Amazing street art photos

What is street art? 


In simple words it is the form of art which can be named 'public art' as it is not bound to any limits and it can be seen anywhere around us. It can be a picture drawn on wall, a little color or placing of objects on the pavements, roads or any place around us, which can have some meanings or look like an artistic thing.


This post is about amazing photos of street art, but first learn about the term 'street art': 


According to 'wikipedia' Street art is art, specifically visual art, developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets". 


The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, sculpture, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, flash mobbing and street installations. 


‘Street’ artists do not aspire to change the definition of an artwork, but rather to question the existing environment with its own language. They attempt to have their work communicate with everyday people about socially relevant themes in ways that are informed by esthetic values without being imprisoned by them.

I am inspired by the photos where artists have transformed the ugliness of the surroundings to piece of art as shown in few pictures.

Enjoy the art scattered around us!

 

You may watch more photos at the following link:

106 of the most beloved Street Art Photos – Year 2011

Know your birthday tree and what your birthday tree tells you?

Astrology, numerology, palmistry, body language and related subjects are being used from generations to analyze a person's behavior, emotions or happenings in life (suspect) etc. We all know that astrology relates to the zodiac signs and every person belongs to a sign (consisting of 12 zodiac signs) which reveals the characteristic of that person. You may know discover that there is a tree related to your birthday which may reveal your personality type.

Your birthday and its corresponding tree.
Then, see the meaning behind it below.

• Dec 23 to Jan 01 -- Apple Tree
• Jan 02 to Jan 11 -- Fir Tree
• Jan 12 to Jan 24 -- Elm Tree
• Jan 25 to Feb 03 -- Cypress Tree
• Feb 04 to Feb 08 -- Poplar Tree
• Feb 09 to Feb 18 -- Cedar Tree
• Feb 19 to Feb 28 -- Pine Tree
• Mar 01 to Mar 10 -- Weeping Willow Tree
• Mar 11 to Mar 20 -- Lime Tree
• Mar 21 -- Oak Tree
• Mar 22 to Mar 31 -- Hazelnut Tree
• Apr 01 to Apr 10 Rowan Tree
• Apr 11 to Apr 20 Maple Tree
• Apr 21 to Apr 30 Walnut Tree
• May 01 to May 14 Poplar Tree
• May 15 to May 24 Chestnut Tree
• May 25 to Jun 03 Ash Tree
• Jun 04 to Jun 13 Hornbeam Tree
• Jun 14 to Jun 23 Fig Tree
• Jun 24 Birch Tree
• Jun 25 to Jul 04 Apple Tree
• Jul 05 to Jul 14 Fir Tree
• Jul 15 to Jul 25 Elm Tree
• Jul 26 to Aug 04 Cypress Tree
• Aug 05 to Aug 13 Poplar Tree
• Aug 14 to Aug 23 Cedar Tree
• Aug 24 to Sep 02 Pine Tree
• Sep 03 to Sep 12 Weeping Willow Tree
• Sep 13 to Sep 22 Lime Tree
• Sep 23 Olive Tree
• Sep 24 to Oct 03 Hazelnut Tree
• Oct 04 to Oct 13 Rowan Tree
• Oct 14 to Oct 23 Maple Tree
• Oct 24 to Nov 11 Walnut Tree
• Nov 12 to Nov 21 Chestnut Tree
• Nov 22 to Dec 01 Ash Tree
• Dec 02 to Dec 11 Hornbeam Tree
• Dec 12 to Dec 21 Fig Tree
• Dec 22 Beech Tree

APPLE TREE (the Love) - of slight build, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination.

ASH TREE (the Ambition) - uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be egotistic, very reliable and trustworthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over the heart, but takes partnership very seriously.

BEECH TREE (the Creative) - has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.)

BIRCH TREE (the inspiration) - vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

CEDAR TREE (the Confidence) - of rare beauty, knows how to adapt, likes luxury, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, determined, impatient, likes to impress others, many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waiting for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

CHESTNUT TREE (the Honesty) - of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritates easily and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.

CYPRESS TREE (the Faithfulness) - strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, content, optimistic, craves money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered, unruly, pedantic, and careless.

ELM TREE (the Noble-mindedness) - pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

FIG TREE (the Sensibility) - very strong, a bit self-willed, independent, does not allow contradiction or arguments, loves life, its family, children and animals, a bit of a social butterfly, good sense of humor, likes idleness and laziness, of practical talent and intelligence.

