How To Be Creative Without Being Selfish
By Dan Goodwin
One of the biggest reasons we don't spend more time and more focus on being creative is because we feel guilty that we're spending time purely on ourselves.
Being selfish - or being SEEN as selfish - is something we want to avoid at all costs it seems, and any hint of self indulgence in creating leaves us racked with feelings of guilt.
The irony is though, the more creative you are, the less selfish an act it is.
Here are the 3 of the top reasons why being creative isn't selfish:
1. You inspire others by your example. All of us are creative, far more than we realise. But when we consider artists only as people who are best selling authors or who have painting exhibitions in national galleries, we do a disservice to every other artist. By creating what you enjoy in the way you enjoy creating, you become an instant inspiration to others. People who see you stepping up to the page, canvas or worktop consistently take great comfort from your commitment to being creative, and follow suit in their own creative lives. It's almost irrelevant what you're creating, just the act of creating is great motivation to others in ways you'll never know. And that's far from selfish!
2. Your artwork touches and enhances the lives of others. So we've seen that the act of creating regularly inspires others. On another level, the actual artwork you create can enhance the lives of others too, both those people you come into direct contact with, and strangers you may never meet. Think about how you yourself have been inspired by artwork you've come across. Personally I know I take as much inspiration, if not more, from the artists I find online every day than any of the established and more famous artists in history. It follows that by getting your own artwork out there (which is easier than it's ever been before) you'll inspire others too. How could that possibly be seen as selfish?
3. Your own good feeling and happiness naturally radiates. It's common to think that by being creative we're being selfish, somehow turning our energy and focus inwards when we could (or "should") be using that to support those close to us. The point we overlook is that we can only give out a limited amount of positive energy if we ourselves are feeling frustrated, restricted and that we desperately need to fulfill creative needs within. By spending time each day exploring and satisfying your creative needs, you'll naturally feel better about yourself, the people around you and your whole outlook on the world. This good feeling will radiate to all you come into contact with throughout your day. Again, spreading good feeling like this can hardly be considered selfish.
From: http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/how-to-be-creative-without-being-selfish
How To Be Creative Without Being Selfish
9 Attitudes of Highly Creative People
1. Curiosity
I’ve written previously on the topic of curiosity because I’m convinced that it is an essential skill to build as a blogger. Learning to ask ‘why’, ‘what if’ and ‘I wonder…’ are great questions to build into your life if you want to be a more creative person.
2. Seeing Problems as Interesting and Acceptable
ChallengeOne of the problems of the Western mindset is that we often see problems or obstacles in life as unacceptable parts of life. We avoid pain or suppress it when it comes and in doing so don’t often see and feel symptoms that are there to tell us something important. Creative people see problems as a natural and normal part of life - in fact they often have a fascination with problems and are drawn to them.
3. Confronting Challenge
Many of the most creative ideas through out history have come from people facing a challenge or crisis and rather than running from it asking ‘how can I overcome this’?
4. Constructive Discontent
Creative people often have an acute awareness of what’s wrong with the world around them - however they are constructive about this awareness and won’t allow themselves to get bogged down in grumbling about it - they take their discontent and let it be a motivation to doing something constructive.
5. Optimism
OptimismCreative people generally have a deeply held belief that most (if not all) problems can be solved. No challenge is too big to be overcome and no problem cannot be solved (this doesn’t mean they’re always happy or never depressed - but they don’t generally get stumped by a challenge).
6. Suspending Judgment
The ability to hold off on judging or critiquing an idea is important in the process of creativity. Often great ideas start as crazy ones - if critique is applied too early the idea will be killed and never developed into something useful and useable. (note - this doesn’t mean there is never a time for critique or judgement in the creative process - it’s actually key - but there is a time and place for it).
7. Seeing Hurdles as leading to improvements and solutions
HurdlesThis relates to some of the above - but by ‘hurdles’ I mean problems and mistakes in the creative process itself. Sometimes it’s on the journey of developing an idea that the real magic happens and it’s often out of the little problems or mistakes that the idea is actually improved.
8. Perseverance
Creative people who actually see their ideas come to fruition have the ability to stick with their ideas and see them through - even when the going gets tough. This is what sets apart the great from the good in this whole sphere. Stick-ability is key.
9. Flexible Imagination
FlexibleI love watching a truly creative person at work when they’re ‘on fire’. They have this amazing ability to see a problem or challenge and it’s many potential solutions simultaneously and they have an intuitive knack at being able to bring previously disconnected ideas together in flashes of brilliance that seem so simple - yet which are so impossible to dream up for the average person.
Is Creativity tied to Personality Type or Can it be Learned?
