| How to Make Star Wars Snowflakes Posted: 18 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST Getting ready for the holidays but want to infuse your love for Star Wars in your décor? Instead of creating run of the mill snowflakes to hang in the window, announce your love for all things Jedi by creating unique snowflakes in the shape of your favorite Star Wars characters. [Edit]Sample Snowflake Templates If using these snowflake templates, cut out only the black portions. [Edit]Gather Your Supplies - Purchase strong, white cardstock to create your snowflakes. Since you will be either taping them to a window or hanging them you want to design the snowflake on very strong paper that can withstand the rigors of the holidays and possibly be used again in the future.
- Find a very sharp pair of scissors to cut out the snowflakes. The right pair of scissors is the key to creating a professional looking snowflake. Make sure you select only the sharpest pair; sharpen any dull blades before embarking upon this project.
- Consider using a variety of scissors in order to cut out the intricate shapes. Find a pair of scissors with a smaller blade so you can make small cuts and round the edges for a more intricate project.
- Sharpen a pencil and find a good eraser. While you will most likely cut through the pencil marks you will need to erase any pencil that remains.
- Download the Star Wars template. You can use one of the templates offered in this article, or pick one from another site. A number of websites offer a variety of Star Wars snowflake templates that you can use. Many have multiple designs featuring a bevy of characters.
- Print the template on heavy bond paper. A heavier bond paper will allow you to create a hearty template that you can easily trace and re-use. Be sure your printer can handle the paper bond and won't jam or damage the printer. (You may want to consult the manual to determine how heavy you can go.)
- Consider picking up clear tape, a glue stick and glitter to add pizzazz to your snowflake. Why stick with boring white when you can jazz up your snowflake? If you like Jedi white, you could use white or silver glitter to make your snowflake shine.
[Edit]Create Your Star Wars Snowflake - Cut out your snowflake design from the printed template. Be very deliberate when cutting out the shape; going slowly with the scissors and being sure you round out every corner in order to create a clean template.
- Place the template over the cardstock and trace the design. Lightly trace the template over the cardstock. Avoid pressing your pencil down hard on the cardstock in case you make an error and need to erase.
- Consider taping the template down over the cardstock to keep it firmly in place. If the template keeps slipping while you are trying to trace, use small pieces of clear tape on the far edges of the template to hold it in place.
- Cut out the snowflake on your cardstock. Once you have the snowflake fully traced, carefully cut it out.
- Use different sized scissors for some of the intricate edges. Stop cutting when you get to areas that require a more intricate touch and grab the smaller pair of scissors.
- Erase any remaining pencil marks on the snowflake. Once it's cut out, examine the snowflake for remaining pencil marks. Use a clean eraser to remove the marks.
- Decorate the snowflake using glitter, faux jewels and any other fun adornments. Let your creativity and imagination run wild by customizing and designing your snowflake with your own unique touch.
- Cover the snowflake surface with glue from the glue stick before affixing decorative items. Use broad strokes over the snowflake, covering every inch of it with a thin sheet of glue.
- Add glitter by liberally sprinkling it directly from the container onto the snowflake over a paper plate. As the residual glitter falls from the snowflake it will hit the paper plate and can be reused for the next snowflake or project.
- Show off your snowflake.
- If you plan to tape snowflakes to the window, don't forget to decorate both sides so you can see the beauty from both inside and outside of your home.
- Punch a small hole in the top of the snowflake if you plan to hang if from the ceiling. Use clear fishing wire to hang snowflakes to give it an appearance of suspension.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References http://manmadediy.com/chris/posts/1522-how-to-make-star-wars-snowflakes-free-templates-included
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| How to Make a Frozen Bagel Taste Freshly Baked Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:00 PM PST Bagels are a great food to enjoy at home or on-the-go, and storing them frozen is a smart way to keep bagels fresh for longer. When you're ready to enjoy a bagel, take one out of the freezer and let it defrost for a few hours before baking it in the oven for the freshest tasting option. If you don't have time to do that, pop a frozen bagel straight into the toaster or use the microwave to heat it up before adding your favorite toppings. [Edit]Defrosting and Baking the Bagel - Defrost the bagel at room temperature for 2-3 hours. If the bagel was individually wrapped before it went into the freezer, leave it in its wrap while it is defrosting. If it wasn't, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil when you take it out of the freezer to help it retain its moisture level while it's defrosting.[1]
- You could also let the bagel defrost overnight, which could especially come in handy if you want to eat a bagel first thing in the morning.