FIR TREE (the Mysterious) - extraordinary taste, dignity, sophisticated, loves anything beautiful, moody, stubborn, tends to egoism but cares for those close to them, rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious, uncontented lover, many friends, many foes, very reliable.

HAZELNUT TREE (the Extraordinary) - charming, undemanding, very understanding, knows how to make an impression, active fighter for social cause, popular, moody, and capricious lover, honest, and tolerant partner, precise sense of judgment.

HORNBEAM TREE (the Good Taste) - of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgement in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

LIME TREE (the Doubt) - accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress, and labor, dislikes laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous but loyal.

MAPLE TREE (Independence of Mind) - no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

OAK TREE (the Brave) - robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

OLIVE TREE (the Wisdom) - loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

PINE TREE (the Particular) - loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, very friendly, gives up easily, everything disappointments until it finds its ideal, trustworthy, practical. Fun to be around

POPLAR TREE (the Uncertainty) - looks very decorative, not very self-confident, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

ROWAN TREE (the Sensitivity) - full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

WALNUT TREE (the Passion) - unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

WEEPING WILLOW (the Melancholy) - beautiful but full of melancholy, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful and tasteful, loves to travel, dreamer, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with, demanding, good intuition, suffers in love but finds sometimes an anchoring partner.

With thanks: What Tree Did You Fall From?

http://ping.fm/VnLXm

School Readiness Checklists for Kindergarten Enterance

http://ping.fm/VnLXm

Do hobbies make you happy?

There is no specific formula to stay happy and definition or perspective about happiness varies according to personalities. Though it is obvious that staying busy and involving oneself into favorite leisure activities or hobbies helps you get rid of depression, stress etc and thus make you happy. Can we define happiness?

What is Happiness?

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ellen Kenner says:

'Happiness is not merely a life lived by accumulating moments of pleasure. On the contrary, happiness is a long lasting enduring enjoyment of life, it is being in love with living. It is your reward for achieving a good character and personal rational values in life. Some important values are a productive career, romance, friendship and hobbies.'

Studies show that having a hobby boosts creativity, providing an outlet for your imagination to run free. So to help you stay healthy and happier.

In a recent article '10 Habits That Make You Happier' published at 'fox news' author has suggested to try one new hobby every three months for staying happy. Author says:

'Hobbies are a great way to lift your spirits. Not only does a new hobby give you a chance to set and commit to goals (a key determinant of happiness), but hobbies also offer the opportunity to make new friends and socialize (another important determinant of happiness). By diversifying your hobbies to include larger social activities and more personal, intimate projects, you’ll be able to address both the external and internal factors that determine happiness.'

Read more at: 'Fox news'

One of the most pervasive and widespread is a better mental health. After a hard day's work, relaxing while doing the things you love boosts your mind's health without you ever realizing it. This happens because engaging in your hobby leads to the release of various hormones in the brain, which are associated with reward, satisfaction, happiness and so on. Dopamine and oxytocin are just two examples, and they are both addictive substances. If they are release while you are performing an activity, then you will most likely try to do it again, without being necessarily able to logically explain why. You will only say “Because I like it.”

People develop hobbies for the sheer pleasure of it, as a stress relieving activity, to break the boredom of life or to generate an income from activities that they love to do. It can be one or all of these but hobbies and interests frequently offer a place to escape to, where one can heal the mind as well as the body.

What hobbies do for you?

Hobbies can relax your mind by staying out of work and concentrating on a thing you like. Thus they can help you reduce your stress level. Hobbies are very similar to meditation. Both in meditation and hobby you try to reach a common goal, happiness. There are no rules when it comes to choosing a hobby. It my be gardening or watching good movies or wood carving or listening to music or reading books or even it may be sleeping.

There is no better time than now to renew an interest in an old hobby or start a new one. Immersing yourself in a hobby is a great way to happiness. And, after all, being happy is what it’s all about. Happiness and hobbies also go hand in hand. If you are keen to discover the joy of feeling better and positive every day, then it’s time to start a hobby to keep your body, mind and soul refreshed.

Useful links and resources:

* Your hobby and happiness

* YouTube video: Hobbies Lead To Happiness

* Hobbies and You

How to speed up your computer with easy techniques?