As I read through this list of traits of creative people - the question that I find myself asking is whether creativity is tied to personality type or whether it can be learned.
My own uneducated answer to this question is - ‘yes’.
Some people are just creative - they don’t train themselves to think like they do and they often don’t even know that they are any different from the rest of us - it’s just who they are.
However I believe that we can all enhance our ability to be creative over time.
Tomorrow I’m going to round off this mini-series of posts on creativity by suggesting a few practical things that those of us wanting to enhance our creativity might build into our lives.
From: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/05/09/9-attitudes-of-highly-creative-people/
become a perfect fashion model
How you can become a perfect fashion model
No fashion model is perfect, not even top fashion models, but even an average person can do a considerable amount of fashion modeling if they make the most of their appearance.
No fashion model is perfect, not even top fashion models, but even an average person can do a considerable amount of fashion modeling if they make the most of their appearance. Runway model tips can help you get that fashion model look. Have you been wondering why clients may not be calling you for print modeling jobs? This could easily be your problem if you just aren't getting as much work as a fashion model.
Professional runway makeup is the one thing you can do that will help increase your magazine modeling opportunities. A full head-to-toe model make-over may be in order if you were once being called to do a lot of modeling, but the phone for some reason stopped ringing. You have to get this part of modeling right before you start spending money on pictures and professional model composites. Otherwise it may all be wasted. Here's how to get started!
Hairstyle:
Your hairstyle is the most versatile feature you have which defines your model look. Like a lot of people, you can't simply look in a magazine and say "I want that hairstyle" and expect it to work for you. The hairstyle has to fit your particular face structure. If you have a high forehead, you certainly will need to minimize the effect by styling bangs into your new look. There are two factors in hairstyling to consider: versatility and marketability. By marketability, your hairstyle must not be dated. This can absolutely kill your modeling career.
Versatility is when you are able to switch from one look to another quickly by changing the style of your hair. As a model your hair must be flexible enough so you can portray a variety of characters. Be sure your new hairstyle allows you to do just this. If you are thinking in terms of maybe getting a wig, they are basically good only for special effects and situations. Don't try to change your entire look based on a wig alone. Looking through hairstyle publications is a great way to get ideas, but don't try to change your hairstyle based on another person's look unless they have the same shaped face as you.
If you have limp, thin hair, then you might try a permanent wave to add body and thickness. Before you do anything, talk to a professional hairstylist and get their opinion first. They will usually know what cut and color will go well with your face structure. It can save you a lot of money, time and grief.
Eyebrows:
Eyebrows are very important features for fashion models since they frame the face and create your unique expression. Have you ever seen fashion models (other than Brooke Shields and Kathy Ireland) with a big bushy eyebrow? Most people simply don't look good with a uni-brow. (an eyebrow that extends from one side of the head to the other). If you want to look unique and interesting, you can create this kind of look with a highly arched eyebrow. It simply gives the eyes better definition and makes you look more like a real model. To even out an eyebrow, you will use an eyebrow pencil and to create shape you will do some tweezing. Again consult a professional to get the best look from your eyebrows.
Makeup Application:
To learn to apply makeup, go to a department store and get a professional makeup application. Watch and learn what to do. It's one thing to describe a makeup technique, it's completely something else to actually see how it is done by a professional. Many times there won't be a makeup artist on the set to help with your makeup. Learn how to apply it properly to refine your look as a model on the set of a photo shoot as well as on the runway. Learn every step including foundation and getting the right tone to match your skin. Get the right shade of blush to highlight your cheekbones and make them model-like. Eye make-up can be very difficult to apply correctly. Watch this part very carefully and remember, blending is the secret to perfect make-up application.
Nail Care:
The next area of self-improvement is the fingernails. Poorly manicured nails on the set of a photo shoot is deplorable. There is no excuse ever unless maybe you slammed your fingers in a car door. The nails should be nicely shaped with an emery board, filing in one direction only. There are several varieties and shapes you can make the tips of your nails. These include the classic oval, pointed tips, square tips and round oval. Your nails should all be consistent in length as well. If your nails are in terrible condition, be sure to have acrylic nails applied by yourself or at a nail salon before your important professional photo shoot.
If you are a compulsive nail biter, then definitely at least invest in a set of press-on nails the day before the photo shoot or fashion show. There simply isn't an excuse for poorly manicured nails for models. Clients expect a model to have great nails and if it shows in the pictures you sent a client, don't be surprised if you don't get any call backs for modeling jobs.
