Content is King" -- no longer. Today, the world has changed. "Curation Is King."
Ok, I hear all the content-makers sharpening their knives to take me on.
I'm ready.
First, why content is dead:
Content used to be the high quality media that came out of the very pointed end of the funnel. Articles in the New York Times. Movies from Miramax. Thursday night comedy from NBC. Books published by Simon and Schuster. Creative folks wrote pitches, treatments, sample chapters, pilots, but only the best of the best got published.
Then, the web came along and blew that up. Kaboom! Now content has gone from being scarce to being ubiquitous. Bloggers make content. Flickr photographers make content. Facebook posts are content. Tumblr publishers make content. Content isn't King because it isn't scarce. It's everywhere, it's overwhelming, and it's gone from quality to noise.
Which isn't to say that this is a bad thing -- it's actually very very good. It's freedom. It's public discourse. It's new communities that were previously silenced by their inability to access broadcast distribution outlets now getting to have their chance in the spotlight.
As someone said to me a few weeks back: "Andy Warhol was wrong. We're not going to be famous for 15 minutes. We're each going to be famous for 15 People." Indeed.
So let's look at the relative explosion in content and why this trend is only going to continue to grow massively:
Devices: Everything makes media now. Cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, iPads, web cams, as well as location aware software like Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp and a zillion others. The combination of where we are, what we like, what we're doing and what we're saying all creates micro-media. Content is being exuded out of our digital pores.
Bandwidth: 3G is here, 4G is around the corner. Wifi is slowly but surely being pushed out and shared, though it's currently strangled by passwords and firewalls. But just watching the 'check in' phenomena of Foursquare is a clue about how quickly content creation is becoming an everyday part of what we do.
Sociology: People like sharing. They like sharing bite size info about what they're doing, where they are, who they're with, what they're buying. They massive influx of consumer created crowd content shifts content from scarcity to abundance, and then to an overwhelming fire-hose of undifferentiated data.
So, what institutions does this 'Content Tsunami' put under pressure?
Publishing: In a world where everyone makes content, publishing is no longer able to lay claim to being the 'best' maker of quality content in their field. In fact, content creation is costly and painful though this may be, may not result in measurably better content than content curation. Mixing creation and curation is essential for survival. Check out Huffington Post for a mix of created, curated, and crowd-sourced content.
Experts: It used to be that there were a handful of folks who where thought of as experts in their field. So the folks who owned the publishing platforms got to determine who was an 'expert' and build their brand. Now, that's upside-down. Social media superstars are able to create visibility though leadership and personal brand value with ubiquity of voice. The new Expert is the leader with the most twitter followers, not the person on the speed-dial from CNN.
Advertising: We're standing at the end of an era. "Mass Media", the ability to reach large segments of the population with a single message is essentially over. For advertisers, the need to find content in context, and to have that context be appropriate for their message and their brand is critical. So, Curation replaces Creation as the coin of the realm for advertiser-safe environments. No longer can advertisers simply default to big destination sites. The audience is too diffuse and the need to filter and organize quality crowd-created content is too critical.
Search: Search was a critical solution to bringing audience to the web. But today the vectors that you can "search" on don't reflect what audiences need to know to find what matters to them. Search provides the name, date, and other algorithmically chosen variables. But what makes an article right for Huffington Post, but wrong for News Max? The voice of the content and the context, which require human curation and crowd collaboration.
We've arrived in a world where everyone is a content creator. And quality content is determined by context. Finding, Sorting, Endorsing, Sharing - it's the beginning of a new chapter. And not since Gutenberg have we seen such a significant change in who's able to use the tools of content creation to engage in a public dialog.
The emergence of a new King -- a Curation King, reflects the rise of the new Aggregation Economy. It is an exciting time to be in content, and the best is yet to come.
Steve Rosenbaum is founder and CEO of Magnify.net, a NYC-based Web video startup. He has been building and growing consumer-content businesses since 1992. He was the creator and Executive Producer of MTV UNfiltered, a series that was the first commercial application of user-generated video in commercial TV.
Applying Curation to Our Problems
As marketers, how do we solve these two problems? Curation. Curation is the process of selecting and aggregating information into one place that creates more value for information consumers, because they dont have to spend time researching and visiting all of the original sources.
Curation has become a fixture for many successful news blogs on the web today. Sites like The Huffington Post, Mashable, Gizmodo, etc., while breaking news and providing commentary for their given areas of focus, also use curation to provide value to readers and increase new visitors to their site. Stop and look at your email, Facebook, Twitter, or any other source you use for news. You will see that many of the stories that you are reading arent sharply written prose. Instead, they are groupings of valuable information, made even more valuable by their assembly as a collection.
Curation has become a fixture for many successful news blogs on the web today. Sites like The Huffington Post, Mashable, Gizmodo, etc., while breaking news and providing commentary for their given areas of focus, also use curation to provide value to readers and increase new visitors to their site. Stop and look at your email, Facebook, Twitter, or any other source you use for news. You will see that many of the stories that you are reading arent sharply written prose. Instead, they are groupings of valuable information, made even more valuable by their assembly as a collection.
A Marketers Guide to Content Curation
There is an elephant in the online marketing room, and the elephants name is Curation. Curation is the most important part of online marketing that no one is talking about. With the rise of inbound marketing, content has become front and center in the minds of marketers. This focus on content as an important marketing tactic creates two extremely important problems.
First, content creation is difficult. Having the time and skill to create relevant and interesting content is difficult for marketers who are already overloaded with daily tasks. The second major problem with the rise of content marketing is noise. Because content marketing has been proven to be a key ingredient in successful online marketing, more and more businesses are creating content. With this increase in the volume of content, it is becoming harder and harder for marketers content to reach new prospects.
First, content creation is difficult. Having the time and skill to create relevant and interesting content is difficult for marketers who are already overloaded with daily tasks. The second major problem with the rise of content marketing is noise. Because content marketing has been proven to be a key ingredient in successful online marketing, more and more businesses are creating content. With this increase in the volume of content, it is becoming harder and harder for marketers content to reach new prospects.
InBoundMarketingPR Blog&Content Curation For Branding
Here at InboundMarketingPR we subscribe to the methodology that "Content Is King." We exude tremendous energy and resources explaining why businesses; large or small benefit from creating original content. We stress the benefits of blogging for engagement, branding, transparency and SEO reasons. But we certainly understand the time, effort and consistency it takes to produce original content daily or weekly. We certainly struggle with the same issue that you do, time! When will we have time to produce that original content that will drive traffic to our websites? There is another simple, yet efficient way to stand out amongst your competition and solidify yourself as a valuable content disseminating brand.
With all the content that is being produced, we are at a crossroads where we are drowning in information and the emerging role for media is as a content filter and organizer. As @juntajoe recently stated; "As more content floods throughout all aspects of the web (as well as print and online), we'll need more brands stepping up to make sense of what we really should be paying attention to."
content curation diagram large 1
Content Curation Defined
So what is content curation? Marketing Prof's Chief Content Officer, Ann Handley described it best. "Content curation is the act of continually identifying, selecting the best and most relevant online content and other online resources (and by that I mean articles, blog post, videos, photos, tools, tweets or whatever) on a specific subject to match the needs of a specific audience."
Curated Content In Action
Digg, having over 12 million registered users, has grown to become one of the most popular content sites on the internet solely by curating third party content.
The Huffington Post, a news website, founded by Arianna Huffington, features various news sources and columnists. The Post, with over one million comments made monthly, has an active community and is a great example of valuable content curation.
So, how are you curating content? Where are you sharing your curated content? Do you believe content curation is the new sifter of digital media? I personally belief that content is still King, but if you are able to in addition, leverage someone else's informative, valuable content to meet your specific audience or niche market, you will be able to stand out as a thought leader in your industry.kiss my ads
With all the content that is being produced, we are at a crossroads where we are drowning in information and the emerging role for media is as a content filter and organizer. As @juntajoe recently stated; "As more content floods throughout all aspects of the web (as well as print and online), we'll need more brands stepping up to make sense of what we really should be paying attention to."
content curation diagram large 1
Content Curation Defined
So what is content curation? Marketing Prof's Chief Content Officer, Ann Handley described it best. "Content curation is the act of continually identifying, selecting the best and most relevant online content and other online resources (and by that I mean articles, blog post, videos, photos, tools, tweets or whatever) on a specific subject to match the needs of a specific audience."
Curated Content In Action
Digg, having over 12 million registered users, has grown to become one of the most popular content sites on the internet solely by curating third party content.
The Huffington Post, a news website, founded by Arianna Huffington, features various news sources and columnists. The Post, with over one million comments made monthly, has an active community and is a great example of valuable content curation.
So, how are you curating content? Where are you sharing your curated content? Do you believe content curation is the new sifter of digital media? I personally belief that content is still King, but if you are able to in addition, leverage someone else's informative, valuable content to meet your specific audience or niche market, you will be able to stand out as a thought leader in your industry.kiss my ads
What do Apple, The Guggenheim, and Forbes have in common? Curation.
Curation: The Lowdown
You and everyone you know is now a content creator. You blog, you Twitter, you Facebook, you YouTube, you Flickr – and all those other companies-turned-verbs.
But all this decentralized content creation has many people thinking… how can I consume all this stuff? Our streams and readers are getting bloated, and we’re all wondering “Am I well informed? Or am I drowning in a content sea?” On top of being overwhelmed, there is a big problem of noise. Finding relevant content and commentary can feel like searching for needles in a haystack.
Don’t fear, a new age of “curation” has been declared. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a revolution or just a new buzzword to describe what was already happening, curation aims to filter the web and serve you only the best, most relevant content.
Where it all began
The term originally refers to the museum curator, selecting the best, contextually related masterpieces and bringing them together into a collection. The museum curator oversees the care of the pieces, and adds her research and captions to tie the whole collection together.
The careful selection and commentary paints a narrative that is more powerful and compelling than each work individually. The best museum curators are such a prized asset that in smaller institutions, they might be the only paid staff members.
How it morphed
The curator profession has connotations for both archival and presentation, which made it a popular metaphor to describe editing and filtering in a very general way. The expansion in meaning hasn’t been taken lightly though, as many people argue that traditionally a curator implies some sort of wisdom and expertise – advanced degrees and many years of experience. Pretty much anyone can edit and filter, but only scholars can curate.
Regardless, the words “curator” and “curation” have already been popularized, and now represent the act of filtering digital information, and more recently – links and social media. There is so much noise, and people – with the help of computers – can bring the best, most relevant information to the surface.
Haven’t we always been doing this?
We’ve all been producing and distributing content on the Internet for a while now, so haven’t we been curating already? Most content flows through Facebook and Twitter, we make things more visible by “liking” and “retweeting” things, or voting things up on Digg or StumbleUpon.
What’s different? The main thing is the volume of information getting blasted around. Now there are 500 million people on Facebook, and over 100 million Twitter users – and each of those people are a yelling voice trying to be heard. It’s no wonder people are calling social media “the firehose”.
The Internet is a newspaper, and it’s hiring an editor
Due to the nature of the “firehose”, there is so much important, relevant information that you simply miss. If the Internet were a newspaper, who would be the editor? Some publications have taken up that mantle – such as the Huffington Post, a popular online news publication. They’ve been sourcing their articles via the Internet for a while now. Freelancers and bloggers contribute their user generated content, and Post editors publish the best, most compelling pieces.
It’s not without controversy though – other publishers often scorn Huffington Post by using amateur and non-expert content. Also, many people dislike how in general, they don’t pay users for contributing their content. Despite this, Forbes has openly gone to a curation model for their editorials, and Yahoo has purchased Associated Content in the range of $100m to contribute to Yahoo News. It seems like Curation is here to stay, and many other publishers might be forced to get on board in order to stay relevant.
Apple and The Guggenheim
Publishers aren’t the only ones curating. Apple has often been tied in with the idea of curation because their App Store applications marketplace has very strict standards for quality and usability. By manually “curating” which applications make the cut to be available for download, the overall user experience is supposedly less noisy and more consistent. This is often contrasted with the Google apps marketplace which is much more lenient and depends more on crowd reviews. I’ll go ahead and ask it – technically they are both curation right? Apple curates from the top, and Google depends on grassroots curation? But Apple gets the credit.
In another example, the infamous Guggenheim museum recently had a contest on YouTube where they called for YouTube video art submissions. It’s an ironic collision between the traditional museum curators and the newer trend of Internet content curation.
A Brave New (Curation) World
Just like a museum curator builds a gallery of masterpieces, can the citizens of the Internet be the collection keepers? As the social sites provide more ways to cancel out the noise, the web can be more relevant for us all! But who has the time and the tools to do all this curation? Will people do the curation manually, or will it mostly be automatic?
Blogging platforms like Posterous and Tumblr make sharing content and editorializing it easier than ever. Digg is transitioning to a new model (which some like and some don’t) that emphasizes sharing your “digged” links with your friends. It’s yet to be seen whether one site will be the killer curation app, or if it will be a more distributed trend.
What are your thoughts on curation? Do you think it’s just a buzzword, or do you think it has real relevance?
Tags: apple, curation, forbes, guggenheim
http://www.wearethefreeradicals.com Gareth Rees
Curation might be a buzzword but I believe it helps people see content in a different way. In all the email newsletters & blogs I’ve published, I’ve encouraged the writer to select the sorts of stories and ideas he/she thinks will benefit the reader and then present them in readable, fun way. Readers rarely complain that these are ideas they could find after a few hours on the internet. They appreciate the selection and presentation of these stories, as told through a single voice which is personal, direct, opinionated. Because they know and trust the writer, the stories that writer chooses have added weight and form part of an ongoing narrative. Not everyone has the time and energy to sift masses of information and form an opinion. The editor selects from myriad fragments and brings them together form a big picture.
Donna
People want someone to find articles of interest for them. It is not that they are lazy, they realize it is a firehose of information out there. People appreciate those that can cut through the clutter and be the curator
http://www.keepstream.com/ Tim Gasper
Hopefully that means that curation does have a strong logical foundation for existing. I think a friend of ours put it best – as the web continues to grow exponentially, it will fail under it’s own weight unless we can curate it.
http://www.keepstream.com/ Tim Gasper
Agreed, when curation isn’t lazy it can be extremely valuable. Whenever I’ve carefully selected existing posts or videos for my audience, they’ve always been appreciative and interested.
http://www.thecmjs.org/news-analysis/is-the-fcat-really-the-answer/ The CMJS » Curating: The cure for credibility in online news?
[...] Finding relevant content and commentary can feel like searching for needles in a haystack. Don’t fear, a new age of “curation” has been declared. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a revolution or just a new buzzword to describe what was already happening, curation aims to filter the web and serve you only the best, most relevant content. Read more. [...]
http://www.thecmjs.org/slider/slider-curating/ The CMJS » SLIDER – Curating
[...] Finding relevant content and commentary can feel like searching for needles in a haystack. Don’t fear, a new age of “curation” has been declared. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a revolution or just a new buzzword to describe what was already happening, curation aims to filter the web and serve you only the best, most relevant content. Read more. [...]
.then kiss my ads
You and everyone you know is now a content creator. You blog, you Twitter, you Facebook, you YouTube, you Flickr – and all those other companies-turned-verbs.
But all this decentralized content creation has many people thinking… how can I consume all this stuff? Our streams and readers are getting bloated, and we’re all wondering “Am I well informed? Or am I drowning in a content sea?” On top of being overwhelmed, there is a big problem of noise. Finding relevant content and commentary can feel like searching for needles in a haystack.
Don’t fear, a new age of “curation” has been declared. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a revolution or just a new buzzword to describe what was already happening, curation aims to filter the web and serve you only the best, most relevant content.
Where it all began
The term originally refers to the museum curator, selecting the best, contextually related masterpieces and bringing them together into a collection. The museum curator oversees the care of the pieces, and adds her research and captions to tie the whole collection together.
The careful selection and commentary paints a narrative that is more powerful and compelling than each work individually. The best museum curators are such a prized asset that in smaller institutions, they might be the only paid staff members.
How it morphed
The curator profession has connotations for both archival and presentation, which made it a popular metaphor to describe editing and filtering in a very general way. The expansion in meaning hasn’t been taken lightly though, as many people argue that traditionally a curator implies some sort of wisdom and expertise – advanced degrees and many years of experience. Pretty much anyone can edit and filter, but only scholars can curate.
Regardless, the words “curator” and “curation” have already been popularized, and now represent the act of filtering digital information, and more recently – links and social media. There is so much noise, and people – with the help of computers – can bring the best, most relevant information to the surface.
Haven’t we always been doing this?
We’ve all been producing and distributing content on the Internet for a while now, so haven’t we been curating already? Most content flows through Facebook and Twitter, we make things more visible by “liking” and “retweeting” things, or voting things up on Digg or StumbleUpon.
What’s different? The main thing is the volume of information getting blasted around. Now there are 500 million people on Facebook, and over 100 million Twitter users – and each of those people are a yelling voice trying to be heard. It’s no wonder people are calling social media “the firehose”.
The Internet is a newspaper, and it’s hiring an editor
Due to the nature of the “firehose”, there is so much important, relevant information that you simply miss. If the Internet were a newspaper, who would be the editor? Some publications have taken up that mantle – such as the Huffington Post, a popular online news publication. They’ve been sourcing their articles via the Internet for a while now. Freelancers and bloggers contribute their user generated content, and Post editors publish the best, most compelling pieces.
It’s not without controversy though – other publishers often scorn Huffington Post by using amateur and non-expert content. Also, many people dislike how in general, they don’t pay users for contributing their content. Despite this, Forbes has openly gone to a curation model for their editorials, and Yahoo has purchased Associated Content in the range of $100m to contribute to Yahoo News. It seems like Curation is here to stay, and many other publishers might be forced to get on board in order to stay relevant.
