Making Your Own Faux Crackle Paint and Saving Money!
To start making your own crackle paint you will need to mix your water and glue formula in three different containers that will contain different mixture percentages. The reason for three different mixtures is that they will each produce a different crackle effect so that your final faux crackle painted finishes has some variety in the cracks leading to a more natural and realistic antiqued look. The first mixture contains 30 percent glue and 70 percent warm water, the second contains 50 percent glue and 50 percent warm water and the third 70 percent glue and 30 percent warm water.
Application Tools
You are going to need some nylon brushes, small buckets, blow dryer or heat gun, a table to work on, rags and a sponge sander.
Apply Base Coat
The base coat for your faux crackle painted finishes can be a stain or paint color of your choice. You will need to apply the stain or paint to the surface using a brush or roller, making sure to use the correct brush if you will be using oil based products. The base coat should dry for a complete 24 hours before applying the glue and water mixtures.
Applying the Glue and Water Mixtures
Apply the glue and water mixtures with a brush randomly throughout your project surface; this will create a variety of different cracks for a more natural look. By jabbing or twirling the brush this will also create an interesting variety of cracks in the final look of your faux painted crackle finishes. The top coat needs to be applied before the glue mixtures has completely dried on the surface, which can be anywhere from 2 to 4 minutes.
Applying the Top Coat
Mix any flat colored paint you want with 50 percent water so that it has the ability to break apart and form the cracks. Once you have the top coat mixture ready begin applying it to the surface using a roller or brush depending on what type of surface you are working with. Then once it has been applied hold the hair dryer or heat gun between 2 and 12 inches away and begin blowing the surface. By varying the distance this can add a variety of different cracks. You will soon see the cracks begin to appear. Once completed let the faux crackle painted finishes dry for 24 hours at which time you may apply a clear coat polyurethane finish for protection.
There are many more finishes at Faux Painting for Dummies where you can get more info on the crackle finish technique as well as many other different popular faux finishes. The faux crackle finish is in the Old World category of faux finishes and another easy finish to create is the old world parchment finish. There are numerous photos depicting many different faux finishes that can be very inspirational towards your next project. Hope you have fun making your own faux crackle paint!
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Nathan
Myths And Truths About Money Paid Surveys
by Jun Yuan Lim
On top of that, you’ll also see lots of claims about paid surveys. In this article, I’m going to share with you some of these myths, as well as truths, about them.
Myth #1 – You will get really rich quickly simply by completing online surveys for cash.
Truth – This is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme. The amount of money you’ll make will depend on the number of surveys you complete every month. On top of that, it will also depend on the number of people you refer to sign up for these paid survey websites – Some of these paid survey websites have a referral program in which they’ll pay you a certain percentage in commissions of the amount the person you referred earns from paid surveys.
Myth #2 – All of these paid survey websites are nothing but scams
Truth – This is not totally true. While there are some of these websites that are scams, there are many others that are 100% legal and legitimate, and they pay out very regularly to it’s members. The bottomline is, before you sign up as a member in any of these websites, spend some time to go through the website’s privacy policy, terms of service, as well as search for reviews on what people said about them in the major search engines – that will give you a good indication on whether a paid survey website is genuine or it’s a scam.
Myth #3 – My email inbox will be flooded with spams by these paid survey websites
Truth – If you signed up for legitimate paid survey websites, your mailbox will never be spammed by them. The only emails you’ll receive are requests to complete surveys for cash.
Myth #4 – I can make lots of money by “cheating” these paid survey websites
Truth – You may be able to get away with it once or twice, but not all the time, as all these survey systems are reviewed by human beings. If you are caught “cheating” them, you will get your account terminated, and you’ll lose all your earnings, as well as your additional source of income forever.
The above are 4 myths and truths about paid surveys. In my personal opinion, you’ll be able to make good money by completing surveys for cash – provided you sign up for legal and legitimate paid survey websites, and participate actively.
Good luck!
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Nathan
MonsterChange.net
Credit Repair is More Than a Right, It’s Your Responsibility
So why is it that, though everyone has the right to dispute the negative items in their credit reports, very few people do? It certainly can’t be because they don’t understand the importance of a high credit score. After all, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the benefits of a good credit score when it can be the difference between paying $2,500/month and $2,000/month for the exact same house.
