How To Make Felt Valentine’s Day Refrigerator Magnets

When it comes to making Valentine’s Day crafts with older kids, this is a quick and easy project that will cost less than $1.50 to make. I recently made this project with a group of girls that range in age from 8 to 11 years old.

Here is what you will need:

red and pink craft felt
red embroidery floss with blunt tip sewing needle
2″ wide piece (strip) of magnet
scissors
paper patterned heart measuring 3 1/4″ wide by 2 3/4″ tall
disappearing ink marker
all-purpose craft glue

Pattern: You can just free-hand a heart pattern by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting it into a heart shape that measures approximately 3 1/4″ wide by 2 3/4″ tall.

Trace your heart pattern onto a piece of red felt. Using scissors, cut off 1/4″ around the edges of your paper pattern and then trace the smaller heart that you just made onto a piece of pink felt using a disappearing marker.

Using a blunt tip sewing needle and three strands of red embroidery floss, hand stitch the word LOVE onto the pink heart. Once that has been completed, use three strands of red embroidery floss to blanket stitch or simple whip stitch the pink felt heart to the red felt heart. You will want to stitch around all of the edges to attach the pink heart to the red heart.

Cut an 8″ long by 1/4″ wide strip from red felt. Using the photo for reference, make an arrow from the strips and hand sew them to the back side of the red felt heart. Once completed, use all-purpose craft glue to attach a magnet strip onto the back of the red heart. Let dry for 1 hour and then your new refrigerator magnet is ready to use!

This craft project idea is copyright 2010 by Work At Home Business Options, All Rights Reserved. Please do not reprint this project, instructions or photo without our permission.

Holiday Craft Project – Clay Pot Toy Soldier

If you enjoy making homemade holiday craft items, I think you will appreciate this inexpensive clay pot toy soldier project.

Ages: 8 and up with adult supervision.

Materials Needed:

all-purpose craft glue or hot glue gun
1 wooden candle cup
1 1/2″ diameter wooden ball (flat ends)
3″ clay pot
two 2″ clay pots
acrylic paints: peach, red, pink, black, yellow and brown
paint brushes
clear acrylic sealer in a spray can
several sheets of newspaper (because you will be painting)

Note: If you have paint markers, you can use those to add facial details and clothing accents if desired.

Painting: Paint the wooden candle cup and both 2″ clay pots solid black. Paint the large clay pot red and the wooden ball for the head peach. Once they are dry, go back and add the details as shown in the photo to make the face, hair and clothing accents. Once your pieces are dry, spray with a clear acrylic sealer and let dry for 1 to 2 hours.

Assembly: The easiest way I found to assemble the toy soldier is by using a hot glue gun. You can use craft glue but it takes forever to dry if you have the patience for it. Turn your clay pot upside down and hot glue the head on. Once it has dried, turn the candle cup upside down and glue it on top of the head. Turn your small clay pots upside down and glue the large clay pot on top (gluing the body to the legs).

You will want to let this project dry completely before moving it around.

This craft project article is exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Turn Your Passion For Web Design Into A Home Business

If you are looking for a home based business that requires dedication, hard work, creativity and a passion for web graphic design…then perhaps being a freelance graphic design artist is for you.

Web graphic designers are in high demand all over the world, especially on the internet. Designers put their talents to work on blogs, websites, advertising banners, buttons and logos, as well as designing covers for Ebook publishers.

Let’s take a look at the different ways you can make some money online by doing graphic design work.

Designing Websites – Every day there are thousands of new websites being published online. These website o wners are looking for professionals to help design their website graphics, templates, logos, buttons and banners.

Designing Blogs – One of the hottest forms of website publishing these days is blogging. If you are not familiar with blogging, a blog is a website based log or diary. It can be a personal or business blog and is usually updated by the owner. Millions of bloggers are hiring professionals to design their blogging templates, headers and graphics.

Online Newsletter Publishing – You will find thousands of professional companies now publishing their own online newsletters which are sent out via email to their customers and/or subscribers. If you can design a newsletter with a few simple graphics, this would be an easy way for you to earn additional income. The majority of companies that hire a freelance graphic designer for these types of projects, will also provide you with the text content of the newsletter. All you need to do is format the newsletter, add a graphic or two and send it back to the company for its distribution list.