Apple and The Guggenheim
Publishers aren’t the only ones curating. Apple has often been tied in with the idea of curation because their App Store applications marketplace has very strict standards for quality and usability. By manually “curating” which applications make the cut to be available for download, the overall user experience is supposedly less noisy and more consistent. This is often contrasted with the Google apps marketplace which is much more lenient and depends more on crowd reviews. I’ll go ahead and ask it – technically they are both curation right? Apple curates from the top, and Google depends on grassroots curation? But Apple gets the credit.
In another example, the infamous Guggenheim museum recently had a contest on YouTube where they called for YouTube video art submissions. It’s an ironic collision between the traditional museum curators and the newer trend of Internet content curation.
A Brave New (Curation) World
Just like a museum curator builds a gallery of masterpieces, can the citizens of the Internet be the collection keepers? As the social sites provide more ways to cancel out the noise, the web can be more relevant for us all! But who has the time and the tools to do all this curation? Will people do the curation manually, or will it mostly be automatic?
Blogging platforms like Posterous and Tumblr make sharing content and editorializing it easier than ever. Digg is transitioning to a new model (which some like and some don’t) that emphasizes sharing your “digged” links with your friends. It’s yet to be seen whether one site will be the killer curation app, or if it will be a more distributed trend.
What are your thoughts on curation? Do you think it’s just a buzzword, or do you think it has real relevance?
Tags: apple, curation, forbes, guggenheim
http://www.wearethefreeradicals.com Gareth Rees
Curation might be a buzzword but I believe it helps people see content in a different way. In all the email newsletters & blogs I’ve published, I’ve encouraged the writer to select the sorts of stories and ideas he/she thinks will benefit the reader and then present them in readable, fun way. Readers rarely complain that these are ideas they could find after a few hours on the internet. They appreciate the selection and presentation of these stories, as told through a single voice which is personal, direct, opinionated. Because they know and trust the writer, the stories that writer chooses have added weight and form part of an ongoing narrative. Not everyone has the time and energy to sift masses of information and form an opinion. The editor selects from myriad fragments and brings them together form a big picture.
Donna
People want someone to find articles of interest for them. It is not that they are lazy, they realize it is a firehose of information out there. People appreciate those that can cut through the clutter and be the curator
http://www.keepstream.com/ Tim Gasper
Hopefully that means that curation does have a strong logical foundation for existing. I think a friend of ours put it best – as the web continues to grow exponentially, it will fail under it’s own weight unless we can curate it.
http://www.keepstream.com/ Tim Gasper
Agreed, when curation isn’t lazy it can be extremely valuable. Whenever I’ve carefully selected existing posts or videos for my audience, they’ve always been appreciative and interested.
http://www.thecmjs.org/news-analysis/is-the-fcat-really-the-answer/ The CMJS » Curating: The cure for credibility in online news?
[...] Finding relevant content and commentary can feel like searching for needles in a haystack. Don’t fear, a new age of “curation” has been declared. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a revolution or just a new buzzword to describe what was already happening, curation aims to filter the web and serve you only the best, most relevant content. Read more. [...]
http://www.thecmjs.org/slider/slider-curating/ The CMJS » SLIDER – Curating
[...] Finding relevant content and commentary can feel like searching for needles in a haystack. Don’t fear, a new age of “curation” has been declared. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a revolution or just a new buzzword to describe what was already happening, curation aims to filter the web and serve you only the best, most relevant content. Read more. [...]
.then kiss my ads
Content Curation: A Rising Tide for Marketing and Beyond
Much like social media was touted as the “next big thing” for marketers to embrace during the end of the last decade, content curation is now emerging as the new next big thing for 2011 and beyond. The term may be new to many, but evidence of its use is available all around us, as consumers and marketers alike try to tame the flood of digital information in today’s world: The Drudge Report and The Huffington Post, many of the industry insight newsletters you likely receive in your inbox, and even your retweets on Twitter.
In looking at these examples, most people are surprised—in a good way—to realize that content curation isn’t as complicated or overwhelming as they thought. In fact, it’s really just a formal name for a process many of us do on a daily basis: identify, organize and share the best and most relevant online content on a specific topic with an audience of stakeholders.
If it’s that simple, why is it becoming so important to marketers today? There are many reasons—it boosts SEO standing, builds industry awareness, and engages customers and prospects, among others. However, there are two larger trends happening that will push content curation into a spotlight above and beyond just the marketing function.
Lines Blur Between Creators & Curators
Although marketers can gain tremendous value from undertaking a content curation strategy, it’s not just a marketing tool. In fact, the adoption of curation for marketing purposes has had a notable impact on companies across industries and among executives within all business functions. Take, for example, how many companies today use “crowd sourcing” to get ideas for new offerings, sort through them to find some that are promising and eventually bring new products to market. Or, consider Bring a Trailer, a site that gathers auto-listings from eBay, Craigslist and AutoTrader for car enthusiasts looking to purchase hard to find cars, whose business concept is entirely driven by curation. In other words, the model for how companies create, manage and engage with content has changed forever—a change that will also affect those who consume this content.
Take, for example, the recent AOL-Huffington Post deal, which marks the latest in several moves by AOL to be an online leader in content. Although AOL used to be a search company (remember the days of AOL keywords?), it since then has morphed into a search-content hybrid; with the addition of The Huffington Post, there is a further element of both original and curated content. Or consider the Washington Post’s recent news-aggregation website, Trove, which allows readers to build their own news site based on topics of their choice.
Leads and Leadership Grow Closer
Technology for disseminating thought leadership content and measuring its impact is more readily available than ever before. This not only makes content curation faster and easier for marketers, but it also answers a question that has forever pitted marketing teams against sales staff: how are your marketing efforts enabling me to make sales?
The chasm is closing. Marketing initiatives to generate leads and position a company as a thought leader are increasingly becoming one and the same. Prospects, who can see firsthand—by way of a newsletter, microsite or other content—that a company thoroughly understands their customers’ needs, trends in the market and what’s coming up next, are more willing to put their trust and their dollars behind that businesses’ services and products.
Content curation is still very much in its infancy phase, but is already re-shaping the way marketers tackle their goals, and perhaps more importantly, how publishers, salespeople, customers and other stakeholders relate to and with content. Those who have not yet embraced this new-normal will miss out on having a voice that’s louder than their competitors and the bottom line benefits that go along with that status.
In looking at these examples, most people are surprised—in a good way—to realize that content curation isn’t as complicated or overwhelming as they thought. In fact, it’s really just a formal name for a process many of us do on a daily basis: identify, organize and share the best and most relevant online content on a specific topic with an audience of stakeholders.
If it’s that simple, why is it becoming so important to marketers today? There are many reasons—it boosts SEO standing, builds industry awareness, and engages customers and prospects, among others. However, there are two larger trends happening that will push content curation into a spotlight above and beyond just the marketing function.
Lines Blur Between Creators & Curators
Although marketers can gain tremendous value from undertaking a content curation strategy, it’s not just a marketing tool. In fact, the adoption of curation for marketing purposes has had a notable impact on companies across industries and among executives within all business functions. Take, for example, how many companies today use “crowd sourcing” to get ideas for new offerings, sort through them to find some that are promising and eventually bring new products to market. Or, consider Bring a Trailer, a site that gathers auto-listings from eBay, Craigslist and AutoTrader for car enthusiasts looking to purchase hard to find cars, whose business concept is entirely driven by curation. In other words, the model for how companies create, manage and engage with content has changed forever—a change that will also affect those who consume this content.
Take, for example, the recent AOL-Huffington Post deal, which marks the latest in several moves by AOL to be an online leader in content. Although AOL used to be a search company (remember the days of AOL keywords?), it since then has morphed into a search-content hybrid; with the addition of The Huffington Post, there is a further element of both original and curated content. Or consider the Washington Post’s recent news-aggregation website, Trove, which allows readers to build their own news site based on topics of their choice.
Leads and Leadership Grow Closer
Technology for disseminating thought leadership content and measuring its impact is more readily available than ever before. This not only makes content curation faster and easier for marketers, but it also answers a question that has forever pitted marketing teams against sales staff: how are your marketing efforts enabling me to make sales?
The chasm is closing. Marketing initiatives to generate leads and position a company as a thought leader are increasingly becoming one and the same. Prospects, who can see firsthand—by way of a newsletter, microsite or other content—that a company thoroughly understands their customers’ needs, trends in the market and what’s coming up next, are more willing to put their trust and their dollars behind that businesses’ services and products.
Content curation is still very much in its infancy phase, but is already re-shaping the way marketers tackle their goals, and perhaps more importantly, how publishers, salespeople, customers and other stakeholders relate to and with content. Those who have not yet embraced this new-normal will miss out on having a voice that’s louder than their competitors and the bottom line benefits that go along with that status.
The Most Popular Jobs In America (PHOTOS)
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Read More: America's Most Popular Jobs, Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Careerbuilder, Careers, Cashiers, Fast Food, Janitors, Job Market, Jobs, Popular Jobs, Slidepollajax, Teachers, Business News
By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder.com: The following is a list of jobs with little in common. Annual salaries for these jobs range from just over $18,000 to more than $110,000. Some don't require workers to graduate high school, while others require a master's degree or higher. The reason they all appear here? They are the most popular jobs in America.
(For a list of the least common jobs in America click here.)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following 15 jobs account for more than 25 percent of total U.S. employment. For comparison purposes, the largest job -- retail sales -- employs 4,209,500 people, or 3.2 percent of the total American workforce. By contrast, there are a mere the 660 people employed as prosthodontists, 1,170 who work as geographers and 870 radio operators nationally.
So what are these mega-professions?
According to the BLS, the following are America's most-popular jobs. And for loads more information on jobs, be sure to check out CareerBuilder.com
15. Elementary School Teachers
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The category includes elementary school teachers except those that teach special education. Elementary school teachers are responsible for instructing students in kindergarten through fifth grade on a variety of subjects.
Total employment: 1,544,300
Salary: $53,150
Requirements: Bachelor's degree, teaching certification.
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Read More: America's Most Popular Jobs, Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Careerbuilder, Careers, Cashiers, Fast Food, Janitors, Job Market, Jobs, Popular Jobs, Slidepollajax, Teachers, Business News
By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder.com: The following is a list of jobs with little in common. Annual salaries for these jobs range from just over $18,000 to more than $110,000. Some don't require workers to graduate high school, while others require a master's degree or higher. The reason they all appear here? They are the most popular jobs in America.
(For a list of the least common jobs in America click here.)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following 15 jobs account for more than 25 percent of total U.S. employment. For comparison purposes, the largest job -- retail sales -- employs 4,209,500 people, or 3.2 percent of the total American workforce. By contrast, there are a mere the 660 people employed as prosthodontists, 1,170 who work as geographers and 870 radio operators nationally.
So what are these mega-professions?
According to the BLS, the following are America's most-popular jobs. And for loads more information on jobs, be sure to check out CareerBuilder.com
15. Elementary School Teachers
1 of 16
The category includes elementary school teachers except those that teach special education. Elementary school teachers are responsible for instructing students in kindergarten through fifth grade on a variety of subjects.
Total employment: 1,544,300
Salary: $53,150
Requirements: Bachelor's degree, teaching certification.
comments(142)
1 of 16 Next >>
Plentiful Content, So Cheap
Last Wednesday, I met with an executive from Demand Media, a company that generates content based on popular Web searches and other data. Since then, I’ve spent about 20 hours reading past articles, calling people for background, doing interviews, writing my column, and working on the copy with editors Sunday afternoon.
Shawn Colo is one of the co-founders of Demand Media, which is generating lots of articles and video for little pay.
At Demand’s current pay rate, I’d be making almost a buck an hour.
Never heard of Demand? You’ve probably seen its products. The company has five times more video on YouTube than any other single source and over one million original articles floating around the Web with an endless array of how-to and what-the-heck instructionals on everything from how to make your own bobblehead doll to bobbing for apples.
According to the company, its YouTube videos are streamed 2.5 million times daily. And in those five days it took me to write this column, the company published 20,000 new articles or videos about losing weight, learning new tricks on a skateboard or tips for job hunting.
Demand, which has $355 million in backing, was co-founded in 2006 by Richard Rosenblatt, who was the head of Intermix, the birthplace of MySpace, and by Shawn Colo, who has a background in private equity investments. The company lives up to its name, with the hive mind of the Web serving as an assignment editor.
Demand uses a three-part formula of search terms, potential ad results and what competitors are doing to feed an algorithm that, with a human assist, comes up with headlines that are full of clickable, salient language that serves as bait for readers and search ads. (News is expensive to produce and not really a part of the formula because the company is looking for durable content, so “How to avoid a tiger attack” will have more value than, say, “Tiger’s not out of the woods, yet.”)
The topic is then fed into a central database where freelance writers sign up for the assignment. The articles they write are run through an automated plagiarism checker, an actual copy editor and posted on one of the company’s sites like eHow or LiveStrong.
Driven by search and video advertising, it’s a good business, with more than $200 million in revenue in 2009 and a current value for the company that has been estimated from $1 billion to $2 billion in various reports.
Based in Santa Monica, Demand Studios, the production arm of the company, has been described as a “content farm,” a place where many of the processes are automated and the writer and videographers serve as field hands, with pay to match. The average article pays $15 to $20 — videos pay about $30 — but the company has had no trouble signing up 7,000 steady contributors to bid for the work. (Copy editors make about $3.50 for editing a story.)
Steven Kydd, the executive vice president in charge of Demand Studios, stopped in New York last week and we sat down over a coffee. By Mr. Kydd’s lights, Demand is a lifesaver, not a trap door, for content producers. Writers can choose a topic they know a great deal about and produce a series of five or six articles in a single day, which helps the small fees add up.
“We give them the flexibility to work when and where they want on stories that interest them, paying them early and often for a steady, reliable stream of work,” he said. And he said that because all the writers are vetted and all the work is copy-edited, consumers get reliability as well.
“We combine art and science to come up with responsible and relevant information,” said Mr. Kydd. “We use billions of bits of data to listen to what people want to know.”
It can work beautifully. Last week, I realized I needed to clear my cache on my Web browser to get instant-messaging to work properly, and found, without realizing it at first, that I had used a video on eHow.
But another query I randomly typed in at eHow — how to roof a house — yielded an article that started, “These are the basic instructions on how to roof a home wether (sic) you are a home owner trying to learn how to roof your home a (sic) wanting to get into the roofing buisness. (sic)”
Mr. Kydd says clunkers are the exception and that in an increasingly crowded niche — Associated Content has a similar approach, while AOL is cutting its own path with a new initiative called Seed — Demand Media will be a long-term, dominant player. (The New York Times Company owns About.com, which uses a system of guides to lead online discussions of how-to and advice.)
Human intelligence, not algorithms, is what makes Demand work, Mr. Kydd said. then kiss my ads
Shawn Colo is one of the co-founders of Demand Media, which is generating lots of articles and video for little pay.
At Demand’s current pay rate, I’d be making almost a buck an hour.
Never heard of Demand? You’ve probably seen its products. The company has five times more video on YouTube than any other single source and over one million original articles floating around the Web with an endless array of how-to and what-the-heck instructionals on everything from how to make your own bobblehead doll to bobbing for apples.
According to the company, its YouTube videos are streamed 2.5 million times daily. And in those five days it took me to write this column, the company published 20,000 new articles or videos about losing weight, learning new tricks on a skateboard or tips for job hunting.
Demand, which has $355 million in backing, was co-founded in 2006 by Richard Rosenblatt, who was the head of Intermix, the birthplace of MySpace, and by Shawn Colo, who has a background in private equity investments. The company lives up to its name, with the hive mind of the Web serving as an assignment editor.
Demand uses a three-part formula of search terms, potential ad results and what competitors are doing to feed an algorithm that, with a human assist, comes up with headlines that are full of clickable, salient language that serves as bait for readers and search ads. (News is expensive to produce and not really a part of the formula because the company is looking for durable content, so “How to avoid a tiger attack” will have more value than, say, “Tiger’s not out of the woods, yet.”)
The topic is then fed into a central database where freelance writers sign up for the assignment. The articles they write are run through an automated plagiarism checker, an actual copy editor and posted on one of the company’s sites like eHow or LiveStrong.
Driven by search and video advertising, it’s a good business, with more than $200 million in revenue in 2009 and a current value for the company that has been estimated from $1 billion to $2 billion in various reports.
Based in Santa Monica, Demand Studios, the production arm of the company, has been described as a “content farm,” a place where many of the processes are automated and the writer and videographers serve as field hands, with pay to match. The average article pays $15 to $20 — videos pay about $30 — but the company has had no trouble signing up 7,000 steady contributors to bid for the work. (Copy editors make about $3.50 for editing a story.)
Steven Kydd, the executive vice president in charge of Demand Studios, stopped in New York last week and we sat down over a coffee. By Mr. Kydd’s lights, Demand is a lifesaver, not a trap door, for content producers. Writers can choose a topic they know a great deal about and produce a series of five or six articles in a single day, which helps the small fees add up.
“We give them the flexibility to work when and where they want on stories that interest them, paying them early and often for a steady, reliable stream of work,” he said. And he said that because all the writers are vetted and all the work is copy-edited, consumers get reliability as well.
“We combine art and science to come up with responsible and relevant information,” said Mr. Kydd. “We use billions of bits of data to listen to what people want to know.”
It can work beautifully. Last week, I realized I needed to clear my cache on my Web browser to get instant-messaging to work properly, and found, without realizing it at first, that I had used a video on eHow.
But another query I randomly typed in at eHow — how to roof a house — yielded an article that started, “These are the basic instructions on how to roof a home wether (sic) you are a home owner trying to learn how to roof your home a (sic) wanting to get into the roofing buisness. (sic)”
Mr. Kydd says clunkers are the exception and that in an increasingly crowded niche — Associated Content has a similar approach, while AOL is cutting its own path with a new initiative called Seed — Demand Media will be a long-term, dominant player. (The New York Times Company owns About.com, which uses a system of guides to lead online discussions of how-to and advice.)
Human intelligence, not algorithms, is what makes Demand work, Mr. Kydd said. then kiss my ads
Allana Baroni Puts Social 'Know How' into Demand Media Portfolio Property eHow.com.
