Enjoying a Party

Teak Furniture, Teak Is A Weather Resistant Wood And Is Great For Teak Furniture

2007-04-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

Do you desire furnishings that can be both exquisite and durable? Do you want something unique, a spectacular piece of furniture that the neighbors will brag about? If so, you might find exactly what you are looking for in a teak bench. If you are looking for outdoor furniture for your deck and you want quality furniture that exudes a sense of luxury and style, teak deck furniture is exactly what you need. As you shop around for outdoor furniture, you will notice that much of the higher quality pieces are made from teak wood, and for good reason.

When you begin shopping around for your teak outdoor furniture, in addition to the quality of the wood, you also want to consider other things such as the construction of the furniture. There is outdoor wood furniture being advertised as teak like, better than teak, or stronger than teak for a fraction of the cost. When many of the English ships of WWII were taken apart for salvage, the Teak Wood decks were re-manufactured into outdoor furniture like park benches.

Benches, tables, chairs, lamps, planters and other ornaments for the garden, poolside, backyard, deck, and park decoration are counted among teak outdoor furniture. When investing in your outdoor patio or garden, or decorating the veranda, and even for indoor decorating, teak wood outdoor patio furniture is simply the wisest choice you could make. So when looking for furniture for your garden or patio then you should definitely consider teak furniture to be the benchmark by with any other wooden furniture is judged.

Should you choose the allow the wood to weather to the appealing silver grey you are than free from any hassle of treating your teak patio furniture with any wood spray or oils to keep it safe. Although teak is a weather resistant form of wood, it still requires a little bit of care and maintenance to prolong the life of the furniture and keep it looking beautiful. Regardless of the season, teak furniture can safely be left outdoors without diminishing its durability or presentation, and is easy to care for with a bit of warm soapy water and a scrub brush.

For a better appearance, teak patio furniture requires cleaning that can be done with a soft brush or pad and some warm, mild detergent. If you prefer a warm brown look to your patio furniture, than that is easily achieved by using a teak oil on the furniture. While new, teak patio furniture is available in different colors from light to dark brown with the passage of time, it transforms into a light silver gray.

As well as teak not requiring any preservatives or treatment of any kind to protect it from the elements, you will that after some time if you leave the furniture outside with out rubbing with oil it will gradually turn a light silver grey colour. Left alone, teak furniture weathers to a gorgeous silver color, but if you want to keep the rich, warm color of new teak, you can do so with a little routine maintenance using a teak protector. Kingsley-Bate offers a product for those who allowed their teak furniture to weather to a silver gray and now want to return it to the original color.

Over the years, your teak deck furniture will weather to a silvery gray. Since teak furniture is available in a variety of styles – and is weather resistant – it's ideal for any type of climate, from the heat of the southwest to the ever-changing seasonal conditions of New England. Not only is teak furniture available in a wide variety of styles and pieces, teak is unique in that it can withstand the elements year after year with virtually no maintenance.

Often called the premier wood for garden furniture, teak is unique in that it can withstand the elements year after year with virtually no maintenance. Since teak patio furniture lasts a lifetime, you must be sure that the set or piece that you buy is something that you will love for a lifetime. No matter what material you choose, you can be certain that your patio furniture set with a casual feel will give your home just the right touch of warmth that makes your guests feel right at home.

Jennifer Akre, owner of numerous furniture websites, makes it easy to find quality teak furniture by leading manufacturers such as Kingsley-Bate. Jennifer Akre, owner of numerous furniture websites, makes it easy to find quality teak outdoor furniture by leading manufacturers such as Kingsley-Bate. Jennifer Akre, owner of numerous furniture websites, makes it easy to find a quality lovely outdoor bench and stylish indoor benches.

As you can see, teak deck furniture is a purchase that you can count on to provide you beautiful and durable outdoor furnishing for many years to come.

The Amazingly Versatile Paper Bag

2007-04-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Paper bags are a significant staple in our society with endless uses around home and garden.

April celebrates Earth Day and at least this month some of us probably lean more towards paper when the grocery bagger asks "paper or plastic", unless it's a rainy day, of course.