More likely, the reason people do not repair their credit is a mix of apathy and lack of understanding of the credit reporting system. Too many people assume the credit reporting system is some official government bureaucracy with an extensive system of checks and balances designed to ensure the safekeeping of their credit history. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
The credit bureaus at the center of the credit reporting system are not official organizations. Instead, they are massive, for-profit corporations that collect personal information from your creditors and make money by selling this information in the form of your credit reports.
So now you are asking yourself, how do they ensure this information is correct? If a creditor reports something that is wrong, how do the credit bureaus make sure it doesn’t end up on your credit reports?
The answer to both of these questions is: they don’t. Your creditors report information, the credit bureaus record it, and for most people, the story ends there.
Nobody at the credit bureaus or in the government is going to make sure your credit reports are accurate. The way the credit reporting system is set up, there is only one person who will ever bother to check up on your credit reports – and that person is you. You are the missing, and ultimately the most important, piece of the credit reporting puzzle.
Making sure your credit score is where it should be is your responsibility and repairing your credit reports is a task you will have to initiate because no one out there will do it for you.
It is your right and your responsibility to dispute the questionable negative items in your credit reports and the sooner you start, the better. You can work to repair your credit on your own or you can enlist the help of a credit repair law firm like Lexington Law.
Whether you attempt to repair your credit on your own or with the help of a credit repair expert, by taking an active role in the credit reporting system, you can ensure your credit score is as good as it can be and that you have the advantage over the millions of people out there with bad credit who haven’t taken action to do anything about it.
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
Ways to Increase Gas Mileage in Your Vehicle
Below are some tips and suggestions on ways to increase gas mileage in your vehicle:
Determine Your Gas Mileage
You will first want to calculate your vehicles gas mileage to set a baseline in which to work from to improve your overall mileage. Fill your tank, record the odometer reading, drive around until empty, then record the odometer ready when empty. Take your car to the gas station again and now record the gallons it takes to fill up(lets say 14 gallons). You can now subtract the first odometer reading from the second and divide the result by 14. This is your current MPG.
Reduce Your Vehicle’s Excess Weight
The heavier your car is the more the engine has to work to pull the excess load. Getting rid of all unnecessary weight in your vehicle when on trips will assist to increase your mileage in the long run.
Avoid Idling the Vehicle
Idling is sometimes necessary, like at stop lights, signs, etc, but you will want to avoid all other unnecessary idling wherever possible, like in drive through lines, waiting for friends, etc. If you expect that you will not be moving for an extended period of time , turn off the ignition.
Avoid Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving can have big effects on your cars gas mileage. Certain actions such as quick accelerations and hard breaking, and even jerky steering can have an effect on your car’s fuel efficiency, so don’t do it! Stay calm when you are driving and try to give yourself enough time to break gradually. Drive defensively not aggressively and you should be ok.
Keep Your Car Maintained
Keeping your car services and in good working order(as per manufacturers specifications) is another way to increase gas mileage. In addition to regular tune-ups you should ensure your tire pressure on all tires are as per dealer specifications. Tires which are low on air make your car work harder to accelerate which taxes your engine and therefore decreases your gas mileage. Always check your Owner’s Manual if you are unsure of your vehicle’s tire pressure requirements.
Change the Oil Regularly
Changing your oil regularly can help to improve your gas mileage. Choose the recommended grade of oil when doing this. Note: Motor oil which is advertised as Energy Conserving may be the ideal choice as it can reduce friction and assist to improve your fuel efficiency.
Replace the Air Filter Regularly
A clogged air filter can be a serious contributor to poor fuel efficiency. Clogging greatly reduces the oxygen to the engine as its using fuel. The decrease in oxygen can interfere with the correct fuel mixture which helps to reduce gas mileage. A clean air filter can also help to improve the performance of your engine.
The Right Octane
You will always want to stick with the manufacturer’s suggested gas octane rating when at the pump. If regular gas is recommended, then you will only be wasting more precious money purchasing a higher octane. Stick with what is recommended and you will be ok.
Aerodynamics
Decrease the drag on your vehicle and consequently increase your gas mileage by removing outside accessories, like ski and luggage racks if they are not required.
Other ways to increase gas mileage include keeping your air conditioning off whenever possible . This taxes the engine when on and consequently uses more gas when it is on.
Keep your windows closed whenever possible.
This decreases the drag coefficient of the vehicle which reduces natural resistance. Utilizing the tips offered above to increase your mileage will go along way to keep your vehicle driving at optimal efficiency while using the least amount of fuel necessary.
