Christmas shopping – or lack of – sneaks up on me every year, no matter how good my intentions.
I am traditionally the original Scrooge at Christmas, the stress and pressure to try to make everything nice and find the perfect gift idea gets to me before the first ornament is out of the box, just the thought of it usually makes me grumble.
Sound familiar?
But this year I am kind of looking forward to it. Why?
Because I’m doing Christmas gift giving a little differently this year.
1. Instead of trying to do too much, I am cutting back and am determined to enjoy the experience (dammit :0)).
2. We picked names this year for the adults in the family rather than each of us buying for all of us. I can’t tell you how much my stress level has already gone down, and I especially like it because now I have time to do something really unique for my father in law (he was my pick).
3. Getting the jump on things in plenty of time. Gift planning and some shopping was done in October by being on the look out when I was out shopping – I bought a few really cute things here and there. This way instead of buying “en masse”, I am picking something fitting for each recipient.
4. Putting a limit on spending. As my sister said “I’m sick of the commercial crap of Christmas”, and aren’t we all. It isn’t in how much we spend, a small, well thought out gift is better received than a large one that was obviously tossed in the cart with no forethought.
5. Decluttering – I’ve been working on decluttering so that the decorations will look nice. If you can get going now, it will make Christmas even nicer when the time comes. The Christmas Spirit – Peace – Goodwill towards All – Love – They’re all buzzwords and shiny decorations that we hang on the wall at Christmas time – lets take the time to focus on what they mean – and then do it.
6. How about making this the season to “Pay It Forward”. These stories have made me cry sappy tears more than once but I’ve never done it. Why not give it a try? They have a fantastic website, if you follow the links you can get some great ideas http://www.payitforwardmovement.org/groups.html
I signed up for the “Be Nice or Else” newsletter – they have a book that is great for gift giving, what a great coffee table that would make – or a great book to donate to a hospital for the waiting room.
NOTE: This page lists some great Christmas gift ideas, one of them being – clean someone’s house. I will have more on that later, but meantime, why not think about it and brainstorm how you could make it happen.
http://www.giveitforwardtoday.org/index.php?page=ideas
I could think of no better gift! And it’s cheap!
7. Make an effort to throw a little something in the Food Bank Bin when you are out grocery shopping for your family, or buy a little extra for the donation box at the department store when you are out shopping for gifts.
8. Or buy some toys to donate to the local women’s shelter, some of the people there don’t have a penny to their names and it’s a sad and stressful time for the kids. Games and things to keep them busy are great, it can be a boring stay.
A FEW GENERAL IDEAS
1. Mystery Gift – My sister’s family does a nice twist on picking names. They all buy something wrap it and then they each exchange a gift, no one knows ahead of time who will be receiving. They set a comfortable price limit.
2. Make a tradition of tree ornament crafts. You can give these for gifts, they are always well received and can be cheap to make, but very nice. Put your name and date on it and give one every year – a great present for the kids to give. Or take a short cut and buy them at a craft sale and personalize them with fabric paint or markers.
3. Give pictures in a unique way. Most relatives and friends will enjoy pictures. Do something creative – make a tree ornament from a picture and a juice lid, they are great. Or make a twig frame – cost is nothing but a few twigs and some yarn plus the picture. If you get school pictures, you’ll have plenty. With digital cameras and software available now, you can do some really nifty stuff for plenty cheapola.
4. Baking/Cooking etc. If you are wanting to do something nice for someone, why not cook them a meal and take it to them? New mother’s are especially fond of this. When I first had my daughters, it was the best present that I received. Seniors will LOVE it if you eat with them.
5. A service. In our hussle and bussle world, don’t be surprised if someone really appreciates an hour of your time – run some errands, give rides (parents can really enjoy this if they have older kids – most of them spend their spare time in their car!), help clean up, declutter, clean something – use your imagination. Another great gift that the kids can give as well.
Make an effort to be creative this year. It’s more fun to give, and more fun to receive – and it can be easier on your pocket book too.
If you haven’t yet, get out your planner or notebook, make a page for Christmas gift ideas and start brainstorming.
Then make a date with yourself to clear some time blocks to get it done.
And enjoy Christmas.
