Social Change

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Posted on 27th November 2011 by socialchange in Uncategorized

The Social Change Model is an approach to leadership development focused on the process of enacting social change from multiple perspectives. To learn more about the model, click here.

Through research, assessment, publications, and programs, the Social Change Model is a widely used and practiced leadership model. This Web site will help provide you with information and tools to better understand the Model.

Hot Penny Stocks, Stock Market Getting You Down?

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Posted on 16th January 2012 by socialchange in Business

penny stockSometimes it seems like you just can’t get a grip on those hot penny stocks and the stock market is getting you down. There are so many of them and so many companies out there, that it’s often difficult to figure out exactly what you would like to invest in. Investors always face a very simple dilemma — do you invest according to what you are interested in and what your passion is, or do you invest for profit?

Hot penny stocks and the dilemma of investing

Regulators and the corporate lobbyists demanding the regulations are most likely so anti hot penny stocks because they challenge their business model directly and threaten to remove their market dominance. For instance, pretend there is a little-known company that sells some peripheral to a computer that nobody has ever heard of. It really doesn’t do much, it’s a combination of a mouse and a number pad and most people didn’t even know they really needed one until the massive viral marketing campaign that came about after a penny stock investor bought up 1 million shares. And then the profits of the company increased and the investor sold everything off.

Sometimes you get lucky when you invest in hot penny stocks such as these on the stock market. You are successful in raising the company’s profits and making a profit too when you sell the stocks.

What separates this example from the rest

But there are bad examples too. What if the product is something that is illegal? Are the investors responsible? Is the sudden increase in customers and clients who may not have known it was illegal an issue? In this case, perhaps consumers could be protected from penny stock questions and regulation might make sense. The stock market, as with many other things, grows and develops. It can evolve quickly overnight and respond to various situations. Economists are often faced with the question of whether they are merely observers (descriptivists) or given a calling to modify the market in some way (prescriptivists). If they remain neutral and just describe penny stocks they are accused of being libertarian, Randian and fascist. The irony is that those who support the eradication of penny stocks and regard them as illegal are often representatives of large corporations, as in lobbyist lawyers with an agenda.

Free market divisions and hot penny stocks

Hot penny stocks therefore are another frontline battlefront in the stock market division. As with political and sociological ideas, they can be put on a spectrum that goes from far left to far right. Economic ideas are the same, and it has been said that those supporting penny stocks belong on the far left (completely libertarian) and those against on the far right (fascist corporations). On the other hand, viewed from the other side, they would describe supporters of the free market as fascist and far right while supporters of the regulated market consider themselves of the left. So hot penny stocks and stock market woes are not a new thing.

 

The Benefits of the Weight watchers Program

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Posted on 16th January 2012 by socialchange in Health

weight watchersThere are over a dozens different weight loss diets in the world today but few that are as successful as the Weight Watchers Point diet. The secret behind the success of Weight Watchers diet can be traced to its approach. Instead of excluding certain food groups—as is the case with other diet types—the weight watchers dietary program is designed to promote healthier eating habits. Some of the benefits associated with the weight watchers program include;

  • You can Use it anywhere: Weight Watcher’s point system is not dependent on any specific type of food. You can therefore use it in any location. The Weight watchers Germany (Weight Watchers Deutschland) program is just as efficient as the weight loss program in America, China or Australia. A person using weight watchers Germany who decides to migrate to another country would have little difficulty adjusting his diet plan to suit his new location.
  • It’s well balanced: The weight watchers program does not exclude any major food group. In fact, it doesn’t exclude any particular food at all. Instead of focusing on the types of meals that you eat, the Weight Watchers Points diet merely emphasizes the importance of keeping healthy eating habits.  Members of the Weight Watchers Germany program are therefore able to include fats, protein and carbohydrates in their daily meals. The only difference is you’ll be more cautious about the types of food that you eat in order to stay within your point limit.
  • You can Eat Out: The weight watchers point diet is flexible. Because the diet is not meal specific, there’s no restriction as to what and where you can eat. The weight watchers diet does not prevent you from enjoying a meal at your favorite restaurant or nibbling on your favorite snack.  Understandably, dieters are not encouraged to consume large quantities of saturated fat but the program does allow you to save up points from one day and use it the next. This unique feature makes it a suitable option for people with bust lifestyles.
  • You Get a Lot of Support: Weight loss can be quite challenging but the Weight Watchers Point Diet is designed to make this easier. Dieters are provided with a wide range of products and resources that allow them to easily transition into a healthier lifestyle. You’ll find online tools that allow you to monitor the progress of your weight loss as the weeks go by. Weight Watchers provides different meal ideas, recipes, and cookbooks that you can use in finding the right meal as well as readily available guidance from skilled leaders who have been able to lose weight using the program.