Posture:
Some models have a real problem with posture. The ability to sit up straight and not slump your shoulders is paramount for a fashion model. Models that slump more than a few times during the course of a photo shoot will not be called back. There are enough things to concentrate on during the photo shoot without dealing with a habitually slump-shouldered model. For runway models, you must have great posture or you won't even get past the interview stage. Typically fashion models who slump are models with a lack of self-confidence and that needs to be addressed before the posture can really be corrected. Activities which promote good posture are ice skating, ballet, horseback riding and roller-balding.
There's really nothing worse than to have a model show up at a photo shoot and then have to go through a complete make-over. That's not what they are there for. Someone that gets a complete make-over during their photo shoot should feel extremely lucky they were even called at all. Obviously if they needed extensive work on their appearance before they could work, the client had to see through all the problems and take a big chance on them for the job. 99% of the time the non-model type person will simply be passed by for someone else that has a proper model appearance to begin with.
These are the basics of how to look like a model when you are going for professional fashion modeling jobs. If you don't look like a fashion model, then no one will want to hire you as a model. This is extremely important to your success. Once you have achieved a fashion model type look, then you will need to keep it going. Show your look in your professional pictures that clients will see. If you haven't done this, then you won't get called for any magazine modeling opportunities or fashion modeling jobs!
From: http://www.modelcruz.com/tips/how-you-can-become-a-perfect-fashion-model.html
Tips - Tips for Models
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(Read More...)Tips for Beginning Models
Dating and saving money. For many, the two concepts don't equate. There's an automatic reaction for most when suggesting the two together that the person paying is trying to be "cheap" and the resulting date will naturally have the same feel.
You will be so surprised at how many little tips and tricks there actually are involved in walking a runway!
Most of you probably think it is "just walking", but it is way more than that! From head to toe, everything on your body matters. It is all relatively easy to learn, but you just wouldn't think of any of these tips on your own.I will tell you one right now that blew my mind. It's so simple, but I got busted on it right away. It involves your hands.
A professional model of over 20 years experience taught me this one.
When you walk a runway there will be a lot of pictures taken. As we walk most of us naturally curl our fingers inward.
What's so bad about that you ask Beginning Models?
Because you have no fingers! When a picture is put up in a magazine with you on the runway, it appears as if you have no fingers! With them curled in they disappear.
I found it to be so interesting that such a tiny detail could make such a big difference.
There are several other tips for walking the runway. When they are all are put together, your walk will really impress the agents, scouts and clients.
Understanding how to walk the runway is so valuable. Some (almost all) of modeling agents don't want to take the time to baby-sit you. That is then one less thing they need to teach you. This counts as one more point in your favor.
Have very high levels of self-confidence Beginning Models
Confidence is an important skill that will either make or break your chance at becoming at professional model!
It is essential! If you haven't got enough confidence, YOU WILL NOT MAKE IT!
Did you notice I refer to it as a skill though? It is something that can be increased and improved to INFINITE LEVELS!
There are several methods to gain this asset.
I guarantee, that with my methods, you will increase your confidence as long as you practice them.
They are centuries old and will never stop working!
Understand how and where your look can be used to make the most money possible
Understanding the truth about "The look" will truly free your mind. The truth is... THERE IS NO "right look".
Certain clients want certain looks. There isn't just one look that everyone wants. Each company has different markets to appeal to. One look may appeal to one crowd, but be completely rejected by another.
Almost every look can make big money in modeling; the key is knowing where to place yourself. For the looks (faces) that don't fit into most markets, I will tell you how to still make big money.
You need to realize that agencies can see potential in you, you can't even see in yourself. Even a less attractive person can look beautiful with the right make up, style, lighting and angles. With the right photographer you can look incredibly sexy!
If you look good in pictures, it will get you signed. Although you look totally different in person!
You need to know what your look is and where it makes money. I will show you how to use your look to benefit you best.
Find out how and where to get discovered without getting scammed
Before I finally made it, I had been ripped off by several phony agencies! This alone almost caused me to give up.
Phony agencies are aware that you will spend hundreds of dollars in order to realize your dream. So every person that enters their office will be greeted like royalty. They will be offered tons of fake promises.
It's all garbage! I will teach you how to avoid getting tricked and scammed! You will never worry about this again!
In addition, you will learn where to find real agencies
Beginning Models: Have beautiful Skin
For those of you with beautiful skin... you're extremely lucky!!! I, unlike you, was not so fortunate! For most of my teenage years, skin was my biggest struggle.
It hurts when an agent won't accept you because of your skin. Let's get this problem out of the way NOW. It's one less thing they have to fix! An agent, client or photographer cannot worry about your breakouts on the day of a photo shoot.