Janice Ferrante
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/simple-christmas-gift-ideas-82363.html
S.O.S.! Kindly share some of your ideas with regards to first day of school activities, games, art work and stories; which I will be presenting to kids ages 3-4 and 5-6 (Preschool). I wish to show and teach them something new. Classes start this coming Monday. Thanks.
Another fabulous website which gives great ideas in several different themes is
www.perpetualpreschool.com
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Preparing for practice is a key step toward success. Teaching time on the floor with your players is limited and valuable. Much time and thought should be put into each practice session to maximize productivity and make positive steps forward as a team. The quality of your practices will eventually determine how many games you win or lose during the season. The talent level of players, number of players, time, facilities, and equipment are all things to consider when putting your practice schedule together.
The following is a collection of ideas that will contribute to more organized and productive practice sessions.
KEYS TO ORGANIZING PRACTICE
1. Each day ask this question: What do I want to accomplish this practice session?
2. Certain aspects of the game should be performed every day. These include ball handling, shooting, defense, rebounding, passing, and setting picks.
3. Be a teacher on the floor and assume nothing when teaching. These four points are important when teaching: explain, demonstrate, perform, and critique. Use positive comments.
4. Teach new concepts early in practice sessions when players are most alert.
5. Once new ideas have been taught, repetition is the key to progress.
6. When showing a new concept to the team, walk through it first so players can see what is expected. This is the whole-part-whole concept.
7. Follow up demanding drills with free throws or less strenuous drills. Shoot free throw when fatigued to replicate game settings.
8. Simulate game conditions in practice so players are accustomed to these conditions. Use the game and shot clock to simulate various game situations.
9. Practice what you stress and believe in. Work on those things you will use in games.
10. Build conditioning into your drills to avoid excessive running after practice. Donât make players dread the end of practice. Great teaching can be done at the very end of practice sessions.
11. Limit drills to 5-7 minutes. Half and full court team situations will take a bit longer, depending on your goal for that drill.
12. Explain the purpose of drills. Share with players the reason for drills and why they must be mastered.
13. Organize drills to minimize periods of player inactivity. Keep them constantly involved.
14. Stretching and warm-up drills should get players ready to practice and help avoid injury.
15. Meet with certain players before practice for needed individual or small group work.
16. Meet with your coaches before practice so that all teaching points and practice goals are understood.
17. Meet as a staff following practice to discuss how the practice went and identify things to be worked on or repeated the next day.
18. Construct a master practice plan for everything that needs to be covered throughout the course of the season. Break the master plan down into weekly and daily practice plans.
19. Consider the number of players, balls, and assistant coaches in order to utilize your facility to its fullest.
20. Use managers or student assistants as helpers in practice. Managers make great passers in practice.
21. Incorporate jump ropes, toss backs and blocking dummies into your practice.
22. The floor should be swept before practice and have towels and water available at courtside.
23. Use video tape equipment to tape practice so coaches and players can evaluate the previous dayâs practice or scrimmage.
24. Include a saying or emphasis of the day on each daily practice plan and share it with your players
25. End each practice on a positive note. Team oriented drills give them a feeling of togetherness as they leave the floor.
Beginning coaches must devise a practical practice plan template that you can use daily. There are many ways to design your plan for optimal use and effectiveness. Select the practice plan that fits you and your staffâs needs best. As you organize your practices, attempt to stay with the original time allotted for each drill or activity.
Take your coaching one step further by writing notes or reminders after practice on the back of that dayâs sheet. These changes, observations, and ideas may become a big part of your next big victory. They also come in handy when planning the next days practice and will provide insight into your own coaching for years to come.
Randy Brown
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/organizing-your-practice-time-25-time-proven-ideas-94731.html
I am in the middle of my fruit of the spirit unit with my elementary age children's church class and have run out of ideas for games, crafts or other activities.
It needs to be activities that are easy to set up and cost little to no money. I go to a small church, we have a small kid's room and I have an even smaller budget.
We have already discussed love, joy, peace and patience.
We will be discussing kindness this coming Sunday.
have them cut out construction paper in the shapes of their favorite fruit and then write the different fruits of the spirit on them
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Trying to figure out where to go on a first date with a woman can be a nerve wracking experience.
While you want to impress a girl, you also have to make sure you’re not appearing to be too overeager.
