A few years back, I became very frustrated when I went online to find instructions for making hair bows for my daughter. I knew that almost any other craft you can think of is well represented with websites and discussion groups freely sharing patterns, instructions and crafting tips. However, when it came to hair bows all I could find were a handful of people selling PDF files with tutorials. And, the insult was that those PDF files were often very expensive. When I finally got my hands on a few, I found that for the most part they were low quality, shoddily made and quite short on actual instructions.

So, I put together a small website offering free hairbow instructions. Over the years, a great number of helpful people have donated instructions and step-by-step photo tutorials. Because of all of the kind people, it is now the biggest site of its kind on the net.

You will find that most of the people selling instructions are now offering a few sets of free instructions on their websites. Why? Because they saw that free is what people really want. They wanted my traffic and in some cases they lifted my keywords and titles wholesale. Classy, right? In any event, although they are offering a set or three of free instructions their goal is still to get you to spend your money. Don’t be fooled, though – if it’s out there somewhere, it will eventually be available for free. Don’t waste your money of PDF files when you can spend it on ribbons and other supplies. Shop smart.

Besides, it seems like every little girl takes ballet. It almost seems trite.

I started looking around for something unique for my daughter. Most of the studios around her offer ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and all of the other mainstream styles. I was bored just listening to the pitches. One city over in Dunedin, there is a strong Scottish tradition and a lot of places teacher Highland dancing. It seemed to me to be more suited for my daughter. However, when I showed her videos of people performing in the style, she was uninterested.

This week, though, a friend at school mentioned that her daughter takes Irish dance here in the area. I did a little research and found some great video clips online of the kids in that particular program competing. My daughter was enraptured. There was just enough precision, athleticism, and vigor to catch her fancy.

And so, I’m not pursuing Irish dance lesson for my daughter. For the first time, she and I both agree on an extracurricular.

Back when I was a Girl Scout, I had to wait to start with Brownies, which I think was second grade. We did not have Daily Scouts then. Now girls can join Scouts in kindergarten. Most of the events are really just practice for the more advanced levels, but Gigi is learning the tenants of scouting, the pride of unity with other girls, and the joy of being part of something bigger than our local community.

Girl Scouts and Girl Guides are a worldwide network. I was a Girl Scout. My sister was a Girl Scout. Both of Gigi’s grandmothers were Girl Scouts and so was at least one of her Great-Grandmothers. It’s a family tradition, an American tradition, a worldwide tradition.

And so, back to those cookies. I am going to design a cute Thank You not for Gigi to sign. She can give them out as she goes with her dad to deliver the cookies at his office this week.

When it comes to a tangible scrapbook, I prefer the old fashioned way of doing things. Traditionally, scrapbooks would hold everything you could paste or tape into them to remind you of your life. You would put ticket stubs, newspaper articles, postcards, photos, letters, award ribbons, dried flowers, coins, pebbles or anything else you could affix to the pages. The scrapbook might not be a work of art, but it would be a solid memento of your days.

When my daughter was born, I started a scrapbook, but I only made it through about her 10th month. I did a sort of hybrid traditional-modern style, placing four photos to a page and then adding paper embellishments here and there. I did not make full layouts. And, that reminds me that I might need to put finishing her baby books on my list of projects for this summer.

Anyway, now that my daughter started Daisy Girl Scouts, I thought it would be nice to buy her a scrapbook to use for her scouting mementos. I plan on just teaching her the traditional style of scrapbooking, but as she gets older I will also make her aware of the more modern way of doing things. That way, she can decide on her own how she wants to proceed. For now I am just showing her how to paste in her crafts and photos and trinkets she gets at meetings.

Personally, I enjoy making beaded jewelry. I’ve also made hundreds of wine charms that I have given as gifts over the years. I love using unique beads for the charms, like handmade lampwork beads, along with gemstone beads. They look upscale and classy. I really should put the instructions for that project online. It’s a simple task and has such a satisfying outcome.

I love it when I find a great source for wholesale beads. If you are a beading enthusiast, you are probably buying them in bulk or combining orders with friends. In fact, I know one person who buys wholesale gemstone beads to take advantage of the prices and resells online to fund her obsession.

Anyway, here is a tip for all of you bead lovers out there. Beads of Cambay, a top wholesale bead supplier, has discounts of up to 30% on wholesale gemstone beads and freshwater pearls. And, if you want to keep your eye out for even more exclusive savings, sign up for their Beads of Cambay newsletter. I love being able to put a good word in for an American company located right here in the south.