Ebook Cover Designs – Professional and amateur writers are publishing their own books online…this type of book publishing is called an ebook. You will find that most authors want a custom made graphic for the cover of their ebook, the more original the cover, the more money you can make designing one.

If you are creative and have knowledge in graphic design, you can find thousands of people and businesses online who need your graphic design services. You will want to be prepared and draft up a design portfolio and samples of your work ahead of time, so that you are ready to apply for freelance job opportunities.

Copyright © 2009 Shelly Hill, Work At Home Business Options, All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

3 Easy To Prepare Pea Side Dish Recipes

When it comes to making vegetable side dish recipes for my family, I often don’t know what to do with green peas. However, a few years ago…I met a wonderful woman from Lancaster County, PA who shared several of her favorite recipes with me.

All of these recipes are easy to prepare. The first two recipes take less than 30 minutes to make and the final recipe is less than an hour. All of the recipes use fresh or frozen peas, but you could certainly substitute with canned peas if that is what you prefer using.

Lemon and Mint Peas

1 lb. frozen peas
1/2 lb. pearl onions
1 jar diced pimento, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons mint flakes
grated lemon rind

In a large saucepan, cook the peas according to package directions, drain water. Place peas back into the saucepan along with the remaining ingredients. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

French Style Peas

1 small head of lettuce, shredded
2 packages frozen peas
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

In a large saucepan, add in the shredded head of lettuce. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until all ingredients are combined. Bring mixture to a full boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Auntie’s Baked Peas

20 oz. bag of frozen peas
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Coat the inside of a 2 quart casserole dish with butter. Break up the frozen peas and mix in the cream of celery soup. Top the mixture with buttered bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until done.

Shelly has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can visit Shelly at her Tupperware Website Store or her Shakin ‘N Bakin Recipe Blog.

NOTE: This article is Exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Copyright © 2009 Work At Home Business Options and Shelly Hill

10 Must Know Work At Home Job Seekers Facts

I thought anyone could work from home, but that’s not the case. People who work at home face many challenges on a daily basis. Challenges aren’t the only difficulties many work at home job seekers find as there are relentless people who will take advantage of you to make their own pretty penny.

Here are 10 work at home facts you should be aware of before you decide to work from home.

Fact #1
Working at home requires discipline. When you’re working for an employer, you must treat it like you’re working in a brick and mortar company. Just because you telecommute from home, it doesn’t mean you can up and run an errand when you see fit.

Fact #2
Working at home requires communication from your family and friends. Your family and friends must know that working at home doesn’t make you the babysitter or chat buddy. You have your time set when you need to work and there should be no unnecessary interruptions.

Fact #3
Working at home requires independence as you don’t have other co-workers sitting in a cubicle beside you. There’s no casual chit chat by the water cooler or a boss or supervisor looking over your shoulder. While the latter is a positive, people who require constant affirmation may not enjoy this isolation.

Fact #4
Work at home job seekers will come across a lot of scams. It’s inevitable. Everywhere you look, people are out to rob you of your hard earned money, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Get used to using search engines, work at home community forums, Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission website to help you avoid these mishaps.

Fact #5
Work at home job seekers should have a good idea of what kind of job they would like to apply for. Before you even venture online to find a telecommute job arm yourself with an updated resume highlighting your strengths, skills and experience. When a good job lead is posted, thousands of resumes will be sent to the company. While you may be one in the thousands, you want your resume to stand out from the rest.

Fact #6
Work at home job seekers must do their research as it’s imperative unless you know the company and the position is real. Too many skip this step or don’t do a thorough research of the company.

Fact #7
Work at home job seekers must be patience, consistent and persistent. Even the most skilled don’t find a job overnight. It’s not unheard of when people find a work at home job after two years of searching. To be effective, searching daily or almost daily is a must.

Fact #8
Work at home job seekers have to be careful of what they say on work at home discussion forums. Employers troll high-traffic sites. This is how they learn what is said about them in a positive or negative way. Employers also use these high-traffic boards to find potential employees. Avoid airing out your dirty laundry on any open and public board. It’s just not professional.

Fact #9
Work at home job seekers often have more than one work at home job. Depending on your needs, many job seekers look for and keep several jobs. Some jobs may be only contracted out for a certain period of time or they are seasonal. Whatever the reason having several if you can manage is a good idea.