The one mistake guys make is to bring a woman to a fancy restaurant and buy expensive gifts. Unfortunately this does nothing to build attraction. Instead it creates too much pressure and makes her feel uncomfortable.
So instead of blowing tons of money on your first date, you should focus on trying to think of first date ideas which are both memorable and fun. What you want to is to think of activities that’ll allow you to establish an emotional and physical connection. If you both have a good time, then you can go on a second date that is more *standard*- like going to a restaurant.
In the next few paragraphs, I’ll cover three little known first date ideas you can use which are both fun and exciting.
First date idea #1- Meet for drinks or coffee
While meeting for drinks or coffee is another *standard* date that many people use, it’s still pretty effective. When you do this, you’re able to meet a woman in a casual manner, without the pressure of facing each other from across a table.
What I like about meeting for drinks or coffee is you’re within a distance to establish contact. This means you’re able to flirt and emphasize different things during your conversation, which helps to build attraction.
First date idea #2- Play games
Another great place to bring a woman on a date is to a place where you can play games like a pool hall, miniature golf, the boardwalk or a video arcade.
What I love about playing games on a first date is you’re able to avoid the pressures that often come with meeting up for the first time. You can have fun while being competitive and behaving in a playful manner.
First date idea #3- Get physical
Okay when I say *get physical*, I’m not talking about sex (yet). Instead I think a great first date idea is to bring her someplace where you’re able to engage in an exercise activity.
Whether you’re going for a hike, rollerblading or ice skating, engaging in a physical activity can be fun. It’s also a good first date idea because taking her to these venues is a great way to gauge if your woman has an adventurous spirit.
All three of these first date ideas are a great way stand out from other guys. They can be fun without feeling the pressures of the *job interview* type dates.
Just remember to work on building attraction and work towards securing future dates. If you do your job right, you can easily set up another date and start working towards building intimacy.
Scott Patterson
http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/3-little-known-first-date-ideas-95219.html
Hi guys i want some ideas, like games or if they get me 9 bookings for an example i give them something. Any ideas what shall i do for them to encourage them to get me some bookings?
Scratch cards!
(Borrowed this idea from my bf)
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Video Game making is a pursuit that involves creativity, visual design, writing, logical thinking, collaboration, and many other skills. It is something that your teenager could get very enthusiastic about and it can be done at no cost whatsoever.
Making video games is not about computer programming
Video game making is no longer the pursuit of the cliched nerdy computer programming types of individuals. There are freely available software programs that take the âprogrammingâ right out of the process and free the user to explore the creative potential of making video games.
What skills are developed?
When building a video game a person is building a world and this processs entails a wide variety of skills and disciplines that begins with the generation of ideas then progresses into design of buildings, landscapes and characters. During this process the game maker learns writing skills, storytelling skills, graphic design and architectural skills. Then the game progresses into playability where the game maker will learn logic, flowcharting, storyboarding and even the basics of economics and trade. The process for making a video game is a complete creative cycle that starts with the generation of ideas and ends with the completion of a project.
The Feedback and Positive Reinforcement comes quickly and often
The first lesson learned by a game maker is the lesson of persistence. But this persistence is done in gentle steps with frequent positive feedback. A game maker can have his or her first small game up and running in one afternoon. From there the challenges get more complex and more rewarding. The only limit to the complexity, size and creativity of a game is the limit that the game maker puts on himself.
Scalability, the Learning Curve, and growth
Game making is an extremely elastic pursuit that challenges and develops a person from the absolute beginner to the very advanced. Someone new to video game making can actually have a small working game completed within a few hours and this can be developed and expanded into a very large world with challenges in economics, player interactions, complex design of worlds and cities and more. There is always a new set of things to learn and a new set of skills to learn.
Applicability to the regular career world
The biggest gain in making video games is the gain of learning how to manage projects small and large but game making also brings experience in a variety of creative pursuits from visual design to computer skills, writing, and even music. Your teenager, while learning to make video games, will be exposed to a whole host of different creative pursuits. He or she can get a good look at all these pursuits and even if he or she doesnât want to be a game designer the skills learned will apply to almost any career path imaginable. And all of this is neatly wrapped up in something your teenager can get excited about.