Article Excerpt
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Demand Media, Inc., the next-generation web media company, today announced a new venture with leading "social specialist," Allana Baroni, to add her social "know how" to one of the company's marquee web properties, eHow.com. Each month, nearly seven million people visit the eHow[TM] online community's thirty-thousand professionally written articles on "how to do just about anything." Baroni's unique content and "social lifestyle coaching" tips join the eHow online community's growing cast of professionals with something to say. The alliance with eHow and Baroni exemplifies Demand Media's strategy of aggregating compelling and viral content from leading experts and combining it with user-generated content on similar topics.
As part of Demand Media's strategy of partnering with select experts, the company and Baroni will jointly launch GetSocial.com, a Baroni-branded website that will showcase her handy work and further expand her online presence using the Demand Media[TM] innovative tools and technologies. Baroni's GetSocial.com serves as an extension of her professional brand and allows her to communicate with her fans, including shared "how-to" content from eHow.com.
"Having tackled other mediums and looking to make my place in the online world, I was immediately attracted to Demand Media," said Baroni. "The content I provide to eHow and GetSocial.com is very specific to my fundamental mission of helping people maximize their social potential. By publishing on the eHow online community, I have immediate access to a publishing platform and steady traffic from hungry information-seekers to drive my brand, while creating additional excitement around my personal website."
Last month, the eHow online community's capabilities were expanded with the beta launch of weHow.com. weHow.com is the user generated extension of eHow.com and allows anyone to publish "how to's" in the trusted eHow format on any topic they find compelling. Thousands of articles have been published on topics ranging from how to photograph sunrises and sunsets, how to avoid mail fraud and even how to make the ultimate mix CD. The weHow[TM] online community allows users to share their expertise on topics they find compelling and become their own publisher. Next month, weHow profiles will be expanded by the addition of Demand Media's social networking tools that will allow users to interact with others around the content they find compelling. The powerful combination of eHow.com and weHow.com gives users access to a robust arsenal of expert and user-generated content at their...
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Demand Media, Inc., the next-generation web media company, today announced a new venture with leading "social specialist," Allana Baroni, to add her social "know how" to one of the company's marquee web properties, eHow.com. Each month, nearly seven million people visit the eHow[TM] online community's thirty-thousand professionally written articles on "how to do just about anything." Baroni's unique content and "social lifestyle coaching" tips join the eHow online community's growing cast of professionals with something to say. The alliance with eHow and Baroni exemplifies Demand Media's strategy of aggregating compelling and viral content from leading experts and combining it with user-generated content on similar topics.
As part of Demand Media's strategy of partnering with select experts, the company and Baroni will jointly launch GetSocial.com, a Baroni-branded website that will showcase her handy work and further expand her online presence using the Demand Media[TM] innovative tools and technologies. Baroni's GetSocial.com serves as an extension of her professional brand and allows her to communicate with her fans, including shared "how-to" content from eHow.com.
"Having tackled other mediums and looking to make my place in the online world, I was immediately attracted to Demand Media," said Baroni. "The content I provide to eHow and GetSocial.com is very specific to my fundamental mission of helping people maximize their social potential. By publishing on the eHow online community, I have immediate access to a publishing platform and steady traffic from hungry information-seekers to drive my brand, while creating additional excitement around my personal website."
Last month, the eHow online community's capabilities were expanded with the beta launch of weHow.com. weHow.com is the user generated extension of eHow.com and allows anyone to publish "how to's" in the trusted eHow format on any topic they find compelling. Thousands of articles have been published on topics ranging from how to photograph sunrises and sunsets, how to avoid mail fraud and even how to make the ultimate mix CD. The weHow[TM] online community allows users to share their expertise on topics they find compelling and become their own publisher. Next month, weHow profiles will be expanded by the addition of Demand Media's social networking tools that will allow users to interact with others around the content they find compelling. The powerful combination of eHow.com and weHow.com gives users access to a robust arsenal of expert and user-generated content at their...
Yahoo to give a face-lift to Mail, Messenger and Search
Yahoo seems to be in the news for quite sometime now. Although we must say, for all the good reasons. Just when we spoke about Yahoo and its host of new features, we came across yet another intriguing news from the popular service. Yahoo freaks gear up! The company is revamping its mail, messenger and search that are expected to be much more fun than its existing services, reports the official Yahoo blog.
The whole idea behind adding these improvements to their products is to ‘get social’. These upgradings include several social networking features like allowing users to instantly alter their status updates and share their articles with friends.
“The evolution you see today reflects our focus on enabling people to connect with what matters to them most,” shared Ari Balogh, Yahoo! executive vice president of Products & Chief Technology Officer. “This renewed focus on providing a more personally relevant online experience began with our recent Yahoo! homepage launch and continues to come to life across products like Mail, Messenger and Search – with much more to come.”
The new Yahoo Mail boasts of a Facebook-like news feed wherein users will receive a timely update about all the various changes from their contacts. Also, it includes a multi-select and drag-and-drop function that enables effortless photo attachment, thumbnail previews as well as easy rotating of images before sending them. Furthermore, the size limits have also been remarkably increased from 10MB to 25MB.
Next up, the novel Yahoo Search includes two menus to the left of search results which adds search results from popular sites like YouTube, Amazon, Wikipidea or ehow.com. In addition to this, it offers users to explore related concepts as well as narrow down the search results by type.
Finally, Yahoo Messenger 10 Beta is another super-cool version of the earlier 9.0 version messenger. This version flaunts features like HD video calling and voice feature along with adorning functions like drag-and-drop photos for instant-sharing and other social improvements. Also, it makes the Insider page that pops up when the application is introduced to look more like a home page.
The novel Yahoo search is expected to reach U.S users in a couple of months. There’s no word on when Messenger and Mail should be ready for access. So, get ‘yahooing’ guys!
The whole idea behind adding these improvements to their products is to ‘get social’. These upgradings include several social networking features like allowing users to instantly alter their status updates and share their articles with friends.
“The evolution you see today reflects our focus on enabling people to connect with what matters to them most,” shared Ari Balogh, Yahoo! executive vice president of Products & Chief Technology Officer. “This renewed focus on providing a more personally relevant online experience began with our recent Yahoo! homepage launch and continues to come to life across products like Mail, Messenger and Search – with much more to come.”
The new Yahoo Mail boasts of a Facebook-like news feed wherein users will receive a timely update about all the various changes from their contacts. Also, it includes a multi-select and drag-and-drop function that enables effortless photo attachment, thumbnail previews as well as easy rotating of images before sending them. Furthermore, the size limits have also been remarkably increased from 10MB to 25MB.
Next up, the novel Yahoo Search includes two menus to the left of search results which adds search results from popular sites like YouTube, Amazon, Wikipidea or ehow.com. In addition to this, it offers users to explore related concepts as well as narrow down the search results by type.
Finally, Yahoo Messenger 10 Beta is another super-cool version of the earlier 9.0 version messenger. This version flaunts features like HD video calling and voice feature along with adorning functions like drag-and-drop photos for instant-sharing and other social improvements. Also, it makes the Insider page that pops up when the application is introduced to look more like a home page.
The novel Yahoo search is expected to reach U.S users in a couple of months. There’s no word on when Messenger and Mail should be ready for access. So, get ‘yahooing’ guys!
How To Check The Top 10 Search Keywords On Google
gtHeadIf you have a personal blog or a website you will know how important it is to rank high on Google searches. Without ranking high on Google you are missing out on a lot of traffic. By including top ten keywords from Google you have a better chance of showing up in more search results.
Most people think that to have access to this data you need to spend a lot of money on SEO services and analytics. The answer is HELL NO! We can do all of this for free using Google’s own tool called Hot Trends located here. This will give you access not only to the top 20 searched for keywords on Google from today but you can also use it to go back in time (sadly not forward yet!) to view the top twenty keywords for a specific date.
Now if you couple this with a little bit of analytics you can see how these keywords can help you improve your Google traffic. Let us take a look at the site and see how it works.
I started off by visiting Google Hot Trends and I saw this:
top 10 key words on google
Listed on this page, from the top to the bottom, is first the search trends box. By adding some search keywords and hitting search trends you will see something similar to this:
gt2
This will show you the search volume for your term over a specific length of time or across specific regions. This is great for helping you nail down a search term to associate with your website.
Below that you have today’s date that you can change to view hot trending topics for recent dates or long ago. You do this like so:
gt3
Click on the change date link as shown above and you will then be able to change the date. I changed mine to February 1st 2010 and then saw this:
GT4
Sweet! Now you can add this module as an iGoogle Gadget to your Google homepage by clicking on the iGoogle Gadget button at the top right of the search term boxes next to the RSS link and icon.
When you click on this you will see something that looks similar to this.
gt5
After clicking on the Add to iGoogle button the widget will be added. If you are not logged into Google it will create a temporary page that you might or might not see the next time you log in. So log in first then add the widget. When you are finished, it will look like this:
top 10 key words on google
And then finally the way I track Google’s hot trends and most popular search terms is by RSS feed (we covered ways to use RSS feeds here). That looks like this:
gt7
Yours may look different depending on what RSS feed reader you use to view the feed. I just clicked the link and allowed it to open in Firefox but you could plug this atom URL into your RSS reader. Clicking on any of the search terms will open a Google search for that specific topic!
Do you use Google Trends on a regular basis? Or do you use another SEO tool? If so, which one do you use?
Most people think that to have access to this data you need to spend a lot of money on SEO services and analytics. The answer is HELL NO! We can do all of this for free using Google’s own tool called Hot Trends located here. This will give you access not only to the top 20 searched for keywords on Google from today but you can also use it to go back in time (sadly not forward yet!) to view the top twenty keywords for a specific date.
Now if you couple this with a little bit of analytics you can see how these keywords can help you improve your Google traffic. Let us take a look at the site and see how it works.
I started off by visiting Google Hot Trends and I saw this:
top 10 key words on google
Listed on this page, from the top to the bottom, is first the search trends box. By adding some search keywords and hitting search trends you will see something similar to this:
gt2
This will show you the search volume for your term over a specific length of time or across specific regions. This is great for helping you nail down a search term to associate with your website.
Below that you have today’s date that you can change to view hot trending topics for recent dates or long ago. You do this like so:
gt3
Click on the change date link as shown above and you will then be able to change the date. I changed mine to February 1st 2010 and then saw this:
GT4
Sweet! Now you can add this module as an iGoogle Gadget to your Google homepage by clicking on the iGoogle Gadget button at the top right of the search term boxes next to the RSS link and icon.
When you click on this you will see something that looks similar to this.
gt5
After clicking on the Add to iGoogle button the widget will be added. If you are not logged into Google it will create a temporary page that you might or might not see the next time you log in. So log in first then add the widget. When you are finished, it will look like this:
top 10 key words on google
And then finally the way I track Google’s hot trends and most popular search terms is by RSS feed (we covered ways to use RSS feeds here). That looks like this:
gt7
Yours may look different depending on what RSS feed reader you use to view the feed. I just clicked the link and allowed it to open in Firefox but you could plug this atom URL into your RSS reader. Clicking on any of the search terms will open a Google search for that specific topic!
Do you use Google Trends on a regular basis? Or do you use another SEO tool? If so, which one do you use?
Starz to Premiere ‘Camelot’ on April 1st
Starz is preparing the Arthurian epic ‘Camelot’ for an April debut. The series will play directly against ‘Spartacus: Gods of the Arena’ and HBO’s fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones’.
Jamie Cambell Bower and Eva Green in Starz' 'Camelot'
After critical acclaim with The Pillars of the Earth and Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Starz is preparing yet another epic fantasy/period piece for cable viewers. According to a press release, King Arthur’s legend of Camelot will premiere on April 1st – honest.
Starz has kept Camelot pretty close to the chest. While plot and production details are thin, we know that the same team that brought Showtime’s The Tudors to fruition will be behind the camera.
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Exectuive producing are Morgan O’Sullivan and Michael Hirst, along with newcomer Craig Cegielski. Tudors was well-received, and the team should feel right at home with Anglican lore. Chris Chibnall, of British projects like Doctor Who, Torchwood and Law & Order: UK, is writing.
The cast is skewing young to fit the series’ focus on King Arthur’s adolescent years, fitting somewhere between the sword in the stone and the formation of the Knights of the Round Table in the T.H. White version of the legend.
Arthur will be played by Jamie Campbell Bower, whose previous roles in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and New Moon should make him recognizable to younger viewers. Tamsin Egerton, the series’ perennial love interest, Guinevere, is an unknown outside of UK projects like 4.3.2.1. More veteran cast members will include Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) as a somewhat less-wizened Merlin and Eva Green (Vesper in Casino Royale) as the eternal antagonist, Morgana (see below).
Camelot Eva Green Starz
Camelot won’t be wanting for competition when it debuts: HBO is also readying its highly-anticipated adaptation pf George R. R. Martin’s fantasy epic Game of Thrones for an April debut. If the casting is any indication, the Starz series will be aiming for a more lighthearted adventure feel – possibly hoping to appeal to Harry Potter and Twilight fans looking for their fantasy fix on the small screen.
Camelot will also join a renaissance of fantasy/historical dramas, including the aforementioned Thrones and fellow Starz projects The Pillars of the Earth and Spartacus, the latter of which will continue in January with Gods of the Arena. According to Chibnall, multiple seasons of medieval action are planned – of course, whether or not Camelot is renewed after its initial 10-episode run has yet to be seen. Without a better look at series (which is currently filming) it’s hard to gauge how it will stack up to its predecessors and contemporaries.
Camelot premieres on Starz on April 1st.
Jamie Cambell Bower and Eva Green in Starz' 'Camelot'
After critical acclaim with The Pillars of the Earth and Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Starz is preparing yet another epic fantasy/period piece for cable viewers. According to a press release, King Arthur’s legend of Camelot will premiere on April 1st – honest.
Starz has kept Camelot pretty close to the chest. While plot and production details are thin, we know that the same team that brought Showtime’s The Tudors to fruition will be behind the camera.
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You Must Own The Most Viewed End-Time Bible Prophecy Videos Now
www.WorldsLastChance.com
Ads by Google
Exectuive producing are Morgan O’Sullivan and Michael Hirst, along with newcomer Craig Cegielski. Tudors was well-received, and the team should feel right at home with Anglican lore. Chris Chibnall, of British projects like Doctor Who, Torchwood and Law & Order: UK, is writing.
The cast is skewing young to fit the series’ focus on King Arthur’s adolescent years, fitting somewhere between the sword in the stone and the formation of the Knights of the Round Table in the T.H. White version of the legend.
Arthur will be played by Jamie Campbell Bower, whose previous roles in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and New Moon should make him recognizable to younger viewers. Tamsin Egerton, the series’ perennial love interest, Guinevere, is an unknown outside of UK projects like 4.3.2.1. More veteran cast members will include Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) as a somewhat less-wizened Merlin and Eva Green (Vesper in Casino Royale) as the eternal antagonist, Morgana (see below).
Camelot Eva Green Starz
Camelot won’t be wanting for competition when it debuts: HBO is also readying its highly-anticipated adaptation pf George R. R. Martin’s fantasy epic Game of Thrones for an April debut. If the casting is any indication, the Starz series will be aiming for a more lighthearted adventure feel – possibly hoping to appeal to Harry Potter and Twilight fans looking for their fantasy fix on the small screen.
Camelot will also join a renaissance of fantasy/historical dramas, including the aforementioned Thrones and fellow Starz projects The Pillars of the Earth and Spartacus, the latter of which will continue in January with Gods of the Arena. According to Chibnall, multiple seasons of medieval action are planned – of course, whether or not Camelot is renewed after its initial 10-episode run has yet to be seen. Without a better look at series (which is currently filming) it’s hard to gauge how it will stack up to its predecessors and contemporaries.
Camelot premieres on Starz on April 1st.
First trailer for Starz's CAMELOT
The first featurette for Starz's new series Camelot has been unveiled.
(note: Starz have objected to any of their foreign partners' audiences actually getting a chance to watch the trailer, so the above may vanish at any time; perhaps they need to learn PR lessons from HBO?)
Camelot is a new take on the Arthurian legend, starring Jamie Campbell Bower (fresh from the Twilight and Harry Potter movies, as well as the new version of The Prisoner and the unaired pilot of Game of Thrones) as Arthur, Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Eva Green as Morgana, Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere and Claire Forlani as Igraine, whilst James Purefoy (the excellent Mark Antony from Rome) has a guest stint in two episodes. The 10-episode first season will start airing on 1 April 2011 in the USA, and will apparently come to Channel 4 in the UK later on.
Camelot appears to be yet another 'young' take on the legend, casting Arthur as a very young man (in fact, he's a clear half-decade younger than the Arthur in the family-friendly BBC series Merlin) and Merlin as a forty-something. It also seems to be following the Sword in the Stone angle, with Arthur having been raised as a commoner before discovering his true heritage. The casting is very impressive, with Fiennes, Green and Forlani noted for quite a few big-screen roles (though arguably none are A-list). Behind the scenes, the chief showrunner and writer is Chris Chibnall, noted for some of the worst episodes of the new Doctor Who and Torchwood, which is less encouraging (though he did write two solid episodes of Life on Mars as well).
Given this is a Starz show (from the makers of Spartacus: Blood and Sand), it's likely it'll be a fairly adult show, though probably not as blood-drenched as Spartacus. The trailer is full of PR buzz-words, but the costumes and production design look impressive. Chibnall as head writer is not the best news ever, but perhaps this show could finally allow him to write something excellent, and it's certainly somewhat ridiculous that we haven't had a 100% successful live-action depiction of the Arthurian legend (John Boorman's Excalibur had potential but was hamstrung by having to pack everything into two hours). However, skewing revisionistly young with this take on the project seems redundant, given that Merlin is already thoroughly exploring that angle.
This looks promising, but I do wish they'd bought the rights to Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles and done that for a satisfyingly 'different' and 'dark' take on the legend.
(note: Starz have objected to any of their foreign partners' audiences actually getting a chance to watch the trailer, so the above may vanish at any time; perhaps they need to learn PR lessons from HBO?)