Do you want to know right now how you can drive around using Water as Fuel and laugh at rising gas costs while reducing emissions and preventing global warming? Click Here!
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
Tips for Watering Plants: How much Water? How Often? Use Nutrients?
Watering plants should be easy, right? Just pour water into the soil on a regular basis and your plants should thrive. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. Watering plants every day, every two days or on any sort of regular basis can deprive some plants of the water that they need while drowning others in kindness. How do you know when you should water your plants?
1. The feel test is the most common way to tell if your plants need more water. Just stick your fingertip about an inch into the soil. If the soil feels cool and damp, but not wet, then the plant is fine. If it is dry and crumbly to the touch, it’s time to water.
2. The weight test is another way to tell if your plant needs water, but it does require that you know when the soil is properly watered to begin with. Just lift the pot. A pot where the soil is consistently moist will be heavier than one where the soil has dried out.
3. Water in the morning for best effect. If you water early and get water on the leaves, they have time to dry out over the course of the day. Wet leaves and foliage are among the most common reasons for plant diseases like mold.
How to Water
Knowing how to water is almost as important as knowing when to water. There is a good reason there are so many different tools for watering house and garden plants. Different plants have different moisture requirements that are best met with different watering techniques. In general, though, the following tips should help you water plants the right way.
1. Be sure to water the soil, not the plant. With the exception of truly moisture loving plants, misting is not usually a requirement. In fact, it may be bad for your plant. It’s not the plant you want to wet, it’s the soil. Plants take up water though their roots, so you need to make sure that there is plenty of water in the soil for them to access.
2. Water from the bottom. One way to make sure that you water plants thoroughly is to let the soil wick up the water from the bottom rather than pouring it in from the top. You can do smaller plants in the kitchen sink. Just lift them and let any excess water drain for a minute or so and they are all set for another several days.
Miscellaneous Watering Tips
Aside from when and how, there are some other things that you should consider when watering your plants
1. Plants get stressed when the water conditions vary too widely. A lot of home gardeners, especially indoor gardeners, make the mistake of letting soil dry out completely between watering. This is only appropriate for a few specific plants. Most plants require consistently moist soil conditions. One of the best ways to ensure that your plants have the consistently moist soil that they need is to use a self-watering system like the Aqua Globe, which release water into the soil as it becomes dry, preventing both under and over watering.
2. Water plants only as fast as the soil can absorb it. One of the best reasons for watering from the bottom is that it allows the plants to absorb water at its own speed. Too often, when you water plants the water runs down around the sides of the root ball and dribbles out the bottom drainage holes. Aqua Globe is a good solution for this problem as well.
3. When it comes to watering plants, there is certainly strength in numbers. The more plants you have either in your home or in your garden that require the same amount of water will make your job easier. Spend some time talking with a garden center employee to find some plants that all need the same amount of water. This will reduce the chance of over-watering your plants because each plant requires the same amount of water and the same amount of time between watering.
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Thanks,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
7 Advantages Of Water For Gas Technology
Apart from the many advantages the water for gas technology has on the planet, it also has many widespread advantages to many individuals around the world, including you.
Here are 7 of these incredible advantages of the water for gas technology:
1- Improves your gas mileage by up to 35%. This includes both city and highway driving conditions. Imagine how much money this would save you at the end of the month and at the end of the year. It is estimated that this could save you as much as $897.40 per year. If there are two, three or four drivers in the family, this yearly savings increases dramatically. And what if you have a fleet of 50 drivers in your company? Then your yearly savings will multiply to $44,870. More if you have more drivers.
2- Eliminates harmful exhaust emission that pollute the environment and contribute to global warming. Your engine will add oxygen to the environment instead of polluting it. How about doing something good to help the environment for a change?
3- Greatly enhance engine power and performance. The more gas you use on your car, the more the engine gets battered- thus reducing the performance. But by using water as an alternative, this enhances your engine power instead and improves performance.
4- Remove carbon deposits and prevent future carbon build up.
5- Reduce the operating temperature of the engine and waste heat into the environment.
6- You will notice a calmer, quieter and much smoother engine operation and smoother gearshifts. This is due to the effect water has on the combustion cycle inside your engine.
7- Enjoy a longer life expectancy of your engine, especially the pistons, rings and valves.