Will Kalif
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/encourage-your-teenager-to-make-video-games-the-benefits-are-astonishing-85482.html
The inception of games consoles have opened up various new avenues for the electronic gaming devices. The interactive nature of these games enables the gamers to come up with new ideas and strategies to give tough competition to their competitors. As the children of this generation are much updated; instead of outdoor games they mostly prefer the sophisticated and advanced games. The children always seem to clamor for those consoles that come in built with high tech features. These electronic games are regarded as the best alternative to provide a tired person with some relaxation. With the passage of time these gadgets have developed a lot and come to the gamers in various attractive designs. The graphics and the animations further enhance the quality of these electronic games. These interactive games have the capability to attract the people of every age. These interactive games bear the perfect amalgamation of fun and entertainment.
The game consoles are designed in such a manner that they can be connected to other compatible devices such as personal computers, television sets etc. As these interactive games come incorporated with both the audio and video features, the gamers get enthralled throughout the gaming process. In order to have a break from the everyday hasty schedule you can utilize your leisure time playing in these gaming consoles. It would not only relax you but would also provide you unlimited entertainment. There are various brands of gaming gadgets available in the markets these days. Since their inception these gadgets have succeeded to attract game lovers. Various top leading companies have entered into this arena to provide the world with top quality electronic gaming devices. However the top players to hit the electronic gaming markets are Microsoft Xbox360, Sony Play Station and Nintendo Wii. To sustain in the competition these top players always come up with their up graded models regularly. The latest gaming devices come equipped with all the latest and sophisticated features. To narrow down their search and curiosity the game lovers can search the various online shopping stores to avail the best electronic gaming device and that also at cheaper rates. You can avail your favorite gaming gadgets that come incorporated with various user friendly features such as controllers, joysticks etc to facilitate your gaming process.
As these electronic gaming devices have become the ideal means of entertainment, the manufacturing companies are also engaged in constant research to come up with more advanced games. These are mind blowing electronic games that helps to widen the horizon of your skills and tactics. Once you play these games it would stimulate and incite you to play again and again. However the intoxication of these electronic games is not harmful, in fact they very tactfully develop our skills and knowledge. The online shopping stores would provide you with a wide variety of electronic games. Ranging from adventure to thrill, suspense to racing etc, games of all these categories are available on such stores. Latest games such as super Mario, Legends of Zelda etc are the most popular games available these days.
The Wii console games are those games that come to the gamers with extraordinary features. The games like the Nintendo DS come to the gamers with the unique face training. This unique feature would enable the gamers to strengthen their face muscles.
One of the best features of the online shopping is that it would permit the users to read the reviews of various gamers, and even compare the features of various consoles. These reviews would clearly enable you to possess the latest and the advanced gaming console. Then the crazy game lovers can even avail these electronic gaming gadgets at cheaper rates. They can even download their favorite adventurous and exciting games from the internet at affordable prices. As such visit the exiting websites and avail your favorite games at affordable prices. These interactive electronic games would certainly be the best gift to your beloved ones and even to possess one of such gadgets would be a very wise decision.
Alden Jerry
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/game-consoles-enjoy-the-most-interactive-games-356154.html
Sometimes you just get stuck for ideas. Your mind is a blank. It makes it even harder to come up with the goods if your present or future business rests on your ideas. A little help and inspiration for a new article, a new product, or a completely new business wouldn’t go amiss in these circumstances.
The purpose of the ideas in this series of articles is to get your brain thinking. The ideas may seem a bit crazy and unrealistic – almost too simple. But…. the intention is for these ideas to act as a trigger, making you say something like: “That idea’s ridiculous, but if I change it around a bit I could…” So, use one or more of these ideas as your starting point and brainstorm your way to a new opportunity.
1. Begin an enterprise which sells garden gates door to door. On your sales trips, take with you a smart folder which has a large photograph of each gate you are selling. Provide potential customers with a price which includes installation. Your target houses should be easy to spot!
2. Start a home based computer bureau. There are hundreds of business computer programs available such as wages, record files and accounts. Buy and use these programs to provide a computer service to local businesses.
3. Set up a business which promotes the making of lampshades. Lampshade making can be sold as either, an interesting new hobby, or a business opportunity. Produce a mail order catalogue of lampshade making equipment and supplies. Advertise your catalogue in craft magazines.
