INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can do this using spray paint or acrylic paint. As you are painting, you may notice the material soaking the paint up quickly. Simply wait a few minutes, then go back over those areas. If you wish to add more colors or details, wait for the first coat to dry.  If you are using spray paint: hold the can 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) away from the surface of the mat, and spray straight down. The force of the paint presses down onto the stencil and prevents bleeding.  If you are using a foam brush: saturate the brush, then press it against the bristles of the mat. Continue applying the paint using a tapping motion. Don't paint back-and-forth, or you'll risk getting paint under the stencil. It can take up to 24 hours for the paint to dry. You may need up to three coats of paint, especially if you are painting sisal or coir. You can do this while the paint is still wet. Once you are done painting, carefully remove any pins or pieces of tape, then carefully peel the stencil away. Be careful not to touch your design. Even if it looks dry, it might still be wet around the edges. You can speed things up by setting it out in a sunny spot for a few hours. If you are using liquid paint, be sure to read the label carefully; some paints requiring a curing time as well. Once the paint is completely dry and cursed, set your doormat down in front of your door. Keep in mind that because the fibers are only painted, the colors may fade over time.

SUMMARY: Paint over the stencil. Let the first coat dry, then add a second coat or details, if desired. Remove the stencil. Let the paint finish drying. Use your doormat.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: There are so many colleges in the world, and you will eventually need to choose one. That time will be here before you know it, so it would be fun to learn about the ones that might interest you. There are fun and interesting things to learn including: where they are located, what special programs they offer, and what the student population is like.  Attending college is one of the hardest, but most fun and memorable times of your life. Making a good choice is directly related to your success and happiness. Scholarships and grants are available to pay for part or all of your college expense. Identifying financial support for college is possible. You can dream about what you want to be when you grow up, or actually learn what it takes. The more you know about various careers, the more informed you will be about pursuing the education and jobs that will lead you to your eventual goal.  If you want to be a doctor determine what classes you would need to take, how long it will take you to become one, and how your efforts will impact the world. Call a person who performs the job that you would like and ask her a list of questions you’ve prepared. You can start the conversation by saying, “Hello, my name is _____ and I’m thinking about becoming a ________. Are there any words of wisdom you can give me?” This will start the conversation. People spend approximately fifty years of their life working. It is crucial for you to find fun and fulfilling work. Owning real estate is a common goal for a lot of people. Wouldn’t it be fun to find out what it takes to buy your dream home? Explore areas where you might want to live. Determine what the average price of a home might be. How much money would you need to make the purchase?  Set a long-range goal to purchase a house. Once you know what it takes to buy one, you can focus your career and financial efforts toward that goal. You will find that most people start with small properties. Make sure that you can not only afford the payments, but also be able to consistently live within the required budget. If you don’t have money to have any fun, then you need to consider a smaller property. It could be fun to use your alone time to study the achievements and personal qualities of women who have had great success in their lives. Wouldn’t it be fun to find a mentor or role model who could help and guide you?  You don’t have to copy everything a person does; but instead look for the ways in which she struggled and failed and then bounced back to achieve success. Tenacity, self-reliance and resourcefulness are qualities to admire and develop in yourself. Success can be fun. You might be spending the day in your room, but you’re going to be spending the next week at school. Organizing the week ahead will help manage the stress of upcoming tests, reports and projects. Seeing the demands of the week on paper alleviates some of the pressure and uncertainty you might be feeling. Schedule the time necessary for each item.  It’s a great feeling when you make it through the week feeling organized and accomplished, which nurtures your motivation to learn at school.  Don’t forget to schedule some fun time for yourself. It’s important to have fun to maintain balance and a positive outlook about school.
Summary: Investigate colleges. Learn about careers. Read about what it takes to buy a house. Identify women in history that made a difference. Make a homework schedule for the upcoming week.

To prepare the onions for freezing, use a sharp knife to cut off the top ½-inch (1.3 cm). Next, slice the onion in half. Peel off the papery skin, and then chop the onion to the size you prefer..  It’s not a good idea to chop the onions any smaller than into ½-inch (1.3 cm) pieces because they may wind up becoming encased in ice when you freeze them if they’re too small. You can slice the onions instead of chopping them if you’re freezing them for use in dishes such as fajitas. When you’ve chopped the onions to your desired size, transfer them to a plastic freezer bag. Make sure to place them in the bag in a single, flat layer to prevent them from clumping together when they freeze. Squeeze all the air out of the bag, and seal it.  If you’re freezing a large number of onions, prevent them from sticking together when frozen by placing them in a single layer on a shallow baking dish. Freeze them like that for two to three hours, and when they’re partially frozen, you can place them in the freezer bag without worrying about them clumping together. Be sure to use plastic bags that are thick enough to protect the onions from freezer burn and keep the onion scent contained in the bag. If your bags seem too thin, double them up. Before throwing the onions in your freezer, use a pen or marker to label the bag with the date, type of onion, and when you should use them by. Place the bag flat in the freezer, making sure that the onions are still in a single layer as you position them.  You can keep onions in your freezer for up to 6 months. If you have multiple bags of onion that you’re freezing, you can stack them on top of one another to save space in the freezer. Just make sure that the onions in each bag are in a flat, single layer.
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One-sentence summary -- Peel and chop the onions. Place the onions in a freezer bag. Label the bag and freeze.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The things some people throw away could be free construction material for you. Watch for carpeting or area rugs, large pieces of furniture to use as lumber for other projects and paint.

SUMMARY:
Check the dumpster area of large apartment buildings periodically, especially when it's close to pick-up day.