365 Ways to Live Happy (24 page)

Learn the art and craft of creating a beautiful piece of a stained glass by signing up for a hands-on class. A class can provide you with an in-depth exploration of types of glass production, materials needed for a project, the design work of a window or panel, and other ingredients necessary to produce a stained glass project. While your instructor will be able to teach you the basics, it is often through hands-on work that you gain a comprehensive understanding of the art form. You'll meet new people in your stained glass class and, who knows, one or more of them might become friends with whom you can spend many happy hours together creating works of art. In time, you might even choose to organize a show, establish an art collective, or sell your creations through word of mouth.

Beading has increased in popularity in recent years and is considered by many to be not only a high art form but also a way to earn some extra bucks. Already, there are several magazines devoted to beading and columns about beading in others. Whether you want to create beaded jewelry or works of art, you'll soon discover that time seems to fly as you discover beads in assorted styles, shapes, colors, and textures; decide on the optimum way to use them; and then create beautiful earrings, chokers, bracelets, pins, and necklaces. To find beads, visit a bead shop, department stores, and art and crafts outlets. Have fun making your distinctive pieces as gifts for birthdays and other celebratory occasions, showing them in galleries, or selling them in stores or online.

Maybe you, like a lot of other people, made mud pies as a child. Discover what the ancients knew about the warm, fuzzy feelings you get working with your hands to produce a piece of pottery. Spend some happy hours pinching off a ball of clay, centering it on a potter's wheel, shaping it, firing out the impurities, glazing it, and then firing it again to affix the glaze. You will need access to clay, the wheel, and a kiln that can heat at high temperatures (for example, around 1700°F). A pottery class can provide all those essential items along with instruction and coaching. Or, you could purchase the type of clay that can be fired in your own oven at lower temperatures and make some nifty beads to string. See
www.howtomakepottery.com
.

You know you love working on your hobby. Whatever your hobby is, there's undoubtedly a professional association representing it. To find yours, type the name of your hobby into your computer browser and see what it lists. Or, go to
www.hobby.org
, where you will discover the hottest new crafts and hobbies in the global marketplace. For example, scrapbooking, quilting and needlecrafts, art, and framing top the list today. The association(s) for your hobby might host annual competitions, produce a magazine, or provide grants or scholarships so that deserving individuals can learn more about their favorite hobby.

Perhaps you like to cook, have some culinary expertise, and some great recipes for dishes such as a Jewish poppy seed mandlebrot (biscotti), an Indian fish curry, a paella that even Spaniards love, a fried chicken made from a recipe that your Southern great-grandmother passed on, or some other tantalizing taste treat. Start a cooking class in your kitchen. Alternatively, reserve another facility and step into the role of teacher. Make sure you have all the pieces of equipment and utensils that you'll need. Decide on a theme for your class — maybe quick and easy desserts, Italian pasta dishes, Indian curries, or sandwiches and pastries for high tea. Type your recipes for each student and make sure that you prepare and cook the long dishes at the beginning of the class and dishes that need less prep and cooking time at the end. Have fun teaching and sharing your passion for food with others.

Quilting is so much fun that many quilters have quilting parties to enjoy the camaraderie of friends and to finish their own quilts or to join with other quilters to sew a project for a charitable cause. Many people equate quilt making with the Pennsylvania Dutch Amish or the Appalachian people. Amish quilts, especially the antique quilts, are of the highest-quality construction, but there are many other types of quilts that require less exacting and demanding skill to make. For example, you can make a crazy quilt from pieces of leftover fabric. Or you can contribute a square to someone else's quilt (this is the way the AIDS quilt is constructed). Buy a quilting how-to book, take a class, or just dive in and do it. Then invite your friends who sew to a quilting party. It's never too early or late to work on quilts for holiday gift giving.

As a child, did you ever play with little models of World War II fighter planes and ships or a miniature train set up on tracks with it's own little village? If you did, you probably have some fond memories of that time. There are many advantages to resuming that activity now that you are an adult. For example, you can build a plane, ship, or train alone and enjoy some worry-free, downtime. Or, you can spend some quality time working on a favorite model project with a young family member and share with him or her some of the history behind that model. Additionally, if you really get into that hobby, you and your family can visit museums, read books about your models, and plan family vacations to places where that model made history.

When you feel passionate about your hobby, whether it is freehand painting of murals on the walls of children's rooms, sculpting bowls from driftwood, or making cigar box shrines, tell your friends and other hobby enthusiasts about your latest project. Word gets around. You may attract people who want to see your projects, perhaps even purchase your services or product. Post digital photos of your creations on your social networking sites or photo sharing sites. You never know what opportunities may come your way when you put aside false modesty and instead promote yourself and your passion for your particular hobby.