4. Begin a computerised dating service. Operate this service like a traditional dating service, but hold all your records on a computer and use the computer to aid your search for compatible partners. Have leaflets about your service printed and place them at shops in your area.
5. Be a sleep consultant. Large numbers of people have difficulty in sleeping at night. This is not usually a medical problem, but can be corrected by using a suitable method or attitude of mind. Provide people in your area with confidential advice about how to sleep soundly.
6. Start a venture which designs and manufactures portable theatrical footlights. Potential buyers of these footlights include: amateur theatre and dance groups, pop and rock groups, children’s entertainers, variety entertainers, nightclubs and mobile disc jockeys.
7. Create an enterprise which rents computers to private and business users. The computers you rent out might be new and second hand. Also rent out peripherals such as printers, stands and feeders. Use local media to inform people about your hire service.
8. Buy original computer games programs from home computer enthusiasts. Find these programs by advertising in computing magazines. Produce a compilation of the programs on a master tape. Have copies of this master tape duplicated on cassettes and sell from ads in home computing magazines.
9. Produce a series of low cost audio cassettes which help school pupils revise for public examinations. You might give these cassettes a brand name like ‘Personal Revision Cassettes’. Get these cassettes stocked at newsagents and bookshops.
10. Set up a firm which publishes a monthly computer cassette program for home computer enthusiasts who want to improve their program writing skills (e.g. C++, html or web design). Each cassette might give ideas, examples and tips about how to become a better computer programmer.
11. Start a firm which organises educational holidays and weekend breaks for computing enthusiasts who want to further their programming skills. The courses might be held at a bed & breakfast house out of season. Advertise your holidays and breaks in computing magazines.
12. Design and publish diaries for each star sign. The special feature of these diaries is that a star reading is given for each day of the coming year. Have these diaries mounted in a special display rack. Get astrological shops to accept one of your racks.
13. Use luminous paint (the kind used on watches and alarm clocks) to highlight features on natural ornaments such as starfish, coral, colourful rocks, pine cones, etc. Place these ornaments in a UV illuminated display case to illustrate the luminosity. Get these cases displayed at gift shops.
14. Start an enterprise which makes high quality, home-made paper. Sell the paper at a premium for use as: personal stationery, certificates, presentation scrolls, printing paper for manually operated printing presses etc.
15. Bring out a selection of lucky charms which are for hanging from the windscreens of cars, vans and lorries. The charms might be mini horseshoes, rabbits’ feet, wooden or plastic number sevens, four leaf clovers, etc. Package your charms and distribute to a wide range of retailers.
16. Begin a business which manufactures kits for making mosaics. Each kit has a pre-designed mosaic and people have to complete it like a jigsaw puzzle. Use ads in craft magazines to sell the kits by mail order.
17. Set up an enterprise which sells greenhouses door to door. Buy the greenhouses from manufacturers at trade prices. Produce sales literature and recruit sales people to sell the greenhouses for you.
18. Start a postal business which rents out war gaming model soldiers and other accessories. War gaming enthusiasts around the nation can use this service to play war games of any size from any period of history.
19. If you have a spare room, take in a lodger, or start a small scale bed and breakfast business. If you choose the latter, either place a sign outside your house which reads ‘Bed and Breakfast’, ‘Vacancies’, or advertise in the window of a main newsagent. Currently you can earn a useful tax-free sum from this method.
20. Make money from anatomical charts. Use the charts to: 1) make stylish framed prints; 2) make unusual designs for T-shirts; 3) decorate household products such as wastepaper bins and lampshades; 4) make decorative or educational posters; or 5) make a collection of educational slides.
21. Make decorations for wine bottles. Each decoration is slipped over the neck of a bottle. These decorations are either wood carved or metal engraved with the name of a restaurant or family. Or make floral decorations: the scent of the flowers complementing the bouquet of the wine.
22. Start a craft business which makes unusual table lamps. Each table lamp might feature a stand made of a conch shell or Victorian bottle. If you hit upon a design which is popular, and there are no problems with obtaining raw materials, this can become a full time business.
23. Take up the craft of jewellery making and as soon as you acquire a basic skill, start selling what you make. Begin by sending for a catalogue issued by a mail order jewellery making supplier.
24. Start a mail order firm which sells equipment and supplies to weavers and spinners. An important market for your products will be those taking up weaving and spinning for the first time. Place ads in craft magazines which are directed at this group.