Does your computer take a long time to start up?
Does it take more time to run a program?
These are all symptoms of slowing down your pc and indication that you need to use techniques to speed it up.
How?
There are many easy techniques which can help you keep your pc in best shape. It is very common complain from pc users that after some time or weeks, we observe slowing down of programs of pc or laptop. What is the best solution to speed up your computer?
I have collected some techniques which might help you speed up your computer, and at the bottom of the post, there are more links to the sites with easy techniques.

Start Up Programs
Many "gadget" programs want to load automatically at start up and each one sits in memory chewing up resources including memory and CPU cycles. Even worse some programs load at start up and never even let you know they're doing it. I've worked on computers that have had in excess of 100 start up programs (including necessary Windows processes).

Get rid of them! Most of them were probably install once and forget and you'll never miss them. Identifying them is another story but there are alternatives that will help you track them down.

Windows includes a program called MSCONFIG that will identify some start up programs. Click start, run and type in MSCONFIG and that'll get it started. Msconfig is kind of bare bones and won't give you the full story but if you don't have a lot it might do the job.

Next is autoruns which is an excellent and free tool from Microsoft. A word of warning. It is powerful and will not stop you from removing a critical Windows process. Be careful of what you're doing. You can do a free online scan here but you'll have to buy it to make any changes.


Registry Fixers

The registry does a boatload of work in Windows being where just about everything about any program or process is stored and most remove program routines don't do a good job of cleaning up when they are uninstalled. If you've removed even a few programs the registry can become full of useless information. Why does this affect performance? Every time that Windows has to access the registry it's thrashing through a load of useless data to find the right info. I've worked on machines where 25% of the registry was useless junk.

You can avoid this by using a complete uninstaller which works great but it won't fix anything that was uninstalled prior to it being used.  It is far easier and less expensive to use a registry fixer as it will not only removed obsolete junk but also fix registry errors which can cause errors and put Windows into slow mode.

Hard Drives - Fragmentation
Hard drive fragmentation should be done frequently. It helps speed up your pc.

Speed Up Your Computer In 5 Minutes

Useful links:

* Microsoft offers: How to make a computer faster: 6 ways to speed up your PC
* PC world offers: 50 Tools to Speed Up Your PC
* Top 9 Ways to Speed Up Your Computer
* How to Speed up a Windows XP Computer

Physical benefits of hobbies for all age people

Having a variety of hobbies helps alleviate boredom and provides a change of pace from time to time.
Most people think of hobbies as a diversion to help while away the time, however, hobbies also play an important role in the health and wellbeing of an individual, particularly seniors, by reducing the risk of depression and dementia.

Hobbies can be an effective tool in reducing stress and lowering blood pressure, and hobbies that engage the brain, puzzles for example, have been found to be effective in delaying the onset of Alzheimers.

Physical Benefits of Hobbies:

1. manual dexterity
2. focus and concentration
3. creativity
4. improved health

Examples of Different Types of Hobbies among which outdoor hobbies can help you get more physical benefits such as photography, fishing, metal detecting etc.

• Ceramics
• Sculpting
• Geocaching
• Trivia
• Metal Detecting
• RC Cars
• Photography
• Astronomy
• Fishing

Finding a hobby is relatively easy. First, choose a hobby that has appeal and matches the physical capabilities necessary. Try several different hobbies in order to find the best fit, and don't be afraid to have more than one favorite.

Still looking for a hobby idea? Ask friends what they like to do in their spare time. The answers might not only be surprising, but they may just provide the perfect hobby idea.

Ideas and Techniques to Create Unique Collage Work

You can create endless collage projects to impress others. As there are variety of materials or mediums which you can use to create a collage, your art or crafts work is always a unique piece of art. You can use your collage work for making cards, decorate gift boxes, making wall hangings and etc.

Ideas and techniques to create collage work:

• A collage is your personal canvas, yours to decorate in any way that you please, and hence it becomes unique art piece.
• You need some basic materials on hand in order to get started, including poster board, scissors, colored pens and pencils, and some glue sticks.
• Arrange each picture and two dimensional object on the poster board before you glue. Try different arrangements until you get one that looks just right.
• For light weight and flat materials (paper, canvas, etc.) use Liquitex using the fluid or the gel.
• For heavy weight and 3-D materials (beads, rocks, etc.): Use Liquitex Gel Mediums.
• Collages are a great way to show the bigger picture, like a baby’s first year (or month!), or marathon training, or even your garden’s progress over the summer.
• After a fun vacation or a wonderful event, use collage gifts to enjoy your most-loved photos all together.
• Highlight your family trip or share a collection of your wedding photos with family and friends.