So the bad news is, you must have them under control.
Don't be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us.
The GOOD NEWS is, there are proven skincare techniques that will totally fix this problem! These methods will work for every different skin type. They are simple and effective.
They worked for me, now I never have to deal with it again!!!
Beginning Models: Effective exercising
Most people think in order to model you must be sickly skinny or anorexic. THIS IS NOT TRUE!
Agents want you to look healthy. This is achieved by exercise. You need to be very fit and have low levels of body fat. Depending on the market, you may need to be very small and thin, muscular, defined... ect.
If you're a plus size model you will require excess body fat, but still need tons of exercise.
Different bodies need different types of exercise.
I personally, pride myself in having an extremely fit body. At times, I have been thin, defined and very muscular.
With the knowledge I have gained I can now change my body type at will and can teach you how to do this too!
Understanding proper Nutrition
Nutrition is absolutely essential for making exercise work. You can exercise until you are blue in the face, but without proper nutrition your results will be disappointing.
When I was trying to gain muscle size my exercise technique was excellent. I was disciplined, did everything properly, yet had minimal results! This was because I did not understand nutrition.
I began to study nutrition. I soon discovered why my hard work was not paying off.
After a few months of applying what I had learnt, I started to notice some very impressive results. My goal had been to gain muscle size and I had put on 30 pounds of muscle in 3 months!
That was all the proof I needed! Now I can gain muscle or lose muscle when I need to, while losing fat with minimal difficulty.
This is all relatively simple to learn and apply. All you require is discipline.
Although you can't eat bad foods every day, you still get a free day once per week!
I have a proven system. And if I can do it you can too!
Eliminate any fears or discouraging beliefs for Beginning Models
Fear is a mental monster. It tells you what you can and cannot do before even trying!
Many people have dreamt of becoming a model. But, because of fear of failure they will never even attempt it.
And if fear doesn't stop them, their beliefs cause them to shy away.
For example; someone says, “you’re ugly and you will never be a model". This (if you let it) forms a belief in your mind that you are ugly and can never be a model.
Every time you go after your dream this stupid belief pops up and convinces you not to! This is so dumb, yet it happens to all of us in one way or another.
Fear and discouraging beliefs are the hugest dream crushers ever! But, thankfully, there are a few simple ways of eliminating this problem. Lucky for you, you get to learn these principles!!!
Take AMAZING pictures
You must be skilled in front of the camera. You have to capture emotion through your pictures.
To build a good portfolio you need excellent pictures. These pictures need to show the client how great you can look on film.
Agencies won't accept people that don't take good pictures. They want more than 1 out of 1000 pictures to make the cut.
Although it is harder than it seems, the technique used is really quite simple. You can practice it almost anywhere.
Learn meditation or relaxation exercises!
Meditation and relaxation is the main key in staying focused! It’s not something you're told to have, its something I've learned you really need!
There is more stress as a model than you could ever imagine. Everyone thinks it's so easy. I thought so too!
Taking pictures for 4 hours straight is not always fun. Being rejected 100 times before getting a big job is depressing. Constantly being in competition with other models for jobs is very stressful. Having to leave your family and friends for months and months can be very lonely.
All these things can take a toll on you. You must know how to relieve these stresses. If your mind is defeating you, you can't stay focused, and will not last.
Not only is this information useful when modeling, but very much so when trying to become one. The first time I walked in front of 30 of the top agents from around the world, I could not, no matter how hard I tried, stay calm or focused.
What I will show you has kept me in a positive and calmer state of mind. You should learn these successful keys before it's to late.
Understand all the myths and facts about the modeling business
There are so many WRONG preconceived notions about the modeling business.
"You need to be tall, skinny and beautiful". These are some of the biggest falsehoods about being a model.
If you have ever heard of Kate moss, you will know that you don't need to be tall. She is only 5 foot 6 inches and is one of Calvin Klein's best models. She is also a MILLIONAIRE!
And having to be skinny is way off! There are so many successful plus size models making tons of money.
You have to be beautiful??? Not true either. Watch almost any famous designers fashion show. You will definitely see models that are not "beautiful". They may not be gorgeous, but they are irresistibly attractive!
There are several aspects of modeling that are misunderstood and will be very helpful to know.
Set Goals for yourself to start Models
Any successful Model person understands the importance of setting goals. Goal setting keeps you motivated and on track.
By learning effective goal setting, you create a magnetism between you and your goal. After using the methods I will explain, you will truly understand their power.
These goal-setting techniques have been used for centuries by the most successful people of all time. I was lucky enough to stumble across the right books and people to teach them to me.