25. Produce souvenir children’s height charts which feature postcard type views of local scenery. Or make souvenir suntan charts. These suntan charts have the complete range of skin shades. A holiday maker buys a suntan chart to make a ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparison.
26. Put together a postal course which teaches people how to cut silhouettes. The course might include instruction on how to cut all kinds of silhouettes such as landscapes, animals and people. These silhouettes can be framed or mounted to make attractive wall hangings.
27. Start a venture which organises courses about how to build your own house extension or loft conversion. Hold the courses during the weekends at the construction site of an extension or conversion. Or a bed and breakfast house could be hired out of season for a week long course.
28. Begin a craft business which makes either souvenir or normal tea cosies. Find suitable retail outlets to stock your cosies. You might, for example, make souvenir tea cosies for tea rooms and cafes to sell to their customers.
29. Earn money from selling cheap toys door to door. Visit neighbourhoods which have an above average population of children.
30. Learn how to make soft toys with the long term objective of being able to earn money from teaching others. Eventually, teach solo students, classes or use diagrams to teach by post. Also, bring out a postal course which teaches people how to design their own soft toys.
Nick Summers
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/30-business-brainstorming-ideas-part-3-145649.html
Sometimes you just get stuck for ideas. Your mind is a blank. It makes it even harder to come up with the goods if your present or future business rests on your ideas. A little help and inspiration for a new article, a new product, or a completely new business wouldn’t go amiss in these circumstances.
The purpose of the ideas in this article is to get your brain thinking. The ideas may seem a bit crazy and unrealistic – almost too simple. But…. the intention is for these ideas to act as a trigger, making you say something like: “That idea’s ridiculous, but if I change it around a bit I could…” So, use one or more of these ideas as your starting point and brainstorm your way to a new opportunity.
1. Produce Christmas cards which are printed on the front with, for example, “Happy Christmas from the Smith Family”. Or, instead of the name “Smith”, pick one of the dozens of other popular surnames. Sell packs of these cards by direct mail to people listed in telephone directories.
2. Make money from renting out expensive children’s toys. The toys you rent out will include remote control models and computerised games. Use a little van to deliver the toys to customers. The van should have a toy town colour scheme, sirens and flashing lights. Call the van a toy-mobile.
3. Introduce to your region a service which mounts maps for businesses. Keep a stock of local, national and international maps. Mount these maps in a professional manner to suit the wall space available at offices. Send out leaflets about your service to office managers.
4. Bring out a regular publication for ambitious, amateur musicians. This publication might include ads from: i) employers seeking musicians; ii) retailers selling equipment, accessories and supplies; (iii) people selling used equipment. Also print interesting editorial.
5. Design and manufacture kits for making models with cocktail sticks. For example, model churches, castles, windmills, houses, etc. Buy the cocktail sticks in unpacked form in bulk from a manufacturer. Sell your kits by mail order from ads in craft magazines or distribute to model shops.
6. Produce a directory of products no longer made. This directory might include sections on toys, novelties and household goods. Design the directory for business people and inventors who want to know both what has been made before and what ideas might be revived or modified.
7. Make cotton gloves specially designed for coin collectors. The gloves prevent the acidic grease and moisture on fingers from getting on to coins. Package the gloves and sell from ads in coin collecting magazines or distribute to shops which sell collectible coins.
8. Bring out a correspondence course about how to write cookery books. The course might include information about: how to devise recipes; how to present them in written form and what makes a successful cookery book. Produce a prospectus and advertise in women’s magazine.
9. Begin a business which rents out large and expensive astronomical telescopes to householders who want to develop their interest in astronomy. Publicise your service at the local astronomy society and use local advertising to attract clients. Link up with a telescope supplier and get a 10% finder’s fee for those people who go on to buy their own telescope.
10. Set up a company which produces a compendium of strip games, for example: strip poker, strip snakes and ladders, strip lotto, strip snap and strip ludo. Sell the compendiums of games by mail order from ads in x-rated magazines.
11. Paint attractive art on rocks to make souvenir paperweights and doorstops. The art might take the form of abstract patterns, traditional pictures or tourist scenery. Call your rocks ‘designer rocks’. Add a rubber base to paperweights and a rubber edge to doorstops.