These are just some of the many advantages of the water for gas technology. You can build the device needed to make this technology work for you.
For more information visit: WaterForGasTechnology.eoltt.com
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Thanks,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
Saving Money Is Easier Than You Think!
It’s so much easier said than done to save money. Well, somebody has given lists such as cutting your coffee, less entertainment, less shopping (no, you are killing me)… That works for your money but not for your life, because you save for a better one.
To better manage your money, here comes some tips:
First, set your goal in short-term and long-term. There must be something you want in desperation, like a car, a macbook. You will figure out what to cut to have your dream come true. Yes, you are not really saving money here, but you find the ways.
Second, make a budget and prioritize your spending. Track your monthly expenses and calculate the average for your regular payments (Rent, Phone Bills, utilities, gas etc.). Shopping and entertainment may change from month to month, set a minimum. When you have a total spending plan for the next month, save all the surplus for investment or open a savings account.
Third and the smarter way, when you have to buy something, find a cheap one. Actually this is easy because you are online. DO NOT save your cable expense.
The Internet has changed our way of life: Users get greater access to information than ever before. It also offers many opportunities for saving money. As online shopping has become more and more popular, businesses have been pressured into not only maintaining an online presence, but also competing for a thriving global consumer base. Online deals and specials are powerful persuasion for potential customers, and are therefore used by many retailers. If you know where to look, you can find many ways to save money online, such as traditional coupons that you can print out and carry with you, and online coupons that use links or coupon codes to save you money.
There are two ways applying the discount for online stores: linked coupons and coupon codes . With a linked coupon, you simply click on the link, and it takes you to the online store via a special URL; then when you finish the shopping, your savings will be applied to your shopping cart automatically. A coupon code is a special code you will need to enter when you check out. Because online stores depend on online coupons and promotions to boost sales, these codes are very easy to find. There are many websites dedicated to listing current online coupons and coupon codes such as couponcabin.com , couponsmarter.com etc. Most of these sites offer a search feature to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Hope you enjoyed the article,
Thanks,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
Another Whoo For Ebay, Ebay Alternatives Are Up
Another blow to the ebay business! Ebay is falling like a rock because they still do not know what their true client is… Are they catering to the buyers or to sellers that pay the listing fees. With all the recent policy changes in the last 6 months, it is very hard to make a sell or even stay compliant with the ebay policies.
Power Sellers and regular sellers are fed up, while looking for alternative ebay type sites to sell their products. It seems that ebay just does not care for who they piss off or change the policies to disallow everybody. This business action just makes it seem that they are big and do not care about their users, whether it buyers or sellers. They are just going downhill, and waiting to loose control to crash and burn. The core of any brokerage business is your sellers because they are the ones that pay the fees… Buyers are attracted because they do not pay anything for the transaction, they just feel that they are getting a deal on the item they agreed to purchase. Just watch the video below,click the link, another whoo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-JjepaCDOM
Here is an ebay alternative site that I have found is worthy of mentioning…SoAuctionIt.com . For the remainder of May, they are having FREE auction style listings and 50% off Buy It Now Fees… This site has No Tiered Listing Fees, No Final Value Fees, No Reserve Fees, Just One Flat Fee to sell your items. Visit today and receive $10 added to your sellers account to apply for any listing upgrades.
Thanks,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
Federal Stimulus Package won’t do a thing!
The Federal Stimulus package is not even going to make a dent… Inflation is on the rise because of the cost of gas on the National Level. Not because of the economy is slow. People are holding tight of their money because of the rise of the gas prices has hurt their normal expense for transportation, in which has taken a away from the splurging factor of non neccessary items. The economy is also hurt by the crash of the subprime market for refinancing, the money just is not flowing like like it was two years ago. It is much harder to obtain a new loan because of the criteria has set the bar much higher. This has hurt the housing sales in turn has created more homes to go into foreclosure because of the owners not being able to qualify and or get their home sold before foreclosure. On the Adjustable Rate Mortgages, they have flexed higher becuse they have expired on their initial term and the homeowners could not refinance because of the subprime meltdown.
Do you see how everything is melting down? I can remember when the gas prices creep up in 2001, that the would open ip the reserves to lower price of gas. Why isn’t Pres. Bush doing this? Oh, that’s right, this where he makes his true money, its in the oil. The President’s income for being President is nothing compared to what he makes with his involvement of crude oil. Inflation occurs when the cost of utilities or neccessary commodity items have the price risen because of the demand versus supply. Will Americans pay bills with their Federal Stimulus money?
