INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Velvet made from cotton, silk or another natural material is best. These options are preferable because the paint is more likely to slip off the surface of a synthetic material. . Pre-washing ensures that you don’t have issues with sizing later, and also helps the paint stick to the fabric. Check the label on the velvet as it may need to be hand-washed and laid flat or hung up to dry. Use a gentle detergent, as left-over residue could affect the way your paint is absorbed. This will give you a chance to see how much of the paint the fabric absorbs before planning out your entire design. Decide if your paint and technique are compatible with the fabric (e.g., you may have chosen a design that is too detailed for the fabric, the paint you chose may not be the right kind for the type of fabric, or the colors you were planning to use may not dry as bright as you were expecting). . This keeps your fabric from bunching as well as allows the paint to dry more quickly. Stretch the velvet over the bars so that it lays flat and there are no wrinkles. Use a staple gun to staple the fabric to the frame, alternating sides as you go; put one staple on one side, one staple on the other side, one staple on the top, and one staple on the bottom. Repeat until the entire piece of velvet is stapled to the frame.  You may also want to put a barrier between the velvet and the frame bars. A piece of cardboard or an acid-free foam core board work well and will prevent a line from forming in the paint where the velvet contacts the frame. The barrier should be slightly smaller than the frame bars so that you can easily remove it when your painting is dry.  Frame bars are available at most craft and supply shops.

SUMMARY: Select velvet made from natural fibers. Wash the velvet Paint a small scrap of your velvet with the paint you plan to use. Stretch the velvet over frame bars


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The cornerstone of dissociative amnesia is that it includes a level of forgetting that goes beyond typical forgetfulness and that cannot be explained by a medical condition. See a medical practitioner to rule out medical causes. A medical cause for memory loss can include brain injury or brain disease, certain cancers, or other disorders. Your physician may run tests to see if memory function is related to these causes. Dissociation can result from drug and alcohol intoxication. Drugs and alcohol can affect the brain in such a way to cause lapses in memory or “blackouts.”  Note whether drugs or alcohol have been used lately or frequently, and in what amount. A lack of sleep can also cause feelings of dissociation unrelated to medical or psychological causes. Dementia is characterized by memory loss, but also has other defining markers. The cause of dementia occurs in the brain and affects nerve cells, not psychological trauma. If the cause is dementia, other problems will occur outside of memory function, such as  difficulty finding words, problem solving, and coordinating movements. Someone with dementia may experience confusion and disorientation.  Sometimes, dementia may be caused by certain medications or vitamin deficiencies. When these are the cause of dementia, symptoms may be reversed.

SUMMARY: Diagnose medical causes. Examine lifestyle factors. Look for symptoms of dementia.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Volunteering in your community is another way to show how grateful you are for all of the things that the world has given you. Whether you’re helping clean up a local park, working in a soup kitchen, or teaching children and adults in your community to learn to read, you will become a more grateful person if you give your time to people who are less fortunate and appreciate all that ‘’they’’ have to offer ‘’you.’’ If you really like volunteering, you can even take a volunteer trip to another country. This will really change your perspective and will make you even more grateful. That’s right. Just going out in the park and sitting in the sun can help you appreciate all that you have in life. Whether you go swimming, meditate in a park, go hiking, or climb a mountain, communing with nature will make you see how impermanent your life is and how much you should appreciate all of the little things that life does have to offer you. The more time you spend outside instead of being cooped up inside your home, the more grateful you will feel. Yoga is the practice of gratitude. While you’re practicing those arm balances and doing those vinyasas, you will really be working on finding a connection between your mind and body that allows you to appreciate every breath, every movement, and every person around you. Yoga will remind you that the world has what you need and that you have what the world wants.  Making a weekly yoga habit will help you appreciate the small stuff and not feel like you’re not getting enough out of life. Yoga is all about being generous and offering up what you have to the world. This is guaranteed to make you less selfish and more grateful. You shouldn’t always save your acts of kindness for your close friends or family members. Help a neighbor look for a lost dog. Help the girl in the coffee shop who spilled coffee all over herself clean up. Help an old woman carry her groceries. Sometimes these opportunities will present themselves—you don’t have to come looking for them. And when they do come, it’s best to act with generosity and you’ll be more grateful for your part in the world. Make a goal of doing at least one random act of kindness per month. Try to get this down to per week. Think you can do one a day? You’ll never know until you try. Giving a gift is a great way of practicing gratitude. You don’t have to wait for your friend’s birthday to give her a gift if you really want her to know how much she means to you. If you see a cute picture frame at a craft fair, stick a picture of you two in it and give it to her; if you see the perfect accessory for your friend, pick up it and hand it to her in a small gift bag. It’s not the price that counts—it’s the thought. Getting in a habit of giving gifts to your friends just because you thought of them and want them to feel special is a great way to be a more grateful person.

SUMMARY: Volunteer. Commune with nature. Do yoga. Do a random act of kindness. Give your friend a thoughtful gift just because.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Pick up your ball and find the point where the grooves in the ball meet at the bottom. You will want to spin the ball on the bottom middle of the ball where all of the grooves meet in a perpendicular point. If you spin the ball with the grooves in a horizontal position, your spin won't look as clean and your finger won't have a point to rest on. Some people prefer to use two hands to throw and guide the ball into the air before catching it with their finger. Others prefer to palm the basketball in one hand and use a quick flick of the wrist to prop the ball up to the fingertip. The two-handed method is easiest for beginners. Bend your elbow out and hold up the ball. You want your elbow to be at a comfortable height, usually a little bit higher than your hip. The ball should be about level with your face when you spin it. This is the same hand you'll use to spin the ball. Do not hold the ball entirely flat on your palm, as this causes the ball to slide around too easily. Instead grip it with your fingertips and allow for a small air pocket between your palm and the ball. You can use the pads of your fingers to keep the ball level on your finger. You should also use them to guide the ball and make sure it doesn't tilt to one side or fall over.

SUMMARY:
Find the grooves in the ball. Decide whether to use one or two hands. Hold the ball up with your elbow a little above your hip. Hold the ball in your dominant hand with your finger pads. Use your finger pads to guide the ball in the proper direction.