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By Lin Wellford I heard it again today. Someone was bemoaning the declining state of the Decorative Painting market. Once known as Tole Painting, the definition was broadened to include any kind of art that could be broken down into teachable steps. Decorative painting was a hot trend not so long ago, generating tons of books and magazines and claiming loads of shelf space in the big box stores. As a reformed fine artist, I love the idea of providing ordinary people with the tools and instructions that allow them to create paintings they can be proud of. While many decorative artists are satisfied to reproduce an exact replica of their teachers work and nothing more, others discovered they were capable of coming up with their own original work once they mastered basic techniques. Students went on to be designers, authors and teachers in their own right. It was a wonderful flowering of creativity that spawned decorative painting chapters all over the country, along with a boom in attendance for national and regional painting conventions. The trend was huge and it seemed that it would last forever. But if there is one thing you can count on with human beings, it is their relentless thirst for the next new thing. In my grandmothers youth, ceramics were all the rage. Groups of women would gather to make and decorate pottery that sometimes turns up now on Antiques Road Show. In my own teenaged years, macram was a big thing. Remember all those plant holders and window coverings? Even as decorative painting was peaking, creative scrapbooking began to creep in and capture the imagination of women who loved the idea of turning family photos and memories into art. While merchants were loading up on special papers, stickers and stamps for scrapbookers, the age old art of knitting suddenly burst back onto the crafting scene, albeit with new, wild (and wildly expensive) yarns. Crochet followed. Can tatting be far behind? Quilt making may be as close as we get to a perennial craft activity, but even quilters note the rise and fall of various styles, patterns and techniques. My point is this; hobbies and crafts tend to be cyclical, like so many other aspects of life. Demographics certainly play a part. Leisure activities require free time, a commodity that may be in short supply as baby boomers face the reality of retiring on a shoestring. The term working retirement is one we are likely to become very familiar with in the next decade.Another factor is boredom Once a person has been to three or four painting conventions, they may have amassed a lifetime supply of paint colors, finishes and special brushes, along with books and patterns by the armful and an array of interesting objects to paint upon. Some will get used, but often much of that bounty ends up boxed up and stored away, perhaps to be rediscovered at some future date when decorative painting again cycles into fashion. One thing that is not likely to change is the need and desire for creative activities, particularly for people under stress or in burn out professions. The term recreation says it all. The things we do for fun help to rebuild or recreate what daily living tends to wear down in us. People who are grieving or who suffer from chronic conditions have shared with me how helpful it was to be able to focus on a craft project that distracted them from a difficult time they were going through. Others embrace crafting projects as a structured way to spend quality time with children, grandchildren or aging parents. Crafting can be a social activity that builds friendships and provides a sense of connection. There will always be a market for interesting and exciting craft activities that are accessible and not prohibitively expensive, ones that are easy enough to allow average people to have fun and feel successful. The desire to create things of beauty and or utility, is deeply rooted indeed. Rather than fretting over the inevitable ebb and flow of craft trends, organizations, manufacturers, publishers, merchants and even authors and artists should learn from past history and seek to remain flexible and responsive to ever-changing interests and tastes. Embracing change means actively seeking a position at the leading edge of trends rather than forever scrambling to keep up with the pack. At the same time, it means allowing yesterdays huge trend to ebb into a niche activity where it may survive for months or years before evolving and resurfacing as the next new big thing. Lin Wellford is the author of eight bestselling books on the art of painting on rocks, including her most recent publication, Rock Painting Fun for Everyone! She teaches classes, conducts workshops and demonstrates her techniques for transforming rocks into art all over the country and is a frequest guest on HGTV’s The Carol Duvall Show. You may view her books and subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.linwellford.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lin_Wellford http://EzineArticles.com/?Craft-Trends-Reflect-Timeless-Truths&id=205770 easy personal loans 1000 pay day loans portland oregon bad credit loan centers in chicago illinois ge money personal loans

