To darn your pointe shoes you will need a few important materials. You will need:  Pointe shoes  A large, thick sewing needle or curved needle  Wool or cotton embroidery thread (approximately two arms-length of thread)  Scissors  A thimble (optional) . You will need to thread approximately two arms-length or about three feet of thread. Insert your darning thread through the eye of the needle. You can use single threading to make your darning especially fine, but it is also acceptable to double up and knot the two thread ends together once you have thread the needle.  Darning thread can be found at nearly any sewing or craft store.  Cut the excess threading off from the end of the knot. Hold the pointe shoe with the sole of the shoe facing you, and the front of the shoe facing away from you. Insert the needle at the back of the pointe platform, near the top of the satin pleats. Pass the needle through the satin and through the platform material at an angle starting below, from the outer, side edge of the platform, and pushing it up diagonally, to the top, inner edge of the platform. Push the needle completely though the shoe, and pull the thread all the way until the threaded knot reaches the shoe. Insert the needle very close next to the stitching hole you just made. Again, pull the needle through the satin and platform material, and begin to pull the rest of the threading through. However, don't pull the thread tight, all the way through. The thread will be in a loop before you pull it all the way through the shoe. When you see the loop of thread, pass your needle through the loop, and then pull the thread taut. This will create your first chain stitch. Continue stitching around the platform of the shoe, inserting the needle through the satin and platform material and drawing the thread through the stitching loops, maintaining the chain stitch.  Be sure to not make the stitchings too outward on the sides of the platform, or else the darning won’t provide any effective traction while dancing. The spacing between the stitching isn’t too important, but they do need to be close together, and they do need to be relatively uniform. . Once you have chain stitched all the way around the platform of the pointe shoe and have come back to where you started darning, cut off the excess thread. You can cut pretty close to the last knot you made, but leave about a centimeter of leftover thread. You don’t have to make a final knot; the darning thread will stay in place since all of the stitches consist of knots. Consider securing and sealing the last bit of excess thread by swiping it with a bit of clear nail polish. That will keep the thread sealed onto the shoe rather than hanging off freely. When you are finished darning one pointe shoe, repeat the same exact stitching method on your other shoe. You may find darning your second pointe shoe to be a bit easier and faster, now that you have one darned pointe shoe under your belt.

Summary: Gather your darning materials. Thread the needle Make the first darning stitch. Make your first chain stitch. Continue chain stitching around the platform of the shoe. Secure the darning knot Darn your other pointe shoe.


Press Ctrl + G. Go to Layers > Layer Mask > Hide All. Add it above the "High Pass" layer. Change the opacity of the layer to 50%. " Do this by clicking the black thumbnail in the layers palette. This will make the smooth skin effect visible over areas you paint. Just right-click anywhere on the canvas and select a large-diameter brush with 50 hardness. Done!

Summary: Select the top two layers. Hide the layers. Add a new layer. Fill this with the color red. Select the "Group Layer Mask. Use the the brush tool and paint over the skin. Select a large-diameter brush. Delete the red fill layer when you finish.


Being physically active can lower your blood pressure by helping to control your weight and manage stress.  For the best results try to do 75–150 minutes of physical activity per week. You can choose what you like to do best. Great options include walking, running, dancing, biking, swimming, and playing sports such as basketball or soccer. Do strength training, such as weight lifting, twice a week to maintain bone density and build muscle. Alcohol abuse is bad for your heart. Also, alcoholic beverages are high in calories and make you more prone to obesity. You can lower your blood pressure by quitting drinking or drinking only in moderation.  Men over 65 and women should limit themselves to, at most, one drink per day. Men under 65 should have no more than two drinks per day. A 12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine, or 1.5 oz of hard liquor qualifies as a drink. Using tobacco can harden your arteries and cause them to become narrower, which will increase your blood pressure. Secondhand smoke also causes these effects. There are many resources available to help you quit smoking:  Talking to your doctor or seeing a counselor Joining support groups or calling hotlines Using medications or nicotine replacement therapy If you think your medications might be causing high blood pressure, consult your doctor. Your doctor may be able to help you find a medication that is more suitable for you. Don’t stop taking your medications without clearing it with your doctor first. The following substances and medications may increase blood pressure:  Cocaine, crystal methamphetamines, and amphetamines Some birth control pills Some decongestants and cold medications Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen and others) While stress is an unavoidable part of life, you can use relaxation techniques to help you deal with it better. Common techniques include:  Yoga Meditation  Music or art therapy  Deep Breathing Visualizing calming images Progressively tensing and relaxing each muscle group in your body
Summary: Exercise. Reduce your alcohol intake. Don’t smoke or chew tobacco. Evaluate your medications and don’t use street drugs. Reduce your stress.