Your house plan is truly a reflection of whoyou are. It is a place where you can relax, enjoy, eat, sleep, butmost of all a place where you can be in your elements. I rememberthe last time I decided to refurbish my home, I thought the firstthing that I needed was a professional designer and so I hired one.I got too caught up with the ideas that the designers had beenshowcasing and advocating. However, the day I saw the entire planon the blueprint, I realized that although the design looked great,it did not appeal to me as my own home. That was the moment Idecided to do away with the designers, and take charge of thedesigning process myself. Designing your own house can be quite atask, but totally worth it since it enables you to give the place apersonal touch. Designing a house can include both the primaryarchitectural elements as well as the interior designing elementsthat follow. In this article we will cover both the aspect thatwill assist you while designing your own house.Architectural DesignArchitectural elements are vital if you are planning a houseplan from scratch. The first thing that you need to do is undertakea detailed study of the space available to you, requirement ofrooms, the possibility of multiple stories, the roofing, as well asthe locations of window and doors. In case you find thisintimidating, and are still willing to work without a professionalarchitect, there are a number of software applications that canhelp you with this task. A simulation of your plot area and thepossible positions and areas of multiple rooms can be tried outusing these designing software. You can easily drag the walls onthe virtual interface until you finalize the layout and come upwith your own final blueprint of the house plan.Once the house plan is ready, you can hire services of a goodresidential building company to materialize your blueprint into anactual finished structure. While handing over the reins to them,make sure you explain them the plan carefully and ask forsuggestions. Once the plan is finalized and the builders are atwork, have a word with them on a daily basis so that the finalproduct comes out just the way you wanted. However it is advisablenot to interrupt their work very frequently and trust them withtheir job.Tips to Remember:Although you have decided to plan your house on your own, youcannot be aware of all the architectural design principles (unlessyou are an architect yourself). Hence, once you have finalized yourplan, get it checked from a professional and try to incorporate thesuggestions.Involve all the members of the house while the plan is being madeand consider individual requirements for their rooms. The finalplan should be convenient for every member of your house.Study the natural lighting directions to ensure optimum naturallight in the living room or the study room according to yourpreference. After studying the light pattern it would also beconvenient for you to finalize the placement positions of doors andwindows.Choose accurate placement of walls. Avoid a cluttered plan, studyyour space, and don't try to include too many rooms within littlespace.With a little more research, try to incorporate unconventionalpatterns and styles into your house plan.The ColorsInterior designing for your own house plan is like giving you apalette of colors and a blank canvas. All you need to do is workwith your magic brush, adding a stroke here and there until you aresatisfied with the end result.First of all, use a good quality water-resistant andlong-lasting paint. Yes, choosing the colors for your house canseem like an easy job, but it is advisable to put more thought intothe process.

Origami is a Japanese art of paper-folding.'Ori' means folding and 'kami' means paper in Japanese. Although itis taken for granted that origami must have originated in Japan;this is not the actual case. Origami originated in ancient Chinaaround first century AD and it was introduced in Japan by Chinesetravelers. This Chinese art of paper-folding soon caught fancy ofthe Japanese who developed various origami shapes.Origami was practiced only by the wealthy Japanese noblemen. Aspaper was expensive during that period, it was used by the affluentJapanese to show their skill and wealth. The Samurai would exchangegifts of folded paper with a strip of dried fish or meat, known as'noshi'. This was considered as a good luck token. The Shintonoblemen celebrated weddings by wrapping glasses of rice wine inbutterfly shaped origami representing the bride and groom.As time passed, paper became less expensive. People fromdifferent social backgrounds could practice the art of origami. Theorigami instructions were passed on orally