By Larry Slater When it comes to getting your college degree, don’t just follow the crowd. Be creative about finding ways to get your college degree. Whatever you do, don’t let a seeming roadblock defeat you. Always look for options to taking the traditional college class route. I remember the old Western “Paradise” featuring Lee Horsley as gunfighter Ethan Cord. When trouble would come around, and it always did, someone would say they had no choice as a way to excuse their actions. To that Ethan Cord would say: “There are always choices.” That’s one of the truest statements I’ve ever heard. Moral: Before you take action find out what are your choices or you will just have to live with the consequences. PRE-REQUISITES If you want to take a college class that has certain prerequisites that you don’t have, don’t count yourself out just yet. Go talk to the professor first. They may be able to come up with something to get you up to speed so you will be able to take that class. Sometimes they are so desperate to get enough students in the class that they are willing to bend quite a bit just to have to in it. Or there may be an alternative class that’s going to be offered later that is more to your liking, but you would not know that unless you had gone and talked to the professor first. So just because it’s not written down in the course catalog doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. That’s why you have to ask. But if you don’t ask you’ll never know. SUMMER CLASSES Many students simply see Summer as an opportunity for fun-in-the-sun or for the more frugally minded, a chance to get a temporary job. For those who really want to make the most of Summer, check out the Summer Course Schedule. The classes during the Summer Session are condensed so you can get done much quicker than during the regular Fall or Spring Semesters. And since they are shorter you are forced to concentrate more and will probably get more out of them; and get a better grade to boot. That may be just what you need if you tend to “drift” during a long semester. If you work it right you can get quite a few credits during the Summer Session in a relatively short period of time. While studying the Summer Course Schedule at my university I saw listed several internships and practicums in the History and Political Science departments. Not knowing what they were I asked the department heads about them. After some negotiation, hard work, and a very full Summer, I was able to satisfy 9 credits in Political Science by working part-time for the U. S. Census Bureau and 3 credits in History working at a local historical site. In addition to the work I had to do some collateral reading, keep a diary and write a paper about each experience. The best part was that I got paid for doing it. To top things off I took a couple of Economic classes to put my total for the Summer at 17 credit hours and earned several hundred dollars. Now that’s what I call a productive Summer. INTERNSHIPS/PRACTICUMSSo what are Internships and Practicums? Basically they are on-the-job experiences related to a particular subject and include some added academic work to better integrate them with your degree requirements. You may have skipped over them in the your college course catalog because you didn’t know what they were. But let me tell you, they are the best options for getting college credits you can find. Why? First you get on-the-job experience which is very hard to get unless you are actually being hired by the company or organization in the first place. These experiences are worth their weight in gold as you can later put them on your resume to make you look even more attractive to a potential employer. Next you are able to develop your network of contacts within the work world that will be invaluable to getting hired into your dream position. It has been written that third person references are the best way to get hired. When someone actually knows you and your work habits, they make a much bigger impression than a cold, dry resume. And the best part about internships and practicums is that you get paid for doing course work. Yes Virginia, you CAN get paid for taking college classes. Talk about turning the tables on your college expenses. Now if that isn’t the best deal you have heard in a while, I don’t know what is. If you don’t see an Internship or a Practicum being offered in your subject area, talk to your advisor to see what is available or what could be arranged. Sometimes a professor is just waiting for someone to suggest a good Internship or Practicum for their students to get their “foot in the door” of a particular profession. And just maybe you might be able to negotiate college credit for that part-time or summer job you already have lined up, or even better, the current job you are working at, thus killing two birds with one stone. Remember, it never hurts to ask. CLEP TESTS What are CLEP Tests? They are College-Level Examination Program tests administered by the College Level Examination Board and are a series of examinations, each 90 minutes long, that allow you to demonstrate your knowledge in a wide range of subjects. You can choose from five General Examinations and 29 Subject Examinations. Approximately 2,900 colleges and universities across the country grant credit for CLEP exams and about 1,400 of those colleges also administer CLEP exams. Find out if your school is one. For each exam you take you may earn from 3 to 12 college credits toward your college degree. That means you could earn up to two semesters (60 credit hours) worth of credit just by taking CLEP tests. But maybe you are interested in receiving a course