Fact #10
Work at home job seekers may have to spend some money. This is usually not the case, but certain jobs may require the job seeker to pay for a credit or background check or to obtain software for their computers or equipment for their position. (Foot pedal, headset etc.)

Now that you’re armed with the known facts, good luck in your job search! Keep your chin up and think positively. There’s a job out there waiting for you.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options
All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

3 Healthy Watermelon Beverage Recipes For Summer

During the Summertime, I like to make cold beverages using Watermelon because the melon contains a high concentrate of Lycopene, a natural antioxidant that may help to reduce the risk of bladder, cervix, lung and skin cancers.

Adding it to your diet is really easy. Use it as a snack, an appetizer or incorporate it into your summertime beverages. Since Watermelon is fat-free and low in calories, it makes it an ideal food for those who are watching their weight.

Watermelon Facts:

1. The majority of weight in the melon is comprised of water, about 92%.
2. The rind is also edible. Trying using it as a vegetable in a stir-fry dish.
3. Red flesh of the melon is high in beta carotene and it’s a significant source of lycopene.

Here are 3 beverage recipes that you can make that use fresh watermelon.

Watermelon Citrus Cooler

watermelon balls
6 bamboo skewers
3 cups watermelon juice
2 cups grapefruit juice
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Thread watermelon balls on to the skewers. Freeze. In a large beverage pitcher, blend watermelon, grapefruit and orange juice with sugar until completely dissolved. Chill for 1 hour. Place frozen watermelon ball skewer in each glass. Fill with melon juice and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Watermelon Frappe

1/2 large watermelon
36 oz. Ginger ale
1 (12 oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
fresh lemon or lime slices

Remove seeds and rinds from melon and cut into bite-size chunks. Combine melon, limeade and Ginger ale in a blender container. Freeze for 3 hours. Thaw partially to serve. Spoon into tall chilled glasses and garnish with lime or lemon slices. Makes 1 gallon.

Watermelon Smoothie

2 cups seeded watermelon chunks
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Whip together the ingredients in a blender container until smooth. Serve immediately in chilled glasses. Makes 3 servings.

Shelly has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can visit Shelly at her Tupperware Website Store or her Shakin ‘N Bakin Recipe Blog.

NOTE: This article is Exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Copyright © 2009 Work At Home Business Options and Shelly Hill

How To Handle Content Stealers

Content stealing or plagiarizing is like a bad virus. It’s rampant and grows like cancer. It wrecks people’s lives giving the innocent added stress and the stealer’s a bad reputation.

No longer are content stealers stereotyped as unprofessional people, although in the true sense of the word that is what they are. Content stealers have no race and it’s not gender specific; there are no boundaries. I’m seeing more and more plagiarizers who are business professionals. They are your Virtual Assistants, web designers, known gurus in their niches and other people who have good online web presence.

There’s never a good enough reason anyone should resort to stealing content. There just isn’t.

You can say all your work is copyrighted, disable right click (which really doesn’t work) and put up the Copyscape banner, but that doesn’t deter someone to steal from you. If you find your work stolen you can do several things, but it doesn’t always guarantee a positive outcome.

1. Contact the content stealer – This doesn’t often work. Many will ignore your emails even with a cease and desist order. The truly unsuspecting will respond and remove your content especially if they paid someone to create their website. They may even apologize which has happened to me.

2. Contact their web hosting – You can find who their web hosting is either on the footer of their website or through WhoIs – http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

If they don’t use paid web hosting, contact the free web host.

3. Contact Google and other search engines. If they have paid advertisers on their site, you can contact them too to let them know.

4. Contact your attorney. It may be your last resort or first resort.

Be mindful of what you reprint online as well. Read the website’s terms of service or privacy policy. Don’t get yourself in a legal battle and always guard your reputation. You only have one and it’s a lot harder to dig yourself out with a fork.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options

All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

How To Make Ice Cream Dessert Pies

During our summer celebrations and parties, I like to serve homemade ice cream dessert pies. If you are tired of paying for pricey ice cream cakes and pies for your parties, I think you will enjoy these 2 easy recipes.