from mother to daughter,generation to generation. There were no written manuscripts oforigami instructions due to high rate of illiteracy and mostfamilies didn't want their ideas to be copied by others. The firstbook, Hiden Senbazuru Orikata (The Secret of One Thousand CranesOrigami), containing origami instructions was published in 1797. In1819, a woodblock print was made entitled, A Magician Turns Sheetsof Birds, showing birds being made from paper. Window on Midwinterwas published in 1845, that included 150 origami models.Origami creates interests in minds of people who love craftactivities even today. This art and crafts activity is enjoyed bychildren who love making their own special objects from paper. Afew easy origami for kids instructions are discussed below.The following are a few easy origami ideas that can be used as acraft activity for childrenOrigami SwanTake a square sheet of paper and fold the paper diagonally andpress the paper to form a crease. Unfold the paper and fold thelower edges of the square into the crease. Flip the paper and foldpointed corners over the crease. Now fold the pointed edge upwardsinto half. Fold the pointed corner downwards about half an inch tomake the swan head. Fold the swan into half over the crease. Yourorigami swan is ready.Origami PuppyTake a square piece of paper, and fold the paper diagonally to forma triangle. Hold the triangle with the pointed edge facingdownwards. Fold the tip of the bottom point to make the puppy'schin. Fold the other pointed edges downwards to make the puppy'sears. Draw eyes, nose and mouth to create the puppy's face.Origami HatOne of the most easiest origami craft ideas is making a hat. Allyou need is take a rectangular sheet of paper and fold ithorizontally into two equal parts. From the corner of the closedend, fold about 2/3rd parts of the paper. This will bring the topcorners together at the center of the paper. Your paper will nowappear triangular in shape. With the help of your thumbs, fold thebottom end of the paper upwards from the open end. Turn the sheetover and repeat the step for the other bottom edge. Now, open yourhat from the bottom center and enjoy wearing it over yourhead.source:buzzle.com

Crochet, pronounced as krowshey, is atechnique of creating a piece of fabric using yarn and a crochethook. The word crochet is derived from a French word which means ahook. If you know knitting, then learning crocheting will be easieras it is similar to knitting; the only difference between the twois that in a crochet only one loop is active at a time.Afghans StitchSpecial hooks are used for making afghans, so that there is morespace for the large number of stitches. For Afghan or Tuniscrochet, you need to keep the right side of the work always facingyou, and work on a base chain, and then make rows by looping theyarn first from right to left and the second half left to right. Bylearning these easy crochet patterns you can make scarves,blankets, and other easy patterns.ScarvesFor this pattern you need to first practice making a basic chainand learn single crochet stitches. To learn how to crotchet ascarf, use bulky yarn and J size or larger crochet hook. For makingthe scarf, first make a slip knot and base chain which is around 14stitches to get the length of the scarf. Then make another extrastitch and turn, then insert the crotchet hook in the second chain,and make another single crotchet stitch. This way make a row byturning the stitch and keep making these, till you are satisfiedwith the size of the scarf.Baby BlanketsSelect soft yarns that feel nice to your skin, like cotton yarns,for making a baby blanket. Then using a similar stitch pattern likethe above mentioned scarf pattern, you can make the baby blanket.However, when learning how to crotchet a baby blanket the size ofthe blanket will be bigger than scarf, so instead of making around14 inches for length make 36 inches for length and then work it toform rows to complete the blanket.HatsTo crotchet a hat, select a yarn of your choice. To make the hatinteresting you can use 2 or more colored yarns. Again the abovesimilar stitch can be used for making a crochet hat. The onlydifference is that you have to work in a circular pattern. So startcrocheting in a round, till it is as large as the top of your head,keep working in the round stitches and increase the number ofstitches slowly till the hat is large enough, and reaches yourears.There are many illustrated tutorials and videos online,following which you can learn the basic stitches and the abovepatterns. So learn 1-2 simple stitches and then make any of theabove mentioned pattern to create your very first crochet knitfabric.