Stop for a moment and imagine your world without paper bags - you probably can't. While paper bags in various shapes and sizes have been around for centuries, they were not always available everywhere. In my youth, during WWII in Europe, what little paper there was, was not in the way of bags. Shoppers were expected to bring their own containers, but would get the occasional fish wrapped in paper and some groceries poured into improvised bags that were rolled and folded and took your close attention lest they'd unfold and spill their content.

But oh the wonderful luxury of present day paper bags. Not only do they come in many different sizes, they also come in different colors and shapes. The brown grocery paper bag being the most common is also the most versatile.

Here are but a few of the near endless things you can do with paper bags:
Recycle them by taking them back to the store and instead of getting a new one, reuse the one you took home last time. Use them as garbage/trash bags but be aware that they do not hold up if you have wet garbage.

Paper bags make great containers for just about anything as long as it isn't wet. The word to keep in mind is "contain" as you can use them in organizing, keeping items separated, for storing. Messy rooms can be quickly sorted through by separating toys, clothes, shoes, garbage etc. into individual bags . Once done, each bag can be easily taken to their destinations throughout the home.

You can write on them, you can decorate them, you can even use them as clothes. Bags make identification easy as you can write name, content or what ever on them. Lunch bags going off to school or work, not only can have the name on it for easy identification , but can also include a few words of instructions, of encouragement or of love. You also might like to decorate such bags with stickers, sparkles or a million of other decorations. In an emergency or if a costume is needed, cut holes for head and arms and junior is covered. If you like to stay anonymous - cut holes for eyes and pull over your head. Or add more interest by drawing a nose, mouth, ears and hair on it.

Paper bags are parents' and teachers' best friends. The bags not only entertain and teach, during home and classroom projects, they are great for cleanup, too. Use paperbacks to cover floors and work areas during paint projects for quick clean-ups. Cut bags open, connect, wrap below table or counter edges and fasten with tape. When finished, just roll up and discard, leaving a clean table behind.

Make a pinata by putting 2 or 3 bags into each other, decorate with paper strips, add the goodies , tie with a rope and throw over a limb or beam and let the fun begin. Just make sure you do not use too many bags as they might be near impossible to "split" open to release the treats which might leave some very upset kids in its wake.

Paper bags find many uses in the kitchen. Use to cover work areas for quick cleanup. Use to coat meat or other foods by adding crumbs and spices in a bag. Shake and have evenly coated food ready for the oven. Use to ripen fruit by placing it in a paper bag, close and the "gases" in fresh fruit go to work and ripen it better than without the bag. Defrosting chicken or turkey in a paper bag allows the inside of the bird to keep up with the outside for a safer process. Paper bags make great blotters for greasy foods. Just put a paper bag on a plate and put fried chicken, fries etc. on it to soak up the grease. You can use several layers of paper bags to keep food cold or warm for a longer time.

Paper bags are not only used on the bottom of bird cages and litter boxes for the obvious reason but also in pet beds either whole or shredded to make softer beds..

There are just as many uses for paper bags in the garden as there are in the home. Use them to prevent weeds from sprouting by lining the ground before covering them with rocks, chips or other decorative covers. Remember, they are bio-degradable but also keep in mind that paper has poisonous ingredients, so don't use too much in food growing areas. Use bags to collect seeds by covering seed heads with a paper sack. Hold in place with a clothespin. Keep birds and insects off ripening fruit by slipping a paper sack over bunches of grapes or other fruit. Close and hold in place with a clothespin. Use to dry herbs by placing fresh cut herbs such as peppermint, basil etc. in paper bags, tie to a clothesline or branch and let dry. The herbs dry nicer because the sun does not deteriorate them.

Paper bags are often used in childbirth to regulate mother's breathing during labor and for centuries have been used to calm down over-excited people by having them breath into paper sacks.

People use paper bags in decorating for clean-up as well as the decoration itself. As wallpaper it gives rooms a very attractive, mellow tone. Furniture, picture frames etc. covered with ripped and clued wallpaper can be exquisite.

Paper bags are also used to "hide" their content. It can be to conceal such things as alcohol that might be illegal to openly consume. Plain brown bags are often used in taste tests when participants test a number of products. There even used to be a TV show that hid 3 people under paper bags to keep the identity of one of them hidden and for contestants to identify from given clues.