Since using these techniques my dreams have been coming true. You must understand that when you put your dreams down on paper they have much more power. This will all be explained to very you soon!!!
Learn to discover and use you full potential in Modeling
Unleashing your true potential is, understanding what it takes to get what you want.
How bad do you want your dreams to come true? What effort are you willing to put forth in order to achieve them?
I will simply explain what mindset and effort you will need in order to get what you want. This is your persistence and personal drive. No quitters will make it, only winners. If you are a quitter then quit now because "A QUITTER NEVER WINS AND A WINNER NEVER QUITS"
From: http://www.modelcruz.com/tips/tips-for-beginning-models.html
Photography Beginning Tips
Making beautiful photographs involves nothing more than a bit of thought. While it often helps to have decent equipment, all you really need is to take a moment before each shot to think clearly about what you are attempting to capture or create. The following guidelines are intended to help novice, non-artistic, and/or non-technical picture-takers immediately improve their photography.
Making beautiful photographs involves nothing more than a bit of thought. While it often helps to have decent equipment, all you really need is to take a moment before each shot to think clearly about what you are attempting to capture or create. The following guidelines are intended to help novice, non-artistic, and/or non-technical picture-takers immediately improve their photography.
1. Move in Closer
Each time you spot a subject, snap a shot and then move in closer for a better shot. Having your subject almost fill the frame helps your viewer understand and appreciate your photo. Also, details are often more interesting than an overall view. Keep moving in closer until you are sure the photo will successfully represent your subject.
2. Be Quick
If it is at all possible that your subject may move, bolt, fly away, stop smiling, or just get tired of waiting for you to take the picture, shoot once right away.Practice getting quicker and quicker to the draw.Do not worry about taking too many pictures and do not wait until you're absolutely certain all the knobs and buttons are in their correct position. As the motto of one of BetterPhoto old t-shirts states, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later."
3. Compose Your Picture with Care
Even if you don't plan on selling your photo to the Smithsonian, make every effort to keep it balanced and beautiful. On one level or another, everyone responds better to a picture that has all elements in balance.
Strive to lead the eye along an interesting path through the photo, with the use of strong lines or patterns.
Keep the horizon level
Crop out extra elements that you are not interested in (more on this is the next tip)
Consciously place your subject where you think it most belongs rather than just accepting it wherever it happens to land in the photo
Play with perspective so that all lines show a pattern or lead the eye to your main subject
4. Be Selective
Discern what you are really interested in and center your efforts on getting the best photo of this subject, whether it a still life, your funny cat, your doggy, a friend, a family matter, a mood, a place or culture.
Then be sure to keep anything that would distract out of the picture. Go as far as Ansel Adams did to remove unwanted elements.
The easiest way to do this is to watch your borders - the edges of the view you see through the camera's viewfinder. Then recompose if anything - such as an unattractive telephone wire, an old soda can, a distracting sign, your finger, or your camera strap - hangs into your picture.
It can become more difficult if you want to, say, shoot a San Francisco cable car without a single distracting telephone line. But even in such a difficult case, you have many options.
You can:
- Focus in on a close-up that tells the whole story;
- Move around until you arrange the telephone lines into a neat pattern that leads to the subject; or
- Take a panning shot that makes the cable car remain in focus while the background goes blurry.
5. Focus on Your Subject
Practice shooting with different apertures and monitor the results afterwards to learn how depth-of-field affects your photo.
You will find that a smaller depth-of-field focuses all the attention upon your subject. This is great for taking a picture of your child, your dog, or your husband - subjects stand out against a blurry background.
Likewise, you will find that a greater depth-of-field (bigger f-stop number) will make everything from here to eternity appear in focus. This will help make those landscapes fascinating and lovely.
You will also want to become familiar with the way your camera focuses. If it is a simple point and shoot camera, you will likely indicate which part of the picture to focus on by following these steps:
Aim so the object you want in sharp focus is in the center of the viewfinder.
Press the shutter button down half-way and hold it.
Move your camera until you have the composition you like best
Press the button down the rest of the way to take the picture.
6. Experiment with Shutter Speed
One of the most basic, overlooked, and fun aspects of photography is that you have the power to slow time down or catch a split second.
One image happens so slowly that we could never see it and the other happens so quickly in real time that we would never notice it. Play with shutter speed!
Use a slow shutter speed and a tripod to make a pretty picture of any creek or stream. On the other hand, you can use a fast shutter speed (1/500 and up) to capture an object in motion.
Combining a fast shutter speed with a long lens, you sports buffs can get a trophy of your own when you are able to catch the expression on your favorite runningback's face as he slips past the final defense toward a winning touchdown. Remember, catching the moment in fast-paced action photography may take a little more practice so hang in there.