- Preheat your oven to 10-15 minutes before you're ready to eat. Once your bagel is defrosted, turn on your oven and set it to the appropriate temperature. Give the oven 5-10 minutes to fully preheat.[2]
- If you prefer a less-crispy exterior, set the oven to instead of .
- For an extra-crispy bagel, set the oven to .
- Sprinkle the exterior of the bagel with water. Wet the tips of your fingers and flick the water onto the sides of the bagel. Repeat 2-3 times so that each side is even. This will create a little bit of steam in the oven and give your bagel a crispier crust.[3]
- If the bagel is already sliced, it's okay if some water gets onto the interior of the bagel—it won't hurt anything.
- Cut the bagel in half if it isn't already sliced. Use a serrated knife or a mechanical slicer to halve the bagel. If you're using a knife, place the bagel flat on the countertop and cut horizontally through the middle of the bagel. If you're using a slicer, simply insert the bagel and push down on the blade's handle.[4]
- Be careful when slicing the bagel that you don't accidentally cut your hand.
- Place the bagel on a baking sheet with the sliced sides facing up. Position the bagel halves so that the interior of the bagel is facing up so that the heat from the oven will cook it more evenly. Keep the exterior of the bagel against the baking sheet so it gets crispier.[5]
- You can also bake bagels whole if you prefer. Just keep in mind that the interior of the bagel won't get crispy and browned at all.
- Bake the bagel in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Every oven bakes things at a slightly different rate, so check the bagel after 10 minutes to see if it is done yet. If it doesn't have much color on the top, cook it for an additional 5 minutes. It is done when it's lightly browned on top, though feel free to cook it for longer if you prefer a toastier bagel.[6]
- If you're baking an unsliced bagel, it should still need just 10-15 minutes to bake on the outside and heat all the way through.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the bagel cool down. Use oven mitts to safely remove the baking sheet and set it down on a protected surface. Give the bagel 3-4 minutes to cool off before you pick it up and add your toppings of choice.
- Don't forget to turn off the oven when you're done using it.
[Edit]Toasting the Bagel - Take a bagel out of the freezer and unwrap it. If you wrapped the bagel individually before freezing it, simply pull one out of the freezer and discard its wrapper. If it was frozen along with other bagels, open the container, take one out, and reseal the container before placing the rest of the bagels back into the freezer.[7]
- If you can't bake a bagel, toasting it is the next best option. It'll crisp up the exterior and hopefully leave the interior nice and chewy.
- Put the bagel into the toaster and set it to the desired level of doneness. Some toasters even have bagel-specific settings that you can use. Keep in mind that you can always toast a bagel more, but if it is overdone you can't make it less toasted.[8]
- Every toaster is different, so use your best judgment when deciding what setting to use. It should be a bit higher than what you would use for toast since the bagel is thicker than sliced bread.
- Use your favorite bagel toppings to create a satisfying meal or snack. Once the bagel is done, remove it from the toaster and set it on a plate. It'll be really hot, so be careful to not burn your fingers. Try out some of these great bagel toppings:
- Cream cheese (plain or flavored)
- Peanut butter
- Nutella
- Egg
- Smoked salmon and capers
- Pizza sauce and cheese
- Smashed avocado
[Edit]Microwaving the Bagel - Pull a bagel out of the freezer. If the bagel was wrapped individually, take it out of its wrap and throw it away. If it was stored in bulk with other bagels, take it out and rewrap the rest of the bagels before replacing them in the freezer.[9]
- Microwaving a bagel is a good way to quickly heat it up straight from the freezer. Keep in mind that it won't produce a crispy exterior, though. If you do want that crispy outside, opt for the toaster or bake the bagel in the oven.
- Sprinkle warm water onto the bagel. It may seem counterintuitive, but adding some water to the bagel will keep it from drying out too much in the microwave. If the bagel is pre-sliced, keep it whole during this step. Dip your fingers in warm water and flick it all over the exterior of the bagel.[10]
- You could also wrap the bagel in a moistened paper towel for an even chewier bagel. Leave the paper towel in place while the bagel is in the microwave.
- Put the bagel on a microwave-safe dish. Separate the bagel halves and put them face-side up on a plate. If you choose to not use a plate or dish, set them on top of a paper towel in the microwave to keep them from sticking to the surface.[11]
- If the bagel is unsliced, you could either slice it before you microwave it or wait until afterward.