exemption and/or advanced placement in your degree program? By taking CLEP tests you can do so even before your freshman year on campus. But by all means check with your advisor first to be sure what tests apply to your degree. Then get the registration/admission form and instructions you need before you begin. Simon, who is Hispanic, took the Spanish language tests in order to satisfy his foreign language requirement. He only missed one question and earned 17 credits towards his degree. When I talked to him last he said he was thinking of taking the French tests as well. EXTRA TIME If you are having trouble with a college class and you are just not getting it, maybe all you need is a little more time. Learning isn’t instantaneous and sometimes it takes you more than the usually allotted time during a semester to put it all together. If so then simply take an Incomplete for the class and finish it after the semester is over. When you finish with your other semester’s classes you will be free from their distractions and can really concentrate on the material that was giving you so much trouble. But be sure you finish the class. Don’t let it just hang there. It’s just too easy sometimes to procrastinate about finishing a class and that will only exacerbate your problems later. “W” Another last-ditch option when you just can’t get a class is to cut your loses and drop the course. As a result, a “W” (for withdrawal) will appear on your record. Sometimes you can even withdraw from a course on the last day of class; with special permission of course. It can save you from lousing up your transcript. But do this only as an absolute last resort. One teacher wrote on the board before every test: “This test is not the sum worth of your value as a human being.” The same goes for one class. It is, after all, only a class. As a absolute last resort you can simply accept failure. Failure may be your best way to learn what you can’t do. But then you can always go back and take the class again later when you are better prepared. Develop your college study skills and increase your chances of college success by visiting the College Study Skills web site. There you will find many other skills that are necessary for you to graduate with your college degree. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Slater http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Are-The-Alternatives-to-Attending-Traditional-College-Classes-in-Getting-Your-Degree&id=346703 no fax payday loans how long before school starts receive loan money xtra cash payday loan buying a cash advance

By Jack Harmon If you decide to open various credit cards and apply for home loans, then you will have to go through many processes and fill out many forms in order for the banks to assess how much money you will get and what your interest rates will be. One of the main factors that will influence the banks decision will be your credit score. Your credit score will show them how reliable you are at paying back money and the higher your credit score, the better you chances are of getting a good loan. But how do I find my credit score? you may ask. Well, there is plenty of information online about how you can find your credit score, find your credit reports, and see exactly how to improve your credit score using charts. These services are also free on many websites for a limited time, and you can check your score every day if you want to. Other places to find your credit score will be from your financial advisor, or from certain brokers that will help you to find the best loan depending on your current financial situation. They will use your credit score and try to help you to find and improve your credit score so that you can get a better bond, or car loan. One of the ways that they will do this is by looking at your credit score in great detail from the three major credit reporting agencies, namely Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Different Way To Find Your Credit Score They all have different ways of finding your credit score and will use slightly different pieces of information, statistics, and formulas to give you a score rating. Where will I find my credit score rating from each of these companies? You can just look online, or your broker will be authorized to approach these companies directly. They will usually give this information out to banks and credit card companies which will help them to make a final decision as to whether or not to give you a credit card, or loan. Some companies will still give you credit even if your score is bad, because they want your business, but the rates will be adjusted, and they will out a credit limit on your account which will help you not to overspend, and it will guarantee them that they will get their money every month. So, there you have it. You can now stop wondering, How do I find my credit score? and How do banks and credit card companies find my credit score? They use the internet or the three agencies mentioned above. You can find it easily too, so you should do this to improve your credit score. Do you need to answer the question of how to do I find my credit score? Check out Free Credit Report And Score. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Harmon http://EzineArticles.com/?Answer-Your-Question-Of-How-Do-I-Find-My-Credit-Score&id=483316 texas payday laws gauranteed cash advances bonds no credit check ca secured personal loan collateral