It is important to note that, unlike other popular diet, the resources and support available with the weight watchers program are not limited to only one country. Over the decades, Weight Watchers has accumulated an amazing arsenal of resources that can be used by people all over the world. By adapting its weight loss (called Abnehmen in Germany) principles to your diet, you’ll be able to stay slimmer—and healthier too.

Great Funny T-Shirts And Celebrity Trends

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Posted on 11th January 2012 by socialchange in Fashion

celebrity tshirtsOne of the biggest celebrity fashion trends is to put a picture of a celebrity on a tshirt. Just have a look at Beyonce (left). Perhaps the best way to sell clothing is to put it on a celebrity’s back. Failing that, put a celebrity image on the back of the t-shirt; either way it’s trendy, it’s funny and it’s celebrity…

Celebrities on t-shirts

Of course there’s always the official merchandise: images of squeaky clean Justin Bieber sporting his shinny white-toothed grin on the back of a teenaged-girl (or boy, I guess…) And then there are the unofficial ones. This is where the fun starts.

The question is: who owns the celebrity image, and in what way? In many countries mainly outside the US, the visual image belongs to the person who took the picture, and it may be used in any way that’s not damaging to the person portrayed. This is particularly good if you’re producing a product that parody’s a celebrity: very useful during presidential election campaigns!

In North America, it’s all rather vague. As long as a funny t-shirt doesn’t try to pretend to be official merchandise, it should be safe. As for the celebrity: tough luck! A life in the media spotlight works both ways, and a few funny t-shirts with celebrity trends is all part of being famous.

Celebrity t-shirts and charities

The other completely different market for celebrity funny t-shirts is for raising funds and awareness for charity. In the UK, the BBC runs an annual fund-raiser for children’s charities known as ‘Comic Relief’. Each year notable comedians, celebrities, the rich, the famous, the great and the good, all come together to raise $1,000,000’s for charity. As part of this campaign, funny t-shirts with a celebrity theme are available throughout the country.

Celebrity trends to support good causes through the marketing of clothing and other merchandise is now starting to take hold in North America. One of the easiest items to merchandise is the good old funny t-shirt: easy to produce and quick to distribute.

The big celebrity t-shirt market

By far the biggest market for funny t-shirts sporting images of the rich and famous is online. Funny celeb T’s are big business for an increasing number of companies. Catch phrases, cartoon-sketches, photo-shopped images, parodies, the clean, the rude and the outrageous, have all found their way onto the online shelves. There are literally hundreds to choose from and can make great presents for yourself or your friends and family (best not get your mother a rude one…)

The only limit to the humor is in the imagination of the t-shirt designer. It seems the trend in funny t-shirts, poking fun at celebrity, is set to stay. That’s great news for everyone, even for the celebrities. Who was it that said, “Any publicity is good publicity”? With funny t-shirts having a jest at the rich and famous, celebrities should be pleased with the growing trends!

The Hidden Bedroom Pest

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Posted on 22nd December 2011 by socialchange in Animals |Medical

Bedbugs (called Punaise de Lit in France) are a big problem all of a sudden recently. Bedbugs are small parasites that live anywhere they can feed on humans, but they are most often found in bedding such as a mattress or futon. Bedbugs live on blood that they suck out of your body while you sleep. They can cause sores, bleeding, itching, and also transmit disease. If you have lots of tiny itchy bumps or unexplained wounds on your arms and legs (or other places), you might have bedbugs.