- Microwave the bagel in 20-second increments until it is cooked through. The total cooking time depends on your microwave, but it usually takes about 1 minute and 15 seconds to 2 minutes to thoroughly cook through. Test how done it is by poking the doughy section with your finger—if the bagel still feels cold or hard, it's not done yet.[12]
- Be careful when taking the plate out of the microwave as it may be hot to the touch.
[Edit]Freezing Bagels Properly - Slice bagels before freezing them so they're ready to eat at any time. Use a serrated bread knife or purchase a mechanical slicer to make separating bagels a quick and easy task.[13]
- Wrap bagels individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Wrapping the bagels individually before freezing them prevents freezer burn, which is a surefire way to ruin the flavor of the bagels. Use enough material to fully cover the entire bagel.[14]
- Freezing the bagels removes moisture from them. Wrapping them up will help them retain a bit more moisture than they would if you froze them all together.
- Place all the bagels into a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag. Once the bagels have been wrapped individually, you can store them all together in the same big plastic bag. Just make sure to use a bag that is resealable and preferably made for use in the freezer.[15]
- If there are too many bagels and you can't seal the plastic bag, separate the bagels into 2 or 3 packages.
- Store bagels in the freezer for 6-12 months for the best quality of taste. Ideally, try to use the bagels within the first week of freezing them for the freshest taste. But if you need or want to store them for longer, go for it![16]
- This is a great way to store bagels that you buy or make in bulk.
- Label the bag with the "frozen on" date so that you remember how long they've been in storage.
- Discard any bagels that are discolored or develop freezer burn. Technically, the bagel will still be safe to eat as long as it has been frozen properly, but it probably won't taste very good anymore.[17]
- Freeze bagels within 2-3 days of making them or buying them.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Defrosting and Baking the Bagel - Oven
- Plastic wrap or aluminum foil (optional)
- Serrated knife or mechanical slicer (optional)
- Baking sheet
- Oven Mitts
[Edit]Toasting the Bagel [Edit]Microwaving the Bagel - Microwave
- Microwave-safe dish
- Paper towel (optional)
[Edit]Freezing Bagels Properly - Serrated knife or mechanical slicer
- Plastic wrap or aluminum foil
- Resealable plastic bag
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Write With Your Opposite Hand Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST Becoming ambidextrous has all kinds of advantages, especially for writing. If you injure your dominant hand, for example, you can easily switch to your other hand when you need to write. Learning how to write with your opposite hand takes a lot of time and practice, but many people do it successfully.[1] Start small. Trace your hand and draw simple shapes to get your non-dominant hand used to write. Then advance to writing out the alphabet and simple sentences. Strengthen your non-dominant hand by doing more daily tasks with it regularly. With some patience, you can successfully learn how to write with your opposite hand. [Edit]Warming Your Hand Up - Hold the pen or pencil the same way you do with your dominant hand. The first step to changing your writing hand is holding the pen or pencil properly. This can be difficult if you've never done it before. Use the same grip as you would use with your dominant hand. This trains your non-dominant hand to use a writing instrument.[2]
- For a reference, sit down and hold the pen in your dominant hand. Then trade hands and try to mirror the way you held the pen in your dominant hand. Take a picture of your dominant hand holding a pen if you need more guidance.
- Don't hold the pen tightly. This is a common mistake people make when using their non-dominant hand. A tight grip makes your writing worse and also stresses your hand muscles.
- If you're learning to write with your left hand, it's common to smudge your writing. Use a pen without gel ink. Also avoid erasable pens. These varieties smudge much worse. Hold the pen from the tip so your hand rubs on the page less.[3]
- Trace your hand as a warm-up exercise. Once you're holding the pen with your non-dominant hand, do simple tasks to introduce it to writing. Place your dominant hand down on the paper. Then trace around it with your non-dominant hand. This loosens your hand up and trains the muscles in this hand to write.[4]
- Turn to a new page and repeat this activity a few times before moving on. It will feel awkward at first. Continue until you feel more comfortable holding and moving the pen in your non-dominant hand.
- Draw simple shapes when you feel more comfortable. After loosening your hand up with a tracing exercise, move on to making shapes without something to trace. Turn to a fresh page and draw simple shapes like a square, circle, and triangle. Focus on forming these shapes as legibly as possible. Draw shapes until you run out of room on the page, then switch to a new page if you feel like you need more practice.[5]
- Work slowly when you draw these shapes. Pay attention to forming the shapes, not working quickly. Speed will come with time. Right now, train your muscles to get used to writing.
- If you need a reference, draw these shapes with your dominant hand first. Then switch hands and try to copy these shapes.