Camelot is a new take on the Arthurian legend, starring Jamie Campbell Bower (fresh from the Twilight and Harry Potter movies, as well as the new version of The Prisoner and the unaired pilot of Game of Thrones) as Arthur, Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Eva Green as Morgana, Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere and Claire Forlani as Igraine, whilst James Purefoy (the excellent Mark Antony from Rome) has a guest stint in two episodes. The 10-episode first season will start airing on 1 April 2011 in the USA, and will apparently come to Channel 4 in the UK later on.
Camelot appears to be yet another 'young' take on the legend, casting Arthur as a very young man (in fact, he's a clear half-decade younger than the Arthur in the family-friendly BBC series Merlin) and Merlin as a forty-something. It also seems to be following the Sword in the Stone angle, with Arthur having been raised as a commoner before discovering his true heritage. The casting is very impressive, with Fiennes, Green and Forlani noted for quite a few big-screen roles (though arguably none are A-list). Behind the scenes, the chief showrunner and writer is Chris Chibnall, noted for some of the worst episodes of the new Doctor Who and Torchwood, which is less encouraging (though he did write two solid episodes of Life on Mars as well).
Given this is a Starz show (from the makers of Spartacus: Blood and Sand), it's likely it'll be a fairly adult show, though probably not as blood-drenched as Spartacus. The trailer is full of PR buzz-words, but the costumes and production design look impressive. Chibnall as head writer is not the best news ever, but perhaps this show could finally allow him to write something excellent, and it's certainly somewhat ridiculous that we haven't had a 100% successful live-action depiction of the Arthurian legend (John Boorman's Excalibur had potential but was hamstrung by having to pack everything into two hours). However, skewing revisionistly young with this take on the project seems redundant, given that Merlin is already thoroughly exploring that angle.
This looks promising, but I do wish they'd bought the rights to Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles and done that for a satisfyingly 'different' and 'dark' take on the legend.
How to Publish Crochet Patterns
If you're a crochet fan, you've probably thought up a design or two in your time. You can publish your designs for others to enjoy and make money at the same time! Once you've written down your pattern, either on your own or with a template, contacting potential markets is easy.
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions
1
Send an email or letter to the magazine or website where you'd like the pattern to appear. There are several viable choices, including Crochet World and Crochet Me! Read submission guidelines and adhere to them. Most magazines have an editorial calendar, so be aware of themes for each issue and submit patterns according to specifications.
2
Follow the instructions you receive from the magazine or market you contacted. Some magazines or websites have their own format for published patterns. Others will allow you to improvise.
3
Handle the sample item that you send with the pattern carefully. Pack it so it won't be damaged in transit. Remember that the blanket, sweater, doily, scarf or other creation you send will be photographed, so you want it to look perfect.
4
Think about submitting a book-length collection of crochet patterns to a publisher if you are a crochet veteran. Include clips of published patterns in your proposal or query letter to prospective publishers. Self-publishing is an option if you desire more freedom (see Resources below).
5
Advance as an author of crochet patterns by contacting companies that stock and sell original patterns, like Leisure Arts or Paton. Publishing patterns in magazines is a great way to share your creativity, but you may want to move on to the next level if you accumulate enough original patterns.
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions
1
Send an email or letter to the magazine or website where you'd like the pattern to appear. There are several viable choices, including Crochet World and Crochet Me! Read submission guidelines and adhere to them. Most magazines have an editorial calendar, so be aware of themes for each issue and submit patterns according to specifications.
2
Follow the instructions you receive from the magazine or market you contacted. Some magazines or websites have their own format for published patterns. Others will allow you to improvise.
3
Handle the sample item that you send with the pattern carefully. Pack it so it won't be damaged in transit. Remember that the blanket, sweater, doily, scarf or other creation you send will be photographed, so you want it to look perfect.
4
Think about submitting a book-length collection of crochet patterns to a publisher if you are a crochet veteran. Include clips of published patterns in your proposal or query letter to prospective publishers. Self-publishing is an option if you desire more freedom (see Resources below).
5
Advance as an author of crochet patterns by contacting companies that stock and sell original patterns, like Leisure Arts or Paton. Publishing patterns in magazines is a great way to share your creativity, but you may want to move on to the next level if you accumulate enough original patterns.
How to Teach Kids to Crochet
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Size-J hook
Worsted-weight yarn
1
Choose your tools carefully. The crochet hook, size J, should be easy to handle. Bamboo is a better choice for kids than aluminum or plastic. Teach with light pastel, bright or multicolored worsted-weight yarn.
2
Pick a quiet environment. You should teach crochet in daylight near a large window. Make sure there's a couch big enough for you and your child to sit comfortably side by side.
3
Teach your child single crochet first. This means you'll have to create a swatch so stitches are comfortable for a beginner to work with. Crochet a 2-inch fabric with 23 stitches across.
4
Move right along to double crochet once your pupil has mastered single crochet. Make sure she brings the yarn from back to front over the hook as this seems to be a particular problem with kids.
5
Show him how to make a slip knot. Be patient because this can look tricky to a child. Then go slowly through the motions of making a chain, emphasizing that it's actually the easiest part of crochet, once you get the hang of it.
6
Find a suitable pattern for your beginning crocheter (see Resources for a link). A scarf is the classic starter pattern, but consider a dishcloth or doll blanket if your child doesn't have much patience. Seeing a finished piece is a great motivator.
7
Get into advanced crochet techniques once your kids have mastered the basics. Teach them about gauge, yarn weights and crochet hook sizes so they can make clothes that will fit.
Things You'll Need:
Size-J hook
Worsted-weight yarn
1
Choose your tools carefully. The crochet hook, size J, should be easy to handle. Bamboo is a better choice for kids than aluminum or plastic. Teach with light pastel, bright or multicolored worsted-weight yarn.
2
Pick a quiet environment. You should teach crochet in daylight near a large window. Make sure there's a couch big enough for you and your child to sit comfortably side by side.
3
Teach your child single crochet first. This means you'll have to create a swatch so stitches are comfortable for a beginner to work with. Crochet a 2-inch fabric with 23 stitches across.
4
Move right along to double crochet once your pupil has mastered single crochet. Make sure she brings the yarn from back to front over the hook as this seems to be a particular problem with kids.
5
Show him how to make a slip knot. Be patient because this can look tricky to a child. Then go slowly through the motions of making a chain, emphasizing that it's actually the easiest part of crochet, once you get the hang of it.
6
Find a suitable pattern for your beginning crocheter (see Resources for a link). A scarf is the classic starter pattern, but consider a dishcloth or doll blanket if your child doesn't have much patience. Seeing a finished piece is a great motivator.
7
Get into advanced crochet techniques once your kids have mastered the basics. Teach them about gauge, yarn weights and crochet hook sizes so they can make clothes that will fit.
Treble Crochet Instructions
The treble crochet stitch, also referred to as triple crochet, yields open mesh fabric that's perfect for reusable grocery bags, airy summer over shirts and mesh beanies. Treble crochet works up quickly and uses less yarn than items crocheted from denser double and single crochet stitches. Learning to work the treble crochet stitch is easy; if you know how to make a crochet chain, you will quickly learn to do the stitch.
Treble Crochet Instructions
When you create a foundation chain for a treble crochet item, chain three stitches more than the number of treble crochets called for in the pattern. Once you've created your foundation chain, skip over the first four chain stitches. The skipped stitches will serve as the turning chain for your first row of stitches. Wrap the yarn around the crochet hook twice and crochet into the fifth chain stitch to begin your first treble crochet.
Once you've inserted your crochet hook into the fifth stitch, wrap the yarn around the hook once more and pull the wrapped yarn through the chain stitch. Four loops will remain on your hook. Wrap the yarn around the hook once more and pull it through the first two loops. Now you should have three remaining loops. Repeat the yarn over and pull through two loops until only one stitch remains on your crochet hook.
Insert the crochet hook into the next chain stitch to make another treble crochet. Chain four stitches at the beginning of each treble crochet row. This will allow the tall stitches to stand up straight at the end of the row.
Treble Crochet Variations
Try different yarn and crochet hook sizes to achieve a variety of effects. If you want a slightly less open fabric but you want to create tall treble crochet stitches, use bulky yarn and a smaller sized hook.
Treble crochet scarves and wraps from brushed mohair and suri alpaca to create an airy but surprisingly warm fabric. For an open mesh-like summer shawl, use sock or fingering weight yarn and a size J or larger crochet hook.
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Treble Crochet Instructions
When you create a foundation chain for a treble crochet item, chain three stitches more than the number of treble crochets called for in the pattern. Once you've created your foundation chain, skip over the first four chain stitches. The skipped stitches will serve as the turning chain for your first row of stitches. Wrap the yarn around the crochet hook twice and crochet into the fifth chain stitch to begin your first treble crochet.
Once you've inserted your crochet hook into the fifth stitch, wrap the yarn around the hook once more and pull the wrapped yarn through the chain stitch. Four loops will remain on your hook. Wrap the yarn around the hook once more and pull it through the first two loops. Now you should have three remaining loops. Repeat the yarn over and pull through two loops until only one stitch remains on your crochet hook.
Insert the crochet hook into the next chain stitch to make another treble crochet. Chain four stitches at the beginning of each treble crochet row. This will allow the tall stitches to stand up straight at the end of the row.
Treble Crochet Variations
Try different yarn and crochet hook sizes to achieve a variety of effects. If you want a slightly less open fabric but you want to create tall treble crochet stitches, use bulky yarn and a smaller sized hook.
Treble crochet scarves and wraps from brushed mohair and suri alpaca to create an airy but surprisingly warm fabric. For an open mesh-like summer shawl, use sock or fingering weight yarn and a size J or larger crochet hook.
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How to Crochet a Zigzag Throw
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Crochet hook
Yarn
Scissors
1
Choose 5 yarn colors.
Choose 5 yarn colors.
Choose 5 complementary yarn colors for your blanket (Color: A,B,C,D and E). Then with color A, chain 118.
(When attaching new colors of yarn, work both the old and new yarn colors onto the hook so that there are 2 loops on hook then yarn over with new color to complete stitch.)
2
Begin Row 1 with color A, single crochet in 2nd chain from hook and in next 5 chains, 3 single crochet in next chain, single crochet in 6 chains,
* skip 2 chains, single crochet in 6 chains, 3 single crochets in next chain, single crochet in 6 chains, rep from * across, change to color B in last single crochet - 120 single crochets.
3
Begin Row 2 with attached color B. Chain 1, turn then single crochet in first single crochet, skip next single crochet, single crochet in 5 single crochets, 3 single crochets in next single crochet, * single crochet in 6 single crochets, skip 2 single crochets, single crochet in 6 single crochets, 3 single crochets in next single crochet, rep from * across to last 7 single crochets, single crochet in 5 single crochets, skip next single crochet, single crochet in last single crochet.
4
Attach color C and work last row 2 times.
Attach color D and work 1 row.
Attach color E and work 3 rows
Repeat entire color sequence 10 more times. Fasten off.
5
Keep hooks handy!
Keep hooks handy!
Complete your blanket with the finish of your choice (plain, tassels, single crochets, etc).
Keep your crochet hooks handy for more exciting craft ideas.
Things You'll Need:
Crochet hook
Yarn
Scissors
1
Choose 5 yarn colors.
Choose 5 yarn colors.
Choose 5 complementary yarn colors for your blanket (Color: A,B,C,D and E). Then with color A, chain 118.
(When attaching new colors of yarn, work both the old and new yarn colors onto the hook so that there are 2 loops on hook then yarn over with new color to complete stitch.)
2
Begin Row 1 with color A, single crochet in 2nd chain from hook and in next 5 chains, 3 single crochet in next chain, single crochet in 6 chains,
* skip 2 chains, single crochet in 6 chains, 3 single crochets in next chain, single crochet in 6 chains, rep from * across, change to color B in last single crochet - 120 single crochets.
3
Begin Row 2 with attached color B. Chain 1, turn then single crochet in first single crochet, skip next single crochet, single crochet in 5 single crochets, 3 single crochets in next single crochet, * single crochet in 6 single crochets, skip 2 single crochets, single crochet in 6 single crochets, 3 single crochets in next single crochet, rep from * across to last 7 single crochets, single crochet in 5 single crochets, skip next single crochet, single crochet in last single crochet.
4
Attach color C and work last row 2 times.
Attach color D and work 1 row.
Attach color E and work 3 rows
Repeat entire color sequence 10 more times. Fasten off.
5
Keep hooks handy!
Keep hooks handy!
Complete your blanket with the finish of your choice (plain, tassels, single crochets, etc).
Keep your crochet hooks handy for more exciting craft ideas.
How to Get an Animal out of a Crawlspace
Animals may decide that your crawl space would make an ideal home.
Animals may decide that your crawl space would make an ideal home.
Animals seeking shelter may intrude into the crawl space under your home. The crawl space is designed to give access to your home's piping and utility systems and to create an insulating gap between your house and the ground. If animals move into the crawl space, they can damage your house, create noise at all times of the day or night, cause odors, and even become aggressive to protect their new shelter. While poison may seem like a solution, it is not humane and the animal may die and decompose in the crawl space. Safer and more humane removal solutions are available.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Glue board traps, approximately 350 sq. inches
Plywood, 1/4" x 24" x 18"
Brass tacks
Vegetable oil
5 rags
Ammonia
Mothballs
Radio
Powerful weather-resistant light
Small Animals
1
Tack the glue boards to the plywood.
Tack the glue boards to the plywood.
Affix the glue boards to the plywood with the brass tacks. Glue boards are cardboard sheets covered with a tacky, glue-like substance. Small animals become stuck in the glue when they attempt to cross over the traps. Hardware stores and exterminators usually sell these traps.
2
Place the plywood board into the crawl space. Position the board against a wall where animals are likely to cross.
3
Check the traps daily. For humane concerns, do not allow the animals to remain mired in the glue any longer than necessary.
4
Remove the occupied trap from the crawlspace and carry it far away from the house. Be extremely cautious because the trapped animal may become aggressive.
5
Vegetable oil breaks down the glue to release the animal unharmed.
Vegetable oil breaks down the glue to release the animal unharmed.
Pour vegetable oil on and around the trapped animal. The oil will slowly break down the glue so the animal can escape unharmed back into the wild.
Large Animals
1
Place ammonia-soaked rags in the crawl space. Most larger animals are repelled by the scent of ammonia, so ammonia-soaked rags will discourage the animal from remaining in the crawl space. Place the rags along the walls and by any openings into the crawl space.
2
The smell of mothballs will repel animals.
The smell of mothballs will repel animals.
Scatter mothballs across the crawl space floor. Animals also find the scent of mothballs to be noxious. Add a few extra balls in the corners and at the openings to the crawl space.
3
Expose the animals to loud music and lights. Animals cherish a dark, quiet shelter, so you can drive them out of the crawl space by being a bad neighbor. Place a blaring radio and a powerful weather-resistant light into the crawl space. The light may be a portable flood lamp or a high-powered flashlight.
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Animals may decide that your crawl space would make an ideal home.
Animals seeking shelter may intrude into the crawl space under your home. The crawl space is designed to give access to your home's piping and utility systems and to create an insulating gap between your house and the ground. If animals move into the crawl space, they can damage your house, create noise at all times of the day or night, cause odors, and even become aggressive to protect their new shelter. While poison may seem like a solution, it is not humane and the animal may die and decompose in the crawl space. Safer and more humane removal solutions are available.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Glue board traps, approximately 350 sq. inches
Plywood, 1/4" x 24" x 18"
Brass tacks
Vegetable oil
5 rags
Ammonia
Mothballs
Radio
Powerful weather-resistant light
Small Animals
1
Tack the glue boards to the plywood.
Tack the glue boards to the plywood.
Affix the glue boards to the plywood with the brass tacks. Glue boards are cardboard sheets covered with a tacky, glue-like substance. Small animals become stuck in the glue when they attempt to cross over the traps. Hardware stores and exterminators usually sell these traps.
2
Place the plywood board into the crawl space. Position the board against a wall where animals are likely to cross.
3
Check the traps daily. For humane concerns, do not allow the animals to remain mired in the glue any longer than necessary.
4
Remove the occupied trap from the crawlspace and carry it far away from the house. Be extremely cautious because the trapped animal may become aggressive.
5
Vegetable oil breaks down the glue to release the animal unharmed.
Vegetable oil breaks down the glue to release the animal unharmed.
Pour vegetable oil on and around the trapped animal. The oil will slowly break down the glue so the animal can escape unharmed back into the wild.
Large Animals
1
Place ammonia-soaked rags in the crawl space. Most larger animals are repelled by the scent of ammonia, so ammonia-soaked rags will discourage the animal from remaining in the crawl space. Place the rags along the walls and by any openings into the crawl space.
2
The smell of mothballs will repel animals.
The smell of mothballs will repel animals.
Scatter mothballs across the crawl space floor. Animals also find the scent of mothballs to be noxious. Add a few extra balls in the corners and at the openings to the crawl space.
3
Expose the animals to loud music and lights. Animals cherish a dark, quiet shelter, so you can drive them out of the crawl space by being a bad neighbor. Place a blaring radio and a powerful weather-resistant light into the crawl space. The light may be a portable flood lamp or a high-powered flashlight.
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How to Make Toe Thongs
Toe Thongs on the beach.
Toe Thongs on the beach.
User-Submitted Article
Toe thongs are also called foot thongs, barefoot sandals or beach sandals, but they all amount to the same thing...which is a whole lot of nothing covering your foot. They are worn inside as well and look especially sexy when your toes are all done up. They are basically just for fun and because they are so quick and easy to make, you can have a pair to compliment any attire.
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
elastic cording
size H crochet hook
glass beads
nylon thread & needle
1
Measure first.
Measure first.
To make your toe thongs, measure your foot from around the ankle, then crisscross and around your index toe. If it's 21" than you want to chain stitch your cording to a length of 16" laid out flat. Now join the two ends together into a circle and tie off. Once your chain stitches are joined, lay it flat as if it were two pieces side by side. Bring sides together and form a small knot about 3" up from one edge. This makes two loops, a small one that goes around your toe and the large loop for your ankle.