7. Look at the Light
By this, I don't mean look into the sun - no, that won't do at all. But it is good to see what kind of light you are working with. Which way are the shadows falling? Unless you want a silhouette effect, where your subject is black against an interesting background, it's generally best to shoot with the sun behind you.
How is the light affecting your subject? Is the subject squinting?
Is the light blazing directly and brightly upon your whole subject? This works well if you are in love with the bold colors of your subject.
Side lighting, on the other hand, can add drama but can also cause extreme, hard-to-print contrasts.
Lastly, indirect light can be used to make your subject glow soft and pretty.
8. Watch the Weather, Too
Look outside and decide whether or not you are going to want to have the sky in your picture.
If it's overcast, simply keep the sky out of your pictures as much as possible. This is usually the best way to avoid both muted tones in your subject and washed-out skies in your background. You might also find black and white pictures of an overcast day more pleasing than color.
When the day is beautiful, go ahead and make the most of it.
If your camera allows for the use of filters, purchase a polarizer. This will help you render deep blue skies against bright white clouds, richly contrasting colors, and other wonderful effects with a simple twist of the wrist.
9. Keep Your Camera Settings Simple
While you may wish to have "all the bells and whistles" available just in case, you will probably get the best results if you do not try to use them all the time and instead learn a simple set up that works best for you in most situations.
This doesn't necessarily mean keeping your camera set on "Program" - while this mode may be perfect in its simplicity, it may be frustrating in its tyrannical control.
Instead of relying on a fully automatic program, pick a simple, semi-automatic program such as aperture-priority and master shooting in that mode. Then, you'll be able to control certain basics without letting the other basics control you, and thus keep that 150 page manual where it belongs - in your camera bag.
10. Be Bold
Don't allow yourself to be paralyzed by fears of using the wrong settings, or an non-politically-correct social policy.
If you are afraid of upsetting someone by taking their picture, just go up and ask if it's okay. Ask them to sign a release and offer a print in return.
With wildlife, adopt a low-impact method when you go places where few photographers have gone before. For the above photos, I put my camera and telephoto in a waterproof bag and kayaked out into Monterey Bay. (Lawyer-talk: This can be dangerous - so be careful.)
Be wise... but be bold.
From: http://www.modelcruz.com/tips/photography-beginning-tips.html
10 ORIGINAL RECIPES FOR COFFEE LOVERS (2)
11. Cafe Au Lait Luzianne
Ingredients:
2 c Milk
1/2 c Heavy cream
6 c Louisiana coffee w/chicory
How To:
Combine milk and cream in saucepan; bring just to a boil (bubbles will form around edge of pan), then remove from heat. Pour small amount of coffee in each coffee cup.
Pour remaining coffee and hot milk mixture together until cups are 3/4 full.
NOTE: Skim milk can be substituted for milk and cream for those who are counting calories.
12. Cafe Au Cin
Ingredients:
1 c Cold strong French roast coffee
2 tb Granulated sugar
ds Cinnamon
2 oz Tawny port
1/2 ts Grated orange peel
Combine and mix in a blender at high speed. Pour into chilled wine glasses.
13. Cafe Cappuccino
Ingredients:
1/2 c Instant coffee
3/4 c Sugar
1 c Nonfat dry milk
1/2 ts Dried orange peel
How To:
Crush in mortar and pestle
Use 2 T. for each cup of hot water
14. Cafe Cappuccino Mix
Ingredients:
1/2 c Instant coffee
3/4 c Sugar
1 c Nonfat dry milk
1/2 ts Dried orange peel(1 bottle)
How To:
Mash orange peel with a mortar and pestle. Stir ingredients together. Process in a blender until powdered. Use 2 Tablespoons for each cup of hot water. Makes about 2 1/4 cups of mix.
15. Cafe Con Miel
Ingredients:
2 c Prepared coffee, (fresh, instant, or decaf)
1/2 c Milk
4 tb HONEY, more or less to taste
1/8 ts Cinnamon
Dash nutmeg or allspice
Dash vanilla
How To:
Heat ingredients in a saucepan, but do not boil. Stir well to combine. Serve as a light dessert.
16. Cafe De Ola
Ingredients:
8 c Water
2 sm Cinnamon sticks
3 Whole cloves
4 oz Dark brown sugar
1 Square semisweet chocolate or Mexican chocolate
4 oz Ground coffee
How To:
Bring the water to a boil, then add the cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and chocolate. When the liquid comes to a boil again, skim off any foam. Reduce the heat to low and make sure the liquid does not boil. Add the coffee, and let it steep for 5 minutes. Serve the coffee in an earthenware pot with a ladle.