More ideas and techniques:
Continue reading

Natural Electrolyte Replacement Drinks

Electrolytes are the salts in our body. The most common salts are sodium, potassium, and chloride located in the blood and cells. Electrolytes are important in keeping our body functioning correctly. Deficiency or imbalance of electrolyes can lead to serious conditions and thus we need to learn how to replace it with natural electrolye drinks which can be made easily at home.

Importance of Electrolytes:

Electrolytes are found in the body fluid, tissue, and blood which are chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Sodium (Na+) is concentrated in the extracellular fluid (ECF) and potassium (K+) is concentrated in the intracellular fluid (ICF). Proper balance is essential for muscle coordination, heart function, fluid absorption and excretion, nerve function, and concentration

Read more at: 'Factoidz'

How to Bring Creativity and Warmth with Gift Wrapping and Presentation?

Wrapping the gift is just fun - especially if you can turn available materials into something cool. You need more ideas, though to bring creativity and warmth in presentation of your gifts. Whether you are wrapping a birthday gift, Christmas gift or wedding gift, you can use the ideas below and modify them for your own personal gift wrapping. Anyone can use these tips and gift ideas to make their wrapping more attractive.

For example, for baby gift wrapping, you just have to use baby images from cliparts or rubber stamp designs. Baby shakers, diapers, safety pin, or other baby toys will be appropriate for the gift wrap.

These tips can give you more ideas to bring creativity in your presentation.

1- Stitch it and make it special: Pick up a canvas sack at any craft or art store for a few dollars and stamp it with your own personal touches. Download a free embroidery pattern or draw your own holiday masterpiece. Trace the pattern with a transfer pencil and iron the drawing onto the bag. Using a simple chain stitch, make the bag festive and bright with red and white embroidery floss, rickrack or sparkly sequins. Looking for something faster? Print out a holiday message or the recipient’s name on transfer paper and iron it onto the bag. Remember that when you iron an image, it must be mirror opposite for it to read correctly  check your printer settings for options on how to flip the image.

Read more: How to Bring Creativity and Warmth with Gift Wrapping and Presentation?

How to enjoy life after retirement?

According to wikipedia 'Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.

Someone said: "Retirement: World's longest coffee break" and there is another quote about retirement, which is:

'Retirement is wonderful. It's doing nothing without worrying about getting caught at it.' ~Gene Perret

Retirement word seems very boring and dependent life, although this definition is not appropriate, because there are endless leisure activities, hobbies or social interaction opportunities which can keep the retiree busy after retirement. Retirees can still enjoy their life even after retirement.

Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to work any more (by illness or accident) or as a result of legislation concerning their position.

How to enjoy life after retirement and keep yourself busy?

Retirement might coincide with important life changes; a retired worker might move to a new location, for example a retirement community, thereby having less frequent contact with their previous social context and adopting a new lifestyle.

Retirement offers many opportunities to grow and explore. It brings a relaxation feeling, as well as load of time which seems difficult to deal with. Keeping your mind busy with some kind of leisure or casual activities or hobbies is a good way of staying well.

Many retirees feel restless and suffer from depression as a result of their new situation. Studies show that with retirement, risks of certain diseases increase. It is important to keep the mind and body active, this can be done by taking on a part time job or by getting involved in other activities or hobbies.

If you are still active and healthy to enjoy a part time job, you can keep yourself busy with it.

You can find the community places where you can engage yourself in many kind of activities. Every community has a personality and each library district tends to offer what is needed within that particular community. Becoming reaquainted with your local library can be fun and rewarding. Rediscovering your local library may open doors to new experiences while you make a few new friends.

Retirees can volunteer for charities and other community organizations. Tourism is a fun activity to adopt if your financial and social status allows you to do it.

Often retirees are called upon to care for grandchildren and occasionally aged parents. For many it gives them more time to devote to a hobby or sport such as golf or sailing.

Facebook is a good way to keep in touch with your close or far friends, so enjoy being at Facebook or 'twitter' to have fun.

Another quote:

When you retire, you switch bosses - from the one who hired you to the one who married you. ~Gene Perret

Useful links:

* How should I prepare for retirement?