2
Closeup toe thongs.
Closeup toe thongs.
Thread your needle with the nylon thread. Choose beads and sew them onto the knotted section of your toe thong. You can vary the color of the cording or beads as desired; the combinations are endless.
3
There is no crocheting to make this toe thong. Cut a single piece of cording 24" long. Bend in half so each end is even with the other and lay flat. At the opened end thread both ends of the cording through two crystal beads. Set these about 3" from the other end and make a simple knot under these beads. After this knot, simply string beads onto the ends separately so you have two sides. Make a small circle and knot underneath. Tie at back of ankle.
Tips & Warnings
For sizing the crocheted toe thongs, basic rule is to subtract 5" from the measured length.
See below for tips on basic crochet chain stitch.
There is no real wrong or right way to make these, so just go for it. :) If you don't like what you just made, I'm sure you can spare another 20 minutes to try again. :)
kiss on my ads
Toe Thongs on the beach.
User-Submitted Article
Toe thongs are also called foot thongs, barefoot sandals or beach sandals, but they all amount to the same thing...which is a whole lot of nothing covering your foot. They are worn inside as well and look especially sexy when your toes are all done up. They are basically just for fun and because they are so quick and easy to make, you can have a pair to compliment any attire.
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
elastic cording
size H crochet hook
glass beads
nylon thread & needle
1
Measure first.
Measure first.
To make your toe thongs, measure your foot from around the ankle, then crisscross and around your index toe. If it's 21" than you want to chain stitch your cording to a length of 16" laid out flat. Now join the two ends together into a circle and tie off. Once your chain stitches are joined, lay it flat as if it were two pieces side by side. Bring sides together and form a small knot about 3" up from one edge. This makes two loops, a small one that goes around your toe and the large loop for your ankle.
2
Closeup toe thongs.
Closeup toe thongs.
Thread your needle with the nylon thread. Choose beads and sew them onto the knotted section of your toe thong. You can vary the color of the cording or beads as desired; the combinations are endless.
3
There is no crocheting to make this toe thong. Cut a single piece of cording 24" long. Bend in half so each end is even with the other and lay flat. At the opened end thread both ends of the cording through two crystal beads. Set these about 3" from the other end and make a simple knot under these beads. After this knot, simply string beads onto the ends separately so you have two sides. Make a small circle and knot underneath. Tie at back of ankle.
Tips & Warnings
For sizing the crocheted toe thongs, basic rule is to subtract 5" from the measured length.
See below for tips on basic crochet chain stitch.
There is no real wrong or right way to make these, so just go for it. :) If you don't like what you just made, I'm sure you can spare another 20 minutes to try again. :)
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How to Use Jelly Beans in Cake Decorating
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Frosted cake
Jelly beans
Cup of frosting
Small spatula
Stencils
1
Place a pre-frosted cake in front of you on its stand. If you're not using a cake stand, place the cake on its serving plate or base.
2
Separate your jelly beans into bowls according to color. Depending on how intricately you want to decorate the cake, you may use as much as a cup per color. Separating them helps you keep your project organized.
3
Place a large, clean stencil over the top surface of the cake. The design will form the focal point of your cake. Choose a stencil that corresponds with the theme of the cake, such as balloons, flowers or a name.
4
Apply a small amount of frosting to the side of one jelly bean and anchor it in place within the outline of the chosen stencil. Repeat this step until you have outlined the stencil using the same color of jelly beans.
5
Carefully remove the stencil from the cake. Fill in the jelly bean outline with other assorted colored jelly beans. Repeat until you achieve the look you want.
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-
-(canswerbank.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
(javaanswerbank.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
(vbanswerbank.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
(basicthinksblog.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
-
Things You'll Need:
Frosted cake
Jelly beans
Cup of frosting
Small spatula
Stencils
1
Place a pre-frosted cake in front of you on its stand. If you're not using a cake stand, place the cake on its serving plate or base.
2
Separate your jelly beans into bowls according to color. Depending on how intricately you want to decorate the cake, you may use as much as a cup per color. Separating them helps you keep your project organized.
3
Place a large, clean stencil over the top surface of the cake. The design will form the focal point of your cake. Choose a stencil that corresponds with the theme of the cake, such as balloons, flowers or a name.
4
Apply a small amount of frosting to the side of one jelly bean and anchor it in place within the outline of the chosen stencil. Repeat this step until you have outlined the stencil using the same color of jelly beans.
5
Carefully remove the stencil from the cake. Fill in the jelly bean outline with other assorted colored jelly beans. Repeat until you achieve the look you want.
...then...kiss on my ads..
-
-(canswerbank.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
(javaanswerbank.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
(vbanswerbank.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
(basicthinksblog.blogspot.com)
9 Google Ads & 20 Impressions
-
Ideas for Decoration for a Girl Scout Party
Brownie Decorations
If planning a party for Brownies, second- and third-graders, use brown balloons to decorate. Tie the balloons to the back of each girl's chair with brown satin ribbons. Purchase a brown table cloth and cutlery and sprinkle brown metallic confetti on top of the table. Order custom-baked brownies that can be made to look like a certificate of achievement for each girl. Display each brownie on a cake display plate so that each girl is recognized. Root beer floats make a great finale to your brown theme.
Daisy Theme
For Girl Scout Daisies, who are in kindergarten and first grade, adorn the party area with bold colored daisies in tiny vases. Purchase a daisy print piece of fabric from the fabric or craft store and use it as a base tablecloth. Select a table runner the same color as one of the flowers in the tablecloth. Tie three colorful satin ribbons around the vases holding the flowers, trimming the excess ribbon down to 3 inches on each vase. Use colorful party streamers to decorate the ceiling, doorways and seating. As a party favor, give each girl a pack of seeds and discuss which "seeds" or good deeds they intend to sow in the next year and how the troop can work together to accomplish this goal.
Photo Theme
Older Girl Scouts may be more social and enjoy a photo themed party. Ask parents for photos they have of the girls involved in the troop's activities throughout the year. Select the best photos and use them for party decorations. Order a table cloth from a screen-printing company that has photos of all the girls in your troop. Customize a colorful frame with her photo enclosed for each girl, using sticker letters to add her name to the bottom of the picture frame. Line the frames along the center of the table as the centerpiece. Photo confetti may be sprinkled in between the picture frames to further enhance the theme and bring back memories for the girls regarding their activities throughout the year. Photo confetti can be special-ordered from Photofetti or a local specialty printer.
If planning a party for Brownies, second- and third-graders, use brown balloons to decorate. Tie the balloons to the back of each girl's chair with brown satin ribbons. Purchase a brown table cloth and cutlery and sprinkle brown metallic confetti on top of the table. Order custom-baked brownies that can be made to look like a certificate of achievement for each girl. Display each brownie on a cake display plate so that each girl is recognized. Root beer floats make a great finale to your brown theme.
Daisy Theme
For Girl Scout Daisies, who are in kindergarten and first grade, adorn the party area with bold colored daisies in tiny vases. Purchase a daisy print piece of fabric from the fabric or craft store and use it as a base tablecloth. Select a table runner the same color as one of the flowers in the tablecloth. Tie three colorful satin ribbons around the vases holding the flowers, trimming the excess ribbon down to 3 inches on each vase. Use colorful party streamers to decorate the ceiling, doorways and seating. As a party favor, give each girl a pack of seeds and discuss which "seeds" or good deeds they intend to sow in the next year and how the troop can work together to accomplish this goal.
Photo Theme
Older Girl Scouts may be more social and enjoy a photo themed party. Ask parents for photos they have of the girls involved in the troop's activities throughout the year. Select the best photos and use them for party decorations. Order a table cloth from a screen-printing company that has photos of all the girls in your troop. Customize a colorful frame with her photo enclosed for each girl, using sticker letters to add her name to the bottom of the picture frame. Line the frames along the center of the table as the centerpiece. Photo confetti may be sprinkled in between the picture frames to further enhance the theme and bring back memories for the girls regarding their activities throughout the year. Photo confetti can be special-ordered from Photofetti or a local specialty printer.
Ideas for a Boy Scout Scrapbook
Merit Badges
Design a scrapbook devoted to your child's quest for Boy Scout badges. Create an individual layout for each badge and include pictures of your child completing the tasks to earn the honor. Add a meaningful page embellishment by making a color copy of the actual badge to affix to the page. Leave room on the page where your child can write his impressions about the quest for the badge and what he learned most about the process.
Outdoor Adventures
Create a scrapbook featuring photos and memories from outdoor scouting activities. Include pictures and written anecdotes about day trips, hikes and nature excursions, for example. If your child has been in Boy Scouts for several years, create "then-and-now" layouts to showcase how his tent-building, fire-starting or fishing skills have developed and improved.
Scouting Memorabilia
Fill an album with memorabilia that your child has collected through Boy Scout activities. Use double-sided tape or a glue stick to affix such items as pamphlets, fliers, postcards or notes from friends to the background pages. If you'd rather not attach the ephemera to the pages, create pocket pages by cutting a piece of card stock so it's half as tall and an inch narrower than the background page. Attach the card stock to the background with double-sided tape placed along the bottom and sides. Decorate with scout-related stickers or die cuts and slip memorabilia into the pocket.
Best Friends
Record the friendships that your child has made through the Boy Scouts with a scrapbook that pays tribute to his best scouting friends. Include photos of the children at Boy Scout-related meetings, campouts, parties and ceremonies. Leave room on each page to write about the boys' relationship, such as when they met, how they bonded and how they've helped each other during scouting events. Ask each child to contribute text to the pages, as well. Encourage them to write what they like most about one another and what goals they have for their scouting adventures and friendship.
Troop Salute
If you're a Boy Scout troop leader, pay tribute to the children in your group with a scrapbook that records their personalities and most admirable qualities. Create a layout for each child featuring pictures that highlight his accomplishments during the year. Leave a spot on the page where the other scouts can write yearbook-style notes to the subject of the layout.
Design a scrapbook devoted to your child's quest for Boy Scout badges. Create an individual layout for each badge and include pictures of your child completing the tasks to earn the honor. Add a meaningful page embellishment by making a color copy of the actual badge to affix to the page. Leave room on the page where your child can write his impressions about the quest for the badge and what he learned most about the process.
Outdoor Adventures
Create a scrapbook featuring photos and memories from outdoor scouting activities. Include pictures and written anecdotes about day trips, hikes and nature excursions, for example. If your child has been in Boy Scouts for several years, create "then-and-now" layouts to showcase how his tent-building, fire-starting or fishing skills have developed and improved.
Scouting Memorabilia
Fill an album with memorabilia that your child has collected through Boy Scout activities. Use double-sided tape or a glue stick to affix such items as pamphlets, fliers, postcards or notes from friends to the background pages. If you'd rather not attach the ephemera to the pages, create pocket pages by cutting a piece of card stock so it's half as tall and an inch narrower than the background page. Attach the card stock to the background with double-sided tape placed along the bottom and sides. Decorate with scout-related stickers or die cuts and slip memorabilia into the pocket.
Best Friends
Record the friendships that your child has made through the Boy Scouts with a scrapbook that pays tribute to his best scouting friends. Include photos of the children at Boy Scout-related meetings, campouts, parties and ceremonies. Leave room on each page to write about the boys' relationship, such as when they met, how they bonded and how they've helped each other during scouting events. Ask each child to contribute text to the pages, as well. Encourage them to write what they like most about one another and what goals they have for their scouting adventures and friendship.
Troop Salute
If you're a Boy Scout troop leader, pay tribute to the children in your group with a scrapbook that records their personalities and most admirable qualities. Create a layout for each child featuring pictures that highlight his accomplishments during the year. Leave a spot on the page where the other scouts can write yearbook-style notes to the subject of the layout.
Ideas for Boy Scouts
Scout Cafe
Teach Boy Scouts the ins and outs of running a business by planning a cafe. Scouts will be able to plan everything from shopping for the menu to food preparation and how to balance a budget in this hands-on activity. Scouts can learn what it takes to make an eatery successful and invite family and friends or other scout members to stop by the makeshift cafe.
Farm Life
Boy Scouts can learn everything they need to know about animals and farm life by taking a field trip to visit a local farm or ranch. Cow milking, the sheering of sheep and even harvesting vegetables are among the topics scouts can learn about. After the field trip, volunteers can lead the scouts on growing their own herbs and vegetables by supplying pots, soil and seeds.
Time Capsule
Organize a meeting to be centered around a time capsule. Ask each scout member to bring a memento to the meeting along with a short letter for the time capsule that includes interests, favorite things and goals for the coming year. Troop leaders can bury the time capsule and open it with scouts at the end of the year to discuss the letters and to see if goals were met and how interests have changed.
A Night of Skits
Divide scouts into small groups for an improvised skit night. Comedy, drama, as well as song and dance will be on the menu as Boy Scouts present their acting skills to their peers. Team work will be demonstrated, with scouts only allowed a certain amount of time to get prepared to perform. Leaders can award the winning skit team with a gag prize or a dummy trophy.
Teach Boy Scouts the ins and outs of running a business by planning a cafe. Scouts will be able to plan everything from shopping for the menu to food preparation and how to balance a budget in this hands-on activity. Scouts can learn what it takes to make an eatery successful and invite family and friends or other scout members to stop by the makeshift cafe.
Farm Life
Boy Scouts can learn everything they need to know about animals and farm life by taking a field trip to visit a local farm or ranch. Cow milking, the sheering of sheep and even harvesting vegetables are among the topics scouts can learn about. After the field trip, volunteers can lead the scouts on growing their own herbs and vegetables by supplying pots, soil and seeds.
Time Capsule
Organize a meeting to be centered around a time capsule. Ask each scout member to bring a memento to the meeting along with a short letter for the time capsule that includes interests, favorite things and goals for the coming year. Troop leaders can bury the time capsule and open it with scouts at the end of the year to discuss the letters and to see if goals were met and how interests have changed.
A Night of Skits
Divide scouts into small groups for an improvised skit night. Comedy, drama, as well as song and dance will be on the menu as Boy Scouts present their acting skills to their peers. Team work will be demonstrated, with scouts only allowed a certain amount of time to get prepared to perform. Leaders can award the winning skit team with a gag prize or a dummy trophy.
Cake Decorating Tips for Tubes
Write Messages
Write messages using a round No. 1 tip. Thin buttercream frosting or royal icing works well. Add 1 tbsp. of corn syrup per ½ cup of buttercream frosting for smoother flow and better defined points. Lightly draw the message on the cake using a toothpick. Smooth the icing over and start again as often as necessary. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and the tip lightly touching the cake. Move your entire arm when you write rather than only moving your hand. Lift your arm up at the end of the letter or word, and be sure to stop squeezing the icing bag before you lift your arm to avoid making tails at the ends of your words. For printing, hold the bag toward you for vertical lines and to the right or left for horizontal lines.
Make Flowers
Star flowers can be done by using the No. 2D and No. 3 tips. Use the No. 2D to make the petals. Make six petals in a circle. Begin at the center of the circle, squeeze out the petal holding the bag straight up, stop squeezing and lift your hand. Make the petal a bit thicker in the center and taper off toward the end of the petal. Use a No. 3 tip to make the dot at the center of the flower connecting the petals. The petals can be a different color from the center for a more realistic look. Frosting for the petals should be of medium consistency and the center dot of a thinner consistency.
Make Leaves
Use a leaf tip to add leaves to your flowers. Mix up medium-consistency, dark-green frosting and draw the stem with the round No. 1 tip. Adding 1 tbsp. of corn syrup per 1/2 cup of leaf frosting will give a nice crisp tip to your leaves. Attach the leaf tip, point one of the pointed sides of the tip face down. Start the leaf at the stem and, as you finish the end of the leaf, pull up as you stop squeezing the frosting bag. This will give the leaf a three-dimensional finish.
Write messages using a round No. 1 tip. Thin buttercream frosting or royal icing works well. Add 1 tbsp. of corn syrup per ½ cup of buttercream frosting for smoother flow and better defined points. Lightly draw the message on the cake using a toothpick. Smooth the icing over and start again as often as necessary. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and the tip lightly touching the cake. Move your entire arm when you write rather than only moving your hand. Lift your arm up at the end of the letter or word, and be sure to stop squeezing the icing bag before you lift your arm to avoid making tails at the ends of your words. For printing, hold the bag toward you for vertical lines and to the right or left for horizontal lines.
Make Flowers
Star flowers can be done by using the No. 2D and No. 3 tips. Use the No. 2D to make the petals. Make six petals in a circle. Begin at the center of the circle, squeeze out the petal holding the bag straight up, stop squeezing and lift your hand. Make the petal a bit thicker in the center and taper off toward the end of the petal. Use a No. 3 tip to make the dot at the center of the flower connecting the petals. The petals can be a different color from the center for a more realistic look. Frosting for the petals should be of medium consistency and the center dot of a thinner consistency.
Make Leaves
Use a leaf tip to add leaves to your flowers. Mix up medium-consistency, dark-green frosting and draw the stem with the round No. 1 tip. Adding 1 tbsp. of corn syrup per 1/2 cup of leaf frosting will give a nice crisp tip to your leaves. Attach the leaf tip, point one of the pointed sides of the tip face down. Start the leaf at the stem and, as you finish the end of the leaf, pull up as you stop squeezing the frosting bag. This will give the leaf a three-dimensional finish.
Cupcake & Cake Ideas for Boy Scouts
Blue and Gold
Bake a simple sponge cake and decorate it with blue and gold icing to match the main colors of scouts. Other scouting themes can be incorporated too, such as the annual scout racing event, the Pinewood Derby. Use a car-shaped cake pan or draw a race car with icing pens in the center of the sponge cake.
Cupcakes
Cupcakes can be all different flavors and colors; blue and gold in keeping with the banquet or greens and browns that tie in with the camping and outdoor activities the Boy Scout program involves. Finish the cakes off with toppers modeled after the Scout emblem, the Fleur-de-Lis. The symbol has points that represent the scout's duty to God, obedience to Scout law, and service to others. An image of it can be found at the official Boy Scouts website.