17. Cafe' Mexicano
Ingredients:
1 oz Coffee liqueur
1 ts Chocolate syrup
1 ea Hot coffee
1/2 oz Brandy
1 ea Dash ground cinnamon
1 ea Sweetened whipped cream
How To:
Combine coffee liqueur, brandy, chocolate syrup and cinnamon in a coffee cup or mug. Fill to the top with hot coffee. Top with whipped cream.
18. Cafe Alva Cocoa
Ingredients:
Amaretto coffee beans
1 tb Vanilla extract
1 ts Almond extract
1 ts Cocoa powder
1 ts Sugar
How To:
Brew coffee. Add flavourings, 1 tsp. chocolate and sugar per cup. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate and red candy sprinkles, and a chocolate- covered strawberry on top.
19. Cafe Royale
Ingredients:
3/4 c Hot Strong Coffee
4 ts Brandy
1 Sugar Cube
How To:
Pour coffee into warmed mug. Float 2 teaspoons brandy on coffee. Put remaining 2
teaspoons brandy into a tablespoon with sugar cube. Warm spoon over hot coffee. With a match, carefully ignite brandy in teaspoon. Slowly lower spoon into coffee to ignite floating brandy. Wait 1 minute after flame has died before drinking.
20. Cafe Vienna Look-alike
Ingredients:
1/2 c Instant coffee
2/3 c Sugar
2/3 c Non-fat dry milk
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1 pn Cloves
1 pn Allspice
1 pn Nutmeg
How To:
Blend in blender until very fine powder. Use 2 teaspoons per cup
From: http://www.99p-ebooks.co.uk
10 ORIGINAL RECIPES FOR COFFEE LOVERS
The Best Coffee Recipes – Have Fun!
1. Alexander Espresso
Ingredients:
1 cup Cold water
2 tb Ground espresso coffee
½ Cinnamon stick (3" long)
4 ts Crème de Cacao
2 ts Brandy
2 tb Whipping cream, chilled
Grated semisweet chocolate to garnish
How To:
Break out your espresso machine for this one or just make really strong coffee with a small amount of water. Break cinnamon stick into small pieces and add to hot espresso. Allow to cool for 1 minute. Add crème de cacao and brandy, and stir gently. Pour into cute demitasse cups. Whip the cream, and float some cream on top of each cup.
For looks, garnish with grated chocolate or fancy chocolate curls. Multiply proportions by six and it's perfect for a party. Serves 2
2. Canadian Coffee
Ingredients:
¼ c Maple syrup; pure
½ c Rye whiskey
3 c Coffee; hot, black, double strength
Topping:
¾ c Whipping cream
4 ts Maple syrup; pure
How To:
Topping: Whip cream with maple syrup just up until soft mounds; set aside.
Divide maple syrup and whiskey among 4 warmed heatproof glass mugs or goblets. Pour
in coffee to 1 inch of top; spoon topping over coffee.
3. Alpine Carnival
Ingredients:
2 tb Instant coffee
1 ts Vanilla
2 tb Brown sugar
1 ts Water
1 ½ c Boiling water
½ c Whipping cream, whipped
How To:
Divide instant coffee and vanilla evenly between two Spanish coffee glasses. In a small heavy saucepan, dissolve sugar in the teaspoon of water. Over medium heat, stir dissolved sugar until it reaches a full boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in boiling water. Divide sugar mixture between coffee glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Makes 2 x 6 oz servings.
4. Amaretto Coffee
Ingredients:
1 ½ c Warm Water
1/3 c Amaretto
1 tb Instant Coffee Crystals
Dessert Topping from a pressurized can
How To:
In a 2-cup measure stir together water and instant coffee crystals. Micro-cook uncovered, on 100% power for about 4 minutes or just till steaming hot. Stir in Amaretto. Serve in mugs. Top each mug of coffee mixture with some dessert topping.
5. Amaretto Coffee / Variation
Ingredients:
¾ c Warm water
3 tb Amaretto
1 ½ ts Instant coffee crystals
Dessert topping; * see note
How To:
* Dessert topping should be in a pressurized can.
In a non-metal mug stir together water and instant coffee crystals. Micro-cook, uncovered, on 100% power about 1 1/2 minutes or just till mixture is steaming hot. Stir in Amaretto. Top with pressurized dessert topping.
6. Arabian Coffee
Ingredients:
1/2 litre (about 1 pint) water
3 tablespoons coffee
3 tablespoons (or more) sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla sugar
How To:
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until foam gathers on top. Do not pass through a filter. Stir it up before you serve it.