Freehand drawing is a form, which is doneonlyby means of hand and eye coordination. In simple terms, thistypeof drawing is done by a person without use of any toolslikerulers, protractor, etc., or by using tracing or any othersuchtechniques. Many people who enjoy drawing as a hobby usethismethod of drawing, just by carrying a sketchbook and pencils,andsketching any subjects they like. If a person asks youwhilelooking at a drawing, 'did you do it freehand ?', it meansthat didyou draw it without the use of any tools or mechanicaldevices.For freehand sketching, one needs to have good senseofproportions, a smooth motion of hand that allows to drawneatlines, and some shading skills to give more depth to thedrawing.These skills take time, patience, and practice, and advicefrom ateacher or an artist will help a person to learn freehanddrawingby the right way. Whether you are an absolute beginner, oryou havesome experience in drawing, provided below are some veryusefulsketching tips that will help you to get started, or getbetter atthis technique.Useful TipsAdobe has a freehand drawing software, on which you canpracticedrawing freehand. But, most artists and teachers alwaysrecommendto practice the skills first on paper, and then on anysoftware.Hence, before going digital, stick to the basic drawingtools,which are the pencils and papers. Thus, buy a sketchbook thathasA4 sized papers, few 2-3 graded pencils of 6B and 8B, andstartdrawing. Avoid using eraser as much as possible; if you areacomplete beginner, then eraser is allowed for first 2-3weeks.After this period, you have to stop using it so that you gettheconfidence.Keep a Blank Mind and Loosen UpOn a paper, draw circles in one smooth motion, do not rest yourpalmon the paper. So, hold the pencil with your fingers, anddrawcircles all over the paper. In a similar manner, drawhorizontal,vertical, and diagonal lines on the same sheet of paper.This willhelp to keep a blank mind, and loosen up your drawingmotions; youwill be more confident, and the lines will come outbetter bypracticing this technique. Do this on 2-3 papers everyday,and asyour drawing skills get better, you can continue this only ononepaper everyday.Observe Everything You SeeNow, the second important factor that helps to draw better isyourobservation power. Continuously go on observing everythingclosely,how an old man looks, how a young person looks, how a childlooks,etc. You can also observe their clothing, expressions,gestures,etc. Take a good look at the animals in the surrounding ifany.Observe trains, buses, buildings, natural landscapes, trees,birds,cityscapes, etc.Carry Your Sketchbook and PracticeAlways keep a sketchbook and pencils with you (don't forgetasharpener or cutter too). Watch people at the train station,andsketch them. If you are a total beginner, then forget abouthowneat your drawings looks; firstly, just scribble the subjects,andlater on, your skills will improve. Thus, scribble birds,people,landscapes, buildings, etc. If your subjects are notstationary,and it is difficult for you to observe moving subjects,then byusing a camera (digital or analog), click pictures of thesubject.Once you are at home or at a quiet place, observe thesubject, andthen proceed to draw it.

Fashion is not just for grownups anymore andthere are many dress designers who specializes in designing clothesfor kids. Young girls like to wear dresses that are chic andstylish and there are many designs of dresses for young kids andpre teens. Kids generally have strong likes and dislikes and so itis best to take their opinions before buying a dress. When you buydresses for kids, make sure that they are comfortable to wear andthe finish of the closures are well made and sewn. Metallic zippersand closures of low quality can cause allergic reactions on theirdelicate skin. As far as possible choose bright cheerful colors fordresses for kids. Sober and more sophisticated colors can be wornonce they grow up.If you are looking for nice dresses for kids, then a shortruffle dress is one of the best options that you can opt for. Ashort mid thigh length dress with an empire waist and ruffles atthe skirt looks cute on small girls. You can choose either asleeveless design or a ruffle dress with flutter sleeves. Shortruffle dresses in fabrics like cotton, linen and cotton blends aregreat options for the summer. If you