Most of the time people pick up bedbugs from a hotel or motel or hostel, where the pests climb into their luggage or hitch a ride on the people themselves. Bedbugs are a real problem for landlords and hotel or motel proprietors so they try very hard to prevent the pests – but nobody’s perfect. It only takes one or two bedbugs to cause an infestation because like so many other household pests, bedbugs are incredibly prolific and they reproduce quickly. Even if there is no evidence of the bugs themselves, they could have still laid eggs in bedding, luggage, or clothing which will later hatch into a colony of bedbugs to continue the infestation.

If you stay in a hotel, motel or hostel, or with a friend who you suspect might have an infestation, do not put your luggage or clothing under the bed. This is the single biggest mistake most people make. Leaving suitcases or dirty clothes on the floor can even be a problem so it’s best to put your bag up on a chair or stand and make sure to put your dirty clothes in a plastic bag or back into your luggage right away. When you get home, unpack right away and wash all of your clothes in hot water – this will kill any eggs or bugs that have hitchhiked in on your soiled items.

If you have bedbugs you have to call an exterminator right away. You are probably not going to be able to eliminate any infestations on your own. The procedure is time-consuming and difficult and it’s easy to miss a step or make a small mistake that will result in you not completely eradicating the colony or even just a few eggs. It only takes one or two eggs to cause the whole problem all over again.

To check for bedbug bites you should carefully check your body when you bathe. It is unlikely that you will find an actual bug on your body but you will find evidence that they’ve bitten you overnight and the shower or bath is the best time to notice such a thing.

If you have to try and get rid of an infestation on your own you can try sealing up your mattress in plastic, washing all bedclothes in hot water and drying them on a high temperature, and thoroughly clean any carpet or rugs that are near your bedding. If you successfully seal off the mattress from any air you should kill all the bedbugs and their eggs. But your best course of action is still to call an exterminator.

Choosing a Wrinkle Cream

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Posted on 22nd December 2011 by socialchange in Shopping

wrinkle creamMost people will agree that an integral part of any beauty regime is wrinkle cream. Wrinkle cream purportedly keeps skin looking young through the use of different additives, from the natural, such as vegetable oil, to the chemical, such as retinol. These creams can range in price from inexpensive, often costing no more than five or six US dollars, to the very expensive, as high as three hundred dollars in some cases. So a common question becomes ‘How do I pick the best wrinkle cream for me?’ The answers are numerous, for you have to consider several factors.

NATURAL VS CHEMICAL

First, you must consider if you’d prefer a natural wrinkle cream, or a chemical one. Natural, in this case, refers to a cream that contains ingredients found in nature, which have little to no processing. One such natural wrinkle cream is the “Mad Hippie” brand face cream, which claims to reduce wrinkles through the use of such natural ingredients as Argan oil, vitamin B3, Green Tea extract, and antioxidants from fruits like pomegranates. The efficacy of such natural ingredients is uncertain, though there are leagues of women, and men, who swear by them, claiming that they do less damage to your skin than chemical compounds.
Wrinkle cream containing chemical ingredients, however, have been around for a long time, and are perhaps the most widely available. The most common ingredient is retinol, which is a chemical derivative of vitamin A, and is a less potent version of the compound tretinoin, the FDA approved wrinkle reducer that is only available by prescription. Unfortunately retinol does have some side effects, including increased risk of birth defects.
Another common ingredient is hydroxy acids, which act as exfoliants. Unfortunately, these acids carry an increased risk of sunburn, so extra precaution must be taken when out in the sun.

INEXPENSIVE VS EXPENSIVE

This delimma is, perhaps, the easiest and the hardest to solve. The simple solution is to buy the wrinkle cream that you can afford. If you are poor, this narrows down the selection considerably. Unfortunately, lower priced options might not have the same potency as the more expensive ones, or might lack some key ingredients. The more you have to spend, however, the wider your options become. The best solution in that case may very well be trial and error – buy a cream that seems to fit your needs, and try it out for a little while. There are many mid-range brands, such as Clinique and Estee Lauder, which are easily obtained, and usually receive good marks from users. And there are even some pharmacy-brand wrinkle creams that are well known, such as Revlon, Aveeno, RoC, and Neutrogena.
Or you might try word of mouth, by asking friends and family which creams they use. Another idea is research. Magazines such as Consumer Reports often test wrinkle creams and other beauty aids and report what they find to subscribers. Consumer Reports is perhaps the most trust worthy of the reviewer websites and subscription services, as it maintains neutrality when testing products.