7. Black Forest Coffee
Ingredients:
6 oz Fresh brewed coffee
2 tb Chocolate syrup
1 tb Maraschino cherry juice
Whipped cream
Shaved chocolate/chips
Maraschino cherries
How To:
Combine coffee, chocolate syrup, and cherry juice in a cup; mix well. Top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry.
8. Buttered Rum Coffee
Ingredients:
1/3 c Ground coffee
1/4 ts Freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/4 ts Rum extract
1/8 ts Liquid butter flavouring
How To:
Place coffee and nutmeg in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade. In a cup, combine remaining ingredients. With processor running, add flavorings. Stop processor and scrape sides of container with a spatula. Process 10 seconds longer. Store in a refrigerator. Yields: Mix for eight 6-ounce servings
9. Cafe Au Lait (Coffee with Milk)
Ingredients:
1 c Milk
1 c Light cream
3 tb Instant coffee
2 c Boiling water
How To:
Over low heat or in double boiler, heat milk and cream till hot. Meanwhile, dissolve coffee in boiling water. Before serving, beat milk mixture with rotary beater-till foamy. Pour milk mixture into one warmed pitcher or server, and coffee in another. To serve: Fill cups from both pitchers at the same time, making the streams meet en route. Makes 6 servings.
10. Louisiana Cafe Au Lai
Ingredients:
2 c Milk
Sugar
1 c Louisiana coffee with chicory
How To:
Put milk in saucepan; bring to a boil.
Pour hot freshly brewed coffee and milk simultaneously into cups; sweeten with sugar to taste.
From: http://www.99p-ebooks.co.uk
6 Hot Tips To Get Your Articles Read
There are many people who dread having to write papers or articles. Many just feel like it seems to be too much work and it all just goes to waste when no one reads the. To some people, reading articles seems like work to, especially if the article is boring and very bland. Well, articles are supposed to be read, that’s their purpose to impart your message and information. If it is not read then it is a waste of time and effort.
But all the same, articles have to be written to be read. It’s just a matter of making them good. Making a good article doesn’t have to be strenuous and straining. There are just some points needed to be reminded of, and some guides to follow. Once you get the hang of it, writing articles could be fun, as well as profitable for you and your site.
Of course, writing articles must be about something you know about, that’s why if you own a site, you probably is knowledgeable about that certain topic and theme. When you write about it, you won’t have a hard time because you already know what it is and what it’s about. It’s just a matter of making your articles creative and interesting.
To make sure that your articles get read and enjoyed, here are six red hot tips to get your articles read. These tips will make your articles readable and interesting.
1) Use short paragraphs. When the paragraph are very long, the words get jumbled in the mind of the reader just looking at it It can get quite confusing and too much of a hard work to read. The reader will just quickly disregard the paragraph and move on to much easier reading articles that are good to look at as well as read. Paragraphs can be a single sentence, sometimes even a single word!
2) Make use of numbers or bullets. As each point is stressed out, numbers and bullets can quickly make the point easy to remember and digest. As each point, tip, guide or method is started with a bullet or point, readers will know that this is where the tips start and getting stressed. Format you bullets and numbers with indentations so that your4 article won’t look like a single block of square paragraphs. Add a little bit of flair and pizzazz to your articles shape.
3) Use Sub-headings to sub-divide your paragraphs in the page. Doing this will break each point into sections but still would be incorporated into one whole article. It would also be easy for the reader to move on from one point to another; the transition would be smooth and easy. You will never lose your readers attention as well as the point and direction to where the article is pointing. 
4) Provide a good attention-grabbing title or header. If your title can entice a person’s curiosity you’re already halfway in getting a person to read your article. Use statements and questions that utilize keywords that people are looking for. Provide titles or headers that describe your articles content but should also be short and concise.
Use titles like, “Tips on making her want you more”, or “How to make her swoon and blush” .You could also use titles that can command people, for example, “Make her yours in six easy Ways”. These types of titles reach out to a persons’ emotions and makes them interested.
5) Keep them interested from the start to the finish. From your opening paragraph, use real life situations that can be adopted by the reader. Use good descriptions and metaphors to drive in your point, just don’t over do it. Driving your examples with graphic metaphors and similes would make it easy for them to imagine what you are talking about. Making the experience pleasurable and enjoyable for them.
6) Utilize figures when necessary and not just ordinary and insipid statements. Using specific facts and figures can heighten your article because it makes it authoritative. But do not make it too formal, it should be light and easy in them and flow. Like a friendly teac her having a little chat with an eager student.