* Read the latest news about 'retirement' at 'US News. Money'

Learn pencil drawing with online free tutorials and tips

Whether you're an art teacher, art student, or just a hobbyist you will find the step by step free online tutorials, tips and techniques will give you the ability to bring those images in your mind into paper reality. Becoming skilled at drawing requires several factors coming together. Some of these factors include desire, instruction, practice, time, and more practice.

Pencil/Graphite drawing is one of the easiest and least expensive ways in which to begin your art lessons. All you will need is a number #2 pencil and some paper. All people, young and old, have the ability to improve their drawing skills. Most people don't believe that! The main secret in improving your ability to draw is the ability to see correctly.

Few tips to start learning and improving pencil drawing skills

• The most important thing is just to draw something, and keep drawing everyday if possible. Even if you only spend 5 minutes or 10 minutes a day on drawing you will begin to see improvements.

• Remember to enjoy the process of learning and don't be too hard on yourself if your drawings don’t turn out to be masterpieces.You can improve your pencil drawing skills by carefully considering your pencil and how it hits the page. Controlling and exploiting the possibilities of the mark is an important step in developing as an artist.
• For most pencil drawing, keep your pencil sharp. 

• Brighten the point by rubbing the side of the pencil on scrap paper between sharpenings. If you need a darker line, use a softer pencil, and be aware that a softer pencil goes blunt quickly.

• Use a Variety of Line: When drawing lines, either in a linear drawing or within a texture in a tonal drawing, note that you can vary the weight of the line by lifting the pencil or pressing harder.

More tips at: Draw sketch at 'about'
If you are really serious about drawing, you can also try and find a teacher who can help you. Ask your teacher which books he or she recommends and you may even be able to borrow some materials from them as well.

How to draw learning activities are fun, but they also help children develop many important skills. These skills, eye-hand coordination, color concepts, picture comprehension, form the foundation for early learning success. Children who color generally acquire and use knowledge more efficiently and effectively.

Online links and resources to learn pencil drawing:

* J. D. Hillberry's site 'Charcoal and Penci Drawings' is a useful resource for
- Site link: Learn How to Draw

 A pencil drawing by Dueys draw

* Home school arts offers some basic but useful lessons

A pencil drawing by Dueys draw

* Basic information to start Pencil Drawing

* Dueys draw is created by artist Brian Duey, offering drawing and art tutorials.

* Learn how to draw with step by step guides show you how to draw at:

Drawing Coach
* A lot of Drawing Techniques, Lessons, Tutorials, Tips, and Resources for Artists and Illustrators.
- Site link: artshow.com
* Free art tutorials - lessons and demonstrations in graphite and coloured pencils by some of the world's leading artists.

- Art Graphica.net

* Drawing lessons at Art is Fun

* Pencil Drawing tips

Collecting hobbies and fascination behind collecting things

Collecting hobbies are very popular among all age people around the world. People enjoy keeping collection of their favourite things like fountain pens, match boxes, coing, currency notes and the list is endless.

Wikipedia says: "The hobby of collecting consists of acquiring specific items based on a particular interest of the collector. These collections of things are often highly organized, carefully cataloged, and attractively displayed. Since collecting depends on the interests of the individual collector, it may deal with almost any subject. The depth and breadth of the collection may also vary. Some collectors choose to focus on a specific subtopic within their area of general interest."

Some people however enjoy collecting items and turn it into a hobby. Many hobbyists collect certain items such as stamps, coins, and Currency collecting and other types of things. One alternative to collecting physical objects is collecting experiences of a particular kind. Examples include collecting through observation or photography (especially popular for transportation, e.g. train spotting, aircraft spotting, metrophiles, bus spotting; see also I-Spy), bird-watching, and systematically visiting continents, countries (and collecting stamps in their passports), states, national parks, counties etc.

The different items that can be collected are endless. Even bizarre materials can be a collector’s item. One Russian countess collected bedpans that had once belonged to rich and famous people. One United States attorney has a collection of over 200,000 railroad nails.

Fascination behind collecting
The Encyclopedia Americana says, “People pursue hobbies for many reason but mainly for fun. Hobbies are relaxing and offer a change from daily routines.”

People take collecting hobbies as enjoyable and a satisfactory part of their life. It may even bring back memories of places or people that mean the most to them. The reason may also be for financial gain. Some collectible items are antiques and are worth a good deal of money. Even if it is not expensive, it may be a hard to find item and someone may pay you to obtain the item. However, you must be careful when you begin collecting items.