12. Create a mail order business which specialises in selling products which help people sleep. The products you sell might include: sleep inducing cassettes, special bedtime clothing, herbal pillows and how to sleep well booklets. Company names might be something like ‘Sleepwell’, ‘Sleeptight’ etc.
13. Paint on wood, stylish house numbers and names. These painted numbers and names will be an attractive alternative to the traditional names burned into sliced logs. Get your work stocked at shops which sell garden products or household goods.
14. Start a venture which promotes the art and hobby of window painting. On coloured acetate paper have outlines printed for painting pictures by numbers. These acetate sheets are stuck to one side of a window and anyone can paint a picture on the other side of the window.
15. Select one seashell which would be suitable for use as an ashtray, another for a pip tray and a third for a paper clip tray. Put these shells into a single packet and sell as a set of useful household seashell trays. Find shops to stock your packets of seashell trays.
16. Devise and produce a board game which simulates the experience of starting a mail order business. The usual problem of bringing out a board game is the difficulty of getting it stocked at shops. However, a game about mail order can be sold by mail order to business opportunity seekers.
17. Make an income from selling lucky charms door-to-door. Sell, for example: rabbits’ feet, horseshoes and four-leaf clovers. Start this enterprise by tracking down trade sources of these lucky charms.
18. Begin a business which buys and sells oil paintings. Buy new paintings from artists and old paintings from collectors and householders. Sell the paintings from: home, a roadside site, a stall at craft fairs, or hire halls for exhibiting all the paintings you have for sale.
19. Start a manufacturing business which is devoted to making doorstops. The doorstops you make might range from humble wooden wedges to the exotic and unusual. Package the doorstops in polythene bags, staple on a printed card and get them stocked at hardware or gift shops.
20. Decorate everyday objects with pressed flowers. Add an inlaid design of pressed flowers to trays, coasters, jewellery boxes, paperweights, picture frames, wall hangings, desk sets and table tops.
21. Set up a home improvement business which modifies the exterior of houses to give them a Tudor appearance. Your service will include: fitting ornamental oak beams, giving exterior walls a white covering and adding a metal grid to windows.
22. Make wooden ’strip noughts and crosses’ games (an item of clothing is taken off by the loser of a game). Drill 9 holes into a small square block and paint on a grid. Next, make 10 pegs and paint on each peg an ‘0′ or ‘X’. Put the grid and pegs into a clear bag and staple on a product name card. Sell to sex shops and mail order.
23. Bring together a range of brass ware ornaments so you can have a stall at craft fairs, antique markets and Sunday markets.
24. Publish a newsletter which has a title like ‘Ambitious Person’s Way to Wealth’ or ‘Clever People Don’t Work Hard’. The contents of your newsletter might be in a vein similar to Joe Karbo’s ‘The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches’.
25. Set up and run a school of window dressing. Organise one-day or two-day courses or seminars for established shopkeepers who want to learn more about this aspect of their business. Also provide courses for those who would like to take up a career as a window dresser. (Tip: You can run a profitable seminar on anything without knowing the first thing about the subject yourself. You merely pay a percentage of the seminar fee, say 15%, to an expert speaker.)
26. Write and publish a manual about how to make money from property. In the manual include chapters on: buying and selling land; buying properties for conversion and renovation; investing in property, etc. Use direct mail and mail order to sell copies of this manual to opportunity seekers.
27. Found and run a school of investment. Give tuition to solo students and groups about different types of investments such as shares, gilt-edged securities, unit trusts, USM, antiques, stamps, art, etc. For each area of investment prepare lesson plans and follow these closely.
28. Make a selection of children’s prayer plaques: wooden wall plaques which feature popular prayers. The prayers might be painted on, or burned into, the wood.
29. Start a craft business which uses interesting foreign coins to make jewellery. Incorporate coins into pendants, bracelets, brooches, necklaces and earrings. Alternatively, make jewellery which features reproduction coins from the ancient world.
30. Use small seashells strung together to make necklaces. Find a trade source of small seashells and either set up your own production line, or employ home workers. Sell the finished necklaces from a market stall or get them stocked at suitable retail outlets.
Nick Summers
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-opportunities-articles/30-business-brainstorming-ideas-part-1-132820.html