Ice Cream Turtle Pie

4 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
1/2 cup caramel topping, divided
1 graham cracker crumb crust
2/3 cup Cool Whip, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Place a large bowl into the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove chilled bowl and spoon ice cream into it. Stir in 1/4 cup of caramel topping. Pour ice cream into prepared graham cracker crust. Cover and freeze for 2 hours. Place ice cream pie in refrigerator to soften it for 15 minutes before serving. Heat remaining 1/4 cup of caramel topping. Cut pie into 8 wedges and top evenly with whipped topping. Drizzle warm caramel sauce on top. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 graham cracker crumb crust

Place ice cream in a large bowl, allow it to soften. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar, orange juice, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg using an electric mixer. Add to the ice cream and mix well. Spoon into graham cracker crumb crust. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until firm. Garnish with Cool Whip if desired.

Shelly has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can visit Shelly at her Tupperware Website Store or her Shakin ‘N Bakin Recipe Blog.

NOTE: This article is Exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Copyright © 2009 Work At Home Business Options and Shelly Hill

How To Make An Italian Sausage and Beef Casserole

My husband grew up in a large Italian family and once a month, his mother would make this Italian Sausage Casserole recipe. Shortly after we got married, she spent an afternoon teaching me how to make it for him.

Here are a few tips that I learnt along the way.

1. Peel and slice all vegetables before starting the recipe. It will make preparation easier.
2. Use separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination.
3. If you like a lot of green pepper in your recipes, you can increase the green pepper to two.

When I make this recipe, I double my ingredients and make 2 at a time. We eat one for dinner that evening and I freeze the second one for a later date.

Italian Sausage and Beef Casserole

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. beef cubes
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green pepper, seeded and cut into small slices
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 beef bouillon cubes, dissolved in boiling water

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, brown sausage until done. Cut links in 1-inch pieces and place in a 3 quart casserole dish. Drain fat from pan, reserving 2 tablespoons.

Brown beef cubes in 1 tablespoon of sausage fat, then place cubes into the casserole dish. Fry onion and garlic in remaining 1 tablespoon of fat until tender. Add sliced green peppers and cook for 1 1/2 additional minutes. Add mixture to the baking dish. Add quartered potatoes, sprinkle seasonings on top. Dissolve bouillon cubes in a 1/2 cup of boiling water and pour into baking dish. Stir ingredients together.

Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 60-75 minutes or until beef and potatoes are tender and done.

Serving Ideas: Serve with warm bread and a tossed garden salad.

Shelly has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can visit Shelly at her Tupperware Website Store or her Shakin ‘N Bakin Recipe Blog.

NOTE: This article is Exclusive to Work At Home Business Options and can not be reproduced without our permission.

Copyright © 2009 Work At Home Business Options and Shelly Hill

Using Work At Home Forums For Finding Jobs

Work at home forums are one of the best free resources in finding a work at home job. How you utilize it for your maximum gain depends largely on how you handle yourself on there.

While I understand at this point you’d probably rather cut to the chase, but a proper introduction to the forum and its members is important. In the past, I have read desperate pleas for help. I have read personal information that was really not pertinent to the situation. Not everyone needs to know your dirty laundry so to speak.

In all honesty, employers do “stop bys” to read forums and check out potential employees or check up on their employees to see what’s being said about them.

If you’re looking for a work at home job on a forum, it’s important to provide enough information so others can point you in the right direction or give you the best advice. Time is precious for everyone and you can eliminate unnecessary steps by communicating effectively your wants and needs.

Keep in mind, all the “don’t wants” will make you unflexible and it will limit the availability of positions. I understand many prefer a non-phone job, but realistically customer service via the phone is more abundant. This is just something to keep in the back of your mind. There are other options available, but do you have the experience or interest to pursue these fields?

Some non-phone jobs include:
- Writing/blogging
- General or legal transcription
- Court researcher – requires travel to court house
- Mystery Shopping
- Web design
- Virtual Assisting – may include speaking with clients

Networking on work at home forums will increase your chances of finding a work at home job. So be consistent in re-visiting forums if you’re using them as a resource to help you find a work at home job.

Remember these tips:
- A proper introduction is a must. Keep personal family issues to yourself
- Provide as much information about your skills and experience. Let people know your strengths
- Know how to ask the right questions
- Be consistent in your networking efforts and be open to other suggestions or opportunities

Take the time to use work at home forums correctly because it is your playground to a vast array of work at home opportunities. You never know when one door opens what may be in store. It may be the perfect opportunity you’ve been dreaming of.

Copyright © 2009 Sophia McIntyre, Work At Home Business Options

All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted for publication.

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