Of course, there is a whole lot more to paper bags then can be covered here but I can't conclude this article without mentioning "brown-bagging".

According to the dictionary "brown-bagging refers literally to the small brown paper bag used for carrying a lunch to school or work. It might mean "the bag itself" or "the process of carrying a lunch.". If you do it, you are a brown bagger (even if you carry a lunchbox instead of the bag). Used as an adjective, it describes anything characteristic, including a brown-bag lunch or a brown-bag attitude toward work, saving money, and the like, and as a verb it means you do it.

Paper bags, be they small or large, plain or fancy have a permanent place in our lives as some of the most useful items ever. Next to the wheel and sliced bread, consider the amazingly versatile paper bag a close runner up.

Spring Cleaning for the Soul

2007-04-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

Do you hesitate to invite friends over because your house is a mess? Do you cringe when you look at the inside of your car, purse or pantry? Do you have a closet or cupboard that attacks you when you open it? Can you easily find things in your home and office? If you answered no to any or all of these questions, perhaps it's time to consider Spring Cleaning.

First, let me set the record straight, I'm no Martha Stewart when it comes to housekeeping. In the Spring, especially, I'd rather be out in the garden. But I've learned that just as we clear away leaves and prune the dead wood from plants and shrubs to encourage new growth, cleaning and clearing clutter from our homes is an effective way to free up energy and make room for new possibilities in our lives. So this year I've been weeding out clutter, cleaning and organizing closets, cupboards, and drawers and it feels great.

Clearing clutter is an exercise in letting go. Cleaning and clearing is physically tiring but can be energizing at the same time. Dirt and clutter distract and bog us down. Getting rid of it creates a feeling of ease and lightness. Paring down to the essentials is movement toward simplicity. There's a sense of peace and serenity that results from restoring order to our surroundings. With clearing, we create space. Nature abhors a vacuum, so by creating space in our physical environment, we pave the way for new things to come our way. This doesn't mean that the now-empty physical space will necessarily be filled by another object. Instead, a new opportunity in a totally different area of our lives could be drawn to us. It sounds rather hocus pocus, but I've seen too many examples with my clients and in my own life to believe otherwise. I don't think it is a coincidence that my client landed a big interview after overhauling her apartment, that two new clients appear after I clean my pantry, or that another client's request for the summer off is approved days after she organizes her attic.

Here are 10 Spring Cleaning tips to get you going:

1. When in doubt, throw it out. If you haven't worn or used something for the past 6-12 months you've obviously done quite well without it. If you have pack rat tendencies (which I confess, I do-everything seems to have art project potential) box up the items in question. If you still don't use them within the next 3-6 months, toss them. You'll never miss them when they're gone.

2. File a pile-If I'm feeling overwhelmed or unfocused, one of the quickest ways for me to feel centered again is to get rid of the mail pile that accumulates on my kitchen island. If you are feeling scattered at work, file away papers and clear your desk to help regain clarity.

3. Reduce-Once you begin creating space, don't fill it with more unneeded stuff. To keep the mail pile from building back up, go to www.newdream.org, and select the campaign for independence from junk mail which will generate letters to get your name off mailing lists. Think twice before buying. Take advantage of your local library. You can borrow books, videos, DVDs, CDs, CD-Roms, and in some towns even paintings.

4. Reuse-pass outgrown clothes and toys on to relatives or friends. You'll feel good about getting get rid of your stuff, and they'll be pleased with the hand-me-downs. Local charities, shelters, and food pantries usually welcome donations. You could also turn this into a profitable experience by bringing items to a consignment store or having a yard sale.

5. Recycle-are you a box collector or a magazine and catalog hoarder? There's no need to save a product's box beyond its warranty period. Cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, and magazines can all be recycled. Put them out with your curbside recycling or take them to the dump.

6. Have a place for everything and train yourself and family members to put everything in its place. If organizing isn't your forte, consider hiring a personal organizer. The website for the National Association of Professional Organizers is http://www.napo.net.