Medical Assistant Schools

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Posted on 20th December 2011 by socialchange in Medical

medical assistantMedical assistants are trained to provide assistance to heath care professionals, including medical doctors. Their work is both administrative and clinical, and can include routine medical tasks such as monitoring a patient’s vital signs, preparation and handling of some medical equipment, maintenance of patient records, collection of body tissues and/or fluids for testing and the administration of certain medications and vaccinations. Traditionally, medical assistants simply required on-the-job training and worked mostly in emergency care centres and small clinics, but are increasingly employed in both public and private hospitals as well. While is not a formal requirement, most employers will look for a medical assistant with a recognised qualification.

In the United States, formal training is provided by a number of technical colleges, online programs, vocational schools and junior colleges. These courses must be accredited by either the Accrediting Bureau of Heath Education Schools (ABHES) or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in order for a student to be able to register as a medical assistant upon graduation. Employers in the United States will often look favourably upon applicants who have completed the Certified Medical Assistant Exam that is provided by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). This exam is only available to students who have completed their course through an accredited institution. By becoming a certified, a medical assistant will generally be able to work for a higher rate of pay and more convenient and consistent working hours. In order to remain certified, the AAMA requires either participation in ongoing educational programs or a re-sit of the exam. The re-certification process is to be undertaken only once every five years and is necessary to ensure that all medical assistants remain up-to-date with new technology and procedures.

Prospective medical assistants can choose between either an associate degree or certification (described above). Certified medical assistants are able to complete tasks such as setting up laboratory services and hospital admissions, scheduling appointments and updating patient records. Those with an associate degree will be able to undertake more clinical duties under the supervision of a medical doctor. These duties can include taking blood and other samples for testing, administration of medications, authorisation of prescription refills and the removal of stitches. Further training in X-ray imaging and immunisation can also be completed in some states.

When comparing medical assistant schools, it is important to take into consideration costs, the type of degree, whether or not the program is accredited, and whether or not the classes are available via distance education or on campus. It is also important that the course covers topics that will be on the CMA examination. This includes pharmacology, first aid, laboratory procedures, clinical procedures and patient relations. Choosing a course that incorporates an internship is a good way to get hands-on experience. Some courses will also have tutoring available to provide student with additional assistance when required. Admission to courses generally requires a high school diploma, although specific entry requirements may vary between schools.

Gifts for Men

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Posted on 20th December 2011 by socialchange in Advice |Shopping

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gifts for menGifts for men can be tricky to shop for. Sometimes men are easy to please, or sometimes they can be hard to please (gift wise, not attitude). Men tend to like all sorts of gifts, but finding the right gift for your man can be challenging. This article can help you get the right idea, and after you read it, you should have a better idea of what gifts you will get for your man. This article is not only for girls either, if you have a friend that you are thinking about getting a gift this article has you covered also.
For any technophiles or video game playing men there are two great gifts to purchase for them. Let us start with the first one. I know you may have heard of it before, but an Ipad would be a lovely gift to get your man/friend for the holidays or birthday. It can do almost anything you can do on a computer, plus it is very easy to carry anywhere. From web browsing to games it does it all. For the video game player a great gift would be an Xbox 360 with Kinect included. The Xbox itself will give the man hours of gaming fun, but with the Kinect add-on the lady of the house may enjoy gaming with her man also. Kinect is a motion based gaming peripheral that lets you act out what you see happening on screen. For instance if there is a dancing game, you will have to dance just like the game is asking you to, this can be fun for the whole family and will bring hours of fun for everybody. If your man already has a gaming console then you could always ask him about what games he really wants, or movies, since all the gaming consoles available today play DVD movies. Now I know not every man is a technophile or likes to play video games, for those men that do not enjoy those items described above, this article still has you covered.
For the tool man that likes to fix everyday appliances or build his own inventions a perfect gift to get for him would be a Kobalt 50-piece tool kit from a home improvement store. Now before you go buying tools, you may want to inquire what your man/friend already has, there is nothing worse then buying something he already has because you put great thought into this gift, and now it seems like all of it would be wasted if you bought something he already has.
For the businessman it can be really easy to figure out what they need. CLOTHES So a nice suit from anywhere in your area that sells nice clothing would be a great idea for your man, and don’t go to far with the tie something that matches the suit will be a perfect companion. A nice shaving kit will most likely be a very good idea to inquire about also.
From this short article I hope you can get an idea of what gift you will get your man or friend. If all else fails and you cannot figure out what to get, then a gift card to a store they frequently shop at is always a good idea to pick up. This way they can shop for what they need/want and will be happy with whatever they purchase.