- Make a connected line of waves across the page. After you feel comfortable drawing some disconnected shapes, move on to a more connected design. A wave shape requires more precision than simple shapes. Start by using your dominant hand to draw a line of connected waves across the page. Then switch hands and try to copy this design with your non-dominant one. Start a new line when you reach the end of the page.[6]
- Another design to draw is a line of upward loops like a cursive lowercase "L". Extend these loops across the page.
[Edit]Forming Letters and Sentences - Begin your exercise by writing out all the letters of the alphabet. After you're comfortable forming shapes, train your hand to form letters. Write out every letter in the alphabet, both the capital and uppercase versions. Work slowly and focus on forming the letters. When you're proficient at writing the alphabet, it's easier to string the letters together into words.[7]
- Write on loose-leaf or notebook paper and try to stay between the lines. Write large at first. Extend your letters through two rows instead of one.
- When you're just starting out training your non-dominant hand, begin every practice session with this exercise.
- Write out simple sentences. Once your hand is used to forming letters, put those skills to use by forming sentences. Something simple like "I am writing this sentence with my left hand" gets your hand moving and accustomed to forming words. Then write more sentences until you fill up a page.[8]
- Repeat writing each sentence a few times before moving on to a new one.
- Copy sentences out of a book or magazine if you can't come up with your own at first.
- If you aren't ready for sentences yet, try just writing out your name a few times.
- Switch back to your dominant hand to observe how it writes if you get stuck. Inevitably, you'll run into a word or shape that your non-dominant hand just can't seem to form. This might happen a lot in the beginning. If you do get stuck, give the pen back to your dominant hand. Write the same thing with this hand and observe how it moves. Also notice how your hand feels and the muscles you use for this task. Then give the pen back to your non-dominant hand and try to copy these motions and feelings.[9]
- Write with your dominant hand in front of a mirror to get a better view of how it moves and forms words. Try to copy these motions with your other hand.
- Practice mirror writing. Mirror writing is an exercise where you write a word with your dominant hand, and then write it backwards with your non-dominant hand. The two words next to each other look like they're in a mirror. Start off writing in print. Then advance to doing this activity in cursive.[10]
- As a very advanced technique, some people write the same word in opposite directions at the same time. Try this out when you feel confident in your ability with both hands.
- Track your progress by writing in a notebook. Learning to write with your non-dominant hand takes time and practice. In the beginning, your writing might be nearly illegible. It's easy to get discouraged, but keeping track of your progress helps you see how far you've come. Do all your exercises in a notebook. When you feel like quitting, flip back to the earlier days when you were just starting. Compare that to where you are now. You've almost certainly gotten better, and you'll keep getting better as long as you practice.[11]
[Edit]Strengthening Your Non-Dominant Hand - Do exercises for your non-dominant hand. Since you use your non-dominant hand less often than your dominant one, its muscles are much weaker. This makes it harder to write well with your non-dominant hand. Increase this hand's strength by doing hand exercises that work these muscles and improve your dexterity.[12]
- Warm up and stretch your hands before working them out to avoid injuries and pulled muscles.
- Doing bicep curls with dumbbells strengthens the muscles in your wrists and forearms. Squeezing hand grips specifically targets your hand muscles.
- Something simple like squeezing a stress ball will also help strengthen your hand. Do this while you're watching TV or on your daily commute.
- Learn an instrument that requires both hands to play. Many instruments require coordination between both hands to operate. Play one of these instruments to improve your overall dexterity and get used to using both hands together.[13]
- Guitar, for example, requires you to strum with one hand and fret the strings with the other. Since both hands need to work together, this activity improves your coordination. Other choice include bass guitar, piano, and drums.
- On many stringed instruments, you can flip them upside down and play them the opposite way with your other hand. When you get proficient enough, try this exercise to further strengthen your non-dominant hand.
- Use your non-dominant hand for more daily tasks. Any activity you do with your non-dominant hand strengthens it and gets your body used to using it. This will benefit your writing. Start doing more activities with your non-dominant hand to train yourself to use it in your daily life.[14]
- Try brushing your teeth and holding a fork with your non-dominant hand.
- Buttoning your shirt with your non-dominant hand is a good exercise that requires more precision.
- Don't do activities that could be dangerous if they aren't done correctly. For example, driving with your other hand isn't safe until you're very proficient with it.
- Remember to write large at first. Making small letters will just smudge your writing in the beginning. Focus on forming the letters clearly before trying to make your writing smaller.
- Take your time. Speed will come with time and practice.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
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