Discernment is needed when purchasing collectibles and even when re-selling them. Be careful that your newfound hobby does not occupy too much time, energy, and money. Spending money or obsessing over your collectibles is not healthy. No hobby should become so consuming that you go to extremes to get what you want at a high cost.

List of Ebooks and Guides to Learn About Blogging to Download for Free

You don’t need to buy ebooks to learn about blogs or blogging as there are a lot of blogs which offer free tutorial based post, basic blogging lessons, guides, useful tips, techniques, and tools to help you. Check these free ebooks which are quite enough to learn basics of blogging, make money online techniques, traffic tips etc. This post is about list of free blogging ebooks or guides which you can download for free.

The links at the post would take you to directly download page or if it is a PDF file, you many download it by clicking right mouse button and save as—

Read more at: List of Ebooks and Guides to Learn About Blogging to Download for Free

Importance of Hobbies and Leisure Activities for Kids

Hobbies and leisure activities play an important role in our lives and all age people can get benefits from these recreational activities. Our kids are usually busy with watcing tv, playing video games, or online social networking sites, but if you check their daily routines they don’t have time for hobbies which can stimulate their mind and body in healthy way. Watching tv, playing video games or internet can be good pass times but these activities are not a good alternative of ‘Hobbies’

Some facts about hobbies and leisure activities:

People who have a hobby are generally healthier." This comment is from director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University. Not only in sense of emotional or physical health, hobbies are good for us in many ways.

"When people do things that make them feel good, like a hobby, it activates an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens that controls how we feel about life", said Dr. S. Ausim Azizi, chairman of the department of neurology at Temple University’s School of Medicine in Philadelphia who studies brain activity and cell signaling. "Activities you enjoy also stimulate the brain’s septal zone — its “feel good” area — and that makes you feel happy", said Dr. Azizi.

Read more at:Importance of Hobbies and Leisure Activities for Kids

Benefits of Gardening As a Healthy Hobby for All Age People

Gardening is one of those pastimes which brings happiness and health for all age people. There are a lot of benefits of gardening which show the importance of this hobby. The physical benefits of fresh air and exercise are perhaps the most obvious, but emotional and psychological benefits cannot be ignored.

"Ever wonder why God placed Adam and Eve in a garden?" Upson said. "The reason is that gardening is good for you!".

Steve Upson, horticulturist for the Ardmore-based Noble Foundation says, ‘The older I get, the more aware I become of the importance of physical activity in maintaining my health," Upson said. "Numerous studies show that regular physical activity reduces the risk of premature death, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, and certain types of cancer."

Gardening contributes to physical health, since activities such as digging, planting, weeding, and harvesting are all part of three types of physical activity: endurance, flexibility, and strength.

Read more at: Benefits of Gardening As a Healthy Hobby for All Age People

Pencil collecting as a hobby and how to start it?

There are many people around who love to collect pencils, you can also start collecting pencils as a hobby.

How you can start?

There are various kind of pencils like wooden pencils, mechanical pencils, art pencils, and plastic pencils.  For starters, collect wooden pencils. The shafts (longer part of pencil) may display sport teams, tourist attractions, banks, colleges, safety slogans, and even Bible verses.

You can also collect old pencils, but it is rather difficult, as people usually throw them away.
This article offers you links and online resources to get more information about pencils and pencil collecting. A good place to interact with pencil collectors is pencil collectors organizations or online communities. Online blogs of collectors are a good place to get inspiration and collector ideas.

Useful links and online resources:

American Pencil Collectors Society a not-for-profit hobby organization devoted toward the exclusive interests of establishing and maintaining communication among pen and pencil collectors and the dissemination of information relative to writing instruments.

* The Philosophy of Pencil Collecting

* Pencil talk is a blog devoted to exploring woodcase pencils and related topics. Of course, it is also more than just that – it is a meditation on the basic tools used by writers, artists, students, and office workers, and how these tools influence us.                    

* 'Debbie's Pencil Collection'

* Beaverton man looking for a home for his collection of 73,980 pencils
* Explore the World of Pencil Collecting

* Pencil Points A blog about collecting brand name woodcase pencils.
* Collecting pencils at Writing Instruments blog

* A community of pencil collectors

Old known pencil in existence
This carpenters pencil is the oldest known pencil in existence. It was found in the roof of a 17th-century German house, and is part of the Faber-Castell private collection.