7. Read up on it. If you are a person who likes to research a new venture before you jump into it, then you're in luck because there are lots of good books on the subject. I highly recommend: Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston Speed Cleaning, byJeff Campbell Clutter Control, by Jeff Campbell Organizing from the Inside Out, by Julie Morgenstern

8. Make an investment. Spring for some tiered shelving for your pantry, a double rod for your closet, or whatever it takes to keep items organized and easily accessible.

9. Schedule regular purgings. My children have learned that in order to make room for new birthday and Christmas presents they need to part with some of their old toys. Just as children outgrow their toys, adults outgrow their stuff as well. Especially if you are growing through personal development work or coaching, be sure to update your surroundings to reflect who you are becoming not where you have been.

10. Reward yourself for all of your hard work. Treat yourself to a take-out dinner. Sit back and enjoy your orderly surroundings. Put your feet up and relax with a good novel or take a nice long bath.

There are lots of ways to get started with Spring cleaning. One technique is to set a timer for fifteen minutes once a day and do as much as you can in that time. If you can devote an entire day or afternoon to the project, you'll obviously cover more ground. You might want to start with the area that's bugging you the most. Sometimes it helps to tackle the quickest and easiest tasks to help build some momentum. Whatever pace and strategy you choose, you are bound to enjoy the immediately visible results and the new things you attract.

First Aid - Why Do I Need To Know It?

2007-04-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

The first few minutes after an injury or medical emergency are the most crucial to determine the rate and duration of recovery. Knowing what to do in the event of an injury or emergency will help you stay calm and take the proper actions and precautions to help the victim have the best chances of a full recovery.

For example, would you know when you need to call a doctor if you or someone you know gets a cut? Answer: Anytime a cut is deep, gaping or you cannot get the edges to stay together, you should call a doctor. Also, if you cannot get out some of the dirt, if the cut is a facial wound or bleeds for more then ten minutes, it needs professional attention.

If you work with other people, have children or spend time participating in sports or other hobbies that could result in injuries, you should know first aid. You never know when someone might get injured and knowing what to do to at least help them feel comfortable until professional help arrives will be so beneficial to the patient. Of course, you often cannot do it alone. It's important to have supplies on hand just in case of an emergency (and a box of adhesive bandages doesn't count as a first aid kit!) Having a well stocked first aid kit in your home and vehicle and a smaller kit in your purse or briefcase will ensure that you're prepared where ever you are.

In addition to knowing basic first aid skills, becoming certified in CPR is a great skill as well. Studies show that one out of every seven people has the opportunity to use CPR at least once in their lifetime. When someone is not breathing, their brain does not get the oxygen it needs and irreversible brain damage can occur within four to six minutes and death can occur within ten minutes.

Taking a course on first aid and CPR can help you help the people you encounter on a daily basis. Furthermore, knowing these skills will help you remain calm in the event of an emergency because you'll know exactly what you need to do.

Emergencies: How to Prevent Them or at Least Avoid the Detrimental Effects of Them

Emergencies happen; it's a fact of life. Here are some tips to help you prevent emergencies or at least to help you avoid detrimental effects if they do occur:

Medical Emergencies. The best way to avoid medical emergencies is to get yearly physicals and to make sure you take care of your body through exercise and proper nutrition. If you do begin experiencing out-of-the-ordinary symptoms you can often avoid major medical issues if you get it checked out early. Avoiding the doctor's office is not one of the best ways to prevent medical emergencies.

Auto Emergencies. First and foremost, make sure that you keep your vehicle tuned up. This is the best way to prevent unexpected breakdowns. Secondly, keep a first aid kit in your vehicle as well as an emergency roadside kit that contains flares, blankets, a shovel and a spare tire. Also make sure that everyone wears their seatbelts at all times and that children are secured in approved safety seats. To ensure that you're using the safety seats properly, follow the directions for your particular model. You can also go to your local police or fire station and have someone who is specially trained install your safety seats and show you how to properly use them.

Sports Injuries. If you or your children participate in sports, make sure that the athlete has a complete physical before participating. It's also important to learn proper stretching techniques to use before and after physical activity. Also, have access to first aid supplies whenever you are participating or watching a sport in case of an injury.

