Lately I’ve heard a lot of stories about fake guns being used in crimes — for instance, to rob banks or in muggings.  I’ve heard that some of these criminals think that if they get caught, having a fake gun means a lesser sentence, but apparently that’s not exactly true.  Certainly it wasn’t for the guy in the article I just linked to, who was shot by police after waving his guns at them — the cops only discovered after shooting the guy that the guns were fake.

So much for thinking committing a crime with a fake gun was safer.

There are some pretty realistic-looking toy guns on the market — for example, airsoft guns tend to look pretty real.  Airsoft guns are like BB guns or pellet guns — they just use compressed gas or air in order to fire pellets.  Because people use these for realistic games such as MilSim (military simulations) and historical reenactments, they all look pretty real: For instance, airsoft sniper rifles are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing unless you take a close look.

Fake gun manufacturers try to do things to set their toys apart from the real thing — for instance, many toy guns have a bright orange plastic piece on them.  Unfortunately, where there’s a will, there’s a way…  Criminals simply remove or cover up these plastic pieces so that you can’t tell.

Fortunately, getting caught committing a crime with a fake gun is just as bad as getting caught commiting a crime with a real gun.  Either way, you’re pretty screwed.

Technorati Tags: fake guns, fake gun, toy guns, airsoft guns, airsoft, BB guns, pellet guns, airsoft sniper rifles, MilSim

These days it’s important that we pay attention to the impact that our actions have on the environment. As a result, people are increasingly concerned about finding ways to re-use the items that they already have in their homes. While some items (such as glass jars) are easy to find a new use for, others require some creative thinking.

Take, for example, your basic plastic card. Expired credit cards, old ID cards, and used gift cards are all types of cards that we let linger in our homes without finding a real purpose for them beyond their original use. In cases like this, it is sometimes best to turn the item into art.

Here’s the basic how-to for making plastic card art:

• Collect all of the cards you have.
• Sort them into two piles - one that you like the design of and one that you don’t.
• Use the ones with great designs to make decorative art items by putting them into a nice array and framing them. Hang them or give them as gifts.
• Take the ones that aren’t so attractive and add to them. Adding beads, glitter, small collage art, printed quotes and stamped images can create a beautiful new piece of art. These can be framed or turned into functional art such as bookmarks.

If you really get passionate about plastic card art, you might be able to snag your own small art show at a local plastic card printing business!

Technorati Tags: plastic card, plastic card printing

Collapsible koozies are a great invention. They help keep your drinks cool while being small enough to carry around anywhere. Unfortunately, the human memory isn’t always so great. People often leave their custom coozies at home and then don’t have them when they want them. The best way to prevent this problem is to keep a bunch of koozies in the places where they’ll be most useful to you.

Here are three places where you should put a coozie so that you’re never without one when you want it:

1. Your car. Chances are that if you’re going to be going somewhere, you’re going there in your car. Since that’s the case, keeping a coozie or two in the trunk can help to guarantee that you’ve always got one handy.
2. Your travel bag. There are going to be times when you aren’t actually in your car but are somewhere else in the country. Travel is a time we frequently forget our conveniences so packing a koozie in your travel bag before you even go on a trip can make it easier to have one handy. Travel’s a great time to have a cold drink, too!
3. Your day bag. In addition to your travel bag, you probably have a bag that you carry around on a more regular basis. Whether it’s a purse, a laptop bag or a gym bag, it can hold a koozie without much problem.

You can just buy cold drinks wherever you go but then you’ll have a collection of stadium cups and plastic bottles to contend with. Carry around koozies to keep things simpler.

Technorati Tags: collapsible koozies, custom coozies, stadium cups

Families these days are busy. Even when you are physically present in the same location, you’re often so tuned in to your laptop, television or cell phone that you neglect to give each other the attention that you need to really build solid relationships with each other. One way to regain some quality time with your family is to use fire pits.

Yes, those inexpensive pits that you can purchase at a local hardware store are a tool for connecting families. Everyone likes to gather around one outside so it’s easy to get the family to participate in "family time" when you have one. Set aside one day of each week that everyone will commit to sharing dinner around the fire pit. Installing a new fire pit is more effective than trying to get everyone to eat at the dinner table together. This is because the fire pit will be something new and exciting. This makes it something that is easy to start a new tradition around so you’ll hear less complaints from stubborn family members. BBQ on the grill or just grab some sandwiches and gather around. Turn off all of your tech toys for one hour and just sit around the fire and talk.

Add in some additional family-bonding tricks to get the full effect of this family time. For example, put a memo pad on the outside of your home’s shower cubicles. Ask that each family member remember something special about that week’s fire pit day and have them write it on the memo pad the next time that they take a shower. Throughout the week, as you use the bathroom shower, you’ll re-live the connectedness you felt at the fire pit. This builds enthusiasm for the new week and builds your family’s relationships at the same time.

Technorati Tags: fire pits, bathroom cubicles, bathroom shower

So you have decided to adopt a pet, or perhaps you are just thinking about it. The World Wide Web is a great place to start the adoption process. If you check out the local ASPCA shelters in your area on the ASPCA website you can find out just what pets are in need of a loving home like yours and even see pictures and brief informational blurbs about them! Then comes the fun part, shopping for dog collars and leashes, beds and toys–all of the things it will take to spoil your new friend and make them feel right at home!

Having dog collars ready for your new pet is about making them your own. Depending on how old they are, you may have to go up a couple of sizes as time goes on, but when you are looking for dog collars look for something that will really show them off as well taken care of and happy, but keep them safe and secure at the same time.

Leather www.pampermepuppy.com/dog-collars—leashes.html collars for dogs are just one type of collar, but it seems to be the most popular. There are also cute fabric collars that hold up well in the water if you like to swim and want your pet to partake as well. At the same time, having a stylish collar is kind of like having a nice outfit–it helps your dog to look great and well taken care of at the same time.

Technorati Tags: ASPCA website, dog collars, collars for dogs