from exfoliation.

Dry brushing involves talking a soft bristled brush, similar to what you use on your hair except with a long handle, and brushing it across your whole body in a massage like fashion. Some people also use special gloves to dry brush.

Your skin is dry when you do this and the best time is usually before you shower. Our bodies form a new top layer of skin every 24 hours or so. Dry brushing helps to slough off that topmost layer allowing the softer, smoother, skin below to surface and breath.

In addition to exfoliating your dead skin cells and removing barriers to toxin excretion, dry brushing is also wonderful for lymph vessels and capillaries.

Dry brushing should be done using strokes that go towards the heart, aiding in the body’s blood circulation. This is why many dry brushing enthusiasts feel so refreshed and invigorated after a brushing session, because their circulation improves. Starting out gently is advised and then as you get used to the practice you can brush more vigorously.

Dry brushing also massages the lymph nodes and gets them functioning as well. Our lymph nodes are responsible for filtering and removing invading organisms and abnormal cells as part of our immune system. Massaging them to encourage better functionality can have a big impact on our health and our ability to keep from getting sick.

When starting a dry brushing routine it is good to keep in mind the following tips:

- Start our softly at first to avoid soreness and gradually apply more pressure over time.
- Be careful not to brush over open wounds and cuts or rashes.
- Use brush strokes that go towards the heart. The exception to this is when you are brushing over the stomach, when you should brush in a clockwise fashion to aid digestion.
- Wash your dry brush after every use to wash off dead skin cells.
- Brush when the skin is dry and then shower afterwards to wash off any remaining dead skin cells.
- Use natural bristles if possible and brushes made with sustainable materials such as ethically harvested wood or bamboo.
- If your skin is dry, rub in natural oils like Jojoba afterwards. It will soften the skin and it won’t clog pores.

Here’s something fun and yummy to do this New Year’s Eve that the whole family can enjoy?

Bring family and friends together with a fondue party! IWhat better way to stay connected with your family as you bring in the New Year.

This free guide includes:

* An overview of the equipment you’ll need for your fondue.
* Safety tips to be aware of.
* Plenty of kid-approved fondue ideas – and adults like them too!

DOWNLOAD HERE >> Right Click and Save It to Your Computer*

…and free to share it with your friends.

*This is a PDF document and you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view it. If you don’t have this software, you can get it here.

(Want to republish this content on your site? Click here to join the Dine Without Whine Affiliate Program)

Has anyone noticed that Fergie (formerly of the Blackeyed Peas) has either had too much plastic surgery or is just not aging well? Nobody can argue that she has a nice body for her age, etc., but her face can look downright scary at times.

My husband, normally a fan of most pretty ladies, was the one who pointed out her strong resemblance to our friend’s boxer/pitbull mix. Now, while Duke IS a handsome dog, I don’t think he looks that much like Fergie.

I don’t know if it is the angle of her lower teeth, the set of her jaw, or both. My spouse things maybe it’s the lines on each side of her nose that come off, they look dog like? The whole conversation reminded me of a series of e-mails that went around awhile ago comparing celebrity faces to various animals and statues. I remember one was George Bush and a Monkey…both accurate and amusing, he does kind of look like a monkey with certain facial expressions.

Of all the pressure celebrities have with keeping up with each other, now they are in competition with our four-legged friends as well.

Many women today use a wide range of skincare products. These products might include cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and shampoos and they might be used several times a day throughout most of their adult life. Women have come to rely on these products and spending on them has reached unbelievable levels. But do most women ever take the time to read the ingredients listings on these beauty products? Do they know what they are using and if they might be putting potentially dangerous ingredients on their bodies? Most women probably do not. It may never occurs to them that ingredients considered unsafe might even be used in the products offered to consumers.

Unfortunately, there are many skincare products on the market that have questionable and dangerous ingredients. Some of these ingredients include synthetic fragrances, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS, Phthalates, and Parabens.

But what are they and why should they be avoided?

Parabens are preservatives put into beauty products to extend their shelf life. They have no benefit to us…only the manufacturing company. They do in fact have adverse effects for us though, including estrogenic qualities. They have produced abnormal hormonal effects following application on laboratory animals, particularly males, that resulted in decreased testosterone levels and other varied abnormalities. They have also been found to accumulate in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer.

Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds that are basically used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility). It is hard to imagine that we need plasticizers in our skincare products but you can find them in cosmetics, soaps, and various lotions. High Phthalates doses have shown hormonal activity in animal studies and have resulted in damage to the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, and the developing testes.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS for short is an ingredient that gives a product like a shampoo or facial cleanser its foaming ability. Most people equate cleaning ability with the amount of suds or bubbles created, so companies use SLS to give us the impression that it is an effective cleanser. SLS is a known skin irritant and when companies test new healing ointments or crèmes, SLS is the irritant they first rub on the skin to irritate it so they can then see how well their new product works to heal the inflammation. SLS can infiltrate the eyes, brain, heart, and liver with potentially harmful effects according to the journal of the American College of Toxicology. SLS can cause rashes, eczema and other skin irritations. Even more shocking is the fact that some products containing this ingredient are labeled as “natural” or organic because SLS is a detergent derived from coconut oil.

Synthetic perfumes or fragrances can contain hundreds of chemicals. Some, such as methylene chloride are carcinogenic and others might cause headaches, dizziness, coughing, vomiting and skin irritation.

These ingredients hardly sound beneficial or even appropriate for our skin care needs. So what can you do to avoid these dangerous ingredients? First, read the ingredients labels carefully and search for them online to do some research into negative effects. Find out exactly what they are and what they do before you put them on your skin. Second, find reputable companies that offer organic and 100% natural products. This may be a tall order since there is no regulation for organic bath and body products in most countries. Ask around and you will be able to isolate ethical companies using safe ingredients. Third, try making some of your own skincare products. When you make your own you know exactly what is in them and you can feel comfortable that they are safe.