Taking precautions and knowing what you can do to prevent emergencies can help you make the proper decisions to keep you and your family safe.

First Aid Tips

1. Keep a list of emergency numbers near your phone. This list should include the numbers for the local police, fire, poison control, hospital and emergency contacts.

2. Keep well-stocked first aid kits in your home and vehicle. These first aid kits should include alcohol wipes, antiseptic, bandages, adhesive bandages, gauze, tape, burn cream, hydrocortisone cream, eyewash kits, cold packs, scissors, latex gloves, tweezers and index cards with the medical history (such as allergies) of each family member.

3. Keep a list of your medications in your wallet or purse. This list should include the name of the medication, the prescribing doctor, the strength, the doses and the regimen.

4. Before you hop in the car to take someone to the emergency room, do a quick evaluation to see if you need an ambulance. If you can get to the hospital relatively quickly, you might get there faster than an ambulance can get to you and back.

5. Prepare children on how to use 911. Teach them what to dial and in what occasions they should dial it. Also, by each phone have a card that lists your address and phone number.

You CAN Protect Your Loved Ones In An Emergency--By Being Prepared!

We've got the solutions to help you in case of an emergency situation. Please update your emergency supplies by checking your expiration dates. Your life becomes easier and safer when you have unique safety and protection products from RubyStone.

Getting Started

2007-04-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Want to know more about yourself, where you came from—your ancestors? How do you get started? Actually, the internet has made tracking your family tree easier than it has ever been. You can find many resources on the WEB—genealogy supplies, templates, research sites, forums… You may find that the internet becomes the most useful tool in your search; however, you will not want to limit your research to the internet alone.

The place to start is at home. Start writing down everything you already know, your siblings' names, birth date, birthplace, their spouses and children's names and vital statistics, your spouse's name, sibling and parents' information, your mother's maiden name, her siblings and their information, your cousins' information, etc. Go as far as you can this way. As you do this, document how you know the information, such as, interview with father or family bible, maternal grandmother stories, birth certificate, death certificates, obituary, newspaper articles, letter from Aunt Mabel, photographs, grandfather's diary, baptismal records, etc. You will find as you get further into the search that there will sometimes be conflicting information and you can use this documentation to help evaluate the information's validity. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation presented on the internet…and, unfortunately, not all family stories are accurate as memory fades.

There are several printable templates for recording information that can be found on the internet, but there are many great software programs that will organize everything and would be an invaluable investment. Many of them will give you an evaluation period so that you can tell if they will fulfill your needs and are user friendly enough. It makes the family history very special if you actually record family stories and scan pictures into the software program along the way rather than simply glean out the vital statistics. Whatever program you decide to use, be sure that it is GEDCOM compatible. This will make it easy to download and share computerized information.

Use local resources to help develop your skills and to supplement you search. Go to the library. They often have a genealogy or family history section. Watch your local adult education offerings for genealogy classes. Many areas have a genealogical society. The connections there can be very helpful. They can give you hints for searches and can also give you support when you hit a dry spell in your research. Plus, it is fun just to socialize with people of like interests.

There are many genealogy specific sites on the internet that will be invaluable to your search. Some are free or partially free and some have a paid membership, but also offer some free tips or training. Go to rootsweb.com and join the message boards for surnames that you are researching (free). This is a great forum even if you also belong to paid genealogy sites. There are also several topics covered on RootsWeb that will aid in learning how to research. Cyndislist.com is another resource site to check out for guidance. Use various search engines to conduct searches for surnames.

From this point on, the basis of your genealogy research is searching for and interpreting documents and records—census records, birth and death records, immigration records, military service, social security records, marriage certificates, divorce records, newspaper archives, wills, civil war records and on and on. If it was recorded, you'll be interested in examining it.

The largest database of genealogical records is developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their web site is familysearch.org. Also check out the web site for US GenWeb.

It is easy with so much information available to get lost in the search! Keep a log of places searched and what you were searching for in order to avoid duplication. Try to stay focused. Using a shotgun approach will gain information, but also will waste time. Know what you are looking for when you start. If you find additional non-related information, bookmark it or create a side note as something needing further research. These serendipitous bits of information can be very useful and might lead to a break-through, but you cannot let them take you away from your present goal.