Eagle Scout Cake
Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting, could be represented by an eagle cake. Bake two cakes in 2-qt Pyrex bowls. Stack them on top of each other and secure them with bamboo skewers. For the top, stack two large muffins or cupcakes together. Carve out the shape of the eagle's head from these pieces, then secure them together with skewers. Use wafers or fondant for the feet and beak. Cover the body of the cake with brown and white icing, and dust the feathers with coconut.
Camping-Themed Cake
Bake a rectangular cake, and cover it with dark green icing to represent grass. Stroke the icing with a fork to give it a grassy texture. Use chocolate pop tarts, pretzel sticks and brown frosting to build "tents" on the top. Create a campfire with chocolate rocks, pretzel sticks and orange or red frosting, or add a lake with blue icing.
Bake a simple sponge cake and decorate it with blue and gold icing to match the main colors of scouts. Other scouting themes can be incorporated too, such as the annual scout racing event, the Pinewood Derby. Use a car-shaped cake pan or draw a race car with icing pens in the center of the sponge cake.
Cupcakes
Cupcakes can be all different flavors and colors; blue and gold in keeping with the banquet or greens and browns that tie in with the camping and outdoor activities the Boy Scout program involves. Finish the cakes off with toppers modeled after the Scout emblem, the Fleur-de-Lis. The symbol has points that represent the scout's duty to God, obedience to Scout law, and service to others. An image of it can be found at the official Boy Scouts website.
Eagle Scout Cake
Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting, could be represented by an eagle cake. Bake two cakes in 2-qt Pyrex bowls. Stack them on top of each other and secure them with bamboo skewers. For the top, stack two large muffins or cupcakes together. Carve out the shape of the eagle's head from these pieces, then secure them together with skewers. Use wafers or fondant for the feet and beak. Cover the body of the cake with brown and white icing, and dust the feathers with coconut.
Camping-Themed Cake
Bake a rectangular cake, and cover it with dark green icing to represent grass. Stroke the icing with a fork to give it a grassy texture. Use chocolate pop tarts, pretzel sticks and brown frosting to build "tents" on the top. Create a campfire with chocolate rocks, pretzel sticks and orange or red frosting, or add a lake with blue icing.
Fun Science Projects for Cub Scouts
Volcano in a Bottle
This project teaches Cub Scouts about chemical reactions. You will need a clear, slender-neck bottle, baking soda, vinegar, dishwashing liquid, food coloring and glitter. Add baking soda and glitter to the bottle until it covers the bottom. Place the bottle in a pan or bowl (for spillage). Separately mix 1/4 cup vinegar and two drops each of food coloring and dishwashing liquid. Use the funnel to add the vinegar mixture to the baking soda. Stand back and watch the eruption.
Mini Rocket
This project teaches Cub Scouts about chemical reactions and pressure, and should be performed outside, or in a well-ventilated area. You will need baking soda, vinegar and an empty film canister with a lid. Remove the lid and tightly pack it with baking soda. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to the canister. Gently put the lid on the canister until it snaps, turn it upside down and put the canister in the ground. Step back and watch the mini rocket blast off.
Cyclone in a Bottle
This science project teaches Cub Scouts about weather. You will need water, food coloring, glitter, two empty 2-liter bottles with labels removed and masking tape. Fill one bottle halfway with water. Add two to three drops of food coloring and glitter. Place the other bottle upside-down over the first bottle, and tape them securely together. Hold the bottom bottle firmly and the top bottle steady, and swirl. Flip the bottles over and watch the colorful cyclone. ...kiss on my ads......
This project teaches Cub Scouts about chemical reactions. You will need a clear, slender-neck bottle, baking soda, vinegar, dishwashing liquid, food coloring and glitter. Add baking soda and glitter to the bottle until it covers the bottom. Place the bottle in a pan or bowl (for spillage). Separately mix 1/4 cup vinegar and two drops each of food coloring and dishwashing liquid. Use the funnel to add the vinegar mixture to the baking soda. Stand back and watch the eruption.
Mini Rocket
This project teaches Cub Scouts about chemical reactions and pressure, and should be performed outside, or in a well-ventilated area. You will need baking soda, vinegar and an empty film canister with a lid. Remove the lid and tightly pack it with baking soda. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to the canister. Gently put the lid on the canister until it snaps, turn it upside down and put the canister in the ground. Step back and watch the mini rocket blast off.
Cyclone in a Bottle
This science project teaches Cub Scouts about weather. You will need water, food coloring, glitter, two empty 2-liter bottles with labels removed and masking tape. Fill one bottle halfway with water. Add two to three drops of food coloring and glitter. Place the other bottle upside-down over the first bottle, and tape them securely together. Hold the bottom bottle firmly and the top bottle steady, and swirl. Flip the bottles over and watch the colorful cyclone. ...kiss on my ads......
Cake Decorating Ideas & Tips
Cake decorating ideas
Cake decoration usually follows the theme of the party or occasion. The colors, design and even flavors reflect the kind of party and the choices or likes and dislikes of the guest of honor. Always make sure that you keep in mind what your guests will like so that they appreciate the time and effort you put in cake decoration.
If you are decorating a cake for a party, try to use materials that you are familiar with so that your work comes out well. Experiment with new ideas and techniques before taking on a big decoration project.
Fondant is a preferred medium of decoration used by professional decorators. It gives a professional and neat finish to any cake. Use fondant with cookie cutters to add a three-dimensional effect to cakes, even if you use buttercream icing as a base.
Airbrushing is another option that converts cakes into a painter's canvas. Using airbrushing, you can paint different shades to add a beautiful depth to cake decoration. Combined with piping work and fondant, airbrushing can create uniquely decorated cakes.
Use props on your cakes. Small toys that go with a theme or figures modeled out of marzipan and gum paste can greatly add to the final effect of a well-decorated cake.
You can create a beautifully decorated cake using only buttercream icing, too. Use piping tips to create scrolls, ribbons or lace designs. To create a starburst effect, pipe a spiral on the cake in a contrasting color. Gently run a toothpick from the center of the cake to the outside. This creates an attractive starburst or spider-web pattern. Use two colors of icing for added effect.
Create a marbled effect in your piping. Fill your piping bag with two different colors of icing side by side. Pipe scrolls or shells, or any design that you plan to decorate your cake with. You will notice a beautiful marbled effect to the piped icing.
Cake decorating tips
Each cake decorator has her own set of tips and tricks that she uses to decorate cakes efficiently to make attractive end products.
A turntable goes a long way in ensuring that your cake is decorated evenly and does not appear lopsided with more icing on one side and less on the other. It also makes piping work easy and raises the cake to eye level so that you can work efficiently.
Create a textured effect on plain cakes by using textured paper towels. Ice your cake smooth with buttercream icing or whipped cream. Do not allow the icing to dry or become crusty. Carefully place the textured paper towel on top of the wet icing and apply gentle pressure evenly all over the cake. Lift the paper towel. The pattern on the paper towel should have left an imprint on the cake's surface.
Use candy to create borders and edges around cakes. This adds color to the cake and also makes decoration faster and easier.
Think creatively to incorporate different designs on your cake. Cake decoration is a creative process, and with some imagination, it is not difficult to make elegant custom cakes at home.
Cake decoration usually follows the theme of the party or occasion. The colors, design and even flavors reflect the kind of party and the choices or likes and dislikes of the guest of honor. Always make sure that you keep in mind what your guests will like so that they appreciate the time and effort you put in cake decoration.
If you are decorating a cake for a party, try to use materials that you are familiar with so that your work comes out well. Experiment with new ideas and techniques before taking on a big decoration project.
Fondant is a preferred medium of decoration used by professional decorators. It gives a professional and neat finish to any cake. Use fondant with cookie cutters to add a three-dimensional effect to cakes, even if you use buttercream icing as a base.
Airbrushing is another option that converts cakes into a painter's canvas. Using airbrushing, you can paint different shades to add a beautiful depth to cake decoration. Combined with piping work and fondant, airbrushing can create uniquely decorated cakes.
Use props on your cakes. Small toys that go with a theme or figures modeled out of marzipan and gum paste can greatly add to the final effect of a well-decorated cake.
You can create a beautifully decorated cake using only buttercream icing, too. Use piping tips to create scrolls, ribbons or lace designs. To create a starburst effect, pipe a spiral on the cake in a contrasting color. Gently run a toothpick from the center of the cake to the outside. This creates an attractive starburst or spider-web pattern. Use two colors of icing for added effect.
Create a marbled effect in your piping. Fill your piping bag with two different colors of icing side by side. Pipe scrolls or shells, or any design that you plan to decorate your cake with. You will notice a beautiful marbled effect to the piped icing.
Cake decorating tips
Each cake decorator has her own set of tips and tricks that she uses to decorate cakes efficiently to make attractive end products.
A turntable goes a long way in ensuring that your cake is decorated evenly and does not appear lopsided with more icing on one side and less on the other. It also makes piping work easy and raises the cake to eye level so that you can work efficiently.
Create a textured effect on plain cakes by using textured paper towels. Ice your cake smooth with buttercream icing or whipped cream. Do not allow the icing to dry or become crusty. Carefully place the textured paper towel on top of the wet icing and apply gentle pressure evenly all over the cake. Lift the paper towel. The pattern on the paper towel should have left an imprint on the cake's surface.
Use candy to create borders and edges around cakes. This adds color to the cake and also makes decoration faster and easier.
Think creatively to incorporate different designs on your cake. Cake decoration is a creative process, and with some imagination, it is not difficult to make elegant custom cakes at home.
Community Service Projects for Cub Scouts
Book Drive
Organize a book drive to create a library for a nonprofit agency in your area. Local shelters, orphanages, or children's hospitals can be great choices for location. Have the boys ask friends, family members, and neighbors to donate books and magazines to be used in the library. Boys also can ask for small cash donations to purchase things such as bookshelves, magazine subscriptions or decorations for the library. Have the boys set up the library themselves so they can see the end result of their work.
Clean a Park
Work with your local parks and recreation department to have the boys help clean up or restore a park in your area. Boys can take trash bags out and collect litter and other garbage. If the park has things such as picnic tables or fences, the boys can help to refinish or repair those areas so they look new again.
Build Back-To-School Bags
Have the boys create backpacks filled with school essentials for children who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Talk to your local school to find an age group to help, as well as a list of items that particular group will need. Have the boys collect donations for the backpacks from friends, family and neighbors, and then spend a day building the book bags. Donations can include notebooks, pencils, crayons and pens. Cash donations can be use to purchase the book bags or items in short supply.
Organize a book drive to create a library for a nonprofit agency in your area. Local shelters, orphanages, or children's hospitals can be great choices for location. Have the boys ask friends, family members, and neighbors to donate books and magazines to be used in the library. Boys also can ask for small cash donations to purchase things such as bookshelves, magazine subscriptions or decorations for the library. Have the boys set up the library themselves so they can see the end result of their work.
Clean a Park
Work with your local parks and recreation department to have the boys help clean up or restore a park in your area. Boys can take trash bags out and collect litter and other garbage. If the park has things such as picnic tables or fences, the boys can help to refinish or repair those areas so they look new again.
Build Back-To-School Bags
Have the boys create backpacks filled with school essentials for children who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Talk to your local school to find an age group to help, as well as a list of items that particular group will need. Have the boys collect donations for the backpacks from friends, family and neighbors, and then spend a day building the book bags. Donations can include notebooks, pencils, crayons and pens. Cash donations can be use to purchase the book bags or items in short supply.
The Coolest Cake Decorating Ideas & Tips
Sandcastle Cake
Make a sandcastle cake for a summertime celebration or to remind you of warmer days during the winter months. Start by frosting a cake of any size or shape with your favorite flavor of frosting. Tiered cakes add architectural interest to your sandcastle cake, although a standard round or square cake will suffice. Top the freshly frosted cake with crushed graham crackers or crushed vanilla cookies to give the cake a sandy appearance. Create towers by stacking sugar cones upside down onto cake cones and arranging them on top of the cake. Finish the effect by scattering chocolate seashells on and around your sandcastle cake.
Piñata Cake
Bake and decorate a single-layer, 8-inch round cake. Create a piñata shell for the cake by melting Candy Melts or chocolate coating in your microwave at 30-second intervals until the candy is smooth. Pour the melted candy into a greased 4-quart mixing bowl and tilt the bowl to completely cover the interior of the bowl with candy. Place the bowl into your freezer to harden the candy. Remove the bowl from the freezer and invert the bowl to carefully remove the candy shell. Place this shell over the cake and decorate it with frosting or candy to resemble a piñata. Serve the piñata cake with a small toy hammer and allow the recipient to break open the piñata to reveal the cake inside.
Burrito Cake
Prepare a jelly roll cake or purchase one from the grocery store. Roll out tan-colored fondant to form a large circle that resembles an extra large tortilla. Place the jelly roll in the center of this fondant tortilla and fold the ends up over the narrow sides of the jelly roll. Fold the two long side up so that they meet on top of the burrito or overlap slightly. Roll out yellow and green fondant and cut them into strips to create shredded cheese and lettuce. Sprinkle these strips liberally over the top of the burrito cake. Dice red fondant into squares for chopped tomatoes and cut small circles out of black fondant for sliced onions. Add a dollop of white frosting to the top of the cake to mimic sour cream.
Rainbow Cake
Cut a round cake in half and put the two pieces cut-side down to form an arch. Sandwich the two halves together with frosting to create a half-circle-shaped cake. Place the cake on a cake board with the cut side down. Frost the cake with white frosting and decorate with rows of candy-colored chocolates to create a rainbow design. For an added effect, before the cake is baked, separate the cake batter into several small bowls and tint each bowl a different color with liquid food coloring. Pour the colored batter randomly into the cake pan and do not stir it. When the baked cake is cut into, the cake with have a swirled rainbow interior.
Make a sandcastle cake for a summertime celebration or to remind you of warmer days during the winter months. Start by frosting a cake of any size or shape with your favorite flavor of frosting. Tiered cakes add architectural interest to your sandcastle cake, although a standard round or square cake will suffice. Top the freshly frosted cake with crushed graham crackers or crushed vanilla cookies to give the cake a sandy appearance. Create towers by stacking sugar cones upside down onto cake cones and arranging them on top of the cake. Finish the effect by scattering chocolate seashells on and around your sandcastle cake.
Piñata Cake
Bake and decorate a single-layer, 8-inch round cake. Create a piñata shell for the cake by melting Candy Melts or chocolate coating in your microwave at 30-second intervals until the candy is smooth. Pour the melted candy into a greased 4-quart mixing bowl and tilt the bowl to completely cover the interior of the bowl with candy. Place the bowl into your freezer to harden the candy. Remove the bowl from the freezer and invert the bowl to carefully remove the candy shell. Place this shell over the cake and decorate it with frosting or candy to resemble a piñata. Serve the piñata cake with a small toy hammer and allow the recipient to break open the piñata to reveal the cake inside.
Burrito Cake
Prepare a jelly roll cake or purchase one from the grocery store. Roll out tan-colored fondant to form a large circle that resembles an extra large tortilla. Place the jelly roll in the center of this fondant tortilla and fold the ends up over the narrow sides of the jelly roll. Fold the two long side up so that they meet on top of the burrito or overlap slightly. Roll out yellow and green fondant and cut them into strips to create shredded cheese and lettuce. Sprinkle these strips liberally over the top of the burrito cake. Dice red fondant into squares for chopped tomatoes and cut small circles out of black fondant for sliced onions. Add a dollop of white frosting to the top of the cake to mimic sour cream.
Rainbow Cake
Cut a round cake in half and put the two pieces cut-side down to form an arch. Sandwich the two halves together with frosting to create a half-circle-shaped cake. Place the cake on a cake board with the cut side down. Frost the cake with white frosting and decorate with rows of candy-colored chocolates to create a rainbow design. For an added effect, before the cake is baked, separate the cake batter into several small bowls and tint each bowl a different color with liquid food coloring. Pour the colored batter randomly into the cake pan and do not stir it. When the baked cake is cut into, the cake with have a swirled rainbow interior.
Cub Scout Art Projects
Camping Visor
Keep the sun out of your Cub Scout's eyes with a personalized plastic visor. Decorate a plain plastic visor with nature-themed stickers. Add your Cub Scout's name with alphabet stickers for easy identification in case it is lost.
CD Campfire
Turn an old CD into a campfire decoration for your Cub Scout's desk or dresser. Cover the CD with a thick layer of glue and sprinkle with sand until coated. Shake off the excess. Glue small stones around the border of the CD to form a circle. Arrange 4-inch pieces of sticks into a tent structure and glue into place. Allow drying for two hours. Add flames to the center of the stick formation by twisting small pieces of red and yellow tissue paper around toothpicks to form flames. Glue into place.
Rain Poncho
You never know when the clouds will unleash a rainstorm while your Cub Scout is on a camping trip. Send him out prepared with a personalized emergency rain poncho. Decorate the outside of the poncho pouch with foam insect stickers and your scout's name spelled out with alphabet stickers. Pierce a small hole on the top of the poncho pouch, careful not to damage the poncho inside, and hang a small, clip-style keychain from the hole. Clip the poncho onto your Cub Scout's backpack for easy retrieval.
Foam Frog Kerchief Slider
Cut a frog shape out of green craft foam and use a black permanent marker to add features such as eyes and a mouth. Outline the border of the frog for emphasis. Glue to a PVC ring with a hot glue gun. Slip it over your Cub Scout's kerchief the next time he puts on his uniform.
Camp Memory Box
Keep your Cub Scout's memories fresh with a camp memory box. Paint a ready-made wooden box and lid with acrylic paint. Glue wooden alphabet tiles onto the lid to spell out "Camp Memories" or another phrase. Allow for drying. Your scout can save leaves, stones and anything else that he finds while enjoying the great outdoors in the box
Keep the sun out of your Cub Scout's eyes with a personalized plastic visor. Decorate a plain plastic visor with nature-themed stickers. Add your Cub Scout's name with alphabet stickers for easy identification in case it is lost.