Taste the Meat, not the Heat

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Posted on 16th December 2011 by socialchange in Applicances |Food

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Here you will find the best Gasgrill Test 2011 available on the web.

If you want to order a gas grill (Gasgrill bestellen is the german way of saying this) the first thing you should do is some research. Not all gas grills are created equal In fact many are subpar because of inexpensive parts, shoddy manufacturing or downright awful construction. You can spend $50 on a gas grill and it might fall apart the first time you use it That great deal you found will turn into nothing but headache and heartache if you aren’t careful. So do some research

The best time to buy a gas grill is at the end of the “grilling season,” which is early winter – although any time in the winter months you can probably find gas grills at a discounted price. The end of autumn, however, will be the time when retailers are trying to be rid of the large heavy outdoor appliances and so you may find them available at a clearance price. When you start to see snow shovels for sale it’s a good time to look for a gas grill

If you want to order a gas grill you are probably (though not definitely) going to pay extra money for it – if nothing else, it will cost extra to ship to you so beware of added shipping and handling costs. You might search the internet for promotional coupon codes for free shipping or ask if the retailer can ship the gas grill to a brick and mortar location where you can go and pick it up. Some retailers will ship to a brick and mortar location for free, but it’s best to ask.

Most gas grills use liquid propane which is lit on fire to produce heat for grilling. This is a clean natural source of fuel that most people prefer to charcoal or wood grills. Far less smoke and ash is produced from burning fuel used by gas grills as well – so cleaning them up is often easier and quicker than cleaning up a charcoal or wood grill. Finally, there is little to no wait for a gas grill to heat up once it’s lit, unlike a charcoal or wood grill which takes time to produce enough heat to cook food.

Good places to find gas grill reviews on the internet include Amazon.com, Lowes.com, Homedepot.com, and ConsumerReports.com. You might also try searching for “gas grill reviews 2011″ for example, but beware of reviews posted on manufacturers’ websites – they are sometimes written by people who are being paid to write the reviews by the same people who made the grill So you can’t always trust such a review to be honest and accurate 100% of the time. Epinions.com is another good website to check for reviews and opinions. What you want to find are reviews from people who actually purchased and used the gas grill, so that you can be sure they’re speaking from experience and not speculating or guessing at a gas grill’s performance or attributes or features.

Once you’ve decided on a model of gas grill you should shop around to look for a good price. Many retailers offer coupons or discounts or special clubs you can join in order to get a special price on large items like gas grills. Warehouse stores also sometimes seasonally stock items like gas grills so they are another good place to look. If your neighbor has a gas grill you admire, you might ask where he bought it as well. There are lots of options so don’t just sit there, go find a gas grill and get cooking

Horse Liability Insurance

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Posted on 12th December 2011 by socialchange in Animals |Insurance

Finding cheap horse liability insurance (günstige Pferdehaftpflicht is the german word for this) can be difficult, and one may wonder whether it is worth insuring at all. Truth is, you never do know when your horse might be responsible for property damage or an injury to a person or another animal. Any horse owner would be familiar with the unpredictability of horses and the damage they are able to cause on a daily basis to fences and floats. If you’re lucky, these incidents will be of a minor nature and will only cause damage to your own property rather than anyone else’s.

Many riders use the roads without thinking of the consequences. Imagine your horse becoming started by a passing car and bolting, causing a traffic accident. You could quickly find yourself responsible for the costs of vehicle repairs as well as medical costs for anyone involved.