Genealogy can be an exciting journey into the past. Passing your family history on to the next generation or even back to the previous generation can be a cherished gift. Most of all, the journey can be fantastic fun. Enjoy!

Getting Wax Out of Carpets

2007-03-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

Given their position, it is hardly surprising that carpets get stained and gunked up. Getting wax out of carpets may sound impossible, but there is a solution.

Everyone likes candles. They can create a romantic mood and spread a soothing aromatic fragrance into a room. However, they can really create a problem for your carpet if the wax drips onto it. The main problem is that the melted dripping wax will usually become meshed with the carpet fibers when it hardens. This makes removal difficult and presents some serious dangers of damage to the carpet. This might be the right time for a Professional Carpet cleaning company to be called into action.

If you do decide to call for help, be certain that you are calling a Professional. In many areas, people are advertising low priced carpet cleaning "deals" and will often send out employees that have no more experience in complex cleaning problems than you have yourself. It might cost a little bit more to engage the services of a real carpet cleaning company, but it will be well worth it when you see the results.

Actually, there is a fairly common way to remove the wax yourself. If you are careful, it is fairly safe and foolproof. You will need some good quality and highly adsorbent paper towels and a common house iron. The first step is to very carefully pick away and remove all of the wax that you can without pulling at any of the carpet fibers. This is just intended to remove the excess. Do this very carefully as pulling at the fibers on some carpets can lead to "runs" that are not unlike the runs in nylon stockings.

When you have removed as much of the excess as can safely be removed, lay the paper towel flat over the wax area. Turn the iron on to a "warm" setting. It is important to use a low temperature setting and exhibit a great deal of patience. If you try to go to fast by using a hot iron, you will most likely singe the fibers of the carpet causing a worse problem than the wax. Once the iron is warm, slowly, and carefully, iron the paper towel over the wax. The heat will melt the wax and the towel will adsorb the melted wax. If this is working properly, it will appear like grease stains on the towel. Some people suggest a real towel for more protection to the carpet. Although this will work also, you then have a problem of having wax in your towel and will most likely have to discard it. The paper towels work just fine.

If the wax was colored, you might leave a little stain in the carpet once the wax has been removed. Most good quality carpet cleaning solutions will remove the color stain. Make sure that you test any cleaning solution before using it on the carpet itself. A little testing square of your carpet material is ideal for this purpose. There is also a commercial product that is supposed to be very effective on wax. It is called Un-do Label and Candle Wax Remover. This is an adhesive remover used for dissolving adhesive on labels and stickers. It can be found in hobby shops.

Scavenger Hunt Games - How to Create and Write Your Own For Your Next Party

2007-03-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my world.

I design downloadable scavenger hunt games, kids' games and murder mystery games. It's been my business, my career and my passion since 1983.

Now it's all fine and dandy that I sell these games but what if you want to create one yourself - just for your very special event?

Where do you start?

The answer is, "right here."

This a how-to guide for creative party planners like you who want to write and host your own personalized scavenger hunt.

If you want to create an unforgettable, personalized party your guests will be talking about for months to come then this is the guide for you. If you're bursting at the seams with great ideas but don't really know where to start, then this is indeed the guide for you.

I've already written an article on how to write your own murder mystery Now I'd like to tell you how I design my scavenger hunts. I hope you'll find my process inspiring enough to create your own. Of course, you can always buy one of my downloadable games as an alternative. I wouldn't say no to that.

Happy Hunting!

Susan Haley

Haley Productions' Scavenger Hunt Games

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Location, location, location!

2. Walk It

3. Draft It

4. Finalize It

5. Do it

Special offer

Step 1: Decide on your playing space. This is the most important consideration. Without it, you can't really start the design process. Do you want this to be a driving hunt or walking hunt? Will it take place in your neighborhood, your house and yard, a mall, an area with shops and businesses, a park? Make sure you have permission to hold your hunt at the location (if necessary); this is especially true for malls. There's usually a mall office you can contact.