I even fasted from magazines once. Seriously.

I finally got tired of the gossip in the entertainment magazines, the diet pill reviews in the lifestyle magazines, and the fad diets in the women’s magazines. I pared my subscriptions down to a few news magazines. Slowly, I got to the point where I only get a couple of magazines now, like Money and Fortune. I’m looking for more useful input, I suppose.

So, when I join a social networking with the express idea of making new acquaintances, I choose a small, niche network that focuses on a specific interest. For example, I love my pets. I love the ones I have and the ones who have passed on. I am that type of pet owner who goes to great lengths to find the best food products for my pets (I adore Eagle Pack, because it is holistic and cleared up my Maltese’s skin after FIVE different prescriptions did not). I asked anyone who would stop and talk to me until I found the best vet in my area. I love a good dog park, but won’t go to any if I don’t see them kept clean enough.

So, joining Zootoo.com was a natural choice for me. As a member, you create a profile and show off your pets. The best part for me, though, is the ability to interact with other animal lovers about pet products, local services, care tips, and professionals in the industry.

You really only learn when you talk to other pet owners. If I had not talked to another dog owner back when I was living in Gainesville, I would have continued to try prescription product after prescription product to clear up Echo’s dry skin, red patches, and hot spots that would flake and bleed. I had a miserable dog and felt helpless in getting her healthy.

I talked to someone who told me that feeding my dog typical dog foods was like me eating at McDonald’s every day of my life. It might not kill me, but I would get sicker and sicker as time went on. I switched to a food with no byproducts and better ingredients and within 2 months, Echo’s skin was back to normal. I would never have learned that simply from seeing dog food ads on TV. It took another pet lover to steer me strait. That is why Zootoo.com is such a valuable resource for me. I get the real scoop from real people.

As you can see from this scrren shot, I can submit product reviews, talk about services, find other pet lovers, support local shelters, and more.

It’s not like you can just walk into your local Galleria and find the bodices, bloomers, and surcotes you need to fully realize a believable character. A lot of my friends sewed their own costumes, or had other friends make them. Most of them, though, would locate the proverbial needle in a haystack and track down a retailer that sold the right costuming elements.

I went to college before the internet was a full-fledged phenomenon, so finding the costume retailers was a feat. Now, you can just logon and find sites like The Renaissance Store. It’s like a dream come true if you are planning a costume for a RenFest or the like. And, I finally found a believable pirate costume for my nephew that we can use for next year’s Pirate and Princess Party at Disney.

Before I go on, here’s a link so you can see for yourself: www.JacarandaStyle.com – Unique Home Accents & Fine Gifts

It’s not just about the merchandise they carry, even though the ceramics and ostrich egg art are some of the most amazing decorate and gifty type items I have ever seen in my entire life. No, it was the purpose behind this handmade South African crafts company that initially set my heart aflutter.

JacarandaStyle actually sets out to create jobs for artists in the world market, and they donate a part of each sale to the Ethembeni School for Disabled Youth, in South Africa. The school “serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children from all over Kwazulu -Natal, Kingdom of the Zulu.” There is a real feeling of “full circle” in this process.

One of my favorite parts of the JacarandaStyle website has always been all of the photos of the artists creating the crafts. I’m absolutely not talking about assembly-line stuff here. Each piece is hand crafted and often times even unique in the way it is turned out of decorated.

I’ve mentioned this particular piece of ceramic on my blog before, but I want to put it in the spotlight again, because I am still in love with it. Let’s just say it is on my ultimate wish list for next Christmas. It’s the hand painted Jazz Bowl, a bold design incorporating piano keys.

Check out their website when you have a minute. It is absolutely worth your time.

Personally, I have used Vista Print for business cards, Christmas cards, photo calendars (the favorite gift I gave to family members this past Christmas), and even for graduation invitations. I could use a local printer, but the online processes just quicker, simpler, and more affordable. I know from experience.

Believe me, when you have a small business that you run out of your home, you want to do everything you can to promote it for as little cash out of pocket as humanly possible. But, you don’t want to sacrifice quality. I am all for people who print their own business cards at home on their color printers, but unless you have a good quality laser printer and professional grade glossy paper, you are simply wasting an opportunity to present yourself in the most professional way you can.