Similarly, have you considered what would happen if your horse were to kick someone as they walk or stand nearby? Many people are not aware of how dangerous horses can be, and will happily approach them or stand behind them without realising what could happen. Even the most well trained horses can become startled at times. Most horse owners will be familiar with the force with which a large horse can kick – What would you do if you found yourself in a situation where your horse kicked another person, and they decided to sue for damages? While we all like to believe our horses would never do such a thing, such incidents can and do happen more frequently than we might like to admit.While you may not think you are at fault in such a case, the person on the other end of your horse’s kick may feel otherwise, and once again may find yourself responsible paying for medical costs should your horse cause an injury.

Horses are often involved in large events that carry with them another set of risks altogether. To begin with, the horse must be transported to the event, during which time they may cause damage while being locked in the float. Once at the event, your horse will be amongst many other animals and people, not to mention the unfamiliar sights and sounds that may cause the horse to react in an unpredictable manner.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you, as an owner, can be held responsible for your horse’s behaviour even if it is under the control of another person, whether at an agistment facility or riding school, or simply while another person is riding or holding it. In fact, many equine facilities such as these will have you sign a waiver for this particular reason

When deciding on the type of coverage to purchase, it is wise to consider the odds of such an incident occurring. Is the horse living on your own property, or do you agist? Are you the only person to come into contact with your horse, or do others handle or ride it? Do you ride on the roads or within an enclosed arena or paddock? Do you often take your horse to large events or perhaps a pony club? Do you own one horse or many? All of these factors will help you to decide on the most suitable level of coverage for your horse.

The most important thing to remember is that while the likelihood of your horse causing damage may be minimal, the costs that you could incur should such an incident occur could be more than you can afford. Cheap horse insurances (Pferdeversicherungen is the German KW for this) are possible to find and well worth the money for the peace of mind a suitable policy can provide.

Uses for Fabric

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Posted on 6th December 2011 by socialchange in Fashion

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When people think of fabric, the rows of thin cotton calicos used in quilt making at the Joann Fabrics are what usually springs to mind. While calicos are a large part of the selection in a fabric store (particularly Joann Fabrics, which typically dedicates an entire wall to them), there are many other types of fabric for endless uses available.

Joann Fabrics (I am using Joann Fabrics as the example because it is the most common store near me) keeps, in stock, varieties of apparel fabric, decorator fabric, canvas, vinyl, felt, faux fur, and occasionally faux leathers. In the front of the store, Joann Fabrics keeps a section of holiday relevant merchandise like Christmas Themed calicos or specialty fabric for costumes around Halloween.

My favorite section of any fabrics store, but particularly Joann Fabrics, is the clearance fabric section. It is always worth a look, even if you don’t have a specific project in mind. In the Joann Fabrics’ clearance section, I have found heavyweight wool tweeds, stretch denim, silky jersey, perfect for making dresses, cotton knits, glittery vinyl, and, my favorite, several yards of waffle knit, thermal fabric with multi colored hearts. The clearance section usually has something similar to what I am looking for less than $7 a yard.

Making quilts and clothes are not the only reason for buying fabric. Many people use fabric in scrapbooking as backgrounds and to make page decorations. In the past, I have stretched my own canvasses for art projects using cotton duck fabric–a heavy weight, sturdy, woven fabric available in many colors, think a cotton version of the fabric found on a camping chair. My mother has used different types of felt and flannel to create “paper” dolls for most of the young girls in our family because the texture of the fabric lends itself to sticking without using Velcro.

One of my favorite reasons to use fabric is actually fairly lazy. When I get bored of my window treatments, I go to Joann Fabrics and pick up several yards of an eye-catching fabric and either drape it as a swag over the top of the current curtains, pin it at one end and hang it in pace of the current curtains, or, if I am feeling particularly ambitious, I will sew a panel of fabric on one edge of the curtain, changing its look without causing me to buy all new curtains.

Another easy and fairly fast change to my décor that I like is to use a piece of fabric that coordinates with the curtain fabric and quickly hand stitching it to a throw pillow. Before stitching it on, I use my iron to press the folded sides so that the fabric won’t leave threads sticking out as the decoration is used.

Other useful things that I keep with my fabric stash are hand sewing needles and thread, fabric glue, heat fusible web (it looks like tape and holds like stitching when pressed with an iron–supremely useful when I’m being lazy or I was something like a temporary hem), sharp scissors, and a seamstress’ measuring tape.