Step 2: Walk (or drive) the location you've decided upon. Have a pad of paper and pen (or even a tape recorder) at the ready. As you walk/drive the location, look around. I mean really look around. Notice anything and everything. This is all about details. Whatever you see that you think may make a great location or item for a hunt challenge, write it down. This is sort of a stream of consciousness type exercise. An important note: Write down everything that you think of as you walk through the location – everything. Do not edit yourself. If possible take a camera with you to take pictures to help you as you put this hunt together later on.

When I walk my location I walk it with the intention that I'm going to be sending folks here to complete either photo challenges or to find things. It's amazing what you'll see when you really pay attention to your surroundings. Because I design my games so that they will work virtually anywhere in the world I keep my challenges very generic but you don't have to. For example, instead of having your teams look for a no parking sign (generic) have them go someplace very specific. Is there an interesting plaque on an old building that you never noticed before? What does it say? For example, the plaque commemorates the invention of the "flapjack flipper widget" by Booboo Balboa at this very location in 1802. Your photo challenge could then instruct the teams to "take a photo of your most creative team member where Booboo invented his flapjack flipper widget. To prove you were there, the plaque commemorating this momentous occasion must be in the photo".

To create a list of items for the teams to find, collect things yourself as you walk around: a business card from the accounting office, a weekly classified ads newspaper (perhaps you can have the teams search for a specific item for sale in that newspaper). I also flip through the dictionary for item ideas and I look through the yellow pages for business locations that could make great hunt challenges. If you know any business people who own local shops ask them if they would be willing to help you with your hunt. Ask them if you can send teams to them to collect a specific item from them (you can give them the item or perhaps they'll donate something.) Even if you DON'T know shopkeepers, it doesn't hurt to ask them for help. In my experience most folks are very willing to oblige. Obtain maps of your location if available or if necessary.

When you're done with this exercise, you'll have pages of notes, photos and items you've collected. This is the foundation on which to build your hunt.

Step 3: Your first draft. Using the way I design my hunts as a guide, you'll want to come up with the challenges next. For a 1 ½ to 2 hour walking (or 3 hour driving) hunt, I recommend about 15 photo challenges and 15-20 items to collect. The ultimate goal is to complete as many of the challenges as possible in the allotted time to get the most points and be the "winning" team. Here's a hint: people LOVE the photo challenges. I highly recommend they be part of your hunt. Go through your notes and come up with your favorite/most interesting locations: they will make up your photo challenges. Make a separate list of your favorite items to collect.

The items list is the easiest. You can give every item a point value (say 100 points) or you can divide the list into 2 groups: easy/fairly easy (100 point value) and difficult (500 point value). You can even make up a riddle for the teams to decipher to figure out what the item is. Because I'm so bad at riddles, I tend to search around www.riddles.com and other similar sites for ideas and inspiration.

Now onto creating the picture challenges which also must be given a point value (100 points for each challenge for example). When I design my picture challenges I break each down into 3 parts: who's in the photo, what are they doing and where are they. You could have the entire team doing something in the photo or you can select certain team members using various parameters. Examples: the most dramatic, the funniest, the craziest, the shortest, the tallest, the best dressed. You can combine them so that 2 or more people are in the shot or just use one person. I also personally think they need to be doing anything other than just standing there for all photo challenges – this is what makes the shot truly memorable. Examples: making a funny face, standing on one foot while saluting or bending over and looking at the camera through their legs. The last part of the challenge is selecting a location from your list. Again you can create a riddle for them to solve to find the location if you're good at that sort of thing. Voila, your picture challenge is complete. Move on through your location idea list to complete the rest.

One final note: Many people seem to think that a hunt must consist only of riddles wherein teams need to solve a riddle to get to a location and at that location they'll find the riddle for the location after that. In my experience, folks have a great time with my non-riddle hunts. If you want to design a location to location riddle hunt, you'll have to map out your specific locations and come up with some sort of cryptic clue to each location. Not an easy task but it hear tell it's been done with some success.

