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

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

Creating and Serving Salads During Your Summer Dinner Party

We like to entertain guests during the summer months and I like to serve salads as our meals. I never know exactly what kind of salad accompaniments to prepare so I like to offer a little bit of everything.

Here are a few ideas of what you can serve so that your guests can create their own perfect salad.

Vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, loose-leaf and head lettuce, mushrooms, onions, radishes, red beets, red peppers, snow peas, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini

Meats and Fish: grilled chicken and fish, ham, turkey, pepperoni, salami, seafood

Miscellaneous: cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, alfalfa sprouts, green and black olives

Cheeses: American, blue cheese, cheddar, Swiss, Colby Jack, provolone

Toppings: bacon, croutons, crushed Chinese noodles, raisins, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, tofu

Dressings: French, Italian, Blue Cheese, Thousand Island, Ranch, Honey Mustard, Flavored Vinaigrettes

When it comes to serving your salad items, here are a few tips.

1. Serve the cold items in chilled bowls or serving plates.
2. Pat dry all vegetables with a clean dry cloth after rinsing/cleaning them.
3. Shred and chop all items into bite size pieces ahead of time and store in the refrigerator in proper containers.
4. If combining your salad ingredients ahead of time (instead of using individual serving dishes), prepare them 1-2 hours before serving time.

When it comes to creating the perfect summer salad, the possibilities are endless. For each individual person, the perfect salad will be different. I like mine loaded with a variety of vegetables and cheese, my husband enjoys his with a variety of meats, and our daughter enjoys just a handful of vegetables with some seafood mixed in.

The most important thing to remember is to offer a variety of items and make your ingredients colorful and appealing to the eye.

Shelly Hill is a Manager with Tupperware and enjoys cooking and entertaining friends. You can visit Shelly’s Tupperware Store or her recipe blog Shakin ‘N Bakin In The Kitchen.

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 FREE Ways You Can Advertise Your Business Online

When it comes to promoting a home business online, there are many ways you can advertise your business for free. I always recommend that you start out with free advertising and as your business grows, venture into some paid advertising.

The following is a list of 10 ways you can advertise your business for free.

1. Create A Business Blog – You can create a business blog on various blogging sites for free.

2. Email Signature Tag – Add your business information to an email by creating a signature tag. Make sure it’s attached to all outgoing email.

3. Email Signature Tag Referral – Ask your friends and family members to add your business signature tag to all of their outgoing emails.

4. Forum Boards – Join a few forum boards related to your business niche. If you sell items that women want to buy, join a few mom or women topic forum boards. If you sell weight loss products, join a few boards that are specifically for dieters.

5. Link Exchange – Contact website owners who are in the same niche as you. Ask them to exchange website links with you.

6. Online Talk Radio and Podcasts – If you consider yourself to be an expert or leader in your field of business, volunteer to be a guest speaker on one of their upcoming programs.

7. Article Marketing – Write a few niche related articles and submit them to article databases. Website owners and ezine publishers are always looking for new content. Create professional looking Author’s Resource Box with your business information in it.

8. Banner and Button Exchange – Find a few niche related websites and exchange your button or banner with that site.

9. Social Networking – Join a few of the free online social networking sites such as myspace, face book, linkedin, yahoo groups, ryze and twitter.

10. Barter For Advertising – If you have extra product inventory or you can provide a service that another website owner can use, contact them and offer to barter with them in exchange for some advertising on their website or 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 Your Car To Advertise Your Business

Using your automobile to advertise your business is not a new concept, however these days there are new products out on the market that you might not have considered. Instead of just driving around in your car to do your daily errands, why not put it to work for you?

Here are a few ideas of some items you can purchase and get custom imprinted with your business information or business logo.

1. Custom Designed Licensed Plate
2. License Plate Frames (these go around the license plate and can have your company name or logo)
3. Static Window Clings
4. Bumper Stickers
5. Car Door Magnets
6. Antenna Business Logo Flags
7. Removable Banners
8. Flyer Holder (plastic holder that attaches to the car to hold flyers)
9. Brochure Holder (plastic holder that attaches to the car to hold your company brochures)
10. Magnetic Business Card Holder
11. Automobile Sun Shades (cardboard dash protectors imprinted with business information)

If you purchase any of the above type of products, make sure you save your purchase receipt. Check with your accountant or tax preparer to see if you can write off these type of purchases as a business expense.

The next time you go out to do your daily errands, take a look around and see how many vehicles that you see that have some type of business logo or business information on them.

You can go to any of the online major search engines and do some keyword searches for the products listed above. You will find hundreds of online websites that do custom printed work for a reasonable price.

Putting your vehicle to work for you can be an beneficial way of advertising your home business.

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

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