are looking for something moredressy, then go for a short ruffle dress with lace and metallicembellishments at the bodice.A great option for casual summer wear is a halter dress in abright color. A knee length or mid thigh length halter dress withelasticized tie ups at the neck and tiered double ruffles at theskirt is a good option for casual dresses. Choose such girlsclothing in fabrics like cotton voile and linen for a comfortablefit. Patterns like small stars and seashells looks very fetching insuch dresses. While selecting a sleeveless dress for your littlegirl, make sure that the elasticized tie ups are not too tight asthey might dig into the skin and cause rashes.If you are looking for something comfortable for your littlegirl to wear, then you cannot go wrong with a racerback tank dress.It is a very trendy design and your little girl is sure to like ita lot. A racer back tank dress is essentially an A-line dresswithout sleeves with a racerback. Choose fabrics like jersey orcotton blend for a comfortable fit. These type of dresses areavailable in many designs and patterns with nautical stripes andditsy floral prints being the most popular.A favorite with small girls, tiered dresses makes little girlslook cute. It is simple dress with a fitted bodice and three tofour tiers at the skirt. For a special occasion like a birthday orparty, you can choose from tiered dresses made in fabrics likeorganza, silk and chiffon. Pastel colors like lavender,butterscotch, peach and baby pink will look gorgeous in suchdresses. Tiered dresses with piping on the skirt and rosettes onthe bodice are also great choices for special occasion dresses forkids.A drop waist dress is a dress that has a longer bodice and ashorter skirt. Drop waist dresses are very popular among younggirls and they look quite charming too. Drop waist dresses infabrics like cotton and linen are good choices for the summer.These type of dresses are also available in fancier versions withlace trimmings and sequin details as well as self tie and sidepockets.Select dresses for kids that have a modern design and which iscomfortable to wear. You can even sew such dresses at home, if youhave good sewing skills.

Note that Indian mehndi designs are intricate,with fill-in designs between the larger pictures. Indian mehndileaves little skin showing. Indian mehndi also uses motifs likepeacocks and human figures.See that Arabic designs are spaced further apart and do notcover as much skin as the Indian mehndi. Arabic patterns leave moreskin showing than Indian patterns. Arabic mehndi consists mostly offloral designs; animal and human figures are not usually used.Note that Indian designs consist of many small shapes, whileArabic designs consist of several large shapes with large areasthat are completely filled in with henna. Large shapes in Indianmehndi often have patterns inside them rather than a solidcolor.Purchase "Mehndi: The Timeless Art of Henna Painting" or find acopy in your library. This is an informative reference fortraditional henna application and contains information on whatvarious motifs and symbols represent.Find a mehndi design in the "References" section and print itout. Wash the area to be painted with soap and water. Drythoroughly with a soft cloth.Copy the design from the paper onto the desired area with thelaundry pen. This will be a guideline for applying the henna. Toavoid drawing freehand, trace the design onto tracing paper withthe laundry pen, then apply roll-on deodorant to the skin where thetattoo will be. Lay the tracing paper on the area, marker-sidedown, and press gently. Wait about two minutes before gentlypeeling the paper away. This will transfer the design from paper toskin.Place two or more teabags with hot water into the mug. Allow thetea to steep for about 15 minutes, until it is dark. Put hennapowder in a bowl and add about 10 drops each of eucalyptus oil andlemon juice. Spoon in tea and stir until a thin paste isformed.Spoon paste into the applicator. Trace the outline of the designwith paste. When coloring the leaves and flowers, you may fill themin completely with paste or just trace the outline. Allow the pasteto dry overnight. Do not get the paste wet.Wipe away the paste with a soft, dry cloth. The henna shouldleave behind a dark design on the skin. If the design is not darkenough, reapply the paste overnight.