Now you have your first draft. Let it sit for a few hours or even a day the read through it. Is there anything else you want to add in to the hunt? Do you have an idea on how to customize it for a particular person like someone celebrating a birthday? Add it into the game. Remember, you're in draft stage so you should include anything and everything at this point. You can always scale back later. Show your draft to someone who won't be participating in the hunt to get their feedback (and maybe an idea or two). Clean up and edit the hunt as needed as you move into…

Part 4: The final product. Just 4 steps to the final product - not bad. Finalize the hunt now and make it look nice (add graphics, do a spell check, use a nice, easy to read font in a large size). It's now ready to be printed for each team.

Part 5: The planning and execution details. Plan your teams ahead of time. I recommend no more than 10 members per team (too many cooks…). As an option, ask your teams to come up with their own team name and to dress the part or co-ordinate outfits. The best dressed/named team can win a prize or bonus points.

Enlist good support – this is especially true the more teams you have or if you're doing your hunt for kids. I would strongly recommend that for every 2 or 3 teams, you have one helper. They'll help the teams during the hunt and will help you grade team efforts at its conclusion (it takes about 10 minutes per team). You'll want to also observe the teams during the hunt to help you evaluate your teams and their effort for the awards at the end – especially if you have a point tie between teams; the more enthusiastic, well-organized team should edge out a team who "got lucky" and was able to complete the hunt despite being highly disorganized for example.

Decide on the prizes or awards for your teams. You should have a prize for the best overall team who got the most points but you can always award smaller prizes to the other teams so they don't feel left out or like losers. Suggestions: gift certificates to your local coffee shop, movie theater passes or bookstore gift cards.

Buy/obtain Polaroid One Step cameras and film or digital cameras and any other supplies you need. Discount drug and department stores sell the cameras and film. You can also find them at Staples, Office Depot and Office Max (they'll be pricier there however). Here's a great online resource for getting the cameras (digital or Polaroid) and film inexpensively: www.ecamerafilms.com. Also, several of my customers have had wonderful success bidding for the cameras on EBay. You also need carry-all bags for each team for their hunt supplies and for their collected items and other small items like pens and a stapler to staple their photos to their team albums. (If you're using Polaroid One Step cameras I recommend creating a team photo album where they can staple each photo they take. It will help keep things organized. I buy those basic portfolio folders with the 3 embedded fasteners from an office supply store. Look up "Twin-Pocket Fastener Portfolios" at www.staples.com).

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Here's the link to my "How To Write Your Own Mystery Game" article: www.murder-mystery-game.com/write-murder-mystery-article.html.

Thanks for reading!

Susan

Experience The Power Of FUN!

Haley Productions' Scavenger Hunt Games

FAMILY - Friends And Mentors Intentionally Loving You

2007-03-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Just say the word family out loud. I'll bet that one word conjures up all kinds of images in your head.

Raise your hand if you think there is some kind of dysfunction in your family. Statistics state that dysfunction is the new norm these days. Do you know someone in your family sure to cause a ruckus at a wedding, get too drunk at a reunion or tell everyone off at a funeral?

I'm sitting here thinking about what my family means to me and believe me we can be just as strange as the next. My definition has changed over the years as I most certainly have. Now, I define family as Friends And Mentors Intentionally Loving You.

Life experiences have taught me to widen my radius of folks to include in my family, people to laugh, cry and share my life with. Having grown up with a narrow limited view from my community, as I began to travel the world I quickly realized how lonely life would be if I did not let others in. Today my family includes all races and nationalities of people.

How can you improve relationships with members of your family? Simply stop expecting or hoping they will become what they are not and love them anyway.

My sister, as hard as I try, will not call me more than once or twice a year usually for my birthday and she never writes. I used to get hurt, angry, frustrated until I learned not to take it so personally. Now I have added a close friend to my family who likes to remember and call me for all the small special occasions in my life. This allows me to maintain a good relationship with my sister which is not centered around resentment. I get the chance to love and learn from both of them.

If your family doesn't seem to be all that they can be. Let go of that perfect picture in your mind. Stop holding others accountable for your happiness. Start adding good friends and safe mentors who help fill in the gaps for you.

In this way you will attract support, you will attract Friends And Mentors who will Intentionally Love You.

Would you like to learn exciting ways to build new and repair old bridges in your relationships? Why not start by remembering those you care about with a greeting card .

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