The American people that recieve this money, will spend spend it but in what manner? Will they go to Wal-Mart because they know that they can get the lowest price of goods? Do they realize that Wal-Mart is the biggest supporter of imported goods, this is how they keep the cost so low? Will the people use it to catch up on their bills that have fallen behind on? Will they use it to spend on their kids, such as summer clothes or new shoes? Just a few questions to keep in mind. The lowest price items are going to be attractive to these americans trying to stretch thir dollars that received back from the federal government. On the lower class that this package was intended for, has been limited to only $300, is that right, I believe that they need this stimulus the most because the impacts of the cost of living and the means for transportation. Personally, i will not see any of this, but I have read the articles and heard from other people what they have received.
It is sad because I recently met a few people that were loving life two years ago, working their full time job and enjoying quality time with their family on the weekend. Now, these people have 2-3 jobs just get by. Retailers have cut back on pay raises and benefit items, such as health has been raised. What will offset this insanity? The federal government is the stimulus package. Bull! These people working so hard just to get by. Life is meant to be enjoyed, you live to work, not work to live. Do you think working all that time will wear on your body? If you have the time, you will ensure that your body is taken care of and exersice is essential to your health. This is why Americans are so overweight, because they work so hard and are exhausted when they get home that do nothing. People need to make the time and make a change to their lifestyle. It is not the federal stimulus that is the answer.
Additianal income online can be achieveable if you utilize your resources and execute the knowledge on a daily basis. Time blocking is a key element to stay focused and to be productive in a timely manner. Quit those part time jobs and earn the money online so you make it in your own time and relax your body from having the wear and tear to take care of your family. You can sell items on soauctionit.com for a small fee and is cheaper than ebay. Sellers are needed and will receive $10 into their account upon signing up on the site.
Thanks,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
Did Ebay Kill Your Online Business?
Recently I hit a bump in the road when Ebay suspended my Power Seller becuase they feel that I was in violation of their feedback policy… They stated becuse I was selling cheap products in my store that this was an intent of boosting my feedback rating and the searching buyers were doing the same…
I looked into other Power Sellers that I knew in the community and their accounts were suspended also… Does Ebay care about that much on their feedback that they would suspend the core of their business to make examples? I made over $3000 in the month of March and was going to launch a boot camp for others on how to sell on ebay with results that I have strivedand achieved…. I am going to kill that idea at least the part on ebay… As for making money online, that was the core of my business, but with the knowledge I have gained, I am going to use some other sites for my business. Yes they get alot of traffic however there are some other alternative auction sites.
With all these policy changes that also have been put into place, it has really hit hard on the ebay community… Coming soon, sellers will not be able to leave a nuetral or negative feedback on the buyers, only a positive… So buyers are just so canny that if you do not respondwithin 24 hours, they will leave a negative feedback. I thought feedback was based on the whole transaction experience. It has hit a high note in my with all these changes. It will be a very long time before I sell anything on that site ever again. I told them to take their power seller status and shove it. I am sick and tired of walking on eggshells to retain that title… Yes, it does show integrity and that I am not on the site for a day to sell just one item. I was there to make an online business.
The transaction experience is based upon customer service, how fast they get their item and keeping an open line of communication. It is so simple, follow up and follow through. Ebay has made is so complicticated in the last few months with their policy changes. I know rules are meant to keep a peace and harmony., but when you change them from on day to the next without warning… That is wrong! Then calling sellers out that they are in violation this policy and fees will not be credited because of the policy violation. There is no customer service there, this is dealing with your internal customers, which are your sellers. I do not mean to go off on a tangent, but this issue has really effected me… When my account was suspended, it was like getting fired from a job. This is why it has been fraustrating to me.
I have found a new home on soauctionit.com , the fees on this site is so much less than the previous online market place. It is a new site but I see the potential of the growth and saving me overhead fees to use and list my items. they are offering new members FREE signup and $10 worth of sellers fees deposited in your account. I have redirected my ebay store domain (monsterchange.net) to point to this site. I invite others to join this site to save money on selling your items and the incentive to have a FREE signup on soauctionit.com and come realize that there is an alternative that has lower fees while not changing the policy rules in the middle of the game.
Thanks,
Nathan
CompForLife.com
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