CD Campfire
Turn an old CD into a campfire decoration for your Cub Scout's desk or dresser. Cover the CD with a thick layer of glue and sprinkle with sand until coated. Shake off the excess. Glue small stones around the border of the CD to form a circle. Arrange 4-inch pieces of sticks into a tent structure and glue into place. Allow drying for two hours. Add flames to the center of the stick formation by twisting small pieces of red and yellow tissue paper around toothpicks to form flames. Glue into place.
Rain Poncho
You never know when the clouds will unleash a rainstorm while your Cub Scout is on a camping trip. Send him out prepared with a personalized emergency rain poncho. Decorate the outside of the poncho pouch with foam insect stickers and your scout's name spelled out with alphabet stickers. Pierce a small hole on the top of the poncho pouch, careful not to damage the poncho inside, and hang a small, clip-style keychain from the hole. Clip the poncho onto your Cub Scout's backpack for easy retrieval.
Foam Frog Kerchief Slider
Cut a frog shape out of green craft foam and use a black permanent marker to add features such as eyes and a mouth. Outline the border of the frog for emphasis. Glue to a PVC ring with a hot glue gun. Slip it over your Cub Scout's kerchief the next time he puts on his uniform.
Camp Memory Box
Keep your Cub Scout's memories fresh with a camp memory box. Paint a ready-made wooden box and lid with acrylic paint. Glue wooden alphabet tiles onto the lid to spell out "Camp Memories" or another phrase. Allow for drying. Your scout can save leaves, stones and anything else that he finds while enjoying the great outdoors in the box
Cake Decorating Ideas at Camp
Sleeping Under the Stars Cake
A sturdy plastic zip-top bag is an excellent substitute for a pastry bag. Use a spatula to transfer frosting to the bag until it's half full, and use a scissors to snip off a bottom corner of the bag. Squeeze gently to pipe out round ropes of frosting. To make a camp-out cake that features people in sleeping bags, frost a smooth surface on a cake with a spatula, then use frosting from the zip-top bag to pipe on rectangular sleeping bags and tiny heads poking out of the bags. Crumbled graham crackers on the surface of the cake can stand in for "boulders" or rocks on a hiking trail.
Pool Party Cake
Decorate a rectangular sheet cake in the style of a swimming pool to celebrate summer fun. Use a spatula to spread a flat layer of light-blue icing on a rectangular cake, and mix up several small batches of different-colored frosting. Load each color into a zip-top plastic bag, and snip off a corner of each bag. Use the bags to pipe inner tubes, small people, buoys, and pool toys on the cake. Finish by sticking plastic umbrellas on the cake's corners or piping a "deck" border with white or black frosting around the outside of the cake.
Tent Cake
Using just a serrated knife and some butter cream frosting, you can decorate a cake in the shape of a tent. Begin by baking a two-layer or a three-layer round cake and stacking the layers together with butter cream frosting in the middle. With the serrated knife, carve the cake into the shape of a tent. Cut away the curved sides, and angle the top down to form a triangle instead of a flat surface. Use the knife to carve a small triangular indentation at the front of the cake to make a door. When you're finished making cuts, frost the cake all over with butter cream. Transfer a small amount of black buttercream to a plastic zip-top bag, and cut a tiny hole at the corner of the bag. Use the frosting to pipe on shape details and a door for the tent.
A sturdy plastic zip-top bag is an excellent substitute for a pastry bag. Use a spatula to transfer frosting to the bag until it's half full, and use a scissors to snip off a bottom corner of the bag. Squeeze gently to pipe out round ropes of frosting. To make a camp-out cake that features people in sleeping bags, frost a smooth surface on a cake with a spatula, then use frosting from the zip-top bag to pipe on rectangular sleeping bags and tiny heads poking out of the bags. Crumbled graham crackers on the surface of the cake can stand in for "boulders" or rocks on a hiking trail.
Pool Party Cake
Decorate a rectangular sheet cake in the style of a swimming pool to celebrate summer fun. Use a spatula to spread a flat layer of light-blue icing on a rectangular cake, and mix up several small batches of different-colored frosting. Load each color into a zip-top plastic bag, and snip off a corner of each bag. Use the bags to pipe inner tubes, small people, buoys, and pool toys on the cake. Finish by sticking plastic umbrellas on the cake's corners or piping a "deck" border with white or black frosting around the outside of the cake.
Tent Cake
Using just a serrated knife and some butter cream frosting, you can decorate a cake in the shape of a tent. Begin by baking a two-layer or a three-layer round cake and stacking the layers together with butter cream frosting in the middle. With the serrated knife, carve the cake into the shape of a tent. Cut away the curved sides, and angle the top down to form a triangle instead of a flat surface. Use the knife to carve a small triangular indentation at the front of the cake to make a door. When you're finished making cuts, frost the cake all over with butter cream. Transfer a small amount of black buttercream to a plastic zip-top bag, and cut a tiny hole at the corner of the bag. Use the frosting to pipe on shape details and a door for the tent.
Cub Scout Blue & Gold Food Ideas
Put blue icing on sugar cookies.
Put blue icing on sugar cookies.
The Cub Scouts, part of Boy Scouts of America, is a program for boys ages 7 through 10. It aims to teach boys qualities such as service, sportsmanship, fitness, personal achievement, character development and good citizenship. The program's colors are blue and gold, so if you're hosting a Cub Scout event, something fun you can do is serve only blue and gold food.
Blue Food
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas, made from the flour of blue corn, can be used in several ways. Set out cheese, sour cream, cooked chicken or beef, and chopped onion, lettuce and tomato for everyone to build their own blue tortilla. Or, cut tortillas into thirds or fourths and flash fry them to turn them into blue nacho chips, to be served with salsa made with blue corn. And, yes, there are blue potatoes. Fry up some blue potato chips or French fries, or make blue mashed potatoes. For dessert, serve a cake with blue icing, or a blueberry cobbler or pie. Spread sugar cookies with blue icing for a snack.
Gold Cuisine
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Add a few drops of food coloring to a cream-cheese-based dip to make it gold. To turn a white meat such as chicken, fish or pork a gold color, sprinkle it with powdered turmeric. (But be careful: A little goes a very long way.) For a side dish, serve corn chowder, wax beans, spaghetti squash or corn bread. For dessert, make a gold congealed salad or butterscotch pudding. Make a fruit salad with golden raisins, pineapple, banana, cantaloupe and peaches. Or, blend gold food coloring into whipped cream and serve over golden pound cake with chunks of ripe mango.
Best Beverages
Golden pineapple juice.
Golden pineapple juice.
Create blue and gold drinks (non-alcoholic, of course). For a refreshing blue punch, mix together two cans of frozen piña colada drink mixer, two packets of a blue drink mix and two cups of sugar. Stir in one quart of club soda just before serving. For a gold drink, pineapple juice works great. Lemon drinks or banana smoothies are also delicious. Another option is to make vanilla milkshakes, some with blue food coloring and some with gold.
Put blue icing on sugar cookies.
The Cub Scouts, part of Boy Scouts of America, is a program for boys ages 7 through 10. It aims to teach boys qualities such as service, sportsmanship, fitness, personal achievement, character development and good citizenship. The program's colors are blue and gold, so if you're hosting a Cub Scout event, something fun you can do is serve only blue and gold food.
Blue Food
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas, made from the flour of blue corn, can be used in several ways. Set out cheese, sour cream, cooked chicken or beef, and chopped onion, lettuce and tomato for everyone to build their own blue tortilla. Or, cut tortillas into thirds or fourths and flash fry them to turn them into blue nacho chips, to be served with salsa made with blue corn. And, yes, there are blue potatoes. Fry up some blue potato chips or French fries, or make blue mashed potatoes. For dessert, serve a cake with blue icing, or a blueberry cobbler or pie. Spread sugar cookies with blue icing for a snack.
Gold Cuisine
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Add a few drops of food coloring to a cream-cheese-based dip to make it gold. To turn a white meat such as chicken, fish or pork a gold color, sprinkle it with powdered turmeric. (But be careful: A little goes a very long way.) For a side dish, serve corn chowder, wax beans, spaghetti squash or corn bread. For dessert, make a gold congealed salad or butterscotch pudding. Make a fruit salad with golden raisins, pineapple, banana, cantaloupe and peaches. Or, blend gold food coloring into whipped cream and serve over golden pound cake with chunks of ripe mango.
Best Beverages
Golden pineapple juice.
Golden pineapple juice.
Create blue and gold drinks (non-alcoholic, of course). For a refreshing blue punch, mix together two cans of frozen piña colada drink mixer, two packets of a blue drink mix and two cups of sugar. Stir in one quart of club soda just before serving. For a gold drink, pineapple juice works great. Lemon drinks or banana smoothies are also delicious. Another option is to make vanilla milkshakes, some with blue food coloring and some with gold.
Cub Scout Blue & Gold Food Ideas
Put blue icing on sugar cookies.
Put blue icing on sugar cookies.
The Cub Scouts, part of Boy Scouts of America, is a program for boys ages 7 through 10. It aims to teach boys qualities such as service, sportsmanship, fitness, personal achievement, character development and good citizenship. The program's colors are blue and gold, so if you're hosting a Cub Scout event, something fun you can do is serve only blue and gold food.
Blue Food
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas, made from the flour of blue corn, can be used in several ways. Set out cheese, sour cream, cooked chicken or beef, and chopped onion, lettuce and tomato for everyone to build their own blue tortilla. Or, cut tortillas into thirds or fourths and flash fry them to turn them into blue nacho chips, to be served with salsa made with blue corn. And, yes, there are blue potatoes. Fry up some blue potato chips or French fries, or make blue mashed potatoes. For dessert, serve a cake with blue icing, or a blueberry cobbler or pie. Spread sugar cookies with blue icing for a snack.
Gold Cuisine
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Add a few drops of food coloring to a cream-cheese-based dip to make it gold. To turn a white meat such as chicken, fish or pork a gold color, sprinkle it with powdered turmeric. (But be careful: A little goes a very long way.) For a side dish, serve corn chowder, wax beans, spaghetti squash or corn bread. For dessert, make a gold congealed salad or butterscotch pudding. Make a fruit salad with golden raisins, pineapple, banana, cantaloupe and peaches. Or, blend gold food coloring into whipped cream and serve over golden pound cake with chunks of ripe mango.
Best Beverages
Golden pineapple juice.
Golden pineapple juice.
Create blue and gold drinks (non-alcoholic, of course). For a refreshing blue punch, mix together two cans of frozen piña colada drink mixer, two packets of a blue drink mix and two cups of sugar. Stir in one quart of club soda just before serving. For a gold drink, pineapple juice works great. Lemon drinks or banana smoothies are also delicious. Another option is to make vanilla milkshakes, some with blue food coloring and some with gold.
Put blue icing on sugar cookies.
The Cub Scouts, part of Boy Scouts of America, is a program for boys ages 7 through 10. It aims to teach boys qualities such as service, sportsmanship, fitness, personal achievement, character development and good citizenship. The program's colors are blue and gold, so if you're hosting a Cub Scout event, something fun you can do is serve only blue and gold food.
Blue Food
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas are made from blue corn flour.
Blue tortillas, made from the flour of blue corn, can be used in several ways. Set out cheese, sour cream, cooked chicken or beef, and chopped onion, lettuce and tomato for everyone to build their own blue tortilla. Or, cut tortillas into thirds or fourths and flash fry them to turn them into blue nacho chips, to be served with salsa made with blue corn. And, yes, there are blue potatoes. Fry up some blue potato chips or French fries, or make blue mashed potatoes. For dessert, serve a cake with blue icing, or a blueberry cobbler or pie. Spread sugar cookies with blue icing for a snack.
Gold Cuisine
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Make a fruit salad with cantaloupe and peaches.
Add a few drops of food coloring to a cream-cheese-based dip to make it gold. To turn a white meat such as chicken, fish or pork a gold color, sprinkle it with powdered turmeric. (But be careful: A little goes a very long way.) For a side dish, serve corn chowder, wax beans, spaghetti squash or corn bread. For dessert, make a gold congealed salad or butterscotch pudding. Make a fruit salad with golden raisins, pineapple, banana, cantaloupe and peaches. Or, blend gold food coloring into whipped cream and serve over golden pound cake with chunks of ripe mango.
Best Beverages
Golden pineapple juice.
Golden pineapple juice.
Create blue and gold drinks (non-alcoholic, of course). For a refreshing blue punch, mix together two cans of frozen piña colada drink mixer, two packets of a blue drink mix and two cups of sugar. Stir in one quart of club soda just before serving. For a gold drink, pineapple juice works great. Lemon drinks or banana smoothies are also delicious. Another option is to make vanilla milkshakes, some with blue food coloring and some with gold.
Cub Scout Family Camp Activity Ideas
Fun and Games
"Marshmallow Kick, Throw and Blow," is a silly game everyone will enjoy playing. Give each Cub Scout three marshmallows. Tell the kids to kick a marshmallow as far as they can and have a parent measure the distance. Next, tell the cubs to throw their marshmallow as far as they can, and finally, to blow their marshmallow. Award prizes to the first, second and third place winners. Parents can take the measurements and tally them up or participate in the game along with the kids.
"Brain Bender" teaches cubs to solve math riddles while having fun. To begin, provide the Cub Scouts with 1-, 3- and 5-gallon plastic jugs and a water supply such as a hose or wading pool. Pair the kids up and ask them to bring jugs containing a specified amount of water to the judges. For example, a parent could say: "Give me a jug holding two gallons of water." As the game progresses, make it trickier by giving them directions such as: "Give me a container holding exactly four gallons of water," and so on.
The "Anti-Gravity Tent Pole" is a favorite that gets the whole group involved. Divide your scouts into two teams. Tell each team to form a line and stand face-to-face, about two feet apart. Have everyone extend a finger like they're pretending to shoot a gun, with their arms bent at the elbows. Next, lay a tent pole across each team's line of fingers. Have a parent give instructions to lower and raise the pole. The team that completes the task without dropping the pole wins. This is a great game to reinforce teamwork, concentration and buddy support.
Top Dog Cub Chef
Have a hot dog cook-off contest. Give prizes for the best hot dog creations and creative use of condiments, using titles like: "Top Crazy Cub Dog," "Top Wild Cub Dog" and "Top Fancy Cub Dog." Have the cubs make enough for the non-chef cubs and parents to sample. Award a prize for the "Top Dog Cub Chef."
A Night at the Cub
Plan a talent show night, Cub Scout style. Have the leader or a parent make flyers to give notice prior to your camping trip. That way, cubs, parents and family members can rehearse and sharpen their acts for show time. Select categories like comedy, skits, music and dance. The Boy Scout Trail website is full of cub favorites. Ask parents to contribute money to purchase cub gear for the prize winners on the night of the show.
"Dangerous Book for Boys" Kick-Off
Host a get-together before the campout so the parents can get acquainted with each other and do some pre-planning of camp activities. While the parents have their meet-and-greet you can add to the mix of cub- favorite activities with ideas from the wildly popular book, "The Dangerous Book for Boys," by Conn and Hal Iggulden.
"Marshmallow Kick, Throw and Blow," is a silly game everyone will enjoy playing. Give each Cub Scout three marshmallows. Tell the kids to kick a marshmallow as far as they can and have a parent measure the distance. Next, tell the cubs to throw their marshmallow as far as they can, and finally, to blow their marshmallow. Award prizes to the first, second and third place winners. Parents can take the measurements and tally them up or participate in the game along with the kids.
"Brain Bender" teaches cubs to solve math riddles while having fun. To begin, provide the Cub Scouts with 1-, 3- and 5-gallon plastic jugs and a water supply such as a hose or wading pool. Pair the kids up and ask them to bring jugs containing a specified amount of water to the judges. For example, a parent could say: "Give me a jug holding two gallons of water." As the game progresses, make it trickier by giving them directions such as: "Give me a container holding exactly four gallons of water," and so on.
The "Anti-Gravity Tent Pole" is a favorite that gets the whole group involved. Divide your scouts into two teams. Tell each team to form a line and stand face-to-face, about two feet apart. Have everyone extend a finger like they're pretending to shoot a gun, with their arms bent at the elbows. Next, lay a tent pole across each team's line of fingers. Have a parent give instructions to lower and raise the pole. The team that completes the task without dropping the pole wins. This is a great game to reinforce teamwork, concentration and buddy support.
Top Dog Cub Chef
Have a hot dog cook-off contest. Give prizes for the best hot dog creations and creative use of condiments, using titles like: "Top Crazy Cub Dog," "Top Wild Cub Dog" and "Top Fancy Cub Dog." Have the cubs make enough for the non-chef cubs and parents to sample. Award a prize for the "Top Dog Cub Chef."
A Night at the Cub
Plan a talent show night, Cub Scout style. Have the leader or a parent make flyers to give notice prior to your camping trip. That way, cubs, parents and family members can rehearse and sharpen their acts for show time. Select categories like comedy, skits, music and dance. The Boy Scout Trail website is full of cub favorites. Ask parents to contribute money to purchase cub gear for the prize winners on the night of the show.
"Dangerous Book for Boys" Kick-Off
Host a get-together before the campout so the parents can get acquainted with each other and do some pre-planning of camp activities. While the parents have their meet-and-greet you can add to the mix of cub- favorite activities with ideas from the wildly popular book, "The Dangerous Book for Boys," by Conn and Hal Iggulden.
Cub Scout Family Camp Ideas
International Adventures
This kind of family camp can help scouts fulfill some or all requirements for the Heritages Belt Loop and Pin and the Language and Culture Belt Loop and Pin. Ask each family, or a group of two to three families, to research a foreign country before the event and present their information at the family camp. They can pick the country of their own heritage or another one that interests them. Families may share a typical meal or snack from the country, teach everyone a few common phrases in the country's language, lead the pack in a typical song, show a display of stamps, postcards or pictures, teach a folk craft or lead everyone in a popular game or sport from the country. They also can share information about that country's scouting program, if applicable.