A T-shirt is a basic piece of clothing, thatis present in every wardrobe. It is very easy to style and comes inhandy, especially when you are in a hurry. It can be called awardrobe staple. However, the downside of wearing this piece ofapparel is that there is not much variation in its shape anddesign, and hence, most of us end up purchasing many T-shirts insimilar styles. However, they can be made more versatile, and givenan interesting look, by cutting them to create unique and funkydesigns. This should be done carefully, as haphazardly cutting itwill render the garment useless. Before doing this, ensure that youhave a design in mind, and then decide how to go about it.Cutting It into a Tank TopA tank top is one of the easiest designs to make. You do notrequire any advanced sewing skills to do this, where it is a novelway of transforming your tees. To make a tank top, get hold of aT-shirt that fits you well. Now, turn it inside out, and place iton a work table. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut off itssleeves. Next, cut off any excess fabric from the bottom, such thatthe top sits above your waistline.It is always better to mark the area of the fabric that you willbe cutting, by holding the garment against your body. This isbecause, if you end up cutting more fabric than intended, you willnot be able to do anything about it, and it will go to waste. Onceyou have cut the garment, sew it along the edge, so that it doesnot fray. However, if you prefer a grungy look, then you can leaveit like that.Cutting It without SewingTake two ordinary, fitted T-shirts in complementary colors likepurple and green, or contrasting colors like blue and red. Now,turn one of them inside out on a work table and draw a big heart orany other design of your choice on the fabric. Mark horizontallines on the design, making sure that there is a gap of at least 1inch between each line. Now, place a heavy piece of cardboardbetween the layers of the garment, and slash the horizontal lineswith a pair of scissors or sharp knife. This will give it a ribbedeffect. Wear this T-shirt over the other one for a layered look.These T-shirts look very trendy and are quite popular. They saveyou the hassle of sewing them.You can use many other techniques to come up with your ownstyles and designs. This way, you can revamp your entire wardrobewithout spending much money.source:buzzle.com

The pattern of gift boxes vary according tothe ceremony, occasion and the event. The appearance of gift boxesalso depends on the person whom you are gifting. For example, womenprefer more of ornamentation while men love simple and chastedesigns.Normally, we present gifts during festive seasons likeChristmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. However, making gift boxes athome will be a difficult project for people who have no affinityfor arts and crafts. The necessary guidance for making homemadeboxes will be provided to you in the upcoming paragraphs.Christmas Gift BoxesWe all love to give and receive Christmas gifts. Packing cookies,dollies, candies, stockings, candles, etc., during Christmas timeis a well practiced trend. Pack the stockings in a reusable giftwrapper. Use colorful papers for the external coating. Tie a satinthread over the lid and gift it away. While packing eatables youhave to extra careful. Make sure the gift box is moisture proof.Leakage of moisture would spoil the eatables. Use air tightcontainers for packing cookies, candies, biscuits, dough nuts, andbrownies. For extra protection, wrap them with aluminum foils.Packing dry fruits in cardboard boxes is also a good idea. Lid thebox and wrap a clean white paper for a simple look.Wedding Gift BoxesWedding gifts are packed with bright embellishments. Expensiveitems are parceled in beautiful velvet boxes. Always remember thatthe wrapping of the gift matters a lot in making the gift special.Similarly, you can make some beautiful boxes for wedding cards. Geta silver box from any jewelry shop and then start the decoration.You will require the following things, viz, velvet paper, tinymirrors, satin ribbons, gum, and glitters. First wrap the entirejewelry box with velvet paper. Utilize your artistic instinctswhile doing the mirror work and spraying the glitter. Make itethnic so that it appeals to the wedding ceremony. Metal boxes forwrapping jewelry is also a good option as they not only lookbeautiful, but also traditional. Apparels usually come in boxes andall you need to do is, wrap them with cellophane or any type ofgift wrappers and then tie a satin ribbon around it.Birthday Gift BoxesA birthday is a special occasion and you can try a lot of things tomake the gifts attractive. You have so many things to present onbirthdays, right from pets to toys. Gifting pets is a uniquebirthday gift idea. I must tel you that putting pets inside a giftbaskets is easy. You have to ensure that there is enough space forthe pet to move and breathe. Big cardboard boxes with plentifulspace is the perfect box for pets. Ready-made boxes are sold inarts and crafts stores and they make wonderful packaging forbirthday gifts. Make Chinese food boxes and hat boxes for giftingchocolates and cookies. Well, expensive birthday gifts likelaptops, cell phones, camera, iPods, etc., come in cushioned casesthat ensure no damage is caused to the electronic pieces. Wrap thecardboard boxes and then place the gadgets along with the casebefore gifting away. Utilize the same ideas for making Valentine'sboxes.Make innovative and unique gift boxes to make your dear onesfeel special.source: buzzle.com