Pirate Weekend
Ask scouts to come to camp dressed as buccaneers, complete with pirate hats, billowy shirts, bandannas or other clothing items they can find at home.
For crafts, they can decorate foam swords (purchased from a craft store) with gems and glitter glue or use glow-in-the-dark paint to draw skeletons or other designs on black bandannas.
For games, include a "peg leg race." Two boys stand next to each other and tie their adjoining legs together with a bandanna. They then race other "peg legged pirates" by walking as quickly as they can to a finish line that is about 200 feet from the starting area.
They can also play Musical Islands, a game similar to musical chairs, except that scouts walk on cardboard island shapes instead of walking around chairs. Play the "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme song during the game, instructing the scouts that they must hurry to an island when the music stops. The boy without an island leaves the game. One island is taken away after each round. The scout who stands on the last island wins the game.
The highlight of this swashbuckling weekend could be a hunt for treasure "buried by pirates." Ask dens to use a compass and map to find a series of clues that eventually lead them to a treasure chest of goodies. This helps them fulfill requirements for the Map and Compass Belt Loop and Pin. Alternatively, you could create a geocache and teach the boys how to use hand-held GPS units to find the treasure.
Lost in Space
Boys who attend this camp can meet some or all requirements for the Astronomy belt loop and pin. In addition, they may also earn Tiger, Wolf and Bear achievements or electives, or Webelos activity badges related to space exploration or science.
Ask a local astronomy club to give an evening presentation on stargazing; some may bring telescopes that scouts can use to locate stars and planets.
Scouts also could make a pinhole planetarium, build a model space shuttle or create a solar system mobile. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website gives detailed instructions for these and other simple astronomy projects.
End the weekend by building rockets and launching them, offering prizes for the most creative rocket, the rocket that flies the highest and the rocket that never gets off the ground.
This kind of family camp can help scouts fulfill some or all requirements for the Heritages Belt Loop and Pin and the Language and Culture Belt Loop and Pin. Ask each family, or a group of two to three families, to research a foreign country before the event and present their information at the family camp. They can pick the country of their own heritage or another one that interests them. Families may share a typical meal or snack from the country, teach everyone a few common phrases in the country's language, lead the pack in a typical song, show a display of stamps, postcards or pictures, teach a folk craft or lead everyone in a popular game or sport from the country. They also can share information about that country's scouting program, if applicable.
Pirate Weekend
Ask scouts to come to camp dressed as buccaneers, complete with pirate hats, billowy shirts, bandannas or other clothing items they can find at home.
For crafts, they can decorate foam swords (purchased from a craft store) with gems and glitter glue or use glow-in-the-dark paint to draw skeletons or other designs on black bandannas.
For games, include a "peg leg race." Two boys stand next to each other and tie their adjoining legs together with a bandanna. They then race other "peg legged pirates" by walking as quickly as they can to a finish line that is about 200 feet from the starting area.
They can also play Musical Islands, a game similar to musical chairs, except that scouts walk on cardboard island shapes instead of walking around chairs. Play the "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme song during the game, instructing the scouts that they must hurry to an island when the music stops. The boy without an island leaves the game. One island is taken away after each round. The scout who stands on the last island wins the game.
The highlight of this swashbuckling weekend could be a hunt for treasure "buried by pirates." Ask dens to use a compass and map to find a series of clues that eventually lead them to a treasure chest of goodies. This helps them fulfill requirements for the Map and Compass Belt Loop and Pin. Alternatively, you could create a geocache and teach the boys how to use hand-held GPS units to find the treasure.
Lost in Space
Boys who attend this camp can meet some or all requirements for the Astronomy belt loop and pin. In addition, they may also earn Tiger, Wolf and Bear achievements or electives, or Webelos activity badges related to space exploration or science.
Ask a local astronomy club to give an evening presentation on stargazing; some may bring telescopes that scouts can use to locate stars and planets.
Scouts also could make a pinhole planetarium, build a model space shuttle or create a solar system mobile. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website gives detailed instructions for these and other simple astronomy projects.
End the weekend by building rockets and launching them, offering prizes for the most creative rocket, the rocket that flies the highest and the rocket that never gets off the ground.
Blue & Gold Banquet Ideas
Blue and gold banquets lend themselves to different theme ideas for Cub Scouts. Because blue and gold are easy to find, you can easily find party favors and decorations in the theme colors as well. The colors are bright and vibrant and are sure to liven almost any banquet hall. Many different shades of blue and gold are available, so you can choose the shade that works for your banquet.
Nautical Banquet
Go nautical for your Cub Scout banquet. Young boys love ships, and a nautical theme will make the banquet casual and fun. Create gold sailboats out of the napkins and use blue tablecloths to symbolize the water. Large gold anchors can decorate the walls. Tack white rope nets on the walls for an fun, authentic touch. Use gold paper boats with little blue flags on them as centerpieces for the nautical look.
Don't forget to extend the look to the invitations. The Scouts can help make the invitations by using construction paper to cut gold ships, then glue them onto blue construction paper. Use a white marker to write the time, date and place of the banquet. Mail the invitations in gold envelopes.
Space Shuttle Banquet
Just as young boys love the sea, they also love aircraft. Why not create a space shuttle theme with the blue and gold? According to Boy Scout Trail, blue has several meanings in the Cub Scouts, including symbolizing the sky. The color gold can symbolize the sun. For the banquet, the boys can create papier mache Space Shuttle for the centerpieces. They can also make placemats and/or nametags with small Space Shuttle (rocket) cutouts on them. Large space shuttle figures can decorate the walls.
Traditional Cub Scout Themes
For a more traditional Cub Scout banquet, create fun invitations using the cute animal cubs, with wolves, tigers or bears on front of the cards. The design can also be used for placemats. Decorate with gold and blue streamers and a large Cub Scout banner. Entertainment is key for a fun Cub Scout banquet that the boys and their families would enjoy. Hire a magician, asking him or her to incorporate the Cub Scout colors and themes in his or her act. The majority of the entertainment can come from the boys. Singing, skits or dancing can be included. You can also create a slide-show presentation with photos of the boys from the year.
Fun Balloons and Candy Banquet
For a fun surprise, plan a balloon drop with gold and blue balloons. The balloons will look great hanging from the ceiling in a large net, and they will look even more impressive as they drop from the ceiling at the end of the evening. Create candy centerpieces with lollipops stuck into Styrofoam that is placed in a decorative box. Use blue and gold lollipops and candy. See resources below for instructions.
Banquet Food
Food for the banquet should include meats, vegetables (raw and cooked) and desserts. A casual banquet can be potluck. When selecting food, keep the menu fun and light for the boys, and have options for the grown-ups, too. Finger sandwiches with cold cuts, chicken fingers and mini-burgers are good food options for the kids. Try to keep individual diets in mind. Have a vegetarian option and vegan food for people who are on specialized diets. Try incorporating your color scheme and theme in a cake for the banquet. Select the design for the cake within two weeks of the banquet so that it will be ready in time.
Nautical Banquet
Go nautical for your Cub Scout banquet. Young boys love ships, and a nautical theme will make the banquet casual and fun. Create gold sailboats out of the napkins and use blue tablecloths to symbolize the water. Large gold anchors can decorate the walls. Tack white rope nets on the walls for an fun, authentic touch. Use gold paper boats with little blue flags on them as centerpieces for the nautical look.
Don't forget to extend the look to the invitations. The Scouts can help make the invitations by using construction paper to cut gold ships, then glue them onto blue construction paper. Use a white marker to write the time, date and place of the banquet. Mail the invitations in gold envelopes.
Space Shuttle Banquet
Just as young boys love the sea, they also love aircraft. Why not create a space shuttle theme with the blue and gold? According to Boy Scout Trail, blue has several meanings in the Cub Scouts, including symbolizing the sky. The color gold can symbolize the sun. For the banquet, the boys can create papier mache Space Shuttle for the centerpieces. They can also make placemats and/or nametags with small Space Shuttle (rocket) cutouts on them. Large space shuttle figures can decorate the walls.
Traditional Cub Scout Themes
For a more traditional Cub Scout banquet, create fun invitations using the cute animal cubs, with wolves, tigers or bears on front of the cards. The design can also be used for placemats. Decorate with gold and blue streamers and a large Cub Scout banner. Entertainment is key for a fun Cub Scout banquet that the boys and their families would enjoy. Hire a magician, asking him or her to incorporate the Cub Scout colors and themes in his or her act. The majority of the entertainment can come from the boys. Singing, skits or dancing can be included. You can also create a slide-show presentation with photos of the boys from the year.
Fun Balloons and Candy Banquet
For a fun surprise, plan a balloon drop with gold and blue balloons. The balloons will look great hanging from the ceiling in a large net, and they will look even more impressive as they drop from the ceiling at the end of the evening. Create candy centerpieces with lollipops stuck into Styrofoam that is placed in a decorative box. Use blue and gold lollipops and candy. See resources below for instructions.
Banquet Food
Food for the banquet should include meats, vegetables (raw and cooked) and desserts. A casual banquet can be potluck. When selecting food, keep the menu fun and light for the boys, and have options for the grown-ups, too. Finger sandwiches with cold cuts, chicken fingers and mini-burgers are good food options for the kids. Try to keep individual diets in mind. Have a vegetarian option and vegan food for people who are on specialized diets. Try incorporating your color scheme and theme in a cake for the banquet. Select the design for the cake within two weeks of the banquet so that it will be ready in time.
Cake Decorating Ideas for Scouts
Scouting is a popular activity for young boys and girls alike, and scout troops offer many opportunities for learning practical everyday life skills and outdoor survival skills. If your scout troop is having a party or hosting a special event, a cake decorated with a scouting theme will likely be a big hit--and the actual baking and decorating process can be a great activity for the scout troop members.
Camp Themes
Camping themes are excellent for a scout cake and there are a variety of ways to decorate a cake with this theme, depending upon your skill level. For an easy cake, take a sheet cake frosted with plain white frosting and create a campground on it, brushing on green and blue food coloring to form a river with grassy banks. Make a miniature pup tent, trees, animals and even little campers out of rolled fondant. More skilled decorators can make a tent-shaped cake set on a piece of covered cardboard and create the scene with rolled fondant around the tent cake, using cupcakes for boulders.
Make a giant s'more out of cake by layering two sheet cakes with the smaller one on top, then frost them to look like a graham cracker and chocolate bar. Place a three-tiered round cake on top, frosted with plain white icing (or marshmallow cream) for the marshmallow. Or you can create a campfire cake by first making a large papier-mache cone--like you would for a volcano--and covering the cone with parchment paper painted brown with food coloring. Then make paper flames stick out of the top of the cone. Make cake logs using a jelly roll pan, and cover them with rolled fondant decorated to look like bark. Stack the cake logs against and around the cone to resemble a campfire.
Badges and Patches
An excellent cake decorating idea for a scout badge or patch ceremony is to make the cake to resemble an actual badge or patch. Or you could bake small individual cakes and personalize them for each scout to look like the badge or patch that he or she is receiving. This also works for a graduation party or a bridging ceremony (for instance, Brownies to Juniors or Tiger Cubs to Cub Scouts). You can decorate the cake to resemble the new scout badge that identifies the scout as having moved up a grade.
Special Events
Another consideration is decorating a cake to match a special event. If you are celebrating a successful cookie-selling season, make your cake a giant cookie--or have a huge cookie. For an after-derby party for Cub Scouts, design a cake that looks like a derby racer. For a Cub Scout Troop's blue and gold banquet, consider ordering a two-tier plain white wedding cake from your local bakery and decorating it with blue and gold decorations, such as fondant ribbons and gum paste flowers or stars. The classic Girl Scout logo can be iced onto a cake or cut out of cake as an excellent accompaniment to any special event.
Camp Themes
Camping themes are excellent for a scout cake and there are a variety of ways to decorate a cake with this theme, depending upon your skill level. For an easy cake, take a sheet cake frosted with plain white frosting and create a campground on it, brushing on green and blue food coloring to form a river with grassy banks. Make a miniature pup tent, trees, animals and even little campers out of rolled fondant. More skilled decorators can make a tent-shaped cake set on a piece of covered cardboard and create the scene with rolled fondant around the tent cake, using cupcakes for boulders.
Make a giant s'more out of cake by layering two sheet cakes with the smaller one on top, then frost them to look like a graham cracker and chocolate bar. Place a three-tiered round cake on top, frosted with plain white icing (or marshmallow cream) for the marshmallow. Or you can create a campfire cake by first making a large papier-mache cone--like you would for a volcano--and covering the cone with parchment paper painted brown with food coloring. Then make paper flames stick out of the top of the cone. Make cake logs using a jelly roll pan, and cover them with rolled fondant decorated to look like bark. Stack the cake logs against and around the cone to resemble a campfire.
Badges and Patches
An excellent cake decorating idea for a scout badge or patch ceremony is to make the cake to resemble an actual badge or patch. Or you could bake small individual cakes and personalize them for each scout to look like the badge or patch that he or she is receiving. This also works for a graduation party or a bridging ceremony (for instance, Brownies to Juniors or Tiger Cubs to Cub Scouts). You can decorate the cake to resemble the new scout badge that identifies the scout as having moved up a grade.
Special Events
Another consideration is decorating a cake to match a special event. If you are celebrating a successful cookie-selling season, make your cake a giant cookie--or have a huge cookie. For an after-derby party for Cub Scouts, design a cake that looks like a derby racer. For a Cub Scout Troop's blue and gold banquet, consider ordering a two-tier plain white wedding cake from your local bakery and decorating it with blue and gold decorations, such as fondant ribbons and gum paste flowers or stars. The classic Girl Scout logo can be iced onto a cake or cut out of cake as an excellent accompaniment to any special event.
Cake Decorating Ideas for Scouts
Scouting is a popular activity for young boys and girls alike, and scout troops offer many opportunities for learning practical everyday life skills and outdoor survival skills. If your scout troop is having a party or hosting a special event, a cake decorated with a scouting theme will likely be a big hit--and the actual baking and decorating process can be a great activity for the scout troop members.
Camp Themes
Camping themes are excellent for a scout cake and there are a variety of ways to decorate a cake with this theme, depending upon your skill level. For an easy cake, take a sheet cake frosted with plain white frosting and create a campground on it, brushing on green and blue food coloring to form a river with grassy banks. Make a miniature pup tent, trees, animals and even little campers out of rolled fondant. More skilled decorators can make a tent-shaped cake set on a piece of covered cardboard and create the scene with rolled fondant around the tent cake, using cupcakes for boulders.
Make a giant s'more out of cake by layering two sheet cakes with the smaller one on top, then frost them to look like a graham cracker and chocolate bar. Place a three-tiered round cake on top, frosted with plain white icing (or marshmallow cream) for the marshmallow. Or you can create a campfire cake by first making a large papier-mache cone--like you would for a volcano--and covering the cone with parchment paper painted brown with food coloring. Then make paper flames stick out of the top of the cone. Make cake logs using a jelly roll pan, and cover them with rolled fondant decorated to look like bark. Stack the cake logs against and around the cone to resemble a campfire.
Badges and Patches
An excellent cake decorating idea for a scout badge or patch ceremony is to make the cake to resemble an actual badge or patch. Or you could bake small individual cakes and personalize them for each scout to look like the badge or patch that he or she is receiving. This also works for a graduation party or a bridging ceremony (for instance, Brownies to Juniors or Tiger Cubs to Cub Scouts). You can decorate the cake to resemble the new scout badge that identifies the scout as having moved up a grade.
Special Events
Another consideration is decorating a cake to match a special event. If you are celebrating a successful cookie-selling season, make your cake a giant cookie--or have a huge cookie. For an after-derby party for Cub Scouts, design a cake that looks like a derby racer. For a Cub Scout Troop's blue and gold banquet, consider ordering a two-tier plain white wedding cake from your local bakery and decorating it with blue and gold decorations, such as fondant ribbons and gum paste flowers or stars. The classic Girl Scout logo can be iced onto a cake or cut out of cake as an excellent accompaniment to any special event.
Camp Themes
Camping themes are excellent for a scout cake and there are a variety of ways to decorate a cake with this theme, depending upon your skill level. For an easy cake, take a sheet cake frosted with plain white frosting and create a campground on it, brushing on green and blue food coloring to form a river with grassy banks. Make a miniature pup tent, trees, animals and even little campers out of rolled fondant. More skilled decorators can make a tent-shaped cake set on a piece of covered cardboard and create the scene with rolled fondant around the tent cake, using cupcakes for boulders.
Make a giant s'more out of cake by layering two sheet cakes with the smaller one on top, then frost them to look like a graham cracker and chocolate bar. Place a three-tiered round cake on top, frosted with plain white icing (or marshmallow cream) for the marshmallow. Or you can create a campfire cake by first making a large papier-mache cone--like you would for a volcano--and covering the cone with parchment paper painted brown with food coloring. Then make paper flames stick out of the top of the cone. Make cake logs using a jelly roll pan, and cover them with rolled fondant decorated to look like bark. Stack the cake logs against and around the cone to resemble a campfire.
Badges and Patches
An excellent cake decorating idea for a scout badge or patch ceremony is to make the cake to resemble an actual badge or patch. Or you could bake small individual cakes and personalize them for each scout to look like the badge or patch that he or she is receiving. This also works for a graduation party or a bridging ceremony (for instance, Brownies to Juniors or Tiger Cubs to Cub Scouts). You can decorate the cake to resemble the new scout badge that identifies the scout as having moved up a grade.
Special Events
Another consideration is decorating a cake to match a special event. If you are celebrating a successful cookie-selling season, make your cake a giant cookie--or have a huge cookie. For an after-derby party for Cub Scouts, design a cake that looks like a derby racer. For a Cub Scout Troop's blue and gold banquet, consider ordering a two-tier plain white wedding cake from your local bakery and decorating it with blue and gold decorations, such as fondant ribbons and gum paste flowers or stars. The classic Girl Scout logo can be iced onto a cake or cut out of cake as an excellent accompaniment to any special event.
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